The Best Of Us

He wondered if she’d been fixed up lately. He didn’t even know if she’d ever been married. Maybe if he got to know her, he’d find she wasn’t such a prize.

No, that wasn’t going to happen. Eleanor and her husband liked to eat at the pub and Eleanor loved Leigh. Eleanor didn’t suffer fools gladly. Connie Boyle was always saying she was great, as did some of his fellow firefighters.

“Dad? Is it almost time for another one of those pills?” Finn asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Rob looked into Finn’s eyes. He could see he was hurting. He felt his head—warm. But he’d gotten antibiotics. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

“It’s throbbing. It feels like the bandage is too tight.”

“Let’s take your temperature,” he said.

It was just barely above normal.

“You’re almost due a pain pill,” he said. “We’ll watch your temperature. If you’re still having trouble in the morning, I’ll call the doctor. If it gets bad in the night, I have her cell number.” She had said it would save her a world of trouble if he’d just call that number rather than meeting a big problem first thing in the morning. Made sense. “We’re going to be good boys and not take off that bandage. I don’t know what happens if you do that but I think she executes you. It sounded serious.” He craned his neck toward the living room. “Your girls gone?” There they sat, waiting patiently. Quietly.

“Everything okay?” Sid asked, drying the last pot.

“Pain, like she said would happen,” Rob said.

“Can you put ice on it?” Sid asked.

Rob got a shocked look on his face. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll call her after things quiet down and ask.”

“Good idea,” Sid said. She leaned toward Finn and kissed his cheek. “We’re going home. If you need me for any reason, please call.”

“We’re good,” Rob said.

Dakota put a hand on Finn’s shoulder. He leaned close. “Nice cheering section, bud,” he said.

“Thanks,” Finn said.

A half hour later, Finn had another pain pill and the girls retreated. Rob ordered Finn to bed and Sean to his room to either finish homework or find some quiet pastime—it would probably take place on his tablet or phone.

Once everything was quiet he called Dr. Culver.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I would expect. You can cover the bandage with Press’n Seal or a plastic bag and rest a bag of frozen peas in the palm. Gently.”

“We have a variety of cold packs,” he said. “Athletic boys. They have to ice knees and shoulders and even heads regularly.”

“As long as it’s a soft ice pack,” she said. “We don’t want to disturb the stitches. Why don’t you bring Finn by the clinic before school and let me have a quick look, just to be sure.”

He grinned so big his cheeks hurt. And he was glad no one could see his face. “Thanks,” he said. “I’ll do that.”

“We mustn’t have any regrets,” Helen Culver said. “The house can sit empty until we’re absolutely sure. I have plenty of friends here in Naperville so after we sell the house I can come back for a visit anytime. I don’t have to have my own house to visit friends.”

“It’s the only home I’ve ever known, but I’m not there. It’s just that...”

“You like knowing it’s waiting for you?” Helen asked.

“Well, I haven’t decided I’m staying here for the long-term, but I haven’t decided I’m not, either. And I understand you’re done with those winters. Winter here is not like that. It’s mostly calm. And with all the ski lodges, it’s very festive. And cozy. There’s nothing like a blazing fire on a snowy evening.”

It was early morning. Helen and Leigh were both early risers. They usually had their daily chats before starting work and sometimes again after work in the evening. They talked every day with rare exceptions. Even when Helen was traveling.

“It should sell for a good price. The house is over fifty years old but in excellent shape in a nice neighborhood near shopping and restaurants, in a great school district...”

“Why does this come up today?” Leigh asked. “This morning?”

“I can’t get the car out of the garage!” Helen said. “I’m snowed in.”

“Oh,” Leigh said, smothering a chuckle. “It looks like spring is on the way here, but there are no guarantees.”

“You know I’ve been thinking about it, Leigh. I can arrange to have it polished up and put on the market. Maybe when I’m down there visiting you. Houses move nicely from spring through summer, before a new school year starts. If you’re ready.”

“Auntie, do you need the money from the sale?” Leigh asked.

“Nah, I’ve got money. I’m a miser! Eventually I’ll buy something in a more hospitable climate. Not only am I tired of the cold, I’m bloody over gray skies!”

“You’ll miss the changing seasons,” Leigh predicted.

“As I’ve said, I can always visit. More likely my girls will visit me!”

She always called them her girls. They were friends of a certain age and they were wonderful fun. Wonderfully bad. All writers. Leigh adored them. They came and went over the years, but Helen was always surrounded by sassy, hard-working, independent women, some married, some not. One of them was on her third husband. “What do you think, Auntie? La Jolla?”

“I’m not settled on that quite yet,” she said.

“La Jolla is a bit pricey, isn’t it?”

“Everything is pricey. I want you to decide if you’re settled. There’s no great hurry and it doesn’t have to be final. You might decide to go back to Chicago, in which case you can always buy a new house. Wherever I go will have room for you.”

“And I will always have room for you. We’ll spend the summer here.”

“Much of it, sure. I’m going to New York in May and visiting friends in San Francisco in July.”

“All right, I have a patient coming in early so I can look at his stitches. I’ll think about this. We’ll talk tonight.”

“Is he single?” Helen asked. “This patient?”

“Why, yes, he is,” Leigh said. “He’s seventeen.” No need to mention his handsome father.

“Ah! You’re no fun at all. I’ll let you go. Take this matter seriously. A house sitting empty is a liability. And I’m freezing! If we’re not going to live in it...”

“I’ll talk to you after work,” Leigh said. And just then she heard the bell on the front door of the clinic.

Helen was so right, she thought. Leigh didn’t see herself going back to that old life, that hectic grind in the big city. This probably wasn’t her final destination but she was enjoying her work life a lot more than she had a year ago. And she’d made some friends here. She actually had a pretty decent social life. Not like city life but still good.

She shrugged into her white lab coat and went to the reception area. Her staff hadn’t arrived yet and that early-morning time alone was great. The Shandon men stood in the waiting room. This time the younger brother was also present. “Good morning, gentlemen,” she said. “How’s the pain this morning, Finn?”

“It comes and goes,” he said. “I didn’t sleep much.”

“Did the ice help?” she asked.

He shrugged. “A little bit.”

“Okay, let’s look at it. This once.”

They all gathered in the treatment room. Finn sat on the table. Leigh pulled her bandage scissors out of her pocket. She reminded herself he was a seventeen-year-old boy. Men were often melodramatic when it came to illness. They could power through pulled muscles and broken bones, but let ’em get the flu and it was like death. Same with bloody injuries.

She sliced through the wrap. “You’re probably going to be sorry,” she said. “Eleanor is a much gentler wrapper than I am, or so I’m told. And we’re not doing this every day, you know.”

“I know,” he said. “Can you put something on it to keep it from hurting?”

“Your palm and fingertips are very sensitive, but they’re also good healers. Ah,” she said, spreading the bandage. “Looks good. A little inflammation, no bleeding, stitches intact. Here’s what should concern you—if bleeding shows through the bandage or if a red line is traveling up your arm, call me immediately. And don’t take off the bandage.”

Sean leaned around Finn. “Cool.”

“It feels so much better off,” he said.

“And it is so much more susceptible to infection or damage to the incision and stitches. Why don’t you take a day off from school, rest, put ice on it from time to time, take your antibiotics and chill out. It could be sore for a few days but you’ll be all right. It’s healing as it should.”

“We were wondering, what exactly do you do to people who take off the bandage?” Rob asked.

“Your name goes on a list of patients who just won’t listen,” she said. “And I’m not above sharing the list. So, when there’s a bank robbery or something, I have a list of people who won’t follow the rules.” She grinned. “You take off the bandage, you risk infection, difficult healing, complications.”

The bell on the clinic door tinkled and moments later Eleanor popped into the treatment room. “Did he take that bandage off?” she asked, sounding annoyed.

Leigh winked at Finn. “No, I did. We’re just checking it.”

“Let me wash my hands and I’ll wrap it up again,” Eleanor said, turning away while swinging her jacket off her shoulders.

“You got lucky,” Leigh said to Finn. “Listen, it’s going to hurt and eventually itch like the devil. Be brave. This will pass.” Then she felt his head for fever. “Don’t forget to take all of the antibiotic pills.”

“I won’t,” he said.

“As much as I enjoy seeing you, I’m sure you have better things to do.”

“Not really,” he said, and he grinned.

What a handsome boy, she thought.

Finn went home from the clinic, took one of his pain pills and sprawled out on the couch, falling asleep instantly. It seemed like only seconds had passed when the doorbell rang. And rang again. He rolled to his side and looked at the time on his phone. It was noon. He’d been asleep for hours.

He opened the door and frowned in confusion. It was Maia. His girl. Probably the prettiest girl in his class. She smiled at him and held up a bag from McDonald’s. “What?” he asked, groggy.

“I brought you lunch,” she said. “Sean said your hand was so sore you were taking a day off.”

“But you have school.”

“I’ll skip fifth period,” she said. “They’ll never miss me. I thought you could use a little special treatment.”

“Wow,” he said.

“Can I come in?”

“Oh,” he said, running a hand over his head, taking note that he felt some serious bedhead. “Yeah, of course.”

“Thanks,” she said as he held the door open. “I texted you three times but you didn’t respond. I hope you’re up to company.”

He looked at his phone. Yup, three texts. “I’m up to it, I just never expected it.”

“I think I woke you up.”

“I saw the doctor this morning. She looked at the stitches and told me to just take a day off if it was hurting. So, I took one of those pain pills and fell asleep on the couch. Gimme a sec.” He headed for the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”

He had to pee like a racehorse but first he looked in the mirror. Oh, man, not only was his hair weird, it looked like he’d drooled a little. What a stud. So he peed, washed his face, brushed his teeth and tried to smooth down his hair.

He’d known Maia since junior high; she was part of a whole group who were buddies. He’d had a crush on her about that long but it took him until his senior year to ask her out because, well, she was one of the most popular girls in school and she tended to date the most popular guys. He thought she’d never go for him. Then he came to his senses and noted that she hadn’t had a steady boyfriend in a long time. He screwed up his courage and asked her out and was thrilled when she said, “Took you long enough.”

Now she was sitting on the couch and had set up a little picnic on the coffee table.

“Aw, you didn’t have to go to any trouble,” she said.

He looked at her, confused.

“Your hair is wet,” she said.

“My hair was pretty goofy from sleep,” he said. “And my brain might be on drugs.”

Her hair was beautiful. She had long, shiny dark hair and he loved plunging his hands into it. It was black or almost black. Maybe a little light around the edges. Soft and silky. He couldn’t believe she gave him a chance.

“Big Mac, extralarge fries, apple pie. I bet I should’ve gotten two Big Macs.”

In front of her was a cheeseburger, regular fries, a Diet Coke. That wouldn’t even start his motor. “No, this is great,” he said. “Why’d you do this?”

“I was looking for you this morning and couldn’t find you. Sean said you stayed home because of your hand.”

“You were looking for me?”

“Finn, you’re wearing a sling. I thought, since we have three classes together, I could help you with your books. Carry them for you.”

“Huh. I never thought of that. I have a backpack.”

“I’d still be happy to help, if you want.”

“I’ll probably manage,” he said. Because he was an idiot! “I wouldn’t mind the company, though,” he said. “I mean, if you want to.”

“Finn, I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to,” she said with a laugh. “Besides, we walk to class together, anyway.”

“Cool,” he said. Because he was oh-so-smooth. “This is good. This was really nice of you.” He’d rather be making out. But she’d brought food.

“You’re welcome.”

“What did I miss in trig?”

“Phfft, nothing. Same old drill—we went over the last assignment we turned in, he explained the next chapter, assigned the problems at the end. We have a big assignment in English, though. A paper, due in a week. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I hate when he does that. Why didn’t he give us more time?”

He groaned. “I’m lousy with writing assignments...”

“I can help,” she said. Then she flashed him her beautiful smile. “Don’t I always?”

She was in three of his classes. All three were college prep because she was smart. And beautiful. And thoughtful—she’d brought him McDonald’s. He thought if he didn’t fuck this up, he might get to kiss her for a while before she had to get back to class. “Tell me about the paper,” he said.

“Essay format and it has to be on the original work, which is about two hundred years old. It was on the reading list for the year so I have it. I was going to read it but, of course, I didn’t. It’s horror and I hate horror.”

“What am I going to do next year when we’re at different colleges?” he asked.

“You’re either going to find a new girlfriend or flunk English.”

“I guess I’m going to flunk English. And you’re not going to do that well in math.”

“You’re my go-to boy for math,” she said, laughing.

Maia read all the time. She wanted to be an English teacher. But even though they were hot and heavy by now, she was going to college in Flagstaff and he was going to CU in Boulder. Boulder was close; he’d be home a lot of weekends. Flagstaff wasn’t so close.

“I only read the directions on things I have to assemble,” he said. “Or textbooks when there’s going to be a quiz. Stories bore me.”

“But you’re a genius at math.”

“Well, that’s because I’ve got my aunt Sid—she knows everything about math. She’s really a genius. She’s a physicist. Big-ass brain.”

“I know. That is so cool.” She nibbled her cheeseburger.

She took little bites, he noticed. Her fingernails were pink and he liked that. A lot of the girls were painting their nails green and blue and black. Freaky. Maia’s nails were the color of her lips. And she didn’t wear much makeup. Just lip stuff that tasted so good. Her eyelashes were so thick and dark she didn’t have to dress them up.

They talked about school. Her favorite course was obviously English; he loved science and right now his favorite class was advanced chemistry. They talked about their teachers and both of them loved their math teacher even if Maia didn’t love math. They talked about how they dreaded being separated while they were in college. Then, lunch devoured, he reached for her. “Don’t hurt your hand,” she said before landing on his lips.

A few minutes later he stopped the kissing. “You’re making my hand feel better. Do you have to go all the way to NAU?” he asked.

“I love NAU. You should see it. It’s almost like home.”

“You can’t guess how bad I’m going to miss you.”

“That’s funny. I had to drop hints for months before you even noticed me!”

“Oh, I noticed,” he said, pulling her closer. Then he bumped his hand and yelped in pain and she pulled away.

“I’m going back to school before you do something to your hand.”

“Will you come back after school? I don’t have to work at the pub. The only bright spot...”

“I’ll have to check in with my mom and see if she has anything I need to do.”

“Tell her I’m seriously injured and need you,” he said. “If my dad likes me even a little bit, he’ll make Sean work at the pub and we’ll be alone.”

“Are you going to behave?” she asked.

“I’ll do whatever you say. But we could be alone.”

“How long is it going to take for that hand to heal?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “We can use it to our advantage. Want to go out Friday night? Obviously I don’t have baseball...”

“I have to babysit Friday night and till about five on Saturday afternoon. Then I’m free. I have to clear it with my parents, though.”

“Tell them I’m pathetic and need you.”

She giggled a little. Then she kissed his cheek. “I gotta go. Can you handle the trash with one hand?”

“Got it,” he said, lifting the bag.

She took her Diet Coke and skipped out the door.

“Thank you!” he called out. And she smiled and waved.

He closed the door and leaned against it. “Thank you, God!” he said. She was the hottest, sweetest, coolest girl in his school. And she was his.

He backed up to the couch and flopped down on it. He did not sleep. His hand miraculously did not hurt. At. All.

Experience is the teacher of all things.

—Julius Caesar

3

LEIGH WOKE UP and looked out the window at the heavy rain. She smiled as she remembered what Sully had told her when she’d asked him when he thought it would be hamburger day. “First really wet rainy day when I can’t work outside,” he said.

Knowing he got up even earlier than she did, she called Sully. “Can we meet at Shandon’s Pub and will you let me buy you that hamburger today?” she asked.

“Perfect. That’s where I like to get my beef. I’m not going to waste my special day on meat loaf at the diner.”

“Noon?” she asked.

“That’ll do,” Sully said.

At fifteen minutes prior to noon Leigh put her raincoat over her scrubs. With her wallet and cell phone in her pocket and umbrella in hand, she told Eleanor where she was going. “Call if you get anything you can’t handle,” she said. Then she walked down the street in the rain. From within every business doorway she passed, someone yelled, “Hey, Doc!” A couple of cars tooted their horns and she waved. This little town seemed to sparkle in the rain. It was clean and busy and shop owners left their doors open in a welcoming fashion unless it was freezing outside.

She was glad she’d given Helen her support in selling the house. She missed her aunt, but if she’d been working in Chicago, Helen wouldn’t have seen much of her, anyway. Her hours had been brutal and Helen was often away. Helen had been clear—those tough winters were in her rearview mirror. She was passing through Chicago for just a week and got caught in a huge spring blizzard. She announced that was the last time she’d be in the Midwest before May.

She shook her umbrella under the pub’s awning, closing it up. It was a little less busy than usual, probably because of the weather. She loved the food here but she usually got it to go. In fact, she usually got whatever anyone at the clinic wanted and took it all back. At least once a week they got take-out orders from the diner, the pub or the pizza kitchen down the street. Most other days they all packed a lunch or dashed home for a quick bite.

Today she chose a booth in the bar. Sully had not arrived yet.

“Hey, Doc,” Rob said, coming out from behind the bar. “How’s it going?”

“Excellent,” she said. “How’s my favorite patient?”

Rob chuckled and slid into the booth across from her. “After we left the clinic the other day, he stayed home from school and his girlfriend cut class to bring him lunch. His hand hasn’t hurt since.”

“Amazing how that works,” she said with a smile. “Bring him in next week and I’ll take his stitches out. I can fix him up with a more manageable bandage and he can see how baseball works for him. Unless he’s getting a lot of mileage out of the big, bulky one.”

“He’s always been kind of shy with girls. I’m amazed by the girlfriend. They’ve been an item all year,” Rob said.

“I’m surprised to hear that he’s shy with girls—he’s so darn cute.”

“Boys don’t want to be cute, if I remember correctly,” Rob said. “From a father’s perspective, I’m happy he doesn’t seem to be a player. But for the last several months every time I talk to him, his mind seems to be elsewhere. Can I get you something? Did you call in an order for lunch?”

“I’m eating here today,” she said. “I have a date!”

“Do you now?” he said, smiling.

“You sittin’ in my place, boy?” Sully said, looking down at Rob.

He got up immediately. “Sully! Long time, buddy! Is it hamburger day already?”

“I want bacon and cheddar on it, too,” he said, sliding into the booth.

“You got it, pal. And for the lovely doctor?”

“Turkey club sandwich with a side salad, no fries or chips. And how about a Diet Coke.”

“Girl food,” Sully scoffed. “I guess you’re allowed. I’ll take a water and coffee, black.”

“I have to mind my figure, you know,” she said.

“Your figure is fine,” Sully said. “You doing any interesting doctoring today?” he asked.

“It is very boring doctoring today,” she admitted. “Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow everyone who got their feet wet today will come to me complaining of a cold or cough. Being cooped up inside means people are exposed to more viruses and they all pass around the same germs. What’s going on with your family, Mr. Sullivan?”

“Well, little Sam is walking and, when he picks up steam, running. Sierra’s big as a house and about ready to whelp. Elizabeth is talking nonstop but only about ten percent of her words are recognizable. Thing is, Cal and Maggie respond to her as if they can understand everything she says. Maybe they can. Dakota and Sid are just hanging around—Dakota’s still working on that garbage truck, sometimes they let him drive and he gets the biggest kick out of that. Sid helps out in here sometimes but she’s been back to UCLA a couple of times to work on those fancy computers. They’re going to move to Boulder at the end of summer. Sid has herself a job in the university computer lab and Dakota is going to take a few courses so he can teach in high school. He said he had a lousy experience in high school. He was bullied a lot...”

That caused Leigh’s eyes to widen in surprise. “Dakota? Bullied? He doesn’t look like he could’ve been the kind of kid to get picked on. He’s big, strong and to-die-for handsome!”

“No one is immune, that’s what. He was dirt poor and his father is crazy as a bedbug. Those Jones kids—they grew up with a lot of drama going on. The other Jones kids did all right in that regard but seems like Dakota took a real hit. So he thinks if he’s a teacher, he can profile bullies, help with that problem. Plus, I think he likes kids.”

She just stared at Sully. “That’s wonderful,” she said. “I think I love him for that.”

“Yeah, it was my lucky day when Cal hung out in my campground and eventually married my daughter. I inherited a whole family. So what’s up with your family?”

“I talked to Aunt Helen just this morning. We’re going to sell the house we shared in Chicago. Then she’ll come here for a visit. I miss her. I haven’t seen her in a while. We went to Maui for some sun. But she’ll be here next month and she’ll stay while she plans her next move. A couple of months, probably.”