A few people have asked and even done some gentle arm twisitng to get me to write another Brass story after it was announced that Paul Guilfoyle was leaving. It took this long to get an inspiration. I'm still heartbroken and p.o.'d that the Brass man has come to an end and especially the way the amazing Mr. Guilfoyle was treated. But as I was working on aonther story in another fandom today, this just popped into my head, so here it is. Don't know that I'll be inspired to add anything to it. But atleast Brass goes out with more possibilities than they gave him in the show. Let me know what you think.
She watched as the man passed her desk at his usual time, heading down the hall to the last room on the right. She wasn't sure how he'd gotten clearance to come and go as freely as he did, but weirder things had happened on her hall, so she never spent much time thinking about it. She did think about him though.
The first time she saw him, he'd been in a suit; jacket was all buttoned up and the tie tight at his neck, stiff white collar, and sleeves the perfect length. She'd thought he must have just come from his job, whatever that might be.
The second time she saw him, he was dressed more casually; polo shirt and trousers. It was a better look for, she'd thought. Since then he tended to stay with the casual attire, sometimes even in jeans. Once he showed up in riding gear; jeans, tee shirt and a leather jacket. And he had helmet hair.
That was another thing that over time was changing about him, his hair was getting longer. She liked him in his longer hair, it suited his face better, she thought.
One thing that hadn't changed was the sadness that he seemed to wear like an extra suit of clothes. Understandable, she thought. The patient was there as a guest of the state. She'd heard rumors of drugs and worse. Someone even said they'd heard a news report that she'd killed her own mother. Georgiana understood his sadness, how it was his constant companion. She had a similar suit of clothes from a disastrous marriage to a man who turned out to be everything she thought he wasn't. The hardest part had been the incredible loneliness.
Georgina Ayers knew the patient, of course; she knew all the patients on the floor. As the head psychiatric nurse on the fourth floor of the Nevada Hospital for the Criminally Insane, or Sleepy Meadows as it was now called due to political correctness, it was her duty to know her patients.
Some were more sad than dangerous. But Ellie Brass, occupant of the last room on the right, was as dangerous as Georgina had seen in her twenty five years of nursing. Yet the man kept coming to visit, like clockwork, every other day from 2 until 4 in the afternoon. That's all the doctors would allow. Georgiana couldn't see that it was helping either very much.
She assumed the man was Ellie's father. They'd never spoken. He wasn't unfriendly but he seemed to wear a "do not disturb" sign, so she didn't. Claire, Ellie's direct care nurse, seemed to think he was nice enough; she always smiled when she saw him but Georgiana had noticed that the usually bubbly Claire had few words for the man. He seldom said more than hello to Claire.
Ellie was a hard nut to crack. She was quiet most of the time, sullen really. But she didn't scream or rant like many of the other patients did. No, she just glared and studied her surroundings. Georgiana wondered when things would pop and they'd see the real Ellie in action.
Georgiana busied herself with her patient notes and gave the man and his daughter no more thought for at least an hour. Then she heard a scream at the end of the hall and the alarm light went off at her desk. Georgiana buzzed for help and charged down the hall toward Ellie Brass' room.
When she opened the door, she saw Claire against the wall, blood pouring out of her side. The man, Ellie's father, was supporting her while placing himself between Ellie and Claire. "Come on Ellie, this won't help things. Just give me the knife…okay."
His tone was soft, soothing even. Clearly he'd done this sort of thing before. Georgiana slowly eased herself into the room. "Your father's right Ellie," she said. "You've worked so hard and even earned some privileges. Keep this up and you'll loose them all."
"Privileges?" Ellie spat. "You think I care about that? I don't care about any of it…just…him." She waved the knife in her father's direction.
"Honest Ellie," the man said. "Claire just said hello; that's it. I'm not…having an affair wit her, if that's what you think. Believe it or not kiddo, the women aren't as interested as they used to be. Guess I'm too old," he said softly, his voice falling into a soothing timbre. "Besides, your mother and I …we sort of made peace…you know? We were going to give it another try. With her gone…" he shrugged. With a sigh he continued. "It's like I told you, I'm dead already. Only reason I'm hanging in is you, baby. Now please, give me the knife and let this lady take care of Claire."
"You won't leave me?" Ellie asked nervously.
"Well, you know they'll only let me come every other day. But I promise I'll be here, every chance they give me. I'm not leaving you Ellie. You're my daughter and I love you; I'm not leaving you. We're in this together…you and me."
Ellie seemed to relax a little. She was studying her father indecisively. Then slowly she began to lower the knife. He stepped closer to her as Georgiana moved to support Claire. Holding out his hand, the man smiled at his daughter. "Okay?"
Ellie put the knife in his hand. "I'm sorry Daddy," she cried.
The man tossed the knife across the room on the floor. Then he took his daughter in his arms and hugged her tightly. "I know baby, I know," he cried.
An hour later, Claire had been seen by a doctor, stitched up, and sent home. The police had been there, taken statements, and left. Ellie's father seemed to know the men. Ellie was in her room, sedated. Georgiana was settling back at her desk when the man walked up to her.
"I…um…I'm Jim Brass, Ellie's dad," he said sheepishly. "I'm sorry things got out of hand. Claire seems like a nice girl and she didn't deserve to get hurt like that. But thank you for coming in when you did. It helped, I think. Normally I wouldn't expect it to help but…it did."
"What upset Ellie?" Georgiana wanted to know.
"Something about the way I said hello to Claire triggered her. She um…. She doesn't trust me too much."
Georgiana stared at the obviously uncomfortable man. "What's not to trust? You've been here for every visiting period since she was admitted. I could set my watch by you."
"When she was a kid, I …um…I fooled around on her mom. Ellie forgets that her mom ever messed around and blames me for everything that went wrong." He sighed. "I made my share of mistakes, more than my share, but it wasn't all me. Anyway, when she sees other women with me it seems to set her off, especially if she thinks I like them…know what I mean?"
Georgiana eyes the man, appraising him from head to toes. He was nice enough looking she decided, although a little short for her tastes. He did have nice eyes and could imagine that he'd had quite a few interested in him as a younger man. Heck, he wasn't too shabby even now. She guessed his age in the sixties. Of course at fifty four, Georgiana had a sincere appreciation for mature men these days. She surmised that he must have a charm she wasn't seeing though because he wasn't the type that women usually followed around, panting after them.
"So she's jealous, you think?" Georgiana asked.
He shrugged. "I guess; I really don't understand it. Her mom's gone. It's not like I would be cheating on her again and we were divorced over twenty years when Nancy died."
"She's not jealous for her mother's sake." Georgiana observed. "Ellie wants you to herself."
His brow furrowed. "I…I really don't get that. She's tried to push me away for years."
"Perhaps; but now you're the only one she has."
"Yeah, I guess I am," he agreed sadly. "Well thanks again for helping in there," he said as he tilted his head toward Ellie's room. "Guess I'll see you day after tomorrow?"
Georgiana saw the heartbreak in his face. His eyes were especially revealing. She smiled and nodded her agreement but couldn't seem to think of anything to say. He hovered a moment and then turned to head to the exit.
Georgiana watched him move dejectedly toward the admittance door and made a decision. Moving around the corner of her desk, she followed him quickly. "Mr. Brass," she said quietly.
He turned and looked at her, surprised and questioning. "Yeah?"
"I… I get off in an hour and I thought…I mean, how about dinner?"
He took a deep breath. "I dunno, Ellie's your patient. Besides, I don't need pity."
Georgiana smiled at him. "No, you don't. And today was the only time Ellie has ever seen us in a room together. I don't think she'll get the wrong idea. And I don't have any professional restrictions, if that's what you are worried about."
His shoulders relaxed as he looked at her quizzically. "You think I need consoling or something?"
Her smile widened. "I think I'd like to know you a little better. That's what I think."
A smile quirked at his lips; "If we're going to have dinner then I guess you'd better call me Jim."
As she looked into his now sparkling blue eyes she replied, "and I'm Georgiana." Quickly she jotted her name and phone number in a pad she carried in her pocket. Then tearing the paper out, she handed it to him. "Give me an hour and a half and then call me. We'll decide where we're going to eat then."
He accepted her paper like it meant something to him and gave her another small smile. "Talk to you soon," he said as he turned to exit the hall.
Georgiana watched him as he walked through the door and turned the corner for the elevator. Briefly she wondered what the hell she was getting herself into; the man gave every indication of being complicated. But then, she liked complicated. Georgiana returned to her desk full of anticipation for the evening. If nothing else came of dinner, maybe she at least wouldn't be sleeping alone tonight.