Somebody to Lean On
By Kelly aka CountessKerouac
Author's Note - MUST READ: This story deals with the subject of date rape...if you are offended by that kind of writing either skip over that chapter (it will say "optional chapter") or do not read the fic at all. The story makes perfect sense even if you do not read the chapter containing the rape scene. Other than that, this story will be multiple parts.
Setting: One week after "Lenny's Crush".
Pairings: Lavenny, Shirley/Carmine
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters! They belong to Garry Marshall and Paramount.
Chapter One
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Laverne was sitting in the doctor's office with her ankle hoisted up on a table, impatiently waiting for the doctor to return with her bandage. Lenny was on the other side of the room, looking at all of the pictures of muscles and skeletons on the wall.
Lenny shook his head sadly. "Boy, I really wish I could take one of these posters home. Then I could use 'em to impress my dates."
Laverne looked confused. "Len, I don't think a picture of some guy's skeleton hangin' on your wall is gonna impress the ladies. It's not exactly a beautiful sight."
Lenny groaned. "Noooo, Laverne….I would only use the poster to memorize all these medical terms. Then I could use 'em in casual conversation to look smart. Like…" he goes on in a deeper, seductive voice, "Why, what a lovely cranium you have there."
Laverne chuckled and shook her head. "That's real good, Len.", she said sarcastically.
"Well, I always had a way with words…"
She winced a little at the pain in her ankle. "Owwww….God, where is that doctor? Doesn't he know I'm in pain over here?"
Lenny sat down next to Laverne. "I'm real sorry you hurt your ankle, Laverne."
"Nah, it's okay. Squiggy's the one who should be sorry, it was all his fault. Tryin' to toss me a bowling ball…what was he thinkin'? It's a bowling ball, not a football. He's lucky I have health insurance, otherwise I'd send him the bill."
"Aw well, ya know Squig. He didn't meant to do it. He just doesn't think sometimes. Anyway, now you can stay outta work for a few days."
"Yeah, that's true. You're real sweet for takin' me to the doctor, Len. I woulda asked Shirl, but she has a date with Carmine later and I didn't know how long this would take."
"Nah…anyway, I had fun pretendin' the beer truck was an ambulance." Lenny said with a big grin.
"Yeah, but the noises you made were a bit much." She pointed out, clutching her ankle.
"I was going for authenticity, Laverne." Lenny whined. "You really wanna ride in a silent ambulance?"
She smiled warmly at Lenny and shook her head. "You're so silly."
Laverne away from Lenny as she saw the door fly open. "Oh, here's the doctor. Finally."
A highly attractive man holding a bandage came inside. "Sorry for the wait, I couldn't find the tape. Let me just wrap it up for you and you'll be on your way."
Laverne was taken aback by the handsomeness of the man. "You're not the same doctor who was in here before, I woulda noticed…I mean, I would have…who are you?"
"I'm Dr. Michael Schwartz. And you are Mrs. Laverne DeFazio, correct?"
"Yeah, that's me." She then realized her mistake. "I mean no! Not missus. Definitely not missus. I'm Ms. Laverne DeFazio…Ms. as in not married. Never married, not once."
The doctor smiled flirtatiously and said, "Good to know." He cast an annoyed glance at Lenny sitting next to Laverne. "You'll have to get up, Sir. I need to work on her over here. There's a chair over there by the wall."
Lenny gave the doctor a dirty look and reluctantly got up and leaned against the wall behind Laverne.
While the doctor applied the bandage, Laverne stared in awe at his perfect features. She watched as he slowly wrapped her swollen foot. "Thanks a lot, Doc." She paused for a moment. "So, when can I get it taken off? Do I have to come back?"
"It's only a minor sprain, you should be fine within a week." He said while observing Laverne's tanned legs. "Why don't you come back on Monday at 3 o' clock and if it's feeling okay, I'll take it right off."
"Monday at three. Sounds good."
The doctor cleared his throat and asked, "So, what do you do, Ms. DeFazio?"
She was still mesmerized by the fact that this gorgeous man was touching her foot. "It's Laverne…and anything you want. Well, not anything, but…"
He laughed. "No, no, I mean for work. What do you do for work?"
"Oh, I'm a bottle capper at Shotz. The brewery."
"Sounds interesting."
"Nah, not really. The bottles come along and I just cap 'em. It's hard work, but that's life, right?"
"It certainly is. Well, you're all set. I'm just going to write you out a prescription for a pain killer." He paused for a moment and looked over at Lenny staring at him with eyes that could kill. Sensing Lenny's obvious jealousy, he decided to go further. "Say, Laverne, on Monday if you're feeling better, maybe we could get a cup of coffee or something at the cafeteria downstairs? My treat."
Laverne's face lit up and she nodded excitedly. "That sounds great, I love coffee. Don't I love coffee, Len?"
Lenny's heart sank a bit, but he nodded anyway. As the doctor wrote out her prescription, he saw Laverne and him chatting away. Lenny leaned against the back wall glaring at the doctor in disdain. He knew he could never get Laverne to like him with men like that around wanting to take her out.
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After Laverne and Lenny left, Michael Schwartz went on his break. He slinked quietly through two giant double doors that led to the room where they keep highly protected medicines…such as ether, anaethesia, etc. He walked quickly to the section containing the medication he required, glanced around to make sure no one was watching what he was doing, grabbed what he needed, and slipped quietly back to his office.
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Laverne DeFazio stood in front of her and Shirley's full-length mirror, carefully examining the new red dress she had recently purchased from Meckler's department store. It was pretty cheap since it was on sale, but looked surprisingly beautiful on her tall, toned body. It sloped steeply at her cleavage, showing off some of her attributes, but still leaving much up to the imagination. It hugged her waist and hips snugly, then poofed out slightly in a delicate ruffle a few inches above her knees. She ran a brush through her hair and looked over her appearance one final time before deciding she looked good enough for the date she had that night. That night, she was going on a fourth date with a man who happened to be a doctor. A doctor! She never thought in a million years that she would be asked out by a doctor for a fourth date. Sure, she had gone out with doctors before, but they never seemed to ask her back out a second time. She knew the odds of a brewery worker landing multiple dates with a doctor were slim, so she really wanted to make his toes curl. And she knew that the way to a doctor's heart was through that sexy red dress.
Laverne walked out into the living room for a pre-date milk and Pepsi. Shirley was sitting on the couch watching Sea Hunt with Boo Boo Kitty. It was Saturday night and she hadn't gotten out of her pajamas since Friday afternoon.
"Hey, Shirl" Laverne said while pouring her favorite mixture. "Want a Pepsi?"
Shirley sighed glumly. "No, thanks. I have a little gas pain." She was quiet for a moment as she looked over at Laverne enviously. "Going out on another date with your doctor, huh? Boy, you must be excited."
"Oh, Shirl…you have no idea. How do I look?" She asked nervously as she twirled around to show off her dress. She clutched her chest. "Too much?"
"Well, it's a little…revealing."
Laverne pulled the cloth up higher to cover more of her cleavage. "How 'bout now?"
"That looks better. Just don't show too much or he'll think you're gonna give him more than you're planning on."
"Yeah?" Laverne asked hopefully, smiling. "Like what?"
"Laverne!"
"I'm kiddin, I'm kiddin'. Anyway, I really wanna wear something special to just swoop him off his feet, ya know? Boy, am I glad I sprained that ankle, Shirl. I mean, let's face it…I don't get too many dates with guys I meet in hospitals. Unless you count the janitorial staff."
"They don't count."
While Laverne wrung her hands nervously, Shirley smiled warmly and let go some of her jealous emotions. "You look beautiful, Laverne. Really beautiful."
Laverne waved her hand modestly. "Aw, thanks, Shirl." She took a big gulp of her milk and Pepsi, which left a mustache on her upper lip, which she didn't wipe away.
Shirley glared at her friend sternly. "You wanna kiss a doctor with that concoction all over your face? Wipe your lips! For goodness sakes, Laverne, act like a lady."
Laverne promptly removed the moustache. "Shirl, ever since I've been seein' Michael, you've been jumping all over me. Are you just jealous because I'm finally the one dating a doctor and you're sitting home with Boo Boo Kitty watchin' Sea Hunt in your jammies? Huh?"
Shirley stood up in defiance. "I am not jealous!", she said, looking away from her friend to not give away her lie, "I was simply offering advice on your appearance. That's all. You wanna go out with a milk and Pepsi moustache, go out with a milk and Pepsi moustache. See if I care."
"Shirl, it's gone, okay? And you are jealous. But, it's okay because you know what I'm gonna do tonight?"
Shirley looked at her friend curiously. "What? Have a fabulous time with your sexy, rich doctor?"
"Well, that….but I also figured that since me and Mike have been out a few times, I can ask him if he has a sexy, rich doctor friend for you. But, if you don't want me to…"
Shirley's face lit up in joy. "Oh, Laverne! Please, please, please? You have no idea how much that would mean to me! Please, Laverne? I'm sorry about what I said. You're right, I am jealous. Please?"
"I'll ask him tonight." Laverne grinned as her friend hugged her tightly. The knock at the door disrupted their embrace and Laverne asked Shirley one more time how she looked, to which Shirley concluded that she looked wonderful.
Michael walked in and upon seeing Laverne, his eyes widened. "Wow, Laverne…you look beautiful. What's the special occasion?"
"I don't know, what'd you have in mind?" Laverne said in an uncharacteristically timid tone. Michael then took her into his arms and passionately laid a rough kiss on her lips while Shirley watched, kicking herself for not going to the hospital with Laverne the day she sprained her ankle. They parted and Laverne cleared her throat. "So, I guess we'll be going now. See you later, Shirl. Don't wait up."
"Laverne, don't forget…you know." Shirley reminded her.
"I won't, I won't. Bye, Shirl."
"Bye, Laverne. Bye, Mike. Have a fun time!"
That night, after dinner and a movie, Laverne and Mike were driving home in his new car, listening to Frank Sinatra on the radio. During a pause in their conversation, Mike looked over at Laverne, his eyes moving inadvertently to the small bit of cleavage sticking out above her dress.
"Wanna go back to my place?" He asked suddenly with a twinkle in his eye. "I just bought some new records. We could put them on, dance a little, have some wine…you know."
Laverne looked at him softly….his blue eyes, his warm smile, his gorgeous body, and thought to herself that she wouldn't mind doing all of those things with him. However, she also knew what he probably thought would happen afterward and she wasn't sure she knew him well enough for that, yet. Not that she wasn't dying to make out with him.
Laverne sighed. "I don't know, Mike. I mean, that all sounds…wonderful, actually. I would love to, but I don't know if I know you that well, yet."
"We've been on four dates, Laverne. I'm crazy about you. I just want to be alone with you, that's all. I haven't really had a chance to get to know you either. It's hard to get to know someone at the movies…you're not even allowed to talk!"
"Well, what do you wanna know?" Laverne sounded more timid and gentler than her usual crass sarcasm and confident self-assurance. "I'm not that interesting, really. Ask Shirl."
"I'll tell you what….why don't we go back to my place, crack open some wine, and I can find out all those fascinating and interesting things about yourself I know you're not telling me. Just one drink and I promise you'll never have to see me again, okay?"
Laverne looked vulnerably into his eyes for a moment, searching for something that she didn't know. Finally, a small smile curled up on her lips and she said, "Okay, you got me."
To Be Continued…