Slow
by Disherona
Lt. Randy Disher stood in the Urgent Care hospital room with Sharona Fleming, who was sitting on the exam bed. The purple and copper jacket she had been wearing earlier had been removed and put into a bag. Now she was wearing a sleeveless, ruffled beige blouse with metallic threads woven through the fabric. She was cradling her newly repaired right arm close to her body, both hoping and fearing that it looked as bad as it did when she saw it, before the cast was applied by the able hands of Dr. Song.
Although he was now off duty, Randy was still in "cop mode", and noticed the bruises on her bare arms. He had seen similar bruises more times than he cared to think of in his daily work. He imagined, with a sick feeling, that there were probably be more. He grit his teeth and held his tongue until he could talk to Sharona privately.
Randy had some satisfaction in knowing Captain Stottlemeyer was sitting in an interview room with Perry Walsh - a man who had assaulted 3 of his friends, murdered a man and probably was in the habit of hurting his wife. Randy was also aware that Walsh's wife, Carolyn, made a statement to the police as soon as she knew he was in custody. Things would not be pleasant for Perry Walsh.
"There you are. You be sure to keep that arm immobile." Dr. Anna Song, an older African American woman with a kind and knowing face, said as she adjusted the sling, "I know you, Sharona. You're a wonderful nurse, but a lousy patient.
"Thanks, Dr. Song. For everything."
"You're welcome. I'll transfer your medical file to your physician in New Jersey for follow up care, and I'll be back with your prescription." With that, she walked out of the small room and closed the door behind her. As soon as the doctor was gone the questions flooded out of him along with the real concern he felt, "Are you okay? How did your arm get broken? Did Walsh do that?" he asked in rapid procession, without even taking a moment to take a breath.
Starting from when they arrived at the golf club, Sharona told him everything. How Adrian found the cell phone battery and deducing that a new battery was still in the caddy's phone; presumably with Walshs' fingerprints perfectly preserved inside. She told Randy how Adrian, Natalie and Sharona were discovered in Walshs' office, and how Natalie and Sharona commandeered a golf cart while Adrian followed the murderer on foot. She relayed how Walsh punched Adrian in the face. She was particularly descriptive about the knockdown, drag out between Walsh, Natalie and Sharona, and the glowing play-by-play of how Natalie saved her life.
What disturbed Randy was that while she was relaying the story, her face was lit up like a Christmas tree. "As we were leaving the golf course, I told Adrian that I didn't care about the money and how important family was, when the stone step flipped sideways, and I fell and hit my elbow. I heard the grating sound and I was sure that it was broken. Isn't it incredible?"
Randy was confused. "But your arm is broken!"
"Randy, that doesn't matter. My arm will heal, but the fact that it was broken changes everything!"
Randy still didn't understand.
"Randy, Now I can get a good lawyer to file another lawsuit against Eastdale Country Club. The step was never fixed. Even after several complaints. Even after they were sued because we thought Uncle Howie died due to their negligence, they still didn't fix that step. Adrian, Natalie and that caddy were witnesses."
She then counted off the benefits of her broken arm, as if she were counting her blessings, one by one. "Now, Benjy can go to school wherever he wants to go. He can travel if he wants to. I can buy him a new car. I can finally be able to do for him what I've always wanted to."
"That's great." Randy admitted, sincerely.
"And I've been thinking, really since you left last night, " she started, coyly, toying with the lapel of his jacket. "I've been thinking about how we've both changed so much. And I plan on coming back to San Francisco…"
"Are you moving back?" Randy asked, hopefully.
"No. Randy," she responded, a little curt. Her hand slid down and caught his jacket pocket. "I am coming back to file the lawsuit and to visit. But who knows, things might change."
"How long will you be here?" Randy asked, hopefully.
"I don't know yet. A few days." She hated that she didn't know what to tell him. Maybe she should have thought it through before she said anything, but Sharona knew if she did that, she might not have said anything at all. She would have gone back to New Jersey, and nothing would have changed for her. "It doesn't matter, Randy" She touched his jaw with her good hand and her smile and eyes grew warmer and hopeful. "Even if it's for a day, I want to spend it with you. I want to be with you, if that's what you want. We can take it slow and really get to know one another."
"How slow?" Randy asked, smiling.
Sharona leaned towards him and their lips touched. Randy, who had been dreaming of this moment for years, responded enthusiastically, and unthinkingly began to wrap his arms around her. He drew nearer to her, and jostled her broken arm. She gasped, and shifted away, in pain.
"I'm sorry, Sharona. I'm sorry," Randy whispered, hoping she was okay.
"Randy, it's okay" she soothed him, once she had recovered. "We're taking it slow, remember?" With Randy's help, she hopped off the exam table and, running her fingers through his closely cropped hair, they kissed again. For Randy, it was everything he had dreamed of. Not just the physical pleasure of the kiss, but her openness and longing for something more - a good relationship? Someone she could put her hope and trust in? Those were expressed in her kiss, and Randy hoped he would never disappoint her. For Sharona the kiss was everything she hoped for since she had begun kissing boys as a young girl; it was an expression of gentleness, sincerity and attentiveness that she had never really experienced with anyone else, and she hoped that she would always be worthy of those emotions. And it was just a first kiss. They both silently wondered what else might be in store for them.
When Dr. Song came back, she smiled and said, "Okay, you two. I need this space for sick people. You two look like you're doing fine to me."
And for the first time, for both of them, they were.
The End.
Thank you for reading. Please review this story if you enjoyed it, and please tell me if there is anything you might like to read about Randy and Sharona doing.