She reached over and turned off the water, then pulled back the curtain and grabbed a towel.
"The bed. In the bedroom I was in. It's the one."
Elise stopped rubbing her hair with the towel. "What?" she asked as she lifted the towel from her face.
"Get dressed. I'll show you."
"Brodi, how is that possible?"
Brodi sighed. "I don't know. But it is."
Now Elise wondered if Brodi's mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Nonetheless, she said nothing else as they got dressed. When they opened the door and stepped out into the hall they were met with wonderful smells wafting in from the kitchen. As they headed down the hall towards the kitchen, they heard voices.
"Sounds like we have company." Elise said.
Brodi had a strange look on his face, but Elise let it slide.
"Mark?" she called as she rounded the corner into the kitchen.
"Ah, here they are. Don, this is my godson, Brodi, and his friend Elise. They're visiting from up north."
Standing next to Mark was a tall, well-tanned gentleman of about 60—bald, wire-rimmed glasses, wearing khaki shorts and what appeared to be an original Metallica T-shirt. He stepped forward and extended his hand in greeting.
"Godson, eh? You've got one hell of a godfather here, son. What on earth were your parents thinking?"
He winked as he said this, and Mark burst out laughing.
"The boy grew up around me, Don. You won't shock him."
"Nice to meet you, sir," Brodi said as he shook the man's hand. Elise did the same.
"Please, call me Don. Now, I hear you had a fall. Mind if I have a look?"
Elise cast Brodi a confused look, and Brodi glared at Mark, who shrugged good-naturedly.
"Oh, didn't I mention? Don here is a neurosurgeon. Dr. Don Carroll."
"Neurosurgeon?" Brodi's smile faded fast.
"Look, bub. I hope you'll forgive me. But I knew we wouldn't be able to get you to a hospital unless we knocked you out and carted you in unconscious. Don is a friend, owns a house a few doors down. I called him and he offered to check you out."
"Mark, I'm fine."
"You had a seizure. Look, at least let him do it for the sake of my blood pressure. And my head if your father finds out that I knew you were sick and did nothing about it. Look, Don will tell us if you need further checking out."
"I don't," Brodi said as he walked over to the kitchen doors. He looked out at the ocean, leaning one arm against the door frame.
"It'll just take…" Don began.
"My name is Brodi Ford." Brodi said without turning around. "My mother's name is Trish. My father's name is Kurt. I'm in California with my friend Elise. The current US President is Barack Obama. I have lost no sensation in any part of my body, and, Mark, you've left the faucet dripping in the kitchen sink to my right, and there's a clock to my left on the wall by the door." Brodi turned around and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms in front of him. "Self, relationship to others, time and date recognition, hearing, spatial relationships. Did I miss anything?"
Don raised an eyebrow in amazement. "I, uh, don't think there's anything wrong with him, Mark."
"His eyes also dilate and track together," Elise offered. "He had a concussion last year, so he's been through a neuro exam before." She continued. "And I know what to look for."
There was an awkward silence, until Mark spoke up again.
"I'm sorry, kids. Just trying to watch out for you. Hey, Don has a son about your age, Brodi. Bet you two went to school together.
Brodi froze. Now it was his turn to try to be nonchalant. "Oh?" he asked.
"You did undergrad here?" Don asked in return.
"Freshman year. Transferred to Cal State Monterey the next year. Who's your son?"
As if we didn't know, thought Elise. She tried to gauge Brodi's emotions, but he wouldn't look at her.
"Coby," Don said. "Coby Carroll. Dated a really sweet girl named Lauryll for a while."
Elise closed her eyes. This was not good. This was SO not good.
"No," she heard Brodi say. "Don't believe I ever ran across him."
Elise opened her eyes in surprise.
"Well," Don was saying, "It's a big school. If you stayed here that year, though, I'm surprised we didn't meet you."
Brodi shrugged. "I kind of stayed to myself that year, only hung out wit a few people on any regular basis. You know how it is, first year away from home, testing the waters."
Don laughed. "Wish I could say the same for my son. He hit a wild streak when e hit college. Stayed in trouble more than he stayed in class. But I guess we all rebel at some point."
"Guess so," Brodi said. "Hey, Elise, will you help me get the suitcases back in the car?"
"Don't forget about lunch, kids. Will you join us, Don? Rice and curried vegetables. Made a salad too."
"No, no. I'll let you guys catch up. Listen, I know you're not happy that Mark called me over, but try not to be too hard on him. He was just concerned. Truce?"
Brodi shook the man's extended hand. "No worries. And thank you."
"OK. I'll take my leave then. You get to the hospital and get checked out if that happens again."
"Deal."