"You asked him out? Wow." Faith said with a giggle.
"Probably wasn't the safest idea, especially considering he was angry at the time."
"What did he say?"
"He said to stay out of his business." Elizabeth cringed as she remembered the look on his face and the anger in his eyes.
"Okay, well, it might be tougher to get to know him now."
"You think?"
She had no idea how in the world to get back on his good side, or near it even. She hoped to maybe see him at Abigail's for meals, but he hadn't been there. Then she could somehow strike up a conversation and hope that the daggers he shot out of his eyes would miss her.
For a few weeks, she didn't see him but then, out of coincidence, she saw him at the pharmacy again, Catie walking beside him.
She tucked her box of tampons in her arm, not that she minded anyone really knowing she needed them. She was thirty-five and a woman, after all. She saw his eyes meet hers and a slight frown graced his handsome face.
"Lucas, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I overstepped."
He scanned her face and after a very long moment, he nodded and then sneezed into his arm.
"Bless you."
"Thanks," he whispered, his voice gone.
"No voice?"
"Nope."
"Well, I have cramps." Something about this man with the angel next to him made her blurt things.
"Thanks for sharing," he mentioned, confused. "Well, I need to go."
"Lucas, I…"
"Please don't ask me out again," he rasped. "There has to be someone out there more suited to you than me."
She thought about that statement for the whole rest of the day. The tone in the sentence told her so much about the man. He had been through so much. She wasn't sure where Catie's mom was but he had definitely lost her in some fashion. He seemed independent and serious and had a wall as tall as the Empire State building around his heart.Lucas was lonely. He needed a friend. He moved around so much in the last few years he just didn't pursue any friendships. His first inclination was to call his mom, mostly because he knew she would listen. But thinking about talking to her about anything made him feel unworthy so that was out.
Next, he thought about calling Bill. He was definitely a nice guy but he was his boss.
His brain said, don't call Bill to get Elizabeth's number but his heart…well his heart betrayed him. It wanted to be friends with Elizabeth, at the very least. That made zero sense to his brain. The woman was nosy, but on the other hand, she was beautiful. She also cared about people, which she had proven by helping with the Pedialyte and her profession.
"Dad! I made you a samwich."
"You did? Thanks, Cates," he whispered, taking a very gooey looking Peanut butter sandwich from her.
"How did you put the peanut butter on here?" She knew not to use a knife.
"My fingers," she told him, wiggling them at him, then licking them. "Yum."
"Thank you, baby."
"Welcome." She climbed up on the sofa with him and stared up with her blue eyes. "Did it help you feel better?"
"Absolutely," he said, taking a small bite. "I'm glad I have you to take care of me." He chewed and stopped, detecting a strange texture. "Are there marshmallows in here?"
"Yep! I love them!"
He didn't love them with his peanut butter but he couldn't make her feel bad so he stomached it. "I'm full now, Cates. Will you finish it for me?"
"Sure. Can I watch Paw Patrol?"
"Sure. Go ahead. I'm just going to close my eyes. No cooking, remember? And no baths."
"I remember."
"Okay. Thanks, honey."
As he started to drift off, his mind was stuck on Nurse Elizabeth. He hadn't been very kind the last two times they'd run into each other. Asking her to stay out of his business was rude, actually. Her heart had been in the right place, even if he hadn't appreciated that at the time.
He heard a knock on the door as he lay there.
Then he heard Catie yell, "Who's there?" through the door. "Dad, Elizabeth is at the door."
"Huh?"
"Elizabeth is at the door."
He groaned as he pushed himself to get up off the couch. Why was she at his apartment? How did she know where he lived? He planned to ask her that very thing once he got to the door but it seemed so far from the couch.
She stood there, beautiful with a pot of something in her hands. "I brought soup," she told him.
"How are you here?"
"I drove," she said with a wink.
"How did you know where I lived?"
"Well, I saw you the day you arrived in town and there's only one apartment downtown so…"
He coughed hard and groaned, holding his stomach. The muscles hurt.
"Lucas, you need to rest."
"I was trying to rest," he said with irritation. "You knocked on the door, so I had to get up."
"I can't open the door without Dad," Catie told her.
"That's a good thing to remember," Elizabeth told her.
Lucas wandered to the couch, leaving the door open. "If you want to put the soup on the stove, I won't object. Please close the door though."
The next thing he knew, he woke up a few hours later, Elizabeth and Catie playing tea party on the floor nearby.
"Hi, Dad. Are you feeling better?" Catie asked him.
"Not really."
Elizabeth looked at him. His face was flushed so he was probably feverish. The nurse in her wanted to feel his forehead but he wouldn't appreciate that.
"Do you have a thermometer?" Elizabeth asked instead.
"Yeah. I'll get it!" Catie said, running off to find it.
"You're still here," he said, closing his eyes again.
"Yeah, Catie asked me to play with her. She's hard to say no to."
He just grunted.
"Look, I am going to go. I'm sorry that you're sick."
She stood to put her jacket on, and he opened his eyes. "Wait."
"What?"
"Thank you for the soup. And for playing with Catie."
"You're welcome."
Catie ran in with the thermometer. "Here, Dad. Stick your tongue out."
She watched him melt with love for his daughter as he opened his mouth and she stuck it in.
"I know you don't like me much," she told him, "But if you need anything, I left my number on the counter."
He nodded and closed his eyes again and Elizabeth just let herself out. She was worried about him. The fever, cough, laryngitis and lethargy. He probably should see a doctor. She wouldn't be the one to suggest it though.He didn't want to need anything from her but a few hours later, he could feel himself getting worse and he worried that he might have pneumonia or something. He didn't want Catie stuck in the apartment with a really sick father or worse so he texted her.
"I need you to take care of Catie," was what he sent. She immediately called him.
"Lucas? What's going on?"
"I need to go to the hospital. I need someone to watch Catie."
"I'll be right there to take you and I'll take Catie to Bill and Molly's. Is your door unlocked?"
"Yeah."
"Okay."
He had fallen asleep again so when she got there, she helped Catie get a bag packed. "Where does your Dad keep his wallet, sweetie?"
"On his dresser."
"Okay." She walked across the hall and grabbed it, making sure he had ID and an insurance card. Then she gawked at his room for a moment. Clothes everywhere. Bed unmade. Towels on the floor, near the laundry basket but not quite there. Socks, shoes not in the closet, drawers of his dresser half pulled out. "Whoa."
She was going to forget what she saw and just help the man. "Got his wallet, Catie girl. Let's get you over to Bill and Molly's so I can get your dad to the doctor."
She put Lucas' wallet in her purse and walked over to him. "Lucas, I need you to wake up."
She tried a few more times and finally he stirred. "Lucas, we are going to the hospital. Can you walk or should I call an ambulance?"
"No ambulance," he mumbled. After a few tries, he finally was able to stand with her assistance and they slowly walked to the door, stopping to let him catch his breath for a few moments.
"Catie, can you get yourself buckled into your booster?"
"Yep!"
"Great. Go ahead, sweetie." She opened the door to Lucas' car and helped him sit in the passenger seat, reaching across him to buckle him up. She ignored the unpleasant stench coming from the feverish man and concentrated on getting help.
"All buckled, Catie?"
"Yep. Dad is stinky."
"That's because he's been really sick, angel."
Elizabeth drove the short distance to Molly and Bill's and hurried Catie inside.
"Do you need help, Elizabeth?" Bill asked her.
"No, thank you, Uncle Bill. I can manage. Thank you so much for watching Catie. Love you."
She kissed his cheek and ran out the door. Bill was her father's best friend since before she was even born so he was absolutely like an uncle to her.
"Catie," Lucas mumbled. "Where is she?"
"She's with Molly and Bill. Don't worry."
"No…I need her with me. She'll be scared."
"She's just fine, Lucas."
"I don't feel good."
"I know. You are really sick."
"I'm sorry I was rude."
She looked at him, questions in her eyes. The man was delirious.
"No, you weren't."
"At the doctor. I was rude. I'm sorry."
"Okay. Rest now."
"I need to go to work!" he said, loudly, his voice cracking.
"No, you don't. It's not time for work."
"I have to. I can't fail again."
"You aren't failing at anything."
"It's the only thing I'm good at."
"That's not true. Bill says you are a great landscaper. He says you are one of the best he's met. And you are a wonderful father. Catie is blessed to have you."
"I always fail."
"Lucas, shh now."
"We should have dinner."
She looked at him again, talking to her with his eyes closed. He had no idea what he was saying, and he'd be so embarrassed if he knew. He'd be embarrassed if he knew she had seen his pigsty of a room too.
She pulled up to the ER doors at Hope Valley Hospital and ran inside to get someone with a wheelchair.
It didn't take long. They wheeled him right into the triage area because it was unusually slow. "What's his name?" the male nurse asked.
"Lucas Bouchard."
"How long has he been like this?"
"I'm not sure."
"You're not sure?"
"I'm just a…friend. I heard he was sick and brought him soup. After I left, he called me and I brought him here."
"Well, he's going to need to be registered."
"I have his wallet. I'll go do that."Lucas woke up the next morning to a faint beeping sound and a foggy brain. His head felt heavy. His arms and legs felt heavy.
"Lucas?"
"Elizabeth."
"How are you feeling?"
"I feel terrible."
"That's because you have pneumonia," someone in a white coat said, walking in the room.
"Pneumonia?"
"Yes, sir. You are a very ill man."
"When can I go home?"
"Maybe tomorrow but we need to get you feeling better first."
"I can't stay here."
"You don't really have a choice."
"You have a fever and water in your lungs. You can't take care of yourself, let alone Catie," Elizabeth told him.
"Where is she?"
"Molly and Bill are taking good care of her."
"I can't pay this hospital bill. I need to go home."
"Don't worry about it."
"You don't get it."
"Lucas, you getting better is more important than a hospital bill."
"Can you please go home? Thank you for helping me with Catie and bringing me here but you can go now."
"Back to that rude thing, huh?"
"What?"
"Nothing. I hope you feel better soon, Lucas."
"Yeah."
"Oh and you're wrong. You aren't a failure. You're just stubborn."