"Lona, I don't know about this," Elmer said as he stood in the
disused doorway peering out into the parking lot. Okay, he hadn't been
exactly thrilled about running around the hospital in that blasted gown but
going out in the parking lot. He pulled the blanket tighter about him as
he thought about it. "Can't I please, please put my clothes on now?"
"Elmer, come on. You can get dressed later. No one's going to see you, for goodness sakes!" Lona reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the parking lot and leading him on a weaving course amongst the cars towards her car. She really hated to do this to him but better he be a little embarrassed than for them to get caught and for Elmer to find out what happened last night. She shook her head slowly, grateful that it seemed that Elmer had been spared remembering what had happened. She just wished that she could forget it. She had been so frightened for him.
"Hey, Lona?" Elmer said as he looked back. "Did you see that van from Stone Brook Institute? That's that mental institute almost of the border, isn't it? Wonder what that's doing here? Did someone finally find out about the little accidents people keep having on the psych ward?"
"Maybe?" Lona said in what she wasn't really sure was a convincing tone as she unlocked her car doors and motioned for Elmer to get in. She looked back towards the van as she started the car and pulled out of the hospital parking lot. Good, No one seemed to have spotted them and it was early enough that the area homeless weren't gathered yet to serve as potential witnesses. She shook her head as she spotted Steg's car.
honestly, is she didn't need to hurry and get Elmer out of there, she would have gone over and done something to add to the vandalization.
"Ummmm, Lona, are you sure that it's really okay for both of us to leave like this? Don't we have a staff meeting in just a...." Elmer glanced at the clock on the dash. "Well, a meeting that started five minutes ago?"
"I'm sure Jesse won't care if we miss it, Elmer. He's got other things on his mind this morning." 'Hopefully things that involved getting this mess with the mental home and arranging to have you committed straightened up.' she continued in her head. "Now, I was thinking that we could go to my place so that you can get dressed and we can have breakfast.
Does that sound good to you?"
Lona was actually planning to let him into her house? Elmer's eyes widened as his pinched his arm frantically. No, no change. He was still in Lona's car in nothing but a hospital gown and a blanket with her looking at him in anticipation of a reply. "Ummmm...." Oh, great. Here he had Lona finally paying some attention to him and he couldn't even manage to speak. He finally nodded his head in reply before burying his face in his hands, reddening with embarrassment. Oh, this was just going perfectly.
She was going to think he was definitely a bigger loser than she did before after this if such a thing were possible.
"Elmer, it's okay. Everything's going to be fine, okay?" Lona said as she reached out and gently patted his hand, smiling slightly when she saw him reddening even more at the touch. Okay, Elmer could drive her nuts but she had to admit that he was more than a tad cute. She shook her head at the though, not believing that she had just had it.
They spent the rest of the ride in silence, neither of them really sure of what to say. "Okay," Lona finally spoke as she opened her front door and led Elmer inside. "The bedroom's back that way. Why don't you just go and change and I'll see what I can find for us for breakfast."
Breakfast? Lona was going to actually let him stay in her house long enough to feed him. Now Elmer knew that there was definitely something off about this situation. "Ummmm, Lona, am I dying or something and they forgot to tell me?"
"No, Elmer." Lona rolled her eyes at him, reaching out and patting his shoulder as she did so. "Can't I just invite a friend for breakfast?"
Friend? Okay, that definitely wasn't how he wanted Lona to think of him but at least friend was a step up from coworker and lab guinea pig.
He supposed he better go with it for them moment. He nodded at Lona and headed down the hallway to the bedroom with his clothes.
"Lona?" Elmer called a few minutes later as he finally finished dressing and stepped out of the bedroom.
"Down here." She called, frustration sounding in her voice.
"Ummmmm, could I ask what's wrong?" Elmer said as he entered the kitchen. It looked like she had practically emptied the refrigerator and had the contents arranged all over the counters. "You know, I don't think I'm really that hungry."
"Well, that's good because I just remembered that I haven't been grocery shopping in almost two weeks." Lona said with a shake of her head as she glared around at the food. "I think I have a jar of peanut butter,
some cheese and a few eggs that might not be petrified."
"World's oddest omelet, maybe?" Elmer said with a grin.
"Maybe, but don't tell your father for goodness sakes," Lona grinned herself starting to laugh slightly at the situation. looks like if she and Elmer were going to be on the run from the mental institution for a bit they would have to do it somewhere besides her house. "Why don't you start getting all of this stuff in the trash can while I see if I can try out that omelet idea."
"Elmer, come on. You can get dressed later. No one's going to see you, for goodness sakes!" Lona reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the parking lot and leading him on a weaving course amongst the cars towards her car. She really hated to do this to him but better he be a little embarrassed than for them to get caught and for Elmer to find out what happened last night. She shook her head slowly, grateful that it seemed that Elmer had been spared remembering what had happened. She just wished that she could forget it. She had been so frightened for him.
"Hey, Lona?" Elmer said as he looked back. "Did you see that van from Stone Brook Institute? That's that mental institute almost of the border, isn't it? Wonder what that's doing here? Did someone finally find out about the little accidents people keep having on the psych ward?"
"Maybe?" Lona said in what she wasn't really sure was a convincing tone as she unlocked her car doors and motioned for Elmer to get in. She looked back towards the van as she started the car and pulled out of the hospital parking lot. Good, No one seemed to have spotted them and it was early enough that the area homeless weren't gathered yet to serve as potential witnesses. She shook her head as she spotted Steg's car.
honestly, is she didn't need to hurry and get Elmer out of there, she would have gone over and done something to add to the vandalization.
"Ummmm, Lona, are you sure that it's really okay for both of us to leave like this? Don't we have a staff meeting in just a...." Elmer glanced at the clock on the dash. "Well, a meeting that started five minutes ago?"
"I'm sure Jesse won't care if we miss it, Elmer. He's got other things on his mind this morning." 'Hopefully things that involved getting this mess with the mental home and arranging to have you committed straightened up.' she continued in her head. "Now, I was thinking that we could go to my place so that you can get dressed and we can have breakfast.
Does that sound good to you?"
Lona was actually planning to let him into her house? Elmer's eyes widened as his pinched his arm frantically. No, no change. He was still in Lona's car in nothing but a hospital gown and a blanket with her looking at him in anticipation of a reply. "Ummmm...." Oh, great. Here he had Lona finally paying some attention to him and he couldn't even manage to speak. He finally nodded his head in reply before burying his face in his hands, reddening with embarrassment. Oh, this was just going perfectly.
She was going to think he was definitely a bigger loser than she did before after this if such a thing were possible.
"Elmer, it's okay. Everything's going to be fine, okay?" Lona said as she reached out and gently patted his hand, smiling slightly when she saw him reddening even more at the touch. Okay, Elmer could drive her nuts but she had to admit that he was more than a tad cute. She shook her head at the though, not believing that she had just had it.
They spent the rest of the ride in silence, neither of them really sure of what to say. "Okay," Lona finally spoke as she opened her front door and led Elmer inside. "The bedroom's back that way. Why don't you just go and change and I'll see what I can find for us for breakfast."
Breakfast? Lona was going to actually let him stay in her house long enough to feed him. Now Elmer knew that there was definitely something off about this situation. "Ummmm, Lona, am I dying or something and they forgot to tell me?"
"No, Elmer." Lona rolled her eyes at him, reaching out and patting his shoulder as she did so. "Can't I just invite a friend for breakfast?"
Friend? Okay, that definitely wasn't how he wanted Lona to think of him but at least friend was a step up from coworker and lab guinea pig.
He supposed he better go with it for them moment. He nodded at Lona and headed down the hallway to the bedroom with his clothes.
"Lona?" Elmer called a few minutes later as he finally finished dressing and stepped out of the bedroom.
"Down here." She called, frustration sounding in her voice.
"Ummmmm, could I ask what's wrong?" Elmer said as he entered the kitchen. It looked like she had practically emptied the refrigerator and had the contents arranged all over the counters. "You know, I don't think I'm really that hungry."
"Well, that's good because I just remembered that I haven't been grocery shopping in almost two weeks." Lona said with a shake of her head as she glared around at the food. "I think I have a jar of peanut butter,
some cheese and a few eggs that might not be petrified."
"World's oddest omelet, maybe?" Elmer said with a grin.
"Maybe, but don't tell your father for goodness sakes," Lona grinned herself starting to laugh slightly at the situation. looks like if she and Elmer were going to be on the run from the mental institution for a bit they would have to do it somewhere besides her house. "Why don't you start getting all of this stuff in the trash can while I see if I can try out that omelet idea."