"Okay, so it isn't a brain tumor." Elmer said slowly as he
followed Lona through the mall heading for the food court and coffee.
"Aneurysm. Is that what's going to kill me? I promise I won't get upset if you tell me." Aneurysm. Wouldn't his father want that fixed, though?
Well, unless it was big and fixing it might leave his dad stuck caring for him forever, that is.
"Elmer, you aren't dying." Lona said as she rolled her eyes.
Honestly, some of the things that he had suggested in the car for things that might potentially kill him.... Apparently Elmer had either read his neuro textbooks or something because she had actually had to think for a bit before recalling what some of the diseases that he had suggested were.
"Okay, did you decide that those weird dreams were the first symptom of...." Elmer knew that he had to be dying. He just wished that Lona would tell him. He didn't want to mess up being with her, of course,
but he just wanted to know, wanted to have a chance to brace himself for what was to come and a horrible afterlife and years and years without Lona.
"Elmer, those dreams are only a sign that you really need to get out of the hospital more. And stay out of the morgue." Lona chuckled slightly as she thought of the head incident before the morgue dinner she had shared with Elmer drifted to the front of her mind. "Well, you can arrange another dinner in the morgue if you like. Just behave otherwise,
okay?"
Did Elmer just hear what he thought he heard, Lona seeming to be giving him permission to set up another morgue dinner for them? He shook his head, not really able to believe his ears. She had to be doing this because he was dying. That was all that he could figure. "Lona...."
"Elmer, I promise that you aren't dying, okay?" Lona cut him off before he could continue, play whacking him on the arm once more. "And if you were ever dying, I promise you that I would tell you about it."
Honestly, was she really so bad to Elmer that he would think it would take his impending demise to get a show of good behavior towards him? She didn't even want to think about that. "Come on. Let's go get the coffee and then find somewhere to go."
A few minutes later, large coffee in hand and the second cup in the other, Lona turned with a sigh of pleasure. "Okay, let's go and...." Just then she realized that instead of talking to Elmer, she was suddenly conversing with empty air. "Elmer?" Oh, this was just perfect. Take Elmer out for the day to keep him safe and here she managed to lose him in a shopping mall. She was just glad that Louis wasn't there to see this.
"Elmer?" She called his name again as she scanned the area searching for any sign of him. How could he have vanished so quickly?
A moment later, she relaxed when she caught sight of him, staring into a store window so intently that his nose was almost pressed against the glass. Lona headed towards him, a bit of annoyance starting to build in spite of her determination to not get upset with Elmer today. Why did he.... "Elmer, what are you doing over here?"
Elmer jumped slightly when he heard Lona's voice, the suppressed annoyance apparent to him right away. Oh, great. He had finally managed to blow things. He had been sure that he would eventually, of course, but he had had the vague hope that maybe he would somehow manage to avoid it be some miracle.
"Elmer, it's okay. I was just worried when I didn't see you."
Lona shook her head slightly as she saw the expression on Elmer's face.
Honestly, was she so bad to him that he reacted like that when she wasn't even yelling? Yelling, it seemed like that was all she did with Elmer most of the time. Really, she had to do something about that. "So, what's this place?"
"Ummmm...." Elmer felt a bit embarrassed, sure that if he told Lona what the store was and what he was wanting to do, she would laugh at him. She was watching him expectantly, though, and he knew he had to say something. "It looks like they make bears here. Could we go in?"
"You want to...." Lona felt herself starting to react badly to Elmer once more and had to firmly grab hold of herself and give herself a strong mental shape. So what if Elmer wanted to look in a bear store? She had told him she would do what he wanted that day, after all, and if this was something he wanted to do.... "Okay, Elmer, let's go. I just hope they don't say anything about the coffee." Honestly, she felt annoyance not with Elmer but with herself, as they entered. She had always felt that Elmer was much to young and childish for her but now that she thought of it, maybe part of the problem was not with Elmer but with her acting decades older than her actual age. Maybe she could use a bit of a lightening up as much as Elmer could use a bit of seriousness occasionally.
"You don't mind if I get one, do you?" Elmer asked after they had walked around the store for a little bit, looking at both the animals and the various outfits lining the walls.
Lona started to say something that she knew instinctively was the wrong thing and grabbed it before the remark could slip out. Just for today, why couldn't she just go with the flow and have fun with Elmer?
"Okay, which one?" As she saw him pick up a black bear, she felt a smile coming on. Apparently they were making an Elmer bear here. She drifted over to the clothing selections as Elmer tended to the stuffing process,
not really believing she was doing this even as she was reaching up and snagging a little lab coat off of the wall.
"Here you go." She said as she handed it to Elmer as he approached her, a moment later, adding a small bag full of stuffed medical toy props as well. "And you might need this too."
Elmer looked at Lona in surprise that she was actually helping with this instead of sitting there watching and thinking what an idiot he was before reaching out and taking the things that she was holding out. What in the world was going on today?
"Aneurysm. Is that what's going to kill me? I promise I won't get upset if you tell me." Aneurysm. Wouldn't his father want that fixed, though?
Well, unless it was big and fixing it might leave his dad stuck caring for him forever, that is.
"Elmer, you aren't dying." Lona said as she rolled her eyes.
Honestly, some of the things that he had suggested in the car for things that might potentially kill him.... Apparently Elmer had either read his neuro textbooks or something because she had actually had to think for a bit before recalling what some of the diseases that he had suggested were.
"Okay, did you decide that those weird dreams were the first symptom of...." Elmer knew that he had to be dying. He just wished that Lona would tell him. He didn't want to mess up being with her, of course,
but he just wanted to know, wanted to have a chance to brace himself for what was to come and a horrible afterlife and years and years without Lona.
"Elmer, those dreams are only a sign that you really need to get out of the hospital more. And stay out of the morgue." Lona chuckled slightly as she thought of the head incident before the morgue dinner she had shared with Elmer drifted to the front of her mind. "Well, you can arrange another dinner in the morgue if you like. Just behave otherwise,
okay?"
Did Elmer just hear what he thought he heard, Lona seeming to be giving him permission to set up another morgue dinner for them? He shook his head, not really able to believe his ears. She had to be doing this because he was dying. That was all that he could figure. "Lona...."
"Elmer, I promise that you aren't dying, okay?" Lona cut him off before he could continue, play whacking him on the arm once more. "And if you were ever dying, I promise you that I would tell you about it."
Honestly, was she really so bad to Elmer that he would think it would take his impending demise to get a show of good behavior towards him? She didn't even want to think about that. "Come on. Let's go get the coffee and then find somewhere to go."
A few minutes later, large coffee in hand and the second cup in the other, Lona turned with a sigh of pleasure. "Okay, let's go and...." Just then she realized that instead of talking to Elmer, she was suddenly conversing with empty air. "Elmer?" Oh, this was just perfect. Take Elmer out for the day to keep him safe and here she managed to lose him in a shopping mall. She was just glad that Louis wasn't there to see this.
"Elmer?" She called his name again as she scanned the area searching for any sign of him. How could he have vanished so quickly?
A moment later, she relaxed when she caught sight of him, staring into a store window so intently that his nose was almost pressed against the glass. Lona headed towards him, a bit of annoyance starting to build in spite of her determination to not get upset with Elmer today. Why did he.... "Elmer, what are you doing over here?"
Elmer jumped slightly when he heard Lona's voice, the suppressed annoyance apparent to him right away. Oh, great. He had finally managed to blow things. He had been sure that he would eventually, of course, but he had had the vague hope that maybe he would somehow manage to avoid it be some miracle.
"Elmer, it's okay. I was just worried when I didn't see you."
Lona shook her head slightly as she saw the expression on Elmer's face.
Honestly, was she so bad to him that he reacted like that when she wasn't even yelling? Yelling, it seemed like that was all she did with Elmer most of the time. Really, she had to do something about that. "So, what's this place?"
"Ummmm...." Elmer felt a bit embarrassed, sure that if he told Lona what the store was and what he was wanting to do, she would laugh at him. She was watching him expectantly, though, and he knew he had to say something. "It looks like they make bears here. Could we go in?"
"You want to...." Lona felt herself starting to react badly to Elmer once more and had to firmly grab hold of herself and give herself a strong mental shape. So what if Elmer wanted to look in a bear store? She had told him she would do what he wanted that day, after all, and if this was something he wanted to do.... "Okay, Elmer, let's go. I just hope they don't say anything about the coffee." Honestly, she felt annoyance not with Elmer but with herself, as they entered. She had always felt that Elmer was much to young and childish for her but now that she thought of it, maybe part of the problem was not with Elmer but with her acting decades older than her actual age. Maybe she could use a bit of a lightening up as much as Elmer could use a bit of seriousness occasionally.
"You don't mind if I get one, do you?" Elmer asked after they had walked around the store for a little bit, looking at both the animals and the various outfits lining the walls.
Lona started to say something that she knew instinctively was the wrong thing and grabbed it before the remark could slip out. Just for today, why couldn't she just go with the flow and have fun with Elmer?
"Okay, which one?" As she saw him pick up a black bear, she felt a smile coming on. Apparently they were making an Elmer bear here. She drifted over to the clothing selections as Elmer tended to the stuffing process,
not really believing she was doing this even as she was reaching up and snagging a little lab coat off of the wall.
"Here you go." She said as she handed it to Elmer as he approached her, a moment later, adding a small bag full of stuffed medical toy props as well. "And you might need this too."
Elmer looked at Lona in surprise that she was actually helping with this instead of sitting there watching and thinking what an idiot he was before reaching out and taking the things that she was holding out. What in the world was going on today?