"Elmer?" Hook said as he moved over to join his friend at Lona's
bedside once more. He stopped as he saw the expression on Elmer's face,
like a million different emotions were warring for control. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I didn't really want him to be eaten by a lion," Elmer whispered as he looked over at Hook. "I mean, okay, I sometimes thought about it,
you know, so he wouldn't come back here, but I didn't really want it to happen."
"You mean Thompson?" Hook said with a soft chuckle. "Elmer, no one would blame you if you had really wanted a lion to eat him. Well,
maybe the lion. It would have probably got food poisoning. Thompson drove everyone nuts, remember?"
"He didn't drive Lona nuts. She dated him." Elmer said quietly.
He wasn't sure if Lona could hear them or not but if she could, he didn't want this to be the way that she found out about Thompson's death. How was he ever going to break that news to her?
"Elmer," Hook shook his head as he looked at the expression on the young man's face. "I promise you that Lona was just as annoyed with Thompson as everyone else in this hospital was." Really, for the amount of time that Elmer spent hovering around Lona like a puppy dog, how in the world did he manage to miss that?
"But she went out with him. Why would she go out with him if she didn't...." Oh, Elmer desperately hoped that Hook was right, not really for his sake anymore but so that Lona would be spared losing someone that she cared about. Elmer would never, ever want her to have to go through that. He had been through it himself way too much.
"She needed an escort to a banquet to try to raise money for the sleep lab and every other man in the hospital besides him was sick with food poisoning, remember?" Surely Elmer couldn't have forgotten something like the almost epidemic like food poisoning that had swept the hospital,
nearly forcing them to shut down for two days until they had some staff on their feet again.
"Vaguely?" Elmer could recall just a bit the Friday night he had spent stuck in the bathroom on the first floor feeling like every meal that he had ever eaten was suddenly coming back up on him but he had always thought it was a reaction to seeing Lona walking out the door with Thompson escorting her. Food poisoning. That would explain why he kept hearing other retching sounds in the bathroom. "But she went out with him again.
Why would she if she didn't like him?"
"Payback for him taking her to the banquet on short notice," Hook said as he laughed slightly again, patting Elmer's shoulder reassuringly as he did so. "I heard from Nurse Von Trier that the evening ended with Lona slapping him and telling him never to speak to her again. I hate to imagine what she would have done to pay Jesse back for making her go and pick up Thompson."
"So, she didn't really like him?" Elmer asked quietly, suddenly feeling better and more for Lona than for himself.
"Definitely not." Hook patted Elmer's shoulder again. Okay, maybe this was wrong and Lona might kill him for it if she found out but the way Elmer was looking, his friend definitely needed some encouragement,
something to give him some hope. "You still might have a chace with her,
you know. You just come on a bit to strong, is all. And then there was that head. Women tend to not like presents like that."
"I just want her to know how much I love her." Elmer whispered softly. He couldn't put into words why he felt the way that he did about Lona. It was more than looks or the notion of an older woman that he knew that some guys liked. It was.... well, just because she was Lona. There was no other way to describe it. He reached out and took her hand once more, gently pressing a kiss against her hot fingers. He felt tears starting to fill his eyes once more. "I love her. I don't want to lose her too,
not like I lose everyone else." He kissed her fingers once more, his tears dropping down onto her. He lost everyone he cared about. If he had to sit here and watch as Lona died as well, he didn't think that he could take it.
"Elmer, we're doing everything we can for her." Hook said quietly,
suddenly getting a clue why Elmer might be pursuing Lona with the intensity that he did. Elmer had lost everyone that he cared about, his brother, his mother, and Hook knew that for some reason Elmer thought his father didn't really care for him. Maybe he went after Lona so much out of fear, fear that he might lose her as well. Hook reached out and gently patted Elmer's shoulder again. "You know, why don't you just try talking to Lona when she's feeling better?"
"Do you think that might help?" Elmer asked as he looked over at Hook, a tiny bit of hope in his eyes along with worry. He wasn't the best with words, after all. Could he manage to say something to Lona, something that would let her know exactly how much he really did love her, how much she meant to him?
"It's worth a shot." Hook said quietly. "Just try not to worry too much, okay? We're going to get this fixed."
like a million different emotions were warring for control. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I didn't really want him to be eaten by a lion," Elmer whispered as he looked over at Hook. "I mean, okay, I sometimes thought about it,
you know, so he wouldn't come back here, but I didn't really want it to happen."
"You mean Thompson?" Hook said with a soft chuckle. "Elmer, no one would blame you if you had really wanted a lion to eat him. Well,
maybe the lion. It would have probably got food poisoning. Thompson drove everyone nuts, remember?"
"He didn't drive Lona nuts. She dated him." Elmer said quietly.
He wasn't sure if Lona could hear them or not but if she could, he didn't want this to be the way that she found out about Thompson's death. How was he ever going to break that news to her?
"Elmer," Hook shook his head as he looked at the expression on the young man's face. "I promise you that Lona was just as annoyed with Thompson as everyone else in this hospital was." Really, for the amount of time that Elmer spent hovering around Lona like a puppy dog, how in the world did he manage to miss that?
"But she went out with him. Why would she go out with him if she didn't...." Oh, Elmer desperately hoped that Hook was right, not really for his sake anymore but so that Lona would be spared losing someone that she cared about. Elmer would never, ever want her to have to go through that. He had been through it himself way too much.
"She needed an escort to a banquet to try to raise money for the sleep lab and every other man in the hospital besides him was sick with food poisoning, remember?" Surely Elmer couldn't have forgotten something like the almost epidemic like food poisoning that had swept the hospital,
nearly forcing them to shut down for two days until they had some staff on their feet again.
"Vaguely?" Elmer could recall just a bit the Friday night he had spent stuck in the bathroom on the first floor feeling like every meal that he had ever eaten was suddenly coming back up on him but he had always thought it was a reaction to seeing Lona walking out the door with Thompson escorting her. Food poisoning. That would explain why he kept hearing other retching sounds in the bathroom. "But she went out with him again.
Why would she if she didn't like him?"
"Payback for him taking her to the banquet on short notice," Hook said as he laughed slightly again, patting Elmer's shoulder reassuringly as he did so. "I heard from Nurse Von Trier that the evening ended with Lona slapping him and telling him never to speak to her again. I hate to imagine what she would have done to pay Jesse back for making her go and pick up Thompson."
"So, she didn't really like him?" Elmer asked quietly, suddenly feeling better and more for Lona than for himself.
"Definitely not." Hook patted Elmer's shoulder again. Okay, maybe this was wrong and Lona might kill him for it if she found out but the way Elmer was looking, his friend definitely needed some encouragement,
something to give him some hope. "You still might have a chace with her,
you know. You just come on a bit to strong, is all. And then there was that head. Women tend to not like presents like that."
"I just want her to know how much I love her." Elmer whispered softly. He couldn't put into words why he felt the way that he did about Lona. It was more than looks or the notion of an older woman that he knew that some guys liked. It was.... well, just because she was Lona. There was no other way to describe it. He reached out and took her hand once more, gently pressing a kiss against her hot fingers. He felt tears starting to fill his eyes once more. "I love her. I don't want to lose her too,
not like I lose everyone else." He kissed her fingers once more, his tears dropping down onto her. He lost everyone he cared about. If he had to sit here and watch as Lona died as well, he didn't think that he could take it.
"Elmer, we're doing everything we can for her." Hook said quietly,
suddenly getting a clue why Elmer might be pursuing Lona with the intensity that he did. Elmer had lost everyone that he cared about, his brother, his mother, and Hook knew that for some reason Elmer thought his father didn't really care for him. Maybe he went after Lona so much out of fear, fear that he might lose her as well. Hook reached out and gently patted Elmer's shoulder again. "You know, why don't you just try talking to Lona when she's feeling better?"
"Do you think that might help?" Elmer asked as he looked over at Hook, a tiny bit of hope in his eyes along with worry. He wasn't the best with words, after all. Could he manage to say something to Lona, something that would let her know exactly how much he really did love her, how much she meant to him?
"It's worth a shot." Hook said quietly. "Just try not to worry too much, okay? We're going to get this fixed."