Elmer moved around the lab, not really sure of what he was doing
but having to keep moving all the same. He slowly straightened the beds
before moving to the pile of files lying on the desk. Lona would have
never left files out if she wouldn't be back for them. What was it going
to take to make people realize that something serious was going on here,
that Lona hadn't just left?
Then there was what Jesse had just done, taking away Lona's funding and dumping it in Chris's lap. Okay, if he forced himself to calm down a bit, he knew that the entire funding mess wasn't Chris's fault and he really had no reason to be suspicious of her. He just hoped she hadn't noticed the way that he had looked as he had left the meeting. If there was anyone who called for suspicion, it was Jesse in his giving Lona's money away like that. He had to know that when Lona came back and found out about it, she would explode. Unless he knew that Lona wouldn't be returning, unless he was to blame for her disappearance.
Elmer was still pondering that slowly when he heard footsteps and turned just as his dad entered the lab.
"What are you doing down here?" Louis asked, keeping his tone as gentle as he could, not wanting to trigger another argument. Hook had been right about them doing no good and especially now with the situation with Lona, he knew they needed to work together if they were going to find her.
"Straightening up. When Lona gets back she'll be really mad if the lab isn't in order." Okay, Jesse had ordered the lab closed the day before but no way was Elmer going along with that. Lona would never forgive him if he did. "You don't have to stay here and watch me, you know. I'm not so stupid that I don't know how to put some files in order."
"I know you're not." Louis said. "I saw where you stayed here last night."
"I wanted to be here if someone found her." Elmer closed his eyes for a moment before continuing to speak. "I thought if she was sick or hurt then she might feel better if she had someone with her if they brought her in."
Louis smiled slightly at that reply. Honesty, did Lona have any idea how much Elmer cared for her, that his affections were so sincere?
Okay, Louis had been a but annoyed with his son, worried that Elmer bothering Lona might have driven her to leave but after having a night to consider it, he was how totally unlikely that was. If only Lona would give him a chance instead of focusing so much on Elmer's age. "Would it be alright if I stay tonight too?"
"Why?" Elmer asked suspiciously. Didn't his father trust him near Lona even with an emergency room full of people around them?
"She's my friend too. I'd like to be there if she needs help."
And if Lona was sick or hurt, Louis was determined to be there for his son as well. He reached out and picked up some of the closest files. "Want some help straightening things up for her?"
Elmer looked suspiciously at his father, trying to gauge if he were sincere or not. Elmer wanted to believe that he was yet at the same time he couldn't help but be more than a bit suspicious, his natural reactions to his dad and his fear of rejection still so strong.
Before he could say anything, he heard footsteps once more and a moment later, Hook and Chris came in. "Elmer?" Chris said as she cautiously approached, a bit nervous that Elmer would lash out at her.
Okay, she knew that she hadn't done anything to deserve it but still, she definitely felt guilty none the less.
Chris wouldn't let herself think about how badly she needed the funding anymore. She knew what she had to do about the situation.
"Listen, Elmer, about that funding, I had no idea that Jesse was going to give that to me and I don't want it." Okay, that wasn't totally true but the part of her that was rational definitely agreed with it. Taking money just because Lona was missing was just totally wrong. "If I don't take it though, Stegman's going to get it and you know once he gets his hands on it that Lona's never going to be able to get it back when she comes home."
Chris motioned for Hook to stay quiet as she spoke. The more she said, the more she was definitely sure that this was the right thing to do. "So, I was thinking that maybe once Jesse transfers the money, you could take it and hold onto it until Lona comes back. Would that be alright?" She definitely wanted the money out of her hands before it could prove too tempting.
"You want me to...." Well, Lona would probably be more okay with him watching the money than for Stegman to get his hands on it but still,
fifty thousand was a lot of money.
"I can't think of anyone who would take care of it for Lona better." Chris said with a gentle smile. Okay, she wasn't sure how her friend would react when she found out what Chris had done but this decision just felt right. And who knows, maybe it would do something to change Lona's opinion of Elmer if she could see him showing some responsibility.
"If we've got that settled," Hook said as he put a supportive hand on Chris's shoulder. He knew giving up the money had to have been hard for her but he did agree it was the right thing to do as long as it could be kept out of the reach of Stegman. "I have some ideas for what we can do to look for Lona." They had searched everywhere in the hospital they could think of and Liz's friends were searching the streets. Maybe it was time to expand things a bit more beyond the hospital. "I want to see about checking the buses that run through here. See if anyone might have seen her. If Lona isn't here, she had to have left somehow." It was just a matter of figuring out how.
"I'll go and check with Otto and Liz too. See if they might know of anyone who was here the night Lona disappeared and who hasn't been back on since." Louis offered. "If she was sick, it's possible that someone offered her a ride and just doesn't know yet about the situation here." He wasn't sure how that would be possible with how well the hospital gossip system seemed to work. Surely even if someone was on their day off, they would have heard about Lona's disappearance. They needed to check it out none the less, though. Before he headed for the door, he reached out and reassuringly patted Elmer's shoulder. "We're going to find her. I promise that we're going to find her."
that Lona hadn't just left?
Then there was what Jesse had just done, taking away Lona's funding and dumping it in Chris's lap. Okay, if he forced himself to calm down a bit, he knew that the entire funding mess wasn't Chris's fault and he really had no reason to be suspicious of her. He just hoped she hadn't noticed the way that he had looked as he had left the meeting. If there was anyone who called for suspicion, it was Jesse in his giving Lona's money away like that. He had to know that when Lona came back and found out about it, she would explode. Unless he knew that Lona wouldn't be returning, unless he was to blame for her disappearance.
Elmer was still pondering that slowly when he heard footsteps and turned just as his dad entered the lab.
"What are you doing down here?" Louis asked, keeping his tone as gentle as he could, not wanting to trigger another argument. Hook had been right about them doing no good and especially now with the situation with Lona, he knew they needed to work together if they were going to find her.
"Straightening up. When Lona gets back she'll be really mad if the lab isn't in order." Okay, Jesse had ordered the lab closed the day before but no way was Elmer going along with that. Lona would never forgive him if he did. "You don't have to stay here and watch me, you know. I'm not so stupid that I don't know how to put some files in order."
"I know you're not." Louis said. "I saw where you stayed here last night."
"I wanted to be here if someone found her." Elmer closed his eyes for a moment before continuing to speak. "I thought if she was sick or hurt then she might feel better if she had someone with her if they brought her in."
Louis smiled slightly at that reply. Honesty, did Lona have any idea how much Elmer cared for her, that his affections were so sincere?
Okay, Louis had been a but annoyed with his son, worried that Elmer bothering Lona might have driven her to leave but after having a night to consider it, he was how totally unlikely that was. If only Lona would give him a chance instead of focusing so much on Elmer's age. "Would it be alright if I stay tonight too?"
"Why?" Elmer asked suspiciously. Didn't his father trust him near Lona even with an emergency room full of people around them?
"She's my friend too. I'd like to be there if she needs help."
And if Lona was sick or hurt, Louis was determined to be there for his son as well. He reached out and picked up some of the closest files. "Want some help straightening things up for her?"
Elmer looked suspiciously at his father, trying to gauge if he were sincere or not. Elmer wanted to believe that he was yet at the same time he couldn't help but be more than a bit suspicious, his natural reactions to his dad and his fear of rejection still so strong.
Before he could say anything, he heard footsteps once more and a moment later, Hook and Chris came in. "Elmer?" Chris said as she cautiously approached, a bit nervous that Elmer would lash out at her.
Okay, she knew that she hadn't done anything to deserve it but still, she definitely felt guilty none the less.
Chris wouldn't let herself think about how badly she needed the funding anymore. She knew what she had to do about the situation.
"Listen, Elmer, about that funding, I had no idea that Jesse was going to give that to me and I don't want it." Okay, that wasn't totally true but the part of her that was rational definitely agreed with it. Taking money just because Lona was missing was just totally wrong. "If I don't take it though, Stegman's going to get it and you know once he gets his hands on it that Lona's never going to be able to get it back when she comes home."
Chris motioned for Hook to stay quiet as she spoke. The more she said, the more she was definitely sure that this was the right thing to do. "So, I was thinking that maybe once Jesse transfers the money, you could take it and hold onto it until Lona comes back. Would that be alright?" She definitely wanted the money out of her hands before it could prove too tempting.
"You want me to...." Well, Lona would probably be more okay with him watching the money than for Stegman to get his hands on it but still,
fifty thousand was a lot of money.
"I can't think of anyone who would take care of it for Lona better." Chris said with a gentle smile. Okay, she wasn't sure how her friend would react when she found out what Chris had done but this decision just felt right. And who knows, maybe it would do something to change Lona's opinion of Elmer if she could see him showing some responsibility.
"If we've got that settled," Hook said as he put a supportive hand on Chris's shoulder. He knew giving up the money had to have been hard for her but he did agree it was the right thing to do as long as it could be kept out of the reach of Stegman. "I have some ideas for what we can do to look for Lona." They had searched everywhere in the hospital they could think of and Liz's friends were searching the streets. Maybe it was time to expand things a bit more beyond the hospital. "I want to see about checking the buses that run through here. See if anyone might have seen her. If Lona isn't here, she had to have left somehow." It was just a matter of figuring out how.
"I'll go and check with Otto and Liz too. See if they might know of anyone who was here the night Lona disappeared and who hasn't been back on since." Louis offered. "If she was sick, it's possible that someone offered her a ride and just doesn't know yet about the situation here." He wasn't sure how that would be possible with how well the hospital gossip system seemed to work. Surely even if someone was on their day off, they would have heard about Lona's disappearance. They needed to check it out none the less, though. Before he headed for the door, he reached out and reassuringly patted Elmer's shoulder. "We're going to find her. I promise that we're going to find her."