All Apologies

Oceane clutched her purse under her arm, not taking the laboured extra moments to put the strap around her shoulder as her feet thundered over the linoleum and out to the main lobby.

"Security?" Ennis called as he set down his janitor's broom and poked his head into the video file room. "Security… would you please check in on Room 132?.. There seems to be a disturbance."

The man was far more interested in watching the tapes of Oceane's hindquarters as her heels carried her legs elegantly out of the hospital. Her shoulder grazed with that of a young woman, roughly her same age and she jerked violently back. "Oh… miss I'm .. I'm so sorry." She murmured and knelt down picking up the bag that the girl had dropped. "Please forgive me… I'm in such a rush--…" Oceane blushed like mad at her clumsy behavior.

"It's okay… really," Junior said politely. "Thank you." She added as Oceane handed her the handles of her bag and she slung it again over her back.

"Seriously!" Ennis said and turned the monitor screen off. "Get out there… do your job!"

"Today's your lucky day…" the man said and handed him his badge. "Take it into your own hands." His voice menaced and he flicked the television back on to catch the last few glimpses of Oceane's rear before she stood and there he caught a lovely side profile of her bust.

"I'm looking for my …my father. You wouldn't happen to know a room number---.." Junior began up.

"I'm terribly sorry, I'm going to miss my taxi- but the receptionist counter is just down the hall and to the left." Oceane said hurriedly and then got the hell out of the hospital.

Junior sighed. "Thanks… miss."

Ennis took the man's badge and sulked in through to Sands' room.. He knocked his knuckles against the wood and tentatively pushed the door open. There sat Sands… a few edged envelopes stuck out of his skin as they'd sheared in like knives… others had just left the battle wounds and paper cuts.

He gasped. "Oh my ..God. I'm so sorry to intrude but I heard a—I'm just wondering—Is everything all right?" Ennis said.

"Are you sorry?" Sands asked. "Words are useless…. I mean, why would you enter in and say you were sorry? You don't know a goddamned thing about me… why be sorry?" he cynically thought outloud then brushed away the notes from his complexion.

Ennis shrugged. "Can I be of any help?" he said slowly.

"Perhaps… can you?" Sands said and put his postcards on his bedside table. "Handing me my coat on the floor… that might be a start… and putting these in it. Then getting the hell out.. how does that sound for a game plan?" he 'asked' rhetorically more than awaiting a response.

Ennis nodded and stumbled his cowboy feet to do as he had been told. As he slipped the postcards into Sands' jacket flickers from the past couldn't help but push their way to the forefront of his mind…

"Where were you just there?" Sands said.

Ennis looked questioningly at him for a brief set of time and then the confusion washed out of his face. "I'm sorry…" he mumbled.