Felicity stood beside Oliver, who had knelt next to Ned passed out on the floor. "Well that was quite the show," she told him with a grin.
"Yeah, talk about coming out of left field. Or is it right field?" Anna looked puzzled.
"Left field." Both her and Oliver said at the same time.
"Has to do with baseball." Riley grinned.
"What is it with guys and sports?" Anna ask.
"I'm a girl. And I like sports. And the saying means unexpected. Most baseball players are right handed which means they hit the ball into the left field. The batter hits the ball and drops the bat and runs to the right. So if the left fielder can throw the ball to first base before the runner gets there it happens so few times it's unexpected." She realized everyone stared at her so she added with a flip of her blonde hair. "So, that's why people say out of left field. and yeah, that was some major drama. Adrian's mom just blew through like a tornado and dropped a truth bomb then hustled out of here after him."
Oliver shook his head and gave a small laugh. "Yeah, Ned just got a major shock, and if he's like his son, he won't be out long. You don't have to stay if you don't want to."
"Yeah, I think all go home. Anna's dropping me off."
"You have a good day shopping?"
He had to love her to ask about her shopping trip. She grinned and he grinned back. "I did. Found some cute stuff. New shoes too."
"That's good but if you don't stop buying shoes, you're going to have to rent a storage unit. You do remember how small our closet is?"
"One more pair will fit." She waved her pointer finger at him.
"Felicity." He glared up at her. "You have umpteen pairs now."
Riley laughed and Anna glared. "Don't blame me. Oliver said it. And he's right. How many pairs of shoes does one woman need?"
"As many as she can afford would be my answer. How about you, Anna?"
She suppressed a smile as Anna crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Perfect answer. Want to talk about the junk you have in the garage, Riley? And what about that junk car."
"That's not junk. It's a 1971 Superbee and the rest are auto parts and tools."
"You've got a Road Runner?" Oliver sounded interested.
"Yeap." Riley popped his P.
"Does it have the 440 magnum?"
"Of course."
"You should invite him to come and see it." She encouraged.
Anna shook her head. "That car's a piece of junk. You've wasted too much money on it already."
"It's not junk. It's a classic and will be worth a fortune when I finish restoring it."
"If you live that long. You had it before you enlisted. And we could better spend the money on remodeling the office into a bedroom."
Riley's straightened and a crease appeared on his forehead. "At least I have a hobby that will be worth something someday instead of a closet full of shoes."
"When's the last time you worked on it?" Anna's eyes narrowed and tension filled the room.
"Okay." Oliver drew the word out as he stood. "As much as I'd love to watch you kick Riley's butt, Anna, I'm going to start laundry. Felicity, I'll meet you at home in about an hour, give or take, and I'd love you to see you model your new heels."
She caught his meaning and again wished they were alone. "Sounds like a plan." Picking up her large pink purse, she slung it over her shoulder taking in Anna's angry face. Riley would be sleeping on the couch if he kept it up. In an attempt to defuse the situation, she ask, "Anna, do you think Adrian's going to be alright? I mean finding out Ned's his father had to be a shock. Look at Ned." She pointed at the prone body on the floor and motioned like she was dropping something. "He dropped like a stone."
Anna shrugged, her eyes still narrowed at Riley, who rubbed the back of his neck and now found his blades interesting. "Hopefully. Teenagers are a tricky bunch in the best of times. They're rebellious, but also resilient and most of them have the ability to bounce back. Maybe finding out Ned's his father will give him something to think about instead of cutting himself. I just hope Ned wants to be his father."
She looked straight at Riley but he refused to meet her eyes, instead adding bitterly, "That's a big IF. And if Ned doesn't want Adrian, doesn't want to be a father, Adrian could get a lot worse. This is going to be a rocky ride for all of them, that's for sure."
"The thought of Adrian cutting his body gives me shivers." She gagged a little cringing. "I still hate the sight of blood."
Oliver's grin smug, he shut the lid on the washer and pushed buttons. "Still? I thought you'd gotten over that?"
"I mean I hate the sight of my blood."
"Me too." His eyes serious, he nodded.
She rolled her eyes at him and nodded toward Anna and Riley. "But seriously, Anna, should we follow Adrian? He ran out, clearly upset. Maybe you should talk to him again? I know that I'd be freaking out if someone dumped all that info on me in one afternoon. It's like okay, my real dad is my probation officer and my mom's been lying to me my entire life."
Anna shook her head. "I hear you but not today. His mom chased after him. This is a good thing, since, like all kids, he craves his mom's attention."
"Not everyone." She said quietly as she thought of her own mother issues.
"And he has my number if he needs to talk. I'll touch base with him tomorrow and see him at school in two days. Not much more I can do right now but wait and hope."
Oliver's eyes found hers and he grinned. "And there went your first real chance at a car chase in a small town."
"Darn it." She wrinkled her nose and pouted. "You know I was looking forward to a good car chase, a little excitement. Whoo, whoo." She made tiny circles with her right pointer finger.
But she'd been looking forward to a real car chase.
Okay, sometimes small town life bored her to tears.
But Oliver needed this place. His mind finally had started to heal. He slept some now and over time, he'd, somewhat, learned to relax and his blood pressure hovered at being almost under control.
And he had gone to one session with Riley and had scheduled another.
Every day he got better. He took his meds almost on time now and, slowly taking baby steps, worked to change how he dealt with his stress.
So far, he had side stepped the stroke he would have had if they hadn't changed their lives. Knowing his numbers were better made her smile, but Oliver always made her smile, when he didn't drive her crazy.
"I'm sure you were." He frowned. "Yeah, are you alright? I know this life isn't what you're used to. I understand. Believe me?"
The world narrowed to the two of them as she looked into his sky blue, concerned eyes. The man's beautiful eyes were her favorite thing in the world to stare into. She forgot Ned lay prone on the floor and forgot Riley and Anna were in the room as she placed a hand over his rapidly beating heart.
"Here is where we need to be." She rose on her heels, since her man was tall, and wrapped her arms around his neck to quickly kiss him. "Now, I'm happy, you're happy, and I'll see you at home in an hour or so. Dinner's your problem."
"When isn't it?" Relief swept across his face, and for once, he didn't try to hide it. Nodding, she pushed her guilty feelings away as she stepped away from him.
Her phone saved her by ringing.
Checking the screen, she swiped the screen. "It's the hospital. I need to take this. Hello.
"Ms. Felicity, hi, this is Becky in CCU, really sorry to bother you this late, but my computer's frozen, and tech's gone home for the day. Normally, I would have just gotten another machine, but I've already loaded my meds, and now I can't get them out."
"No problem. Have you pressed control, alt, delete?"
"Yeah, nothing."
"Then hard restart it."
"Okay. How? It's a laptop. I can't unplug it. Guess I could have taken the battery out."
"No!" She rolled her eyes, and Oliver grinned at her. "Hold the power button down until it turns off."
"It's not doing anything."
"Wait for it."
"Oh, it turned off."
"Hurrah! Now turn it back on."
"Can you stay on the phone until it comes back up?"
"Sure. How's Jordan today?" Oliver's inquiring eyes found hers.
"Sorry but I can't give out any information unless you know the code."
"One, four, three, eight."
"How did you know that?"
"Oh, I've got my ways." Oliver grinned at her and tilted his blonde head, and she put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear.
"Jordan's still critical, but his potassium levels are finally coming down according to his last blood work."
"Is he still on dialysis?"
"Yeah. But his EKG ratings have improved from life-threatening hyperkalemia to severe hyperkalemia, though, he still has abnormal heart rhythms. He has a strong heart, thank God."
"I have no idea what you just said, but I understand the word improved and his strong heart isn't beating right."
"It means the high potassium levels in his blood are affecting his heart muscles."
The entire room tensed. "He could have a heart attack?"
"Yeah but he's strong and holding on. We doing everything that specialist Mae sent for ordered. He's in a sterile room and still in a medically induced coma. And he gets no visitors, except his mother, gowned up. No one is touching him without gloves."
"I'm sure you are. Thank you by the way for your hard work. Has that computer back up yet?"
"Nope, still spinning."
"Grr . . . I wonder if Bill Gates realizes that spinning circle they use for an effect, while Windows loads, reminds me of a flushing toilet bowl? You know it goes round and round, over and over."
Becky laughed.
Riley and Anna snickered.
And Oliver looked perplexed then grinned and shook his head. "Never thought of it like that but you're right."
She waved her hand at him. "So you still coming to the team's first game next week?"
Oliver stiffened.
"Yeah, can't wait. I've been planning my tailgating menu. You should stop by and try my wings."
She grinned and lied. "Oliver's excited about the team's first game. Can barely contain himself. What else are you bringing?"
He frowned at her, and shook his head, looking anything but excited, as he narrowed his eyes and she noted his hands became fists and he mouthed. "You're bad."
She nodded, grinning while Becky talked.
"Cheese dip and chips. Plus, a veggie tray with ranch. Reduced fat, of course."
"Sound's yummy. I'll bring my plate."
Becky laughed. "Oh, yes, please stop by. My wings are the best. And you're the best because it's coming back up now. Thanks a lot."
"No, you're the best at being a nurse. I don't know where Oliver and I would be without your great care."
"Thanks, but it is my job."
"No, don't sell yourself short. I mean it. You're a wonderful nurse. And we're all thankful for you. You have a hard job, and you've been great both times Oliver and I have been in your care. Now be sure and drop that computer off at the end of your shift to IT, and I'll see what's going on with it."
"That would be awesome. Thanks again."
"It's nothing, Becky."
"No, you're my hero. Sorry, but I've got a room ringing. Got to go, bye."
She ended the call. "Well, another computer problem fixed."
"Jordan doesn't sound much better." Anna frowned.
"He's a sick young man."
Oliver frowned and added, "The team's concerned. They asked about him today. I'll update them tomorrow. Thanks for asking Felicity. You always give your all."
He always thanked her.
Yet, another reason she loved him. That and she loved any way the man said her name, with a smile.
Riley chimed in, "I'm thankful he's still here, and Oliver, I want to tell you I thought practice went well today. I watched them for a while, and they're getting the hang of soccer. It's amazing how far your team's come in such a short time. You're an awesome coach. I think you've found your calling"
Felicity heard what Riley hadn't said. "Stop stressing out, Oliver. What will be, will be."
"I need more time with them if they're going to win."
Anna shook her head. "Why does it have to be about winning? Can't they just play for fun?"
Oliver shrugged. "That's the way it is. People want to win. And I'm thinking we're going to lose." He shrugged.
"Men want to win." Anna jumped right in correcting him and pointing her finger.
Riley chimed in. "Not just men but women want to win too. Human beings are competitive. Anna, we went to school together. I remember how competitive you were about grades."
The body on the floor chose that moment to moan and hold his head.
"Ned's waking up. Could we table this pissing match until later?" Riley reached and pulled Anna into his chest and kissed her forehead.
"I totally killed your ass in English." Anna tilted her head, locking eyes with Riley. "I'm ready to go. Felicity? You?"
She grinned checking her phone. Anna cracked her up sometimes. "Yeah, why not, it's a little after six. Let's blow this joint and get out of these guy's way. Ned probably doesn't need more of an audience when he wakes up. Fainting has to be embarrassing."
Anna nodded as she pushed Riley away.
"Drive careful." Riley gave his wife a short kiss, and Oliver patted her hand. Releasing him, she smiled.
Anna pulled the keys out her pocket. "I will. You know I never speed. And we'll talk later."
Of course, Anna never broke the law in any way.
And yes, she liked Anna, and had fun shopping with her and hanging out with her, but sometimes, the women made her bat crap crazy with her good girl routine.
Come on, sometimes everyone one needs to color outside the lines a little or what was the point in life?
Okay, she missed crime fighting, missed the thrill of the chase, alright, she admits it, mainly the thrill. Life hadn't been boring back then like it was now. Every day, the same old grind.
Bed, work, bed and repeat.
Live for the weekend so she could turn the alarm off and sleep in. Jerking the door handle a little too hard it crashed into the wall.
And she kept walking.
The parking lot empty now, only Anna's white SUV, Riley's truck and Oliver's motorcycle remained.
Anna unlocked the SUV, and they climbed in. Still thinking about her old life, about the rush, she spaced out after getting in until she realized Anna stared at her.
"Earth to Felicity. Put your seatbelt on."
"Sorry."
"Jesus, he makes me so mad sometimes."
"Riley?"
"Of course, Riley. His and his stupid car and him not wanting to give me a baby."
"A baby? How did we get to a baby?"
"Yes, a baby. I want a baby. I want diapers and tiny toes and a little mini me or Riley. My eggs are getting old. I'm getting old. I want a baby before I'm forty, don't you?"
"No, not yet. Oliver and I have talked about it, and we aren't ready yet."
"Well I am, and Riley had better get his act together."
"Okay, then tell him that."
"I have. Repeatedly." She checked her phone. "Look at the time. Now can put your seat belt on so we can go."
After she clicked her belt, Anna cranked the car. "Look, I know I'm normally a play it safe kind of girl. And that's not a bad thing. My parents are the same way. A bank teller and a librarian."
"Mom the librarian?"
"No, Dad, believe it or not. And he's seriously a librarian. Has two masters and is library director at his local college. He takes his job seriously."
She laughed but she understood, since she also took her job helping Oliver seriously.
The woman smiled at her. "I've got to stop for groceries. Want to go with?"
She'd rather gouge her eyes out than go to the super store right now. Yeah, normal life bored her to tears, and the last thing she wanted to do was food shop.
Shaking her blonde head, she looked out the window. "Nope, I'm good. How about you drop me at home? Oliver has laundry to do, but I've got new clothes to cram into that tiny closet."
"Who doesn't? I wondered why you were in such a hurry. What are you afraid Oliver will make you fold clothes?"
She grinned. "Yet, another good reason to get the frack out of here, laundry doesn't make my favorite list of things to do. And the team has a lot of it."
"I hear that." Anna nodded and chatted about the storm blowing in next week, and she looked out the window, tuning her out thinking about the good old days when her life was full of danger.
####OQ#####
Hope you enjoyed this week's bonus chapter. Check back next week for another. Please subscribe. I am working on figuring that part out and soon my subscribers will get a e-mail with early chapter warnings. And as always thanks for any reviews and the read.