I don't own the characters and make no monetary profit from this story. Peter Gunn and Edie Hart own each other. My profit consists of the fun I have with them.
A Lifetime in Eight Days
Chapter 20: Laughter is the Best Medicine
Edie Hart pushed through the door of Peter Gunn's hospital room to find an empty bed. Frank Gunn sat in what had become his regular chair near the foot of the bed, trying his very best to hide an amused smirk but failing miserably. Miss Miles stood at the closed bathroom door, arms folded against the breast of her starched white uniform, a mutinous expression darkening her normally placid green eyes. A perplexed frown creased her forehead at Edie's questioning glance.
"Where's Pete? Is he all right?"
"He's taking a shower." Miss Miles sighed and rolled her eyes.
"By himself?" Edie dropped several bags of various sizes next to the bedside table and looked from the young redheaded nurse to Pete's dad, her blue gaze filled with concern. Her eyebrows went up as Pop bellowed with laughter. The nurse looked far from amused.
"I'm supposed to be in there with him but he insisted he didn't need my help." Her lips thinned and her eyebrows lowered and she looked almost like she might want to stomp her foot. "He told me he wouldn't get in the shower unless I left the room."
Eyeing the cute little redhead Edie couldn't decide whether she should shout hallelujah or if she should be concerned that Pete was by himself in the shower. She brought her attention back to Miss Miles as the nurse continued talking about how large the shower area was and that Mr. Gunn had a stool so he wouldn't have to stand the whole time and the bathroom door wasn't pulled all the way shut and he was aware there would be someone right outside if he decided he needed anything. And she would be sure to let Dr. Carson know that his patient was being far from cooperative!
Edie almost smiled. From what she had discovered of Joe Carson he would probably consider Pete's attitude a step in the right direction. She looked at Pop.
"What about you?" She watched as he gave an amused snort at her question.
"He told me he hadn't needed help taking a bath since he was five years old and he didn't need anyone to remind him to clean behind his ears."
Edie gave a sigh and shook her head, worried that Pete was on his own in the slippery shower yet very well aware of how stubborn and self-reliant he tended to be. Making up her mind on a course of action she spared Frank Gunn a glance.
"I think I can handle things here. Why don't you go back to Pete's and get some rest." She pulled open the drawer of the bedside table, picked up the detective's key ring and handed it to Pop. "The police impound lot released his car last night. I found the spare key and picked it up this morning. The silver Corbin key is to his apartment." Edie told him where the Plymouth Fury was parked in the hospital lot and described it in detail. Then she asked if he needed directions back to the apartment because it was a different one from the last time he had visited his son and the first time he'd been there Emmett had driven him.
Pop shook his head, eyes crinkling in amusement as he shoved the keys into his pocket.
"I'll find my way." Frank Gunn apparently shared his son's unique sense of direction and the ability to find his way around without getting lost. "But not until I see the outcome of this little shenanigan." He leaned back and crossed one leg over the other and folded his arms and waited.
An exasperated breath found its way past Edie's lips and she shoved the drawer shut and walked over to the bathroom. The nurse moved aside and watched as the blonde knocked on the door and pushed it open a little further.
"Pete. Do you need any help?" She made her voice loud enough to be heard above the sound of the water spewing from the shower head.
"No!" His answer was quick and to the point. He didn't need help. He wasn't helpless. He was a grown man for goodness sake! All in that one little word.
"Is it all right if I just come in and sit?" Edie leaned her forehead against the door and her fingers fiddled with the doorknob as she waited for an answer. When Pete eventually responded in the affirmative she slipped into the room and let the door swing back until it was almost but not quite shut.
Miss Miles rolled her eyes again and glanced at Frank as she stepped across to the bed and began removing sheets and blankets and pillow cases. She left the room with them and returned in a few minutes carrying fresh linens and began to make the bed.
In the meantime Frank Gunn sat and pondered, the smile gone from his face though a hint of amusement still resided in his eyes. He had been of the opinion that Edie might get Pete to allow either him or the nurse into the bathroom just in case Pete did end up needing help. He hadn't figured on her going in there herself. Frank loved his son, and he had decided he really liked his son's girlfriend long before he had even met her, but someone needed to have a talk with them about their sense of propriety. Then again, as a self-described old fogey, who was he to judge the foibles of this younger generation?
Edie meanwhile had parked herself on a plastic chair that had been placed conveniently next to the sink, but not before peeking through a crack between the shower curtain and the wall to make certain Pete was okay. The floor of the shower was sunken by a few inches, just as she remembered from a few days ago when she'd used it herself. Pete was sitting on a plastic stool placed directly beneath the water flowing from the shower head, wearing a pair of light blue cotton boxers that were plastered to his body, his face turned directly into the stream of warm water. He sat perfectly still, seemingly enjoying the feel of the water against his skin. From where they were both seated he would be able to see her if he needed her just by turning his head and looking through the crack in the curtain.
Relaxing a little, Edie leaned her head back against the wall behind her and closed her eyes, ruminating on the first night she had spent away from Pete since he'd been found in the trunk of that car inside the waterfront warehouse. She didn't know a lot about what had happened to Pete during the week he was gone, wasn't sure she wanted to know, but she had eventually badgered that part of the story out of Lieutenant Jacoby as they sat outside the emergency department waiting for news about Pete. She didn't want to think about it. And deep down inside she hoped and prayed that Pete wouldn't have to either. She hoped and prayed he wouldn't remember anything that had happened to him. But she had a feeling neither one of them would be that lucky.
She really hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Thomas, the little ginger cat, had met her at the door of her apartment, meowing pitifully at her long absence. After changing his litter box and checking his water dish and replenishing his kibble she went over to old Mrs. Pilcher's apartment and knocked on the door and thanked her for taking care of the feline. The woman had asked after Pete, was he recovering, would he be able to leave the hospital soon? He was such a good looking man she told Edie, who didn't know where that little tidbit came from but politely agreed. She would have to mention the woman's comment to Pete. She could already imagine his response. "Mrs. Pilcher needs to find herself another husband to keep her occupied. She's too obsessed with other people's lives." But he would smile as he said it because they both liked the nosy old woman. She was just lonely since her husband had passed. Mrs. Pilcher had pushed several dishes of homemade food into Edie's hands, which became her late supper.
After eating – she discovered she was ravenously hungry – Edie had afforded herself the pleasure of a long hot shower and actually donned pajamas and a robe for the first time in a while. Then she sat down and made a few phone calls – to Mother's, where Barney answered and they discussed Pete before he handed her off to Mother, who asked a lot of questions and received plenty of answers and said she would be by to see the rascal tomorrow and then handed the receiver to an impatient Emmett, who asked after Pete and told her she was missed and when did she think she'd be back, because he and the guys were tired of working with Peggy Dolan whether she was one of Mother's favorite fill-in singers or not. Then she had done the right thing after hanging up with Emmett by placing a call to the 13th Precinct and asking for Lieutenant Jacoby. When informed that the Lieutenant was out on a case she spoke with the nice Sergeant Davis, telling him that Pete was awake and was improving and that she wanted him and Jacoby and everyone else who had helped bring him back to know that so would he please pass the word? She also asked him to pass along Pete's thanks and Pop's and hers for everything the men and women at the Precinct had done and for their cards and flowers and prayers. Edie had given Sergeant Davis her home number and told him the Lieutenant could call her back if he so desired and had the time. She later wondered if that was how he had worded the message for Jacoby.
Edie had barely hung up with Davis and had glanced at the hall clock, noticing it was already past eleven, when the telephone rang back. Frank Gunn's amused voice was on the other end of the line.
"I was warned by this fellow in the bed here that the way your mind works you would probably consider tomorrow morning as being any time after midnight." There was a beat of silence. "Don't try it. I don't want to see you back here before nine." By the time she woke up at just before six-thirty she couldn't remember what her reply had been but she did recall Pop's snort of laughter in response.
Just before midnight Jacoby had returned her call, apologizing for phoning so late and thanking her for the information concerning Pete. He promised he would be by to visit with him – Edie wasn't sure she liked the wording he used – sometime in the afternoon. He also informed her that he was having the impound lot release the PI's automobile and that she or another designated person could sign it out whenever convenient. When he asked if there was anything either she or Pete needed she told him no thank you and goodbye, although in a much nicer manner, and went off to bed.
Morning had begun with a phone call to her parents to update them on Pete's condition. The PI wasn't their favorite person in the world, for various silly reasons known only to them and her brother Jeff and her and Pete. But when Pete hurt, Edie hurt. And when Edie hurt, Mama and Papa Hart hurt. Edie had spoken to them only a couple of times throughout the entire ordeal, politely refusing to have either or both of them come stay with her. She honestly didn't think she could have survived such a visit no matter how much she loved both of them. She had been somewhat dumbfounded therefore when Mama told her to "Give Pete our love and let us know if you need anything". Next was a quick cab ride to Pete's apartment where Edie spent about an hour picking up around the apartment, changing the bed linens, throwing some extras for Pete into a small travel bag and restocking the fridge with a call to the market two blocks up the street. She managed to locate the spare key for the Plymouth and after another cab ride to the impound lot to retrieve the car she arrived back at the hospital with minutes to spare before Frank Gunn's nine o'clock ultimatum.
The sudden sound of silence, if there was such a thing, from the shower brought Edie back to the present and she opened her eyes to find Pete peering at her from behind the curtain, which he had pulled slightly aside. She bit her lip to keep from smiling at the way his waterlogged boxers clung to him, finding it humorous despite the sight of the bruises and abrasions on his torso and the knowledge that the injuries to his ribs must be making it difficult for him to move around without pain, not to mention his almost constant headache.
"I wondered if you were sleeping." Pete gave a little smile at the question in her eyes. "I said your name three times."
"Sorry." She gave him a smile in return and sat up straighter. "I guess I was thinking too hard. Do you need some help with something?"
"I can't get my back," he admitted with a grimace, all the while running a palm up and down one side of his face, "and I need a razor."
Telling him to sit back down and saying she would be right back, Edie slipped into the other room to grab Pete's travel bag under the watchful eye of his dad and Dr. Carson, who had apparently come by to check on his patient even though it was technically his day off, saying he was in no hurry and would wait on Pete. Edie stepped back into the bathroom, pushing the door almost shut before hanging the bag on the clothes hook on the back of the door. She toed off her sandals, removed a couple of items from the bag and stepped into the shower in her bare feet, feeling Pete's eyes on her as she placed his shaving cream, razor and shampoo on the small shelf next to the hospital-issue soap.
Grabbing the washcloth and soap Edie quickly had Pete's back and shoulders lathered, standing him up and sliding his boxers down and dropping them to the floor to soap his behind and grinning at his fidgeting before sitting him back down and grabbing the shampoo. Despite the man's complaint that he'd already washed his hair she washed it again anyway with his own shampoo before reaching to turn the shower spray back on to rinse the soap and suds. Finally she handed him his razor and asked if he'd like to try shaving his face himself in front of the mirror above the sink or if he wanted her to do it while he sat where he was. Pete stared at the razor for a moment and handed it back telling her to go ahead. She knelt in front of him and began applying shaving cream to his face.
"You're getting your slacks wet," Pete told her.
"They've been wet before," Edie absently responded, trying to avoid hurting him as she gently stroked the razor along his cheek.
Pete watched her face as she concentrated and let his eyes wander over her profile each time she turned to rinse the razor. He winced only once, when she inadvertently scraped the sharp blade along a scab softened by the water. Edie felt his warm gaze on her as she continued her task and she met his eyes with a smile now and again. She noticed quickly when the warmth in his stare turned to uncertainty and his eyebrows twitched in a little frown.
"How long have I been here?" Pete thought he felt the razor pause for the briefest of seconds when he asked the question that had been on his mind all morning. But Edie continued with the long stroke along his jaw and lifted his chin gently to get a better angle. He placed a hand on her forearm to still her. "Edie?"
"In the hospital?" She looked him in the eye but he thought her question sounded odd. He watched as she seemed to consider her answer, her tongue darting out to wet her lips, before coming to some sort of decision in her own mind. "Five days. This is the fifth day."
Pete had known something was off. It was that worry, that question that had niggled at his brain when the doctor had told him that his morphine dose had been lowered so he didn't sleep so much. When he saw all of the cards and flowers in his room. When he answered Carson's question about what day it was and the doctor and Pop exchanged glances. His time was all off.
"So today is what? The seventh, the eighth?"
She didn't answer him, was instead staring at him, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as she knelt in front of him, the razor and the shave momentarily forgotten. There was more to it. There had to be.
"Edie?" He sighed when she continued her silence. "Honey, just tell me. We're always honest with each other," he softly told her. "Even when we don't like what we hear," he added, trying out a smile and a little humor. "Please."
"The fifteenth," she finally told him somewhat reluctantly. But he needed to know, he'd find out eventually. "Today is the fifteenth."
Pete stared at her, his eyes widening just the littlest bit. How could that be?
"The fifteenth." He slowly nodded and shifted on the stool and raised his eyebrows. "Of September."
Edie nodded and he released a relieved breath.
"1959?" He tried another smile.
"Yes, Pete." Edie gave him a little smile and a soft chuckle at that question. At least he was holding on to his sense of humor after being told he was missing what amounted to two weeks of his life. She lifted the razor back to his face and quickly finished his shave.
After wiping off the remaining lather she had him stand beneath the water for a final rinse then stood and watched as he dried himself off as best he could, helping only when he asked. He wrapped the towel around his waist and slowly sank down onto the plastic chair she'd occupied earlier. He looked up at her as she cleaned his razor in the sink.
"What happened to me? Where was I the rest of the time?"
She didn't look at him, concentrating instead on washing the razor so meticulously that there would be nothing left of it by the time she was done. Pete saw her lips tremble as she shook her head and gave a little shrug and tried to say something but couldn't.
"Hey, it's okay." He grabbed at her hands with one of his and turned her away from the sink, taking the razor from her and setting it aside as he pulled her against his knees. Her slacks were wet against his legs and her blue blouse had dark water spots all over it and her blonde hair was damp and curling from the fine spray of the shower. "Don't worry about it, honey. I guess that's what the doctor was talking about when he said I'd have memory problems for a while. I'll remember when my brain wants me to remember."
"I don't want you to remember!" Edie vehemently responded in a choked whisper. She reached out her hands to touch his face, her fingers gliding along his cheeks, touching upon each bruise and cut. "I don't want you to remember being hurt like that-"
Her words were muffled against Pete's bare chest as he pushed himself to a standing position and pulled her to him, wincing as her arms went around him but holding her as tightly as he could nonetheless. They stood that way for a long while, until Edie could feel the duck bumps on the man's skin and realized the room had cooled off from the warmth the shower had projected and that he needed to get some clothes on. She released him and tried to step away but he caught her lips in a tender kiss that quickly became demanding and rough and wonderful and she didn't want it to ever end but it did. The door was suddenly pushed open and Mrs. Henry stood there for a moment before rolling her eyes and suggesting the two of them "give it a rest so Mr. Gunn doesn't have a relapse". She handed Edie a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, telling her to "get them on the man and get him back out here" and heaved a long-suffering sigh as Pete hitched the towel further around his waist and managed to keep Edie between himself and the nurse. The older woman just shook her head in feigned annoyance.
"Don't worry, I've seen it all," she grumbled as the pulled the door about two-thirds of the way shut. "Whatever it is," she added beneath her breath but loud enough for both of them to hear. "You have five minutes. Don't make me come in after you."
Edie quickly unfolded the pajama pants and t-shirt and motioned for Pete to sit back down. She knelt down and helped him get his feet into the pant legs and told him to stand up and drop the towel. He stood but shifted uncomfortably and glanced through the partially open door. This time it was Edie who sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Peter Gunn," she chastised. "When did you turn into such a girl?"
She didn't realize her voice had carried until she heard Pop's loud guffaw from the other room. Edie was looking at Pete and grinning and he could feel the warmth suffuse his ears and didn't need her to point out the obvious to know they'd turned red.
"I'm not a girl," he muttered, grabbing the waist of the brown and tan pajama bottoms and pulling them up at the same time he released the towel.
"Could've fooled me," the woman teased, gently helping him get his arms into the soft white t-shirt before pulling it over his head for him. She smoothed it down the rest of the way so it hung over the top of the pants. Then she picked her sandals up from the floor with one hand, wrapped the fingers of the other around his hand and led him back into the other room.