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“They’d be in the morgue,” Dave said, “not here.”
Catherine put her arm around Polly and hugged her, but the girl was sitting so stiffly, she doubted the sympathetic gesture was felt. An ambulance cut its siren as it drew up outside, and she tried to imagine spending a whole shift flying from one ghastly accident or emergency to the next. Faced with that horror, she didn’t understand how paramedics remained on the job for more than a day or two.
When Luke finally rejoined them, his expression was grave. “Max lost a lot of blood, so they’re keeping him overnight, but he’ll be all right. Nick didn’t make it.”
Of all the kids at Lost Angel, Catherine had known Nick the best. He had teased her only that morning, and she could still recall the sound of his infectious laughter. “Could we see Nick?” she asked.
Luke appeared incredulous. “Why would you want to?”
“I’d like to say good-bye.”
“Me too,” Polly said. “Will you ask them, Luke, please?”
Toby stood and took a shaky step. “I’m not up for viewing a body. You’ll have to excuse me. I’m going to be sick.”
Dave came up out of his chair. “I’ll see you make it to the restroom.”
Luke watched the pair make their way down the hall before turning back to Catherine and Polly. “They asked me if someone was here, so I think they’re cleaning Nick up. Give me a minute to check.”
Polly whispered as Luke walked away, “He isn’t crying, but he looks like he lost his own kid.”
“In a way, he did,” Catherine responded. “All of you at Lost Angel are his children.”
But it looked to her as though Luke had simply detached from the unexpected sorrow. He was taking care of the necessary details, doggedly doing his job, she supposed, but he’d cut himself off from the pain. Rather than merely sad, to her he looked hollow and completely spent.
When they were able to see Nick, Luke hung back by the door. Catherine took Polly’s hand as they approached the treatment table where Nick still lay. His head was bandaged to hide the wound, and he appeared to be only sleeping. Polly leaned over to kiss his cheek and burst into tears.
“Nick always watched out for me,” she cried. “What am I going to do now?”
Catherine hugged her rather than answer. “I’ll miss him too, sweetheart. We all will.”
Te
ars stung Catherine’s eyes, but she forced them away for Polly’s sake. She reached out to touch Nick’s shoulder and gave him a tender squeeze. He had not deserved this, but then no one did.
“It’s time to go,” Luke called softly from the doorway.
Polly kissed Nick a last time, wiped away her tears and followed Luke out into the hall. “What about Max? Shouldn’t we visit him too?”
“Maybe tomorrow. Tonight he needs to rest,” Luke replied. “Toby and Dave will give you a ride back to Lost Angel.”
Catherine had another concern. “Wait a minute, Luke. We aren’t Nick’s parents, but can we claim his body?”
“I already did. That’s what took me so long, but we needn’t go into details here.”
“Fine, I didn’t want to abandon him.”
Toby and Dave were waiting for Polly, and Dave dropped his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go on back to Lost Angel. Everyone will be waiting to hear what’s happened.”
“They’re not going to like this,” Polly said.
“No, I imagine not,” Toby added, and the three of them huddled close as they walked out into the night.
Luke didn’t speak until they got to his car. “I can’t go back to Lost Angel tonight. I’m taking you home.”
The evening Catherine had planned forgotten, it didn’t occur to her that he meant his place rather than hers until he got on the freeway and headed west. That he would want to take her to his home was a relief, however, for she hadn’t wanted him to grieve alone. She didn’t care if his anger spilled over into tears; she just wanted him to react rather than withdraw any further.
There was underground parking at Luke’s condo building, and he rolled the Subaru into his space, then held Catherine’s hand as they walked to the elevator. He didn’t speak as they waited for it to arrive, nor did he comment as they rode up to the fifth floor. He unlocked his door and drew her inside, where the light in the entryway was dim.
