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“What’s happening right now?” she asked as Star lumbered to his feet.
“It’s just a leg spasm. Doesn’t hurt, but we’ll have to wait for it to pass.”
“I’ve never seen you have one like this before,” she said, sliding into the booth again and sopping up the water with a towel she’d grabbed from the counter.
“Normally, I take my anti-spasmodic in the morning and evening. I was out this morning.”
“Which is why you were trying to get into the pharmacy. Why didn’t you have it delivered?”
“I was literally wheeling past the place and I should be able to get in there!” I exclaimed, hitting the table for emphasis, forgetting about my hand. “Okay, that smarts,” I admitted, pulling it toward my chest. “I need to get it together. We have less than five hours until the board meeting.”
Hazel held up her hand and brought her phone to her ear. When someone answered, she informed them that I was at the diner, injured, and needed my medication. She said a few yeses and then hung up.
“What was that about?”
“I called the pharmacy. They’re running your script down so you can take the missed dose before we head to the clinic.”
“We’re not headed for the clinic. We’re headed home, once my food gets here. If it ever gets here. Damn, I’m hangry.”
Her laughter lifted above the din of the diner and made me smile too. “You are hangry, but I think you’re also fed up, and that’s understandable. I respect the way you’re feeling because I can only imagine how frustrating it is while you’re living it. What can I do to help?”
“I hate to ask this, but would you rub my calf? I’d do it, but.” I held up the bloodied hand. “If you rub the calf from top to bottom, it will stop the spasm after a few minutes.”
“You should have said something sooner!” she exclaimed, sliding under the booth to grasp my still quivering leg. “Like this?”
“I guess,” I said, biting back laughter. “I can’t feel it.” Ducking my head under the table awkwardly allowed me to see what she was doing. “Yep, like that.”
Indigo walked over and set a plate with fries and a sandwich in front of me.
“It was to go,” I said, but it sounded more like a question.
“It was, until your friend here told me you’d be eating it here so you could go to the clinic afterward.” She raised her brow and gazed at the hand with a smug smile. “Do you need me to cut the sandwich more so you can eat it easier?”
“Thanks, Mommy, but I have two hands,” I quipped, waving my right one.
“I’ll grab your pop. Eat.”
My leg had slowed its angry jiggling enough to eat without getting food all over me. I reached down with my right hand to check it, and our hands collided. I lingered when hers connected with mine, even though I should have pulled back. It was nice to feel connected to someone in this world. When you’ve spent as much time alone as I have, you crave the touch of another person sometimes. I often denied myself the hassle, but there was something different about Hazel. It was as though she could see through any disguise, so there was no way to hide. She always wanted a person to be their true self, for better or worse. She was certainly getting my true self today. A Mr. Grinch, for sure.
“I’m sorry I’m such a hot mess,” I said, slowly slipping my hand away from hers. I wanted to grab hers and hold it, but I knew better. That was a one-way ticket to heartache. Been there, done that, wasn’t doing it again.
“Irving,” she said in that soft voice of hers that I imagined she’d use in the middle of the night in my bed.
Bad Irving, a voice scolded.You know better. Keep it professional.
I’d love to keep it professional, but that train left the station a long time ago. We were colleagues, but we were also friends and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
“The fact that you’re struggling today breaks my heart because I know it was preventable.”
I took another bite of my sandwich with a tip of my head. “I suppose,” I answered after I swallowed. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m a dumpster fire and we have a meeting in four and a half hours.”
“We’ll make it. Once the pharmacy arrives with your meds, we’ll get you over to the clinic and have the hand looked at. We’ll have plenty of time to get home and changed before the meeting.”
Nodding, I gobbled up more of the food, the hunger kicking in again now that the spasm was over. She snuck a fry with a wink and ate it before she spoke again.
“I have everything ready to go for tonight, including the few quick changes to the gazebo model that the city works committee suggested. Shep sent someone over with the model, so we’ll take that tonight.”
“I’m glad the committee agreed it was time to make it accessible,” I said, wiping my face with a napkin.
