her hip. She backed into the room, clutching a soft drink in each hand and a bag of chips between her teeth.
She dropped the chips on the tray. “Hey, I hope diet is okay. They were out of regular Coke.”
My heart pounding, I ignored her and stood over Angel. “Blink twice if you understand me.”
Angel’s dark lashes fluttered closed once. Twice.
Tori dropped one of the soft drinks. The can clattered against the floor and rolled under the bed. With a squeal,she grabbed his other hand. “Angel, this is Tori.”
We both squealed when his head turned toward her and he blinked twice.
“We should call Mama.”
“We should call Cougar,” I said simultaneously, and we laughed. “Go!” I shooed her toward the phone.
In moments, I heard Mrs. Angelino’s excited chatter over the line. Tori grinned and held the phone away from her ear. When she got off the phone, I tried to call Cougar’s cell twice. I got an out-of-area message both times and thought about having the central office page him, but decided to wait. In a couple of hours, he would see for himself.
I was getting off the phone with Ubi when Angel’s mother arrived. It finally occurred to me that maybe I should page a nurse.
A male nurse came in a hurry when I told him over the speaker what was going on. “Move over a sec, ladies,” he said, and I tried. Angel gripped my hand with a strength that surprised me. From the look on Tori’s face, he had hold of her, too.
The nurse laughed. “Be that way, then. If I had a hold of two pretty ladies like this, I guess I’d hang on, too. So, let’s do this like the movies. Blink once for yes, twice for no. Do you understand?”
One blink.
“Are you in pain?”
Two blinks.
Angel’s mother jumped up and down and crossed herself.
The next few hours passed like minutes as we peppered him with questions. The most we got in response was a strained “uhhh” or a blink, but he was trying. Better than that, he understood.
When Cougar walked through the door at midnight, Mrs. Angelino, Tori, and I grinned at him like idiots.
I laughed when he looked down to check his fly. Giddily, I stood and launched myself at him. He staggered backward under my momentum, but managed to keep us from falling.
“Whoa!” he said, clutching me. “You been hitting the caffeine again, Neese?”
I grabbed his hand and dragged him to Angel’s bedside. Angel lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. I placed Angel’s hand in Cougar’s and snapped my fingers. “Hey, Beavis, Butthead’s here.”
Cougar sucked in a breath when Angel squeezed his hand and turned to face him.
“H-hey there, buddy! Can you hear me?”
Angel blinked, and Cougar gave a loud war whoop.
“We need to call your grandmother,” Mrs. Angelino told Tori. “Help me dial out on this thing.”
While they hovered over the phone, Cougar asked, “Well, what happened? Why didn’t you call me?”
“I tried. And I don’t know. I was crying, and he—” I paused, embarrassed I’d let that slip. Cougar frowned. “—he patted my head.”
Cougar stared at him, then back at me. I felt pinned by his gaze, much as I had Maria’s. Then he asked the question I didn’t want to answer.
“Why were you crying?”
I flushed and looked at Mrs. Angelino. She was yelling and laughing into the phone receiver.
“It’s nothing,” I said quietly, so she wouldn’t hear. “Grady was here, drunk, making an ass out of himself. He asked if I was having an affair with Angel.”
Cougar stared at me for a long moment, then gave me what looked like a forced smile. He clucked his tongue at Angel. “Look at you, man. Lying here in the hospital and still having jealous husbands bust down your door.”
I appreciated his attempt to make light of it, but the mood in the room suddenly seemed tense. I hung around until Mrs. Angelino got off the phone, then made my escape.
“Wait!” Cougar said. “I’ll walk you to the parking lot.”
“That’s not
She dropped the chips on the tray. “Hey, I hope diet is okay. They were out of regular Coke.”
My heart pounding, I ignored her and stood over Angel. “Blink twice if you understand me.”
Angel’s dark lashes fluttered closed once. Twice.
Tori dropped one of the soft drinks. The can clattered against the floor and rolled under the bed. With a squeal,she grabbed his other hand. “Angel, this is Tori.”
We both squealed when his head turned toward her and he blinked twice.
“We should call Mama.”
“We should call Cougar,” I said simultaneously, and we laughed. “Go!” I shooed her toward the phone.
In moments, I heard Mrs. Angelino’s excited chatter over the line. Tori grinned and held the phone away from her ear. When she got off the phone, I tried to call Cougar’s cell twice. I got an out-of-area message both times and thought about having the central office page him, but decided to wait. In a couple of hours, he would see for himself.
I was getting off the phone with Ubi when Angel’s mother arrived. It finally occurred to me that maybe I should page a nurse.
A male nurse came in a hurry when I told him over the speaker what was going on. “Move over a sec, ladies,” he said, and I tried. Angel gripped my hand with a strength that surprised me. From the look on Tori’s face, he had hold of her, too.
The nurse laughed. “Be that way, then. If I had a hold of two pretty ladies like this, I guess I’d hang on, too. So, let’s do this like the movies. Blink once for yes, twice for no. Do you understand?”
One blink.
“Are you in pain?”
Two blinks.
Angel’s mother jumped up and down and crossed herself.
The next few hours passed like minutes as we peppered him with questions. The most we got in response was a strained “uhhh” or a blink, but he was trying. Better than that, he understood.
When Cougar walked through the door at midnight, Mrs. Angelino, Tori, and I grinned at him like idiots.
I laughed when he looked down to check his fly. Giddily, I stood and launched myself at him. He staggered backward under my momentum, but managed to keep us from falling.
“Whoa!” he said, clutching me. “You been hitting the caffeine again, Neese?”
I grabbed his hand and dragged him to Angel’s bedside. Angel lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. I placed Angel’s hand in Cougar’s and snapped my fingers. “Hey, Beavis, Butthead’s here.”
Cougar sucked in a breath when Angel squeezed his hand and turned to face him.
“H-hey there, buddy! Can you hear me?”
Angel blinked, and Cougar gave a loud war whoop.
“We need to call your grandmother,” Mrs. Angelino told Tori. “Help me dial out on this thing.”
While they hovered over the phone, Cougar asked, “Well, what happened? Why didn’t you call me?”
“I tried. And I don’t know. I was crying, and he—” I paused, embarrassed I’d let that slip. Cougar frowned. “—he patted my head.”
Cougar stared at him, then back at me. I felt pinned by his gaze, much as I had Maria’s. Then he asked the question I didn’t want to answer.
“Why were you crying?”
I flushed and looked at Mrs. Angelino. She was yelling and laughing into the phone receiver.
“It’s nothing,” I said quietly, so she wouldn’t hear. “Grady was here, drunk, making an ass out of himself. He asked if I was having an affair with Angel.”
Cougar stared at me for a long moment, then gave me what looked like a forced smile. He clucked his tongue at Angel. “Look at you, man. Lying here in the hospital and still having jealous husbands bust down your door.”
I appreciated his attempt to make light of it, but the mood in the room suddenly seemed tense. I hung around until Mrs. Angelino got off the phone, then made my escape.
“Wait!” Cougar said. “I’ll walk you to the parking lot.”
“That’s not
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