Page 60 of Gentle Persuasion

Cole walked back toward his desk. He stared at the mountain of paperwork and wanted to strike a match to it. With Rick gone, he was doing twice the work with half the results. Damn, but I miss you, buddy. And thank God that you’re getting well.

He made a mental note to swing by the hospital later and check up on the Garzas before going home. It should be interesting to go home tonight and have everyone watch me make a fool of myself, he thought, then shrugged. What did it matter? I’ve already acted like a fool. One more time isn’t going to make that much difference.

***

Buddy sat in silent awe, staring at the tiny bit of humanity wiggling around on his brother’s bed. The baby’s hair was thick and dark and stood up like new-mown grass. His fingers itched to touch, but he feared to make the move. There was no blinking cursor on this tiny little man to tell him where to begin.

The baby began to squeak. That gave him the impetus to introduce himself.

“Hello, Charlie Longren,” he said quietly. The baby ceased wiggling instantly as his little blue eyes searched blindly for the location of the unfamiliar voice. “I’m your uncle. My name is Robert Allen Brownfield, but you may call me Uncle Buddy…when you learn to talk.”

The baby squiggled and kicked. The soft white blanket covering his legs slipped down and with one more kick, it was in a wad at his feet.

“Yes,” Buddy said, conversationally, “I can see that you’re very strong. That’s good. Obviously like your father, of course. I never was much for feats of physical prowess.”

The baby shoved a fist toward his mouth and grimaced when the fist went sailing spastically by.

“You’ll get the hang of it eventually,” Buddy said, as if he were talking to one of his peers. “Personally, when I was younger, I preferred a thumb. However, you may choose a finger or a combination of several. I understand some do.”

Lily blinked back tears. She’d walked into the room, certain that the baby was probably awake and then caught her breath at the sight. Buddy was in love. It was probably going to be his first and only, but that made it all the more special.

“Lily!” Buddy said. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“I just arrived,” she said quickly, not wanting him to know that she’d overheard any of the man-to-man talk that had been going on.

He nodded, satisfied that his secrets were safe. “I think he likes me,” he said softly.

The baby began to fuss after hearing Lily’s voice.

“He’s probably hungry,” Lily said. “I brought his bottle. Do you want to feed him?”

Buddy’s eyes dilated. His mouth dropped, and his fingers twitched as he considered the possibility. Finally, he answered. “Yes, I believe I would. But you’ll have to show me how to pick him up. I wouldn’t want to damage him.”

Lily grinned. “You won’t damage anything, Robert Allen. Just scoop and balance everything wiggling. I’ll hand you the bottle.”

Buddy stood and walked around the bed, carefully measuring the best angle to make his descent and, when he was satisfied that he’d figured it out, leaned over and deftly lifted the baby from the bed.

It was a perfect lift-off. Lily had expected awkwardness, even nerves. She should have known better. When Buddy did something, he always did it to perfection. The baby was in good hands.

“Sit down,” she said, “and cuddle him. Here’s his bottle.”

“Thank you, Lily. Do I insert it now or…?”

The baby began to fuss at being held in the nursing position.

“Yes, Buddy. Insert it now.” She tried not to grin at his terminology.

The bottle went in, and Buddy’s face lit up. “Well, now, Charlie. I’ll bet that just hits the spot. When you’re a little older, I’ll treat you to some of my favorite drinks. There’s one with two scoops of chocolate and—”

“We call the baby Morgan,” Lily corrected. But her brother wasn’t listening. As far as Buddy was concerned, the baby was Charlie. She suspected as time passed, he would be Charlie to everyone. Buddy had a way about him.

***

Cole walked down the hospital corridor, wincing as a nurse hurried past with a capped syringe in her hand and a look of determination on her face. He was heartily glad he wouldn’t be on the receiving end of that needle. Soft laughter drifted out into the hall. It was coming from Rick’s room.

Cole opened the doorway and paused unobserved. It gave him an opportunity to see for himself how well his partner was healing.

The burden of guilt that he’d been living with, the constant reminder that he’d killed another man, seemed to lessen. In fact, the longer he watched Rick and Tina together, the easier it became to face the fact. Somehow it was finally justified in his mind. If that’s what it had taken to keep a good man like Rick Garza alive, then it had been worth it. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and allowed himself a long, slow sigh.

---