Page 28 of Brother to Brother

“Happy?”

“No!”

“Too damn bad,” I said and put my hand on Mel’s shoulder giving it a squeeze. “Doc look at him yet?”

“No, I ain’t looked at him yet, he only just got here. Should’ve guessed it was you when one of the nurses said it was a biker causing trouble in my ER, what seems to be the problem?”

Mel looked up at Doc; a disarming mix of wide-eyed and dumbfounded while he pulled some latex gloves out of a box on the wall, slipping his hands into them. “He was running,” she said, “I told him to stop but he tripped and hit his head on that metal door thingy before I could get to him to make him stop,” she said and Doc looked at her funny.

“Metal door thingy?” he asked.

“Strike plate,” I said.

“You saw it?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I lied. I’d heard everything; that was close enough. Mel looked startled but kept her mouth shut. The admin nurse and the security guard wandered away when Doc waved them off.

“Let’s have a look,” he said rolling over a stool and pulling the paper towels away. “Oh yeah, see that’s not so bad. If he were a little bit older, I wouldn’t even stitch it, I’d just put a couple butterfly bandages on it, but given he’d likely just pull ‘em off… Let me have a nurse set up a suture kit. You hold this here, like you been doing and I’ll be right back.” He pressed a thick square of fresh gauze over the cut and threw the paper towels away before stripping off the medical gloves he’d put on, and throwing them in the trash right behind the bloody mess.

Noah was quieting down and sat huddled against Mel who held him like somebody was going to snatch him any second. She mouthed ‘thank you’ over his light blond curls and I nodded. A nurse came by a few seconds later with a tray full of the goods Doc was going to need.

Noah screamed bloody hell when Doc gave him the shot of the numbing agent. Melody looked green and I asked her if she wanted me to take him. She remained mute, but adamantly shook her head. Stitches went it, one and two and the boy was all done. Doc slapped a Scooby-Doo Band-Aid over the cut and he was done. It really wasn’t nothin’.

“Might want to get him some pediatric drink, he might be a little dehydrated from the diarrhea you said he had and all this cryin’.”

“I’ll do that,” Mel said quickly.

“And for you, I’m prescribing a glass or two of wine or a margarita or something,” he looked up at me, “Think you can handle that?”

I gave a sharp nod, “I believe I can,” I told him and held out my hand. We shook, and he gave me a lopsided grin.

“Y’all need to stick to seeing me at the club,” he said and I nodded again. I could do without this shit and Mel looked like she was shattered into a million fuckin’ pieces.

“We’ll do that, too,” I said.

“Go on, then. Get on out of here.”

“Thank you, Doc,” Mel said and she sounded bottom of her heart grateful.

“I got no problem takin’ care of family,” he said and with that, he left us.

I took Mel and Noah home, and left ‘em just long enough to go get some of that drink shit at the drugstore, like Doc recommended. By the time I got back, Noah was napping in his crib and Mel was sitting on the edge of the couch staring at him.

“You need to go get a shower, and come on back out here and have a drink,” I uttered.

“Do you think the hospital is going to call child services?” she asked.

I snorted, “No.”

“Am I a horrible mother?” she asked and tears leaked out of her eyes, she still hadn’t looked at me. Her gaze locked on her sleeping son.

“Naw, I’d say you’re a damn good mom,” I said.

“You really think so?”

“What I really think is you need a hot shower and to take the medicine the doctor prescribed you. I picked up your favorite Tequila along with his juice stuff.” She finally looked at me and I said, “It’s pretty bad when the clerk rings you up and says ‘I know exactly how you feel.’”

Nothing. Not even a smile. Just that vacant, traumatized stare. I sighed and gave her an order, “Mel, I’ll watch him, go take a shower.”

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