Page 32 of Forged By Fire

Leslie entered hesitantly. “Hey, guys. You up for some company?”

“Hey, partner. Come on in.” Danny pushed himself up a little higher in the bed. He reached over and used the remote control to mute the TV.

Becca, who was sitting nearby with a crochet project in her lap, placed everything in a canvas bag and stood to give Leslie a hug. “Thanks for coming by. We’d love some company.”

Leslie smiled at her, then walked over to the bed to give Danny’s arm a squeeze. “How are you doing?”

He shrugged. “Honestly? I’m drained. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so tired in my life. And then I get tired of sleeping.” He chuckled and immediately grimaced.

“Have you seen the doctor yet today?”

“No, not yet.”

Becca reclaimed her seat. “The nurse said it’ll likely be this evening.” She pulled her crochet project back out of the bag and held it up. “With all the waiting around here, I just might have this baby blanket done by tomorrow.”

The combination of dark green, lighter green, and brown looked really good together. “It’s beautiful. Maybe the doctor will give you some good news when he does finally stop by.”

“I sure hope so.” Danny lowered his voice. “It’s impossible to get much rest in the hospital. I’ll probably recover quicker once I get home.”

“No doubt.” Except that, if the doctor wasn’t ready to send him home, then it was for a good reason. “Well, I wanted to bring you a little something to brighten your day.”

Leslie made a big show of fishing around in the small bag and pulled out the Dr Pepper. “I don’t know if they’re allowing soda or not, but I figured you could use the caffeine and sugar boost anyway.”

Danny reached for the bottle. “Oh, it’s even cold.” With that, he twisted the cap off and took a long swig. “Thank you.”

“Of course. But that’s not all. I found something everyone in the hospital needs.” The socks she’d purchased came in a small box similar to one a tie might be packaged in. It was nice because you could easily see what was written on the soles.

She handed them to him, and he immediately laughed with a groan and turned them around to show Becca. “You’ll have to help me put these on later.”

She grinned. “Definitely. Those arefabulous.”

Leslie closed her hand around the third item in the bag. “One last thing for you, Becca, because I figured you could probably use a little pampering.” She handed over a pair of fuzzy rose-colored socks that, according to the tag, contained soothing aloe.

Becca ran her thumbs over the soft fabric. “Absolutely. So thoughtful of you. Thank you.” She motioned to the chair on the other side of the room. “Bring that over and have a seat for a bit.”

They talked about the cooler weather that was rolling in overnight, hospital food, and the lack of quality television shows.

Leslie was trying to think of a way to turn the conversation to an update on the case, but she needn’t have worried because Danny brought it up first.

“Do you have any news on the investigation front?” He took another drink of his soda and put the lid back on.

“Actually, I do.” She told them an abbreviated version about finding the casing, the possibility of getting DNA or fingerprints, and how Paris and Clint were probably questioning Ortiz right now. “With any luck, we’ll have some answers soon.”

“From your mouth to God’s ears.” Danny lay his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes for a moment. “Leslie, will you do me a favor?”

“Of course.”

“Will you take my stubborn wife down to the cafeteria and make her buy some lunch? She needs to eat something else besides granola bars.” He pinned his wife with a serious look.

Becca rolled her eyes. “I’m eating more than granola bars. I just feel bad bringing anything big in here when he’s not up to eating much.”

“Honey, I told you it won’t bother me. I promise. I just need you to take good care of yourself and the baby. Okay?”

“How can you argue with that?” Leslie extended a hand to Becca, who welcomed the assistance to stand. “I’ll have her back soon.”

“Good deal.” Danny closed his eyes again, and Leslie was pretty sure he was asleep before they left the room.

The women chit-chatted about the baby as they walked to the cafeteria. Becca was pleased to see they were offering sweet and sour chicken with rice so she had a bowl put together and even agreed to eat in the cafeteria so that Danny could get some rest.

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