Can I Look At You Now?

A voice over the radio called, "We need a medic to Dorm North 3 immediately. Officer and inmate injured."

"Shit," Elaine said as she moved toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Rose asked.

"To see if he's okay."

"You can't go up there, Elaine. You're not allowed."

"I can't just sit here."

"You can't go there," she said again as she picked up the phone. "I'll call the control room and get the scoop."

The phone was answered on the first ring, "Control room, Newcamp speaking."

"Hey, Phil, this is Rose. What's going on in North 3?"

"Looks like someone got a lucky punch in on Ben, but he looks like he's okay. Let me see the tape, first." Newcamp rewound the security tape from that dorm and saw the incident. "Yeah, Ben got kicked good, but he made him pay for it. Ooh, right in the nuts," he said as he saw Brothers' knee once more. "Yeah, he's okay, Rose, don't worry. They're taking him to medical now and he's walking on his own."

"Thanks, Phil," Rose said as she hung up the phone. "He's okay," she said to Elaine who was waiting expectedly. "They're taking him to medical."

"Boy, that's good to know," Elaine said as she headed to the door.

"Wait, I'll go with you," Rose said as she shut down her computer.

By the time that they made it to the fourth floor medical office, Brothers had already been taken in and was being examined by the staff doctor. "You'll need stitches, Ben, so I'm going to numb it," Dr. Drerup said after he cleaned the wound.

"Do what you got to do, Doc, " Ben replied, still miffed that he got hit.

The doctor stuck the needle into his cheek area several times while Brothers barely flinched. After they waited a few minutes for numbing medicine to take hold, the doctor stitched him up quickly and easily. He affixed a bandage to the wound and told him that he wanted him to take the rest of the day off. Brothers protested, but the doctor couldn't be swayed.

"I at least need to get my paycheck and mail from the office, plus I have to write the report," he said.

"Can you remember what happened until tomorrow?" Sgt. Richter asked, Brothers' immediate superior officer.

"Yeah."

"Come in tomorrow at your leisure and write it up. Write up an overtime slip, too, for your trouble. I'll go back down and retrieve your stuff. Be back in a few minutes." Sgt. Richter left the office. He walked past Rose and Elaine without looking their way. A few minutes later, he came back with an envelope and paycheck in his hand. Elaine saw the envelope and cringed.

"What's up?" Rose asked.

"I sent it to him," Elaine answered.

"What?"

"An apology."

"In the envelope?"

"Yeah."

"Good for you, there might be hope for you yet."

"Thanks a heap."

"You're welcome."

Several officers stopped by to offer their support, knowing full well that it could have been them. Corrections has the same brotherhood/sisterhood as police officers do on the road, yet you rarely hear about it. Some had stopped by the control room to watch the tape and wondered if they would have been able to defend themselves as Brothers had, or would even have reacted in the same manner. Most were just thankful that it wasn't them.

Brothers emerged from the examination room looking like he had been through a war. His cheek was swollen and starting to discolor under the gauze bandage. In one hand, he had his paycheck and the envelope, in the other, he had an ice pack.

"Hey Ben, did you forget to duck?" Rose teased. Brothers chuckled and tried to smile, but winced instead.

"Must be getting old," he replied, "he wouldn't have got me five years ago." He saw Elaine behind her, but stayed focused on Rose.

"Can you drive home okay?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, sure, I'll be fine," he lied. In fact, he felt a bit dizzy and his head was starting to throb. The fucker must have tagged me harder than I thought, Brothers mused.

"I'm glad to see that you're okay," Elaine said, her eyes downcast.

"Thanks," he replied, looking her way. He cocked his left eyebrow, "Is it okay to look at you?" he asked, a bit sarcastically.

Embarrassed, Elaine said softly, "Of course you can," as her cheeks reddened. "I'm really sorry about the other day. Did you read it?" She gestured to the envelope.

"Uh, no. I got a little busy. From you?"

"Yes."

"Should I read it now or wait?"

"Whenever you want."

"Now's as good a time as any." Brothers put down his ice pack and reached into the envelope as Rose and Elaine looked on. He pulled out a small card with writing on the front which said "I'm Sorry" in blue script lettering.

Brothers opened the card and read Elaine's clear, crisp, script. It read, "Ben, I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you. I know that you weren't staring at me and it was silly of me to think so. If you get a chance, call me at x779. Elaine Linsenmeyer."

"Apology accepted," he said, putting the card back into the envelope. A wave of pain hit him and a slight groan escaped him as he pressed the ice pack to his cheek.

Rose touched his arm, "You okay?"

Brothers winced, "The pain meds haven't kicked in yet."

"You shouldn't drive."

"I'll be fine."

"I'll find someone to take you home."

"I'm fine," he insisted.

"I can take you home," Elaine said.

"What?" he asked, looking back at her. Unfortunately, he moved too quickly and another jolt of pain went through his face. "Shit!" he muttered.

"You need a ride and I don't have a class until noon, so where do you live?" Elaine asked.

"6120 Columbus Avenue," he said, defeated, tired.

Elaine was surprised, "That's just a few minutes from my apartment. I live on Utica. Come on, let's go."

"Well, I..."

"Come on, Ben. I don't have a whole lot of time."

"Okay," he said quietly. He really wasn't feeling that good.

They walked slowly out of the facility and Elaine led him to her car. It was a late model Pontiac, but had no rust or dings, plus it ran great. Elaine let him in the passenger side and then quickly strode to the driver's side and got in next to him. The car started easily and Elaine pulled out of the employee's parking lot and into traffic that was starting to ease up from the morning crush. It would only take ten or fifteen minutes to get to his house, Elaine estimated, twelve minutes if you had asked Brothers.

He glanced at Elaine from time to time and enjoyed the view. She was quite pretty and better looking when she wasn't angry. Whatever perfume that she was wearing was light and fresh and smelled wonderful to Brothers as he tried to inhale it's aroma without being obvious. She was wearing black dress pants with a burgundy top, a top that hugged her nicely and showed off her curves very well. Neither said anything during the trip although they weren't nervous or uptight with each other.

They arrived at his house in twelve minutes, as he would have predicted, and Elaine put the car in park.

"You want to stop in for a minute?" he asked, his hand on the door release.

"Sure," she answered, "I've got some time."

Brothers led her up the walk to the front door. The house was a small, white, story and a half with a dogwood in the front yard and a large pine on the side. The house sat on a corner and the garage was behind it, detached. Brothers opened the door and held it open for Elaine to pass. She stepped into a sparsely furnished living room. The T.V. was directly in front of her and upholstered chairs were in each corner to her left. A black love seat was to her immediate left and a coffee table was in front of that. To her right was the dining room and the kitchen was visible beyond that. It was a nice, neat house, but it definitely was a man's house, she thought.

"Can I get you something to drink?" he asked after he closed and locked the door behind him.

"No, I'm fine," she replied. "It's a very nice house," she added.

"It's good enough for me, but I do need to work on my decorating skills."

"It looks fine."

"Look," he said, changing the subject, "if you don't mind, I'm going to change out of this uniform. Make yourself at home and I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." Elaine glanced at her watch. She had plenty of time.

"The remote's on the coffee table if you want to watch T.V.," he said as he went down the main hallway. He turned left at the last room, entered, and closed the door behind him. He changed out of his uniform quickly and put on jeans, a tee shirt, and sandals in it's place. Elaine had barely settled into the love seat when he emerged holding the ice pack to his face.

"Feeling any better?" she asked, seeing his discomfort.

"Not really. It still smarts," he replied. "It'll probably take a day or two to calm down."

She looked up at him, concerned. "You sure?"

"Yes," he insisted, "I'll be fine." He was genuinely touched by her concern as an awkward silence fell upon them. The only sound was the ticking of a clock somewhere in the house.

Finally, Elaine broke the silence as she stood back up. "Well, I should be going."

"Yeah, well, okay," Brothers said. "I was going to lie down for a bit anyway."

Elaine reached into her purse for her keys. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Besides getting naked for me? "No, no, you've done too much already. Thanks a lot," he said, checking his thoughts.

"That's okay. It really was no trouble..."

"Wait, there is something," he interrupted.

"What?"

"Are you busy tomorrow morning?"

Elaine thought for a moment. "Not that I can think of."

"Can you take me back to Madison so I can get my car? I have to write a report, too."

"Sure, what time?"

"Is nine too early?"

"Nine's fine. I'll be here."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Well, I guess I should get moving."

"If you must," he said regretfully.

Suddenly, she really wasn't in a hurry to go. There was something about him that was drawing her closer. She felt totally at ease with him even though he was almost a complete stranger to her.

"I really am sorry for being mean to you," she blurted out, not knowing what else to say.

"That's okay. I'm seeing a much different person today."

Elaine blushed slightly from the compliment. "Well, I should have done it differently."

"What, be meaner?" he joked.

"No," she laughed, "a bit nicer."

"Well, your apology is accepted again. Now, no more apologies, okay?"

"Okay."

Brothers extended his hand to her. "Friends?"

Elaine took it without hesitation. It felt strong, yet warm in hers. "Friends," she said, smiling.

"Good," he said, trying to smile, but it came out more like a grimace.

"Still hurts, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Poor guy. You'll just have to hit him first next time."

"Next time, I will. Hopefully, it'll be a long time before I have to worry about it."

"Hopefully, never," she said.

"Yeah, you're right. Hopefully, never. I'm getting too old for this crap, anyway."

"I seriously doubt that," she laughed. "You're in better shape than any officer at Madison," she added, noting how well he filled out his tee shirt.

Brothers rolled his eyes, as he often did whenever complimented. He was really starting to like Elaine, but he was still concerned about the age difference. He hoped to get to know her better, but he didn't want to scare her off. Brothers knew that he tended to act too fast when it came to matters of the fairer sex and he figured that was the main reason for all of his failed relationships of the past few years.

"Well, you are in great shape," she insisted.

"For an old guy."

"For any age. You're not that old, anyway."

"Old enough."

"Well," she laughed, "I'm not going to debate your age. I've really got to get back." She took a business card and pen from her purse and and jotted something on the card. "Here's my number. If you need something tonight, give me a call. I'm only minutes away." She placed the pen back in her purse and gave the card to Brothers.

"Okay," he said, "but I doubt that I'll need anything. Thanks."

"That's okay. If not, I'll see you in the morning."

Brothers moved around Elaine, inhaling her perfume once more, and opened the door for her. A warm, spring breeze moved the branches of the maple trees that lined the street.

Elaine stepped out onto the small porch and looked back at Brothers for a second. A thin smile appeared on her lips as she turned and walked towards her car, her hips swaying side to side sexily. Brothers tried not to stare, but he couldn't help it. He was definitely falling for her and there was nothing that he could do to stop it.

Elaine picked up Brothers promptly at nine o'clock the next morning. He had napped periodically throughout the day after Elaine had left and slept fitfully that night. The pain had eased, but his face had turned purple and was slightly puffy. He was in good spirits and was anxious for her to arrive. He came out onto the porch as she pulled up and locked the door behind him.

Elaine watched him walk towards her from the porch and was relieved to see him looking better. She really didn't want to leave him the previous day and thought about him from time to time. She was tempted to call him and check up on him, but resisted the urge because she thought he might be resting and didn't want to disturb him. He didn't call in the evening and she was slightly disappointed. She even tried to think about a reason to drop by, but again, resisted the temptation. Elaine smiled as he neared, her eyes checking out his body from top to bottom. Not bad, she thought to herself, in fact, damn good. She stopped herself from licking her lips.

"Well, you're looking better than the last time I saw you," she said as he climbed in.

"Yeah, I feel better, too. Thanks for doing this for me, I really appreciate it," he replied as he shut the door and fastened his safety belt. He then smiled at her, something he couldn't manage previously.

"No problem at all," she said returning the smile. "It gave me a reason to get up and get moving. I'm usually pretty lazy on Saturdays."

"Well, thanks anyway."

Elaine put the car in gear and they headed to Madison. The ride to the jail was quiet. Brothers glanced her way every once in a while and noticed that she wasn't wearing any wedding or engagement rings. Things are looking up, he thought, but said nothing. They arrived at the jail in the usual twelve minutes.

Brothers looked back at Elaine as he opened the car door. "You want to come in?"

Elaine thought about it for a few seconds and she decided that she didn't have anything else to do, although being at work on her off day wasn't her idea of fun. But, at least she'd be able to spend a little more time with him. "Sure," she said as she turned off the engine.

They walked together to the employee's entrance and went to his sergeant's office. No one was in the office, so he sat down at an extra computer and began to type his report. He finished it quickly as his fingers sped over the keys, describing the incident with clarity so that anyone could understand what transpired. When he finished, he printed a couple of copies. He gave one of the copies to Elaine, who had been sitting nearby watching him, so that she could proof-read it. She was flattered that he asked her and she studied it with a fine-toothed comb. She could not find the slightest error and she could see that it was precise and to the point, a very well written report.

"It looks fine," she said, handing it back to him.

"Thanks," he said proudly. He was took pride in all of his work, even report writing. He placed the reports on his sergeant's desk and looked back at Elaine. "I'm all done here. Have you had any breakfast yet?"

"Only coffee and toast a while ago," she answered.

"Want to get a bite? My treat for all of your kindness."

Elaine wasn't hungry, but didn't want to be impolite. "Sure, where do you want to go?"

"How about Cracker Barrel?"

"Sounds great. Which one?"

"How about the one off of Route 4. That's the closest one around."

"Great, I'll meet you there."

They left the office and went to their respective cars. From there, they met at the restaurant within seconds of each other. They were given a cozy corner table and were given menus for breakfast and lunch. Actually, Brothers wasn't very hungry, either, but he just wanted an excuse to be around Elaine for a while longer and this was the only way that he could think of doing it. He didn't think she'd accept another invitation to his house. After the waitress brought them their juices, orange for him and apple for her, Brothers ordered two pancakes and a potato casserole. Elaine ordered toast, bacon, and two scambled eggs.

Before their meals arrived and during the meal itself, Brothers and Elaine chatted easily with each other, mostly talking about their lives in a general way, nothing too deep, and their jobs. Much to his pleasant surprise, Brothers found out Elaine's age. Brothers talked casually about his army career, his divorce, and his current position. Elaine was a bit more reluctant to discuss her own divorce. It was still a bit painful, but once she started to talk, it became easier to discuss. Her ex-husband had cheated on her not once, but twice and she booted him out of her life without looking back. There were no children to consider, so the split was easier. Elaine actually felt better after getting it out. She was surprised at what a good listener Brothers was. He was patient and never interrupted her once.

By the end of the meal, they both felt that they had a chance to make something happen with their new found friendship.

"Well, what do think about our first date?" he asked after the waitress gave them their bills.

"Was this a date?" Elaine replied coyly. "I thought it was about friends getting together. Have I been coerced into a first date without my knowledge or permission?"

"Hmm, maybe you're right. No, you are right. This just wasn't the right atmosphere for a first date, was it?"

"No, it wasn't."

"You didn't enjoy it?"

"Oh, very much so," she countered, "but not as a first date."

"Would you like for me to try to remedy that?"

"And how would you do that?"

"There's a dinner and dance at the VFW tonight. I'd be honored and delighted if you'd join me."

"Well," she said, leaning forward, "I'd be foolish to decline such an invitation. I haven't been out dancing for ages. Thank you for asking." Her eyes were now sparkling. "What's the dress code?"

"Semi-formal to almost casual. The outfits you wear to work would be fine."

"Yech," she made a face, "I will not wear work clothes for our first date. I want to sizzle. I want to dazzle you so that can't take your eyes off of me the entire night."

"You could go naked," he suggested.

"A bit sluttish, don't you think?"

"Maybe, but you'd certainly have my attention."

"I think I should go dressed, at least for the first date."

"If you insist. What about the second date?"

"You're awfully confident, aren't you? We haven't even gone on our first date yet."

"Let's just say I'm very optimistic."

"We'll see about how I dress for the second one." Elaine looked at her watch. "Well, Ben, I think I should be going if I want to properly dazzle you tonight. What time are you picking me up?

"The dinner starts at six. How about five-thirty?"

"Five-thirty is fine." Elaine pushed back her chair, as did Brothers, who stayed long enough to place a tip on the table. They walked together to the cashier and then to the parking lot where they lingered at Elaine's car. "Thank you for the meal. It was very good," she said, a bit awkwardly, not knowing how to end the event.

"You're welcome. I've never had a bad meal here," he replied. Hands in his pant pockets, Brothers scratched at the pavement with his shoe. "I guess I'll see you later," he finally said.

"Okay," she replied. Next, she didn't know what possessed her, but impulsively she leaned forward and kissed him on his non-injured cheek. It was soft and smooth and Elaine liked the faint scent of his after shave that lingered on her nose.