Emily's Home - Ginger's Out Ch. 10

The room was empty. I panicked, ran out to the nurse's station; no Kerri. I asked one of the nurses, "Do you know where they took Maureen Henry?"

She looked for the chart, opened it, thumbed through the pages and said, "Radiology -- they wanted to do some x-rays."

"Is Kerri with her?"

"No, she's at dinner."

"Okay, thank you."

I sat in the little exam room and waited. X-rays on a Saturday night shouldn't take too much time -- I hope. I thought of a book I had finished recently. There was something about a police officer getting shot while on traffic duty. I didn't remember the exact words. It was something about the wife being in a lot of pain and not making much sense. I put my head in my hands. Goddamn you Reenie. You admitted you made a mistake today. It could have cost you your life.

I felt, rather than heard, someone come in. It was Kerri. She looked at me, walked over and put her hand on my shoulder.

"What's the matter Ginger?"

I shook my head. "I'm trying Kerri, really I am. I love her and I try to be strong about her doing what she does, but days like today, I don't know if I can ... if I have what it takes. I can't tell her to leave. She loves it too much."

"In 2002 I lost one of my brothers, a Marine, in Iraq." She shrugged. "It's not the same. I don't know what to say."

"You see it every day, Kerri. How do you deal with it?"

"You wall off from it emotionally, Ginger. You have to. Well, that and rotate to other parts of the hospital. Otherwise it gets to you." I stood and we hugged. "She'll be okay Ginger. They're waiting for a room to open up. They'll bring her back here if one isn't available. You may as well wait here." I nodded and remembered the cookie. I fished in my purse, found it, and handed it to her. She laughed. "You're a nut, you know that?" She smiled and shook her head. "Thanks, it's very cute that you did that."

I sat while Kerri did some cleaning. I took a sip of my coffee and pulled the sandwich from my purse. Kerri heard the noise, looked, and smiled. It was food. I barely tasted it and washed each bite down with coffee. I didn't even ask; Kerri took my coffee cup to refill it. How sweet! I took out my little notebook and wrote her name in it. We'd have that open house one day and Kerri Brady would be invited. Kerri strode purposefully with my coffee.

"They've got a room Ginger. Go up to the fifth floor and ask at the nurse's station. They'll take you to Reenie." She put her hands on my shoulders. "Take good care of your cop, Ginger." She smiled. "I wish you both all the best." She gave me a little kiss on the cheek. I took the elevator, found the nurse's station, and was led to Reenie's room. She smiled when she saw me.

"Hey you, how ya doin'?" I pulled the napkin from my purse and held it up.

"I bring treasures my dear." After a sweet, soft kiss, I opened the napkin. Reenie smiled up at me.

"Food! My lover brings me food! Yes!" She tore into the bagel, much to my delight. I handed her my coffee while I poured ice water into a glass. She squealed when I showed her the cream cheese. I tore off the wrapper and handed it to her. She crushed the container so that the cream cheese landed, in a blob, on the bagel. After smoothing it around, she brought it to her lips and purred contentedly as she ate. She made a sudden move with the hand of her injured arm, stopped, and paled from the pain. I offered my hand; Reenie's eyes were clouded with pain as she squeezed it. When the wave passed she ate the rest - carefully.

A dark-skinned, waifish woman came into the room, announcing, "I'm Lani, your nurse. How are you Ms. Henry?" Her eyes were a couple shades darker than her hair, which hung nearly to her waist in a french braid. Unlike Kerri's, Lani's uniform had been tailored and revealed a slim, curvy figure.

"It hurts. It's been getting stiffer as each hour passes. I guess that's to be expected with what happened today." Lani made a note in the chart. She checked the levels of the medications hanging from the I.V. stand. Before she left she took Reenie's temperature and checked her blood pressure.

"Call for me if you need something, Ms. Henry." She left; Reenie rolled her eyes.

"Sweetie, being kept overnight poses a bit of a problem. Tara called. She's going to have the kitchen furniture delivered tomorrow. I can either be here late or we could call Candy. What do you think?"

"Candy will likely be working late, Ginger. I'll keep. You do what you have to do, okay? I guess you want me to come to the house when I'm released."

"Yeah, I really would. We can stop at the crash pad and get more of your clothes tomorrow. Whenever they schedule physical therapy we can have them do it at the house as well."

A woman came in with a tray of food. "I have a dinner for Ms. Henry."

"That's me," said Reenie, eyeing the tray. "Thank you." She smiled and left. Reenie attacked the food with gusto. The ice cream -- murdered. The roll -- buttered and inhaled. Turkey slices were eaten. Something masquerading as gravy and green beans were untouched. We split the coffee. I tried to remind my blue-eyed devil that breakfast was a long way off. She was unmoved. She smirked and said, "My arm doesn't feel so bad after the ice cream."

"I know how to make that arm feel really good," I teased. She laughed. The gleam in her eye let me know my advances did not fall on deaf ears. Sadly, a hospital is not the best place to be amorous. I actually thought it was a pretty good idea for me to head home. I wanted to know how Reenie was going to sleep with her arm in the sling. I was sure they didn't want her rolling over onto her right side. I mentioned that, she nodded, and I stepped into the hall to look for the nurse. I turned my head left, right, and back to the left. When I saw Lani I waved. She nodded and made an 'in a moment' signal with her hand.

When she came in I asked, "How do you plan to have Reenie sleep tonight?" That seemed to impress her.

She smiled, saying, "She'll sleep on her back." Oh great! Reenie is a belly sleeper. We exchanged glances. "We'll use pillows and blankets to make sure she can't turn that way." Looking at each of us, she said, "We'll keep an eye on her during the night, check her pain and the bandage, and make sure she gets as much rest as possible." I looked at Reenie. She shrugged. Make the best of a bad situation I guess. "How's the pain Ms. Henry?"

"It's about the same; maybe a little better." Lani seemed satisfied, nodded, and left with the food tray. That was my cue.

"Lover, I'm going to head home. I'll bring some clothes for you tomorrow. Try and get some rest okay, especially after the day you've had." I leaned over for a kiss. It had slipped my mind that I was still in my workout clothes. Someone had noticed. Her hand slid into my shorts and cupped my sex. Thank god there was a pad. Scratch that. Unfortunately there was a pad guarding the entrance. I groaned my frustration into the kiss, which quickly deepened. My period did not end her investigation. Reenie moved her fingers to my now throbbing clit and teased it, leaving my legs weak and my breaths shallow. Naturally, my meanieface minx stopped. My fingers found a taut nipple and gave it a good, hard tug. Bitch bit my tongue! Isn't being in love fabulous?

We were a couple of giggling, out-of-breath teenagers after breaking the kiss. I leaned my forehead against hers as we whispered sweet nothings to each other. I groaned but nodded when she told me I was not to get myself off tonight. I had absolutely no idea how we were going to make love with her arm in the condition it is. I also had not a shred of doubt we would figure it out. One final kiss, heartfelt I love you's and I left. Yeah, believe it, I desperately wanted to stop at the nurse's station and ask for a cot.

Sunday, April 29th -- The drive home had been uneventful and I'd crashed, slept well, but woke feeling sluggish and lonely. I'd set the phone on the night stand before I fell into bed. First stop was potty. Next was getting coffee started. I brought it with me into the bathroom for my shower. Gritting my teeth at Reenie's 'order,' I finished quickly. I had a thought in the middle of my shower. I need to get to the BMV. If the worst happened, they would look at the address on my license. That address was from my previous life. Weird how the mind works isn't it?

After drying myself and my hair, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. I looked sleep deprived and worried. I had no idea how I should look or feel after the love of my life had been shot. Ginger, there is no reason to focus on that. Be thankful she's okay and going to come home. I did just that with a short prayer of thanks. My eyes filled with tears. They just did.

After the rest of the bathroom routine, I dressed casually -- jeans, sleeveless top, and running shoes. I guzzled coffee and wondered what to do about Tara and her promised delivery. It was only 8:30 am. I decided a text would be a reasonable communication for a Sunday morning. Apparently my idea was on the mark. The return call came quickly.

"My god Ginger, is Reenie okay? What do you need me to do honey?"

"Hi Tara, yeah, she was okay when I left last night. That's why I sent the text. They kept her overnight. I just wondered if you knew what the delivery time might be."

"I don't know Ginger. You want to get to the hospital right? Is Reenie going to be released today?"

"Yup, I just don't know when yet."

"Ginger, why don't I come to the house and wait for the delivery. You can go when I get there."

"Good grief Tara, I can't ask you to do that. You have a job and customers and ..."

"Honey, don't you worry about me. You go take care of your sweetheart. I'll be there as quickly as I can." Not much point in arguing; she was off the phone. I shook my head. What a thoughtful thing Tara was doing. I pulled some clothes together to bring to my honey, made the bed, had more coffee, and waited. The thought flitted through my mind that Candy and Georgia would be pissed to find out Reenie had been shot and I hadn't let them know. Tough shit. Yes, I genuinely like both of them. Both had likely worked late last night. We'd stop by the crash pad, spend as much time as necessary -- no, as much time as ... oh, whatever.

The doorbell saved me from having to think about that mess. Tara's blue eyes were clouded with worry as she rushed to hug me. The hug was a bit too close and a tick too long but I let it slide. She murmured soft, consoling words. I admit -- I could use a dose of consoling. She released me, stood back, appraised me, and nodded.

"You look tired Ginger but that's to be expected." She smiled. "Go, I'll hold the fort till the delivery comes. You have my cell. Call me when you're leaving, okay? I'll call you if the delivery has been made before you leave." She shushed me out of my house. I grinned as I drove to the hospital. Open house? Oh yeah, Tara is definitely on the list.

After parking, I headed to the floor and Reenie's room, waving as I passed the nurse's station. A voice called to me, "Are you Ginger?" Geez, this hair!! A slender, dark haired man in scrubs walked toward me. "Ms. Butler, I'm Ron. Ms. Henry was examined by Dr. Adelson this morning. She'll be discharged soon. All that's left is some signatures."

"How's she doin' Ron? How was her night?"

"The night shift said she had a good night. They woke her to check her wounds and pain levels but let her sleep as much as they could." He shrugged. "A hospital isn't always the best place to get rest when you need it."

I had to ask. "She's going to be okay right?"

"She did well last night and this morning. It will take a little time for the wounds to heal. But yes, she'll be as good as new soon." I wondered about that. He handed me an envelope which I stuffed in my purse. "There are prescriptions and info about what and what not do with her arm." He saw my questioning look. "The sling." Ah! "Dr. Adelson wants Ms. Henry to call for an appointment tomorrow." He smiled. "Enough talk. Let's go see your Maureen."

Reenie was in a chair. I was thrilled!! She squealed with delight, stood and hugged me with her good arm. We kissed like the lovers we are! I hugged her as tight as I dared, not wanting to let her go. My heart! Only I could hear the soft mewl of pleasure deep in her throat. When she finally turned me loose I showed her the prize -- the bag with her clothes!!

She kissed me, grabbed it gingerly (Sorry, it was there!) and hurried to the bathroom, the blues bursting with joy.

The door opened a couple of seconds later. Those gorgeous eyes showed frustration. "Come help me please." I smiled. We managed. That's all you need to know. Do I see eyes rolling!! Really? I helped her into panties, jeans and sandals. I slid the bra strap up the injured arm first, then the other. Same with the half sleeve top. Injured arm first, then over her head, injured arm tight to her front as she slid her other arm into the sleeve. Okay?

After the sling was in place, Reenie kissed me and whispered, "You are fabulous Ginger. Thank you for thinking to bring me something that covers the bandage on my arm."

Ron had the biggest smile on his face when we came out. He held the clipboard while Reenie signed what I guessed were the release forms. We thanked him and stopped at the nurse's station to thank everyone. Ron sidled up behind Reenie with the obligatory wheel chair. She rolled her eyes. I couldn't stifle my giggle. Her eyes burned a hole in me (sorta) on the elevator and on the ride out to the curb. I ran to the car and hurried to the cashier and my honey. As I rolled up, she bolted from the chair and climbed in. We waved to Ron. He's a nice guy.

Once in the car, Reenie's first words were, "McDonald's." I had to laugh. She had a Big Mac, fries and chocolate shake. I had a double cheeseburger, fries, and water. Hey! A girl's gotta watch her figure! Besides, I loved every lovely inch of Reenie's! Lord knows I watch hers enough. Horny? Ya think?

I drove to the crash pad. We agreed it was late enough that Candy and Georgia would be awake. We entered as quietly as possible. That was interesting!! They were naked, completely engrossed in their lovemaking and caught unaware. Reenie's snicker got their attention.

"You fucking bitch, what are you doing here?" That came from Georgia, completely out of character as far as I knew.

"Hey asshole, I got shot. So shut the fuck up before I kick your ass from here to next month."

Both of them, naked as they were born, scrambled to Reenie. I helped her pull up the sleeve so they could see. Any antagonism was gone -- they fawned over her like mother hens. There wasn't much for me to do. Reenie's eyes let me know this was exactly what she anticipated. I knew it as well. They sat Reenie on the couch, brought her a glass of ice water and cooed over her. I stood behind them, smiling, laughing silently. When Reenie turned around to find me, Candy did as well. She bolted from the couch and hugged me.

"Ginger, how are you? This had to have been awful for you." She leaned in, kissed me and said, "I hate you to pieces for not calling and telling us." Yeah, it was one of those kisses. This really wasn't the time or place to make a stink about it. I gently pushed her away after a few seconds. Okay, it was more than a few. Candy is a really good kisser! Yeah, I find her attractive. And yeah, she was very naked. I looked over her shoulder. Reenie winked at me, a smirk on her face.

I looked at Candy and said, "Sweetie, I didn't want to call until I knew for sure that everything was going to be okay. We figured the two of you would be working late anyway and didn't want you worrying. Reenie is going to stay at the house while she recovers." Candy started to say something; I shushed her with a finger over her lips and a shake of my head. "The two of you are welcome anytime, kiddo. The house will be fully furnished in a couple of weeks. When Reenie is fully healed we'll have an open house. We're here to bring most of her clothes home."

Candy looked at me with surprise in her eyes. She turned to Reenie who nodded, grinning. Does anyone remember that my period arrived Thursday? This was Sunday; every fiber of my being was tingling. My lover was three feet away. A gorgeous, naked female stood in front of me. Mirth-filled blue eyes looked at me from the couch. Lust-filled brown eyes looked at me from eighteen inches. Reenie and I had interrupted Georgia and Candy in the midst of their lovemaking.

I took a deep breath and walked to my redheaded beauty. "Let's get your clothes, gorgeous." She stood and we walked to her bedroom. There was a suitcase on the floor in the closet. I had no idea if it would be big enough to hold what she ... well, I had no idea how much or what she wanted to bring to our house. I smiled -- our house!

We packed a bunch of clothes in the beat to shit suitcase. The girls threw some shoes and other stuff in a garbage bag. Makeup, perfume, and personal things went in a ratty old purse, which was stuffed in the garbage bag. Reenie left enough 'stuff' that Candy and Georgia understood the move wasn't permanent yet.

All three had tears when it was time to say goodbye. Yeah, I really like them. It had taken a while for me to get to know them better but they're good people. They live unconventional lives and work unconventional jobs but ya know what, they do what they gotta do to make their way in this world of ours. Who the hell am I to judge! The three of them fell in together and I came into the picture 'after.' Why am I sharing this? Honest to god, you really have to ask? It's what I do ... tell those of you who have read this far what I'm thinking and feeling.

In the hubbub at the crash pad I forgot about the envelope Ron gave me. I reached into my purse and handed it to her. "We have to stop at a pharmacy. There are prescriptions we need to get filled. What else is in there?"

"There are several pages of things to do and not do with my arm." Reenie looked at me and grinned. "Sex is not mentioned if you're wondering." We laughed.

We talked about calling Dr. Adelson tomorrow while we waited for the prescriptions. There was no reason to go home and come back. I'm ignoring the snickers!!

In the car, Reenie was quiet as we drove home. "Lover, are you okay?"

"Ginger, I don't know if I want to do this anymore." My blood ran cold with fear. I looked. Her head was turned. She was looking out the window.

"Do what anymore babe?"

"My job." Oh my god! I pulled into a parking lot, turned off the engine and sat, stunned. This didn't feel like the time for me to talk. I reached and took Reenie's hand, kissed it, held it to my cheek, and waited.

It took a while but she turned her tear-stained face to me, her eyes red and swollen. "I fucked up twice. This time it nearly cost me my life. This shit never happened when I was an MP. This fucking city, it's ... it's a sewer. I have you, someone I never thought I would ever have, and you hate what I do." I started to interrupt. She shook her head. "No baby, don't. I'm not blaming you. I never knew what love was until you came along." She held up my hand. "This ring that we wear, it's everything to me. It's so much more important than my fucking job. And I love being a cop." Her eyes filled again as she shook her head. "I'm such a mess. I'm sorry." My heart ached with love and concern.

I leaned in and kissed her. She grabbed my hair and pulled me tight, her mouth demanding and warm. I moaned my need into our kiss. Her fingers moved from my hair to my breasts. Goddamn!! Did she have any clue how horny I am? That sleeveless top I wore? BIG mistake! It gave her access to my assets. Mistake? Not! My hormones moaned with disappointment as I panted and said, "Baby, we need to get home for this!" Sharp, cutting blue eyes blazed with need.