Solitary Man

"Good. You?"

"Same old same old," he told her.

"You need to find yourself someone...not so 'same old'," she politely advised before asking what she could do for him.

She thought about asking him to 'do' her but knew that was unacceptable. Besides, she'd hinted around enough in the past to know that if had any interest in her at all, he'd have asked her out by now. He hadn't, so the proverbial handwriting was on the wall where any future relationship with him was concerned.

"I'm looking for the young mom brought in a few minutes ago," he told her.

"Oh. Right. The London girl. From Ohio," Ruth quipped. "Oh, I heard she has triplets."

Mike dutifully smiled at her humor then said he believed she was correct about the three little boys. Ruth, in turn, let him know his patient was being examined. She also promised she'd let him know as soon as the woman could have visitors.

He thanked her then sat down and finished the rest of his half-eaten egg McMuffin and the black coffee he'd ordered with it. An hour passed, and Mike went back to the desk to find out what was going on.

"I understand there's some internal bleeding, and I believe she has a serious concussion. They've taken her to an OR, so this could be a few more hours," Ruth told him, knowing she wasn't supposed to. But she'd had a thing for this particular police officer for quite some time now, and she knew he'd never let on that she'd shared something confidential with him.

Another two hours dragged on, and as Mike got up to ask again, Ruth informed him know she was out of surgery.

"But she's not awake yet, and only immediate family can go in. For now."

"Can I at least just look in and see how she'd doing?" Mike asked.

"I am so gonna get fired," Ruth said as he smiled at her. "Okay. But please, please don't go inside the room."

"You're a doll, Ruth," he told her.

"Yeah. Lucky me. A doll. Just like a teddy bear everyone wants to hug and be friends with but nothing more," she said to herself as Mike turned and headed down the hall.

Unlike in the movies, where the patient almost always had a bandage wrapped around their head, Brandi didn't, in spite of the severe concussion. In fact, there were no visible signs that anything was wrong with her.

He stood there for a minute or so before curiosity got the best of him. He checked to make sure no one was looking then Mike slowly walked toward the bed where she was laying as monitors beeped around it.

For the first time he realized she was a very pretty young woman. She could possibly be carrying a bit of extra weight, but Mike correctly assumed that was likely due to having recently carried around three tiny lives inside of her.

He'd seen her earlier but hadn't had time to look at her. For some reason, he did look at her hands, and one of the things he noticed was that there was no wedding ring. Were that true, it meant she might well be raising those three boys on her own.

He knew that raising one was tough. Two would be a huge challenge. But three? That was more than Mike could imagine anyone doing by themself.

But as he stood there looking at her, he had a feeling of some kind that, with the right woman, raising three young boys might not only not be so bad, it could quite possibly be a pretty great thing. For some reason, an old TV show called My Three Sons with Fred McMurray, who portrayed a single father raising three sons without their mother, came to mind. He also thought about things like teaching them to ride bikes, play catch, and everything his dad had taught him to do, and those thoughts made him smile.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Ruth's voice from just behind him.

"Now how did I know I'd find you in here?" she asked very quietly, a smile on her face.

"Sorry. I'll leave," Mike whispered to her immediately.

"It's okay. I knew you'd go in, but I knew it was only because you were concerned. And that's just one of the many things I admire about you, Sergeant Simms."

Mike backed up a step, put his hand on Ruth's shoulder then said, "I don't know why I'm so concerned. I don't even know this woman. But those three boys in the back not being with their mother just keeps eating at me, you know?"

Ruth put her arm around his waist, fully aware it was the closest she'd ever get to holding him, and replied.

"My heart goes out to all four of them, and anyone else who loves them and may not know where they are. Did you find any family to notify yet?"

"Not that I know of. I asked one of the detectives to call me as soon as he finds anything out."

"Well, I suppose the good news is she should make a full, speedy recovery. Oh. I heard the driver of the other car was texting."

"Now how did you hear that when I haven't even heard that yet?" Mike asked with a smile.

"Oh, I have my sources," she said, looking up at him and smiling back.

"You're the best, Ruth," he told her as he lowered his arm.

"We really shouldn't be in here," she reminded him.

"Right. I just had to check on her."

As they walked out, Mike asked Ruth if she'd call him once the young woman woke up.

"Of course. Your number's on my speed dial," she said as though she was teasing. But the truth was he was indeed in her list and fairly close to the top. After today, though, that might just change.

"Thanks, Ruth. I'm off until tomorrow morning so call me anytime."

Ruth sighed knowing he meant that only for official business, but she forced another smile and promised she would.

When Mike got home, he called the precinct to see if there was any news and ended up speaking to the detective who'd processed the scene. As they spoke, the detective confirmed what Ruth told him about the other driver texting.

"Young kid. Texting about some party this weekend. He wasn't hurt, but he's pretty shaken up, and his parents are mad as hell. I know I wouldn't want to be him right now."

"Was he insured?"

"Oh, yeah. Good thing, too. I heard the mother had to have surgery, so their insurance is gonna be shelling out some dough."

"Yeah. I heard that, too," Mike said, not wanting to admit he'd been to the hospital.

"As far as the kids, child services has them. We haven't had any luck tracking down a family member yet, but we're working on it. We did find out she's married to a David London in Columbus, Ohio, but we haven't been able to get ahold of him. But I'm sure the Columbus PD will locate him soon."

"Is he her husband?" Mike asked, wondering why he cared.

"Yeah. But my 'spider sense' tells me they're separated or maybe divorced. I could be wrong, but that's where my money is. Anyway, I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks, buddy," Mike told him before hanging up.

He was just finishing dinner when the phone rang. He answered it and recognized Ruth's voice immediately.

"Hi, Mike. I just wanted to let you know your mystery woman woke up. I'm getting ready to go home, but I needed to make sure you knew before I left."

"Ruth. You're amazing," he told her as he stood up and went to look for his keys.

"Yeah. That's me," she said rather wistfully knowing that, too, was just Mike being the good, decent guy he was.

"Thanks for callin', Ruth. And you have a nice night, okay?"

"You, too, Mike," she said, letting go of her fantasy yet again.

Mike was back at the hospital by seven o'clock, and after checking in at the front desk with a nurse he hadn't seen before, he went back to the woman's room again. He stopped outside, took a deep breath, then poked his head around the door jamb.

He waited until she looked over at him before asking if he could come in. The woman only nodded, but that told Mike it was okay.

"Hey," he said quietly. "I uh, I'm Mike Simms. I'm a police officer. I was..."

"Oh, okay," Brandi said very quietly. Her head was throbbing in spite of the pain medication. She didn't recognize the police officer's name, but a doctor had explained what he'd learned about the accident when she woke up. He'd just walked out leaving Brandi to start recuperating.

"Thank you," she said very weakly. "Have you heard anything about my boys?"

"They're fine," he assured her. "And as soon as you feel up to it, they'll bring them over for a visit."

"I feel lost without them. I'm just so thankful they're all okay."

"Not a scratch on any of them," Mike let her know. "They're triplets, right?"

Brandi tried to smile but gave it up.

"Yes. They're my whole world."

"Have you asked anyone to call your husband?" Mike asked innocently.

Brandi looked away and said without bitterness, "He's the last person I'd call."

Feeling a little uncomfortable, Mike asked about parents or siblings.

"I think they called my mom and dad a few minutes ago," Brandi told him. "I haven't seen them for over a year."

Now very uncomfortable, Mike asked if there was anything he could get her or do for her.

"Do you have a spare head?" she asked, trying to kid around, but the lame attempt at joking only caused her head to throb even more.

Mike smiled and said, "I'm glad you still have your sense of humor. But no. The only head I have is this one, and I'm afraid it would be a serious downgrade from the one currently attached to your shoulders."

"I'm a little loopy from the pain medication, but your head looks very nice to me. Handsome even."

Mike smiled then thanked her.

"Coming from such an attractive young woman, that's very nice of you to say."

"You seem nice, too," she replied in a quiet, frail-sounding voice.

"I have my moments," Mike told her, still smiling.

"My husband is very handsome, too, but he's not nice. At all."

"Um, I...I should probably let you get some rest."

"What did you say your name was?" Brandi asked.

"Mike. Simms. And you're Brandi, right?"

"Yes. Brandi London. "But when I get divorced it'll be Cromwell, again. But I suppose my boys will still be Londons."

Mike knew she was tired and groggy, so he excused himself and went to leave. But as he turned, Brandi raised her right hand and touched his arm.

"Could you maybe stay a little longer?" she asked, trying to smile. "Please?"

"Sure. Yeah. I can do that," he replied, smiling back.

"Is the other person okay?" she suddenly wanted to know.

Mike filled her in on everything he knew and assured her the accident wasn't her fault.

"Thank God. If I'd hurt someone...or if my boys had been hurt..."

"No. You didn't, and they're fine. And they're being well cared for, okay?"

"You really are nice, Mike," she told him.

Before he could reply, they both heard voices, the first one being a nurse.

"She's right in here," the nurse said. "She's had surgery on her abdomen so be careful, okay?"

They both heard a 'thank you', and Brandi tried to sit up when she recognized her father's voice.

"Don't," Mike said, gently pushing on her shoulder so she couldn't.

"Brandi. Honey!" a man said as Mike stepped aside to make room.

"Daddy. Hi," she said, as tears welled up in her eyes.

Her father tried to embrace her as gently as he could as he fought off tears of his own.

"Hi, sweetie!" her mother said from the other side of the bed.

"Mom!" her daughter said before getting another gentle hug.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" her mother asked as Mike silently looked on.

"No. I'm fine," she assured them.

There was a quiet moment before Brandi looked at her father and began to cry.

"I'm...so...sorry...Daddy," she choked out one word at a time.

"No. It's okay, honey. You're home now, all right?"

"You were right. About everything. And I was so, so wrong!"

"All that matters is that you're okay. We'll figure everything else out," her father told her.

And then both of the Cromwells realized they weren't alone.

"Hi," Mike said, not sure how they might react after they looked at him.

"Hello. I'm...Brandi's father, Tom Cromwell. And this is my wife, Lisa."

"Mike Simms," he told them.

"He's the police officer who saved me. And the boys," Brandi said, the pain killers overpowering her need to continue crying.

"God bless you!" Tom said as he hugged the man he'd never seen before.

Before Mike could explain how little he'd done, Lisa came around the bed and hugged him, too. She also kissed him on the cheek and thanked him for saving their daughter and grandchildren.

"No, I...I really didn't do anything. I only..."

"I admire modesty, officer, but you don't have to hold back. My wife and I can't thank you enough."

Rather than force the whole truth on them right then Mike quietly accepted their thanks then tried to say he should be going again.

"You're more than welcome to stay," Lisa told him.

"Yes. Please stay, Mike," Brandi said as she looked at him between her mother and her father.

"Okay, but just a few more minutes, all right?"

Tom asked Mike to fill him in on the accident, the boys, and everything he knew, and the police sergeant was happy to do so.

"My mom and dad have never seen their grandsons," Brandi told Mike when he finished explaining what he knew.

He tried not to act surprised, but after listening to her and her father talk, he had a better understanding of what was going on.

"Brandi, I take no comfort in being right. In fact, I've felt awful about being so...pigheaded when you left. You were my daughter and I..."

"Daddy, no. I was the one being pigheaded. I thought I was so in love and that I'd be the happiest girl on earth. But...well, here I am in the hospital and the mother of three baby boys at the age of 23. So all of this is on me. All of it."

Tom was going to tell his daughter that wasn't true when all of them heard more voices.

"Is the mother in here?" a female voice asked.

The same nurse Mike and Brandi heard earlier said, "Yes. Her parents are in there with her, too, along with the police officer who saved their lives."

The woman stepped in and said, "Excuse me. Brandi London?"

"Yes?" Brandi answered, fearing something awful.

She stepped aside and three younger women walked in one at a time, each holding one of her boys.

Brandi began crying again almost immediately as they handed one to her.

"Liam! Hi there, sweet boy!" she said as she held him.

The second woman handed one to Lisa who looked at her daughter.

"That's Noah, Mom."

"And who's this little man?" Tom asked as he took the third baby.

"His name is Elijah, Daddy."

"Elijah. Hi there, buddy! I'm your grandpa, but don't call me that, okay? We'll come up with something befitting a man of my youth before long."

Tom and Lisa were both just 47, so being grandparents was going to take some getting used to.

The first woman who came in said, "I'll be just outside. You'll be able to spend one hour with your sons, and once we know more about your condition tomorrow we'll decide when to return them to you."

Everyone understood she wasn't asking their permission, so no one complained.

Mike was about to excuse himself yet again when Brandi winced.

"What's wrong, honey?" her mother asked.

"It hurts. Where they operated on me," she said.

Liam was laying right on her wound, and Mike reached over and said, "Here. Let me help."

"Thank you," Brandi told him. "I want to hold them all so bad, but I can't."

"You'll have plenty of time to hold them," her father assured her. "For now, let your mother and me get acquainted with our grandsons."

Tom was already making goo-goo eyes and had Elijah laughing, his two tiny, little front teeth showing when he smiled.

"They're so adorable!" Lisa said as she hugged Noah.

Mike wasn't having as much luck with Liam whose lower lip curled up as tears filled his eyes.

"I think this little guy just realized he got the ugly mug in the room," Mike said as the first soft cry came from the little boy in his arms.

"Oh, nonsense!" Lisa told him. "You're a very handsome young man."

"Handsome and young. I...I like that," Mike joked.

"I told him that, too, Mom," Brandi said as she eked out a smile.

When Mike tried smiling, Liam stopped crying so Mike started doing 'peekaboo' and when Liam laughed he said, "Hey, look! I'm a natural."

Tom looked over and laughed, too.

"You have any kids, Mike?" he asked as he gently bounced Elijah.

"Oh, no. Just a...bitter ex-wife," he said before realizing that might be a sensitive issue.

But Brandi only smiled and said, "I bet your ex didn't leave you with three little boys because they were...harshing his mellow."

Mike saw her smiling, but he knew she was hurting.

"No. I can't say that. I thought she was selfish, but after hearing you say what you just said, I guess it proves the old saying about everything being relative."

"Oh, lemme tell you, Mike, he's a real peach," Tom said bitterly before apologizing to his daughter.

"It's okay, Dad. Again, you saw what I couldn't so please don't apologize."

There was no one to hand Liam to so Mike stood there and held him as the four of them got acquainted.

"A Marine, huh? Semper fi," Tom said when he mentioned having been an MP while on active duty.

"Were you in the Corps?" Mike asked.

"Me? Nah. I never served. But I had an uncle who was a Marine back in the 60s. Did a tour in Vietnam. I respect those who've served, and I gotta tell you we love our men...and women...in blue, too. And even more so today."

"That's always nice to hear," Mike replied sincerely. Not wanting to even touch on anything political in terms of a national attitude about police officers, he left it that.

"Mike, you simply have to join us for dinner some night very soon," Lisa told him during a short moment of quiet.

"Oh, I don't want to horn in on your family time."

"Nonsense!" Tom said. "We insist. In fact, let me give you our number."

Mike held 'his' boy with one arm and reached for his phone with the other. He pushed a couple of buttons then said, "Okay. Let 'er rip."

"Daddy? Could you give him mine, too, please?" Brandi asked.

"Oh, sure thing, honey."

Tom shared her number, too, and just seconds later the social worker came back in and said, "Ten more minutes, folks."

Brandi asked Mike and her parents to let her kiss her babies before they left so each of them dangled one son in front of their mother who held their sides, kissed them, then told each one that she loved them.

When the four women came back to get them, all three of the boys started crying, and Brandi felt like her heart would break in spite of the pain medication.

Her mom bent over and hugged her and told her the boys would be back the next day.

The social worker confirmed that and asked if 9am was acceptable.

"Yes, that sounds fine, and we should all get going," her father said for her after Brandi nodded her approval.

"Right. And I've definitely overstayed my welcome," Mike chimed in saying.

"No. No, you didn't. I'm really glad you stayed, Mike," Brandi told him as she reached out a hand.

Mike took it, put his other on top of it then said, "Get some rest, okay?"

"I will," she promised. "But you have to promise you'll come visit us."

He looked at her dad then her mom who both visually indicated they agreed with their daughter, so he promised he would.

"Thank you again, Mike," Brandi told him. "If I could move, I'd kiss you."

"Well, I can do that for you," Lisa said as she pecked the tall, good-looking police officer on the cheek again.

"Okay, okay. Enough of that," her husband said, causing his daughter to smile.

"That's not quite what I had in mind, Mom," Brandi said, now feeling the effects of the last time she pushed the button for more of whatever it released. Her mom laughed politely and told her it was her pleasure to 'help out'.

Tom then shook Mike's hand heartily and thanked him again, too.

"My pleasure, and it was a pleasure meeting you. All six of you."