The Living Room (5 page)

Several minutes of heated discussions got him nowhere with the gatekeeper behind the counter. Just then, a nurse abruptly appeared from behind him and interrupted them.

“It will be another long night. Is there anyone for me?”

Daniel remarked quite rudely, “Well, take your pick, lady; there’s plenty to go around.”

Only then did he turn to find himself not only embarrassed by the comment, but also by his appearance and behavior in the presence of such a beautiful woman.

“Well, you see, Mr. America,” she said sarcastically, “I am what they call in your country a pediatric nurse. That means I am a nurse for children. However, since you seem capable of acting like a child, why don’t you come with me and we’ll examine it.”

Daniel would have dropped his head with shame if he could have taken his eyes off her. She was stunning, though not the runway-model type he was used to seeing his wealthy clients parade around back in New York. Most of them were blond haired and surgically enhanced to draw the necessary attention to their shallow figures.

The woman standing in front of him was a natural beauty. She was a few inches shorter than him, with a petite frame and dark hair tied up under her white nurse’s hat. She wore thin-lensed glasses to help her eyes over the long shifts and, with her soft-toned skin, required very little makeup.

He followed her behind the curtain. Unwrapping his injured hand, he tried to explain the hammering disaster, but she seemed uninterested, staring at his fingers as they appeared from under the shirt.

He had to turn away. She grabbed his wrist, moved the hand around and announced, “Right then, we’ll have to amputate.”

Missing the humor completely, Daniel jumped back, his mouth wide open, waiting for the words to come out.

“That’s what I thought. No sense of humor in you Americans. You need a stitch. Maybe two.”

“How do you know I’m American? I could be…Canadian, you know?”

“No,” she replied, “I’ve seen those Canadians on the telly. They knock each other’s teeth out and still finish the game.” She stared pointedly at the minor wound to Daniel’s hand.

This more than slightly embarrassed him. He tried to recuperate and assemble some kind of self-respect during the next few minutes while she tended to him. He played down the pain and talked a little about his work and life back home, and his reason for coming to England. He described how the whole hammering accident had come about, attempting to score some sympathy points for being the novice handyman who had tackled the project alone.

It was difficult to read Claire’s interest level in his stories. She only nodded politely and remained solely focused on the stitching. He hoped he was generating some curiosity from her.

She was a quiet person. She spent most of her time around children, only speaking with adults when it was required, mostly comforting parents as part of the job. Her life was simple outside of the hospital: living alone and sleeping or reading during the rare hours off from shift work.

“All done, Mr. America,” she announced after several minutes of mending and conversation had passed. “Well, good luck with your house. Might I suggest one of those rubber mallets next time?”

Daniel surveyed his hand with approval. “Well, Claire, is it?” he nervously asked, inspecting her name tag. “Thanks and, again, sorry about being rude before. Could I make it up to you sometime? Maybe coffee or dinner, you know, while I’m in town.”

He felt much less anxious than with the woman next to him in-flight. He enjoyed the bravery that she inspired with her gentle demeanor.

“Well, how long are you in town, Mr. America?”

“Please call me Daniel.”

“Well, how long are you in town, Mr. Daniel?”

“No, just Daniel and, well, it could be a while. There’s a lot more hammering to do, and I only have the one hand now.”

It was a cheap ploy for sympathy and failed miserably.

“Listen, Daniel, I’d love to go out and maybe show you around, but when I’m not working, I’m working. The children here are my life.”

“I can relate,” Daniel agreed.

“Oh, you have kids?”

This was the first sign of personal interest from Claire and it caught him by pleasant surprise.

“No, no, I just understand having a love for your work.”

A moment of silence finally broke when Claire suggested that he could maybe take her for coffee or possibly out to see the house one night during the week.

“I know someone who might be in the market for a home,” she stated, as if she had been instructed to keep her eyes open for a place.

There was no such person, and Claire surprised herself by making the suggestion. Something about him made her comfortable enough to break out of the cautious shell she lived in. She figured that she would have plenty of time to rethink the whole idea if anything ever did develop.

Enough was said. They both felt comfortable breaking apart. His hand was now clean and bandaged. But the blood pumped harder through both of their bodies as they each entertained anxious thoughts of what could happen in the near future.

Chapter 5

With flowers in hand, and now able to have the seat of his liking, Daniel chose to stand in the once-packed room of the injured and scan for the beauty he had come to know only as Claire. She appeared from behind a curtain, holding a small child, smiling nose to nose with her. She set the child on the ground and walked in Daniel’s direction, unaware of his presence.

From his perspective, the whole action took place in slow motion. Claire’s angel-like kindness radiated from her body. Her gentle nature was honest and gleamed from within. She was a favorite with her patients, and every nurse in the ward secretly longed to be more like her.

She finally spotted Daniel, checked her watch, and inquired with concern, “Is everything all right with your hand?”

“Yes, great, thanks,” he affirmed, raising it for her. “You did a wonderful job.”

She stared at him with a different expression now, noticing the flowers he was holding in his good hand. “Daniel, when I said one night during the week, I didn’t mean it was to be tonight.”

He quickly realized how silly it was coming straight back with flowers for an unconfirmed date that had been set only hours ago. He stumbled awkwardly over his excuse for showing up out of the blue. “Well, I just wanted to thank you, and I…”

She rescued him effortlessly from his embarrassment. “Well, have a seat, Mr. America. I’m off now anyway, so I’ll get my things.”

She left him standing in the waiting room long enough to take a seat, but he wasn’t about to sit, in case it appeared too nonchalant. He stood, solid and energized, trying to avoid eye contact with the administrator behind the counter, to whom he had been rude earlier in the day.

Claire gathered her belongings from a small locker in the staff room and whispered aloud to herself, questioning the whole event and her actions in instigating such an evening. Trying to calm her nerves, she reassured herself that things would be fine. Sure, he was a handsome and kind-looking man, but also a complete stranger from another country. She mentioned the date to a coworker standing nearby. To avoid any embarrassment, she downplayed its significance and intentionally held back the details of its inception. She asked the other nurse to call her cell phone in an hour’s time in case she needed an excuse to cut the evening short.

Returning to Daniel, she nervously said, “So coffee, then? That was the plan, I think.”

“Well, I thought just a quick drive out to the place first, so you could see it for yourself,” he replied, recalling her earlier comment that she knew someone in the market for a house. “Then how about a bite to eat?”

Claire was anxious now. It had been years since she had ventured out on a real date. She always assumed there would be more time to prepare, mentally at least. She felt some security as her coworker followed her out and discreetly signaled approval of his appearance. With a hand gesture to her ear, Claire confirmed the plan for the other woman to place a safety call to her cell phone.

“All right, let’s go, then,” she said with confidence, although the whole adventure was not the norm in her lifestyle.

Daniel handed her the flowers, while apologizing again for his earlier rudeness. Then he excused the means of transportation that he was offering her, explaining it as a mix-up at the rental agency that would quickly be resolved. He was completely unaware that Claire’s vehicle, purchased on a budget and only for transportation to and from work, was almost identical.

“I assure you, it’s not as bad as it seems,” he joked. “Well, it may be actually, but I promise it will get us there and back.”

For Daniel, the drive to the house was more beautiful than before, mostly due to the company he was sharing it with. Claire tried to stay calm. She was a smart woman, and this kind of whimsical behavior was unlike her normal cautiousness; but there was something about him that put her at ease.

The drive was peaceful and ended too soon as the small talk became more relaxed.

“This is it!”

“I love that room!” Claire focused directly on the windowed room overlooking the water. It was the first thing that others would notice too, once they came upon the property.

“Yeah, that’s a great room and, hopefully, a good selling feature.” They both acted as if this were important, though neither were actually thinking that far ahead at the moment.

“Come on, I’ll show you around inside.”

As they passed through the doorway, Daniel hastily pointed out the most interesting parts of the main floor and headed straight for the stairs. Claire didn’t object. Her curiosity about the room she had seen from outside was growing by the second.

She noticed the bloodstains on the stairs where the hammering incident had taken place.

“Your handy work, I see,” she joked.

“Yes, but there wasn’t enough to paint the whole place.” He smiled back, thrilled that her nerves were relaxed enough to allow for humor.

At the top of the stairwell, he let her walk ahead, to better soak up the full energy of the room. It was silent and glowing as the setting sun gleamed through the glass walls. He quietly allowed her to watch it disappear slowly into the water in the distance. The moon was already shining bright from the other side and kept a glow in the room.

“Makes you feel alive, doesn’t it?” Daniel said.

With a slight pause, she replied, “Yes. It certainly does.” As always, her mind was on work. She appeared lost in thought while taking in the pleasurable view.

Shaking herself back from her deep thoughts, Claire blurted out the first thing that came to her mind: “You have to make this your bedroom!”

An awkward pause by Daniel sparked her to continue, “I mean, this really should be your bedroom. It would be a nice place to wake up each day, and feel alive, as you say.”

Daniel agreed, even though he knew he would continue to sleep downstairs where his things were already set up. Though the morning sun would be a pleasant alarm, the pain of moving his few belongings with one hand outweighed all the benefits at that particular moment.

Suddenly embarrassed for her to see his true meager sleeping arrangements, he suggested, “Well, I haven’t eaten all day. There appeared to be a good restaurant next to the hardware store in town. May I take you for dinner?”

“That would be fine, thank you,” Claire absently agreed and perused the room one last time. The wheels in her mind were spinning with ideas.

They were halfway through the bottle of wine and had finished the meal long ago. They continued to laugh at each other’s stories of failed relationships and grade school tales.

“Well, this was nice, Daniel, but I should get some sleep. My shift starts at six, and I like to be there early before the kids wake up.”

“An early riser too, I see. Are you always there before they wake up?” he asked casually.

She sipped her wine and responded carefully, “No. Sometimes they don’t wake up at all.” Her answer sounded more direct than she had meant it. Even so, the pain showed a little, and Daniel got a glimpse of the strength needed to undertake Claire’s chosen profession.

With that, they left the table. During a silent drive to her house, traffic directions served as most of the conversation. Daniel offered to bring her back to her car at the hospital, but she enjoyed riding her bike to work on occasional mornings. She just wanted to go home.

It was a small place that she had once shared with her mother, whom she had cared for until her services at home were no longer needed.

“Well, this is it,” she said as the car stopped. “Thank you for supper.”

“No, thank
you
. It’s the least I could do after all you’ve done.” Daniel waved his bandaged hand. Her glance said the scratch was hardly worthy of the two stitches.

“Well, I hope everything works out for you,” she said while exiting the vehicle.

“Wait! Uh, Claire…” He struggled to speak.

She assumed it would be another invitation.

“So, do you know someone that might be interested in the place?”

This was not the question he wanted to ask, and Claire knew it. With her work starting in only a few hours, she moved things along. “Tell you what, I’ll ask around. If I find someone that might be interested, I will let you know.”

This pleased Daniel somewhat, but as she walked away, he realized his newly acquired residence lacked a phone. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have a number you can reach me at.”

“Don’t worry; I know where to find you now.”

Claire’s steps were light as she turned toward the house, and Daniel was just as happy on the drive home. He knew she felt the same way as he did. He could tell and, for tonight, that was all he could hope for.

He retired to bed wondering if it was worth the painful effort to move his things upstairs, including the inherited old bed frame, so he could wake up in the room as Claire had recommended. Exhausted, he chose to comfortably collapse in the room he had set up for now. He fell asleep almost instantly.

A knock on the door awoke him. A thin fellow in a gray and grubby jumpsuit introduced himself as Avery. He informed Daniel that the house now had a phone line connected to it. Somewhat caught off guard, Daniel asked how he knew to come to the house.

“I’m a friend of Claire’s,” he explained soberly. “I owed her a favor, actually a few favors. She cared for my daughter before…” He didn’t need to say anything else. The pain in his eyes revealed the outcome.

“Well, thank you, Avery. I guess, now, I just need to purchase a phone.”

Avery raised his finger, limped back to his truck without a word, and returned with a used telephone in hand. “Here, you can have this one. I have a bunch I pick up along the way, perks of the job and all.”

A feeble grin came over Avery’s face, despite the grief he was radiating—grief as old and permanent as the grease stains on his rough hands.

“Well, thanks again,” Daniel responded with gratitude, while also feeling honest concern for the man. “Please tell Claire thanks too.”

They both knew Daniel would thank her himself, but it was one of those things that would feel awkward if left unsaid.

Avery smiled weakly again, this time showing all six of his decaying teeth. It was obvious by his personal care and odor that he spent most of his time in his truck. Daniel assumed, correctly, that he had slept in it last night too.

He spent the next few hours doing more hammering and cleaning; then there was another knock at the door. It was a bit late in the day, which made him a little concerned. “I hope that’s the cable guy.”

Opening the door, Daniel was surprised at who stood before him.

“Hello, Daniel.” Claire was no longer just an attractive nurse. She was dressed in street clothes this time and was indeed a beautiful woman. Her hair was let down, curled slightly, and it glowed in the afternoon light, brushing gently against her back.

“Thanks for the phone line. One day, you’ll have to tell me my number,” he joked and invited her in.

Claire didn’t find herself nearly as attractive as Daniel’s wide-eyed stares suggested. The reason behind the impromptu visit made her feel more nervous than she otherwise should.

“So did you find me a buyer?”

“Well, no, but that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” She rushed her words, anxious to explain the reason for her visit.

Daniel sensed her uncomfortable demeanor and led her upstairs to the room, guessing correctly that it would ease the tension in her slim shoulders.

“So?” he inquired after a moment of silence.

She lost herself in the view outside the window. Not knowing how to verbalize her request, she still felt compelled to try, despite her reluctance. It had taken her all day to work up the courage to make this trip.

“Well, I have an idea I was hoping to run by you.”

“Claire, you don’t have to be shy about anything. I mean, we have shared a meal together.” His humor helped break the tension and coaxed a smile to her face.

“Well, I sort of have a request. I know it is a strange one, but I couldn’t help but think of it ever since I was here last night.”

“Anything. I still owe you for the second stitch, remember?” He continued to try and lighten the awkwardness.

She adjusted her glasses and turned her gaze back to Daniel.

“I’m not sure how long you’re going to be here, but I was wondering if I could arrange it with the hospital, that…”

Daniel wanted to say, “Out with it—you will get anything you ask for.”

“Well, I was wondering if I could bring one of my patients to stay in this room.”

Daniel appeared unfazed. “You mean to hang out here? Of course, you guys can hang out here all you want!”

Claire knew she was a long way from the favor that she needed him to grant and slowly tried to explain the context for the request.

“Daniel, all my patients are children.”

“I know, Claire. You teased me about that when we met at the hospital. I genuinely like children.” Daniel had adored children since the day he had met Claire.

“Daniel, all of my patients are
terminal
children.”

This created a longer pause as she tried to gauge his reaction. “And I agree with what you said last night,” she added and turned back to the window, eager to gain confidence from the view. “This room makes one feel alive. I was hoping the children might feel that way. Especially in their final days.”

Daniel had just realized the seriousness of the request. He searched frantically for words but could only stare at the back of her head.

“Listen, Daniel,” she begged, turning back to him, “please don’t think you have to say yes. I know this is terrible to ask this of you. It was a stupid idea, anyway, and we just only met, and I will understand if it makes you uncomfortable or hampers your plans in any way.”

He noticed her eyes filled with tears as she struggled to hold back the emotions associated with the entire topic.

“I’m sorry that I even—”

Daniel interrupted her, “Listen, Claire, if you think it will help the children, then, yes, they can stay here.”

As kind a person as he was, this wasn’t the type of good deed he would have agreed to with any stranger, but he felt that it wasn’t within her nature to take advantage of the situation. She wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t of great importance. He also learned, right then, that he couldn’t say no to her. His feelings were too strong.