Free Just Like That by Erin Nicholas

.
    Which, for Tommie, wasn’t anything unusual.
    “Brad?” Danika asked from behind him.
    Sam turned and grinned at her. “My last name’s Bradford. That was the first thing Tommie latched on to when we met. I’ve been Brad ever since.” He crossed the room and put a hand on Tommie’s shoulder.
    “Derek is going to take you over to the shelter.”
    Derek was one of the social workers that worked the night shift in the ER, one of the more…interesting shifts.
    “No,” Tommie said simply. Then went back to whistling.
    “Just for tonight, buddy.”
    “No,” he said again, switching gears to whistle “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” .
    “It’s a good idea, Tommie,” Sam said.
    Tommie held up a pair of socks. “They’re blue.” He seemed very pleased.
    “Mine too.” Sam pulled up a pant leg to show his navy blue socks.
    “Good.” Tommie seemed even happier with that.
    “So how about the shelter?” Sam was used to Tommie trying to distract him from talking about subjects Tommie didn’t like. The shelter was one. Showers, shaving and eating anything even remotely resembling vegetables were also on the list.
    “No.”
    “What if Sa…Brad and I take you?” Danika offered.
    “No.” Then he frowned. “Who are you?”
    “This is Danika.”
    “So?”
    “Be nice.” Tommie was harmless, and lucid, but was known to say some very inappropriate things when he thought it would get an entertaining reaction.
    “What’s your last name?” Tommie asked Danika.
    Sam had to be thankful to Tommie for that. He was learning more about Danika every second.
    “Steffen,” she told him.
    “I’m thirsty,” Tommie announced, looking at Danika as if daring her.
    Sam slid closer to her and surreptitiously put the Pepsi in her hand.
    “Do you like Pepsi?” she asked without missing a beat. She popped the top of the can open and held it out.
    Tommie lit up instantly. He took the Pepsi, tipped it back, took a huge gulp, then grinned. “I like her.” 46
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    Just Like That
    Sam chuckled. He’d decided he liked Danika just about as easily. “So how about the shelter tonight?” Tommie frowned at Sam for a moment. “They never have Jell-O.”
    “I’ll personally ensure they have Jell-O tonight,” Danika said.
    “I like the plastic cups.”
    Danika turned, obviously confused, to Sam.
    “He likes those individual cups of Jell-O instead of the boxes that they mix up with water.”
    “I can do that,” she decided.
    Tommie considered that. “Okay.” He slid to the floor, tucked his new socks into the huge pockets of the long coat he wore, and put his ragged New York Yankees baseball cap back on his head.
    “Great.” Sam was surprised. Tommie always ended up agreeing with him, but it usually took longer to convince him.
    He couldn’t blame Tommie. Danika Steffen was having an interesting effect on him as well.

    “They have those individual plastic cups of Jell-O in the cafeteria,” Danika said. “I’ll go get him a couple.”
    As she turned, Sam grabbed her elbow. “Whoa. You’re a patient here too, remember? You’re not going to the cafeteria.”
    “But I promised Tommie.” Danika liked the way Sam was looking at her. Protective and worried.
    Which worried her. She hadn’t wanted or needed a man for anything for a long time now.
    Not that she’d admit it to him, but her wrist did hurt. Talking with Tommie and using the ice pack had helped, but it was throbbing and she was thinking Sam was right about it being broken.
    Which was so inconvenient and stupid that she chose not to think about it. Getting Tommie orange Jell-O was a good distraction.
    “Lisa will run down there.” Sam steered her with one hand and Tommie with the other.
    Danika started to reach into her right front pocket for some cash for the Jell-O but stopped instantly, sucking in a breath. She’d tried to reach with her right hand.
    “What?” Sam stopped immediately, turning worried eyes on