Free Night Tide by Mike Sherer Page B

she!
    might!have!snuck!in!without!me!noticing.!
    !
    Charlie!grimaced!at!the!mention!of!her!name.!He!squeezed!
    his!eyes!shut,!a!tear!leaking!from!one!corner.!His!face!reflected!
    pain!greater!than!any!he’d!shown!so!far.!!
    !
    “She’s!not!here?!This!is!serious.”!!
    !
    He!opened!his!eyes!and!peered!at!me.!“You!think?”!
    !
    I!rubbed!my!shoulder!as!if!kneading!out!the!sting.!“Sorry.!
    Man,!that’s!cold.”!
    !
    “She’s!scared.!I!don’t!blame!her.”!
    !
    His! head! turned! at! the! sound! of! the! door! opening.! A!
    willowy! brunette! walked! through,! pushed! by! a! sense! of!
    purpose,!her!ponytail!a!standard!streaming!behind!her.!!
    !
    “Damn!doctors!are!worse!than!auto!mechanics,”!she!said.!
    !
    “Sarah.”!I!stared,!but!remembered!to!close!my!mouth.!
    !
    !The! scowl! on! her! face! softened! when! her! gaze! swung!
    toward! my! voice.! Age! had! carved! more! angularity! into! her!
    features,! harder! planes! and! angles.! The! maturity! added!
    subtlety! to! her! attractiveness,! the! difference! between! a! head6
    stopping! Ferrari! and! a! more! carefully! appraised! Continental!
    GT.!!
    !
    “Blake,”!she!said!softly.!“It’s!been!so!long.”!!
    !
    She! moved! in! to! embrace! me! and! rose! on! tiptoes! to! kiss!
    my! cheek.! The! heather! cashmere! turtleneck! under! my!
    fingertips!felt!soft,!the!body!beneath!it!firm,!athletic.!
    !
    “Hey!!Hey!”!Charlie!piped!up!from!the!bed.!
    !
    Sarah!pulled!away!with!a!smile.!
    !
    “What!are!you!doing!here?”!I!said.!
    !
    “Where!else!would!I!be?”!She!looked!up!at!me!expectantly.!
    “Tim!and!the!kids!can!do!without!me!for!a!day!or!two.”!
    !
    “You’re!staying!at!Charlie’s?”!
    Night&Tide —Sherer&

    61&
    !
    Her!smile!broadened.!“Don’t!even!think!of!offering,!Blake.!I!
    know! your! place! is! a! lot! closer! than! the! house! in! Renton.!
    College!was!a!long!time!ago;!crashing!at!your!bachelor!pad!just!
    doesn’t!sound!as!much!fun!anymore.!Besides,!I’ll!be!here!at!the!
    hospital!most!of!the!time.!Until!his!doctors!say!he’s!out!of!the!
    woods,!I’m!okay!in!that!chair.”!
    !
    She!nodded!toward!an!easy!chair!in!the!corner!that!pulled!
    out!into!a!flat!futon.!It!might!have!accommodated!about!two6
    thirds!of!my!frame.!
    !
    “Bachelor!pad?”!I!said!weakly.!“Monk’s!cell,!you!mean.!And!
    how!do!you!know!it!wouldn’t!be!fun?!My!landlords!upstairs!are!
    a!hoot.!You’d!love!them.”!
    !
    “I’m!sure!I!would.”!She!smiled.!“Some!other!time,!maybe.”!
    !
    “Good!girl,”!Charlie!said!thickly.!He!tried!to!wet!his!lips.!!
    !
    Sarah! quickly! stepped! to! the! side! of! his! bed! and! handed!
    him! the! cup! of! ice! water! sitting! just! out! of! his! reach.! She!
    smoothed! the! hair! back! from! his! forehead! while! he! sipped!
    through!a!straw.!
    !
    “Always! my! protector,! right,! big! brother?”! The! words!
    sounded!strained,!despite!the!upturned!mouth.!
    !
    Charlie!rolled!his!eyes!up!to!look!at!her!face!above!his!and!
    smiled!wanly,!unspoken!history!passing!between!them.!I!knew!
    some!of!it—ancient.!Didn’t!want!to!know!more.!
    !
    She! turned! and! sat! on! the! edge! of! his! bed.! “How’ve! you!
    been?”!!
    !
    I!hesitated,!not!sure!how!to!answer.!“Not!bad.”!
    !
    Her!neck!and!cheeks!turned!crimson.!She!let!out!a!nervous!
    laugh!and!waved,!as!if!to!dissipate!an!offensive!odor.!!
    !
    “Sorry.!Dumb!question.”!
    !
    “No,! it’s! fine.”! I! leaned! against! the! windowsill,! braced!
    myself! with! my! arms.! “Other! than! getting! shot! at?! I’ve! been!
    good,!actually.!You?”!
    !
    An!infectious!laugh!erupted!from!her!throat!at!my!earnest!
    attempt!to!sound!normal.!Tenseness!in!her!shoulders!melted,!
    Night&Tide —Sherer&

    62&
    the! twenty6year6old! college! girl! appearing! under! the! well6
    turned! suburban! soccer6mom! façade.! The! chitchat! flowed!
    freely! after! that,! light6hearted! banter! catching! us! up! on!