Free Elaine Orr - Jolie Gentil 03 - When the Carny Comes to Town by Elaine Orr Page B

word.  I said nothing as I led Penny into the room.
    Scoobie actually looked a bit better.  His skin tone was almost his usual, and his face was relaxed.  Still it had to be hard for any mother to see her son with two IVs, a cervical collar, a bandaged head, and a deep bruise down the side of his face.  Any mother except Penny, I guess.  She stared at Scoobie with an impassive expression, and walked out.
    Let her go, let her go.
    I followed her out, barely able to keep up as she pushed through the door that led back to the waiting room.  “Penny, did you…”
    She turned.  “I’m headin’ out.”
    “Out?”
    “Like outta town, maybe not too far.  Listen,” she turned to face me directly, “I don’t know where I’m gonna be the next couple weeks.  You think it’ll be in the paper if he checks out?”
    “They don’t usually list when people get out of the hospital…” I began.
    She gave an impatient wave, barely two inches from my nose.  “Check out, like permanent.”
    “You mean die?”  My voice was about an octave too high.
    “Yeah.  I’d probably come to the funer…”
    “Get the hell out of here!”  I yelled.
    “Jeez.”  She hitched her ugly purse onto her shoulder.  “You got a nice aunt, but you’re a bitch.”
     

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    I GAVE MYSELF FIVE MINUTES TO calm down and then walked toward Scoobie’s room.  Dr. Cahill stopped me as I walked by the nurse’s station. 
    “For some reason, Adam’s blood pressure was all over the map last night.  Dr. Nobles and I think we’ll wait until late this afternoon or early tomorrow to reduce the sedation.  Assuming he has a good day.”  She saw my worried expression and smiled.  “This is not uncommon.  Overall he’s doing very well.”
    I sat with Scoobie for a few minutes, and then touched his hand.  “Hey, I know y ou’re in there.”  No response, o f course.  “I’m going over to “Harvest for All” for a bit.  Need to put in the order to the food bank in Lakewood.  Ramona’s coming over about eight-thirty.  I’ll be back about ten.”
    I looked at him, wishing there was a way to know if he heard me at all.  “Scoobie, we’re thinking of changing the food pantry name to Nuggets for Nourishment.”
    Nada.
     
    I WAS GLAD TO GET TO the pantry before it opened.  I could work on the order to the food bank without having to talk to anyone.  I’d been there an hour when there was a click in the lock of the door that leads to the street in front of the storefront-style pantry.  I looked up.  Please don’t let it be Sylvia.
    Thankfully, it was Megan and her daughter Alicia.  Megan stopped just inside the door.  “Jolie!  I’m so very glad to see you.  Is Scoobie better?”
    I glanced from her to her daughter as she shut the door and was surprised to see a tear working its way down Alicia’s cheek.  I smiled at her.  The two of them had restocked the shelves together a lot in the hectic days before Christmas, with Scoobie helping and teasing.  I usually saw little from Alicia other than a mildly sullen attitude.  It was nice to see she cared.  “The doctors say things like ‘he’s doing well.’  And it doesn’t look like he’s in pain.  I mean, he’s not frowning or anything.”
    Alicia started to cry hard, and Megan drew her in for a hug.  “She’s still so upset.”  This time Alicia did not deny it as Megan stroked the back of her daughter’s head.  “Reverend Jamison said with so many people praying for him all over town he’s sure to be okay.”
    Alicia pulled back abruptly.  “I heard you the first time.”  She shrugged off her jacket, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and stalked behind the counter to take out the jar of pencils and sign-in clipboard from where they were stored under the counter.
    Megan and I shared a quick glance, hers seeming to say something like “now what?”
    I turned back to the filing cabinet I had been about to open.  A