'Yup,' Beau said.
Cassy laughed. 'What is this, a new Beau? First you act like an amorous animal and jump into the shower with your clothes on and now you've willingly missed three classes. But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.'
'It's all your fault,' Beau said. He put down his hot dog and pulled Cassy to him and enveloped her in a playfully sexy embrace. 'You're irresistible.' He tried to kiss her, but Cassy got her hand up and parried the move.
'Wait a sec,' she laughed. 'I've got chili all over my face.'
'All the more spice,' Beau joked.
Cassy wiped her face with her napkin. 'What's gotten into you?'
Beau didn't answer. Instead he gave Cassy a long, wonderful kiss. Just like in the shower, the impulsiveness of the gesture was another distinct turn-on for her.
'Wow, you are transmogrifying into a world-class Casanova,' Cassy said as she sat back, took a breath, and tried to collect herself. The fact that she could be turned on so easily in public in the middle of the day surprised her.
Beau happily went back to his hot dog. As he chewed he raised his hand to block out the sun while he looked in the sun's direction.
'How far did they say Earth is from the sun?' he asked.
'Jeez, I don't know,' Cassy said. Having experienced the stirring of desire, it was hard to change the subject, especially to something as specific as astronomical distances. 'Ninety-something million miles.'
'Oh, yeah,' Beau said. 'Ninety-three. That means it would take just a little over eight minutes for the effect of a solar flare to reach here.'
'Excuse me?' Cassy asked. There was another one of his non sequiturs. She didn't even know what a solar flare was.
'Look,' Beau said excitedly, pointing up into the western sky. 'You can see the moon even though it's daylight.'
Cassy shielded her eyes and followed the line of Beau's pointing finger. Sure enough, she could just barely make out the gossamer image of the moon. She looked back at Beau. He was enjoying himself immensely in an endearing, almost childlike way. His enthusiasm was infectious, and she couldn't help enjoying herself as well.
'What made you want to come to the planetarium today?' Cassy asked.
Beau shrugged. 'Just pure interest,' he said. 'A chance to learn a little more about this beautiful planet. Let's head over to the museum next. You up for that?'
'Why not?' Cassy exclaimed.
Jonathan carried his lunch outside. On such a day he hated to be in the crowded cafeteria, especially since he'd not seen Candee in there. Skirting the flagpole in the central quad, he headed over to the bleachers alongside the baseball diamond. He knew that was one of Candee's favorite places to get away from the crowd. As he approached he could see that his efforts were to be rewarded. Candee was sitting on the top row.
They waved to each other, and Jonathan started up. There was a slight breeze, and it was snapping the edges of Candee's skirt, revealing tantalizing glimpses of her thighs. Jonathan tried not to make it obvious that he was watching.
'Hi,' Candee said.
'Hi,' Jonathan answered. He sat down next to her and extracted one of his peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
'Ugh,' Candee said. 'I can't believe you can eat that stuff.'
Jonathan studied his sandwich before taking a bite. 'I like it,' he said.
'What did Tim say about his radio?' Candee asked.
'He's still pissed,' Jonathan said. 'But at least he doesn't think it was our fault anymore. The same thing happened to a friend of his brother's.'
'Can we still get the car?' Candee asked.
'I'm afraid not,' Jonathan said.
'What are we going to do?' Candee asked.
'I don't know,' Jonathan said. 'I wish to hell my parents weren't so tight-assed about our family car. They treat me like I'm twelve. The only time I can drive the thing is when they are along.'
'At least your parents let you get your license,' Candee complained. 'Mine are making me wait until I'm eighteen.'
'That's criminal,' Jonathan said. 'If they tried that with me, I think I'd run away. But what good is my license without wheels? It's so frustrating my parents won't give me more credit than they do. I mean, I do have a brain. I'm getting good grades, I don't do drugs.'
Candee rolled her eyes.
'I don't consider that pot we tried drugs,' Jonathan said. 'And how many times did we do it: twice!'
'Hey, look,' Candee said. She pointed at the receiving dock about seventy-five feet away where trucks made deliveries. It was on the basement level and was approached by a ramp cut into the ground just behind the backstop of the baseball diamond.
'Isn't that Mr. Partridge with the school nurse?' Candee asked.
'It sure is,' Jonathan said. 'And he doesn't look so good. Look at the way Miss Golden is holding him up. And listen to the old windbag cough.'
At that moment an aged Lincoln Town Car pulled around the side of the building and descended the ramp. Behind the wheel Candee and Jonathan recognized Mrs. Partridge, whom the kids in the school called Miss Piggy. Mrs. Partridge seemed to be coughing as much as Mr. Partridge.
'What a pair,' Jonathan commented.
While Jonathan and Candee watched, Miss Golden managed to get the sagging Mr. Partridge down a half flight of cement steps and into the car. Mrs. Partridge didn't get out.
'He looks sicker than a dog,' Candee said.
'Miss Piggy looks worse,' Jonathan said.
The car backed up, turned, and accelerated up the ramp. Halfway up it scraped lightly against the concrete wall. The grating sound made Jonathan wince.
'So much for the paint job,' he said.
'What in God's name are you doing back here?' Cheryl Watkins demanded. She was sitting at the ER desk as Pitt Henderson dragged himself through the swinging doors. He looked exhausted with dark circles under his eyes.
'I couldn't sleep,' he said. 'So I thought I might as well come back and try to salvage what I could of my medical career.'
'What on earth are you talking about?' Cheryl asked.
'This morning when I went over to see that room you suggested, I committed a disastrous faux pas.'
'Like what?' Cheryl questioned. She could see he was troubled, and she was concerned. Pitt was well liked in the unit.
'I accidentally bumped into the Dragon Lady and spilled her coffee over her and her white coat,' Pitt said. 'And let me tell you, she was royally pissed. She demanded to know what I was doing there and stupid me couldn't think of a reason.'
'Uh oh!' Cheryl commiserated. 'Dr. Miller is not fond of getting her white coat dirty, especially early in the morning.'
'As we all know!' Pitt said. 'She was pretty blunt. Anyway I thought maybe by coming back I could at least impress her with my dedication.'
'Can't hurt, although it is above and beyond the call of duty,' Cheryl said. 'On the other hand, we can always use the help, and I'll make sure our fearless leader hears about it. Meanwhile, why don't you check in a couple of the more routine cases. We had a bad traffic accident an hour ago so we're way behind, and the RNs are all tied up.'
Pleased to get a task, especially one that he enjoyed, Pitt grabbed the top clipboard and headed for the patient waiting area. The patient's name was Sandra Evans, aged four.
