Page 70 of Suddenly Dating
Lola frowned. “The doctor came in while I was there. He said they are going to keep her another few hours, then probably send her back. He said they couldn’t find any reason she might have passed out.”
Casey sighed. “Again?”
“Apparently.” Lola shrugged. “He said she’s not well, and these things are to be expected.”
“Oh, it’s expected all right,” Casey said.
“She’s getting worse, Casey.”
“Yeah, I know,” Casey said softly. She glanced at her watch. “How long do we have to stay? I’m supposed to meet Junie and Farouk for drinks tonight.”
That seemed a little callous to Harry, but he didn’t want to judge. This was obviously a frequent occurrence, and they’d obviously been through a lot with their mother.
“You guys go on,” Lola said. “I’ll stay with her and get her back to the home.”
“But how are you going to get back to Lake Haven?” Casey asked.
“I’ll take the train.”
“Are you sure?” Casey asked, but she was already standing, already looping her purse over her shoulder.
“I’m sure. Come on, let’s go tell the others.”
Harry followed along because he wasn’t sure what else he ought to do. They’d all forgotten about him when Lola announced she would stay and they were free to go. Just like Casey, they all asked if Lola was sure as they backed toward the door, all of them, down to a man, fleeing that hospital and leaving Lola to handle things.
“Nice meeting you, Harry,” Ben said as he ushered Tasha out.
“Come to Brooklyn sometime,” Ty added, the last one to crowd into the elevator.
The door slid shut. They could hear Kennedy say something, and a collective cry of disagreement went up as the elevator sank down.
Lola looked tired and worried. Privately, he was indignant for her. Not one of her siblings had offered to come and spot her, or even to bring her food. They’d left her to care for the woman no one wanted anymore.
When Lola noticed he was looking at her, she instantly forced a smile. “Thanks so much, Harry, but you should go, too. I’ll take the train from here. If it’s too late, I’ll crash at Casey’s.”
“I don’t want to leave you here alone,” he said flatly. He didn’t want to leave her here at all.
“It’s okay!” she assured him. “There is absolutely nothing to do but wait. Trust me, I’ve been through this a few times. Please, will you go? I would feel awful knowing you’re hanging around because of me.”
“Okay,” he said uncertainly. It was true that there were a million things he could be doing this afternoon. Still, he felt sorry for Lola. He had the sense that this scene, of Lola batting clean-up behind her siblings, was a common one.
“Really. Get out of here,” she said, and punched the down button.
“Okay, I’ll go,” Harry agreed. “But don’t leave me hanging, roomie. Let me know, okay? You have my cell.”
“Yep.” She punched the down button again.
When the elevator door opened, Harry stepped in, but as the doors were sliding shut, he braced his hands against them to keep them from closing. “Look, I’m going into the city to see my parents,” he said. “I’m going to text you their address, just in case. I’ll be there until about eight o’clock, all right? You can catch a ride with me if you make it back by then. Okay, Lola?”
Lola’s smile brightened. “That’s really nice, Harry. Thank you. I don’t know if I would be so nice if you’d forced me to drive you to Long Island.”
“It was worth it just to meet the other Dunne lunatics.”
Her smile deepened. “Thanks, Harry. Oh, by the way... I didn’t get the chance to tell you that the benefits last night were just...” She sighed toward the ceiling, but when she lowered her gaze, her eyes were shining.“Surreal.”
She said it with such soft earnestness that it touched him. Harry thought of himself sitting on the terrace, ready to tell her that this was nothing but casual sex. He was strangely glad that the call from her brother had interrupted his speech. He touched her face. “Better than surreal,” he said, and bent his head to kiss her.
Lola moaned softly, then pushed him, forcing him to let go of the elevator door. She waved as the door closed.
