Hearts In Rhythm Read online

Samuel was awake when Brandon stepped into Room 303. His grandmother Gail was there, reclining on the pull-out bed beside him. He had met her the day before, but he didn’t let on like he knew Allie.

  A do-it-yourself home decorating show was instructing how to install floating shelves on the television. Gail was so enthralled she didn’t notice him at all.

  Samuel was propped up in bed, leaning against some pillows. He had a couple of transformers in his lap and one in each hand. He was making sounds and flying them through the air, crashing them into one another and transforming them into new creatures to fight the battle he was creating in his mind.

  Brandon hated to interrupt him. He pulled his wagon closer to the bed. Samuel turned his head and his eyes lit up.

  “Hi!” he said.

  “Hey there, little buddy.”

  At Brandon’s voice, Gail jerked her head his direction and greeted Brandon as well.

  “He’s getting better and better,” she told Brandon. “It looks like we’ll be getting out of here in a day or two.”

  “That’s good to hear, but I’ll miss playing with my little buddy.”

  “What we going to play today?” Samuel asked Brandon peering over the edge of the bed to see what he had in his wagon.

  Brandon grabbed the blue duffle bag and placed it at the foot of the bed.

  “You know what I’m thinking?”

  “What?” Samuel asked.

  “I’m thinking you’re pretty brave for handling all this hospital stuff like a champ. Someone as brave as you probably needs a superhero cape to put on when he has to fight bad guys, or rescue people from trouble, or scale tall buildings.”

  He rummaged around in his bag and pulled out some red and blue fabric, Velcro, and glue. For the next twenty minutes, he sat with Samuel creating a superhero cape. He cut it from red fabric, attaching Velcro at the neck. Then he cut a big S from the blue felt material. He lifted it and showed it to Samuel.

  “Do you know what this S stands for?”

  Samuel gave him a look of disbelief, “Superman.”

  “No, not Superman.”

  His face fell.

  “Super Samuel,” Brandon said.

  A grin spread across Samuel’s face. “Cool!” he shouted.

  “Let’s see how it fits.” Brandon attached the cape around Samuel. He put his arms out and leaned to the left and the right as if he was flying. A look of disappointment crossed his face. He put his arms down.

  “I wish I could run.”

  “It won’t be long. You’re already walking some with the crutches aren’t you?”

  He nodded.

  “You just imagine you can run. Let’s try it. Close your eyes.”

  Samuel did just as Brandon instructed.

  “Now I want you to see yourself in your house. Not here in this hospital. Are you there?”

  Samuel nodded, still squeezing his eyes closed.

  “Where are you?”

  “In my bedroom.”

  “Okay, now I want you to see yourself run. Do you see yourself?”

  Samuel nodded again, a slight smile forming on his mouth.

  “Man! I can see you too,” Brandon said. “You are fast! I’m going to catch you. Here I come.”

  Samuel opened his eyes and burst out laughing. Brandon couldn’t help but laugh, too. The laughter of a small child is contagious. He placed his right hand on top of his head and leaned over placing his forehead on Samuel’s as they laughed together. He saw lots of patients and many of them were special. But Samuel tugged at his heart in a different way. It made Brandon feel good.

  * * * *

  Friday night couldn’t arrive soon enough. Allie hadn’t seen or spoken to Brandon since the hugging scene in the hospital. Matt called to inform her practice would be at Brandon’s house instead of his. His pipes had froze during the snowstorm and then burst. So for the time being, he was out of water and was staying with Cody until a plumber could get there.

  She had mentioned Brandon to her mom, not in a romantic way, she knew better than that. She didn’t want her mom to give her the “guys are bad” speech again. But she inquired whether the Child Life Specialist had been in to see Samuel during her watch. Yes, she said he had been coming while she was there, before Allie arrived.

  Allie couldn’t help but wonder if that was intentional. Was he that embarrassed that he didn’t want to see her again? If that was the case, it was going to be interesting to see his reaction when she revealed her true feelings for him.

  She’d been working up her courage and in order to get her thoughts in order, she wrote down what she was going to say, and as juvenile as it seemed, she’d practiced in the mirror. She played it out and imagined the different scenarios. Of course, he could tell her she was an ignorant ditz and to get lost. She didn’t like to think of this scenario and instead imagined how he would confess his feelings were the same as hers. He would tell her everything she longed to hear.

  Allie, I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for you.

  It was like love at first sight.

  You are my dream come true.

  Then they would kiss, and as if her love life were a movie, the angels would sing hallelujah in the background as cartoon hearts rose into the heavens. She smiled at herself for thinking such juvenile thoughts, but a deep part of her still believed in a romantic, true love.

  She was prepared for the worst but was hoping for the best.

  She stood before the bathroom vanity observing her reflection in the mirror. Usually unconcerned for her appearance, she decided to put in a little effort tonight. She brushed her long brown hair out and worked extra hard making the messy bun look natural. She pulled a few tendrils of hair out to frame her face but tried to make them appear as if they fell out on their own. This took longer than she thought. She applied her makeup carefully. Usually she only wore mascara and lip-gloss, but tonight was special. She lined her eyes and gave them a smoky look thanks to the help of a YouTube tutorial giving her step-by-step instructions.

  In her bedroom, she contemplated her wardrobe. She decided against dressing up, and went for a more casual look. She didn’t want to appear obvious. She pulled on a pair of jeans that fit her snug but instead of the usual baggy t-shirt, she wore a flowing top in royal blue, hoping to bring out her eyes. She added some gold earrings along with some bangle bracelets and put on her only pair of wedge heels. She lifted her arms to adjust her bun, and decided against the bangles. They would compete too much with the drums. Standing before the mirror, she was quite impressed with herself. If only she could manage to walk in the shoes, she would own this night.

  She took one last look in the mirror and said, “Go get ‘em, girl”. Sometimes you have to be your own cheerleader.

  * * * *

  Driving to Brandon’s house, her nerves began to get the better of her. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and chewed on the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. The confidence she felt standing in her bedroom had vanished like the ice crystals on the windshield.

  She hadn’t realized it was so cold out. Her silver Chrysler Concorde took a long time to warm up these days. It may have been an older model car, but at least it was paid for. The stereo was broken and the check engine light was a permanent illumination on the dashboard, but it would have to last until she paid the medical bills that were already coming in. So far she’d received one from the Emergency room for the X-ray, and two from separate physicians who had attended to Samuel. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and turned left on Brandon’s street, coasting to a stop and parking in the street across from his house.

  She stood on the porch, all her doubts flooding her brain. She was going to do it. After practice she would tell Brandon how she felt about him. She hated the games people in relationships played, always trying to figure things out. She was blunt and to the point and she would just tell him. This would save them both from a lot of unnecessary emotion. She knocked on the door, f
eeling the shaking of her hands when she dropped them to her sides. Deep breath in, deep breath out. The door opened.

  “Hey, there you are!” He opened the door wide and stepped aside to let her in. “Get in here and let’s play some music!” He looked great as always. He’d shed his work clothes for a pair of jeans and a heather gray t-shirt that stretched tightly revealing a muscular chest.

  She lifted her foot to take a step over the threshold and caught the toe of her wedge heel causing her to stumble through the doorway. Fortunately, Brandon’s arm was there reaching out to steady her. She caught hold his forearm, and noticed a muscular bicep as well. Of course.

  “Whoa there, first day with new feet?” he asked.

  Allie looked down to hide the redness appearing in her face. If only she was clever, she could joke back. Maureen always said you should be able to laugh at yourself. But her mind was blank. She never was quick on her feet, or off her feet for that matter. She bit her lower lip and looked at him.

  “No, just first day with new shoes.” She smiled pointing at her feet. This was not going as she had expected. She had forgotten to play through the scenario of falling into his arms.

  Brandon looked at her. His brow was furrowed. He peered closer and squinted. “Have you been in a fight? It looks like you have two black eyes.”

  She cringed inside.

  “It’s just a new make-up technique I tried.” She wanted to curl into a ball and cry. She hoped he couldn’t see her heart beating through her top.

  Brandon’s house was the typical bachelor pad, sparsely furnished. A futon sat against the wall with a blanket and pillow laying on it. There were two old Styrofoam soda cups sitting on a make shift end table next to the futon. A huge flat screen TV took up most of one wall, a stereo system and his guitar took up the other, along with recording equipment and a keyboard. A quick look at the furniture and Allie knew that dusting was not something Brandon felt passionate about.

  Cody and Matt came walking into the room. Cody was carrying a bag of Doritos, popping one in his mouth and Matt was licking the orange from his fingers.

  Cody stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Allie. She followed his eyes as they moved from the top of her all the way to the bottom and back up.

  “Dang girl. Can I just tell you that you are fine? It’s a good thing you’re at the back of the stage because if I had to look at you all night, I couldn’t play the right chords.”

  “Leave her alone, let’s get to work. Time’s wasting,” Matt said.

  Matt grabbed the bag of chips from Cody’s hand and walked off. This caused Cody to break his focus on Allie and go after Matt and his chips. Wow, she should call the Guinness Book. In just under thirty seconds she had managed to make a complete fool of herself. She probably broke a record. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this humiliated before. She was sure Brandon would be sure and keep his distance from her now. She carefully watched her steps as she walked to the drums and sat down. Allie glanced up and looked at Brandon who was preparing to set up. He caught her eye and gave her a smile.

  * * * *

  Brandon listened intently to the music filling his house. Except for a couple of spots that needed revamping, the music flowed smooth and sounded clear. He was pleased with Allie’s ability and felt better than he had since Stephen walked out on them. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

  Practice continued uneventfully. Everyone played well and the band sounded good together. Despite the commotion Allie had caused, the band had been able to pull it together. Brandon felt bad that he had been partly to blame for her embarrassment. He thought she looked amazing. He was surprised to see her that way. She usually looked very casual. Even casually dressed he thought she looked amazing.

  After the last song was played, Cody and Matt said their good-byes and headed out to catch a late movie. Brandon was left with only Allie.

  He watched her rise and walk to the door. In her hand she carried her shoes.

  “I think I’ll donate these to Goodwill,” she said with a smile.

  He stood and opened the door for her. But instead of leaving, she lingered. Tension filled the air between them. He could feel the energy and it made him want to run away. She bit her lower lip and he found that utterly appealing.

  “Can we talk for a minute before I leave?”

  His thoughts ran wild. What could she want to talk about?

  “You know, I’ll talk to Cody about what he said to you. He’s a big flirt. He’s like that all the time, but really he’s harmless. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I’ll be sure he stops.”

  “No, it’s not Cody. I can handle him. Mind if we sit down?”

  She headed toward the futon and sat on the edge. She placed her shoes on the floor and held her hands between her knees. He heard her let out a deep breath. Brandon couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt nervous. What was it with this chick that brought it out in him? He rubbed his hands on his jeans in a vain attempt to remove the clamminess he suddenly felt. He sat beside her.

  “I don’t know how to say this, and so it’s best that I just say it.” Her eyes met his and she held his gaze for much too long. She cleared her throat. “Brandon, I….how can I say this…..I think…….Brandon, you...” Suddenly she was on her feet. “Never mind. This was a stupid idea. Listen, I’ll see you later.”

  Before he could even stand, she was gone leaving nothing but a trace of perfume in the air. His mind was spinning. Women were such strange creatures. Man had been trying to figure them out for thousands of years and there was no doing it. For all he knew, she could have wanted to tell him she didn’t like the third song in the set. The more he thought about it, it had to be something bigger and deeper than that. She was too abrupt and outspoken to hesitate the way she did. Perhaps it had something to do with Samuel.

  He jumped in the shower but his mind wouldn’t rest. If it was Samuel, maybe he could help. He had her number and would call her to check on him. He kicked himself for being so stupid and not asking about him when she was here.

  He let the warm water run over his hair and down his back. Stepping out of the shower, he toweled off then wrapped the towel around his waist. There, sitting on the bathroom counter was his phone with a red blinking light indicating a missed call. He had been too preoccupied with thoughts of Allie to notice the four missed calls from Simone. He would have to call her back, but first he needed to call Allie.

  He walked out of the bathroom looking up her number in his list of contacts. Turning the corner from the hallway to the living room he looked up and gasped. There on his sofa sat Allie, her shoes resting in her lap.

  Her face wore a startled look

  “My car won’t start.”

  Chapter Seven

  Brandon stood before her in nothing but a navy blue towel. Allie felt a surge of heat rush in her belly. Pure desire filled her. Brandon looked good with clothes on, but she had to admit, with clothes off, he looked like something out of a magazine.

  It was a sign. All of this. Superstition ran deep in Allie. She couldn’t help it; her grandmother had passed it down. She never opened an umbrella in the house or walked under a ladder. She threw spilled salt over her left shoulder and always caught a cricket and let him go instead of killing it inside. So as fate would have it, when she got to her car and it only made a click at the turn of the ignition, Allie knew that was a sign. A sign that meant she was to tell Brandon her feelings exactly. The powers that be were giving her another chance.

  “I’ll be right back,” Brandon said darting out of sight.

  Time seemed to stand still while he was out of the room. Allie stood and began to pace the floor, rehearsing the words, hoping she would choose all the right ones. She didn’t want to scare him off, but at the same time, she didn’t want to dawdle.

  He returned dressed in a Pink Floyd t-shirt and a wrinkled pair of jeans, much to Allie’s dismay. She tried her best flirtation tactics.

  “I liked the other out
fit better,” she said.

  “Whoa, have you been taking lessons from Cody?”

  She shook her head.

  “Actually, I’m glad you came back,” Brandon said. “I meant to ask about Samuel. How is he?”

  “He’s better. Thank you so much for asking.” Just when she thought he couldn’t get any better, there he goes asking about her son and making her insides crumple. “Dr. Windsor thinks he can go home tomorrow.”

  “I’ll have to get up there and see him one last time. Tomorrow’s my day off, but I’ll see what I can do.”

  “He’d really like that. He loves the Superman cape you made him. He won’t even take it off. I have to bribe him.”

  “Would you like a drink or something?” Brandon asked motioning to the couch. “Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll get us something. What would you like?”

  Allie wanted to sit down, but if she didn’t act quickly, she would lose her nerve. Mustering the courage of a lion, she walked close to him and placed both of her hands on his chest.

  “What I’d like from you Brandon, is a kiss,” she studied his face, waiting for him to lean into her. But instead the door flew open. Allie turned her head just in time to see a beautiful red head standing there. Her face was one of both shock and disbelief.

  “Brandon?”

  Brandon pushed away from Allie and quickly approached the redhead.

  “Simone.” He stood between the two females. “This is Allie, the band’s new drummer. Allie, this is Simone.” He paused. “My fiancée.”

  Allie couldn’t look at them. She quickly glanced at the floor. A fiancée? How could she not have known this? Another complete act of foolishness all in one night. Of course he had a girlfriend. A man like him could not be available and single.

  “What is going on here?” Simone asked sharply looking at Brandon to Allie and back again.

  “Actually, I was just leaving,” Allie said walking towards the door. Simone quickly closed it behind her and stood in front of it blocking Allie’s exit. She crossed her arms and looked Allie square in the face. Her eyes were a fierce green and there was a determination in them that intimidated Allie.