Summer Fever

heard him ask.
    After a brief exchange, a nurse came out to escort him into the treatment area. His wife kissed him and let him go.
    59

    Summer Fever | Catt Ford

    After whipping up my courage, I approached her. “Excuse me.” She had light green eyes and a pretty face and she looked worried.
    “Are you Russ Seavers’ sister-in-law?”
    “I am, and you are?”
    “You wouldn’t know me, at least, not my name, it’s just that… they won’t tell me anything and… is he alive?” I clenched every muscle in my body, hoping and praying.
    “Are you J.D.?” she asked.
    I didn’t know whether to tell her, fearing she might bop me one if she knew what I’d said to Russ the last time I saw him. “Yeah, J.D. Andrews.” Her eyes filled with compassion when I admitted who I was, and she put her hand on my arm. “Let’s go sit down over there. He’s alive. I don’t think it’s life threatening. My name is Janice Seavers, by the way.”
    “Thank God,” I gasped.
    She kind of smirked. My hope that she knew nothing about our goings-on died on the vine right there. “Why don’t you wait with me ‘til George comes out? Then we’ll both find out.” I wanted to do something for her, to repay her kindness. “Can I get you a coffee? A soda? Donut? Candy bar….” She laughed and held up her hand. “No thanks, I’m trying to lose weight.” She sat and pulled me down into the seat beside her, effectively cutting off my new career in race pacing. “When George comes out, I’ll get him to tell Russ you’re here.”
    “He won’t want to see me,” I said miserably. “But I had to know if he was okay.”
    60

    Summer Fever | Catt Ford

    I could tell she was curious, but she was well-mannered and didn’t probe. “Look, when they called us, they said Russ was not critically injured. Try to relax.”
    “Easy for you say,” I muttered.
    “Not really,” she answered.
    I could see her hands were trembling so I took one of them in mine and we sat in silence, holding hands.
    I saw Russ before she did. He was walking down the hall, holding some kind of police vest in one hand, talking to his brother with a smile on his face.
    I stood up.
    He stopped abruptly when he saw me, the smile fading from his face, his expression painfully uncertain.
    My legs were shaking so bad I couldn’t run over to him and fling myself at him like I wanted to. I just said, “Russ.” He couldn’t have heard me from that distance, he must have read my lips. He handed his vest to his brother and came toward me. I met him halfway.
    “You’re okay.”
    “Gonna have a hell of a bruise,” he said.
    “I heard you were shot.”
    “Kevlar vest. Saved my life.”
    “I could just hug you.”
    “I only hug my boyfriend in public,” he said.
    61

    Summer Fever | Catt Ford

    “You’re one tough negotiator.” I stepped closer and threw my arms around him. “I was so afraid when I heard.” I was still afraid, until I felt him circle me with his arms. His lips were right by my ear, and I could feel his breath when he said, “I learned from a master.”
    I felt a little shaky when I remembered we were in the middle of a public room, two men hugging. “Um, sorry, I didn’t mean to–”
    “I did,” Russ said firmly. “Listen, I have to go to the debriefing. It’ll be hours. Why don’t you go home and get some rest. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
    “I don’t want to leave you,” I said, running my hands over his arms and shoulders to reassure myself that he was all right. He felt solid and warm and alive.
    “I wish I didn’t have to do this, but duty calls,” Russ said. “You all right to drive?”
    “If I made here in one piece….” I laughed shakily. “Go ahead. I’ll be waiting.”
    He nodded and gave me one last hug before going to meet up with three other officers. They didn’t seem a bit fazed to see him embrace a man.
    Janice spoke, making me jump because she must have snuck up on us while we were talking. “Would you like to grab some dinner with me and George? We got a sitter, so we have a few hours to kill.” Russ’s brother came to join us, and I quailed under the searching look he gave me. “So, you’re J.D.” he said in a disapproving voice.
    “Be nice, George,” Janice said.
    62

    Summer Fever | Catt Ford

    “You planning to hurt my brother again?” I tried to picture my older brother bringing out that protective voice and attitude for me, but no stretch of the imagination would serve