He looks at the seat beside me, but elects to lean back against the small counter where his iPad nowlies.
“Are you OK?” he asks, squinting atme.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.Damn.My teeth push into my bottomlip.
“You seem stiff.” He crosses his arms. I feel like his eyes are digging intome.
“Do people in your office know about us?” I keep my voice low. Claire’s drawing again, but she has ears. And they work justfine.
Isaac’s face changes to concern. “Is that what this isabout?”
“That woman upfront—”
“Deirdre.” Isaacinterjects.
“Deirdrewas very happy to seeClaire.”
“So?” Isaacshrugs.
“Too happy. Like she knew just who Clairewas.”
“And what if she did?” Isaac’s eyes widen, a challenginglook.
“It’s none of her business,” Ihiss.
Isaac crosses the small space separating us and plants himself in the chair he previously occupied. He touches my chin, just one finger underneath, lifting itslightly.
“Lucky for you, I don’t have a bigmouth.”
I watch themouthhe’s referencing as it speaks the sentence. His lips caress the words, his tone stays low, his voicedeep.
I move my head, a slight jerk, and his finger drops. “I don’t think your fiancée would appreciate your behavior.” It’s another hissed whisper, this time accompanied by a disapprovinglook.
Isaac opens his mouth. At the same time the door flies open. Isaac jumps from the seat, his expressioncontrite.
The man who has stepped in is almost too tall for the doorway. He looks from Isaac to me, his eyebrows drawn together. Quickly he fixes his expression so he looks disinterested and mildlyfriendly.
“Dr. Cordova.” He nods at him. “Hello,” he says tome.
I return the greeting. Isaac introduces him toClaire.
Randall grins at her, and from his pockets he produces a few rolls of what appears to be colored tape. He holds them out to Claire, and she considers them, as though she’s shopping for deli meat at thesupermarket.
“Can I have two?” sheasks.
“Anything for extra special patients like you.” He winks ather.
She grins. “Purple with pinkstripes.”
Randall tosses the unchosen rolls onto the counter beside Isaac’s iPad. He sits on the rolling seat and pulls up toClaire.
Isaac goes to the table to supervise the cast’s placement. I leave my seat to sit on the table beside Claire. I would never know if Randall were doing anything right or wrong, but I want to bethere.
I can feel Isaac looking at me. Tearing my eyes from Randall’s work, I meet Isaac’sgaze.
The only word I can think of to describe it isheavy.Like he’s brimming with words. Things he can’t say, won’t say, isn’t at liberty tosay.
Randall finishes and gathers the only tool he brought in with him, a pair of angled scissors, and the rolls of what I now realize is fiberglass. I did an internet search right after Claire’s break, so I knew the material they would use, but I wasn’t expecting it to come inrolls.
