Soul Awakening
By Doug Simpson
By Doug Simpson
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If you missed out yesterday's post, catch Chapter Five here.
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Chapter 6
Good News
The orderly removed Dacque's half-finished, dinner tray. Dani had encouraged him to eat more, but he could not make himself do it. They both watched the second-hand on the clock tick one-slow-tick-at-a-time, as the hour hand approached eight.
Dani's cell phone chimed. "Hello."
"Hello, Dani, it's Max again. Any more news?"
"They have moved Dacque to room 222, and a knee specialist is supposed to check him over fairly soon, apparently. They told Dacque that he may be kept here overnight, but we gather that depends on the word of the specialist."
"I am just finishing up some paper work at the office, and if Dacque feels up to it, I would like to pop in for a few minutes on my way home?"
"I'm sure he would love to see you again, Max," she said, her eyes on Dacque's vertically-motioning head, as he attentively monitored their conversation. "He just nodded in the affirmative."
"Super. I should be there within fifteen minutes."
"He said within fifteen minutes," Dani advised Dacque. "Max sounds like a very nice gentleman. What does he do?"
"I have absolutely no idea, but he, and Sara his secretary, certainly paid more attention to me this morning than your average Joe or Josie would have. I immediately liked him."
True to his word, Max walked through the door, to room 222, within fifteen minutes. "Hi, I'm Max, and I assume you are Dani?" he said and warmly shook her hand, before turning his attention to the wounded-warrior. "Hello again Dacque. Any good news yet?"
Dacque and Dani started to fill Max in on more of the details of their long, trying day, but were suddenly interrupted by a nurse and Doctor entering the room behind them.
"Good evening everyone. I am Doctor Schwartz, and I would like to take a few minutes and examine Mr. LaRose's ailing knee, in private."
Dani and Max walked out into the corridor. "Have you tried the cafeteria food, here?" Max asked Dani. "I have not had any dinner yet, and I just realized how hungry I am getting."
"No, I wasn't in the mood to eat earlier, so I have no idea how good or bad it is."
"Let's go see if we can find the cafeteria. I'll buy you dinner," Max said.
"I should be buying you dinner, for all of the kindness you bestowed on Dacque, today."
"Nope. Sorry. I asked you first. You have to be quick to get ahead of me."
"I'll remember that," Dani assured Max as they walked along.
Max and Dani located the cafeteria in the basement of the hospital. There was a handful of hospital staff and visitors scattered throughout the seating area, but the serving staff was gone. The hungry duo walked over to examine the choices offered in the vending machines, and both ultimately settled for egg-salad sandwiches, slices of cherry pie, and cans of ice tea.
They selected a table in one corner of the cafeteria, and immediately proceeded to devour their sandwiches. "Dacque and I both know where your office building is located, but we realized earlier that neither of us knew what your occupation was?" Dani said, starting the conversation.
"I'm a lawyer, a corporate lawyer in mergers and acquisitions. What about you?"
"I'm actually a legal secretary, currently unemployed, after the lawyer I worked for got moved to Miami and I was declared surplus. Know of any openings in your office?" Dani asked jokingly.
"None that I am aware of," Max replied, "but I promise that I will keep my ears open."
"Thank you. I'd appreciate that," Dani assured him, and commenced to dig into her slice of cherry pie.
"You told me, when I called you this morning, that you were not a relative of Dacque's. I'm just curious, and I really don't need to know, but where do you fit into the picture?" Max asked.
Dani was caught off-guard by the question. She certainly was not going to tell him the entire story, but she was also not prepared to lie to him, either. "I guess the proper term for our association is walking partners. Dacque faithfully walks, around various sections of the city, every morning after breakfast and usually until lunch-time. One day, after I had been laid-off, we met by accident in MacDunnah Park, started chatting for a few minutes, and then spent a couple of hours walking and talking together. He is really an interesting character, with emphasis on both the interesting and the character, as you may have already deduced. We have walked together one other day at the Park, not pre-arranged, and we then exchanged phone numbers. I suspect that it was my piece of paper that Dacque passed on to your secretary this morning."
"That's likely a good assumption," Max added.
Dani drained the last drop of moisture from her ice-tea can. "Thank you for dinner. I should get back upstairs and see if I can take Dacque home tonight, or not."
"I'll come with you."
Room 222 had only one occupant when Max and Dani arrived. Dacque, still in the hospital bed, certainly did not look elated but neither did he appear depressed.
"Okay, road-runner," Dani teased him, "what kind of shape are you in?"
"The Doc thinks it is only a bruise and fluid buildup. He will check on me again tomorrow morning, and if nothing has gotten worse, I will get booted out the door."
"Wonderful," Dani declared. "Call me and I will come and get you."
"You'd better, young lady, seeing as it was you who took me hostage and deposited me here," Dacque teased back.
"I should be on my way home, now," Max interceded. "I will call you sometime tomorrow, when I get a chance, Dani, for an update," and moved towards the door. "Have a good night, Dacque."
"Thank you again, for dinner," Dani said. "Talk to you tomorrow."
Dani turned her attention back to Dacque. "Is there anything else I can do or get for you, my friend, before I head-off home, myself?"
"I need another paper with your phone number on it. I seem to have misplaced the other one."
Dani smiled as she reached for the pad in her purse. She could not be sure whether Dacque was teasing her, or whether he actually did not remember that he had given the original paper to Sara. It did not matter.
Good News
The orderly removed Dacque's half-finished, dinner tray. Dani had encouraged him to eat more, but he could not make himself do it. They both watched the second-hand on the clock tick one-slow-tick-at-a-time, as the hour hand approached eight.
Dani's cell phone chimed. "Hello."
"Hello, Dani, it's Max again. Any more news?"
"They have moved Dacque to room 222, and a knee specialist is supposed to check him over fairly soon, apparently. They told Dacque that he may be kept here overnight, but we gather that depends on the word of the specialist."
"I am just finishing up some paper work at the office, and if Dacque feels up to it, I would like to pop in for a few minutes on my way home?"
"I'm sure he would love to see you again, Max," she said, her eyes on Dacque's vertically-motioning head, as he attentively monitored their conversation. "He just nodded in the affirmative."
"Super. I should be there within fifteen minutes."
"He said within fifteen minutes," Dani advised Dacque. "Max sounds like a very nice gentleman. What does he do?"
"I have absolutely no idea, but he, and Sara his secretary, certainly paid more attention to me this morning than your average Joe or Josie would have. I immediately liked him."
True to his word, Max walked through the door, to room 222, within fifteen minutes. "Hi, I'm Max, and I assume you are Dani?" he said and warmly shook her hand, before turning his attention to the wounded-warrior. "Hello again Dacque. Any good news yet?"
Dacque and Dani started to fill Max in on more of the details of their long, trying day, but were suddenly interrupted by a nurse and Doctor entering the room behind them.
"Good evening everyone. I am Doctor Schwartz, and I would like to take a few minutes and examine Mr. LaRose's ailing knee, in private."
Dani and Max walked out into the corridor. "Have you tried the cafeteria food, here?" Max asked Dani. "I have not had any dinner yet, and I just realized how hungry I am getting."
"No, I wasn't in the mood to eat earlier, so I have no idea how good or bad it is."
"Let's go see if we can find the cafeteria. I'll buy you dinner," Max said.
"I should be buying you dinner, for all of the kindness you bestowed on Dacque, today."
"Nope. Sorry. I asked you first. You have to be quick to get ahead of me."
"I'll remember that," Dani assured Max as they walked along.
Max and Dani located the cafeteria in the basement of the hospital. There was a handful of hospital staff and visitors scattered throughout the seating area, but the serving staff was gone. The hungry duo walked over to examine the choices offered in the vending machines, and both ultimately settled for egg-salad sandwiches, slices of cherry pie, and cans of ice tea.
They selected a table in one corner of the cafeteria, and immediately proceeded to devour their sandwiches. "Dacque and I both know where your office building is located, but we realized earlier that neither of us knew what your occupation was?" Dani said, starting the conversation.
"I'm a lawyer, a corporate lawyer in mergers and acquisitions. What about you?"
"I'm actually a legal secretary, currently unemployed, after the lawyer I worked for got moved to Miami and I was declared surplus. Know of any openings in your office?" Dani asked jokingly.
"None that I am aware of," Max replied, "but I promise that I will keep my ears open."
"Thank you. I'd appreciate that," Dani assured him, and commenced to dig into her slice of cherry pie.
"You told me, when I called you this morning, that you were not a relative of Dacque's. I'm just curious, and I really don't need to know, but where do you fit into the picture?" Max asked.
Dani was caught off-guard by the question. She certainly was not going to tell him the entire story, but she was also not prepared to lie to him, either. "I guess the proper term for our association is walking partners. Dacque faithfully walks, around various sections of the city, every morning after breakfast and usually until lunch-time. One day, after I had been laid-off, we met by accident in MacDunnah Park, started chatting for a few minutes, and then spent a couple of hours walking and talking together. He is really an interesting character, with emphasis on both the interesting and the character, as you may have already deduced. We have walked together one other day at the Park, not pre-arranged, and we then exchanged phone numbers. I suspect that it was my piece of paper that Dacque passed on to your secretary this morning."
"That's likely a good assumption," Max added.
Dani drained the last drop of moisture from her ice-tea can. "Thank you for dinner. I should get back upstairs and see if I can take Dacque home tonight, or not."
"I'll come with you."
Room 222 had only one occupant when Max and Dani arrived. Dacque, still in the hospital bed, certainly did not look elated but neither did he appear depressed.
"Okay, road-runner," Dani teased him, "what kind of shape are you in?"
"The Doc thinks it is only a bruise and fluid buildup. He will check on me again tomorrow morning, and if nothing has gotten worse, I will get booted out the door."
"Wonderful," Dani declared. "Call me and I will come and get you."
"You'd better, young lady, seeing as it was you who took me hostage and deposited me here," Dacque teased back.
"I should be on my way home, now," Max interceded. "I will call you sometime tomorrow, when I get a chance, Dani, for an update," and moved towards the door. "Have a good night, Dacque."
"Thank you again, for dinner," Dani said. "Talk to you tomorrow."
Dani turned her attention back to Dacque. "Is there anything else I can do or get for you, my friend, before I head-off home, myself?"
"I need another paper with your phone number on it. I seem to have misplaced the other one."
Dani smiled as she reached for the pad in her purse. She could not be sure whether Dacque was teasing her, or whether he actually did not remember that he had given the original paper to Sara. It did not matter.
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Soul Awakening is part of the 12 days of Christmas feature here at Downright Fiction. Every day will see a new chapter excerpt on the website. Come back for Chapter 7 tomorrow!
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Doug Simpson is a retired high school teacher who has turned his talents to writing. His magazine and website articles have been published in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France and India. Soul Awakening is his first novel. Read more about Doug at dousimp.mnsi.net!
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