I slept for a solid twelve hours before crawling out of bed to greet the sunlight. Greet? Well, maybe that wasn’t quite accurate. Growl in it’s general direction seemed more suitable for how I felt, but I was functional. I ran into Elmore in the kitchen. He seemed to be in a hurry, chewing on hastily-buttered muffins and knocking back coffee.

He finished the coffee, a drop running from the corner of his mouth. He placed the mug in the sink and I caught the drop with one finger. He smiled down at me.

He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

He stuck his head back in the door.

And sometimes he doesn’t have a clue who in hell I am, he’s so out of it...

Elmore seemed to give it a quick thought, then nodded.

I dressed quickly, thinking that maybe working would feel better than moping around the house or looking like a ghost around the hospital. Besides, it might take my mind off of things for a while. I noticed that Ryan and Jade had already left because their car was gone. The twins would be with my number Three son. He was starting to amass quite a ‘fortune’ from babysitting, and wanted to buy himself a new bike by the time spring came.

We arrived at the Corner just in time to open, Lehman standing guard outside the front door. He came in with a mute hello and seated himself at the end of the bar, where he usually sat. Elmore served him his usual beer and shot, and there he sat, reading a book and working on the beer. There were some days that I felt like I worked at Cheers.

Elmore sent me back in the back to clean up the leftover glasses and dishes, and other light work that I could find. From across the room, I saw Cori arrive.

She came in the employee entrance, dropped her backpack in the usual spot underneath the coathangers, and clocked in. I could tell, even from where I was standing, that she had a split lip and a small cut and bruise over one eyebrow. I was going to say something, but Elmore was close by, reading Phil, our cook, the riot act about something or the other, and I was curious to see what he’d do about it.

Elmore turned from Phil, who had stalked off to ready his area for the evening, and stopped. He saw Cori and instantly took in everything. He wondered what hit her, and if he should send her out on the floor in the shape that she was in.

Cori nodded and flipped him a quick wave. There was no eye contact; she simply made a beeline for the bar.

Elmore was mystified. He followed her slowly into the taproom. Ryan was leaning against the bar, talking to Lehman. He followed Cori with sharp eyes. Cori looked as if she were trying to ignore the eyes on her.

Elmore wandered over to Ryan, who leaned over, slowly. His voice was quiet.

Cori gathered all her stuff together to start her shift. She tied the short apron around her waist, filled with order pads and napkins. Instead of going directly to the register, as was her habit, Elmore noticed that she spent a great deal of time selecting her serving tray and doing other menial tasks.

Jade walked out of the back room with the day’s change for the register. She filled it, realized she had too much, and counted out change for Cori, who was walking at a quick pace, her head ducked, past her to the kitchen. Jade snagged her.

Jade looked up and noticed the lip, the cuts, the start of fresh bruises.

Cori tensed, made the briefest of eye contact. Her eyes locked back on the money.

Jade watched as she methodically separated the change into the pockets of her apron.

She struggled to keep eye contact with Cori, keeping her voice quiet so that she wouldn't be overheard by any of the men.

Cori shrugged, looked out over the floor.

Jade let the words fade as she watched Cori run a hand through her hair.

She paused and looked at Jade full in the eyes.

Ryan materialized behind Cori, who didn’t hear him approach.

Cori startled at his sudden appearance.

She took the apron off slowly and handed it to Jade, leaving her tray in the sink. Every eye was upon her, but no one said a thing. Jade smiled warmly, and Cori glanced up to see that it was genuine.

Ryan raised an eyebrow but said nothing else. His eyes never left Cori, watching. He crossed his arms and leaned, bonelessly, back against the bar.

Cori walked back to the kitchen, hands in pockets of her jeans, and quietly approached Phil, who was building a corned beef on rye for Travis. She tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

Ryan smirked, patted Jade's arm, and walked back around the bar. Jade followed Cori into the kitchen.

Cori nodded.

She glanced over at Phil, who was busy at his creations. Jade could see the features of her face lightening to a smile, but Cori suppressed it, like a laugh in church.

Jade grinned.

The kitchen was right behind the bar, separated by a wall with one entrance that didn't have a very good view for either side, but I knew Cori had heard Lehman's voice cut through the din. She closed her eyes and sighed lightly.

Elmore appeared from the floor and rested a big hand on her shoulder.

Cori's breath caught, but she kept her eyes on the prep table. Why couldn’t the big ape see what he did to her?

Her voice was small.

Cori nodded mutely and Elmore nudged her in a friendly way. He walked out of the kitchen and she watched him as he left.

Cori smiled a sheepish smile to herself as she heard Lehman grunt an affirmative.

I finished up the dishes and walked over to see if Phil had anything that needed cleaned. Cori looked up suddenly when she noticed I was coming, and nearly lost the smile.

Cori just shook her head.

She opened her mouth, and nothing came out. She cleared her throat, and her voice was very quiet.

Cori rubbed a spot on the cutting board with her thumb and avoided my gaze.

She shrugged.

Cori shook her head, then suddenly looked up.

Cori hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.

Cori was lost in thought for a moment, solemn. She broke into a shy smile.

It was, perhaps, the first joke I’d heard her tell. I returned the grin.

Cori's smile faded, and she nodded.

He’d come up behind me and I jumped. I heard him chuckle and I elbowed him playfully in his rock-hard stomach.

I looked from Elmore, to Cori, who appeared to be backing down again. Maybe getting her out of the bar entirely would make her feel better. But to the hospital...?

Then again, it was where I ended up wanting to go.

She blinked, nervous.

The young woman was quiet the entire trip. I considered asking her a few things, but I hesitated. She seemed lost in her own thoughts.

When we pulled into the visitor’s parking lot, I turned to her.

Cori hid a smirk and her eyes dropped to her lap.

We trudged up to the third floor and into the ICU unit. They were still watching him pretty closely, considering the insulin escapade, but the doctor had said that they were going to move him to his own room tomorrow, barring complications. The lights were dim in the room, and the only sounds were the monitors and the nurses going back and forth in the hallway. One, a short, mousy brunette, recognized Deb.

I started for the room and looked back to see Cori hanging out in the hall. I gestured her to follow me but she waved me off. Perhaps that was as close as she was going to get, and in a way, I understood. She knew nothing of this man outside of a few brief meetings. I was gentle.

I nodded and went into the room, opening the blinds so that there was some natural light filtering in. He looked better; his face didn’t have the sunken look and the dark circles that had ghosted his eyes were gone. He seemed to be sleeping more peacefully than I’d seen in days.

I took my typical chair beside him and reached through the bedrail. His hand was warm.

One eye opened, and the corner of his mouth turned up slightly.

He cocked an eyebrow and thrust his chin in the general direction of the door.

He brightened a little.

He winked, and I went to fetch Cori, who had taken a seat on the floor at the end of the hall, her back against the wall, flipping through a ragged paperback that she’d tucked in her jacket. She looked up as I approached.

Cori got up and reluctantly followed me. Bill’s eyes were slitted against the light but a smile was on his thin face. She sat down in the chair farthest from the bed, next to the door, her hands clasped between her knees, eyes everywhere else but Bill.

Of course, Bill demanded attention.

Bill grunted and seemed to look her over, studying her.

Cori glanced at Deb, remembering their conversation in the kitchen. Deb nodded an affirmative--she could trust him.

Bill looked at me.

Cori, for the second time that afternoon, wore a stunned look. Her eyes darted from Deb and back to Bill.

She stared at this white-haired, emaciated man who still commanded quite a presence, and seemed to be trying to figure out how to say "you can’t do that." Instead, it mostly came out in truncated consonants.

Bill looked at Deb.

Cori looked back to Deb.

Her voice floated out of her, barely a sound.

He groaned and shifted. Before I could ask if he was feeling okay, he continued.