wouldn’t accidentally sleep through me picking him up. I tell you, the minute he got into the car, my Louis would fall directly asleep. Oh my, he used to spend so much time asleep in the garage with my car running so he wouldn’t get hot.
Drifts leaned forward and muttered to Justin, “That explains so much.” Justin tightened his jaw subduing a laugh.
She shook her head. After losing his father and his fiancé, Lucille, during the outbreak, that pretty much sealed his nervous nature.”
Drifts and Justin looked at each other. Drifts murmured with a smirk, “Louis and Lucille.” Justin had to look away with his hand over his mouth.
“I don’t know, Mrs. Browning. I’m not convinced that his concerns are so unwarranted. You look a little pale to me. I’d like to evaluate you.”
“Now Leo,” she said while patting his hand, “please do not go saying anything to upset my son. If he hears you talking so, he will be very difficult to live with.”
Louis said behind them, “Mother I’m just concerned about you.”
“If you are so concerned for me then why don’t you ever take out the trash when I ask you to, instead of letting it stink up my kitchen?” snapped Mrs. Browning.
He looked at his mother with a hurt expression. “Mother, I-”
“Mrs. Browning, may we please evaluate you?” Ramirez interrupted.
She smiled at him. “Why not? I never could resist a gentleman who used such nice manners.”
“Thank you. Justin, will you please do the EKG?”
Justin knelt in front of her, pulling out the wires for the EKG leads.
Mrs. Browning beamed at him. My, my, you are quite young. Did I hear Leo correctly when he said that you were in school?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well isn’t that quite fascinating? Louis, dear, could you imagine how things would have turned out if you had started a career like this young man at so early an age?”
Louis shook his head, “I hardly think so, Mother. I’ve never had much of a stomach for blood.”
“Oh, don’t I know it.” She looked at Ramirez. “He swoons at the merest trickle of blood. There was this one time-”
Justin interrupted, “Excuse me, ma’am. If it’s okay with you, will you open your robe please?”
“Young man, are you asking me to expose my bosom so that you can perform this EKG thing?”
Justin flushed. “Um yes, ma’am.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I simply cannot allow that.”
At a loss for words, Justin looked from her to his mentor.
Ramirez cleared his throat. “May I ask you why, Mrs. Browning?”
“Oh, Leo, I simply cannot be held responsible for imposing on young Justin’s virtue. That is a cross I simply will not bear!”
“My virtue?” said Justin.
Drifts snorted and said under his breath, “His going price just went up.”
Louis Browning groaned. “Mother, that is what he’s learning to do. Let the boy do his job.”
“No, I will not hear of it.”
“So if I’m to understand you correctly,” Ramirez said, “You’re not objecting to us doing an EKG. You just don’t want Justin to do it because you want to preserve . . . his . . .”
She finished for him, “His virtue. That is correct.”
Ramirez nodded. “Very well. Will you object to Sam doing your EKG then?”
“Hey!” cried Sam.
She smiled. “Oh my, no.”
“What about preserving my virtue!” blurted Drifts.
“Oh, come now, Samuel,” said Mrs. Browning. “We both know that our virtue has long since left the likes of us.”
She then winked at him. Drifts stared back at her slack jawed.
“Go on, Sam,” Ramirez prompted his partner with a small smile. Drifts spared him a scathing look that promised a future colorful conversation. Ramirez winked back.
Drifts snatched the EKG leads out of Justin’s hand. “Give me that!”
With clipped motions, Drifts hurriedly applied the monitor’s sticker to her chest while Justin obtained her blood pressure, avoiding eye
Drifts leaned forward and muttered to Justin, “That explains so much.” Justin tightened his jaw subduing a laugh.
She shook her head. After losing his father and his fiancé, Lucille, during the outbreak, that pretty much sealed his nervous nature.”
Drifts and Justin looked at each other. Drifts murmured with a smirk, “Louis and Lucille.” Justin had to look away with his hand over his mouth.
“I don’t know, Mrs. Browning. I’m not convinced that his concerns are so unwarranted. You look a little pale to me. I’d like to evaluate you.”
“Now Leo,” she said while patting his hand, “please do not go saying anything to upset my son. If he hears you talking so, he will be very difficult to live with.”
Louis said behind them, “Mother I’m just concerned about you.”
“If you are so concerned for me then why don’t you ever take out the trash when I ask you to, instead of letting it stink up my kitchen?” snapped Mrs. Browning.
He looked at his mother with a hurt expression. “Mother, I-”
“Mrs. Browning, may we please evaluate you?” Ramirez interrupted.
She smiled at him. “Why not? I never could resist a gentleman who used such nice manners.”
“Thank you. Justin, will you please do the EKG?”
Justin knelt in front of her, pulling out the wires for the EKG leads.
Mrs. Browning beamed at him. My, my, you are quite young. Did I hear Leo correctly when he said that you were in school?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well isn’t that quite fascinating? Louis, dear, could you imagine how things would have turned out if you had started a career like this young man at so early an age?”
Louis shook his head, “I hardly think so, Mother. I’ve never had much of a stomach for blood.”
“Oh, don’t I know it.” She looked at Ramirez. “He swoons at the merest trickle of blood. There was this one time-”
Justin interrupted, “Excuse me, ma’am. If it’s okay with you, will you open your robe please?”
“Young man, are you asking me to expose my bosom so that you can perform this EKG thing?”
Justin flushed. “Um yes, ma’am.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I simply cannot allow that.”
At a loss for words, Justin looked from her to his mentor.
Ramirez cleared his throat. “May I ask you why, Mrs. Browning?”
“Oh, Leo, I simply cannot be held responsible for imposing on young Justin’s virtue. That is a cross I simply will not bear!”
“My virtue?” said Justin.
Drifts snorted and said under his breath, “His going price just went up.”
Louis Browning groaned. “Mother, that is what he’s learning to do. Let the boy do his job.”
“No, I will not hear of it.”
“So if I’m to understand you correctly,” Ramirez said, “You’re not objecting to us doing an EKG. You just don’t want Justin to do it because you want to preserve . . . his . . .”
She finished for him, “His virtue. That is correct.”
Ramirez nodded. “Very well. Will you object to Sam doing your EKG then?”
“Hey!” cried Sam.
She smiled. “Oh my, no.”
“What about preserving my virtue!” blurted Drifts.
“Oh, come now, Samuel,” said Mrs. Browning. “We both know that our virtue has long since left the likes of us.”
She then winked at him. Drifts stared back at her slack jawed.
“Go on, Sam,” Ramirez prompted his partner with a small smile. Drifts spared him a scathing look that promised a future colorful conversation. Ramirez winked back.
Drifts snatched the EKG leads out of Justin’s hand. “Give me that!”
With clipped motions, Drifts hurriedly applied the monitor’s sticker to her chest while Justin obtained her blood pressure, avoiding eye
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