dishes and silverware as Letty leapt out of her seat and scrambled over the table to get to him. He sighed in satisfaction as he heard her softly slippered little feet pattering madly across the floor and then she was crouching at his side, touching him with anxious, gentle hands.
"You've hurt him, Sheldon. How could you? Look at him, he's unconscious. You might have broken some bones or given him a concussion. Someone call a doctor. Hurry." She touched Xavier's bruised lip and cheek. "Speak to me, Xavier. Wake up, darling, and speak to me."
"Don't call a doctor," Xavier mumbled. "I'll be okay."
Relief flared in Letty's worried eyes. "Thank heavens, you're not unconscious. I was so frightened. Does it hurt very much?"
"A little," he admitted, opting for the stoic touch. "But I'll probably feel a lot better once I start the lawsuit proceedings."
"Lawsuit."
Peabody's voice was suddenly several notches higher. "Now see here, Augustine, you've got no right to sue me. You started this."
"Did I? My memory is a little foggy at the moment." Xavier rubbed his jaw. "Probably a result of the blow."
"I've got a hundred witnesses, damn it," Peabody retorted. "Tell him he hasn't got grounds for a suit, Letty."
"No one's going to sue anyone," Letty said soothingly as she put an arm under Xavier's shoulders and helped him sit up. "You were both at fault. But you shouldn't have hurt him like that, Sheldon. That sort of violence was uncalled for."
"He started it, damn it," Sheldon yelped.
"Well, I know, but all the same, physical violence is never the answer," Letty reminded him primly. "Are you sure you don't need a doctor, Xavier?" she added in concern. "You look a little odd."
"I'll be fine," he said bravely as he stifled a laugh. "But I'd like to go upstairs and get a cold compress on my jaw, if you don't mind. I've heard it's good for keeping the swelling down."
"Swelling. Good heavens, yes. You need to get a compress on that jaw immediately. I'll help you. Lean on me, Xavier." She staggered under his weight as she assisted him to his feet. When he swayed, she gripped his waist and tugged his arm around her shoulders. "Be careful, darling."
"Thanks, honey," he said weakly. "Sorry to disrupt the festivities. I'm sure no one will mind if we leave now." Over the top of Letty's head he smiled a victor's smile at Peabody whose eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion.
"He doesn't need any help, Letty," Peabody said.
"I'll be the judge of that," Letty informed him with fine hauteur. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Sheldon."
"But, Letty..."
"So long, Peabody," Xavier said. "See you around. Hey, no hard feelings, big guy. I had it coming." He raised the hand that was resting on Letty's shoulder and waved good-naturedly. "Win some, lose some."
Sheldon's face turned purple. "Letty, don't get suckered in by this jerk. He's not badly hurt."
She glared at him as she eased Xavier toward the door. "Don't try to tell me he's not hurt, Sheldon. I saw you hit him. You knocked him down. It was dreadful."
"He walked straight into it
— deliberately, I'm beginning to think," Sheldon muttered as he hurried along beside her.
Xavier groaned in pain and leaned more heavily on Letty's shoulders. She responded by pulling him closer and giving Peabody another furious glance.
"I saw it all," Letty announced. "You knocked him down, Sheldon. Now please get out of my way. I have to get him upstairs so we can apply cold compresses."
"Damn it, Letty, I'm telling you ..."
"Telling me what?"
Peabody groaned and gave up. "Never mind." He gave Xavier another narrowed glance. "You think you're so damn smart, don't you, Augustine?"
"Who, me? I don't have a Ph.D. like you, Peabody. How could I possibly be smarter than you?"
Peabody started to reply to the taunt but at that moment a well-endowed young woman with acres of blond hair bounded forward out of the crowd.
"Hey, Shelly babe, are you all right?" The young woman grasped Peabody's arm. "That was
"You've hurt him, Sheldon. How could you? Look at him, he's unconscious. You might have broken some bones or given him a concussion. Someone call a doctor. Hurry." She touched Xavier's bruised lip and cheek. "Speak to me, Xavier. Wake up, darling, and speak to me."
"Don't call a doctor," Xavier mumbled. "I'll be okay."
Relief flared in Letty's worried eyes. "Thank heavens, you're not unconscious. I was so frightened. Does it hurt very much?"
"A little," he admitted, opting for the stoic touch. "But I'll probably feel a lot better once I start the lawsuit proceedings."
"Lawsuit."
Peabody's voice was suddenly several notches higher. "Now see here, Augustine, you've got no right to sue me. You started this."
"Did I? My memory is a little foggy at the moment." Xavier rubbed his jaw. "Probably a result of the blow."
"I've got a hundred witnesses, damn it," Peabody retorted. "Tell him he hasn't got grounds for a suit, Letty."
"No one's going to sue anyone," Letty said soothingly as she put an arm under Xavier's shoulders and helped him sit up. "You were both at fault. But you shouldn't have hurt him like that, Sheldon. That sort of violence was uncalled for."
"He started it, damn it," Sheldon yelped.
"Well, I know, but all the same, physical violence is never the answer," Letty reminded him primly. "Are you sure you don't need a doctor, Xavier?" she added in concern. "You look a little odd."
"I'll be fine," he said bravely as he stifled a laugh. "But I'd like to go upstairs and get a cold compress on my jaw, if you don't mind. I've heard it's good for keeping the swelling down."
"Swelling. Good heavens, yes. You need to get a compress on that jaw immediately. I'll help you. Lean on me, Xavier." She staggered under his weight as she assisted him to his feet. When he swayed, she gripped his waist and tugged his arm around her shoulders. "Be careful, darling."
"Thanks, honey," he said weakly. "Sorry to disrupt the festivities. I'm sure no one will mind if we leave now." Over the top of Letty's head he smiled a victor's smile at Peabody whose eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion.
"He doesn't need any help, Letty," Peabody said.
"I'll be the judge of that," Letty informed him with fine hauteur. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Sheldon."
"But, Letty..."
"So long, Peabody," Xavier said. "See you around. Hey, no hard feelings, big guy. I had it coming." He raised the hand that was resting on Letty's shoulder and waved good-naturedly. "Win some, lose some."
Sheldon's face turned purple. "Letty, don't get suckered in by this jerk. He's not badly hurt."
She glared at him as she eased Xavier toward the door. "Don't try to tell me he's not hurt, Sheldon. I saw you hit him. You knocked him down. It was dreadful."
"He walked straight into it
— deliberately, I'm beginning to think," Sheldon muttered as he hurried along beside her.
Xavier groaned in pain and leaned more heavily on Letty's shoulders. She responded by pulling him closer and giving Peabody another furious glance.
"I saw it all," Letty announced. "You knocked him down, Sheldon. Now please get out of my way. I have to get him upstairs so we can apply cold compresses."
"Damn it, Letty, I'm telling you ..."
"Telling me what?"
Peabody groaned and gave up. "Never mind." He gave Xavier another narrowed glance. "You think you're so damn smart, don't you, Augustine?"
"Who, me? I don't have a Ph.D. like you, Peabody. How could I possibly be smarter than you?"
Peabody started to reply to the taunt but at that moment a well-endowed young woman with acres of blond hair bounded forward out of the crowd.
"Hey, Shelly babe, are you all right?" The young woman grasped Peabody's arm. "That was
Similar Books
