ERERERERER

            Robbi sat down on the floor of Kerry’s spacious living room.  Sandy’s mother was just dropping off Henry from a play date with his cousins.  Kerry was speaking in a soft muted tone and the Spanish woman was yammering away with moving hands.

            “This isn’t a date, she’s a college, and that shouldn’t matter this is my home and I can do what I wish.”  Kerry finally said in a louder voice and Henry looked up with round eyes.  He then ran into the living room and threw himself onto Ro.  She caught the young child in surprise.

            “Hey Henry.”  She said and he extended his hand with a giggle.

            “That be me.”  His hand was sticky with jam or some other childlike substance and Ro shook it nonetheless.  “You be?”

            “Roberta Romano.  You can call me Ro.” 

            “Row your boat?”  He giggled and Robbi smiled and shook her head.

            “Exactly like that.  How was your play date young man?”  She asked and he plopped down onto her lap. 

            “S’ok.  We played with fire trucks like those that my mommy used to ride on.  Big red trucks that go vroom.  Vroom and spit out water at the bad fires.”   Robbi fell into a conversation with him and didn’t notice Kerry standing at the door in awe as she kept his attention for more than five minutes.  Roberta seemed to be a natural with children.  All the reports she’d gotten from the ER staff was that she was the polar opposite of her brother.  Yet she exhibited all of her brother’s genius in the trauma room.  Not one person had a bad word to say about the young woman.

            She certainly wished that Robbi looked at her in that hungry way but she didn’t see her doing that, not once.  She seemed content with being friends and that too was fine with Kerry.  She missed Sandy and wasn’t quite sure she was up to a new relationship.

            Henry’s attention finally waned, she got him ready for bed, and Robbi got all the paperwork they were going to need spread out on the table of the dining room.  She shuffled some papers and moving them to another pile the handful of papers slipped from her long fingers and went flying to the floor. 

            She hadn’t heard Kerry coming into the room at home she walked without her crutch often.  She bent down at the same time that Robbi did both woman reaching for the same paper.  Heads almost colliding and Kerry’s breath stopped as Robbi’s fingers touched hers.  Her grey greenish eyes met Kerry’s for just an instant.

            “Sorry.”  Kerry said softly and Robbi shrugged it off.

            “No harm done.  So is the little man down for the night?”  Robbi asked and Kerry nodded, sitting down on the closest chair.

            “Usually he stays down.  It was amazing to watch him being mesmerized by you earlier.  You really do have a way with children.”  Robbi shrugged that off also not accustom to praise.

            “Naw I just have the same mentality.”  Kerry made a face of confusion.

            “Really?”

            “Uh huh.”  Ro said with a grin, “Sandbox mentality.”