was a double, but his room was private. How could he
afford that?
O.E. sat in bed, a few patches of gauze taped to the side
of his face. When he saw her, he got out of bed and came
toward her. They met with a careful hug, then reestablished
a medically safe distance.
"Hi," he mumbled through gritted teeth. He got back in
bed and waved her toward a chair.
Rebecca sat down and looked at him. "Are you all right,
O.E.? Are you in pain?"
"I'm okay. Got pills." He shook his head. "Feel stupid."
Poor man. He seems so sad. Perhaps she could cheer
him up with a little Wizard of Oz. "So you really are the
Scarecrow. No brains." She grinned at him, and he smiled
back, nodding at her assessment.
A nurse came into the room. "Good evening, O.E. One
last snack before bedtime." She said the word "bedtime"
with a sing-song voice that almost made her seem
interested in O.E.'s bed. Rebecca watched carefully as the
nurse offered a variety of liquid nourishments. O.E.
sampled each one and managed to finish a few of them
under the watchful eye of the smitten woman. Finally, she
left the room.
When they were alone again, Rebecca turned in her seat
to face him. "Seducing nurses?"
O.E. grunted the words, slowly and carefully. "She's
nice. Feeds me."
"So what happened at the bar last night? Did you get
clocked by a woman?"
O.E. rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Her
boyfriend."
Rebecca's eyes widened. "Are you the ultimate lothario
or what? Do you realize that in less than two days, you
danced with one bridesmaid, made out with another one,
flirted with the waitress and two former girlfriends on our
date, was inappropriate enough at a bar to get slugged by
some woman's boyfriend, and now you're in the hospital
with nurses drooling by your bedside. Damn, O.E., you are a
heartbreaker!"
He needs a heart. Suddenly, The Wizard of Oz was again
relevant, and she paused with a smile. "You know what?
You're not the Scarecrow. Brains aren't your problem at all.
How does the line go? 'Anybody can have a brain. That's a
very mediocre commodity.'" O.E. pointed at her and nodded
his head, a big smile on his face.
Rebecca went on. "I know what you are. You're the Tin
Man, a heartless cad. What you need is a heart."
O.E. gave her a tight smile and motioned with one
finger for her to come closer. She got up and sat on the edge