Gertrude Hardy rushed into the waiting room and looked around for someone to talk to. She had been called and told her brother had been shot and brought to this hospital, but that was all the information she had.

“Ms. Hardy,” a familiar voice called out, and she saw Fenton’s partner, Gerry Moore, walking towards her with a bandage on his head.

“Mr. Moore! How’s my brother?” she demanded, making a beeline for him.

Gerry looked grim as he sat down gingerly in a hard plastic chair in the waiting room.  “Not good. He’s been rushed into surgery – that’s all I know right now.”

“What happened?” the older woman demanded.

“He got shot with an armor piercing bullet – the thing went right through his flack jacket like a hot knife through butter,” Gerry said, and then sat back and sighed. His head really hurt.

Horrified, Gertrude’s hands flew to her mouth, and she would have fallen if a young man hadn’t caught her and helped her ease down, into a seat next to the police officer.

“Here,” the young man said as he passed her a cup of water, “sip this – it’ll help.”

“Th-thanks,” Gertrude managed after she did so, and then she looked at the young man who had caught her, not recognizing him.  “Do I know you?”

“No,” the blond teenager smiled warmly, “But I know your brother.”

“Oh,” Gertrude said and then went to stand up again.  “I need to talk to a nurse.” She hurried over to the triage desk

* * *

Paul watched the tall, angular older woman move away from him, and when he was sure she wasn’t going to faint or something again, he went to get another glass of water.

“Sorry,” he apologized to his sister a few minutes later when he handed her the drink, “I got delayed.”

“I saw,” Laura said from her seat near the hospital door.  She and Paul had rushed to the hospital after they got their father’s message, and when Laura found out that Fenton had been shot she went into shock, prompting Paul to get her something to drink.

On his way back to her, he saw the older woman start to collapse, and managed to catch her before she fell.

“Was that Fenton’s sister?” Laura asked, after sipping the water and watching the older woman talking to the nurse.

“I think so - she kind of looks like him anyway,” Paul said, appraising Gertrude.

Laura looked horror stricken, “He looks nothing like her!”

Paul laughed, “I said she looks like him, silly. Now sit tight and I’ll see what I can find out about Fenton.”

Winking at his sister, he hurried past the triage desk, flashing the nurse a quick smile, and then on upstairs towards the OR’s. That was the benefit of being the hospital’s top surgeon’s son – he got into places other people couldn’t.

No, he couldn’t go into the operating room. But he knew he could find someone up there who would let him know how his father’s latest surgery was going.

* * *

Laura heard the frustration in the older woman’s voice when the nurse really didn’t have anything more to tell her than she already knew. And her heart went out to her.

Fenton had told her some things about his family, and she knew they were a more reserved, private people than her own; but she was worried about him too, so she felt a strange bond between herself and Gertrude.

Getting up from her seat, Laura moved towards the increasingly agitated woman.

* * *

“Ms. Hardy?” a girl’s voice called out to her, and Gertrude turned to see an attractive young woman with shoulder-length blond hair and translucent pale blue eyes.  She knew immediately that this was Laura Scott.

Fenton’s Laura.

Rolling her eyes, Gertrude turned her attention back to the nurse. She really did not want to deal with Laura right now; she had enough on her plate trying to find out how her brother was.

“Gertrude?” Laura tried again, and this time the older woman did look at her.

“Can I help you?” she asked curtly, and Laura was taken aback by this woman’s hostility. She had no way of knowing how threatened Gertrude felt by her.

“I…I just wanted to let you know that my Dad is the doctor taking care of Fenton,” she said, forcing herself to hold the older woman’s intense gaze, “and I just know your brother will be all right. My Dad will do his best….He is the best…surgeon, anyway.”

Gertrude pursed her lips, inwardly relieved by this. She held Dr. Scott in high regard. But seeing the beautiful young girl standing before her, and knowing she was losing her brother to her, Gertrude couldn’t help it.

Jealously took her senses and spoke through her voice, “I’m sorry dear…did you say your father was God?”

Laura was stunned and said nothing. Gertrude scoffed, “Then don’t come here telling me my brother will be okay just because your father is taking care of him,” and then she finished cruelly, “and just who are you, anyway? I don’t know you.”

“My…my name is Laura Scott,” Laura managed, unsure how to react to Gertrude. She had never dealt with anyone like this before.

“Laura Scott? Can’t say I’ve heard of you,” Gertrude wanted to hurt her, to drive her away – maybe then Fenton would give up this foolish notion of marrying her. The older woman liked her life and didn’t want to see it changed in any way.

And she didn’t want to see her brother get hurt, which she was positive would happen if he continued with this madness. If you don’t fall in love…you can’t get hurt – Gertrude knew that one the hard way.

When she saw the tears brimming in those pale blue eyes, the older woman turned away. She didn’t want to see the hurt there – she just wanted her brother back.

* * *

Paul came off the elevator and hurried towards his sister. She was standing with her back to him, looking out the large sliding glass doors that opened and closed from the street.

“Hey,” he said, and then became concerned by the sad look he saw on her face.  “What’s wrong?”

Hearing her brother’s voice, Laura turned and buried her face in his strong chest. She cried.

It hurt, what Gertrude had said. And it wasn’t so much the words, but the way it was said. Laura had never felt such animosity before from someone she had never met.

She didn’t believe that Gertrude didn’t know her, for she had seen recognition flash across her face when Laura first spoke to her. And she had seen the fleeting glimpse of relief when the older woman heard who was doing Fenton’s surgery.

So she couldn’t understand why Gertrude would then turn around and say those things.

“Sorry,” she sniffled a few moments later, as she pulled away from her brother and wiped her nose, “I just met Fenton’s sister. I can’t say she was too pleased to meet me, though.”

“Oh, really?” Paul said, his vibrant blue eyes seeking out and then narrowing when he saw the stern-faced woman, seated once again next to the cop with the bandage on his head.  “What did she say?”

“Nothing much. But even so, she was nasty about it!” Laura admitted, sitting down tiredly in the chair behind her.  “She even claimed not to have ever heard of me. But that can’t be true – I’m sure Fenton would have mentioned me to her… wouldn’t he?”

Paul pursed his lips thoughtfully.  “Hmmm…why do I suspect that five minutes between her and Dad would be a spectacle worth selling tickets for?”

Laura looked at him and then gave a small snort, remembering Fenton’s first meeting with her father.  “Oh boy. Now I know what Juliet felt like….”

Paul laughed, “Well the good news is that Romeo is out of surgery.”

“What?” Laura jumped up and looked up into her brother’s face.  “How is he?”

“Well, according to my sources, he’s going to be just fine. Apparently Dad was amazing and his patient has a tenacity that served them both well,” he said, and then indicated the older woman.  “You want to give the news to the battle-axe?”

Laura smiled as she chided him gently, “That’s not nice, Paul. And yeah, I will. Thanks, little brother!”

Paul nodded and then followed his sister across the room. This time if Gertrude intended to be rude to Laura, she’d have to deal with him.

No one makes Laura cry.