Standing By

Decoding and Creating

(Tim)

"Careful, don't spill it!" Scott admonished as we balanced food on our way into the hospital.

I rolled my eyes. I swear, Scott was going to have a conniption if Avi's food didn't arrive in pristine shape. He'd almost spent more time tucking and re-tucking the the wrappers back in place, arranging and rearranging those damn tacos, and tapping the straw in place, fixing the little wrapper on top, than driving. Austin kept on just covering his eyes, it was so bad. Mitch finally ended up yelling at him to pay attention to his driving or else get out and let him drive. He'd finally relinquished enough control over the taco pack to get us here safely only to bark at Kirstie over the way she was carrying it. Heaven forbid that straw move.

"You wanna carry it?" she snapped, reaching past Austin as if to hand it over. He barely avoided knocking into the soda.

"Austin!" Scott yelled at him. "God! And Kirstie, just hold it like you would a normal cup, wouldja?"

"I am!" she shot back.

"Four, please," Rob called over my shoulder to the family that was already in the elevator.

"Don't yell at me, Scott, just chill, dude," was Austin's retort, slinking back to the wall by me. "Lordy."

"Let it go," Adam advised, balancing his own lunch in his hands.

"I am," Austin said pointedly. "Do you see me in his face?"

"I hear you muttering under your breath," he responded.

"So?" he challenged. "It was under my breath."

"Sorta," I informed him. "You—"

"Fourth floor!" Chance said loudly, giving all three of us a look.

"Watch it!" Scott cawed, reaching out to protect the (perfectly fine, one hundred percent straight) cup in Kirstie's hand but only succeeding in knocking it into himself. "Shit!"

"Serves you right," she muttered darkly.

"What about me?" Mitch complained, now wearing the tea. "What'd I do to deserve getting drinks spilled on me?"

"Nothing. And I'm sorry that you got drenched," Kirstie apologized. She shoved the food into Scott's arms, leaving him sputtering and aggravated, and started to dab at Mitch's front with a handful of napkins.

I placed my hands on Rob's and Chance's backs. "Can we step out of the elevator? We're holding it up."

With a shrug, the two of them started to step out. Rob's foot came down in a puddle and he started to fall, throwing his hands out to catch himself, his nachos flying all over the place. Adam did manage to catch the plastic dish of cheese before it made an even bigger mess at least. Rob's hand came down on the elevator alarm button, making the bell ring and we all jumped.

"Well, the alarm button works at least. We're all alarmed!" I said brightly.

Scott, Mitch, and Kirstie all slapped at me irritably, Scott with a taco. My Home Free guys, more accustomed to my sense of humor, just rolled their eyes. Although I did get a small chuckle out of Chance at least.

"Everybody OK over there?" a nurse from across the hall called out, looking up from her cart.

"Uh, may need a mop over here," Scott said sheepishly. "Sorry, Mitch." Kirstie coughed pointedly, so he added, "Sorry, Kirst."

"If he likes sweet tea, he can have mine," Austin offered, holding his cup out.

"He doesn't," Kirstie told him.