Food For Thought

The splash of cold water onto her face felt refreshing for Bridget. Nearly twelve hours since she awoke, it had been one long, exhausting, and stressful day. Was it really only this morning when I worried about JoJo's reaction to us having sex? It had been, and the need for a quiet moment alone now found her in the staff bathroom for the hospital floor.

Outside of the bathroom, a small room with a bench and ten lockers allowed the floor staff to change and store their street clothes. Opening the door, that's where Bridget heard a conversation that caused her to pause, pulling the door closed to only a crack.

"--so damn handsome!" a squeaky voice gushed. "I can't believe he's on my floor."

"I would've loved to been down in the ER when he let Merton have it," a nasal voice added.

"Yeah! Joyce down in the pharmacy said Merton nearly wet his pants, begging to do whatever he wanted."

"Can you blame him? His daughter nearly dies, and Nitpicky Norton shows up with security. About time someone put him in his place," nasal voice said with glee.

"I can't believe you were on lunch break when the poor man lost it. I think all of us standing at the station were wet both in our eyes and panties. I know I was," squeaky voice admitted with a giggle. "When a rich, powerful man like Harvey Diamond sobs uncontrollably, you know he's a damn good father."

"Shit, it ain't just the money. You ever hear the story about Kylie over in Radiology? No? Oh, that's right. It happened before you started," nasal voice recalled. "Well, a few years back, she caught his eye at a fundraiser for the cancer ward. They went back to his mansion, and he proved all those stories true."

"Really?" squeaky voice asked enviously.

"And then he had to go to Miami for business the next week. Kylie went with for a long weekend, and he wore her out. The way I hear it, by the second day, she could hardly move from exhaustion. And Kylie isn't out of shape; she's in phenomenal shape. And it wasn't that long ago that she performed as a Sugarbee."

"Wow...whatever happened with him and her?"

"The same thing he does with most women if the stories are true, he moved on. Kylie said he was very open about everything from the start, and she doesn't regret it one bit. Well, maybe in one way: he ruined her for other men. Oh, she's engaged now but still shivers in excitement when she talks about that weekend."

"Now, I totally want to get his daughter as my patient. Too bad Libby and Eloa floated down here. I wanted to be close to him," moaned the squeaky one.

"Yeah, a bunch of bitches if you ask me. Showing up down here and grabbing the best patients we've had in years."

"Well, they do work with Dr. Tarver all the time and wanted to take care of her son," the nicer of the two pointed out.

"Please. They just want a shot to be the next Mrs. Diamond," nasal voice remarked.

"All I know is that the person I envy the most is Dr. Tarver. She gets to sit there right with him. I didn't know they were friends. Her name never pops up on the gossip sites. Nosy Nectar is usually great at listing all his friends and girlfriends."

"Eh? Uh, I stay away from that fluff. If I want the real scoop, I check out The Stinging Truth. Still, they seem awfully chummy. I wonder if this trip at his cabin wasn't some lovers retreat."

"Barb! Their children were with them," squeaky voice protested.

"Doesn't mean shit with men like Diamond," Barb remarked. "Maybe their kids are screwing too."

"I don't think Dr. Tarver is like that. She always seems so nice and friendly. Not like the other Dr. Tarver," squeaky voice defended their eavesdropper. "I can't believe he would yell at his son that way. The bravery Sean showed rescuing Whitney doesn't deserve that attitude."

"You never can tell what a person is really like, Haylie. Considering the way Dr. Tarver carries himself, I bet he's a dominant man in bed. So maybe she's got a kinky side. I know I wouldn't mind getting ordered around by such a handsome doctor."

"Eww, I'm not into that stuff. I'd take a stud like Harvey Diamond or even a sweet kid like that Sean over someone like his father," Haylie declared.

Having head enough, Bridget opened the door, shocking them when she walked into the room. Haylie's reaction proved comical as she looked both ways to hide before burying her head into the open locker. Not as easily embarrassed, Barb met Bridget's eyes, daring her to say something.

"Hi, Haylie. Thanks for all your help with my son," Bridget said to the young nurse, who she liked. Next, she addressed the older nurse. "Oh, I'm all done in the bathroom, Barb, in case you need to use it. I know you have that issue with your stomach, or was it your bowels?"

Wearing a pleased smirk, Bridget walked out of the room. Pausing for a moment in the hallway, she remarked to herself. At least my sex life is far more active and kinky in hospital gossip than it is in reality. She turned toward the hospital wing on her left as the elevator chimed to her right.

"Bridget?" an uncertain voice called out from behind her.

Turning around, she saw a man with short blond hair and gray eyes exiting the elevator. About a year younger than herself, Bridget knew the man reasonably well, even if she hadn't interacted much with him in recent years. With his quiet, introverted personality and thinner frame, people often viewed him as meek or weak. It came from an unfair comparison with his extroverted, boisterous older brother. If they looked closer or paid attention longer, they would find a similar toughness.

"Graham," Bridget greeted, raising a hand slightly in a wave to Graham Diamond. She waited for him to reach her, but he was quickly pushed to the side by another individual.

A black-haired woman with olive skin, medium-to-large breasts, and blue eyes rushed forward, her arms wrapping the waiting doctor into a big, emotion-filled hug. "Bridget!" she cried, pulling back from the embrace to kiss both her cheeks and then her lips.

"Frida, nice to see you. It's been a while," Bridget greeted the Diamond family's longtime chef. With her grandmother serving as a maid to Harvey and Graham's grandparents, the little girl, two years younger than Graham, had often followed the older boys around. On several occasions when Harvey and Beverly dated, Frida Isidro had accompanied the Diamond boys to the Fallon house for an event.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Frida profusely thanked the blonde, repeating her kisses to both cheeks and lips. A passionate woman, she could be very open with her emotions. "For all that you did and for raising such a brave boy."

As the distraught woman wrapped her up in another hug, Bridget could only stand and look over Frida's shoulder at Graham. Long used to his close friend's ways, he merely shrugged and shook his head.

"Now, where is my pumpkin princess?" Frida demanded abruptly, breaking off the hug.

"Uh, Room 414," Bridget answered, causing the chef to race toward the wing of rooms.

"Sorry, Bridget. Frida's been freaking out since she heard the news," Graham apologized as they fell into step together, following the hurried woman. They both heard her horrified gasp from far ahead as she finally saw Whitney.

"About time you got here," Harvey remarked when he saw his brother. Whitney and Sean were both sleeping again. "I was starting to worry. The nurses said visiting hours end at nine," he revealed with a nod toward the clock. That left only a little over ninety minutes until the hospital barred any visitors until morning.

"Well, I would've been here sooner, but that one demanded I go out of my way to pick her up."

"I would think so, Graham Diamond," Frida fiercely whispered, threatening him with a waving finger. "If you hadn't, then you would've ended up here too with a case of food poisoning."

"You know you could've driven over yourself--" Harvey began to say but buckled under her withering gaze.

"I'm in no shape to drive! You gave Bud the week off, and Valeria insisted that she remain back to run the household. Now, tell me everything!"

Bridget and Harvey spent the next fifteen minutes filling the new arrivals in with what happened and what the doctors diagnosed. Bridget did most of the talking and Frida most of the questioning.

"And where is her mother?" the feisty woman demanded to know from Harvey when the questioning ended.

"Willow went out of town for New Year's with a new boyfriend," Harvey responded, quickly holding his hands up to calm his friend/chef down when she looked ready to murder his ex-wife. "But she's booked a flight to head back. So she should be here in the morning."

"I would think so," Frida muttered, more to herself than anyone else. At that moment, Harvey's stomach did the worst thing it could do: it rumbled. His chef's sharp ears picked the sound up immediately. "You both look like hell. When have you last eaten?"

"Ah, I had half a sandwich at the pond," Bridget said, recalling the small batch that Rachel made for the ice skating trip.

"Uh, not since breakfast."

"And what did you have for breakfast, Harvey?"

"Um, donuts."

"Donuts?! You and your baking! I don't know what to do with you sometimes," Frida exclaimed, shaking her head at the man that technically was her boss. "You need real food in you, and especially on a stressful day like this. Get your butt down to the cafeteria!"

"I'll be okay, Frida. I'm not really in the mood for hospital cafeteria food."

"I think she's right, Harv. I could use a bite to eat. Plus, the hospital did away with the cafeteria years ago. We have a food court now, and it has some good selections," Bridget explained.

"See, she knows what's good for you. And listen to her; Bridget's a doctor," Frida said, motioning for him to leave the room. "Grammy and I can sit here with them."

"Frida! Don't call me that in public," Graham hissed, embarrassed that Bridget heard his old childhood nickname.

"Uh, actually, I need to talk to Graham," Harvey revealed as he backed out of the room.

"Fine, take him too. I'll stay by myself. Apparently, someone needs to worry about your health," Frida remarked, practically pushing the other three adults out of the room.

---

"She still looks good, great, in fact. If you didn't know her age, a person would think she's a decade younger than she really is," Graham remarked, looking over his shoulder at the curvy ass that wiggled at them from the food line.

"Yes, she still looks great," Harvey agreed. "I thought you were over your crush on her."

"I am; that ended years ago," Graham insisted, seeing the doubtful look in his brother's eyes. "It's your fault anyway. Dragging me to her house when you and Beverly dated. Oh, sorry, I didn't--"

"It's okay. Over these last few days, I've resolved not to let her name and our breakup continue to depress me. It's been over twenty years. I need to let it go."

"That would've made Grandma proud. She always scolded you over Bev. Told you to learn from the mistake. Maybe she's still influencing your love life," Graham joked.

"If anyone needs to follow Grandma's advice in their love life, it's you. What happened to your latest girlfriend?"

"Aw, c'mon, Harvey. I don't--"

"Quiet! She's coming back," Harvey interrupted his brother as Bridget made her way to them, holding a tray of food.

"You sure you don't want anything, Graham?" she asked.

"Oh, I'll be fine. Frida goes on cooking benders when she's upset," he revealed. "And there's no way she'll let me leave tonight. She'll make me stay and eat all the dishes. Bud's going to regret missing out."

"She still sounds like the little girl that followed you around, ordering you what to do. Okay, I got you a cheeseburger, Harvey. I figure some comfort food is good at a moment like today."

"That's fine, thanks," he said, noticing she grabbed herself a chef salad. Taking a bite out of the burger, Harvey had to admit it tasted better than he expected.

"See, I told you. Merton resisted the idea until he realized the food court could bring in more money than the old cafeteria," she recalled.

"Sounds like him," Graham remarked. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

With a mouthful of food, Harvey glanced over in Bridget's direction.

"Oh, is this a private talk? I can go sit with someone else if you guys want," she offered.

"No, no. You can stay. I trust you," Harvey said, intriguing the others. "I need you to call someone for me."

"Aunt Demi? Sure, I can do that," Graham stated, while Harvey took another bite of the hamburger. As his brother shook his head, Graham grew wary. "It better not be our parents. No way! You can call them yourself."

"No, I wouldn't do that to you," Harvey insisted. "That's not who I want you--"

"Wait, have you called Dalton? You haven't!" Graham shook his head in disbelief as Bridget watch the back and forth in amusement.

"I didn't want to bother him on his vacation," Harvey defended himself. "The Pierces rarely take vacations!"

"You better fucking call him, Harv. Dalton's going to hear it from someone and soon," Graham warned. "Imagine how hurt he's going to feel that you didn't call. Frida was ready to attack you for waiting a few hours to call her. Hell, I think she left a bruise in my shoulder for not telling her as soon as I heard."

"Fine! I'll call him in a little while," Harvey gave in exasperation. "This isn't about Whitney. Only Clive knows this, but I had planned to return to town tonight. Fred revealed an interesting bit of information the other day."

"Oh, boy, this is from Freddy? How's he doing out at the cabin?" Graham inquired with a knowing chuckle.

"Not very good," Harvey admitted, sharing a look with Bridget. "He brought his latest girlfriend but never bothered to tell her the whole week and charity ball were in honor of Cassandra."

"Whoa! That's bad, even for Fred. Was this another of his floozies?"

"Oh, no, Graham. Skye's a sweetheart. You'd like her. She didn't deserve his treatment at all," Bridget insisted.

"Yes, Skye's far too good for Fred in his current condition," Harvey agreed. "But that's not what I needed to come back to town for. I came to talk to Dewey."

"Mayor Dunkley?" Graham asked. Bridget also raised an eyebrow over the name.

"Yes, despite all the drama that seems to swirl around Fred these days, he's still good at picking up gossip. He thinks he's found out who might be partially behind those unfounded stories about Dewey."

"Ah, The Stinging Truth and its supposed real news," Graham said with a nod. "I don't know Dunkley like you do, but even I know all those scandalous stories are nothing but bullshit."

"Well, I did know him slightly growing up because of my sister, and there's no way he's that corrupt and kinky," Bridget piped in. "Dewey's one of the most open people I know. I can't see him hiding a simple secret for very long, and definitely not the type of stuff that sensational website claims."

"Yeah, that site plays into people's misconceptions of politics in general. Claims they have the truth that newspapers like the Daily Flyer won't inform people about," Graham said, rolling his eyes. "So, who's name did Fred hear?"

"Orrin Rusk."

"The car dealer?!"

"Miranda's husband?" Bridget asked.

"Well, there's only one Orrin Rusk. And according to Fred's source, Rusk's planning to announce his candidacy for mayor right before the deadline next week," Harvey revealed.

"Hmm, it might fit. His whole 'man of the people' shtick he uses to sell cars could transfer over to a run for office," Graham evaluated the idea. "Still, he might have money, but funding that website and running for office seems like a stretch for him."

"And that's the second part of Fred's rumor. He's heard a wealthy family in Honey Hollow is bankrolling the whole operation," Harvey finished revealing. "A changing of the power structure."

"Whoa! That's an ambitious idea," his brother remarked. "I wonder which family would be interested in that?"

"We've already gone over it. It might not be one of the names that come to mind, but a next tier family or a combination of families."

"There is a fair amount of resentment in town about how the Nobles, Wynwicks, and Thirlbys have always held sway over city government," Bridget added. "Throw in your family too. People might want a change, so it's possible, but is it really a realistic scenario?"

"Clive has his doubts too. But Fred also heard that Rusk is worried if they damage Dunkley too much, and he decides to drop out that Clive might take his place," Harvey noted. "That concerns me. I don't want two friends under attack."

"B-But Orrin's son is dating Clive's daughter!" Bridget pointed out, startled at the possibility of Lacey's boyfriend's father dragging her father's name through the mud.

"Yes, we know. We've been keeping an eye on Austin at the cabin just in case."

"Wait, Rusk's son is at the cabin with you? This is turning into a soap opera," Graham chuckled.

"I wanted to give Dewey a heads-up today. Any extra time could help him mount a defense. I know you aren't close to him, but do you think you could tell him what I found out? It should be done face-to-face."

"Of course, you need to stay with Whitney," Graham insisted, glancing at his phone and the time. "Give me his number. It's still early enough that we can meet tonight."

Noting that it was already after eight o'clock, Harvey added, "You better call him right away. Dewey's not a night owl."

Nodding at his brother's suggestion, Graham went outside to get better reception for his phone. Bridget watched him leave. Turning back to his brother, she inquired about his life.

"How's Graham doing? Still single?"

Sighing loudly and deeply, Harvey responded, "Graham's got the worst luck with women. He seems to attract every possible gold digger in the area."

"Oh, no!"

"Yeah, I feel terrible for him. It seems like they all think he's an easier mark than me, which is hilarious in a depressing way. I'm way more oblivious to what women really want. I think Frida's so hoping that every new girlfriend is the one that she willingly ignores the signs. Dalton and Imogen are usually the ones that catch on and tell the vultures to get lost."

"Far too interested in the boobs and butt, aren't you?"

"I swear you think the worst of me, Bridget." Then, under her unblinking stare, he broke down. "Fine, maybe you're right. But I wish Graham could find someone nice. I think he's close to giving up."

"That's awful. You mean he's never met a decent woman?"

"It's not like every woman is a golddigger. Most don't click with him. There was one way back in college. A blonde that was sweet and full of life," Harvey recalled. "I thought she might be the one for him, but I don't know what happened. We don't talk much about women, but he freezes up whenever I tried to bring her name up."

"That's a shame," Bridget said, her heart going out to the man that she knew had a crush on her back in high school. She found Graham to be a nice guy, but he wasn't really her type. "What about Frida? They've always been close."

"Graham and Frida? That's never happening," Harvey declared with a laugh. "They're best friends, but Frida walks all over him. I think part of the reason he doesn't live at the manor is fear that she'll run his life even more than she does now. Frida's always trying to set Graham up with this woman or that woman she knows. She's made it clear she wants little godchildren to spoil someday. What?"

"It's just funny to hear the two of you calling each other Harvey and Graham," Bridget admitted with a grin. "I remember when you two would be over at our house. It would be 'Dammit, Grammy!' Or 'C'mon, Havy, leave me alone!' You two were always bickering."

"I guess I never realized we do that. I haven't heard Havy in years. It's because he couldn't pronounce Harvey as a toddler."

"I recall the reason," Bridget replied, smiling at the nickname.

"I don't know when we last called each other those names. Obviously, Frida still uses Grammy for him. Our parents insisted as kids that we use our full names. Maybe that stuck as we got older. And around the company, it sounds better, I guess," Harvey said, wondering why he never noticed before.

"And speaking of family: why don't you consider Frida to be a sister?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you always talk about Brandy and me as being the sisters you never had, but Frida pretty much grew up with you two."

"Oh, uh, I don't know. My parents never liked Graham being friends with her, but my grandparents loved it. I guess Graham and Frida might see each other as surrogate siblings, but I never have. Maybe like a cousin, due to our connection through my grandparents. She's a good friend, a close friend. My brother's best friend. I think the age difference between us made it a little different for me. And I--what?"

"Hmm, there's something..." Bridget trailed off as she studied Harvey's rambling response. "You've slept with Frida, haven't you?"

"What--why, why would you think that?!"

"Oh, you definitely have. That's why you're twisting yourself into knots as not to view her as close family," Bridget nodded, pleased with herself for figuring out the truth.

"I...we...fine, we've slept together several times," Harvey admitted in defeat. "I don't know how you figured it out. No one else has over the years. I'm not sure if Graham even knows, although Frida likely told him. How did you figure it out?"

"Because you're the worst when it comes to keeping your hands off of beautiful women, Harvey."

"Hey, it's not like that. Frida's not some casual hookup. It's more of a special occasion type of thing. That's why it's only happened a small number of times."

"Still. The. Worst. Is there any woman in your daily life that you haven't screwed? Wait, don't answer that; it was a rhetorical question," Bridget said in a combination of exasperation and amusement. "Whitney better keep on eyes on her friends. They're getting old enough that--ohmigawd, you have!"