Blind Date for Eric

The small apartment was quiet as Eric settled down to an evening of television. He was looking forward to a night to himself after a long week of teaching at the Wood County Police Academy. His specialty was self-defense, but he taught all aspects of police work. It had been an especially tough week where things went wrong when they shouldn't have and things didn't get done when they should have. All in all, he was tired and sore and didn't want to be bothered for a few days. Flipping through the channels, he found a Yankees-Athletics baseball game and stayed there. Although he lived neither on the west coast or east, the two teams playing were among his favorites. After watching for a few innings, Eric went to the kitchen to get himself a beer. As he opened the refrigerator, the phone began to ring. Scowling, he grabbed a beer, closed the door, and checked the caller ID to find that his sister was calling. I wonder what she wants, he thought to himself as he picked up the phone.

"Hello Joy," he said before she could say anything.

"Caller ID?"

"Yep."

"I keep forgetting that you have that."

"You say that all the time."

"Yeah, well, sue me for forgetting."

"What do you need, Joy?" he asked, trying to get to the point of the phone call.

"Do I need a reason?"

"You only call if you have a reason. What's up?"

"Are you busy tomorrow night?"

"Let me check my social calendar." Eric looked at the calendar on the wall next to the phone that was mostly full of empty boxes. "I can probably squeeze you in sometime between 7:15 and 7:30. Is that okay with you?"

"That's funny, Eric. Ha Ha. Can you make it or not?"

"Why?" Eric was getting suspicious. Joy was famous for fixing him up on blind dates, something he wished she wouldn't do, although he had to admit that the ones she did fix him up with were usually pretty nice. Still, he wasn't in the mood to go on a date, blind or otherwise.

"I've got someone I'd like you to meet," Joy replied as Eric cringed and silently cursed on the other line.

"Ah, come on sis," he protested as he sat down at his dinette, beer in hand. "I don't know if I'm in the mood for a date this weekend. I had a hell week and I'm sore and tired. I don't know."

"I think you'll like her, Eric. She's a nurse in pediatrics." Joy worked as a receptionist in radiology. "She's cute, soft-spoken, and she thinks you're good looking. I mean that's worth something, don't you think? What do you say?"

"You showed her a picture of me?" Eric asked, a bit interested, but not nearly enough to want to go.

"Well, she asked to see one."

"And she didn't get sick or throw up..."

"Eric!"

"I don't know, Joy," he repeated.

"Come on, Eric, she's really nice," Joy said sweetly, trying to convince him.

Eric thought for a minute before replying. "Did you tell her about my leg?" Eric had been a cop four years earlier when he was shot in the knee during a burglary investigation. After multiple surgeries, his leg was saved, but his police career was over. He walked with a limp, sometimes more noticeable than others depending on how much discomfort he was in.

"Yes, I did, but it didn't appear to make any difference to her." Joy knew how sensitive he was about it.

"What did she say?" he pressed, sighing loudly, waiting for bad news.

"Okay."

"That's it?"

"That's it. I told you it didn't make any difference to her."

"Oh." Eric was silent for a moment. "Well, what's her vitals?" he asked, more than a little interested now.

Joy smiled to herself because she knew that Eric was interested now. "She's about 5 ' 9" and maybe 150 pounds. She has brown hair and green eyes, never married, and is around your age."

Eric, who was 31, asked, "So, what's wrong with her?"

"Maybe she's thinking the same about you!"

"Touche," Eric replied, he himself a confirmed bachelor. "What's her interests?"

"Shouldn't you be the one to find out?"

"You're on the ball, Joy. I can't get anything by you tonight."

"You can't get anything by me at any time, Eric," she countered. "So, what do you say?"

"You're really pushing this one, Joy. What's so special about her?"

"I don't know, Eric. I just think you two would hit it off, that's all. It's just a feeling, plus she seems to be pretty interested, so that's all I can say."

Eric thought about it for a few more moments as Joy waited patiently. As he thought, he realized that he had no good reason not to go. Heck, he might even have a great time for all he knew. "Okay Joy," he said, "I'll go. Where and what time?"

"Great, I know you'll have a good time," she gushed. "Stop by at five o'clock and Tim and I will take it from there." Tim was Joy's husband.

"What should I wear? Casual, dressy, or tank top, shorts, and unshaven?"

Joy laughed, "Just casual, Eric. You know, slacks and a polo."

"Okay, sounds good," he agreed. "So, does my date have a name or will I just say 'hey you' all night?"

"Her name is Nancy, Nancy Roalef. Are you okay with that or should I ask her to change it for you?"

"Nice comeback, sis," he chuckled. "I think she can keep it. It's a nice name."

"I'm sure she'll be relieved to hear that. Well, I'll let you go and I'll call her and set things up. See you at five tomorrow."

"See you, sis, and thanks."

"You're welcome, Eric," she said before she hung up.

Shaking his head, Eric took his beer and went back to the living room to resume watching the game.

Nancy Roalef was on pins and needles all day waiting for Joy to call. She really was hoping that Joy's brother would agree to a date with her. Just when she least expected it, the phone began to ring. Nancy answered the phone on the fourth ring after first drying her hands from washing the dishes. "Hello," she said.

"Hey Nancy, it's Joy."

"So, what'd he say?"

"It's a go. He even promised not to wear a tank top and shorts."

Was there a doubt?"

"Well, you never know what to expect with Eric," she explained.

"He's not weird, is he? I've had it up to here with weird dates. You're not holding something back on me, are you? Please tell me he's normal," Nancy pleaded, her voice starting to show panic.

"I wouldn't steer you wrong, he's quite normal. He's just got a good sense of humor and you sometimes don't know where he's coming from."

"Good," Nancy sighed with relief, "I was beginning to think he was the second coming of Pee Wee Herman!"

"I think you'll be okay with him," Joy laughed

Nancy was beginning to feel a bit apprehensive about the date. She didn't date much and had only been on a few blind dates, all disasters. When Joy approached her about Eric, she immediately thought no, no, no, oh hell no! But after Joy talked to her about him and showed her his picture, she finally relented. Now that it was set, the butterflies started to dance in her stomach, but she wasn't going to back out. He looked too cute to pass up.

"What's the itinerary tomorrow?" she asked. Nancy hoped to get an early start since she had to work on Sunday.

"Eric's going to be at my place at five, so we'll pick you up at about five-fifteen or so in separate cars."

"Separate cars?" Nancy interrupted.

"Wait, let me finish," Joy said. "We'll go out to eat and if things are going well, you guys can go off on your own. If not, Tim and I will take you back home."

"Sounds like you've done this before."

Amused, Joy said, "Yes, we've done it a few times. It works quite well and there are no hard feelings if it doesn't work out, but like I told him, I think you two will hit it off."

"I hope so," Nancy said, "I haven't been on a decent date in a long time."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Joy reassured her as she glanced at her watch. "Well, I'm going to let you go. I've got an early day tomorrow."

"Sure, Joy, I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks again for setting it up for me."

"No problem. See you later." Joy hung up the phone, quite pleased with herself.

Eric watched the game, not entirely focused on it, but watched it nonetheless. His mind wandered to his upcoming date and he hoped that Joy had picked out someone that he could entertain without too much effort on his part. He had taught defensive tactics for the past few days and his bad knee was very tender and sore. Most of the time, he could fight through the pain without resorting to medical relief, but tonight, he needed to take some Tylenol to take the edge off. Hopefully, if he took it easy, it would feel better by morning. He certainly didn't want to be in a painful, grouchy mood on a date, a blind date at that. It had happened before and it wasn't pretty.

His thoughts drifted to the game once more as the crowd at Yankee Stadium stirred when the home team managed to string a couple of base hits together. Eric sat up straight and propped his leg up on an ottoman, all the while watching the game. A few minutes later, his thoughts turned to planning his date after the dinner, should it get that far. From past experience, most women he dated enjoyed an evening of dancing, but he doubted that his knee would tolerate it, although if he took some extra strength pain medicine beforehand, it might work. A stroll through Lake Orchard Park might work too, he thought. Lake Orchard Park was in a residential neighborhood that had a small pond with ducks, plus other attractions. But then, he thought it might be a little too subdued for a first date. Of course, a movie would work, they almost always did. He guessed that he would just have to play it by ear and go from there. He then refocused his attention to the game and watched it to its conclusion before heading to bed.

"What are you so happy about?" Tim asked as he climbed into bed beside Joy, who was grinning from ear to ear while reading.

"Oh nothing," she replied, turning a page, "we're just going on a date tomorrow night."

"We are?" he asked, eyebrows raised. "That's news to me."

"You'd find out eventually."

"Gee, thanks. What's the occasion?" Tim knew that it wasn't around her birthday or their anniversary, so he was safe.

"We're double dating with Eric and a girl from work."

"Oh no!" Tim cried, "Not another blind date for Eric. Can't you leave him alone and let him find someone for himself?"

"It's only for dinner, Tim. Geez, you act like we do this all of the time."

"We? Where'd this 'we' stuff come in? You're the one setting up these dates for him, not me. Don't include me in this grand scheme of yours." He tried to look peeved, but it was just an act he was putting on and Joy saw right through it.

Joy put her book on the nightstand and turned off the light. Snuggling against him, she said, "Don't worry about whose idea it was. I'll make it up to you afterwards. Of course," she said as she slid her hand between his legs, "we could get started early if you like."

Tim laughed softly, "I'd love to go on a double date tomorrow night."

"I thought you would," she replied as she settled next to her husband for a night of loving.

Nancy woke late Saturday morning, savoring another day off from the hospital. She still loved her job, but her patient load increased almost every year and she was now taking care of twice as many patients as she had when she first started eight years earlier. And of course, almost every decision she made while on duty had a direct impact upon the patient, so any mistake, no matter how small, could cause a life or death situation. She couldn't say for sure that she was getting burnt out, but she found it harder and harder to want to go to work. Nancy prayed and hoped that her day would be mistake free and that she would be able to give her patients all of the attention that they needed.

Perhaps that is why she was looking so forward to an evening out with Joy, her husband, and of course, Joy's brother, Eric, her date. She really needed a fun night out with friends and maybe this would lead to something better with Eric. She surely hoped so. It had been a long time since she had been in a meaningful relationship and she missed the thrill and excitement of being in love, to be loved. Joy had painted a pretty even picture of Eric for her, telling her the good and the bad, although he didn't seem to have too many faults, and Nancy was grateful for her truthfulness.

She made herself a couple of scrambled eggs and toast and ate absently while reading the newspaper. After she finished her meal and the paper, she noticed that it was close to one o'clock, so she put the dishes in the sink for later and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Eric whistled softly as he pulled out of his apartment complex, turning left at the driveway, and headed to his sister's house. He was in a great mood as he looked forward to the evening. Even if the date didn't work out, he always enjoyed getting together with Joy and Tim. She was his only sibling, one year older, and they had always been close, even in the teenage years. He and Tim shared many interests and could often be found on a golf course or on a fishing pond in Tim's boat on the weekends..

Looking ahead to his right, Eric saw a Wood County sheriff's car stopped with it's lights flashing. A vehicle was in front of it with its driver's door open. He didn't see an officer or anyone else around and Eric thought it was strange. Cop instinct took over as he moved over to the middle turn lane while looking for an officer or suspect. As he passed the two cars, he immediately saw the problem as an officer was on the ground between the cars flailing around with a larger suspect.

"Shit!" Eric hissed as he jammed on the brakes, pitching himself forward as he slammed the car into park. Forgetting his leg and everything else, he quickly glanced right before racing across the two lanes, hearing sirens in the distance. As he approached, he could see a female officer on her back, her hand on her holstered gun with the suspect's hand over hers trying to pull it out. She was trying to kick him off, but he was too large for her to handle.

Wide eyed, she saw Eric heading towards them with a full head of steam. Eric hit him low and hard in the ribs with a body block, knocking him off of the officer. Both went sprawling as Eric landed on his knees but felt nothing with his adrenaline pumping. The dazed suspect was trying to get up from a seated position, but Eric scrambled behind him slipping an arm around his neck and cradling his head with the other arm at an odd angle. Eric applied pressure, effectively cutting off the man's air supply while painfully stretching his neck.

Eric growled in his ear, "You even twitch and I'll snap your neck like a twig! You understand?"

"Yeah," the man gasped, barely audible.

The officer had recovered and had her gun drawn in front of her, shaking slightly.

"Now, you're going to slowly roll to your left and then onto your stomach. Make any sudden moves and I can assure you that I will kill you or this officer will gladly blow your brains out. Got that?" Eric looked at the officer, his eyes reassuring her that he was in control of the situation. She nodded back to him.

"Yeah," the suspect gasped once again, trying in vain to get more air.

The sirens were coming closer as Eric shifted his weight slightly to allow the man to roll to his left as directed. As the man moved to his stomach, Eric reached his hand out for handcuffs and the officer gave him a set. As he handcuffed the individual, three police cruisers squealed to a halt nearby. Eric looked up and was relieved to see them as they helped him to his feet and took over the scene. Officer Pam Ridley holstered her gun and was visibly shaken by the ordeal. The sergeant on the scene took her by the arm and led her a few feet away to let her get composed enough to tell him what happened. Eric was questioned by the other officers and he gave a detailed account of the incident. Most of the officers recognized him from the academy or had worked with him when he was still a deputy. Eric glanced at Ridley and the sergeant from time to time, her head down, hands on hips. Periodically, the sergeant would pat her on the shoulder offering encouragement.

After a few minutes, Eric wandered over to her when their conversation was finished. Eric recognized her from the academy, but he couldn't remember anything in particular about her. When he drew near, she reached out and hugged him.

"Thank you," she said in a low voice. "I don't know how much longer I could have lasted."

"You did good," Eric replied. "You stopped him from getting your weapon and you survived."

"Maybe only because of you," she said, her emotions starting to get out of control.

"What happened?"

"He ran a light at London and Wellersby, so I pulled him over. He was fine until I brought him back to the car. I thought I saw some pot on the floorboard, but I wasn't sure. That's why I had him step out. He spun on me and took me down before I could react. I hit my '99' button when we hit the ground. I'm so lucky you showed up!"

Eric smiled and they talked quietly for a few moments. Eric liked the way she looked at him, flattered that a woman as young and pretty as she seemed to enjoy his company. If only he was younger and not going on a date, he probably would have asked her out. Date?!? Eric quickly looked at his watch. "Damn!" he exclaimed as he saw the time.

"Something wrong?"

"I'm late for a date. I need to make a call."

"I'm sorry," she said, head own once more.

Eric reached forward and lifted her chin gently. "Don't you be sorry for anything. I can be late for a date." Pam tried to smile, but couldn't, her gray eyes starting to fill with tears, tears from her brush with death and tears from the frustration that the man who saved her life was dating another. The crush that she had on him at the academy had not left her in the six months since her graduation.

Eric pulled out his cell phone and dialed Joy's number. She answered on the first ring. "Hey Joy, it's Eric."

"Eric! Where in the world are you? It's after five-fifteen!"

"I got tied up with some police work. I'll explain later. Listen, I've got to go back home and get cleaned up, so I'll meet you guys at the restaurant. Can you pick up Nancy for me?"

"Sure Eric, what time?"

"Where are we eating?"

"Francisco's on Main Street."

"I'll be there by six-fifteen."

"Okay, but you better have a damned good excuse!"

"It's a good one, Joy, believe me. I'll see you in a little bit."

"Okay Eric, bye."

Eric stayed long enough to talk to the sergeant for a few minutes and also to Pam again before he left the scene to go back home. Once there, he took another shower and changed into clean clothes. His knee was aching slightly, so he made sure he had a bottle of extra-strength Tylenol in case it got worse. When he felt that he was sufficiently groomed, he left for the restaurant.

Nancy was irritated and disappointed when Joy called to say that they'd be late. She was nervous already and this would just prolong her anxiety. She had been ready for over an hour after taking extra care with her hair and makeup. Wearing a tan short-sleeved blouse and black dress pants, Nancy looked nothing like she usually did in her drab green hospital scrubs. The form fitting blouse showed off her well-defined shoulders and arms and it narrowed down to her slim hips. Nancy did weight training three or four times per week and she was proud of her physique. She had always been athletic and weight lifting was her newest outlet, having been active in it for the past three years. No matter how tired or busy she was, Nancy always made it a point to work out for at least forty-five minutes each session.

They met at Nancy's at six o'clock and from there, they headed to Francisco's, an Italian restaurant in the heart of the city. Not only was it known for it's excellent food, it was small, quaint, and romantic. They were shown a table in a quiet corner and Tim ordered a bottle of red wine for them. Joy looked at him questioningly.