A Slice of Heaven

by Sherryl Woods

  “Oh, sweetie, this crisis will pass,” Maddie said, regarding her with sympathy. “A day will come when all you’ll worry about will be whether Annie’s home on time from a date and whether her grades are good enough for the college she wants to attend.”

  “That day can’t come soon enough for me,” Dana Sue exclaimed earnestly. “I need to go. I want to stop by the restaurant before I head back to the hospital. I’m going to owe Erik and Karen huge raises after the way they’ve pitched in, but there are some things I have to do myself. I would give anything to spend an evening there cooking. I miss it.”

  “Well, even if you don’t have time to cook, eat a decent meal while you’re there,” Maddie advised. “I hear the food’s outstanding, even with the owner away.”

  Dana Sue smiled. “Thank goodness for that.” She leaned down and gave her friend a fierce hug. “Thanks for listening.”

  “Anytime,” Maddie said. “Ronnie’s a pretty good sounding board, too, you know. And he has as much of a stake in the outcome of all this as you do.”

  “I know,” Dana Sue murmured. She just didn’t want to start relying on him, and find out that all his promises about sticking around Serenity meant no more than the vows he’d taken on the day he’d married her.

  Annie was feeling pretty battered and bruised after another unproductive session with Dr. McDaniels. It was getting harder and harder not to give in to the psychologist’s entreaties, especially knowing that she could be stuck here for days if she didn’t cooperate, or worse, wind up in some dump far away from home, where they’d pester her until she caved in. There had to be rules about torturing a kid, right? Maybe she should ask Helen about that.

  There was a hesitant tap on the door of her room, then it inched open. Ty stuck his head in, his expression tentative.

  “Is it okay to come in?”

  Annie brightened at the sight of him. He was such a hunk, especially in jeans and an old Atlanta Braves T-shirt. “Sure,” she said eagerly, wishing she’d done something to fix herself up earlier. She probably looked pretty disgusting. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

  “I cut classes,” he admitted, pulling a chair up beside the bed.

  She stared at him in shock. “To come see me?”

  He nodded, looking uncomfortable. “It’s just that every time I’ve come, the room’s been filled up with other kids, and your folks or my mom. I wanted to talk to you alone.”

  “Your mom’s going to flip out when she finds out about this, you know. Coach Maddox probably will, too. Isn’t he real strict about players being in class?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Ty admitted. “But he’s my stepdad now. I can probably get him to cut me some slack.”

  “Dreamer,” she teased. “He probably thinks he has to be harder on you than anybody else, so you’ll be an example, even if you are his star player.”

  Ty shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I needed to talk to you about what happened.”

  “You mean the night I got sick,” she said, her enthusiasm for the visit waning.

  “Yeah, that,” he said. “And the fact that me and those other guys were over there. I feel like we contributed to what happened.”

  “That’s crazy,” she said. “You’d been gone forever when I passed out.”

  “Maybe so, but that’s the second time I was around and you keeled over.”

  “It wasn’t the same as it was at your mom’s wedding,” Annie insisted. “I just got a little dizzy that time.”

  “From not eating,” Ty said. “And we both know it wasn’t just some little thing. I know all about anorexia from school, Annie. It’s not something to fool around with. I’m worried about you.”

  She stared at him, startled that he would admit to such a thing. “Why?”

  “You almost died, dammit, that’s why,” he said, his voice rising. “Don’t you know how scary that is for everyone around you? Sarah and Raylene are terrified. I get sick thinking about what could have happened. And all of us feel guilty because we’ve seen what you were doing and haven’t stepped up to say anything.” His somber gaze clashed with hers. “So I’m stepping up, here and now. You’re my friend. Heck, you’re practically family. We’ve known each other since we were babies.”

  “I know,” she whispered, shaken by the barely concealed anger and fear in his voice.

  “Then here’s the deal,” he said, his gaze not wavering. “Either you get help for this right now or I’ll be on your case morning, noon and night until you do.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “It matters that much to you?”

  “You matter that much. Not just to me, but to a lot of people.”

  She regarded him incredulously. “But I’m so fat,” she whispered. “I don’t know how you can even stand to look at me.”

  Ty stared at her in shocked disbelief. “Are you crazy?” He jumped up, yanked open a bedside drawer and fumbled around until he found a compact. “Look at yourself,” he demanded, holding up the tiny mirror. “Take a good, hard look, Annie. You used to be beautiful, but now you look like a skeleton.”

  Annie couldn’t bear to look in the mirror. She began to cry in earnest at the harsh words.

  Ty tossed the compact back in the drawer, then took her hand in his. “I want the old Annie back. I want to see your dimples again. I want to hear you laugh again. I want all of us to go out for pizza and burgers and not see you pushing the food around on your plate and only pretending to eat it.”

  Annie clung to his hand, stunned that any of this mattered to him. “I don’t know if I can be that way again,” she told him.

  “I think you can be,” he said with confidence. “I’ll bet the shrink does, too, or she wouldn’t be wasting her time. But you have to want it, Annie. You have to want it enough to fight for it. I know all about how you’re stonewalling the doctor right now. My mom was telling Cal about it last night at dinner. You act like none of this is a big deal, but it is.”

  Annie closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see his disappointment. Having Ty come down on her like this had caught her totally by surprise. She wished she could tell him what he wanted to hear. Did he think she wanted to die?

  “Hey,” he said, squeezing her hand. “Look at me.” He waited patiently until she finally relented and met his gaze. “I know you’re scared. And I know what the teacher said in health class about anorexia being some kind of weird control thing.” He smiled at her. “So here’s how I see it. If you were strong enough to control your eating that way, then you’re strong enough to turn things around. You just have to want it.”

  His smile spread. “And until you want it enough for yourself, consider me your conscience. I’m going to be on your case like white on rice.”

  Annie wasn’t sure she could see a downside to that, but she knew there was one. Having Ty underfoot every time she turned around was like a dream come true. Knowing he was there for one reason only, to see to it that she ate, well, that wasn’t so terrific. In fact, it was kinda humiliating.

  “I can do this on my own,” she told him, not wanting him to know how scared she was that she couldn’t.

  He nodded. “I believe that. Just the same, I think I’ll keep a close eye on you until all the votes are counted.”

  “Did your mom send you over here?” Annie asked.

  He blinked at the question. “No, why?”

  “My mom?”

  He shook his head.

  Annie lay back against the pillows, pleased that he’d done this completely on his own. Maybe he did care about her, at least a little. Not like he was in love with her or anything, but this was the start she’d always longed for.

  For the first time since her life had started spiraling out of control, she felt motivated to fix it. Maybe the next time Dr. McDaniels came by she’d have something to say to her.

  Ronnie had been just down the hall when he’d seen Ty slip into Annie’s room. Given the time of day, it was pretty clear the kid had cut classe
s to come. His reason for doing that must have been pretty important.

  Ronnie had waited a good, long time before wandering down the hall and hanging around outside the door. He’d caught only snatches of what Ty had said to Annie and almost none of her replies, but he’d heard enough to feel a surge of admiration for Ty.

  He was still standing there when Ty finally emerged from the room.

  “Ronnie,” Ty said, looking vaguely guilty. “I didn’t know you were around.”

  “Just got here,” Ronnie fibbed. “I appreciate you coming by to spend some time with Annie.”

  “I’ve been worried about her,” the teen said with a shrug.

  “Me, too.” Ronnie debated saying more, then decided the boy needed to know how grateful he was for some of the things he’d said to Annie, hard truths that the rest of them had been tiptoeing around in some ways. “Look, Ty, I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I heard a little bit of what you said in there. I think you may have gotten through to her in a way none of the rest of us have been able to do. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

  Ty stood a little taller. “I meant every word,” he said.

  “I know you did. That’s why I’m so impressed. You’ve turned into a very mature young man.”

  Ty grinned sheepishly. “I’m not so sure my mom’s going to agree with that when she finds out I skipped school to come by here.”

  Ronnie draped an arm over his shoulder. “Let me deal with your mom.”

  Ty regarded him with relief. “My stepdad, too? He’s the baseball coach and he has all these rules about cutting class.”

  “I’ll speak to him, too,” Ronnie promised. “In fact, why don’t we take care of that right now? You have any more classes this afternoon?”

  Ty shook his head.

  “Then I’ll call your mom and see if she and your stepdad can meet us for a milk shake at Wharton’s. Sound good?” he asked, heading for the exit.

  “Sure,” Ty said. He looked away, then gave Ronnie a shy glance. “I don’t know everything that happened when you left town, but I’m glad you’re back. You and Dana Sue were always cool together. To me, you were like another set of parents, you know?”

  Ronnie felt the warm sting of tears at the comment. “Thanks. I always felt like that, too.” Before he could embarrass himself or Ty by actually shedding a tear, he pulled out his cell phone, then realized he had no idea what the number was at The Corner Spa. He held the phone out. “Why don’t you give your mom a call?”

  Ty regarded it as if it were contaminated. “No way. School’s not out for another ten minutes.”

  “Ah,” Ronnie said. “Then tell me the number.”

  “A much better idea,” Ty said.

  When Maddie answered, Ronnie chuckled at the impatience in her voice. She was obviously swamped with whatever it was she did over there. “Sounds to me like I called in the nick of time,” he told her.

  “Ronnie?”

  “Yep.”

  “This place has been crazy all afternoon. Sorry if I sounded snarly.”

  “Not a problem. Have you got time to play hooky?” he asked, grinning conspiratorially at Ty as he did so.

  “Do I sound like I do?” she said.

  “No, which is precisely the reason you should take a break. Everything will seem much less stressful when you get back to it.”

  “I don’t know,” she protested. “My desk is piled high.”

  “Will that change if you’re gone for an hour?”

  “Probably not,” she admitted.

  “Then meet me at Wharton’s. I’ve been craving a chocolate milk shake. So has your son.”

  There was a long silence on the other end, before she said cautiously, “Excuse me?”

  “Meet you at Wharton’s in ten minutes, Madelyn,” he said. “Invite your new husband to come along.”

  “You want me to include Cal when my son has apparently skipped school this afternoon? Are you crazy?”

  “I don’t think so. See you in ten minutes.” Ronnie hung up before she could pester him with a lot more questions.

  Ty regarded him worriedly. “You really think you can pull this off? Keeping me out of trouble, I mean?”

  “Not to worry. By the time I’ve finished spinning this story, you’ll sound like a cross between Mother Teresa and Dr. Phil.”

  Ty stared at him for a long time, then grinned. “Cool.”

  Ronnie nudged Ty into the booth at Wharton’s, then slid in beside him so the kid couldn’t bolt. He concluded it had been a good move when Maddie came flying in, looking part Mother Hen and part Terminator.

  “Cal coming?” he asked cheerfully as she sat down opposite them. Next to him Ty squirmed and avoided his mother’s fierce gaze.

  “Somebody had better explain what’s going on,” Maddie said tightly. “The sooner the better.”

  Ronnie was glad he’d ordered the second he and Ty had gotten there. He shoved Maddie’s milk shake a little closer. “Have a sip. You’ll feel better.”

  “Plying me with ice cream is not going to work,” she groused, but took a sip just the same. She’d never been able to resist milk shakes or hot-fudge sundaes. In fact, as Ronnie recalled, they were her drugs of choice when she was upset. Odds were she’d be calmer any minute now.

  A few moments later, after she’d stared hard at Ronnie, then at Ty, as if trying to decide which of them to strangle first, her expression brightened slightly.

  “Hey, darlin’,” the man she’d married in Ronnie’s absence said, dropping a kiss on her cheek, then turning to Ty with a far more dangerous expression. “Tyler.”

  “Uh-oh,” Ty murmured beside Ronnie.

  “Maddie, are you going to introduce me to your husband?” Ronnie asked hurriedly.

  “Ronnie Sullivan, Cal Maddox,” she said tersely. “Now start talking. Why wasn’t my son in school this afternoon and why is he with you?”

  Ronnie gave Ty an encouraging glance, then met Maddie’s gaze. “Actually, he was with Annie.”

  Maddie looked startled. “At the hospital?” She turned her gaze to Ty. “You’ve been going by at night. Why would you cut class to go?”

  “Because at night there are too many people around,” Ty said. “I thought maybe if I could really talk to her—you know, get in her face—maybe I could make her see how screwed up she is.”

  Maddie sat back, clearly stunned. Beside her, Cal looked as if he was torn between exasperation and pride. He finally broke the silence.

  “And?” he said. “How did it go?”

  Ty looked toward Ronnie for support. “Pretty good, I guess. I think she really heard me.”

  “He was amazing,” Ronnie said. “I was in the hallway and overheard some of it. You should be very proud of him, Maddie. He didn’t cut Annie an inch of slack. He said stuff to her that I’ve been scared to say.” He looked at Cal. “He quoted a lot of stuff from school about anorexia.”

  Cal nodded slowly. “I’m relieved to know that one lesson sank in, but—”

  Ronnie cut him off. “Look, Cal, I know Ty was wrong to cut class, but this one time I think he did it for all the right reasons. Couldn’t you maybe give him a break?”

  Cal was clearly torn between the rules and his understanding of the good Ty had done.

  Apparently, he reached a decision, because he smiled at Ty. “I am not condoning what you did…” he told him.

  “Me, neither,” Maddie added sternly.

  “…but I’m really proud of you,” Cal continued. “And since, technically, it isn’t baseball season for several more months, I don’t suppose I need to suspend you from a game for violating the rules.”

  Maddie’s expression softened. “And I will give you a note for your teacher explaining that you had permission to cut because of a family matter, and that it was my fault for not giving you the note in advance.”

  Ty’s relief was unmistakable. “Thanks. I promise I won’t do anything like this again. I just thought it was important, and I w
as afraid you’d both say no if I asked.”

  “It was important, which is why we’re not coming down on you,” Cal said. “But don’t get it into your head that you can pull a stunt like this again and then expect our approval later. Next time, ask.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ty said solemnly. “Could I maybe get a burger? I skipped lunch to get to the hospital.”

  “Tell Grace I’m buying,” Ronnie told him, moving to let him out of the booth.

  After he’d gone, Ronnie faced Maddie. “He’s grown up since I left.”

  Her gaze followed Ty before she turned back. “Some days I regret that, but I have to say that today I’ve never been more proud of him.”

  “Same here,” Cal said. “Do you really think he got through to Annie?”

  “I’ll know more after she has her next session with Dr. McDaniels,” Ronnie said. “But I really think he did. If that’s the case, I’ll owe him for the rest of my life.”

  Maddie reached over and squeezed his hand. “We all will.”

  Now that he’d helped to smooth things over for Ty, Ronnie sat back and took a long, considering look at Cal Maddox. “So, Coach, tell me how you snagged the second-best woman in Serenity?”

  “Second-best?” Maddie protested.

  Ronnie grinned at her. “Dana Sue’s at the top of my list, darlin’, but you sure do come in close behind her.”

  Cal looked at Maddie with enough heat to make Ronnie wish Grace Wharton would turn on the air-conditioning. “Sorry to contradict you,” he told Ronnie. “But in any poll I take, Maddie comes out on top.”

  She tucked her arm through Cal’s and grinned at Ronnie. “And that, in a nutshell, is how he got me.”

  “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if I think he deserves you,” Ronnie said.

  Maddie laughed. “You don’t get a vote.”

  Cal leaned across the table and met his gaze. “Maybe we should be talking about how you let a woman like Dana Sue get away.”

  Ronnie didn’t flinch under Cal’s direct gaze. “That’s an easy one. Stupidity, pure and simple.” He winked at Maddie. “And just for the record, I’m much smarter now. It won’t happen a second time.”