by Barbara Ebel
He looked over at Julia, off in some dreamland. That’s what he’d do if he ever got to spend substantial time with her, he’d purchase an optical instrument to enhance their understanding of astronomy.
Danny studied her little face - angelic with snow white, blemish free skin, and a long nose. Her dark blonde hair was fine and already a good inch long. Her wide set eyes were a dead giveaway from her mother. Rachel’s eyes were spectacular and Danny guessed his daughter would follow in her footsteps. Their color bordered on aqua blue.
His dilemma hadn’t changed because Mark still hadn’t called. While pondering what to do the next day, he faintly heard the garage door open and close beneath the bedroom. He hoped Casey would stop in before going to bed.
The lowest setting of the three-way light bulb from the dresser lamp was on, so a faint light spilled under the door. Casey saw it as he made his way down the hall. He tapped on Julia’s door and quietly pushed it open.
Glad to see him, Danny prompted Casey forward with a wave. “Come on in. How was work?”
“Are you making up for lost time with her?” Casey asked back. “It’s pretty late.”
“I believe I am. I feel so guilty about her situation.”
Casey looked clean cut for coming off work. His white shirt looked effortlessly wrinkle free, he wore dark pants and a sharp looking black belt. He nodded with understanding at Danny’s remark and went to the windowsill and sat in the alcove.
“Guess where Mark and I went to pick up a patient today?” Casey asked.
Danny shrugged, “Opryland?”
“No, but you’re on the right track. A movie theatre. In the aisle, in a crowded showing, while the movie still churned along. By the time we left, they had stopped it but I don’t know how they were going to make it up to the customers.”
“What about the patient?”
“He probably had a stroke.”
“What was playing?”
“Don’t know exactly, but I think it was one of those superhero things with far too much action and violence.”
“That’s probably why the patient stroked.”
Julia squirmed with restlessness for a minute while they sat in silence.
“So what’s going on with Julia?” Casey asked.
“I never heard back from Mark. If I don’t hear back from him tomorrow morning, I don’t think I should bring her back to Rachel.”
“You’d be doing the correct and moral thing by not handing her back to an abusive situation, but you could get in a heap of trouble. I have off tomorrow. I’ll come with you for the exchange if you decide to meet Rachel, but I’ll help in any way you need.”
Danny took a deep breath. If he gave her back to Rachel tomorrow, he could be putting her into a perilous situation. He would never forgive himself for that. “What would you do, Casey?”
“I wouldn’t let her set foot out of this house, metaphorically speaking, that is.”
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Sunday morning Danny dangled his arm alongside the bed, feeling for Dakota’s wavy coat. The dog wasn’t to be seen and he wasn’t lying next to the bed. Danny couldn’t remember when that had ever happened before. He swung his legs off the side of the mattress, got up, and walked in his underwear to the bathroom. He slithered toothpaste on his brush and as he swished it around his mouth, he peeked out the back window. As far as he could tell, his furry friend wasn’t out back either.
Danny threw on shorts and deck shoes and pulled a tee-shirt on over his head as he walked quickly to Julia’s room. It was almost nine o’clock so he’d certainly slept in. Julia wasn’t there. He smiled at the dependability of living with a joint family.
“Will you look at that?” Danny said with a big smile when he got downstairs. Julia had an advanced toddler grip in Dakota’s neck hair, sharing the same space next to the coffee table. Dakota didn’t even get up to greet him.
“They are precious together,” Mary said, rinsing dishes at the sink. She still wore pajamas and slippers and looked backwards towards her brother.
“Thanks, Mary. Looks like you took care of Julia this morning. I didn’t mean to sleep in.” Danny came over and planted his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.
“You’re welcome,” she said as the garage door opened and Casey came in with Annabel and Nancy, each of them with a grocery bag. As they said good morning to Danny and shoved the things on the counter, Casey went back out and brought in a dog food bag.
Nancy yanked at her hair, pushing one side in front of her ear. She peered into the bags and found what she was looking for. The six-pack of glazed donuts came out while Annabel’s hand was already flipping the box top open. “You pig,” Nancy said as Annabel took her first bite by the time the box made contact with the counter.
Annabel rolled her eyes while turning her back to her sister.
“We need a joint discussion,” Danny said. “As Casey knows, I’m not giving Julia back to Rachel today. I’m calling her to let her know. So, I have a dilemma about taking care of Julia when I go to work tomorrow and don’t know how long I’ll have her or what’s going to happen.”
“Ha, Dad, look at that,” Nancy said after she swallowed. “Dakota can take care of her.”
“You idiot,” Annabel said.
Nancy’s shoulders moved up and down. “Just kidding, you moron.” She put a donut on a paper napkin. “Dad, school starts this week otherwise you could’ve paid me to babysit all summer.”
Danny took the dog food bag, turned around and put it in the bottom of the pantry. “Yeah, bad timing. Thanks for the offer anyway.”
“But we could still do it once in awhile,” Annabel said, “if she stays with you.”
Danny stepped back up to the counter and also took a donut as Mary placed a cup of coffee before him. “Thanks Mary.”
“The lady who cleans here every two weeks,” Mary said, “with your monetary input for expenses, has minded her grandkids part-time all summer. But the kids go back to school. I could ask her if she’d like to come in every day and help out. I could take care of her to around nine a.m. every day and fill in, too.”
“And between the two of us coming and going,” Casey chimed in, “we could look after her. After all, she’s part of the family now.”
“Dakota is even helping out,” Mary said, pointing to the scene on the floor.
Danny watched each of them one by one, without hesitation, offer whatever assistance they could. He didn’t deserve a family or a friend like this after all the trouble he’d bestowed on them. He took a big sigh of relief. “You all are the best,” he said. He couldn’t say more or he’d choke up.
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Danny grabbed the portable phone and stepped out back where it would be quiet. He called Rachel’s cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail. That’s not what he needed. He thought quickly about the message he had to leave. The beep came on and he began his recital.
“Rachel, I don’t know what’s going on with Julia, but it’s obvious she’s been physically abused. We’ll have to clear up this whole issue, but in the meantime, I can’t morally give her back to you. I won’t be coming to the interstate rest area today at 5 o’clock to give her to you. I’ve called my attorney but haven’t heard back from him. Please call me when you get this.”
Danny hung up. He hadn’t minced words and had been straightforward. She had plenty of time to call back.
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Rachel was exhausted. After her crazy Friday of moving and meeting Danny, after working on Saturday, and after unpacking almost everything she owned that morning and afternoon, she was ready to lie on the bed and take a nap. She looked at the night table clock she had just set from her watch and realized she had to hustle to meet Danny at the interstate exit at five.
Luckily her bathroom had been set up with her routine toiletries and makeup. She dabbed some eyeliner on, a hint of lipstick, and slipped ivory earrings into her pierc
ed ears. She decided to keep on her low slung cotton shorts, but changed her top into a wildlife shirt she’d gotten somewhere up north. She threw things into her purse, including a bottle.
Rachel didn’t bother packing her cell phone which was off and sat deep in the corner shelf. It had been turned off on Friday when she left Leo’s. There was no way she was going to answer or listen to any of his incoming calls. She expected he was furious at her and had rung her up several times. The best thing was to let him cool off a few days and allow him to evaluate his situation, get her money, and meet her at Maxine’s on Wednesday. She’d deal with him then and in the safety of a public place.
Heading west out of Knoxville on a late Sunday afternoon proved to be a snap compared to a weekday. The number of lanes dropped off to two by the time she hit twenty miles out. She turned off the light air conditioning, rolled the back windows down to half way, and enjoyed a prerecorded car show, more humorous than serious. An hour and a half later, she exited the interstate to the same rest area as Friday night. Without seeing Danny’s car, she got out of her vehicle and hurried in to use the restroom. When she came out, she waited where she’d sat two nights ago.
After fifteen minutes, she cursed under her breath. She hastily got off the now uncomfortable bench, grabbed her purse, and walked to the glass doors in a huff. Hopefully, he was headed her way and would get a wind of her temper. She pushed the door open but still didn’t see him, or Casey for that matter. More importantly, there was no sign of Julia.
She walked out to the path and headed toward the area where the cars rolled in, even further to the dog walk area. Maybe Danny had brought Dakota and needed to take care of him first. Turning around, she scanned the truck lot, but then went and sat on the nearest picnic bench and watched every car that drove in and parked. She waited another forty-five minutes, to no avail.
The fact that Danny had planned not to bring Julia back to her had never crossed her mind. Maybe he had more balls than she thought, in which case she had truly underestimated him. But if he thought he was going to get away with it, he was dead wrong. Julia meant more to her than any irrelevant man. She’d make sure he’d get a surprise he hadn’t banked on.
Chapter 20
Not far from the rest area, Rachel took an exit littered with fast food signs and ran into the gas station travel center, as busy as a mini mall. She waited in line and asked to borrow a phone book. After looking up the nearest police station to her house, she got back on the road.
After parking her car outside the sheriff’s office, Rachel pulled her visor down and looked in the mirror. She dragged her purse into her lap, rummaged for a lipstick, and carefully applied color. Her brush came out next and she lightly ran it through her hair.
When Rachel got out of her CRV, she took a deep breath and ran up the steps. She yanked the door open and hurried to the policeman at the desk, his head buried in a newspaper. “Who should I talk to, sir? My baby has been unlawfully taken by her father.”
“Sounds like an internal domestic matter,” the elderly policeman said dismissively. He rolled back his chair and scratched his belly with thick, round fingers.
Rachel bit her lip. “I wouldn’t call it that. Please, sir, this needs attention.”
He grinned and picked up the phone, spoke softly and hung up. “Go through the door and make a right. Officer Parks will speak with you.”
Rachel scurried away from him. When she made a right and headed down the hall, a blonde-mustached man peered out of an office. In his early forties, he fit her description of the ideal man specializing in law enforcement.
“Hello, Miss,” he said. “Come in and have a seat. I’m Officer Parks.” He stepped back to let her in and motioned to an old wood chair.
“I’m Rachel Hendersen, nice to meet you. I wish it were under different circumstances.” She silently applauded her subtle yet perfect remark. She wouldn’t mind being pulled over by him.
His brow went up and she caught a gleam in his eye, but it passed quickly. “What seems to be the problem, Miss Hendersen?”
“I have an infant, sir, who is under the protection of specific court orders and she lives with me. This is the first weekend her father has been allowed visitation. There are concerns by myself, the lawyers and the judge that he might try to take her from me.” She crossed her legs. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to slow down a bit. You see, I’m a total wreck.”
“Take your time. I’ll ask you questions in a minute.” He slid a form from a pile in front of him and dropped a pen on top.
“Anyway, three hours ago, based on detailed arrangements, I went to pick her up from her father. I waited an hour. He never showed with my daughter!”
“Ma’am, this is …”
“Please, Officer Parks, call me Rachel.” Moisture accumulated in her eyes and she wrung her hands.
“Good grief,” he said, “don’t start crying. I want you to know this is not uncommon and the police often don’t get involved with this type of situation when it’s so fresh.”
“Officer Parks, I can understand that. However, like I said, it’s the first time her father was allowed to take her. And he lives in Nashville. They only gave him from Friday night until today and I haven’t heard from him.”
Evan Parks looked around for a tissue box. He leaned over to the shelf and grabbed a thin box and handed it across the desk.
“Thanks.” She swiped one out while noticing the absence of a wedding ring and dabbed the corner of her eyes.
“Okay, I need to fill in this form, but I’ll tell you right now I’m going to wait until the morning. If you still don’t have your daughter or a plausible explanation, I’ll ask the Nashville office to look into this, especially to make sure your daughter is safe as well as returned to you.”
Rachel let out a big sigh and clasped her hands together. “I think you’re my hero.”
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Monday morning Danny peeked into Julia’s room before the sun came up, the night light illuminating her sleeping figure. He silently went downstairs and let Dakota out for a few minutes while readying a to-go cup of coffee. Dakota came back in with a stick and Danny stealthily threw it into the trash. “Bye, Dakota, you be a good boy for Mary and Casey today and mind Julia, too.”
He drove to work listening to talk radio while occasionally taking a sip at a red light. Not only did he feel obligated, but he longed to visit Michael Johnson and Bill Patogue. He found a premium parking space, slid on his white jacket, and went straight to the ICU where both of them were spending a comatose existence.
Activity at the nurses station was quiet. It was well before the 7 a.m. shift change. Bill’s room was closer, so Danny slid in there unnoticed. Bill had changed. He no longer looked younger than his forty-two years, but looked older than Danny. On the IV poles and pumps, Danny read the labels on all the infusions. Bill was receiving the big gun medications to maintain his blood pressure and the doses were hefty. Danny sat on the bed, took Bill’s hand and held it for awhile. He wished above all that Bill would hang onto life; there was always hope.
Danny went three doors down, nodded at the solo nurse at the desk, and went into Michael’s room. He scoured the IV medications to find that Michael’s circulatory system was in a much better state than Bill’s. The youngster continued to receive the last regimen of antibiotics selected for the PAM patients, but he wasn’t on any vasopressors. He also had a central line with liquid nourishment being infused at a steady slow rate. Danny sat alongside him and took the youngster’s hand in his gloved palm. It wasn’t as cold as Bill’s. He said a prayer, hoping the boy would someday go back to school, books, and girls. He closed his eyes tight, knowing his mom and dad had passed away.
When Danny walked out of the room, Timothy Paltrow and Peter Brown were coming into the ICU together, talking quietly. Timothy shuffled with his cane and the ICU ceiling light bounced off Peter’s bald head. Danny waited and they stopped in front of him. “Morn
ing, gentlemen,” he said.
“Good morning as well,” Tim said. “Did you see Michael and Bill?”
“I did. I can’t add any more suggestions to what you both are already doing for them.”
“I’m going to start a central line on Bill today,” Tim said.
The three of them shot dismal glances at each other. “Have either of you spoken to Ralph or Joelle?” Danny asked. “National PAM numbers are growing exponentially.”
“We have,” Peter said. “We’re talking to Ralph in a few hours for another update, particularly if he has news to report on treatment research.”
“I saw Joelle Saturday,” Danny said. “We considered a long-shot possibility – something to explore as far as a cure. If anything develops about that, you’ll be the first ones to know.”
Tim tapped his cane. “What does it involve?”
“Dog saliva.”
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Although he wanted to smooth his hand over Mary’s shoulder and kiss her good-bye, Casey got up without disturbing her. Today was Monday, the start of a seven-to-three week. After dressing, he peeked in on Julia, sleeping with a precious curved outline as only a baby can do. His heart melted when he saw Dakota stretched under the crib. Dakota popped his head up and looked at Casey as if to say, “Chill. I’ve got her taken care of.”
When Casey went downstairs, he made an instant coffee from the jar Danny had left on the counter and brought it with him. Outside the ER, Mark was already preparing their ambulance for a run. Casey jumped up into the back.
“We’re off and running,” Mark said. “How was your weekend?”
“Better than I deserve, how about yours?”
“My weekends could use improvement.”
“What have we got?”
“Big MVA outside the city, with multiple ambulances en-route.”
Casey raised his eyebrows, unbuttoned his top button, and rolled up his sleeves.
“There’s major trauma and head cases,” Mark said. “I’m running inside to let them know we’re on our way.”
