by Barbara Ebel
“I thought you’d never get up,” Mary said, aiming his way with Julia in her arms. “Here’s your daughter. I’m stacked high with wedding chores today.” She handed Julia over.
“I’m so sorry, Mary.”
“No, no problem. We wanted you to sleep. Your hours and responsibilities lately have been crazy.”
“I appreciate it. But if it’s not one thing, it’s another anyway.”
She nodded. “Casey’s working until three and you’ll have the house to yourself most of the day.”
Danny gave Julia a kiss and small squeeze. “I hope you don’t mind it, I’ve invited the docs who have been working closely with me lately to your wedding besides some of the office staff which you knew about already.”
“That will be fine. There will be plenty of food. It’s going to be one big party. Plus, I know your cash wedding gift to us is going to help pay the bill.”
Danny rolled out a laugh. “Mary, Mary. I said I would, so I will.”
Mary planted a kiss on her brother’s cheek. She threw some things into a shoulder bag and headed to the garage door. “I fed her some breakfast and she’s diapered up. See to her second installment by noon. See ‘ya.”
“Thanks, have fun.” He stepped out the back door holding Julia. Dakota followed every step. Besides taking care of Julia, he planned on adding wedding details around the house as best he could.
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On Sunday afternoon, Rachel took a fast, long walk along the river. She especially needed the exercise since she no longer had Leo’s basement equipment at her disposal. She wore gray sweat pants and a pink tee-shirt and passed young joggers and older walkers along the way. The benches were peppered with people sitting and reading books or newspapers.
She kept a brisk pace but not enough to break out in a sweat. Billowy clouds rose vertically keeping the sun at bay and a soft breeze twirled the green leaves on the trees lining the sidewalk. Deep in her pocket, her cell phone rang. After digging it out, she approached an empty bench and sat down. The caller ID popped up with Evan Parks. A sheepish grin spread across her mouth.
“Hello, officer Parks.”
“Well, hello, Miss Hendersen. I’m calling you on purpose on a Sunday afternoon while I’m not on duty, so may I call you Rachel?”
“By all means.”
“Before I ask you on a date, I hope to find out if everything worked out well with your baby girl. I did personally file a request with the Nashville police to pay a call to your daughter’s father. I’m assuming you have her now.”
Rachel leaned forward listening carefully to his every word. The date part was perfect, but she kept her mind clicking ahead, anticipating responses to all his queries.
“Yes, thank you, Evan. The situation is under control thanks to you. I decided to legally go easy on him. He was so desperate to spend more time with her, especially since the visitation was difficult and a distance away. I decided it would be best for him to have our daughter for an extended period right now.”
An older woman with a stroller passed close to Rachel’s knees so she scooted back in the bench. She heard the television on in the background of his call.
“That is very thoughtful of you after what he put you through.”
“Yes, well, I have to do what’s right for Julia.”
“I bet you’re a rare conscientious, modern mother.” A silent pause ensued. “So the other reason I called was to ask you out.”
“I’d be delighted.”
“Perhaps you’d like to do something extremely casual the first time out with a man who carries a gun.”
“Evan Parks, you sure make a woman feel secure.”
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When the call ended, Rachel logged the date into her cell phone calendar. She slipped her phone into her pocket and crossed her legs. She’d get to know Evan Parks soon enough and felt suspiciously confident that he was in her cards. But for now, she had a lot to think about. First, she needed to boost her income and would have to accomplish that on her own accord. Child support was basically gone and the newly earned ten grand from Leo wouldn’t last. She knew she had to request more hours to work at the hospital and she could even work overtime if the need arose. But, hopefully, a longer work week wouldn’t be a long-term situation for her.
Her second dilemma was Julia. She missed her so! She imagined her pretty little face with staring big eyes and her little growth milestones which made Rachel proud. Explaining Julia’s scars and injuries to Danny to try and get back her back seemed like an impossibility. Would he believe her, trust her, or think the baby could end up in the same situation again with her? Right now supervised visitation didn’t appeal to her. Not only wouldn’t it be fun to have someone watching her as she interacted with her own child, but any of the Tilson’s could start prodding her with questions as well.
Rachel racked her brain thinking of a solution, but none came. She would have to straighten it out somehow. Suddenly a practical saying came to her about how the passage of time heals most things. She’d wait a few months, that’s what she’d do. Then she would call Danny, give him some kind of sob story about her life, and tell him how much she missed her daughter. She’d take him and the attorneys up on the supervised visitation but work to get her daughter back by hell or high water.
With her plan ironed out, Rachel rose and engaged herself again in a brisk walk home knowing she’d lay low for the foreseeable future.
Chapter 28
Casey’s mind still lingered between sleep and wakefulness. He changed positions, nearer to Mary, and came closer to opening his eyes. With reality giving him a nudge, he woke up, realizing what the day held in store. It was Saturday, the day they’d been waiting for.
“Mary,” he whispered, sliding his hand to her shoulder. She turned, slowly and purposefully, to gaze into his eyes.
“Good morning,” she said. “Happy wedding day.”
Casey ran his hand down her sleeveless arm, ending with his hand cupping hers, stroking it with his thumb, feeling the contour of her palm and long fingers. He leaned over and kissed her on her mouth. “Happy wedding day to you, too. It’s going to be memorable and lots of fun.”
Mary gave his strong hand a squeeze. “I better get going. I have a salon appointment to get my hair done.”
Casey was on his feet before her. “Most importantly, do we have nice weather like the forecast promised?” He padded over to the window wearing only jockey shorts, opened the blinds, and looked out over the yard.
Mary came behind him and wrapped her arms around him. “It looks like a nice day,” she said.
Casey laid his arms on top of hers, not letting go. “Yes, and that’s a wedding picture already.” Much of the property he couldn’t see since it went far down the back hill where it became more wild and less landscaped. Before it dipped down, a raised platform and a flower-laden trellis had been mounted for where they would take their vows. Eighty chairs were on each side of the low-cut lawn and between them lay a blue cloth aisle.
“I won’t need our bad weather back-up plan after all,” she said. “This is terrific.”
Casey turned around. “You’re terrific,” he said, giving her a squeeze.
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Downstairs, Danny carried Julia’s playpen through the French doors and placed it on the left against the patio wall. He went back in and hoisted her into the air, causing her to sparingly smile. With Dakota following, swinging his tail, Danny put her in the playpen outside. He pulled out a bonnet from his pocket and snuggled it onto her head. He’d left one door open and heard the front door bell ringing. He looked at his watch. It was 8 a.m., the arrival time for the caterer to set up the tents and tables and then follow in the early afternoon with all the food.
Danny began stepping away but hesitated and turned to Dakota. “You’ll be in the way at the front door, so stay here and mind Julia.” By emphasizing ‘stay here’ and ‘mind Julia,’ Dann
y knew Dakota understood what he asked of him and hurried to the front door. Casey and Mary hadn’t shown their faces yet.
Two men greeted Danny when he opened the door. “Is this the Tilson residence?” one asked.
“It sure is.”
“Come on, show us what you want set up first.” They walked to their large truck with Danny following. “Say, ain’t you that Nashville surgeon to do with the deadly outbreak?”
Danny shook his head. “Unfortunately.”
“Man,” he said, “one of my wife’s friends died of that thing. We don’t go visit anybody in the hospital anymore, just in case.”
Danny went through a diagram they had on a notepad. “My sister must have drawn this layout for you. It looks good and you can get started with the first tents marked here. There are many trees, but we’ll dot the eating and food tents between them.” He pointed to the left side of the yard’s diagram.
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Mary and Casey both bounded down the steps. “Truck’s here,” Casey said.
“Danny can take care of it. I have to run. I’m the bride and I have to look gorgeous.” She toed her right foot in and peeled away from Casey into the kitchen. Casey followed while she poured a cup of coffee. Mary kissed him and picked up her travel mug. The car engine started after she disappeared out the door.
As Casey rinsed out a mug in the sink he heard Dakota bark. He glanced toward the doors, one of which was ajar. He poured a half cup, pulled apart an English muffin, and popped it in the toaster. Dakota’s bark become more petulant. Casey decided against taking his first sip. Dakota was having a fit out there.
After rounding the center island, Casey fully opened the other door. Julia was sitting up in the playpen on the verge of crying while Dakota swiped one look at Casey and then back to the area between the playpen and the rock wall. The dog held a cautious stance to stand within distance of something, yet his bark and tensed muscles showed aggression. He had never seen Dakota look so upset.
“What is it, Dakota?” Casey’s instincts fired up as he took hurried steps. He got behind Dakota and looked forward. Casey gasped as his heart pounded. There on the patio between Julia sitting in her play pen and the rock wall was a copperhead. Even worse, it was a baby copperhead with a distinctive yellow tail, more unskilled at holding onto its venomous load than its adult counterpart.
Casey made a split second decision. Around him, he had absolutely no tool to tackle the snake. Empty handed, it would strike one of them successfully. He spun around into the house, flung the door open to the garage, and grabbed the shovel in a tool rack adjacent to the door. He raced back as Danny came out to the side of the play pen.
“Dakota, what’s…” Danny said, but didn’t finish.
“Danny,” Casey said. “Right now, yank the play pen as fast as you can towards you.”
Danny had no idea why, but with unquestioning faith, swiftly moved it. Julia toppled over and started crying while Dakota maintained his posture and growled.
Casey wielded the shovel forward and down, lopping off the snake’s head.
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Danny picked up Julia and cradled her in his arms, securing her head into his chest, kissing her forehead. His bounding pulse slowed as he watched Casey verify the copperhead’s death.
Dakota edged cautiously closer to the kill. “Leave it,” Casey said, his own adrenaline starting to ebb as if he’d just done bench presses. “You are such a good boy. Thank you, Dakota.” Casey wrapped his arm around the dog’s torso in appreciation and then got up.
Danny struggled to unparalyze his vocal cords after the last frightful seconds. “Casey, your quick thinking may have just saved Julia’s or Dakota’s life.”
“It was Dakota. I just came downstairs. I would have never known except that he was telling us.”
“I went out front…”
“Yes, Mary and I saw that. You were taking care of wedding necessities.”
“Dakota, come here boy,” Danny said. Dakota’s snout came an inch away from Danny and Julia. Danny pulled him closer and caressed his entire head, whispering in his ear. “You are a good boy. Thank you. You are special and we all love you.”
Dakota sat and gave Danny his paw. His eyes glowed.
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The upstairs bedrooms were transformed into wedding party dressing rooms while hired help downstairs took care of every minute detail Mary and Casey had poured over for months. Between the inside and outside, the spacious home and grounds became a palatial enchantment. Soft colorful orchids lined the trellis on the wide platform for the bride and groom’s vows and for the reception band to follow. Large planters with hanging flowers sat at the four corners of the rows of folding chairs for the ceremony and lights were strung from the bottom of the trees for when it got dark.
By three thirty, the yard had swelled with guests. Casey’s coworker, Mark, acted as the usher along with another paramedic and the string quartet on the platform played softly. The temperature hovered in the mid-sixties, while the air was fresh with little or no breeze. A few clouds dotted the deep blue sky and moved without speed. Not the usual number of songbirds hit their feeders or perched on tree limbs, but some weren’t shy and graced the guests with song.
At quarter to four, Casey and Danny stood up front, crisply attired in tuxedos. Casey’s eyes sparkled and he smiled at guests. Only occasionally did he wring his hands in anticipation.
Danny’s eyes streamed over the crowd, appreciating the many relatives, medical colleagues of Casey as well as himself, and friends of the bride and groom. He stretched his neck, waiting to catch a glimpse of Mary, Sara, and the girls as they came out the French doors.
Finally, the doors opened and the ladies gathered on the patio. A wedding planner helped embellish the folds in Mary’s dress as well as the short tail. The ushers placed the last guests wanting seats, the flurry of excitement in the back subsided, and the string quartet began a soft rendition of Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus.”
Nancy began the procession down the blue strewn artificial walkway. Never had she looked older than her fourteen years until now. Her light brown hair still hid her ears, but Danny felt her confidence had soared to be first down the aisle. She carried a flower, which she handed to Casey’s mom sitting in the front first row.
Annabel came next clasping a white pillow, the wedding rings loosely tied by a satin ribbon. Through the half smile she wore was the pleasure of her braces gone.
Sara came next, lovely in a burgundy dress similar to the girls but a longer length. They had chosen well, Danny knew, with the gathered fabric at the waistline and the lacey sleeve to the elbow. The highlights in Sara’s hair glimmered as though dipped in fairy dust. Sara joined Danny, the way Mary and Casey had requested for their best man and maid of honor.
The next jewel was Mary, her face aglow, her dark red hair pulled up, only to drape down in silky radiance. Her dark blue eyes twinkled as she held a full bouquet of flowers. Danny stole a glance at Casey. Casey’s eyes were fixed on Mary as his hands relaxed and he took a deep breath.
The music stopped as the minister began the couple’s ceremony, proclaiming the sanctity of marriage and the beauty of the couple, the day, and the love all around. Then he announced that although Mary and Casey had written their own personal script which he had read, they wanted the customary English Rite of Marriage for their vows.
Casey and Mary faced each other. “You may repeat after me,” the minister said.
Casey listened but didn’t have to. He had rehearsed the words in his heart. “I, Casey Hamilton, take you, Mary Tilson, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”
Danny glanced at Sara, wishing it could have been a double wedding as his sister spoke her vows as well. The bride and groom were pronounced husband and wife. Casey didn’t hesitate and affectionately kissed his bride.
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While the wedding party had pictures taken, and guests went to appetizer and drink set-ups in the house, on the patio, and in a tent closest to the house, a crew swiftly folded up the ceremony chairs. Tables with white tablecloths and flowers had already been placed under the tents for the buffet dinner. A portable dance floor had been put down in an open space. The string quartet packed away their instruments and a DJ cranked up his equipment.
After rounds of professional pictures in the gardens, Annabel ran into the house and retrieved Julia and Dakota. Julia wore a pink dress as well as matching baby shoes and bonnet. Dakota looked fit for a Chesapeake calendar, his curly top coat fluffy, and his eyes like Julia’s – wide and expressive. They joined the family for additional pictures.
The wedding planner announced the bride and groom to the floor when the photograph session ended and the DJ struck up Mary and Casey’s first dance as a married couple. Mary at first squeezed into Casey’s chest. “How perfect,” she told him.
At the end of their love song, Danny danced with Mary next. “How happy are you?” he asked.
She pushed him slightly away. “He’s the one. I think Casey was always the one. I bet there are women hospital employees sorry to see him get hitched.”
“You have nothing to worry about. He is sometimes the slightest flirt, but it’s never prompted by him. His morals are more important to him than any of his admirers and I’ve been around him almost my whole life. He loves you, Mary.”
Danny twirled his sister and she laughed. “We didn’t want to concern you this morning,” he said. “Has Casey told you what happened?” She looked at him quizzically. “A copperhead was on the patio near Julia which made Dakota pitch into a raucous bark. Casey killed it before it struck. If it weren’t for Dakota or Casey’s quickness, this would have been a sad day. An infant would have never survived the venomous poison and Dakota could have gotten bit, too.”
Mary’s dancing slowed to a few steps. Her smile faded. “How awful. I can’t believe I didn’t know.” The possible outcomes swirled through her thoughts and she wrung her hands. Moisture gathered in her eyes. “That’s ironic. Casey had a large part in almost saving Melissa, now this, with another daughter.”
