The Doctor Returns

by Stella MacLean

  “That’s all I ask,” Neill said, feeling that he’d done the right thing by talking to the two of them together.

  “It might be fun,” Morgan said, her eyes meeting Neill’s. Morgan put her arms around her grandmother. “I love you, Gram. And Dad needs us.” She rolled her eyes. “Dads are so high-maintenance, aren’t they, Gram?”

  Neill chuckled as relief flowed through him in one long wave of release.

  “What would I do without you?” his mother said, her voice muffled by Morgan’s shoulder as she returned the hug.

  “Thanks, both of you,” he said.

  His mother pulled away from Morgan’s embrace and focused on him. “What are you and Sherri going to do now?”

  Her question caught him off guard. “About what?”

  “About how you feel about each other,” she said with a quizzical frown.

  “Well, we were dating.”

  “Dad, it’s more than that!”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “Why not?” Morgan persisted.

  “Because we both feel you need more time to adjust to our relationship,” he said.

  “What will Mom say?”

  “Your mom is not involved in this.”

  “But—”

  “No, Morgan. Your mom and I are not getting back together—ever.” Had none of what he said made an impact with her?

  “It’s not fair!”

  “Life seldom is fair,” his mother interjected. “But that doesn’t mean we stop trying. Your dad is doing his best to make you see how he feels.”

  “I guess so.” Morgan sighed, raising her shoulders in an exaggerated shrug.

  “Thanks, Mom.” Determined to make amends to Sherri for how badly he’d handled his daughter’s issues, he turned to Morgan. “We’re going to go see Sherri now, and we’re going to make a few changes in how we both behave toward one another. Agreed?”

  Her eyes dark, her lips poised to say something, Morgan instead came around the table and hugged her dad. “Sometimes I don’t understand you at all, Dad. But I’m willing to be nicer to Sherri.”

  So his daughter was going to try a little harder, but was that enough to keep her from resorting to her old tactics? “You won’t disappear on me again?”

  “I didn’t disappear. You didn’t understand.”

  “Morgan, it’s me, remember?”

  She hugged him again. “Yeah, I do.”

  “And you owe me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you made someone I love very unhappy, and you owe her an apology.”

  Morgan’s eyes bored into his, and a pout started to form on her lips.

  He answered her look with a frown. “You’re going to apologize to Sherri. Understood?”

  She shrugged. “Okay.”

  He stood up, holding his daughter close to him. “We’re off to see the woman I love.”

  “I’ll be waiting right here to learn how it turns out,” his mother said.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  FRUSTRATED AND FEARFUL that she hadn’t heard a word from Neill, Sherri had taken everything out of her kitchen cupboards in preparation for cleaning them. Cleaning was cheap therapy for how she was feeling. All the cleaning hadn’t worked so far, but what else did she have to do? Gayle had heard her sad story over and over again. Her other friends were married and busy with their families. Besides, she didn’t really feel comfortable talking to them about something that didn’t make sense unless the whole story was told.

  She pulled her scrub bucket out of the laundry room, filled it with soapy water, pulled on rubber gloves and got to work. She forced herself to concentrate on the job at hand, as she climbed the step stool and started cleaning. Her version of therapy worked for the first four cupboards, and then her worry returned. Her arms aching, she glanced around at the mess from the remaining cupboards. She had at least another hour of cleaning before her kitchen would be back together. What a mess. And for what? She dumped the sponge into the bucket in disgust.

  Face it. You’ve blown your chances with Neill by asking him to side with you against his daughter. What right did you have to do that?

  She should have encouraged him to seek professional help in resolving Morgan’s issues, or talked to Morgan herself to see if she could ease the child’s concerns. Instead she’d let her emotions rule her behavior. She peeled off the rubber gloves and put the kettle on to boil. She might as well have a cup of tea and a snack while she wallowed. Glancing around, she realized there wasn’t an empty space where she could sit and enjoy her tea.

  She was leaning on the counter, waiting for the kettle to boil, when the doorbell rang. Who would be at her door this time of day? She wasn’t expecting anyone, and her mother would have called first. Colleen was convinced that Neill would show up and sweep her off her feet any day now. She’d taken every opportunity to tease Sherri about how she didn’t want to be the next one to find them in bed together. She’d had lots of time to regret confiding in her mother and her sister.

  She grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser, wiped the tears edging her eyes and checked her face in the mirror in the front hall on her way to the door. When she opened it, Neill and Morgan were standing there.

  “We’ve come to invite you to our place for dinner tonight,” Neill said, his eyes on her, his smile causing her heart to swell.

  She muffled her surprise as her mind raced over what this could mean. “I...” She cleared her throat. “Would you like to come in?” she asked.

  “We’re on our way to the grocery store,” Morgan said, curling her fingers into her father’s hand as she looked up at Sherri. This time Morgan looked straight at her, her expression contrite. “You... I mean, I have something to tell you.” She peeked at her father. “I’m sorry for being rude the other day.”

  “You had your reasons, I’m sure. Apology accepted.”

  Morgan squeezed her father’s hand even tighter. “Does that mean you’ll come?”

  “I would love to have dinner with you tonight,” she said while her heart did a funny little dance in her chest. “What can I bring?”

  “Just you. We both want to spend some time with you. Don’t we, Morgan?” Neill asked, his eyes never leaving Sherri’s face.

  “Yes,” Morgan confirmed.

  “Then we’re off to get the groceries. Do you have any special requests?” he asked, his smile forcing her to grip the door frame to keep from dashing out the door and into his arms.

  “I’ll be happy with anything, anything at all.”

  “Dad and I are going to choose healthy foods for you. He told me about your diabetes on our way over here.”

  “Everyone’s working on making sure you stay healthy,” Neill said happily.

  “Well, I appreciate that. What time should I come over?”

  “Whenever you want.”

  She glanced behind her at the pile of pots visible from where she stood. “I need to finish up here,” she said.

  Neill glanced around her, spying the same pile of pots. “So, we were working out our frustrations, were we?” he asked, a knowing gleam in his eyes.

  “We were.” And suddenly she was laughing so hard she could hardly stand upright.

  “Is she all right?” Morgan asked her father.

  “She’s better than all right. She’s damned near perfect,” he said, putting his arms around Morgan’s shoulders. “I’ll explain on the way home.”

  “See you once I clean up my kitchen.”

  “Why bother?” Morgan asked. “Dad doesn’t do housework until he has to. You don’t have to clean your kitchen before you come over, do you?”

  “No, I suppose I don’t,” Sherri said, delighted that Morgan wanted her to come sooner than she’d planned.


  “Then let’s go,” Morgan said, tugging at her father’s hand, then heading for the car.

  Neill leaned close to Sherri and kissed her lips. His cologne wafted around her, setting off a trembling sensation in her tummy. He let his lips wander over her cheek toward her ear. “I call her the action kid,” he whispered.

  No words passed her lips, no thoughts formed in her mind—they were blocked by the slow burn of need rising through her. She clutched his shirtfront. “Is she always like this?” She heard her voice over a strange feeling of weightlessness.

  “Most of the time. Takes a little getting used to, I have to say.” He placed his hands on hers. “But that’s one of the reasons I love her. And you.”

  She drew in a deep breath as his words dropped into her heart ever so gently. “I love you, too.”

  “Dad! Come on!”

  “See what I mean?” he said, taking her head in his hands and kissing her one more time.

  “Yes,” she breathed, wishing she could close her eyes and let the moment be hers. But there was a kid standing a few feet away, waiting for her father. Besides, she was anxious to have dinner with the two people who would be part of her life from here on. “See you soon.”

  * * *

  “WOW! WE’RE HERE TOGETHER. We’re all hungry, and I’m not on call,” Neill said, to a chorus of cheers from Sherri and Morgan. “Now all I have to do is get the barbecue going.”

  “What’s on tonight’s menu?” Sherri asked, resting a hip on one of the stools at the kitchen island.

  “We’re having salmon steaks with cucumber and dill sauce and veggies, followed by a scrumptious dessert of baked apple,” Morgan volunteered.

  “Sounds delicious,” Sherri said. She came around the island to stand beside Neill as he brushed a mixture of oil and spices over the orange-pink flesh of the salmon steak. She gave him a kiss.

  “What can I do?” she asked, tempting him to drag her off to his room—except that his daughter was there, washing asparagus at the kitchen sink.

  “A few things come to mind, but they wouldn’t do much to help get dinner going,” he murmured, putting down his brush and pulling her into his arms for another kiss. “I’d like to pursue all my thoughts where you’re concerned, but we are in the company of a minor.”

  “Dad! Would you and Sherri cut it out,” Morgan groaned and rolled her eyes.

  Sherri touched his cheek as she returned to her stool. “She has a point. Dinner will never be ready at this rate,” Sherri teased.

  “And I’m starving,” Morgan said. “And, no, I don’t need a lesson on sex or STDs or any of that stuff.”

  “Morgan, who have you been talking to?” Neill asked, only half kidding.

  “Tara’s mother has all these books in her bedroom—”

  “And you’ve been reading them?” He wondered if he should have a chat with Tara’s mother.

  “Dad, you need a reality check. It’s the twenty-first century. Sex has been around for eons,” she stated with a no-nonsense look on her face that made him want to chuckle.

  “That’s enough, young lady,” he said firmly, putting the final dab of oil on the fish. “Are you two ganging up on me?”

  “No. Never,” they chorused before breaking into giggles.

  Just then the phone rang. Because he wasn’t on call, he’d turned his cell phone off. He checked the caller ID on the house phone. The hospital?

  “Is it for me?” Morgan asked.

  “Don’t think so.”

  “It’s probably Gram wanting to know what we’re up to, whether or not we’re all still speaking to each other.”

  He answered to hear the anxious voice of the doctor in Emergency. “Neill, I hate to ask this, but we’ve got both ambulances out, and Dr. Fennell is on-site triaging the victims of a four-vehicle pile-up on the highway south of Eden Harbor. I tried Dr. Sanderson first, but he’s out of town. You’re the only one with the kind of trauma experience we’re going to need. It doesn’t look good. A hell of a mess, and I’m working alone.”

  As much as his heart went out to the families of the victims, and to his colleague faced with such a horrendous situation, he didn’t want to have his evening end like this. He had earned the chance to be with Morgan and Sherri. And just when things were going so well...

  But this was his life, and he couldn’t deny his colleague’s request. “You need me right away.” Neill exchanged a glance with Sherri across the granite counter.

  “The hospital?” she whispered.

  He pressed the phone to his chest. “Car accident.”

  She shrugged. “You’d better go.”

  He put the phone to his ear. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks, Neill.” The call ended before he had a chance to say more, a perfectly normal response for a doctor who would be working to clear all other urgent cases out of the emergency department in preparation for the incoming trauma cases.

  He explained the situation to Sherri and Morgan.

  “So a lot of people are hurt?” Morgan asked, her tone subdued.

  “Yeah. I’m sorry about this.”

  Morgan hurried to her father’s side, her hand grabbing his. “Don’t be, Dad. This is what you’re good at. And remember how you explained to me before we moved here that it wouldn’t be like Boston? That you’d be one of only a few doctors?” She smiled across the counter at Sherri. “Besides, we’ve got a bunch of girl talk to do.”

  “That we do,” Sherri said, delighted at Morgan’s attitude.

  “Nice to know I’m not needed,” Neill said, eliciting a smile from both of them. He felt a warm sense of belonging and being part of a family. “But I promise you I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

  “Which could be a while, so Morgan and I will probably go ahead with dinner, and we’ll do your salmon steak when you get back.”

  “I may be all night,” he said. Sherri came around the counter and hugged him. “I’ll stay here with Morgan until you get back, whenever that is.”

  “We’ll miss you, Dad, but I’m sure we can find a movie on TV, one I haven’t seen yet.”

  “You mean one you’re not supposed to see.” Neill turned to Sherri. “Watch this kid. She’s always trying to get past my rule about only watching PG-rated movies.”

  “Dad, don’t spoil my fun!”

  He placed his arms around the two females in his life and walked them to the door with him. “I’ll be back. In the meantime, you two ladies have a good evening without me.”

  “We’ll be waiting,” Sherri said, her concern for him written in the way she caught her lip in her teeth. The action brought back a memory. They’d been in the school library and he hadn’t been able to make sense of some of the phrases in Macbeth. She’d watched him quietly from across the study desk with the same expression.

  Feeling the tension building from the sure knowledge of what his evening would hold, he opened the front door. He climbed into his SUV and roared down the highway.

  * * *

  INSIDE THE HOUSE, Morgan stared at Sherri. “So how are we going to cook the fish? Want me to get out a frying pan?” she asked, her gaze moving back to the door and the sound of Neill’s vehicle backing out of the driveway.

  Morgan’s smile was her father’s. As a matter of fact, there was a whole lot of Morgan that was her father’s. Now that they were alone, Sherri wondered how they’d make out. She so badly wanted this evening to go well, for them to restart their relationship. She didn’t want to blow this opportunity to spend an evening with his daughter. “I’m quite handy with a barbecue, actually.”

  Morgan’s eyebrows arched in skepticism. “Where did you learn to barbecue?”

  “I call it life skills for those living alone. Single gals like us need to develop our cooking skills.”<
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  Morgan leaned over the granite counter, toying with a large ceramic chicken painted in bright shades of red and yellow. “You think so?”

  “I know so. I’ve been living a single girl’s lifestyle for a long time, and I’ve learned a few things.” She dug a package of matches out of the drawer near the sink and proceeded down the back steps to where the barbecue sat, reassured to see that Morgan was following her. She wasn’t sure the child would go anywhere with her, but going to the barbecue was a start. She opened the barbecue, turned on the propane tank and set the burner knob to ignition before lighting a match over the burner.

  With a soft whoosh, the burner lit, eliciting an awed sigh from Morgan. “How did you do that?” she asked.

  “It’s not hard at all.”

  “My mom isn’t good at anything that’s practical.” She glanced quickly in Sherri’s direction. “She’s a great mom, but she’s not handy.”

  “Handy at doing things around the house or yard, you mean?”

  “We didn’t have a yard in Boston. We lived in a condo downtown.”

  “Did you like that?”

  “Not really. I couldn’t go out like I can here. I only saw my friends at school or on play dates or at basketball practice. Here I can see Tara or Kirsten anytime.” She picked up the spatula resting on the table next to the barbecue. “What else can you do?”

  “Well, I’ve learned to change a tire and top up windshield washer fluid. And I’ve gotten used to eating in a restaurant alone.”

  “What’s to learn about that?” Morgan edged closer.

  “Well, let me see. Whenever I’m going to be eating alone in a restaurant, I always make a reservation for two.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t eat out very often, but when I do, I find that with a reservation for two, I get a better table.”

  “Are you serious?”

  She nodded. “That’s been my experience.”

  “But why make a reservation for two when there’s only you? Isn’t that dishonest?”

  “In a way, I suppose. But if I make it for one, they will give me the most undesirable table, usually the last table before the restroom or the back exit.”