A White Knight in ER

by Jessica Matthews

  She still wanted to know.

  Determined to keep her mind off Jonas’s golf game, she began to clean Trevor’s room. It was strange how such simple activity tired out the body while it allowed the mind to run in every direction.

  And every direction pointed to Jonas.

  Letting him occupy her thoughts was ridiculous. He might be helping her through this weekend’s bad patch, but after a few days of Angie’s incessant questions and the demands of a toddler he’d be more than happy to walk away from her small family.

  Deep down she didn’t want him to walk away, but facts were facts. Leopards didn’t change their spots and Jonas wasn’t the settling-down type. Any man who kissed like he did wasn’t going to be satisfied with one flavor when he could have dozens for the asking.

  Come Monday morning, her life would return to its pre-Jonas days of work, friends, her parents and her children. Minus Dwight, of course. After this weekend’s fiasco was straightened out, Jonas would simply be another colleague, like Gene.

  With that issue resolved in her mind, she tackled her chores. Everything washable was washed, including curtains, bedding and clothes. By the time she’d finished wiping down the surfaces, it was three o’clock and she’d missed lunch.

  It had been well worth it, Megan decided as she inhaled the fresh clean smell instead of the faint but cloying scent of charcoal. Perhaps if she worked into the evening, she’d get Angie’s room in order, too, and they wouldn’t have to rely on Jonas’s generosity.

  The doorbell rang and her heart eagerly skipped a beat at the prospect of seeing Jonas again. Half-annoyed with herself for reacting like a teenager, she purposely ignored her reflection in the hallway mirror. She wouldn’t let it be said that she was trying to impress him. He could see her as she was, dirty and disheveled.

  ‘Come in,’ she called out as she strode toward the open door. ‘You’re early.’

  Jonas’s wide grin made her heart skip a beat. ‘I know.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because we have dinner reservations for eight o’clock.’

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘DINNER reservations?’ Megan’s shock soon gave way to a host of other emotions, with excitement at the top of the list.

  ‘Dinner reservations,’ Jonas said firmly. ‘At the West Ridge Country Club.’

  ‘We can’t go there.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘It’s frightfully expensive.’ She’d always wanted to eat at the club, but it was so far out of her league that she never allowed herself to consider it.

  ‘Regardless, that’s where we’re going.’

  ‘But what about the children? They can’t go to a place that elegant.’

  ‘Which is why I found a babysitter. Jennifer Millard. According to her father, she’s sixteen, great with kids and has an opening for this evening. She’s coming to my place at seven-thirty so if you have any objections, you’d better say so now.’

  Megan had heard of the girl, although she’d never been able to book her because she seemed to be everyone’s first choice for a responsible sitter. ‘She’s fine but, Jonas, this is so unexpected!’

  He smiled. ‘Sometimes the best times are those that come on the spur of the moment.’

  ‘But to find a sitter, much less Jennifer! You must have been working on this all day.’

  ‘Not really. I met her her father on the golf course today, and when he started telling me about his kids, I got the idea. Fortunately, everything fell into place.’ His expression grew serious. ‘The question is, do you want to go or have I overstepped my bounds?’

  His momentary uncertainty was endearing. For him to have planned everything, down to finding a babysitter, which was a near-impossible feat on such short notice, he obviously knew how to counter any objections she might have.

  Maybe she was foolish, but she didn’t have to weigh her answer.

  ‘I’d love to go,’ she said simply.

  The tension on his face eased and his slow grin reappeared. Suddenly, as if he realized the house seemed far too quiet in spite of the whirling fans, he glanced around the room. ‘Where are Angie and Trevor?’

  ‘At my parents’. I need to go for them before long. I promised Angie we’d stop at McDonald’s on the way home.’ She sighed, wishing she’d accomplished more than she had. ‘I’d hoped to finish her room, too, but I haven’t even started.’

  ‘There’s always tomorrow,’ he said.

  ‘True.’ Perhaps she should have declined his dinner invitation. She had enough work to keep her busy for the next forty-eight hours, and who knew how Trevor and Angie would behave for a sitter they’d never seen before?

  Plus, going out to dinner seemed a lot like a date. Although this was a nice gesture, now that she’d let herself think past her initial impulsive desires, she was afraid that subconsciously she would put far more importance on it than she should. On the other hand, spending an entire evening alone with Jonas, without children or their profession to provide a buffer, was so very tempting…

  Jonas could see her indecision reflected in her eyes and in the way she chewed on her lower lip. Perhaps he should let her change her mind but, after seeing her initial excitement, he simply couldn’t. She needed this evening to realize that she was more than just a mother and a nurse. She was an attractive woman who deserved some time for herself and, by golly, he was going to see that she got it!

  ‘It’s only dinner,’ he said. ‘Not dancing until dawn.’

  She nodded and he could see her uncertainty disappear. ‘You’re right.’

  ‘Then it’s settled,’ he said, pleased at the prospect of spending a few hours alone with her. ‘Why don’t you go for the kids and I’ll meet you at my house around seven?’

  ‘OK.’ Unfortunately, fate, in the form of a dead battery, ruined his plan.

  ‘All right,’ he said, after dropping the hood of her minivan and brushing off his hands. ‘We’ll buy a battery and install it. Then you can pick up the kids.’

  ‘The auto shop isn’t far from their house,’ she said. ‘Would you mind if we did both at the same time?’

  He couldn’t refuse what was in essence a logical request. Inwardly, he bemoaned the fact that he would be breaking another one of his rules, but it couldn’t be helped. ‘OK,’ he said.

  The experience of meeting Megan’s parents wasn’t as bad as Jonas had envisioned. Her mother, Nancy, was a graceful woman in her early sixties and her father, Dean, was a handsome man, although Parkinson’s disease had clearly taken its toll. His speech was slurred but not unrecognizable if one took the time to listen carefully. Although he remained in his wheelchair, his gaze followed his grandchildren’s every move. Clearly, the man would have liked to have played with them, but his health simply prevented it.

  As for his own reception, they greeted him warmly but didn’t ask a multitude of questions. The only tense moment came when Megan disappeared into the bathroom to change Trevor’s diaper, but his fears of being grilled to death were unfounded.

  ‘I’m so glad that Megan has someone to rely on,’ Nancy told him. ‘She takes too much on her shoulders because she doesn’t want to worry us.’

  He’d suspected as much, and said so.

  ‘You have my thanks, too,’ her father managed to say. ‘I wish I could do more, but…’ He raised one hand helplessly.

  Jonas felt the man’s frustration. How difficult it would be to be trapped inside one’s body, unable to look after one’s own family.

  ‘I’m happy to help,’ he told them, impressed by their spirit and touched by their obvious concern for their daughter and grandchildren. ‘I’ll be honest, though. She doesn’t like to depend on anyone other than herself.’

  Nancy smiled. ‘You noticed?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How long have you been in town?’ she asked.

  ‘A few weeks. I’m only here to finish out a colleague’s contract for a few months.’ He felt it necessary to warn them that he wouldn’t be
a permanent Stanton resident.

  ‘Doesn’t matter,’ Dean said in his soft, halting voice. ‘You’re here now. I don’t have any right to ask you to help my daughter, but if you can do what you can for her, I’d be indebted. This damn disease!’

  Nancy patted his arm in an obvious attempt to soothe his frustration. ‘It’s all right, Dean.’ Then, addressing Jonas, she added with a gentle smile, ‘My husband often gets frustrated with his condition. In his younger days he was always busy. If he wasn’t gardening, he was fixing things. Now it’s difficult for him to hold a screwdriver, much less use it.’

  ‘All I do is sit,’ Dean grumbled.

  Jonas had always thought of cures with medical objectivity but, after meeting Megan’s father, he wanted the researchers to have an immediate breakthrough. If anyone deserved to be hearty and whole, this man, who’d already lost a son, a daughter-in-law and his health, certainly did.

  ‘Has your doctor talked to you about the latest treatment called DBS or deep brain stimulation?’

  ‘He mentioned something at one time, but I’ve forgotten what he’d said. Back then it was experimental and I didn’t pay much attention,’ Nancy answered ruefully.

  ‘In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved DBS for treating tremors in Parkinson’s patients using a single electrode implanted in the brain. They’ve found that eighty per cent of the people who receive this implant show a significant suppression of their tremors. It’s similar to a cardiac pacemaker.’

  Dean’s eyes gleamed with interest. ‘What’s involved?’

  ‘As I understand it, the neurosurgeon places the tip of a hair-thin wire inside the brain in the area that controls movement. The wire then runs up through a tiny hole in the skull and under the scalp to a little device implanted under the collarbone. This device sends electrical impulses along the wire to the brain that block the faulty brain signals causing the tremor. You adjust the stimulator to match your current needs. For example, when you’re stressed, you can increase the electrical impulse.’

  ‘When he sleeps, he doesn’t usually shake,’ Nancy remarked. ‘What happens then?’

  ‘You turn it off, or set it on low. Because certain nerve cells become overactive and cause the muscles to be excited, hence the tremor, the idea behind this is to jam the neural network so the muscles don’t react. If you’d like more information, I can suggest a few medical centers around the country where they perform the procedure, or your family doctor can refer you to the nearest facility.’

  ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ Dean asked.

  ‘I don’t believe you’ll be worse off than you are now,’ Jonas replied, trying to recall the facts from his latest medical journal. ‘They’ll do some tests first to see if you’ll respond before a neurosurgeon actually places the implant.’

  ‘Pills?’ Dean asked.

  ‘For some, the DBS controls the tremors so that the levodopa and other drugs can be reduced.’

  Nancy looked at her husband. ‘Maybe it’s time we checked into this.’

  Dean nodded. ‘I’d like to play with my grandchildren.’

  ‘The internet has a lot of information and, of course, your family physician can help you locate a specialist.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Nancy said as she exchanged a glance with her husband. ‘You’ve given us a ray of hope.’

  ‘I’m glad.’ From the interest Megan’s father had shown, Jonas felt certain they would give this option due consideration.

  Megan returned with a smiling Trevor on her hip and Angie trailing behind. ‘We’re ready,’ she announced.

  Angie stood on tiptoe to give her grandfather a hug and a kiss before moving on to her grandmother. Megan held Trevor while he planted a sloppy kiss on Dean’s cheek, then on Nancy’s.

  Amid a chorus of goodbyes, Jonas helped Angie into one of the child seats they’d taken from Megan’s car while Megan buckled Trevor into his. ‘This vehicle isn’t made for a family,’ Jonas joked as he pulled away from the curb.

  ‘Cramped, but cozy,’ Megan said.

  ‘Has your dad been in a wheelchair long?’

  ‘He normally gets around with a walker, but when the kids are there, he doesn’t want to risk tripping over them. Why?’

  ‘Just wondering.’

  Thirty minutes later, with a brand-new battery in his trunk, Jonas drove into the fast-food chain’s drive-through lane. After paying for two Happy Meals, he headed for Megan’s house.

  ‘Aren’t you going to eat, Mommy?’ Angie asked.

  ‘Jonas and I are going out to dinner. We have a sitter coming to his house to look after you and Trevor.’

  ‘Do all mommies and daddies go out to dinner?’

  Megan exchanged an amused glance with Jonas. ‘Once in a while, they do. But don’t worry. We won’t be gone long. Jennifer will read you a bedtime story and give you your snack, just like I do.’

  ‘Oh. Well, I guess that’s OK. So we’re staying at Jonas’s house again?’

  ‘Do you mind?’ Jonas asked.

  ‘No. We like it.’

  ‘You do?’ he asked, surprised by her response. His house was sterile, compared to Megan’s. The decor was drab and, other than a television, he had nothing to interest a small child.

  ‘Yeah. You have a dog. I watched her from the window this morning.’

  ‘You did? What was she doing?’ Megan asked.

  ‘Scratching. I think she needs a bath,’ Angie said importantly. ‘When I get dirty, I itch, so I bet she does, too.’

  Jonas suspected that fleas were the true culprit. Fortunately, Angie took that moment to dig her toy out of her fast-food sack and started showing it to Trevor.

  While the two were occupied, Megan leaned closer. ‘You realize that Angie will probably remind you in the morning to give your dog a bath.’

  ‘I was hoping she’d forget,’ he confessed.

  She grinned. ‘She won’t. Kids have the most remarkable ability to remember the things you don’t want them to.’

  He groaned. ‘I don’t know the first thing about bathing a dog.’

  ‘Then we’re even. It can’t be worse than a baby, though.’

  ‘You don’t need to worry about young Trev taking off down the street at a gallop,’ he said in droll tones.

  She giggled and the sound was music to his ears. ‘Not yet, anyway. Look at the bright side. She’ll be presentable for a family.’

  ‘A professional groomer would do a much better job.’ ‘Probably, but think of the fun you’ll miss.’

  ‘Yeah, soaked from head to tow and smelling of dog dip.’ He shook his head. ‘I’ll pass.’

  He pulled into her driveway and his thoughts turned to other things besides his dog. ‘I’ll take care of your car while you three go in and do whatever you need to do.’

  ‘Thanks for everything. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.’

  He grinned. ‘Glad to be of service. See you in a few hours.’

  Reassured by Jonas’s insistence that replacing the battery was a one-man job, Megan hurried into the house with the children. She had a few hours to feed both, give evening baths, pack their clothes for tomorrow and a few toys for tonight, and make herself presentable for the ritziest restaurant in town.

  She hadn’t felt this excited since her high school prom.

  Two hours later, everything and everyone was in order, except her. Clad in her old terrycloth bathrobe, she stood in front of her closet and pondered her choices. What should she wear? Nothing seemed appropriate.

  The denim skirt wasn’t dressy enough. The red sequined party dress was overkill. Her dark green halter dress seemed far too provocative, all things considered, but her cowl-necked sweater dress seemed too old-maidish.

  Angie bounced on her bed. ‘The shirt with the beads is pretty.’

  ‘It is, isn’t it?’ Megan mused aloud as she pulled the hanger off the rod and surveyed the short-sleeved, cream-colored top. The faux pearls and sequins had turned a plain garment i
nto a dressy creation. If she teamed it with a navy skirt, it might do, she decided as she slipped the shirt over her head and stepped into her skirt. Perfect, she thought as she studied her reflection. Elegant, but not ostentatious. With a pearl choker and matching earrings, she was set.

  Angie and Trevor watched in fascination as she applied her make-up. Was a touch of perfume too much? Before she could talk herself out of it, she applied a few drops to her wrists and behind her ears, then declared herself ready.

  ‘You’re so pretty, Mommy,’ Angie crooned.

  Trevor babbled nonsense, as if he agreed.

  Megan smiled at the two on her bed. ‘Thanks, guys. Let’s get our coats and we’re off.’

  She glanced at herself one final time in the full-length mirror. The reflection showed a calm, self-possessed woman, quite unlike the real one who’d developed a sudden case of stomach butterflies.

  Don’t read more into this evening than it is, she reminded the girl in the mirror. She wasn’t looking for a relationship and neither was Jonas. They were simply going to enjoy each other’s company and she’d do well to remember it.

  Jonas followed Megan to their table for two and quickly hid the sappy grin that threatened to spread across his face. Ever since Megan had appeared in his doorway, he’d been completely dazzled. He’d always thought her beautiful but, dressed as she was, tonight he could only describe her as gorgeous.

  And for tonight she was his. His only regret was that West Ridge didn’t offer dancing like some of the other country clubs he’d frequented. He would have liked to have held her in his arms and slowly swayed to the music. Maybe next time, he thought.

  ‘This is quite a place,’ she said after they’d ordered filet mignon and twice-baked potatoes.

  He’d eaten in far more elaborate surroundings, but for a town this size the West Ridge Country Club was impressive. The furnishings and woodwork were of polished oak and the fixtures were brass that shone under the chandeliers.

  ‘It is nice,’ he said. ‘So you’ve never been here before?’

  ‘Dwight…’ She paused, as if mentioning his name had somehow dimmed the glowing atmosphere. ‘Dwight has come once or twice, but I’ve never been inside. Until now.’