The House On Hope Street

by Steel, Danielle

  “Jamie was right,” she said, looking worried, “the girls wiped him out.”

  “Girls have a way of doing that,” he smiled, “but I think it was good for him, a little taste of real life to balance the ICU. He needs that.” They talked about when he could go home then, and Bill thought they could count on his being home by Labor Day, less than two weeks away. He just wanted to be sure all the swelling had gone down in his brain, so there wouldn’t be complications, and that sounded sensible to her. But it reminded her of something she wanted to discuss with the children. Their annual Labor Day party. They hadn’t been planning to give it this year, but after what had happened, and the tragedy they’d been spared, she thought it was time for a celebration. And going back to Lake Tahoe was now impossible. It was too much for Peter to travel so soon.

  “Can he go back to school on schedule?” she asked, looking concerned.

  “Close enough. Maybe a week late. Nothing too dramatic. He can’t drive though.” And Liz had been planning to take him on a college tour in September. That would have to wait awhile too, until he was stronger.

  They talked about the details of his recovery for a while, and he invited her back to his office for a cup of coffee before she left, and she sank into a chair looking exhausted.

  “Long day?” he asked, looking sympathetic. She had so much responsibility, he knew, and he was impressed by how well she handled it, how calm she was, and how loving she was with her children.

  “No longer than yours,” she said kindly.

  “I don’t have five kids, and one in the hospital.” Or a child who was learning-delayed, and obviously needed more careful attention than the others, not to mention three adolescent daughters, who were clamoring for her attention. “When I think about it, I don’t know how you do it.”

  “Neither do I sometimes. You just do what you have to.”

  “And you?” he asked quietly, looking at her over his coffee mug. “Who takes care of you, Liz?”

  “I do. Peter sometimes. My secretary, my housekeeper, my friends. I’m pretty lucky.” It was an odd way to look at it, from his perspective. After losing her husband whom she counted on for twenty years. She was trying to do it all on her own. He admired her a lot for what she was doing, and it was obvious to him she did it well.

  “When I look at you, I feel guilty for how little responsibility I have. I don’t even have a goldfish. Just myself. I guess I’m pretty selfish.” Compared to her, he felt as though he had very little to deal with.

  “Just different. Everyone has different needs, Bill. You obviously know yours, and you have it the way you want it.” He was old enough to have done something about it, if he didn’t. He was forty-five years old, he had said a few days before, and his life obviously suited him, just as hers did. “I’d be lost without my kids.”

  “I can see why. They’re all terrific. And that doesn’t just happen. You put a lot into it, and it shows.” He remembered what Jamie had said about her coaching him for the Olympics. He couldn’t help wondering when she found the time.

  “They’re worth it, and they make me happy. Speaking of which,” she said, putting down her mug and standing up, “I’d better get home before they disown me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “I’m off for a few days, but Peter will be in good hands.” He gave her the doctor’s name, and told her when he’d be back. He was going up to Mendocino.

  “Have fun,” she said, smiling at him, “you’ve earned it.”

  And that night when she went home, she talked to the kids about the Labor Day party, and she was surprised to find they had mixed emotions about it. Megan and Jamie thought it was a great idea, but Rachel and Annie thought it was a betrayal of their father to have it without him. It had been their father’s favorite holiday, other than the Fourth of July.

  “Who’ll do the barbecue?” Rachel asked plaintively.

  “We will,” Liz said calmly. “We do barbecues all the time. Peter can help. I just think we need to celebrate the fact that he’s okay, and still with us.” And when she put it that way, they grudgingly accepted. By the end of the week, they were actually excited about it. They were all going to invite friends, and so was Liz. They had about sixty names on the list, and Liz was looking forward to it. It was the first time she had entertained since Jack died, but it had been eight months and seemed respectable. And Peter was thrilled when they told him about it.

  And by the time he was ready to come home, four days before Labor Day, more than fifty people had accepted. She was working out Peter’s discharge plan and his therapy schedule with Bill Webster, when she thought of extending an invitation to him. “It’s kind of a celebration for Peter,” she explained, “it would be great if you could come. It’s very informal, just jeans and sweaters.”

  “Can I wear scrubs? I don’t think I own anything else. I never have time to go anywhere.” But he looked pleased to be invited, and told her that if he wasn’t working, he’d be there.

  “We’d love to have you.” They had a lot to thank him for, and it was a nice way to do it. She had sent him a case of wine too, and he’d been pleased to receive it from her. But suddenly it seemed right that he be there to celebrate Peter’s homecoming. Without him, Peter might not have been there at all, it was an intolerable thought.

  Most of all, Bill urged her not to let Peter overdo it. He was young, and he’d be straining at the bit once he got home, wanting to see his friends and run around with them. But otherwise, Bill thought he’d be fine, and have no residual effect of the accident, once he finished his therapy, which would be by Christmas. “Keep a tight rein on him for a while,” he admonished her, and she nodded.

  “I’ll do that.” He wasn’t going to be able to drive for a month or two, until he got the brace off his neck, and she knew that that was really going to be hard on Peter, and she’d be playing chauffeur more than she had time for. But someone had to do it, and a lot of the time, Carole was busy with the girls and Jamie. “We’ll manage.”

  “Keep in touch. And call me if he has any problems.”

  On the morning Peter left the hospital, Bill came to say good-bye to both of them, and he shook Liz’s hand with a warm look. It was obvious that he was going to miss her. She had spent a fair amount of time in his office, drinking coffee and chatting, and they had grown comfortable with each other. She reminded him about the Labor Day party, and he said he’d do his best to be there.

  “He’ll be there, Mom,” Peter confirmed as they drove away.

  “Not if he has to work,” she said matter-of-factly, but she was sorry to see the last of him too. After the experience he’d gotten them through, he felt like a friend now, and she would be forever grateful to him.

  “He’ll be there,” Peter repeated smugly. “I told you, he likes you.”

  “Don’t be such a wiseass,” she said with a grin, unconcerned by what he was saying. He was just Peter’s doctor.

  “I’ll bet you ten bucks he comes,” Peter said, readjusting his neck brace.

  “You can’t afford it,” his mother said, and slipped quietly into the traffic. And whether or not Bill came to their Labor Day party, she assured herself, was entirely unimportant. She had convinced herself of it, though not Peter, as he smiled at her.

  The House On Hope Street

  Chapter 8

  The Labor Day party was a big success. All of the kids’ friends came, and most of their parents, and some people Liz hadn’t seen since before Jack died. Victoria and her husband came, and brought the triplets. Liz and Peter manned the barbecue, and he did very well, despite his neck brace. And Annie, Rachel, and Megan mingled with the guests. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and half an hour after the party began, Bill Webster wandered in, and looked a little lost until he saw Jamie.

  “Hi, remember me?” He was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved plaid shirt, his hair was neatly combed, and Jamie smiled as soon as he saw him.

  “I remember you. You don’t like shots eit
her.” Jamie grinned up at him.

  “Right. How’s Peter doing?”

  “Pretty good, except he yells at me when I jump on him.”

  “He’s right, not to yell, but you need to be a little careful with him. His neck is kind of broken.”

  “I know. That’s why he wears the big necklace.”

  “I guess you could call it that. Where’s your mom?” Bill asked, smiling.

  “Over there.” He pointed to the barbecue, and Bill nodded, watching her make hamburgers. She was wearing a barbecue apron over jeans, and her red hair stuck out in the crowd, as did Peter’s. And in spite of the fact that she was hard at work, she was smiling, and looked very pretty. Her hair had grown over the summer, and she was wearing it long on her shoulders. And as though sensing Bill watching her, she looked up, and saw him. She waved a spatula toward him, and he approached slowly, followed by Jamie. And when he got there, Bill saw that Peter was standing near her, wearing what Jamie called his “necklace.”

  “How’s it going?” the doctor asked his patient, and Peter grinned, and spoke to his mother in an undertone, pretending to hand her something.

  “You owe me ten bucks, Mom.”

  “He came to see you,” she whispered sotto voce, and then turned to greet Bill and offer him a glass of wine. He smiled at her, and asked for a Coke instead, since he was on call. The mood around them was casual and festive.

  “You look very professional with that barbecue.” Bill smiled at her and sipped his Coke.

  “I learned from an expert.”

  “Peter seems to be doing fine,” he said, casting a glance at his patient. Peter was having fun with his friends, and flipping hamburgers, despite the cumbersome neck brace.

  “He wants to go back to school next week,” she said, looking worried for a minute.

  “If you think he’s up to it, let him. I trust your judgment.”

  “Thank you.” She turned the barbecue over to Carole and Peter then, and one of their neighbors lent a hand, so she could walk off with Bill for a few minutes. They sat down on two empty chairs and she sipped a Coke. She wasn’t much of a drinker. “How are things at the hospital?” It seemed funny being here with him, away from the concerns they had shared about Peter. Now they were on their own, like two ordinary people, and she felt suddenly shy with him.

  “Things at the hospital are too busy. And they’ll get worse before they get better this weekend. Holiday weekends are killers, literally. Car accidents, gunshot wounds, attempted suicides. It’s amazing what people can come up with when they’re off work for a few days, especially when you put a steering wheel in their hands.”

  “It’s nice that you could get off and take the time to come over.”

  “I didn’t. I’m on call. I’ve got my pager on, but I figured they could live without me for a while. I left my chief resident in charge. He’s good, he won’t call me unless he has to. What about you, Liz? How are the holidays for you? They can’t be easy.”

  “This one is better than I expected. The first of everything has been rough. Valentine’s Day, Easter, the kids’ birthdays, Fourth of July, but Labor Day is kind of innocuous. I thought this would be fun for the children.” And everyone seemed to be having a good time, especially her children. They looked happy to have their friends around, it was the first time the family had entertained since Christmas.

  “I used to love holidays when I was a kid. Now they’re just workdays.” His life sounded lonely to her, but he seemed to like it that way. She had noticed that he was at the hospital constantly when Peter was there, which made it even nicer that he had come to her party. “What do you do with your spare time when you’re not working and chasing kids?” He looked at her with interest as he asked the question and she laughed as she answered.

  “What else is there? You mean there’s life after work and kids? I’m not sure I remember what that feels like.”

  “Maybe you need to be reminded,” he said casually. “When was the last time you went to the movies?”

  “Hmm …” She thought about it and shook her head. It was hard to believe it had been as long as it had been. She had dropped kids off and picked them up at the movie house in Mill Valley, but she hadn’t gone herself in months. “I think the last time I went to the movies was last Thanksgiving.” With Jack of course. They had gone, as they always did, after everyone had settled down after Thanksgiving dinner. It had been a tradition with them.

  “Maybe we could go to a movie sometime,” he said hopefully, as his pager went off, and he looked down at his belt where he had clipped it. The display told him it was an emergency, and he took a cellular phone out of his pocket and called the hospital. He listened carefully, told them what to do, and then turned to Liz with a look of disappointment. “They’ve got a nasty one on their hands, Liz. A couple of kids in a head-on. I’d better get back. I was hoping for a hamburger and a little more time. You’ll have to give me a rain check.”

  “How about taking a hamburger with you?” she asked as she walked him toward the gate to the backyard. The barbecue was set up right near it, and she asked Peter to wrap one up in some tinfoil, and handed it to Bill as she walked him to his car. It was a ten-year-old Mercedes. He had a certain style about him, although it was hard to tell as he wandered around the hospital in scrubs and clogs. But here he was wearing immaculate, pressed jeans, and well-polished loafers, and his hair was impeccably combed, which it hadn’t been any of the other times she’d seen him.

  “Thanks for the hamburger,” he smiled. “I’ll call you for that movie. Maybe next week?”

  “I’d like that,” she said, feeling shy again, and suddenly very young. It had been years since a man had invited her to the movies. But what the hell, he was nice, and respectable, and he was right, she needed to get out more than she had been.

  Victoria commented on Bill’s brief appearance when Liz stopped for a minute to talk to her after he left.

  “He’s cute,” Victoria said with a mischievous smile, “and he likes you.”

  “That’s what Peter says.” Liz grinned, and then looked serious again. “He’s great at what he does.”

  “Did he ask you out?” her friend asked bluntly, sounding hopeful.

  “Don’t be silly, Vic. We’re just friends.” But the truth was, he had, although Liz was surprised to realize she didn’t want to admit it to her. It didn’t mean anything. Just a movie. And maybe they’d never do it after all. Liz told herself it wasn’t worth mentioning to Victoria, and then moved on to check on her other guests.

  The party went on for hours, and it was after eleven when the last guests went home. The food had been good, the wine plentiful, and the people pleasant and happy. They’d all had a good time, and as the kids helped her clean up and carry the stray glasses inside, she was glad she had done it. She was helping Carole load the dishwasher when the phone rang, and she glanced at the clock in surprise, it was after midnight, and she couldn’t imagine who would call them.

  She answered it, wondering if one of the guests had forgotten something, and was surprised to hear a familiar voice. It was Bill, calling to thank her for the party.

  “I thought you’d probably still be up. Has everyone left?”

  “Just a few minutes ago. Your timing is perfect. How did your emergency go?”

  He sighed before he answered, he didn’t like talking about it. Some situations were better than others. “We lost one of the kids, but the other one is doing fine. It happens that way sometimes.” But he sounded as though he took it to heart each time he lost one.

  “I don’t know how you do it,” she said softly.

  “It’s what I do.” And it was obvious that he loved it, particularly when he made a difference, as he did much of the time. “So when are we going to the movies?” He didn’t even give her time to answer or reconsider. “How about tomorrow? I have a night off, and I’m not on call, a rarity, believe me. We’d better grab it while we can. What about pizza and a movie?”
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br />   “Best offer I’ve had all night … all year,” she smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

  “Me too. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “I’ll see you then, Bill. And thank you. I hope it’s a peaceful night there.”

  “And for you too,” he said gently. He remembered how much trouble she had sleeping.

  She was still smiling to herself when she hung up the phone, and Peter walked into the kitchen. He looked at her, and then raised an eyebrow as he asked a question.

  “And who was that?”

  “No one important,” she said vaguely. But Peter was staring at her with a look of concentration. He didn’t believe her, and then suddenly he knew, and grinned as he teased her.

  “It was Bill Webster, wasn’t it, Mom? Tell the truth. It was … right?”

  “Yeah. Maybe.” She looked faintly sheepish.

  “I told you he likes you! That’s terrific.”

  “What’s terrific?” Megan asked as she joined them in the kitchen. Carole was through loading the dishwasher by then, and the younger children had gone to bed a few minutes after the guests left.

  “My doctor likes Mom,” Peter said with obvious pleasure. He liked him.

  “What doctor?” Megan looked surprised at what her brother had just said.

  “The one who saved my life, dummy. Who else?”

  “What do you mean, ‘He likes Mom.’ What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means he called her.”

  “For a date?” She looked horrified as she glanced from Peter to her mother, and Peter fired another question at her.

  “I don’t know. Did he ask you for a date, Mom?” He looked vastly amused, but Megan didn’t.

  “Sort of,” she admitted, and Megan looked outraged. “We’re going to the movies tomorrow.” There was no point hiding it from them, they’d see him pick her up anyway. And besides, she had nothing to hide. He was a nice guy, and Peter’s doctor. They were just friends, and she was sure he had nothing more lurid in mind than what he had proposed, pizza and a movie. “It’s no big deal. I just thought it might be fun,” she said apologetically, as Megan continued to glare at her.