A Child's Heart (Trent & Cassie's Story) A River City Novel

by E. Ayers

  “It doesn’t take that long to follow her home.” His mother’s voice seemed too loud in the silent house.

  “No, it doesn’t. We talked.”

  “Don’t lie.”

  “You think I’m jumping her every chance I get.” He shook his head. “I’m a grown man, and what I do is none of your business.”

  “Your son--”

  “Is asleep in the other room. Lower your voice.” He popped his pill and swallowed his water. “I happen to have found a woman who loves me and my son. We talked.”

  “Nonsense!”

  “We talked about my going to college and getting my degree.”

  “You can’t do that. You have a child to take care of.”

  “Yes. I can get my degree. It’ll be hard, but I’m going to do it. Cas will help.”

  “You’re just going to throw away a good job for some woman? Haven’t you made enough mistakes in your life?”

  “I loved Colleen.”

  “And look where that got you. Now you’re in love, and you get your shoulder busted over it. Have you lost your mind?”

  “No, and Cas is staying here with me the night after my surgery. She doesn’t want me to be alone.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “Yes. And I have a son who will be facing surgery less than forty-eight hours after mine. Let her help.”

  ~~17~~

  Cassie hit the snooze button on her alarm and rolled over. Trent’s scent was still on her pillow, and she inhaled deeply. Joy flooded her. She stretched, then forced her body off the bed.

  She took a fast shower, then stood in her closet deciding what to wear. Thrill coursed through her when she remembered her decision to get her piercing. She bit her lower lip, grinned, grabbed a two-piece dress from a hanger, and tossed it onto her bed. Standing in front of her mirror, she tried to envision how she would look with a crystal between her legs. She ran her hands over her breasts, down her tummy, and between her legs. She was wet with excitement.

  She closed her eyes as her fingers swept over her clitoris. The feel of Trent inside of her, her walls clenched against his hard shaft, and the memory of his touch sent her to an instant orgasm, shaking her entire body. Opening her eyes, she realized time was not on her side. She grabbed some tissues, washed her hands, dressed quickly, and slipped her feet into her shoes.

  It was three minutes to eight when she walked into her office. The first thing she did was make a pot of coffee and, as soon as it began to brew, she picked up the phone.

  “Hello. This is Dr. Jones. Is Dr. Lister working today?” “Good. He takes his lunch break at eleven, right?” “Yes, I know. Tell him I’m treating him to lunch and I’ll be there at eleven. Thanks.” She hung up the phone and let out a deep breath. His receptionist didn’t like that one little bit. Too bad!

  Mrs. Winston knocked on her door. “Good morning, Cassie. I think I have what you want. A hard copy is on its way over here, but this was faxed.”

  Cassie took the papers and looked them over. “Our money, our budget. One prayer has been answered.”

  “Did you read the note scribbled on the coversheet?”

  Cassie flipped back to the first page. A giggle bubbled out of her throat. “I love it! I’m going to be out of the office for a while this morning. I’m going to take this over to Tate Bia. She’s been helping me with it. I should be back here by one. Hold my calls. Take messages, if possible, and I'll try to return the calls this afternoon.”

  She placed the papers in her briefcase. “Oh, and while I’m over that way, I’m going to stop by the Emporium and do a little shopping. I need to find a gift.”

  Mrs. Winston smiled. “Shawn’s surgery is next week. Is that why you’re going to the Emporium?”

  “Actually, no, but you’re right. I think he needs something cuddly. I know there’s a toy store there, and that baby store with the odd name.”

  “Why don’t you get him a nice teddy bear?”

  “He has one he sleeps with every night. I need to find him something different.”

  The older woman nodded and then said, “The printer called and said if you want brochures for the next event, you need to get them to him before Friday at noon.”

  “Please tell me you are joking.”

  Mrs. Winston shook her head.

  “You might need to hold all my calls this week.” She poured a cup of coffee and offered one to Mrs. Winston. “Will you do a personal favor for me? Call the university and have them send me an application, along with all the loan information. I need the full packet. I’d pick it up, but I don’t have time.”

  Mrs. Winston left, and Cassie sat at her computer, looking at images. She took one of the mummified cats and paired it with a Monet. Staring at the two images, her mind tried to find a way to connect the two exhibits.

  Such beautiful colorful art, and then there are these ugly beasts. History and art preserved. No. Egyptian and…Beauty and the Beast. I wonder if that is copyrighted? Can’t copyright a book name. She played with it some more, then shoved it to one side.

  At a few minutes after ten, she wandered into the downtown mall. Newly renovated and expanded, it rivaled any large mall in the area. Quickly, she made her way to a small jewelry store with a myriad of body piercing jewelry.

  “May I help you?” a young sales clerk asked.

  “I’m looking for something special. I’m about to have my…ah, um, labia pierced.”

  “Oh, that’s the rage. I didn’t realize older women did it, too,” the young sales clerk said.

  Older women? Like I’m an old lady? She forced a smile.

  “We have bars or, if you prefer, we have these rings. They’re very comfortable.”

  Cassie chose two rings and a pendant. She paid for her purchases and headed for the toy store. She was about to give up, when she spotted the perfect gift. It was a pillow in the shape of a floppy eared dog. As she walked towards the front of the store, she spotted one more thing, body crayons. According to the package, they washed off easily with water. She picked up two packs and smiled. This will be fun!

  She checked her watch and knew she had to hurry. She picked up two sandwiches from a small local deli as she headed from the Emporium to Dr. Jeffery Lister’s office. With only a few minutes to spare, she entered his office and took a seat.

  The nurse finally called Cassie to his office, and she sat there for another fifteen minutes.

  “Hi, Cassie. You didn’t have to bring me lunch just to see me. What’s on your mind?”

  “I want my labia pierced, and I want you to do it. I don’t want anyone to know I’m having this done.”

  “I don’t do that.”

  “Correction, you will do it, today.”

  “Cassie!”

  “I want it done.” She handed him the small package that contained the two rings. “It takes an eighteen gauge needle.”

  “I’ll get one of my nurses.”

  “NO!”

  “I can’t--”

  “No nurse.”

  “Cassie, I can’t put you in stirrups and do this without someone else present.”

  “Then grab a resident, because I don’t trust anyone other than you.”

  He ate his sandwich and offered her a bottle of cold water. “May I ask why?”

  “I’m going to assume it’ll keep me from having sex for a while, and after that, it'll be an erotic adornment.” She could feel the flush over her cheeks.

  “Follow me.”

  It took only a few minutes, and it was over. She felt nothing, other than his hand against her thighs.

  He handed her a white paper bag. “Women with episiotomies use this, and I suggest that you do it, too. Any sign of infection, and you need to get back in here immediately. There’s a cool gel pack in there. Put it in the refrigerator and use it. It’ll keep the swelling down.”

  She flipped out of the stirrups and put her panties on. “You’re an angel! I owe you one.” She dropped a quick kiss on his cheek, straigh
tened her skirt, and walked out of his offices.

  Time was not her friend today. She called Tate on the cell phone and Tate agreed to meet her later in the afternoon at Cassie’s office. After she'd returned to her office and caught up on all her messages, she called Trent.

  “Hi. How did it go?” she asked.

  “I’m set for Tuesday and Shawn is set for Thursday. He needs to check into the hospital by six on Wednesday evening. They want him overnight.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. He’s still a baby.”

  “I won’t tell him what you just said.”

  “What, Daddy?”

  “Tell him he’s my sweet baby, and I love him.”

  “You tell him.” He passed the cell phone to his son,

  “Hi, Cassie.”

  “Hi, sweetheart. I have a surprise for you. If it’s not too late, I’ll stop by when I get off from work. Otherwise you’ll have to wait until tomorrow night.”

  “Did you buy me a book?”

  “I’m not telling, because if I did, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

  “Cassie, will you come listen to my prayers and kiss me goodnight?”

  “Tell Daddy I’ll stop by when I’m done at work. I can’t promise I’ll get there before you go to sleep, but I promise, I’ll kiss you goodnight.”

  ***

  Art to Ancient Artifacts, There is Something for Everyone at The River City Museum. Cassie’s fingers flew swiftly over the keyboard. Soon she had the mockup for the brochures, the local cable channel banner, and the public service announcement for the local radio stations, as well as the billboard. If someone changes one word… She pushed her chair back from her desk and stretched. People probably think I do nothing all day but sit around. I’ve never worked so hard for such little money.

  She gathered up her things, left the office, and went to Trent's house. She lightly tapped on Trent’s front door and waited for it to open.

  “I didn’t want to ring the doorbell and wake Shawn.”

  “He’s awake, and waiting for you.”

  “Ah, sweet baby.” She gave Trent a kiss and headed for Shawn’s room. “Hi, sweetie,” she whispered. “You’re supposed to be asleep.”

  “Daddy said I could stay awake until you got here.”

  She held up her hands. “I need to wash them. I’ll be right back.”

  She washed up to her elbows with antibacterial soap and dried off, using the paper towels that sat beside the sink. She looked down at her dress and realized she’d been everywhere in it. “Trent?” she called. “May I borrow a tee shirt?”

  He handed her one. She quickly changed and went back to Shawn.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to bring dirt and germs to you.”

  “It took you forever.”

  She sat on his bed, pushed her fingers through his hair, and smiled. “It didn’t take me that long.”

  “Can I still have my surprise?”

  “They’re in the car.”

  “As in more than one?”

  She nodded. “I’ll go get them.”

  She returned and handed him the dog pillow.

  “Oh, wow!” He tore the plastic wrap off and snuggled the doggie to his chest.

  She reached into the bag and retrieved a set of body crayons. “One set for you, and one set for Daddy.”

  “For me?” Trent asked from his position in the doorway.

  She turned around and grinned. “We get to practice on you, since your surgery is first.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “Oh, yes. It’ll be fun and it washes right off.”

  He glared at her and Shawn laughed.

  “Well, we want to make sure they fix the proper shoulder. And we’ll put his name on him so they don’t mix him up with someone else.”

  “I said, no!” His glare had turned into a serious frown.

  She put the crayons back into the bag and put them on Shawn’s small chest of drawers. “Bedtime. I want to talk to Daddy before I go home.”

  She went back to Shawn and gave him a big hug and kiss, and then pulled the sheet over him and tucked it under his chin.

  “If you spent the night here, then I could pretend that you were my mom, and we’d be like a real family.”

  “You have a mother, and she will always be your mother.”

  “But she’s dead.”

  “True, but she’s the one who made you. And it would take more than my staying here to make us a family. Daddy and I are working on that. You have to give us some time.” The rustling sound behind her told her that Trent left. She gave Shawn one more kiss and went in search of Trent.

  “Don’t get his hopes up,” Trent said as she walked into the kitchen.

  “Are you saying that you don’t see marriage as a possibility?”

  “Want a beer?”

  “No thanks." She put her hands on her hips. "You failed to answer my question.”

  “I don’t have an answer.”

  “Okay, listen carefully. You might disagree with what I’m about to say, but hear me out. When you thought there was the chance that I was pregnant, you were very willing to marry me. You didn’t want me to dispose of the fetus or do anything to ruin its chances. I’m willing to bet that you planned to go to college, and to Colleen, that was a big red flag. She was scared she’d lose you. She knew how you felt about children, so getting pregnant was her way of making sure you’d marry her.”

  “That’s insane.”

  “No, it’s logical.”

  “Since the moment you found out that I got my period, all discussion of marriage has come to an abrupt halt. That means you’d be willing to do the right thing, step up to the plate, and become a father one more time. But as long as that isn’t happening, the thought of marriage scares the hell out of you.”

  “That’s bullshit!” He popped the tab on a can of beer and drank some.

  She raised her eyebrows. “No, it’s not. You would have never married Colleen. You would have gone off to college, and never looked back.”

  “I loved Colleen.”

  “I’m sure you did. You were buddies and best friends. Did she plan on attending college?”

  He shook his head.

  “She loved you and was petrified of losing you, so she trapped you.”

  He took another swig. “I don’t want to discuss Colleen.”

  “Fine. It’s your past, and you have a future. Think about this.” She reached in her purse, pulled out a small bag, and handed it to him. “The rings are in place.”

  He opened the bag and withdrew a small hot pink box with the store’s logo on it.

  “Open it.”

  He did and took a deep breath.

  “Do you like it?”

  “It’s for your…”

  She nodded.

  “You’re going to wear this?”

  She nodded again.

  “It’s longer than I expected.”

  “I’ll give you the honors of attaching it this weekend. I need to do a little healing before I add weight to the rings.”

  “Does it hurt?”

  “Whatever was used to numb the area has worn off. I’m very aware of that part of my anatomy, but I don’t have any pain. I’m very willing to see what the future holds for us.”

  ~~18~~

  As Cassie left the museum on Memorial Day, the rain poured in sheets. She and Trent had planned to do steaks on the grill, but they’d have to settle for steaks done under the broiler. She stopped at her place, took a quick shower, changed into jeans, and grabbed the meat from the refrigerator along with the potato salad she had made. She hadn’t spent much time around his mom, although she did have the distinct feeling that his mom didn’t approve of the relationship.

  She parked her car on the street and ran through the pouring rain to Trent’s front door. It opened instantly as she approached.

  “In!”

  She planted a wet kiss on Trent’s lips as she pushed the hood of her slicker back. He took her bag and
her coat. Kicking off her wet sneakers, she hugged her arms as he hung her coat on a peg.

  “It’s going to drip on the floor.”

  “I’ll get an old towel. Don’t worry about it. Are you cold?”

  “I’ll be fine in a minute. The temperature has dropped.”

  “It’s been a lousy weekend.”

  “Tell me about it. All this rain sent many families to the museum instead of participating in outdoor activities. We’ve been packed the whole holiday weekend. I’m not complaining, because it’s good for the museum. What did you do with Shawn?”

  “Remember that dinosaur puzzle? We put it together.”

  “I can’t wait to see it.”

  As she walked towards the kitchen behind Trent, she was suddenly attacked by two small arms around her waist.

  “Hi, sweetie. Daddy said you guys did the puzzle.”

  “It was hard.”

  “You mean difficult?”

  “Yep. It’s in the living room drying on newspaper.”

  Shawn steered her back around and pushed her in the direction of the tiny room by the front door.

  “That’s awesome. I’ve never seen one put together. I wonder if I brought home another one, would you put it together for the museum's gift shop? I think we’d sell lots of them if people could see what they looked like finished.”

  Shawn lowered his head. “Daddy’s surgery is tomorrow and then I have to go into the hospital for mine. We don’t have enough time.”

  “After your surgery you’ll have plenty of time.”

  Shawn shook his head.

  She sat in a chair and pulled Shawn onto her knee. The child buried his head into her shoulder and hugged her tightly.

  “Shawn, sweetie, you’re going to have lots of time to do things after your surgery. Tate Bia’s husband coaches soccer, and he has a special team of kids. He says it will be the perfect place for you to start playing the game. He’s already reserved a slot for you on the fall team. And he promised me that he’d come over this summer and show you how to play.”

  Shawn hugged her tighter.

  “Sweetie, are you scared?” There was no response. “You’re going to be fine. There’s an element of danger in everything we do. I could have been killed in a car accident driving over here. If we didn’t take chances, we’d never get out of bed in the morning.”