by E. Ayers
“What do you mean?”
“Well, anything could happen to anyone at any time. A meteor could fall out of the sky and land on the house. We don’t spend our lives worrying about all those terrible things that might happen, because chances are they won’t.”
“Like the spider that was in the garden by the back door that Daddy and I used to feed, and Grandmom didn’t know it was our pet, and she killed it?”
“Well, I guess if you were that spider, then the logic would apply. But I don’t think spiders worry very much. They just take each day and moment as it comes. We think on a higher level than a spider, so we tend to worry about things.” She cupped his little face in her hand. “You don’t need to worry. Daddy is going to come through his surgery with flying colors and so are you.
"The difference is that your surgery is very complicated and you’re still very small. They developed this equipment just for you, but it will benefit all children who need heart surgery. You get to be the first. You’re the pioneer, just like the guys who rode west to stake claims on land or pan for gold.”
“Like the astronauts?”
“Yes, just like them. The difference is when Yuri Gagarin went into space, no one knew if it would really work. Same with Alan Shepard, and then Neil Armstrong got to walk on the moon. I’d have to compare this to your being a pint-sized Neil Armstrong. They already know this surgery works. They just had to make everything scaled for you.”
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Her mouth dropped. “How did you know that?”
“That’s what Neil Armstrong said when he stepped on the moon. I got it in a book. But who is Warry Gagagan?”
“Yuri Gagarin was from Russia, and he beat Alan Shepard into space.”
“Are you sure? I never heard of him.”
“Well, I think I’m certain, but we can look that up tomorrow on my computer while we wait for Daddy to have his surgery.”
“I wish I had a computer.”
“I’ll give you one. I have an old one in my closet. I bought a new one when I started working at the museum.”
“You’ll give me a computer?”
“Just remember, it’s an old one, but you’re still going to need Internet access.”
“Lots of places have that. I only get to use the ones at the library, and they won’t let me stay on their computers very long.”
“I’ll talk to Daddy about it.”
“What are you going to talk to me about?”
“My old computer. It’s probably five years old and it’s heavy compared to my new one. Internet access seems to be a slight problem.”
“An expensive problem. Dinner is almost ready.”
***
It was after dinner and when Shawn was in bed that the three adults had the opportunity to seriously chat.
“Internet access isn’t that expensive,” Cassie said.
“We can’t afford it,” Trent countered.
“But there are places where he can obtain access to the Internet. Most public buildings have Internet access, and so do the coffee shops and fast food restaurants. Certainly there are plenty of places he can go. And he could always come to my apartment. I’ll give you a key.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Trent’s mom said, a little too emphatically.
“Mrs. Callahan, why do I detect that you don’t approve of my presence?”
“My son is not a toy. He’s got plenty on his plate right now, and you’re interfering.”
“Excuse me? How am I interfering? By offering your grandson a computer?”
“Trent wouldn’t be having this surgery, if it weren’t for you.”
“Mom, that’s not true. The doctor said this was the final blow on an old problem. If it hadn’t happened then, it would have happened while I was carrying a piece of stone. It’s been bothering me a lot lately. I just kept figuring it would go away.”
“You’re as bad as your father. Something in a skirt smiles at you and you’re walking down the garden path. Getting involved with Colleen was your first mistake.”
Cassie sat back and listened to the squabbling between the mother and her son, until she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Both of you, stop! He’s a grown man, and I am an adult woman. He was a kid when he was with Colleen, and he’s taken his responsibility to his son with love and tremendous fortitude. Most men are thirty years old before they reach his level of maturity. As his mother, I’ll give you credit for raising such a fine man.” She smiled at his mom. “Give him the freedom he deserves.”
“Oh, he’ll have plenty of freedom in another few days. He can move in with you, if that’s what you want.”
“Ohmigod! It's you! You think that Shawn is going to die, don’t you? And you’ve told him that! You're the one who has taken away his hope of a future.”
“There’s no point in hiding the truth. You waltz in here thinking you have all the answers. The odds of that baby making it through surgery are slim.”
“I think it’s time for me to go home.”
“Wait, Cas, You’re not going alone. I need to get a few things first.” Trent pushed his chair from the table with such force, he almost tipped it over as he stood. “I was looking forward to your staying with me tomorrow night, but I can see that’s not going to happen, so if you don’t mind, I’ll stay with you and so will my son.”
Cassie stood in the tiny foyer that functioned like a hub for the house. Trent packed a bag and tossed it in his car and then went into his son’s room and packed another. In a few minutes, he had everything in his car.
“The dinosaur?” Cassie nodded in the direction of the living room.
Trent picked it up and put it in Cassie’s car. When he returned, he gathered his sleeping son and took the boy to his car seat.
Cassie turned the key in the ignition. What have I done? This was supposed to have been a pleasant evening, and instead, it has ended this way. If I’d just kept my mouth closed, none of this would have happened.
***
Trent laid Shawn on Cassie’s sofa. While she tucked his new doggie pillow under his head and put his favorite stuffed animals next to him, the child barely stirred.
“I’m so sorry, Trent. I didn’t mean to create such a problem.”
He shook his head. “In a way, I knew this was going to happen. It’s not your fault.”
“Would you like something to eat or drink? I don’t have much in the apartment, but in another two hours you won’t be allowed to have anything.”
“I’d kill for a beer, only that’s off limits. Got some coffee?”
“Decaf?” She opened a kitchen cabinet.
He nodded. “It’s not your fault. I didn’t realize how negative my mother was.”
“It’s Shawn that worries me. He needs the will to live, and I’m scared that’s been taken from him.”
“When you talked about that the other night, I was certain that you were seeing shadows where there weren’t any. Now, I know you were right.”
“We have an even bigger problem. I have a one-bedroom apartment. Shawn can’t sleep on the sofa forever.”
“Well, when the surgeries are over, we’ll have to find a place for the three of us.”
Trent watched the grin spread across her face.
“Are you sure you want coffee? I do have a pendant that needs attention.”
“Make the coffee and while it’s brewing, I’ll take care of the pendant.”
***
Trent looked at Cassie lying on the bed and smiled as she passed him the pendant. His nerves of steel dissolved and his calloused hands shook as he attempted to thread the tiny chain through rings that pierced her. He fumbled and dropped the pendant, causing it to slip from the tiny chain. He tried again. Her pink folds glistened with moisture.
Never before had he looked that intensely at this part of a woman’s anatomy. Colleen’s light brown curls obscured what she had, and although she never mind
ed servicing him, she wanted no part of cunnilingus. She never let him touch her there. Now, he was staring directly at the forbidden fruit of woman. Hairless milky white skin flowed into pink. His rough hands pressed to Cassie's perfection.
He shoved his nail over the lobster claw catch, opening it enough to hook the tiny gold loop at the other end of the chain. His hand shook. The pendant slipped from the chain resting at her well. Desire overtook him and he touched his tongue to her.
She squealed and admonished him.
She was salty and sweet. Ignoring her protests, he lapped at her again, this time taking her pendant into his mouth and tucking it next to his cheek.
Using his thumbs, he gently eased her feminine lips further apart. Her body still quivered. He ran his hand over her mons and lightly stroked her. He slipped the jeweled pendant from his mouth.
He picked up the loose end of the tiny chain and studied the impossible closure. Carefully, he slipped the pendant on the chain, then fastened the loop to complete the circle. He sat up and smiled at her.
“You weren’t supposed to do that. The doctor said no oral sex until I was completely healed.”
“Couldn’t help it.”
“How’s it look?”
He gazed down at her and fingered the pendant. “You are beautiful, and this is very…” He gazed back up at her and smiled.
“I want to see.” She scooted off the bed and gazed at her image in the mirror.
He came up behind her, catching her waist into his hand and then sliding it up to her small breasts. She leaned back against him, wiggling her naked butt across the front of his jeans. “I think I need to return the favor.”
~~19~~
Trent put several things in his son’s backpack and handed it to Cassie. “Don’t let him take his mask off while he’s inside the hospital. And there is a big bottle of hand sanitizer in the side pocket.”
“Do you really think that I’m incapable of handling Shawn for a few hours without you?”
Trent sighed. “No. It’s just we’re this close…I don’t want anything…”
Shawn looked up at his father. “I know, Daddy. It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
He grinned at his son. "And I'm going to be fine, too. People have surgery all the time. They're going to make my shoulder as good as new." He tickled his son's belly. "In a couple of weeks, we'll be shooting hoops together."
"No, Daddy. I have to learn to play soccer first."
***
Trent hugged and kissed his son, and then kissed Cassie.
“We’ll be waiting for you. Shawn’s going to be fine.”
Trent smiled and lifted his hand in a wave as he followed a young woman in scrubs through a set of double doors. Cassie fought the emotions that threatened to send tears to her eyes. She squeezed Shawn’s hand and smiled at him.
“Now, we wait. They told him the surgery won’t take very long, it’s the prep and then the recovery that takes forever.”
“Daddy told me.” Then tears began to roll down his cheeks and onto his mask.
“Sweetie, what’s the matter?”
“Will you keep me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to stay with you.”
“Of course, you are going to stay with me. We’ve got to take good care of Daddy tonight. He’s going to hurt.”
“Does it always hurt?”
She pulled Shawn into her lap and ran her fingers through his pale blond hair.
“I think most of the time when you have surgery, you will feel some discomfort afterwards, but not really pain. Daddy has probably had more pain this past week then what he will feel when it’s over. He just has to be very careful for a little while until he heals.” A warm wet feeling spread across her lap. “Shawn, did you have an accident?”
He buried his head into her shoulder.
“I take that as a yes.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You have clothes, but I don’t. Shall we go back to my apartment?”
Shawn nodded.
***
Trent had plenty on his mind, but when he pulled off his shirt to put on the hospital gown, he felt more than a little foolish. Shawn and Cassie had decorated his chest and shoulder with all sorts of little notes and drawings.
A nurse, slightly older than him, came into the small room and checked his wristband. “Hi. I’m Stella Barns, and you are Trenton Callahan. Will you please give me your date of birth?”
He gave her the numbers. “That seems silly, it’s on my wristband.”
“Just our way of double checking, Mr. Callahan. We wouldn’t want to do surgery on the wrong person. It’s your left shoulder, correct?” She pulled his gown down and giggled. “Looks as if someone beat me to it. I was going to mark your shoulder with one of these special body markers.”
***
It didn’t take long to run their little errand and get back to the hospital. As they walked down the long hallway, Shawn looked up at her and asked, “When will Daddy die?”
“I hope not for a very long time.”
“So it doesn’t always happen during the surgery?”
“Daddy is healthy, and his surgery isn’t very complicated. Lots of people have surgery. In fact, Daddy had surgery when he was twelve, and that was much more dangerous than what he’s having now.”
“How do you know that?”
“That scar on his tummy. That was from surgery. Yours will be dangerous for many reasons, but not nearly as dangerous as open-heart surgery. That’s why everyone has worked so hard to make sure you get this new procedure. But if the doctors or your father thought you’d die from the surgery, they wouldn’t let you have it.”
“So I won’t die?”
She shook her head. “Where did you get the idea that you were going to die?”
“I hear the grownups talking. Even Dr. Ramsey told Daddy that I could die.”
“Remember what I said about the meteor falling on the house?”
He nodded.
“It is always a possibility, but we don’t worry about meteors falling, and you don’t need to worry about dying from your surgery. You need to concentrate on getting better after the surgery.” She put her laptop on the little table. “Let’s go look up the astronauts. Remember when I said Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space? We’ll go check that out on NASA’s website.”
Soon Shawn was absorbed in looking at all the wonderful photos and reading about the space program. She checked her watch several times and tried not to appear to be worried, but Trent had been back there longer than she had expected, without a single word from anyone on his progress. She offered Shawn a granola bar and a bottle of water. He took both, which meant he had to pull his mask down to eat. She knew Trent didn’t want him removing it in the hospital, and she didn’t want to leave the waiting room to take Shawn outside. She poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat hoping there would be some word from someone. Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer.
She went to the window of the receptionist. “Hi. I’m waiting on Trenton Callahan. His surgery was scheduled for eight thirty this morning, and it’s after twelve. Is something wrong?”
The woman flipped through several pages. “Your name please.”
“Dr. Cassandra Jones. I’m his friend and that’s his son, Shawn.”
“I’m sorry. You’re not listed as next of kin or authorized to receive medical information.”
Frustration clawed at her neck. She inhaled. “Please. I know there are rules and why, but I’m very concerned.” She opened her purse. “Really, I have his wallet and all of his personal things here. Do you really think he’d trust me with these, or his child, if he didn’t want me to know what was happening?”
“Have a seat and I’ll see if there is any information I can give you.”
A few minutes later, an older woman in scrubs came into the waiting room. “Cassie?”
“Yes, I’m Dr. Cassandra Jones.”
“And you are here for?”
Cassie fished in her purse again and pulled out Trent’s driver’s license. “Trent Callahan.”
“He’s fine. His doctor has had several surgeries this morning, and he’s still in the O.R., but Mr. Callahan is in recovery and doing very well. He’s groggy, but awake. We’ve given him something for pain, so he’s resting peacefully. He said you were here with his son. I’m sure the doctor will speak with you when he’s done.”
Cassie went back to her seat and waited. Stay calm. Shawn doesn't need me to be upset.
A little while later, an older gentleman wearing scrubs walked through the double doors and asked, “Dr. Jones?”
“Yes.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Dr. Amory. I understand you are one of the professors here at the university.”
“Yes. I’m the curator at the museum, too.”
“Mr. Callahan is doing fine. He’s alert and comfortable. It took a little longer than we anticipated because he had so much scar tissue in there. Did you fill the prescriptions?”
She sucked in a deep breath. “I think he took care of that the other day.”
“Good. Are you going to be with him tonight?”
“Yes, and Shawn comes back tomorrow for his surgery on Thursday.”
“That’s going to be quite an event. Wish I could watch, but I’ve got patients in the office to see. Trent is going to be fine. After his therapy, he’ll discover what it will be like to have a normal shoulder.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“May I have a word with Shawn?”
“Certainly.”
The doctor walked over to Shawn and squatted next to him. “Hello. I fixed your father’s shoulder.”
Shawn nodded.
“He’s going to be just fine, and so are you. You’re quite a celebrity in this hospital.”
Shawn nodded again.
“I’ll stop in and see you.”
Again, Shawn nodded.
Cassie decided that maybe if Shawn heard something positive it might help him. “Dr. Amory, Shawn is a little worried about his surgery, and I know you do lots of surgeries. Do people die when they have surgery?”
