Feeling as though she was moving in agonizingly slow motion, Heather helped Susie to retrieve a ladder from a shed at the end of Susie’s narrow driveway, then with Buzzy running on ahead, the two mothers carried the ladder back to the mulberry tree. Other neighbors began to appear as they heard the commotion and made their way quickly toward the Marshalls’ house.
When Heather and Susie were within fifteen feet of the yard, Emma shrieked in terror as Melissa lost her footing on the branch where she was perched and screamed as she began to fall.
“No!” Heather yelled, dropping her end of the ladder. “Melissa!” She ran, the distance to her falling child seeming like miles. “No!”
As Melissa crashed through the last branches on the tree, Mack extended his arms and caught her, the impact causing him to lose his balance. He spun around as he felt himself falling, then landed on his back on the hard ground with Melissa held tightly against his chest.
Heather dropped to her knees beside the pair and Melissa flung herself at her mother, wrapping her arms around Heather’s neck and crying.
Mack sat up and draped his arms over his bent knees, sucking in deep breaths.
A cheer went up from the assembled group, then voices buzzed as everyone talked at once, exclaiming over Mack’s heroic rescue.
“You’re all right. You’re all right,” Heather said, struggling against threatening tears as she rubbed Melissa’s back. “Uncle Mack saved you and you’re fine. You’re just scratched up a little, but Mommy will fix those cuts and you can have lots of bandages. Shh, don’t cry, sweetheart. You’re safe now. Can you stop crying now, Melissa, so we can thank Uncle Mack for keeping you from being terribly hurt? Don’t you think it’s time to say thank-you?”
Melissa nodded, sniffled, then eased out of Heather’s embrace to stand next to her mother, who was still kneeling on the ground. The pair turned to look at Mack where he sat on the ground, his chin lowered to his chest.
“Mack?” Heather said.
Mack raised his head slowly to look at Heather, straightening his shoulders slightly in the process.
“Melissa and I are so grateful to you for…” Heather started, then her eyes widened and her heart began to race. “Oh, dear God. Mack, your shirt…your shoulder…you’re bleeding. Oh, God, Mack?”
A stunned hush fell over the neighbors, except for Melissa and Emma, who burst into tears again when they saw the blood spreading on Mack’s dusty, white shirt.
Mack took a ragged breath, then attempted and failed to produce a smile.
“Houston,” he said, his voice strained by pain, “we have a problem.”
Chapter Eleven
Heather sat in the crowded waiting room at the hospital, her hands clutched tightly in her lap. She looked up at the clock on the wall, then shook her head in self-disgust as she realized it had only been two minutes since she’d last checked to see how much time had passed since Mack was whisked away down a corridor. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.
What a nightmare. She should be counting her blessings, she knew, that Melissa had not been seriously injured when she’d fallen through the branches of the tree. Yes, Melissa was fine, but Mack was not and it was terrifying.
There had been so much blood on Mack’s shirt, and the ugly red stain had continued to spread during the trip to the hospital. Mack had been pale and hadn’t spoken, his jaw clenched from pain as she’d driven above the speed limit across town.
The wound on Mack’s shoulder had been obviously torn open from the impact of catching Melissa. Mack had saved her daughter from being terribly injured, maybe even killed, but at what cost to himself? There had been so much blood on his shirt and—
Oh, God, she hated this. She couldn’t bear the thought of Mack going through heaven-only-knew-what down that ominous hallway, so far away, with no one telling her a single thing about his condition. What if the reopening of his wound resulted in permanent damage to his shoulder, the range of movement of his arm, or—
“Marshall?” a man said from the doorway of the waiting room. He was wearing green scrubs that were splattered with blood.
Heather jumped to her feet. “Yes. I’m Heather Marshall.”
“Would you come with me, please, Mrs. Marshall?” the man said. “I’d like to explain your husband’s condition before you see him.”
“Oh, he’s not…” Heather started, then stopped speaking as she hurried across the room. Shut up, Heather. She’d allow them to believe that she was Mack’s wife. If they knew she wasn’t, they might not tell her anything. “How is Mack?” she said when she reached the man.
“I’m Dr. Kildare,” the man said, smiling. “Yep, that’s really my name. I wanted to be a firefighter when I grew up, but…” He shrugged. “With a last name like Kildare what choice did I have but to become a doctor? Let’s go into one of the empty rooms so we can talk, shall we?”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Heather said, managing to produce a weak smile as she realized the doctor was attempting to relieve some of her stress with his banter. “I’m sure Mack is doing fine if he’s in the hands of Dr. Kildare. Right? Oh, please, tell me I’m right.”
The doctor escorted Heather into an empty examining room, waved her onto a chair, then pulled another chair in front of her and sat.
“Okay,” he said, “here’s the scoop. Your husband tore open the wound in his shoulder when he caught the fearless Melissa when she fell out of the tree. How did the kitten make out?”
“The kitten?” Heather said, staring at him blankly. “Oh, the kitten. Well, I vaguely recall that Emma, Melissa’s twin sister, was carrying the kitten when my neighbor, Susie, hustled them down the block to…why are we talking about that cat?”
“Because you’re the color of paste,” Dr. Kildare said, “and I’m chatting with you a bit here to see if you’re going to blink out on me. Why don’t you take a nice deep breath, and let it out slowly, very slowly.”
Heather did as instructed, then lifted her chin. “Thank you. I’m fine now. How’s Mack?”
“In a world of hurt at the moment,” the doctor said. “I cleaned up the wound and restitched it. Then I telephoned the doctor in New York City who has been treating your husband’s injury. We agreed on a course of treatment.”
Heather nodded, her gaze riveted on the doctor.
“I’ve got Mack wrapped like a mummy,” the doctor went on, “to keep his arm completely immobile until those stitches can take hold. He’s not to use that arm for anything. I’ll give you a plastic covering so he can take a shower, but he’ll have to have help cutting his meat, tying his shoes, doing whatever takes two hands to do.
“He needs to rest, too, so I’ve told him to take the pain pills I’ll be sending along. His body needs time to recuperate from the trauma, and it’s not going to do that if he’s rockin’ and rollin’. Sit on his chest if you have to, but he’s to stay put.”
“I understand,” Heather said.
“Good,” Dr. Kildare said. “I gave him a whopping big shot of painkiller so he ought to be pretty spacey by now. Take him home and put him to bed. Bring him back here in a week so I can see how we’re doing. Any questions?”
“No. No, I don’t think so.”
Dr. Kildare got to his feet. “We tossed his shirt, so I cut a scrub top down the front and draped it around him. He’s a real fashion statement. Okay, let’s go collect the hero and you can get out of here.”
Heather followed the doctor from the room and farther down the hall to another one, very aware that her legs were trembling and her heart was thudding wildly.
“Okay, hotshot,” the doctor said, entering the room with Heather right behind him, “your wife is in charge and you’re to follow her orders to the letter.”
Mack blinked, shook his head slightly, then rose slowly from the chair he was sitting on.
“My who?” he said, his voice rather thick.
“Me. Honey.” Heather went to Mack’s side and gripped his righ
t arm. “Your wife? Heather? Remember? The person the doctor is releasing you to, because if you didn’t have me, your loving wife, they’d probably insist on keeping you here in the hospital? Are you with me?”
“Got it,” Mack said, then weaved unsteadily on his feet. “Honey.”
“I’ll get an orderly with a wheelchair,” Dr. Kildare said. “Sit back down, big guy, before you fall on your face.”
“You bet,” Mack said, thudding onto the chair as the doctor strode from the room. “Honey.”
“No. I’m honey,” Heather said. “He’s Dr. Kildare. Oh, never mind. Mack, I’m so sorry this happened. I’ll be forever grateful for what you did for Melissa, but…I’m just so sorry about your shoulder and—”
“Doesn’t matter as long as Melissa is okay.” Mack stared into space. “What happened to the strawberries and bagels?”
“Huh?” Heather said, frowning. “Oh, the breakfast you brought to the house. I don’t know what…yes, I do. You must have set the grocery sack on the sidewalk when you saw what was happening to Melissa.
“Susie snatched up the sack with the promise of a yummy breakfast for the twins and Buzzy as she herded them off. She was trying to get the girls to stop crying. They were very upset when they saw all that blood on your shirt. Susie is going to tend to Melissa’s scratches and…”
Heather giggled, the sound slightly hysterical. “Emma was carrying the kitten who started this whole nightmare, although I have no idea how the dumb thing got out of the tree. There. That covers it.”
“Except there’s something I’ve been wondering about,” Mack said, his speech becoming more slurred by the moment. “Why did Susie name her son Buzzy?”
“I don’t believe this,” Heather said, rolling her eyes heavenward. “Susie named him Donald when he was born. The Buzzy business started when he was about four and insisted on having a buzz cut, because his hair was naturally curly and he hated it, and he intends to go through life looking like he’s in boot camp and…oh, Mack…”
“Hmm?” he said, then blinked slowly.
Heather sniffled. “I was so scared when I saw the blood on your shirt. I don’t want you to be hurt. I’m so sorry this happened.”
Mack reached out to pat Heather on the arm but missed. “I’m fine,” he said. “Perfectly fine. Never been better. Don’t be upset. Honey. Let it not be said that Mack Marshall caused his beloved wife to be upset. No, sir, not me. Susie ripped off my strawberries and bagels, but I ended up with a wife. Pretty good trade-off, wouldn’t you say? Yeppa. Just dandy. Let’s make a baby. Maybe you’ll have twins again, lovely wife. That would be fun.”
“Mack, hush,” Heather said, feeling a warm flush on her cheeks.
An orderly entered the room, pushing a wheelchair. “Hi, folks,” he said. “Your taxi is here.”
“My wife, my honey and I are going to have a baby,” Mack said, his eyes at half-mast. “Twins maybe. Oh, and we’re going to get a dog and name him Butch.”
“Well, that’s nice news,” the orderly said. “Congratulations.”
“He’s a tad…under the weather,” Heather said. “We’re not really having twins. What I mean is…oh, for Pete’s sake, this is insane. I’ll go move my car to the front entrance.”
“I’ll meet you there,” the orderly said. “You’re only pregnant with one baby? That’s too bad. Twins are really cute when you see them in one of those fancy strollers in the grocery store and—”
“I’m getting the car. Right now,” Heather said, then nearly ran from the room.
Almost two hours later Heather took a bite of a sandwich she had no appetite for, chewed, swallowed, then sighed as she plopped the sandwich back onto the plate.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Susie said, sitting opposite Heather at the Marshalls’ kitchen table. “Eat every bit of that thing. You’ve been running on high-octane adrenaline and you have to replenish your protein grams, or some such thing.”
Heather nodded and took another nibble.
“I just peeked in on Mack,” Susie said. “Good grief, that man is gorgeous. Anyway, he’s sleeping like a baby in your bed, and I had to hold myself back to keep from crawling in next to him. Not that he’d know that I was there. He’s out cold.”
“They gave him a big shot of painkiller at the hospital.” Heather paused. “I wish I could have seen Melissa before you took the kids to the movies. You’re sure she’s all right?”
“Trust me, Heather, she’s fine. She’s retelling her adventure ad nauseam and every time she does she’s higher in the tree. She’s got a zillion Rugrats bandages on her cute little body and is strutting her stuff.
“I assured Buzzy and the twins that Mack would be just fine, snatched up Becky to baby-sit the crew at the movies and that is that. I figured that you and Mack didn’t need the kids hovering around when you brought him home. I also didn’t know what condition he would be in. There sure was a gruesome amount of blood on his shirt when you left here to go to the hospital.”
“I know,” Heather said quietly. “It was terrifying. Once I knew that Melissa was all right and focused on Mack, I was so upset, so…” She shook her head as threatening tears closed her throat.
“You really care for Mack, don’t you?” Susie said. “No, wait a minute. Don’t give me a spiel about him being a member of the family. I’m not buying that. I’m talking about a woman having feelings for a special man in her life.”
“Don’t be silly,” Heather said, poking a hole in her sandwich.
“Eat it, don’t kill it,” Susie said. “I’m not being silly, Heather Marshall. I witnessed the look on your face when you saw that blood on Mack’s shirt. That was not the twins’ mother being concerned about dear ole Uncle Mack. That was one hundred-percent-woman coming unglued because her man was hurt.”
“No, I…” Heather started, then stopped speaking for a moment. “Yes, all right, I care for Mack. A lot. As a woman.”
Susie leaned forward. “How much is a lot?”
“More than a little.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Susie said, rubbing her hands together. “Did you make love with him when you came home from your big dinner date last night? Emma told me all about your princess dress and the fancy restaurant Mack took you to. So? Did you two do the deed?”
“Susie, for heaven’s sake,” Heather said, feeling a warm flush on her cheeks.
“Eureka! You’re blushing. You did it. The big ‘it.’” Susie smiled in delight. “That is fantastic. You are so overdue for some ‘it,’ it’s a crime. I know you, Heather. You wouldn’t have slept with the man if your feelings didn’t run deep, very deep, for him. So? Where do you and Mack go from here?”
“Nowhere, Susie,” Heather said, pushing the plate with the punctured sandwich to one side. “Mack is leaving to return to New York a week from Monday and…” She paused. “Well, maybe not. That could be postponed a tad, depending on how his shoulder is doing, I guess. But that’s beside the point. The fact remains that he will be leaving. End of story.”
“Why?”
“Why what?” Heather said, frowning in confusion.
“Why is it the end of the story? Come on, Heather, get real. Mack could have established his role as uncle to the girls days ago and been out of here. I firmly believe that he’s been hanging around to be close to you, too. I’d bet a buck that he cares a lot for you, just as you do for him. From where I’m sitting, this story is just beginning, not ending.”
“You don’t understand,” Heather said.
“So clue me in.”
“Susie, Mack has made it perfectly clear to me and to the twins that he is not the kind of man who puts down roots. He has to be free in order to be happy, who he is. Mack and I are as different as day and night, totally incompatible.”
“I’m guessing there’s one arena where you’re very compatible,” Susie said, smiling and wiggling her eyebrows. “Oh, how cute. I made you blush again. You’re the only person I know who still blushes.”
“Would you cut that out?” Heather said. “Listen to me for a minute.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Okay. Reality-check time. Mack must be footloose and fancy free to be content. Me? I have no intention of becoming involved in a serious relationship with him, or any man for that matter, because I’ve had more than enough heartache from loving and losing. I won’t do it. I won’t.
“I gave myself a night of being Cinderella with her Prince Charming. It was a gift, a precious gift, and I’ll cherish the memories. But that’s all there is…just memories. Mack will leave. I’ll continue on as I’ve been. And someday the girls and I will achieve our dream of having our own home. Nothing in that future I’m describing includes Mack Marshall, except for maybe a Christmas card from him.”
“Oh-h-h, that is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.” Susie smacked the table with the palm of one hand, causing Heather to jerk in her chair. “No, I won’t accept that. It’s too cold, empty, lonely and grim. People can change, Heather. Mack could learn to stay put. You could learn to let go of your ghosts from the past. The two of you could—”
“No!” Heather interrupted. “I’m being very realistic about this and the subject is closed.”
“You’re a dud,” Susie said, glaring at her.
“So be it,” Heather said, lifting her chin.
“What about the fact that Mack is camped out in your bed? Huh? Answer me that.”
“Well, it’s the least I can do, considering the fact he saved my child’s life, or if not that, he certainly kept Melissa from being seriously injured. I’ll sleep on the sofa while Mack is recuperating. I’ll cook his meals, cut his meat, do whatever he needs while he can’t use his arm. Then later…he’ll…later he’ll leave as…planned and that will…be fine and…well, sure I’ll miss him for a while but that’s only natural because…because…”
“Because you’re falling in love with him,” Susie said decisively.
Single with Twins Page 14
