His Unexpected Family

by Patricia Johns

  As they settled into the car, Greg’s cell phone rang. He glanced at the number. It was Shady Pines.

  “I’d better take this.” He shot her an apologetic smile, then picked up the call. “Hello, Chief Taylor here.”

  “Hi, Chief.” Fran’s voice was low. “I thought I should give you a call.”

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “When I got into my shift this afternoon, I found your mom sedated.”

  “Sedated?” He lowered his voice. “Why?”

  “The nurse I replaced told me that she got confused and was very upset. She didn’t understand why she was here in Shady Pines, and she wanted to go home. She was fighting everyone, and they sedated her so she could rest and forget.”

  “No one called me.”

  “It isn’t specified on your mother’s chart that they should, so if there is a nurse on shift who doesn’t know you, they wouldn’t know what we normally do.”

  “Has this happened before?” he asked.

  “No, she’s never gotten this agitated before. She was always relatively calm.”

  Unless I was visiting, upsetting her, he thought wryly.

  “I want to be called the next time this happens,” he said. “Make sure that goes on her chart.”

  “That’s what I needed from you, Chief.” Fran’s tone turned professional and efficient. “I’ll mark it down.”

  “Thanks.” Greg took a deep breath. “So she’s sleeping now?”

  “Yes, she’s sleeping peacefully. More than likely, she’ll wake up in a happy frame of mind. She’ll be all right.”

  “Thanks, Fran. Keep in touch.”

  As he dropped his cell phone back into his pocket, he exhaled a pent-up breath and started the car.

  “Everything okay?” Emily asked softly.

  Greg glanced over at her to see her dark eyes trained on him. He nodded and put the car into gear to pull out of the drive. The wheels crunched over the gravel as they headed out toward the main road. Emily settled into the seat but still watched him.

  “It’s okay,” he said.

  “A problem with your mom?”

  He shot her a half smile. “They sedated her when she got upset. I don’t like that.”

  Emily nodded. “She must have been pretty scared.”

  “That’s what I thought, and pinning her down and coming at her with a needle—” He stopped.

  “Do you think they did that?”

  He shook his head. “Well, if she was upset, they certainly didn’t pass her a pill in a spoonful of applesauce.”

  Emily nodded. “No, you’re probably right. So they’ll call you next time, instead of sedating her?”

  “That’s what Fran said.”

  “What will you do when they call?”

  Her question was posed in such a soft voice that Greg almost didn’t hear it. He had no idea what he’d do. He’d go down there and pray that somehow he could distract her or show her that she was safe. He’d do his best, even though his best didn’t seem to amount to a whole lot lately when it came to his mother. He signaled and pulled onto the main road back toward Haggerston.

  “I have no idea.” Glancing over at her, he pressed his lips together in thought. “Unless you’d be willing to come with me.”

  “Do you think I could help?”

  The fields stretched peacefully out on either side of the highway, one side golden with canola and the other spotted with a herd of cattle. Truth be told, he had no idea what would help. He was hoping, more than anything.

  “She trusts you.”

  Emily was silent for a moment, and when he glanced in her direction, he discovered her eyes on him, her brows furrowed in concern. “If you want me there, just call.”

  “Sometimes it’s just a matter of calming her down. The nurses always managed to before. But—” he swallowed, memories of her terrified fits running through his mind “—but she’s not the sweet woman you met before...not all the time. She gets scared. She yells and hits.”

  Emily didn’t look alarmed in the least. “I would, too, if I thought someone was going to pin me down and ram a needle into my arm.”

  Greg caught her eye as she shot him a sympathetic smile.

  “I don’t want to ask too much. It isn’t easy dealing with dementia.”

  She gave a faint shrug. “I teach twenty five-year-olds at once. I’m pretty tough.”

  His mother’s words suddenly echoed through his mind. You’ve got one tough mama, sweetheart. We’ll be all right. He glanced at her, taking in the dark hair and creamy complexion. When it came to strong women, he’d been fortunate in his lifetime. His mother had been as strong as they came, and Emily, it seemed, was made up of the same kind of undaunted determination. He swallowed the emotion rising in his throat.

  Cora began to fuss in the backseat, and Emily turned around to pop the soother back into her little searching mouth. For just a moment, as Emily leaned around the seat, her glossy, dark hair rested on his shoulder, and he inhaled the fruity scent of her shampoo. Her warm, soft arm pressed against his for a moment as she reached, and her gentle voice, directed at Cora, sounded soft and low in his ear. His heart sped up, and he took a deep breath.

  Uncomplicated, he reminded himself. Aiming at uncomplicated here.

  For the life of him, though, he couldn’t remember why.

  * * *

  The gym at Cedar Glen Elementary wasn’t very large, the far side of it boasting a stage with thick, orange curtains closed. The floor had all the basketball and volleyball lines drawn onto the old hardwood, and the door echoed ominously as she pushed it open, Cora’s car seat in one hand, her arm already aching from the weight of it.

  “Hey, there she is!” Beth called. The far corner by the stage was decorated with balloons and streamers, a snack table filled with goodies set up and a cake already on display, and under the table she could see the gifts peeking through. Emily smiled self-consciously.

  “Hello,” she called back.

  She could feel the warmth of Greg’s chest behind her, and it was comforting to know that she wasn’t stepping into this gym on her own, the one lonely wheel in the midst of all these couples. The other teachers and their significant others had arrived, and they turned to smile and wave, little paper plates of veggies and dip and plastic cups of punch keeping their hands full.

  As they approached, her teacher friends came up to shake Greg’s hand and look into Cora’s car seat.

  “Isn’t she precious? Just look at her!”

  “And who is this?” someone burst out.

  “This is Cora.”

  “No, I mean this.”

  Emily blinked and looked up to see that the woman was referring to Greg, not the baby. She laughed and felt her face heat in a blush.

  “Oh, this is Greg, or Chief Taylor—”

  “Hi, I’m Greg.” Greg put his hand out for a shake. “Nice to meet you.”

  The hellos and baby admiration went on for some time, her friends and colleagues coming to give their congratulations on Cora. Most of them didn’t realize the complicated situation this was, and the few who did were diplomatic about it, for which Emily was grateful. Greg’s presence was more help than he probably realized. Just having him there to smoothly smile, shake hands and make small talk took some of the pressure off her.

  “Hi,” Beth said, tugging Emily aside. “So you two came!” She looked over at Greg, beaming in delight with the whole arrangement.

  “Yes, yes.” Emily laughed. “It’s easier having him here. Look how he managed to get past Mildred Kuchka.”

  Beth nodded in admiration of the feat. Mildred was talkative and generally abrasive. They could only imagine that when she’d been hired some thirty-odd years ago, she’d been nicer, but that ma
ny years with grade-four students seemed to have chipped instead of polished her, leaving her bitter and far too direct with everyone she met. Greg, however, had managed to intercept her, make some small talk and effectively send her on her way without Mildred even knowing how it had happened. She looked slightly stunned and charmed by the whole event, making Emily cover her mouth to hide a laugh.

  “Well, let’s get started.” Beth glanced at her watch. “We have to be out of here by seven-thirty. There’s a volleyball game scheduled.” Beth raised her voice to her playground level and clapped her hands sharply. “Okay, everyone. Let’s take our seats!”

  A chuckle rippled through the place but they complied, and Beth laughed and shot Emily a bashful look. “I haven’t gotten grade two out of my system.”

  Everyone moved to the circle of chairs and got settled, Emily’s chair marked by a halo of balloons rising from it. Greg settled down next to her, and Cora dozed peacefully in the car seat at her feet. Sitting there in the circle of well-wishers, she couldn’t help but feel amazed at all of this. In a few short weeks she’d gone from being the single kindergarten teacher of room 12 to being a new mother at a baby shower. Her life had done a 180-degree turn, and here she was, wondering if it would last or evaporate. She glanced over at Greg, and he caught her eye with a half smile.

  Some introductions and kind words about Emily’s teaching abilities and her way with children left Emily feeling uncomfortable in the middle of the smiling attention. They meant well, but she hated this, and she was relieved when Beth heaved herself to her feet and rested her hands on top of her belly.

  “We have one game to play before we open presents,” Beth announced. “And this is a game for couples, but not for the faint of heart.”

  Emily looked over at Greg, and he gave her a wink. If she wasn’t mistaken, he looked as though he was enjoying himself, but he was alert in a way that she recognized. He was watching, his eyes moving over the guests in a casual but observant fashion. He also looked quickly from door to door around the gym. Seeming satisfied for the moment, he turned back to Emily.

  “No passing the baby around tonight, okay?” he said softly.

  “Not safe?” she murmured back.

  “Not entirely.”

  She nodded. Nina emerged from the kitchen, adjacent to the gym, with a platter of open baby-food jars held aloft. She moved like a skilled waitress, something that amused Emily to no end.

  “There are four flavors of baby food,” Beth explained. “Nina is going to give you four jars, and it’s up to the men to guess the flavor. Ladies, you’re doing the spooning, and men, you’re doing the guessing.”

  There was a titter of appreciation from the women and a humored groan from the men. One of the male teachers called out, “I thought the women were supposed to be the experts on these things” and received a good-natured swat from his wife.

  “See?” Emily glanced at Greg with a grin. “I told you this would be work.”

  “How bad can it be?” Greg moved his chair to face Emily and Cora. He gave her a playful grin. “Babies eat it.”

  The jars were passed around with paper taped over the labels, and Emily sat with the four little jars in front of her and a baby spoon in her hand. Greg looked down at the jars, some misgiving betrayed in his eyes.

  “All right, ladies, give the men a spoonful from jar number one,” Beth called out joyfully.

  Emily glanced down at jar number one. It looked yellowish and a bit lumpy. She sniffed it and gave Greg a look of sympathy. “This one is cruelty.” She spooned a little bit of it into his mouth and watched him make a face.

  “Oh, that’s awful. It has corn in it. Okay, give me another spoon.”

  “You sure?” She looked down into the jar dubiously.

  “I can take it. Come on.”

  She gave him another bite, and he swished it around his mouth thoughtfully. Emily cringed and watched him with some trepidation.

  “Chicken and corn. Possibly some rice.”

  Emily wrote down his answer on a little piece of paper and turned her attention to the next jar. It was brownish-red, and when she spooned a little bit into Greg’s mouth, he nodded thoughtfully.

  “Another bite.”

  “Not sure what it is?”

  “Oh, I know what it is. It’s apple strawberry. This one is good.”

  She laughed and gave him an extra-big spoonful to wash down the chicken and rice. Emily looked around the room at the other couples. The men were making faces, and the women were laughing in good fun. What was it about babies and all the little necessities that came with them that bonded couples together so perfectly? She looked back at Greg to see him watching her with gentleness in his eyes.

  “You’re a good sport,” she said softly.

  “It’s worth it.”

  She blushed at that, her eyes flickering up to meet his. He held her gaze and gave a faint shrug, then nodded toward the next jar.

  “I’m ready.”

  Emily scooped a healthy spoonful of the next option into his mouth. The minute it went in, he spat it out into a napkin.

  “That bad?” She laughed and looked down at Cora to see her eyes fixed on Greg.

  “Cora, take notes.” Greg made a face. “Never eat pureed lima beans. Just don’t go there.”

  “You have to make it look good, Greg,” Emily teased. “That way she’ll know that healthy food is delicious.”

  Greg rolled his eyes and laughed. “That’s where I draw the line. I’ll eat the baby food, but you can’t make me like it.”

  “We have a winner over here!” Nina called, holding up the hand of one of the husbands.

  “Oh, thank goodness.” Greg laughed out loud. “I don’t even care what the last jar is.”

  There was laughter as the older man was presented with his prize—a trucker’s hat that read My Baby Loves Me. The evening went on with present opening, followed by cake cutting. Emily cuddled Cora close when she woke up, and she received all sorts of attention from the women. At the end of the party, as Greg helped Emily to gather up the generous gifts from her colleagues, Mildred made her way over and bent down to the car seat where Cora was sleeping once more, her little tummy full of milk.

  “Well, isn’t she a sweet thing,” Mildred said. “A shame her mother is dead.”

  “Yes, Jessica was my cousin,” Emily explained.

  “So the baby is yours now?”

  “I’m her guardian. There are a few hoops to jump through still.”

  “So she isn’t yours?” Mildred looked up and drilled Emily with an icy look, daring her to lie to her.

  “I’m her guardian,” Emily repeated. She could feel the anger and hurt rising up inside of her, but she did her best to push it back. A scene with Mildred Kuchka wasn’t going to do anyone any good.

  “So she might go to someone else for good, then?” Mildred pressed.

  “I hope not.” She could feel her eyes misting with tears. Yes, the truth was that Cora might go to someone else. After Emily had fallen in love with her, bonded with her and nurtured her, she might have to say goodbye yet. It was the cold, hard truth that she’d been avoiding all this time, doing her best to push aside until absolutely necessary.

  “Well, if she goes to someone else, you can send my gift along with her. No need to return it.” Mildred straightened herself to her full six feet and folded her bony hands in front of her as if that settled the matter.

  Emily took a deep, albeit shaky, breath, but before she could speak, Greg came up beside her and fixed Mildred with a look of his own.

  “Mrs. Kuchka,” he said, his voice low and official. “Do you have any personal knowledge about custody cases?”

  “Me?” She made a sound somewhere between a harrumph and cough. “No. No, I don’t.”

  “
Ah.” He nodded curtly. “Well, then, that will be all.”

  The older woman blinked twice, nodded and stepped away. Emily cast him a grateful look.

  “Sometimes it helps to treat it like a crime scene,” he said.

  “I’ll remember that. Not sure I could pull it off, though.”

  Emily followed him, laden down with gifts, out toward the car. She was silent, still uncertain of her emotions. When they settled in the car, windows down, Emily closed her eyes, trying to push the sadness away. She felt Greg’s strong, warm hand on hers.

  “Are you okay?”

  She opened her eyes. “I’m all right.”

  “You’re a terrible liar.” His gaze was sympathetic. “She got to you, didn’t she?”

  Emily nodded. “Doesn’t take much lately.” She felt the tears rising again, this time in response to his kindness, and as they spilled over onto her cheeks, Greg reached out and slid his arm around her, pulling her onto his broad, strong chest.

  She was surprised by the movement, both by his strength and by the tender gesture. He stroked her hair away from her face while she cried and leaned a cheek on top of her head. She could smell the soft musk of his aftershave, and to simply be held while she cried out her grief was something she hadn’t even realized she’d been missing until she felt how warm and safe it was in his arms. As she sniffled and wiped her tears, pushing up away from that strong, comforting chest, he released her and tucked a stray strand of hair out of her face.

  “Better?” he asked softly.

  “Much.” She blushed, embarrassed to have cried on him, let alone in front of him. “It’s been hard lately.”

  “I know.” His eyes met hers, and they exchanged a look of sorrow. He had his own heartbreak lately with his sick mother, she realized. He understood her better than she knew.

  “I can do this,” Emily said quietly. “I can. I’m a grown woman, and I’m strong. I can raise her alone, and I know she’ll be loved and she’ll thrive. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get really hard sometimes.”