by Barbara Ebel
Should she take the gamble and ask him out? If she suggested having dinner, that may seem too overt. Yet, if she could bridge a formal date request with something more casual like they’d been doing, that would be the perfect blend. She wasn’t much of a cook but, the longer she dwelled on it, the more she liked the idea of asking him to dinner at her place.
Julia came running over and pointed at a scrape on her knee.
“I’m glad to see you’re not crying,” Rachel said. “You’re becoming a big girl. Go say good-bye to your friend and let’s take Snoopy for another walk, then go home. We can light some pretty candles before you go back to Danny.”
Rachel took the dog by the leash. Tomorrow she’d ask Kevin Mcbride to come over for dinner and, if he said no, she’d forever cross him off her things-to-do list.
-----
Danny had taken Julia with him to church that morning and, after returning her to Rachel, threw a tennis ball down the backyard hill for Dakota. The dog needed the exercise and the attention; Julia certainly wasn’t giving it to him.
He turned around and waved at Mary as she walked onto the deck with a mid-day cup of coffee; he waved again when Annabel appeared. She had on a tan baseball cap, reminding him of the tomboy she used to be. But the rest of her, in a slimming pair of tights and long blouse, was very much feminine.
When Dakota trotted back to him and dropped the ball, he slung it low in the air towards the deck and walked that way.
“What a pleasant surprise,” Danny said, giving Annabel a kiss.
“I had to come,” Annabel said, her eyes moving towards her aunt’s belly. “Wow, do you have any room left inside with those two babies?”
Mary laughed, holding her mug tightly. “Barely,” she said.
“Dad, I took David to campus Friday night for a concert and he had a terrible seizure right in front of everybody. It was pretty bad. And when he left with me from the dorm yesterday morning, half of the people we passed looked at him like he had the plague.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Danny said. “Is he back to baseline?”
“I think so. But I don’t know if he can ever show his face again around his friends, especially since he urinated on his clothes.”
Danny put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. With his other hand, he stroked her hair like he did when she was small. “A true friend will understand and would never make fun of him for that. And you … did you hold up by being a good first-aid responder?”
She nodded slowly. “But Dad, don’t you have all the information you need to do surgery?”
-----
Rachel had a breather Monday morning because the first GU case wasn’t scheduled to start until 9:00 a.m. She made a cup of tea in the microwave, then called her lawyer in Knoxville.
“What a way to start a week, getting a phone call from my only Nashville client,” Phil said. “I thought we were through for a while … unless you’re not making your medical ‘finger’ payments.”
“I’m making them,” she grunted. “With much difficulty, I’ll add.”
“Excellent. So now what?”
“Enough time has passed so now I want the definitive end result.”
“Which is?”
“Getting and keeping Julia.”
“Except that the child abuse is in the past, how has anything changed that would warrant that?”
“Mountains have been moved. Trust me.”
-----
Rachel took some instruments out of the autoclave and finished the preparation needed for Dr. Mcbride’s first case. Running a bit late, he entered the room alongside the patient’s stretcher and dropped his small duffel bag by the wall. The orderly helped the patient onto the OR table and the anesthesiologist scurried into the room as well.
After morning pleasantries, the elderly man on the table became less chatty after he received IV sedation followed by a spinal block as he lay in the lateral position. As Rachel stood by to assist, she gave Kevin a wide smile.
“I apologize for being a party crasher the other night,” she said, throwing the used spinal kit into the garbage can.
“No problem,” he said. “What we saw was worth it anyway. I hope you made it home okay considering how you felt.”
“I did. And speaking of home and my cutting the night short, I’d like to make up for it. How about dinner at my place one of these evenings?”
His eyes locked on hers and the faint smile crossing his lips was half mischievous, half surprise. “Should I bring red or white wine?”
“White.” Oh yes, white will be just fine, she thought; but in essence, it didn’t matter. She didn’t know what wines went with what foods anyway and it was as unimportant as drinking bourbon from Tennessee versus bourbon from Kentucky.
“White it shall be,” Kevin said.
When the case got underway, Rachel stood close behind Kevin’s shoulders. Now she understood why Robert had called it quits in the GU room after ten years. How did he stand it that long? She didn’t think she could last one year. As a female, who could have imagined that looking at penises all day long was boring as hell? They were so damn flaccid, she couldn’t imagine any of the ones she’d seen getting stiff and hard. This room could make a woman frigid, she thought.
However, except for the anesthesiologist, the only other dick in the room she hadn’t seen was Kevin’s. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a disappointment as she leaned her body against him for a few moments ... especially since their interaction was progressing to a dinner date and, most likely, beyond.
-----
“It’s time,” Danny said to David and his parents in the office. They had moved up the teen’s appointment in lieu of his recent seizure activity; and had reevaluated the wireless system and its data.
“Time to schedule surgery,” Danny said, “because we have a fix on the small, precise area of your brain causing all the trouble. At least that’s my best guestimate.”
The youth’s sneakers were planted on the step of the examining table and his hands nervously patted his cargo pants.
“This surgery is going to be a lot different than what you did last time,” David said, grimacing.
“I’ve … been considering that,” Tara said. “Dr. Tilson, this is really dangerous, isn’t it? You’re going to remove part of our son’s brain?” Her complexion paled and she shot a look at Floyd.
“Yes. But understand that, with the system we just used, we have isolated the area responsible like never before in mankind’s history. I am not going to take a chunk out of David’s brain, but a focal patch of neurons.”
Floyd put his hands on his hips and let out a big sigh. “If David wants to go ahead, you have my permission here and now,” he said. “Everything is a gamble in life but, in this case, you’re offering us a shoo-in remedy for his epilepsy.”
“I hope I can live up to your expectations,” Danny said as he swung back around to face his patient.
“I have been humiliated in front of all my peers, Dr. Tilson,” David said. “I have nothing more to lose.”
Danny proceeded to tell them all the possible complications and then wrote orders for David’s preop labs. “You can get them done this week,” he said. “And when you leave, stop at the front desk to have them put you on my surgery schedule. It’ll probably be in two or three weeks.”
After Danny left, David grinned a lopsided smile at his parents. “I sure lucked out with a girlfriend’s father like him,” he said.
-----
At the end of the week, Sara had meetings so Danny beat her home. He went upstairs knowing Casey was pulling a three-to-eleven shift, rapped on the door and entered. Not seeing Mary, he called her name from the bottom of their stairs; and heard a door creak open.
“I’m up here in my studio,” she yelled. “Come on up.”
Taking two steps at a time, he bounded up to see her poking out her head.
“I have to make doubly sure that Casey never unexpectedly comes home
while I’m painting this,” she said.
“You’ve started it? The picture of him and his brother?”
She enthusiastically nodded her head and grabbed him by the sleeve. “I decided to get it done without him seeing it. After all, works start from the artist’s perspective. Others may see the end product differently but it’s the creator who must pull it out of their soul the way they see fit.”
“So he’s going to be totally surprised?”
“Yes, he doesn’t even know I’m working on it. I have another piece going at the same time and that’s what he sees whenever he comes in here.” She walked him around to the canvas sitting on an easel.
“I don’t know what to say.” Danny stared at the vertical painting of the two children. The photograph Casey had given her was propped in front, both brothers hamming it up for the picture. The likeness on the canvas had them from the chest up and with less humorous expressions. Danny figured his sister wasn’t yet half done, but already the brotherly love between them was evident in their eyes. Casey had his arm around Tommy, draped over his right shoulder.
“Well, you better say something,” Mary said.
“If I already love it, Casey’s reaction is going to be sheer bliss. The only way this could get any better is when it’s finished.”
“Thanks.”
He looked at the table behind him, her paints and brushes scattered about. “But is the smell of these paints a good thing during your pregnancy?”
“I have the window open and I’ve been ventilating the room every time I’m in here.”
“Okay. Just checking. I have a say with my only pending nephews or nieces, you know.”
“I’ll let you. Now go get out of here so I can sneak in another hour. And, by the way, your mail is on the kitchen counter. There’s a big envelope from Mark Cunningham.”
Danny frowned. “Before he puts good news in the mail, he calls me. When he has bad news, he just sends it via the post office.”
“Uh-oh,” Mary muttered.
Chapter 27
With a sour feeling, Danny opened the large manila envelope sitting on Mary’s kitchen counter from Mark Cunningham. The cover letter simply said, “Just received this from Phil Beckett. Call me after you digest it.”
The thickness of the paper-clipped enclosure looked ominous and, sure enough, the legal wording in the upper left corner was an official Rachel Hendersen vs. Daniel Tilson.
He took the envelope and sat down in the recliner. He had left the cellar door open and Dakota walked across the room, nestled alongside the chair, and tilted his head back to check on him.
Knowing that this correspondence was going to be bad, he briefly closed his eyes; he was absolutely sick of this. How much more could he stand of this woman? His daughter was so young … was Rachel going to hound him the rest of his life? What made her tick, what made her so persistent, what made her dish out cruelty to others? Was it mostly because she was so self-centered that her vision was clouded and she didn’t understand what she did to others? If her actions only affected him, that would be one thing, he thought. But the constant legal maneuvering she dreamed up put stress on the rest of the family as well. And, this year, she even cost Casey part of his hand.
Danny rubbed Dakota’s fur. “Sometimes I think I’m not even worthy of your love and devotion,” he said softly. “You’re as loyal as a soldier who won’t reveal secrets under torture.” He leaned over and kissed the dog’s head as he knew the solace the dog provided was pivotal to his well-being.
Another half hour passed and then Danny had the guts to look at the beginning and end of the court documents. Wanting a huge custody change, Rachel was asking for a trial to make it official. Julia belonged with Rachel full-time, regardless of where she resided.
Feeling drained of all his energy, Danny groaned, leaned forward in the chair, and got up. He heard Mary coming and he also heard activity downstairs; Sara must have gotten home.
When his sister entered the room, he couldn’t bear to tell her. She didn’t deserve to hear this news. What she needed was constant positive energy around her for her growing twins and her own health.
Yes, he thought, he’d shield Mary from this for the time being. Even though the hellcat had struck again, he didn’t need to lay that on others. He gave her a kiss, went downstairs with the envelope and Dakota, and greeted Sara with a big hug.
-----
Casey massaged Mary’s shoulders as they sat on a mat in a large room waiting for their Lamaze class to begin. More couples still streamed in, taking their spots on the floor as the female instructor stood quenching her thirst and eating a granola bar. She strutted back and forth behind the table, a lightweight wearing a pair of designer sneakers.
“Relax your back,” Casey whispered in Mary’s ear. “Begin thinking about your breathing so you can slow it down at will.”
“I’m sorry you have to go through this with me,” she said. “It’s not like you don’t know about childbirth.”
“Absolutely don’t think that way. There are a half-dozen reasons why I should be here as well as you.”
“Name them,” she said, her shoulders loosening up under his fingers.
“Besides you learning more about giving birth, the Lamaze techniques, and coping with pain, this is a bonding time between you and me. And it’s better if they explain to you the available medications and anesthesia if you decide later to use them.”
He moved his hands up to the nape of her neck and gently rubbed. “Plus,” he said, “I had something to do with this. I’m not going anywhere since these babies were conceived. I’ll be available to them from here on in until my last day on this earth. And to you, too.”
“But you have confidence in me that I’ll be able to do this in the most natural way possible, don’t you?”
“Mary, you’re a strong and a smart woman. Sure, you can do it. Just know that sometimes Mother Nature has other plans. Whatever is safe for you and the babies will be our plan of action and, in the meantime, these classes will prepare you for whatever might happen.”
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen,” the instructor said, “let’s get the ball rolling this evening. All the babies in here aren’t getting any smaller!”
-----
Rachel didn’t have a clue how to put together a dinner good enough for a special male guest so she went on the internet to figure out what to do. The most valuable resource available to her anymore was the worldwide web. What couldn’t she find out on there?
First, she knew she couldn’t tackle too big a menu or Kevin would spot her for the novice that she really was. And although she planned on having one or two things prepared ahead of time, cooking something in front of him would serve as a conversation piece.
Stumbling around with search engines, she finally hit pay dirt. Not only did she find an easy recipe, but she found out the best appliance to cook it on so she went to the nearest big box store and bought a small indoor electric grill. She also stopped at an eclectic food market where they sold premade items and selected a package of gourmet cheese-stuffed potato halves. Guys like something heavier than salad to accompany their meat, she thought, and she wasn’t capable of making something like that. She bought sirloin steaks and, before leaving, she glanced at the refrigerated dessert section. With many good choices, she decided on a cheesecake with a tempting raspberry swirl. Why do women bake stuff at home, she thought, when stores can fulfill their wildest food desires?
With Friday night approaching, she bought salad ingredients and asparagus. After cutting up lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes and red onions, she put them in a plastic container and then sliced up the vegetable and stored it as well. Getting any food prep done ahead of time for when she got home from work was crucial because what she would wear and what she would look like would be the most important part of getting ready.
On Friday, Kevin had no genitourinary cases and she didn’t see him in the OR or in the hallways. But the date was on and she hurried
home and set the table.
-----
When the doorbell rang, Rachel greeted Kevin with a wide smile despite the fact that her heart kept doing somersaults. How and why did people ever invite others to dinner anyway? Throwing food together for one’s self or their kids was a snap but why would someone deliberately want to feed others in a manner they didn’t use for themselves? She reminded herself of the bigger picture and tried to shrug off the fact that her dinner preparations weren’t exactly going along like Martha Stewart’s.
Kevin handed her a bottle of wine. He was casually dressed in a striped golf-type shirt and lighter trousers. She decided then and there that she liked his dark features.
“Nice place,” he said and walked across the room. “I’m only five minutes away. We have good locations so close to the hospital.”
“Smart minds think alike,” she said.
“I sleep to the last minute. Then I scramble to get in.” After watching her grab a bottle-opener from the drawer, he went over and opened the wine. “I really do appreciate the invite. Existing on hospital cafeteria meals dulls my senses. Once it even made me sick, so it’s refreshing to get away from it for a change.”
“That way they have more admissions. People visiting their sick relatives eat there and then end up in the ER. But we’re being harsh. It’s not that terrible.”
“You’re right. You’re kinder than I am. So, I learned the other night that you have a daughter.” After a silence, he poured wine into both their glasses.
“Julia’s her name. She’s a sweet little girl, my only child. She’s at her father’s place tonight, Danny Tilson’s. He and I never married which sure makes my life uncomplicated. Not that I don’t ever want to marry, it’s just that he’s not the right one for me.”
Kevin swirled the contents of his glass, deliberating what she’d said. “Sounds like you don’t make hasty decisions and you don’t want to mess up your life with a bad marriage. Smart … although Dr. Tilson would probably be better than most available men.”
