by Natalie Ann
“Be my guest.”
“Lizzie doesn’t want to play,” Noah complained.
“It’s okay, Noah. Leave her in peace,” Daniel said as they stopped in front of the clinic, behind the lawyer’s car. He waited till the lawyer, Steve, and the nurse entered the clinic before whispering to Meredith, “Go ahead. Tell them to proceed with the test. Explain that we can’t be in the same room for the test because the little one would scream, but we need the same nurse to do both samplings.”
“All right.” Meredith sighed. As usual, she felt sad for the man who hadn’t given a hoot about her when he was healthy and strong, but seeing him in that pitiful state had twisted her heart.
***
Without a word, Daniel opened the back door and helped his son down. “Wait here. I’ll get Lizzie.” The little girl didn’t protest, especially when Daniel kept her on his arm and held Noah’s hand.
“Where’s Mommy?”
“We’re going inside to join her.”
A nurse greeted them in the waiting room. “My name is Holly, and I’m here to give you lollipops.”
The kids remained quiet, and Lizzie tightened her hold on Daniel’s neck. “Don’t leave me, Uncle Daddy, please.” She pouted, ready to cry.
“Not for one minute, sweetie.”
“A lollipop for the little boy. What’s your name?”
“Noah.” His boy didn’t hesitate to take the lollipop.
“Don’t suck on it yet,” the nurse said. He glared at her with indignation. “It’s forbidden in this room. You’ll enjoy it later.”
“Okay.” Noah kept his lollipop gripped in his hand.
“How about the little girl? What’s your name?”
“Lizzie.” She accepted her lollipop but refused to budge from her perch on Daniel’s arm.
They followed the nurse to an inner room, where Meredith waited for them. “Nurse Betty collected a saliva sample from Steve.”
The older nurse approached Daniel. “Sit in this chair. Open your mouth. Let me see if you can have a candy.” Daniel obeyed and set Lizzie on his lap. The nurse put a stick in his mouth for a second. “In and out. Yes, you can have one. Here’s your chocolate candy. You too, Mrs. Homer.”
Meredith sat next to Daniel. “This is a fun game. And I’ll get a chocolate.” She opened her mouth, while Noah and Lizzie carefully observed the weird game.
“Now your turn, Noah. Sit next to Mommy.”
Laughing, Noah sat. “I’ll have a candy too.” He opened his mouth and received the swab.
“Good mouth. With many teeth. Yes, you can have a chocolate,” Nurse Betty said.
“Me too. I want a chocolate,” Lizzie said.
“Okay, stay on your daddy’s lap. Open your mouth.” Lizzie hardly unclenched her teeth. “No, I can’t see any teeth.”
Three mouths showed her how to do it. “Ha, ha, ha.”
Finally she screamed, “Ha, ha, ha.”
“Got it,” Nurse Betty said, and secured the swab while Lizzie cried.
“She hurt me.”
“No, I didn’t. Here’s your chocolate. And you can suck on your lollipop now.”
Meredith approached him. “Steve wants us to return to his house and have lunch with him and his lawyer. He said he’ll have gifts for the children. He paid for same-day results. So he’ll receive them while we are there.”
“Your call, Meredith. I’ll do what you want.”
“Let’s go. This day is for him.”
They returned to Steve Homer’s house. Lizzie recognized the house and refused to leave the car, but changed her mind when a clown opened the car door and made funny faces, inviting her and Noah to come out for a show.
Apparently, Steve hadn’t wasted his time. Before leaving for the clinic, he’d asked questions, received a few answers, and acted on them, instructing his butler to hire the clown and buy gifts for the children.
The clown danced all the way to the door of the house while backing up, making funny moves, and calling Noah and Lizzie. They giggled and followed with Daniel and Meredith next to them. Steve was nowhere around. But a photographer was shooting a video.
At the door, the clown handed the children pink and blue teddies that they grabbed and immediately hugged, and then the clown led them all to a family room.
Steve sat in the middle of the sofa with a box on each side. He signaled to Meredith, Daniel, and Joe Emery to have a seat and watch the show. The clown bounced from one foot to the other all the way to the sofa, grabbed a box, shook it, and announced it was for Noah.
Noah almost flipped over at the sight of a red and blue Thomas the Tank Engine. He ran to the box.
“What do we say to Uncle Steve?” Daniel said.
“Thank you, Uncle Steve.” Noah opened his arms for a hug, and Steve embraced him.
“Sit here, next to me, Noah.”
His train on his lap, Noah sat next to Steve and examined it while Lizzie observed him thoroughly.
“Next box is for...”
“Me,” Lizzie screamed.
“It’s a very big box,” the clown said. He shook the box and slowly opened it.
Forgetting her fear, Lizzie approached the sofa, her mouth opening with excitement.
“A big doll.” The clown dug out a beautiful doll. “She opens and closes her eyes when you move her.” He demonstrated to Lizzie while a whole audience watched him. “And she says ‘mommy’ when you press her stomach. And she moves her arms. And this doll is for Lizzie.”
A delirious Lizzie hugged her new doll. “She’s so pretty.”
“What do we say to Daddy Steve, Lizzie?” the clown prompted.
Meredith held her breath.
“Thank you,” Lizzie said without raising her head from her doll.
Meredith caught Steve’s sad expression and the drooping corners of his mouth. “Not like that, Lizzie. We hug and say, ‘Thank you, Daddy Steve.’”
“Thank you, Daddy Steve.” Lizzie kept smiling at her doll.
Steve was a dying man who might not have another opportunity to hug his little daughter. Although he’d brought it to himself with his lack of trust, Meredith’s heart twisted with pain. She bent and whispered to her daughter, “Repeat it with a hug to Daddy Steve. He loves you and gave you a very beautiful doll, Lizzie.”
Probably for the sake of her doll, Lizzie raised her arms and came to the sofa. “Thank you, Daddy Steve.”
Meredith sat her and her doll on Steve’s lap and dropped next to them.
The sick man wrapped Lizzie in his arms for their first father-daughter hug. “Thank you, my Lizzie. Thank you, Merry. I’d like a picture with the two of you.”
The photographer snapped a family picture of the family that had never existed. “Daniel, you too, take a picture for me. I want Lizzie to have a family picture too.”
“I need to rest now,” Steve said. “Hector will serve you lunch while I take a nap. Please don’t leave.”
“We’ll stay with you till the evening,” Meredith reassured him with a smile, and the adults and children gathered around the table for lunch.
Chapter Ten
Two hours later, Steve resumed his place on the sofa and signaled to Meredith to sit beside him. Determined to offer him a taste of happiness, Meredith settled next to him, her legs crossed.
A phone rang, and Hector answered. “Yes… Yes… Thank you. I will tell Mr. Homer.” He hung up and smiled. “Congratulations, Mr. Homer. The paternity test came back positive. A good match, the doctor said. I’ll pick up the official report tomorrow.”
“Thank God. This is the second good thing today after meeting Lizzie and seeing you again, Meredith.”
“Now that we have the paternity test results, I should leave to do some work.” The lawyer excused himself.
“Go, Emery, and thank you for being with us today. I count on you to finalize my requests. See you tomorrow at eleven.”
“Will do. Bye, everyone.”
Meredith grabbed Steve’s
emaciated hands between hers. “Steve, are you sure there’s nothing more the doctors can do?”
“Well, I don’t know. Two days ago, I saw a new oncologist visiting from Cincinnati Christ Hospital. He talked about a more aggressive treatment.”
“Go for it, Steve,”
“I’m not sure I have the energy. Although…” He rested his gaze on Lizzie. “I so much want more time with her. If I move to Cincinnati, will you let me see her often?”
Meredith nodded. “You have to do everything possible. We’ll help you. You can stay with us.”
“No, Meredith. I wasn’t an easy man to live with, and I’m the worst patient on earth. I prefer to rent a house not far from yours.”
“That’s not hard to arrange,” Daniel said. “I’ve heard of several houses for rent in the area. I’ll inquire about the rent and let you know.”
“Arrange it with Hector. He’ll call the doctor and the hospital and book me an appointment as soon as possible. And the rest is in God’s hands.”
With a smile of encouragement, Meredith wrapped an arm around Steve’s shoulders. “And hopefully, there will be more good news when you see the Cincinnati doctor.”
“I hope so, my dear. I hope so. Now I have something to return to you.”
“To me?”
“Your engagement ring. You gave it back to me. I kept it, but it belongs to you.”
She lifted a hand in protest. “Sorry, Steve, I can’t wear that ring anymore.”
“That’s what I assumed. So I had it changed. It’s not a ring anymore. You’ll see.” He signaled to Hector, who brought a velvet box, certainly bigger than a ring box. Steve opened it to reveal a magnificent pendant with her three-carat diamond in the middle of a circle of small diamonds, surrounded by small sapphires in a round white gold mounting.
“Oh my God, it’s amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it. Please let me put it on you.” He removed the expensive piece that was hooked to a white gold chain encrusted with diamonds.
“It’s too much, Steve.”
“No it’s the least I can give you. You didn’t receive a penny in alimony, and you did an amazing job raising our daughter on your own. Forgive me and wear it, please.”
She turned her head and bent to let him clasp the chain on her neck. And she gasped as she felt his lips on her nape. Even when ill, her former husband couldn’t stop being a flirt. Turning to face him, she hugged him. “We’ll pray for you every night, Lizzie and I.”
“Thank you, dear. I may not get better physically, but I’ll feel better emotionally if I live next to you.”
Steve called the children next to him and asked them questions about their schools and toys.
“Lizzie, did you give a name to your doll?”
“I called her Elizabeth, like my real name.”
“That’s a good name.”
“We have a big box here that someone has to open.” Steve pointed at a box near the sofa. “Go read the name.”
Lizzie studied the writing on the humongous box. “It’s Lizzie.” Her eyes sparkled. “For me?”
Steve nodded.
“Another gift?”
“I think so.”
Lizzie came to him, her arms open. “Thank you, Daddy Steve. You are so nice.”
He hugged her and kissed her cheek, and then shook his head. “Not enough time to catch up on all the wasted time.”
“Uncle Daddy,” Lizzie called, “can you open my big box?”
Daniel dug out his pocket knife and cut the box. “Come and help me.” He tore along the sides and let her pull the cut parts while everyone watched her.
Suddenly Lizzie jumped up and down in excitement. “A dollhouse. A beautiful pink house for my doll.” Mingling squeals and giggles, she climbed up on Steve’s lap, hugged him, and gave him two big moist kisses that brought tears to his eyes.
“You’re playing Santa Claus today.” Meredith smiled with understanding.
“It’s not easy for a sick old man to gain a little girl’s affection, especially in my awful shape.”
“I don’t want to be a party pooper, but we need to go. It’s been a long day for the children. And for you too, Steve.”
“I won’t keep you, but I want you here tomorrow to finalize some serious business, while I can still do it.” Steve had become a frail man, struggling to stand and walk, but he hadn’t lost an ounce of his sharp wit and acute mind. “See you at eleven,” he added in a tone that didn’t brook discussion.
The children carried their toys, and Daniel brought the dollhouse box to the back of the SUV.
Hector ran after them. “Here is a cooler with cans of pops and juice, and also sandwiches for you to eat during the trip home.”
“Thank you, Hector,” Meredith said. “And thank you for taking such good care of Steve.”
“Bye, ma’am. See you tomorrow. Daniel, I count on you to check on the house for rent.”
“Will do.”
The trip home whizzed by. They all ate their sandwiches and drank their pop or juice. Hector had added chocolate chip cookies. Soon, the kids drifted off. Daniel and Meredith continued to exchange comments about Steve and their day with him.
“I had trouble recognizing him in the morning. He was such a handsome man five years ago. He must have shed fifty pounds, at least. And he lost his hair. So sad.”
“Yes, but he did his best to be a generous host. He wanted so much for Lizzie to know him and remember him.”
Meredith chuckled. “I don’t think she’ll ever forget her huge dollhouse. We’ll have to set it up in her room.”
“How about you? Did you reach closure with him?”
“Yes. I’m happy I came. Thank you for encouraging me to see him and for driving us. I was so worried about the outcome. The pendent was a generous gift. I’m glad he didn’t try to throw any inheritance at me or Lizzie.”
“I have the feeling that will come tomorrow. Today was to have the paternity test done, get acquainted with Lizzie, and kind of assess your feelings toward him.”
She chuckled. ”You should have been a psychologist too.”
“Analyzing people is part of my job. Regardless, I’m pretty sure tomorrow we’ll have the serious talk.”
“I don’t want his money, or any inheritance. I don’t need it, and I don’t want his sons on my back.”
“Relax, you’ll make that very clear tomorrow. No need to rehash irritating things and ruin a good day.”
“You’re right. It was a very good day. Much better than I expected.”
When they arrived at her house, Daniel urged her to stay in the car with a sleeping Noah. “I’ll put Lizzie in her bed. I guess Wendy will spend the night with Taco.” He wriggled his eyebrows. “Lucky guy.” And she burst out laughing.
Two minutes later, Daniel returned, and Meredith jumped out of his car. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. “I’m glad I met Steve. You can count on me to help you take care of him, if that’s what you want.”
“I hope we can make a difference for him. I really hope so, Daniel. I want Lizzie to keep good memories of her father. I want her to know we did our best for him, you and me.”
“Thank you for including me. I’ll call you later. Goodnight.”
Daniel waited until she entered her house and locked the door. And she blew him a well-deserved kiss through the window.
Usually, it wasn’t easy or comfortable for a serious boyfriend to meet a former husband. Their relationship had survived a difficult day today. And she prayed that it would survive any more obstacles popping up in their way.
Chapter Eleven
Daniel carried his son to his bed, removed his shoes, pants, and shirt, and slipped on his pajamas without the boy opening an eye. After Daniel changed into his night boxers, he searched for the real estate agent’s number and texted her that he’d be interested in visiting any ranch-style homes for rent in his neighborhood. She texted back and gave him an appointment for the next morning.
Being the meticulous lawyer he was, he sat at his computer and did a thorough search on Steve Homer and his lawyer Joe Emery. To better represent Meredith and protect her interests, he preferred to be fully apprised of the people they would be dealing with.
After an hour, he had a good idea of Homer’s financial worth. The man could certainly afford to ensure a secure future for his little daughter, without depriving his sons. Especially after leaving her mother without a penny for years.
The search mentioned his first wife and two sons and brought up numerous compromising pictures of the successful businessman and his many dates over the years. There was no mention of Meredith.
He called her to say goodnight and specify he’d pick her up and Lizzie at eight thirty to visit various houses for rent before leaving for Columbus again, and he’d bring donuts to eat on the way.
They arrived at Steve’s house around eleven thirty. Emery was already settled at the kitchen table, typing on a laptop, a bunch of forms lying in front of him.
After a round of handshakes and hugs, Steve gave the children scooters and sent them to play in the fenced backyard. Daniel and Meredith sat next to each other, facing the lawyer.
“Go ahead, Joe,” Steve prompted.
“Item number one is the recognition of Lizzie as Steve’s daughter and the addition of his name to her birth certificate. Do you agree, Mrs. Homer?”
Daniel assumed that the lawyer’s cold, rational voice would set the tone for the day, and he hoped Meredith wouldn’t be annoyed.
“Yes.” Her fingers interlaced on the table, she nodded. “Steve, I never put your name because you often told me you didn’t want—”
“Forget the past.” Steve lifted a hand to stop any reminiscences.
Joe continued. “I printed a hospital form and filled in the information. Please read and sign it.”
She took the form and glanced at Daniel. He read it carefully. “It’s a standard form. Is the information correct, Meredith? Child’s name, date of birth, mother’s name?”
“Yes, all correct.” She signed and dated it.