"Gray! Oh, darling, I thought you'd never get here!" She threw herself into his arms, and he clasped her against him and held her.
Eve felt sick. Dear, sweet Tinker. That precious child who would never harm anybody. Was she…?
No. She wouldn't even let herself think of such a monstrous happening.
At least Gray and Bambi had each other to lean on. It was natural that each would seek comfort from the other at a time like this.
Bambi had had it right all along. They were still husband and wife, in all the ways that counted.
Chapter Seven
Eve shrank back, not wanting to be seen by either Gray or Bambi as they embraced. The Flint family didn't need her intruding on their private grief. There was a large potted plant near the door that she could stand behind without being noticed. Especially by a mother and father as intent on their own tragedy as Bambi and Gray were.
Neither could she hear them, and she longed for word of Tinker. How was she? Were her injuries serious? Life threatening? That sweet little girl! She was so young. So vital.
Eve finally saw Gray break away from Bambi and go over to the admission desk, then cross the room to one of the curtained areas. Was that where Tinker was? It must be, but what condition was she in?
Once Gray disappeared behind the curtain, Bambi opened her purse, took out a package of cigarettes and, with a glance at the No Smoking sign, pushed open one of the large swinging glass doors and went outside.
Eve took the opportunity to hurry over to the desk to ask about Tinker. She identified herself as the child's tutor and a friend of the family.
"She has a head injury, but it doesn't seem to be serious," the woman at the desk told her. "They'll probably keep her overnight for observation, though."
Eve felt light-headed with relief, and tears welled in her eyes.
Now she had just one more request. "Do you have a notepad I can write on?"
The woman reached under the counter and handed her one. Eve wrote a quick note, folded it over, put Gray's name on it, and asked the woman to give it to him when he was through talking to the doctor.
Gray didn't need to be saddled with her tonight. She went out the front door, hailed a cab and asked the driver to take her home.
Eve had been home about an hour and a half—long enough to shower and get into the pullover cotton-knit sleep shirt and boxer shorts she liked to sleep in—when there was a knock at the door. A glance at her watch told her it was almost midnight. Although she assumed it was Gray, as a precaution she turned on the porch light and looked through the peephole.
She was right. He was standing out there, slumped and looking incredibly weary. She'd hoped he would call her after he read her note telling him she was taking a cab home, but she hadn't expected him to come over.
She opened the door, and he stepped inside and took her in his arms. "I'm sorry I left you on your own back at the hospital." His voice was filled with remorse. "By the time I made sure Tinker was all right, got all the consents given and papers signed, and saw her settled in her room in the pediatric ward, you were gone."
"Don't think another thing about it. I'd have been disappointed in you if she hadn't been your first priority." She snuggled into his embrace. "How is Tinker?"
"As far as they can tell, she'll be all right," he said. "But she's had a head injury, so they're keeping her in the hospital until her pediatrician examines her tomorrow."
She raised her head and studied him. He still looked ghastly, although now the lines of anxiety were gone. "That's what the lady at the desk told me when I inquired about her before I left." She hesitated a moment, then asked, "And how's Bambi? I was careful not to let her see me."
He sighed. "That's probably just as well. I don't need her throwing it up to me that I was out of town with you when our daughter was injured."
Eve knew he hadn't meant that to sound as if he'd been cheating on his wife when he took Eve to Deadwood, but it did. And it slashed at her like a whip. Bambi had a way of making Eve feel like the other woman in an otherwise happy marriage, and Eve found that untenable.
Probably because she'd been made to feel guilty, too, her first inclination was to fight back. "Oh? And just whose fault was it that her daughter was hurt? What happened?"
Gray relaxed his hold on her and turned them in the direction of the sofa. "Do you mind if we sit down? I'm about out on my feet."
She silently scolded herself for being so unobservant, and walked to the couch with him. He took off his jacket and tossed it across a nearby chair before they settled themselves in a comfortable embrace in the corner of the richly upholstered sofa.
Eve knew she shouldn't allow this. After what happened today, she had a lot more thinking to do before she let herself get caught up in a love affair with this man. It was just as well something had interrupted them earlier this evening. Not that she would have wished for poor little Tinker to be hurt, but it was that incident that had brought her out of her romantic reverie and made her face a few hard truths.
Gray's hand fondled her bare thigh, then found its way under her nightshirt and cupped her unencumbered breast, not urgently but gently, as if searching for warmth. It was only then that she remembered what she was wearing. The nightclothes were an obvious invitation, and that was not the message she wanted to send. She knew that if he drew her into the sweet delirium of foreplay, she wouldn't have the strength to stop him.
"I—I'd better go get dressed," she said, and tried to sit up. But he held her back.
"No, please, don't," he begged. "I'm not trying to seduce you. Frankly, I doubt if I could…uh…perform right now. I just need you with me. I need your compassion, your warmth. I like the silky smoothness of your bare legs and the softness of your beautiful breasts."
How could she resist him when he talked like that? She lay back against him and let herself enjoy. What would a little innocent making-out hurt? These stolen moments of bliss could bring them so much pleasure…
Those were her last thoughts until she woke wrapped in Gray's arms on the wide sofa, sun streaming in the windows.
Daylight! They'd slept all night and now it was—she held up her arm and looked at her watch—six o'clock! Gray had missed his first two weather forecasts, and was about to miss the third—
She started to struggle out of the iron grip he had on her, but then remembered. It was Sunday. Gray didn't work on Sundays.
She relaxed and nestled against him. She'd never before fallen asleep while necking with a man. She wondered which one of them conked out first. The last she remembered, they were sitting up. When did they lie down?
He stirred, and she raised her head and looked right into his blue eyes. They registered the same shock she knew hers did. "Eve? What are you doing here?"
She smiled. "I live here, sweetheart. What about you?"
He raised up on his elbow and looked around. "Holy Moses." He grunted. "I've never in my whole life slept so soundly. What did we…? I mean, when did we—?" he sputtered. "Oh, hell," he said, and shifted around to sit up at the end of the couch with his feet on the floor. "What did I do to you?"
She could see that he was really upset, and she put her hand on his arm. "I don't remember going to sleep, either, but I do know that you didn't do a thing to me, Gray. We were both worn out and couldn't stay awake. I only woke up a few minutes before you did."
He put his hand over hers and smiled. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. The first time we make love, I want us both wide awake and participating."
He frowned. "On the other hand, if you're telling me that I spent the night with you and actually slept, I'd better start worrying about my virility. I really am getting old."
She laughed, but the twinkle in his eyes suddenly turned to alarm. "Oh, God, I've got to call the hospital," he said, and jumped up. "When I left, I told the nurse in charge to call me at home in case they wanted to reach me."
"There's a phone in the kitchen," she directed him. "Meanwhile I'll get d
ressed."
She brushed her teeth and splashed cool water on her face in the bathroom, then went to the bedroom and quickly got into a navy-blue pants suit with a coordinated red-white-and-blue striped knit shirt.
Gray was still on the phone when she came out of the bedroom, and his eyes widened in appreciation as he continued his telephone conversation. "Okay, then," he was saying. "I'll be over in a few minutes. If Dr. Whitney gets there before I do, ask him not to leave until I see him."
He hung up the phone and turned to Eve. "Wow! If all lady sailors looked like you, the young men in this country would be queuing up around the block to enlist."
He put both arms around her and kissed her, long and hungrily.
"The hospital told me Tinker had a restful night and is still asleep," he told Eve when they finally broke apart. "I need to talk to her pediatrician, but they're not expecting him to put in an appearance for about an hour. That will give me time to stop at the house and shower, shave and change clothes. You will come with me, won't you?"
"Just try and stop me," she said, then hesitated. "That is, if it won't cause trouble with Bambi."
He scowled. "Bambi will be lucky if I don't press charges against her, and she knows it. She was driving recklessly and didn't have Tinker belted in. I don't think she'll give us any problems."
Eve blinked. "What do you mean 'driving recklessly'?"
"Last night after you left the hospital, I caught up with one of the police officers who was investigating the accident," Gray explained. "He told me Bambi was speeding, took a curve too fast, lost control of the car, and slammed into a tree. The car was totaled. She was able to brace herself by holding on to the steering wheel, but Tinker was thrown around and hit her head against the windshield."
Eve shivered. How could a mother be so careless as to put her own child in danger? It made her wonder how fit the woman was to have even part-time custody of Tinker.
An hour later, Gray and Eve entered the hospital, inquired about Tinker at the information desk, and were directed to the pediatric wing on the third floor. Gray had cleaned up and was now wearing tan slacks, a brown print shirt and a tan V-neck pullover. He looked every inch the TV personality, and heads turned in recognition as Gray and Eve threaded their way up and down the halls of the hospital.
There were two beds in Tinker's room; she was in the one closest to the window. The top of her bed was partially upright, and she was reclining, a tray table containing her breakfast across her lap.
Eve gasped and bit her lip to keep from crying out. Besides the bandage on her head, Tinker had two black eyes and numerous other visible cuts and bruises.
"Daddy!" she yelped, and dropped her spoon into a bowl of hot cereal as she raised her arms to him. "I want to go home!"
Eve felt him stiffen beside her, and knew he was shocked, too. Apparently she hadn't looked this bad last night.
Quickly Gray walked to the bed, leaned down and hugged her, trying not to knock over anything on the tray. "I know you do, baby, but we'll have to see what Dr. Jim has to say."
He kissed her lightly on her bandage, then straightened up. "Meanwhile, look who I brought to see you."
He motioned to Eve, who was still standing at the doorway. She walked into the room. "Good morning, Tinker. I hope you're feeling better this morning."
"Eve!" she said, using Eve's first name for the first time. Again she held out her arms for a hug.
Eve hurried over and obliged, then sat down on the opposite side of the bed from Gray. She'd never known Tinker to show so much affection before, and it delighted her to be a recipient.
"My head hurts," she said unhappily in answer to Eve's comment. "And I threw up three times last night."
She looked around the room, careful not to move her head too much. "Where's Mom? Did she get hurt in the accident, too?"
"Just some sore ribs and a few scrapes and bruises," Gray said. "Don't you remember? She and I were both here last night when they brought you up to this room. We stayed with you until you went to sleep, and then I took Mom home. Her car won't run. It had to be towed away."
This was news to Eve. Gray hadn't said anything to her about taking Bambi home.
"Don't be too mad at Mom," Tinker said to Gray. "I gave her a bad time about wearing the seatbelt." Tinker looked down. "She said you'd be mad at her if she didn't make me buckle it, but I talked her out of it."
Tears pooled in the little girl's eyes. "I—I'm glad she wasn't hurt, too."
Gray moved the tray table away, sat down on his side of the bed, and took her in his arms. "Don't you worry about anything, sweetheart," he murmured. "Mom's all right, and I'm going to take you home as soon as Dr. Jim says I can—"
"Is someone taking my name in vain?"
All three of them looked up to see a good-looking man, about the same age as Gray, entering the room wearing a white lab coat and followed by a nurse.
Gray released Tinker and stood. "Well, It's about time you got here," he growled with a big smile that belied his tone. "I was beginning to think I was going to have to send out for another pediatrician."
"No way!" This time the doctor's voice was serious. "I've already had harsh words with my answering service for not calling me when my favorite little patient here was brought into the ER." He winked at Tinker, and she giggled.
Again he turned his attention to Gray. "I was in town, but Winnie and I celebrated our tenth anniversary yesterday, so we left the kids with Winnie's parents and rented the VIP suite at the Hilton hotel. Trying to find a little privacy, you know?"
Gray laughed. "You don't need to spell it out—I know exactly what you mean. I was out of town when Bambi was trying to get hold of me. But Tinker was well taken care of."
The doctor nodded. "Yeah, Leonard Thompson is an excellent physician—but Tinker's special."
"Oh, and speaking of special ladies," Gray said, turning to Eve, "I'd like you to meet my friend Eve Costopoulos. She's a teacher who is tutoring Tinker this summer. She's also almost singlehandedly trying to raise enough funds to put a new roof on the building where she teaches. Eve, this is Tinker's pediatrician and my favorite golfing partner, Dr. Jim Whitney."
After Eve and Jim greeted each other, Jim said, "Now I'm going to ask you two to wait in the little waiting room at the end of the hall while I examine Tinker. It won't take long, and then I'll join you, and we can talk."
They found the small, comfortably furnished room complete with a telephone and two vending machines, one for coffee and one for sweet rolls.
"Do you want some coffee?" Gray asked.
Eve remembered that they hadn't had anything to eat yet this morning, and realized she was hungry. "Yes, please. Black, and also one of those cinnamon rolls."
In less than half an hour, the doctor appeared with the happy news that although Tinker was badly bruised and would probably have stiff muscles and a headache for a while, she didn't appear to be seriously injured.
That didn't satisfy Gray. "How can you say she's not seriously injured when she looks like someone's pummeled her? I was shocked when I saw her this morning. She looked bad enough last night, but—"
"Now, calm down," Jim said. "I didn't mean her injuries aren't serious, just that they're not life-threatening. She wants to go home, and I know you want to take her home. But I'd like to keep her here for another twenty-four hours, just to make sure. Head injuries can be tricky things, especially in a child, and she can be more thoroughly monitored here."
Gray nodded. "Whatever you think best, Jim. I just hope she won't be too upset about it."
"You and Bambi are welcome to stay with her," Jim suggested. "I understand Bambi was also examined last night, but was only shaken up and had some ribs bruised."
"I'll deal with her," Gray said through his teeth. "In fact, I'm going to do that right now, as soon as I reassure Tinker and get her settled down."
Eve saw Jim frown, and she felt apprehensive, too. "Don't you think you'd better wait until you've c
almed down a little before you confront Bambi?" Jim asked. "She didn't smash that car into the tree on purpose."
"She might as well have," Gray said grimly. "I can't count the number of times I've paid her speeding tickets and lectured her on safe driving. I even made her take a course in driving safety, but the whole thing goes in one ear and out the other."
He drew in a deep breath, then exhaled. "At least now she doesn't have a car. Maybe having to walk every place she goes will grab her attention."
After Gray had convinced Tinker that spending another day and night in the hospital wouldn't be so bad, he drove to Eve's apartment complex. When he shut off the engine, she turned to him, and he took her in his arms—difficult though that was with the gear shift between them. And they savored a warm moist kiss that almost made him forget why he was leaving her here alone instead of coming in with her.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" he asked, even though he knew what the answer would be.
She rubbed her cheek against his. "No, Gray, I can't. This is a family problem, and I'm not part of the family. My presence would just make it sticky for all of us."
He knew that Eve was right, he thought as he drove on to Bambi's house. He was going to raise havoc with Bambi for her carelessness with their child, and it was a private matter. Nevertheless, he hated to let Eve go. He realized that he needed her moral and emotional support. Tangling with Bambi was always a frustrating and maddening experience.
God knows, he'd been patient with her up until now. Too patient. She'd been the only child of adoring parents who'd not only nourished her inborn childish personality, but encouraged it by caving in to her every wish.
Still, he couldn't place all the blame on her parents. He'd been at fault, too. Too often, rather than taking the time and effort to try to teach her, he'd given in and let her have her own way. Unfortunately, he'd never been able to convey to her what was acceptable in a relationship, and what wasn't. Also, he'd found it easier to smooth things over rather than make her accept the consequences of her immaturity.
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