A Slice of Heaven

by Sherryl Woods

  Ronnie still couldn’t get used to hearing those words associated with his daughter. Annie had always been so level-headed. She’d always had a perfectly normal appetite for pizza, ice cream, hamburgers, fries, all the things kids her age ate. Most probably weren’t good for her, but Dana Sue had always counterbalanced that with healthy meals. She’d even managed to convince Annie that carrot sticks or grapes were a good snack. And with all of her activities, Annie had never gained an extra ounce. Why she’d become obsessed with dieting was beyond him.

  When he didn’t respond, Dr. McDaniels regarded him sympathetically. “Do you know much about anorexia?” she asked.

  “The basics, I guess. Someone develops an aversion to food, more or less. It seems to affect teenage girls most of all.”

  “Something like that, though the age of patients seems to be getting younger and younger, which is a worrisome trend. Most of the time it starts out as plain old dieting, either because their body image is poor or there’s a lot of peer pressure to be ultrathin or even because they could stand to lose a few pounds. Then something goes awry and it becomes an obsession. Maybe something in their life goes out of whack and food intake is the one thing they can still control, so they do, to an extreme. Any idea what might have been going on in Annie’s case?”

  That was easy enough, Ronnie thought guiltily. “Her mom and I got a divorce a couple of years back and I left town,” he said, then suddenly remembered something else. “On the day I went, when I told her I was going, she got up from the table, ran into the restroom at the restaurant and threw up. Could it have started then?”

  “Possibly, at least in the sense that a major trauma in her life became associated with food. At least that gives me a starting point. If you and your ex-wife agree, I’d like to spend a little time with Annie while she’s still here in the hospital. It’s important to start dealing with this right away, in a controlled environment.”

  “The cardiologist mentioned she might need to go into a treatment facility,” Ronnie said. “Is that likely?”

  “I’d rather wait and see where we are after the nutritionist and I have had a few sessions with her. We don’t have the kind of program here that they have at a major medical center, but we do have people who know what they’re doing. If Annie’s cooperative and we see some progress, perhaps get her caloric intake up and see her putting on a few pounds, then it may be possible to avoid an inpatient program. Sometimes, though, that is the best option if we’re to avoid a repeat of the extreme behavior. It’s just too soon to tell with Annie. Will you and your ex-wife be comfortable with sending her elsewhere, if that’s what we think would be best?”

  “We’ll do whatever’s best for Annie,” Ronnie assured her. If he had to twist Dana Sue’s arm to get her to agree, he’d do so. Of course, his considerable powers of persuasion might be considered suspect these days.

  Dr. McDaniels gave him a knowing look. “Let’s talk about you for a minute. You said you’ve been gone since the divorce.”

  He nodded.

  “I imagine you’re feeling pretty guilty about now,” she said.

  “Of course I am. If I’d been here in town…”

  “Things might have turned out exactly the same way, unless your staying might have prevented the divorce.”

  When he was about to respond, she held up a hand. “Doesn’t matter,” she said. “What-ifs are a waste of time, Mr. Sullivan. Let’s deal with what is and move on from here, okay? Will you be willing to participate in some sessions if I need you to? I know your presence will be a help to the nutritionist, too. We both like plenty of parental involvement in this process. Are you staying in town long enough for that?”

  “I’ll be here indefinitely,” he said. “And I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “And your ex-wife?”

  “She’ll be there, too.” Whatever reservations Dana Sue might have about being in the same room with him would just have to be put on hold until Annie was healthy again. Dana Sue was too good a mother not to go along with that.

  “Fine. Then as soon as Annie’s stable and alert, I’ll start spending a little time with her, and I’ll let you know where we go from there.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. We haven’t even started the hard stuff,” she warned. “I suspect you’ll all have reason to hate me before we’re through. Some of the emotions we’re likely to touch on will be pretty raw and painful. And there are going to be times when I’ll have to be tough with Annie. Prepare yourself for that.” She gave him a warm smile that took the edge off her warning. “I’ll be in touch soon.”

  He watched her walk away, then turned and saw Dana Sue staring at him, anger in her eyes. When she would have brushed right past him in an obvious snit, he grabbed her arm.

  “Okay, what are you thinking?” he asked.

  “That you’re not wasting any time finding someone to flirt with,” she snapped. “Let me go. I want to see Annie.”

  “Don’t you want to hear what Dr. McDaniels said first?”

  Her expression faltered. “She’s a doctor?”

  “A psychologist,” he confirmed. “She’s going to be working with Annie as soon as she’s well enough. McDaniels also wants us to participate in some of the sessions. She says a nutritionist will want our cooperation, as well. The conversation wasn’t personal, Dana Sue. It was strictly about our daughter.”

  “Oh,” she said meekly. “Well, she’s an attractive woman. You can hardly blame me for jumping to conclusions.”

  He bit back a smile. “No, I can hardly blame you.”

  But he was going to do everything in his power to see that she never had any reason to jump to such a conclusion again.

  The next few days were the longest of Dana Sue’s life. Not only was she worried sick about her daughter, but having Ronnie underfoot every time she turned around was unnerving. He looked better than he ever had, and he was being so darn sweet and considerate, it almost made her forget why she’d kicked him out. That momentary flash of jealousy had been a stark reminder, but he’d taken the wind right out of her sails when he’d explained who Dr. McDaniels was.

  Add to that the fact that the man hadn’t left Annie’s side for more than a few minutes at a time. His blue eyes were clouded with worry and exhaustion, but every time Dana Sue suggested he get some sleep, somehow he turned the tables and got Helen or Maddie to take her home for a nap.

  “What do you think he’s up to?” she asked Maddie as her friend drove her home the first time. Maddie had added her two cents to Ronnie’s argument, which was the main reason Dana Sue had agreed to go. She didn’t have the strength for a fight when the two of them ganged up on her.

  “I don’t think he’s up to anything,” Maddie said. “I think he’s worried about Annie.”

  “Sure, but there’s something else going on,” Dana Sue insisted. “He keeps giving me these strange, speculative looks, as if he’s trying to figure out what I’m thinking.”

  Maddie chuckled. “I’m sure he is. He’s probably waiting for you to wake up and remember what he did, then tear a strip out of his hide again. It’s not as if you just said ‘so long’ and sent him on his way. That scene on the front lawn had the whole town talking for months. Given your volatile temperament, I’m sure he thinks it could happen again at any second.”

  Dana Sue grimaced. “Once was enough. It was mortifying.”

  “It was what he deserved,” Maddie corrected.

  “No, I mean I was mortified when I thought about it afterward. Thanks to my public drama the whole town knew what he’d done to me. It’s little wonder Annie skipped school for an entire week after that. I wanted to hide, too.”

  “Well, all that’s in the past now,” Maddie consoled her.

  “Don’t you think having him back here will remind everyone?”

  Maddie gave her a knowing look. “Do you honestly regret calling him?”

  Dana Sue thought it over, then shook her head. “As
much as it pains me to admit it, he has every right to be here. And maybe he can actually get through to Annie. I certainly haven’t had any luck.”

  “Maybe this scare will be enough to do the trick,” Maddie suggested. “Passing out is one thing. A cardiac arrest at Annie’s age is quite another.”

  “I wish I thought you were right, but Dr. McDaniels, the psychologist, seems to think the impact will be temporary unless Annie deals with the underlying issues. She told both me and Ronnie that she wants her in therapy. I can’t disagree, but something tells me Annie’s going to pitch a fit.”

  “Let her, but see to it she goes anyway. If the alternative is being sent to an inpatient facility, I imagine she’ll get with the program soon enough. And it’ll help to have Ronnie as your backup.”

  Dana Sue blinked at that. “He’s not staying. I’m sure he’s just waiting for the doctors to say that Annie’s out of the woods, and he’ll be leaving again.”

  Maddie looked startled. “He’s not staying in Serenity? I got the impression…” Her voice trailed off. “Maybe I got it wrong.”

  Panic crept through Dana Sue. “Did he tell you something different, Maddie?”

  “Talk to him,” her friend encouraged. “You should be discussing this with each other, not with me. I refuse to get caught in the middle.”

  “Oh, I intend to talk to him,” Dana Sue said grimly. “Calling him the other night was not an invitation for him to move back here.”

  Maddie grinned. “I don’t think he sees it the same way.”

  “Oh?”

  “I believe he said something to Helen about fate stepping in.”

  Dana Sue sat up straight, suddenly reinvigorated and spoiling for a fight. “Fate, my behind! Get me back to the hospital right this second. I need to have a little come-to-Jesus chat with my ex.”

  “You sure you want to have that conversation there?” Maddie asked worriedly.

  “Why not?”

  “Because, sweet pea, it’s a hospital. You’ll have to keep your voice down.”

  That was a downside, Dana Sue thought, but she could manage. She’d once told off a produce vendor with fairly colorful language without anyone eating in the restaurant being aware. Of course, getting anything through Ronnie Sullivan’s thick skull without shouts and shattered pottery was another matter.

  Annie was so surprised to find her father sitting beside her hospital bed that she almost passed out again.

  “Daddy?” she whispered weakly, in case she was hallucinating.

  A smile spread across his face. “I’m here, angel. It’s good to see those big blue eyes of yours open again.”

  “I thought I heard you talking to me, but I was sure it had to be a dream. How long have you been here?”

  “Since the night they brought you in.”

  Everything was so fuzzy. She remembered practically gagging at the sight of all the food her mom had brought in for the sleepover. Then she and the other girls were dancing when her chest started feeling funny, like something was squeezing her heart real tight. She’d never felt anything like it before in her life, not even in phys ed, when she’d had to run. She’d decided to take a nap, and that was the last thing she remembered.

  “When was that?”

  “A few days ago.”

  “That long? Why can’t I remember coming here? Or anything that’s gone on since I got here? How come I’m hooked up to all this stuff?”

  “The monitors are keeping track of how you’re doing and the IV is getting some fluids and medicine into you. You’ve been mostly asleep since that night. I don’t mind telling you that you gave us all quite a scare,” he chided gently.

  “I’m sorry. How did you know to come?”

  “Your mom called me.”

  That meant her mom must have been terrified she, Annie, was going to die. She couldn’t imagine any other reason her mom would have called her dad.

  “How long are you going to stay?” she asked.

  “For good,” he said.

  Annie just stared at him, a faint spark of hope stirring in her heart. “Does Mom know?”

  “Not yet,” he admitted. “Think she’ll flip out?”

  Annie managed a wobbly grin. “You know it.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I figured, too.”

  She reached for his hand. “Don’t let her talk you out of it, okay?”

  “Not a chance, angel. Not a chance.”

  Annie leveled a look straight into her dad’s eyes to see if he was telling her the truth. He didn’t even blink.

  “You promise?” she asked, just to be sure.

  “Cross my heart,” he said, as he had after every single promise he’d ever made to her.

  Annie thought back. He’d never broken one of those promises. He might have betrayed her mom, but he’d always been honest with her, even when it had hurt.

  “Good,” she whispered.

  She was still clinging to his hand when she fell back to sleep.

  8

  The next time Annie woke up, there was a woman she didn’t recognize sitting beside her bed. The white lab coat over her street clothes probably meant she was a doctor. Though her smile was friendly, the somber expression in her eyes made Annie nervous. She had a feeling she didn’t want to hear whatever this woman had to say. And whenever she got scared, she used belligerence to cover her fear. Annie tried her best to stare the woman down, but she only stared back.

  “Where’s my dad?” Annie finally demanded, her voice laced with suspicion, as if this woman were somehow responsible for his absence. “He was here a minute ago.” Annie had no idea if that was true. Given the way time was slipping by without her being aware of it, he could have left hours earlier.

  “I don’t know where your dad is right now,” the woman claimed, her tone perfectly—and annoyingly—calm. “He wasn’t here when I arrived.”

  Annie studied her with increased suspicion. “Who are you and why are you in my room?”

  “I’m Dr. McDaniels. I’m going to be working with you for a while.”

  Alarm bells went off in Annie’s head. “Working with me how? Like in physical therapy or something?”

  This time the woman’s smile reached all the way to her eyes. “Afraid not. I’m a psychologist. We’re going to try to work on this eating disorder of yours.”

  “You’re a shrink!” Annie said, horrified. The last thing she wanted was somebody poking around in her head, as if she was crazy. “I don’t think so.”

  “I could show you my certification,” the woman said, as if proof was what Annie was after.

  “Not interested,” she said stubbornly. “I don’t need a shrink. There’s nothing wrong with me. I certainly don’t have an eating disorder.”

  “Really? Then why are you in the hospital?”

  Annie realized she didn’t know all the details about why she’d ended up here. Probably her mom and her friends had just freaked over something silly. “I got sick. No big deal,” she claimed with sheer bravado. “I’ll probably be out of here today.”

  “I doubt that,” Dr. McDaniels responded. “I’d say a week to ten days if you work really, really hard.”

  Annie panicked at her certainty. “I’m telling you it’s no big deal,” she insisted. “I feel fine. I could probably run a marathon this afternoon if I wanted to.”

  The doctor leaned forward and looked her in the eye. “Really? You think so?”

  “Sure,” Annie said. “My mom probably overreacted the other night. She does that a lot.”

  “Not this time,” Dr. McDaniels said gently. “You’ve met Dr. Lane, right?”

  Annie nodded.

  “And you know he’s a cardiologist?”

  He’d probably said so, but it hadn’t registered. “That’s a heart doctor,” Annie said slowly. “Why would I need a heart doctor?”

  “Because not eating can take a serious toll on your heart. That’s what happened to you. You developed an arrhythmia—that’s an erra
tic and too-fast heartbeat. Do you remember that?”

  Annie swallowed hard. “I guess,” she admitted. “But I feel okay now.”

  “Because the staff here has been working to get all of your electrolytes back into balance and to start boosting your nutrition levels. We can only do so much, though. The really hard work is up to you. Otherwise, next time, you might not be so lucky.”

  Annie started to tremble at the unspoken implication. Before she could control it, tears were welling up in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. “You’re just saying that to scare me,” she protested. “My mom put you up to it, ’cause she doesn’t like it that I’m losing weight and she’s not.”

  “Annie, I’m not saying any of this to upset you. And your mom didn’t put me up to anything. I just want you to understand that this is very, very serious, but we can fix it. If you want, I can bring Dr. Lane in here to explain exactly what happened to your heart the other night and why,” Dr. McDaniels offered. “He can talk to you about how weak your heart is, what a disaster your potassium and other levels are. Or you can take my word for it that I would never lie about something this important.”

  Annie let her head drop back on the pillow and closed her eyes. It all made an awful kind of sense. Nothing less than a heart attack would have gotten her mom to call her dad—that was more telling than anything else. Annie was pretty sure he wouldn’t have raced back home if she’d just fainted or something. But it was crazy. Kids didn’t have heart attacks.

  She felt a cool touch on her hand and looked up into Dr. McDaniels’s sympathetic gaze. “Pretty scary, huh? I imagine you never thought that what you were doing could have this kind of consequence.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Annie protested again, but now there was less conviction in her voice.

  “We’ll talk about that next time I come by,” Dr. McDaniels told her. “For now, I want you to be openminded when Lacy Reynolds gets here. Work with her, okay? She has your best interests at heart.”