by Jane Toombs
“You mentioned another brother—Will? Where does he live?”
“In town, but he’s in Lansing at the moment at some kind of legal conference.”
“Will’s a lawyer?”
“Yeah.” After that he couldn’t find anything more to say. They were nearing town before he asked, “You doing okay?”
“If you mean am I going to collapse when I get out of the truck, no. But I may have to lean on you, as usual.”
“Be my guest.”
She glanced at him. “I’ve already been your guest for the better part of a week. I imagine you’ll breathe a long sigh of relief when we’re gone.”
The words were there, waiting to be said. I’ll miss you. He held them back. Not because they weren’t true, but because he didn’t want to admit it. To her. Or to himself.
He had to say something. “You’ve been good company.” Also true.
“But certainly troublesome company.”
What was he supposed to say to that? Her arrival sure as hell had been a far-from-welcome complication in his life, but he didn’t regret anything that had happened once he’d rescued her. And he certainly didn’t regret the rescue. He couldn’t bear the thought that Fay and her still unborn baby might have frozen to death in the storm.
When they reached his brother’s home/office, Dan retrieved Marie from the back seat, cradling her against him as he helped Fay down from the truck’s high seat. She held his arm as they made their way into the building.
Bruce’s receptionist, red-haired Wendy, made a big fuss over the baby. “What a little darling,” she cooed. Giving Dan a sideways look, she added, “Never thought I’d see the day you’d be carrying a little one around.” Shifting her attention to Fay, she said, “Come right in through that door. Doctor’s with a patient, but we’ll get you nice and comfortable in an examining room while you wait.”
Dan followed Fay to the room Wendy indicated. “Want me to stay with you ’til Bruce comes in?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“You can bring the baby into the back office,” Wendy told Dan. “Doctor’ll want to examine Ms. Merriweather before he looks at her daughter.” Turning again to Fay, she said, “I’m going to bring you some forms to fill out while you wait.” Shooing Dan ahead of her, Wendy bustled out.
One of the forms, Fay discovered after Wendy returned with them, was the information needed for the baby’s birth certificate. She smiled as she wrote down the name she’d chosen: Danielle Marie Merriweather. Perhaps Dan wouldn’t mind that she’d named her daughter after him, but she’d decided not to take the chance, so hadn’t told him. And wouldn’t.
By the time all the forms were filled in, a fortyish woman entered and set a small tray down on the top of a cabinet. “I’m Ellen, the office nurse,” she said. “I’m here to weigh you and take your blood pressure.” When she finished, she added, “Doctor Sorenson wants me to get a blood sample, too.”
With practiced efficiency, she drew the blood. Eyeing Fay assessingly, she said, “Are you okay? You look kind of pale.”
“Just tired,” Fay said.
“You’ll have to do it sooner or later anyway, so why don’t you undress, slip into a gown and get up on the table where you can stretch out?” Ellen indicated a corner with a curtain pull. “The gowns and a sheet to cover yourself are in there.” She gathered up the tray and the filled-out papers before leaving the room.
Fay did as the nurse suggested, breathing a sigh of relief when she was flat on the table. Damn this lethargy. She fought to stay awake, but her eyelids were drooping shut when she heard the knock at the door before it opened. The doctor. He looked enough like Dan so she thought she could have picked him in a crowd as Dan’s brother, even though he had a slimmer build and his eyes were a lighter shade of blue.
“Hello, Fay,” he said. “I’m Bruce Sorenson, Dan’s brother.” He held out a hand to her and she shook it.
“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice,” she said.
He didn’t release her hand, but turned it over, peering down at her fingers as he said, “No problem. Dan filled me in a little about what happened after you got lost in that storm and found your way to the lodge. I’ll examine your daughter later. First we’ll see about you.”
Letting go of her hand, he leaned toward her, saying, “I’m just going to pull your lower lid down for a moment.” He checked one eye, then the other.
“Dan mentioned that you bled quite a bit before delivering the placenta. Any marked bleeding since then?”
“No, not really.”
“From the looks of things, you may have anemia. I can’t tell for sure until I take a look at your blood under the microscope, but I strongly suspect that’s the reason for the persistent fatigue Dan mentioned to me.”
Fay swallowed. “You did say anemia, not leukemia?”
“I did. It’s not uncommon and is easily treated with medication and diet. Anemia is an entirely different condition than leukemia. There’s no connection. You should be feeling your old self in a few weeks, give or take a day here and there.”
“That long?”
“Don’t look so alarmed. You need rest, a good diet and medication to bring your count back up and that takes time. I strongly suggest you stay at a place where someone can help you with the baby.”
“My aunt lives in Duluth. I can call her.” But how was she going to get there alone? Just being a passenger on the short drive here had worn her out.
Someone tapped on the door and Ellen stuck her head in.
“I’m ready to do the exam,” Bruce said to the nurse, who then entered the room.
Fay prepared herself for the poking and prodding she knew would come, her attention fixed on the problem of getting to Duluth rather than the exam.
“Everything looks good,” Dr. Bruce told her when he finished. “There’s no sign of infection, your uterus feels normal and so does everything else. Once we get you over what I suspect is anemia, you’ll be fine. When you get home, though, be sure to have your doctor examine you. I would suggest you refrain from sexual intercourse for at least a month. Your own doctor will tell you when you can resume.”
Fay felt her face flush with embarrassment. Didn’t he realize sex was the last thing on her mind? “I wasn’t planning to do anything like that.” She could hear the indignation in her voice.
“Good.” He smiled at her, then turned and left.
Ellen helped Fay down off the table. “Once you’re dressed I’ll take you to the back office. Doctor’ll want to talk to you after he examines the baby.”
Fay found Dan there. “Bruce is taking a look at Marie,” he said. “Everything okay with you?”
“He thinks I have anemia,” she confessed. “That’s why I’m so tired all the time. Otherwise I’m fine. Once he’s confirmed the diagnosis, he’s going to give me some medication and wants me to eat well and take it easy for a month. As long as I can get to my aunt in Duluth, that’ll be no problem.”
Dan gestured toward the phone on the doctor’s desk. “Call her.”
Fay hesitated. “Do you think your brother will mind? I do have a phone card.”
“He won’t care. Go ahead.”
When she reached her aunt’s number, Fay heard the answering machine kick in after four rings. Instead of the familiar message about not being able to come to the phone, she heard a different one.
“Please call me at 619—”
Fay forgot the rest of the numbers as she grabbed a pen from the desk and looked for something to write on. Fortunately, her aunt’s message repeated the numbers and she scribbled them down.
She hung up and glanced at Dan. “That’s a San Diego area code,” she told him. “My aunt must be visiting her daughter. Strange, she had no plans to go there.” Fay used her phone card to dial the California number.
Aunt Marie herself answered. “Oh, my dear, Fay,” she said. “I was hoping you’d call. Gwen was in a frightful car accident and we almost lost her. I
flew out immediately when I heard and I’m taking care of the boys and, of course, Roger. Poor man, he’s beside himself with worry. Thank the Lord she’s improving and they think she’ll recover completely in time. I’ll be staying right here until she’s back on her feet again. How are you doing?”
Realizing she couldn’t burden her aunt with any more of a problem than she already had, Fay said, “I’m so sorry to hear about Gwen’s accident. I just called to tell you that you have a new niece. Both of us are fine.”
“A baby girl! Isn’t that wonderful? I’m so happy for you.” Aunt Marie went on for a bit, then said goodbye, saying she was heading to the hospital to visit her daughter.
“Give Gwen my love,” Fay said and put down the phone.
“So going to Duluth is out of the picture for you,” Dan said.
She nodded, wondering what she was going to do.
“You obviously aren’t strong enough to drive home yet,” he told her. “I’m still on leave for the month of May, so the best solution would be for us to return to the cabin where you can rest and recuperate until your blood count’s back to normal, and I can help you take care of the baby.”
“You what?” Dr. Bruce asked from the open doorway, his eyebrows raised.
Fay hadn’t heard him approach and, obviously, neither had Dan.
“Am I hearing right?” Bruce continued, staring at Dan. “You’re actually offering to care for an infant for a month?”
“I delivered her, didn’t I?” Dan’s tone was gruff.
“You didn’t have much choice. Though I have to admit you did okay.” He smiled at Fay.
“Ellen will bring your baby to you shortly. She weighs seven pounds, ten ounces and is 20 inches long. All indications are that she’s a healthy, normal little girl.”
At his last few words, Fay realized she’d been holding her breath, waiting to hear more bad news. She sighed in relief.
“The baby’s blood count is normal,” Bruce added, “but yours indicates a definite anemia. I’m going to give you an injection right now and then a prescription that you should fill before going back to the cabin, if that’s what you decide to do. I want you to call me if you have any new symptoms and come in for another blood count before returning home.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“I reported the phone and electric lines being down,” Dan answered, “so they’ll be getting to them as soon as possible.”
Bruce gave Dan a measuring look as he drew liquid from a small vial with a needle and syringe. “Dan, if you want to take on this responsibility, who am I to argue? You seem to have done a fairly decent job of baby care so far and Fay does need to have someone to help her. I do agree it’s best if she doesn’t undertake a long, tiring trip right now.”
“But I don’t want to impose—” Fay began.
“It’s no imposition,” Dan told her. “Think about it. You said yourself there’s no one back in Archer to help out. Your aunt is in California, not Duluth, but here I am. Me and the cabin.”
She bared her upper arm for the shot, thinking she couldn’t argue with what Dan had said. It did seem to her, though, that Dr. Bruce wasn’t too keen on his brother taking her back to the cabin. Was there some reason he didn’t approve of her? He surely couldn’t think she was out to trap Dan into marriage. Ridiculous. Especially in her condition.
The needle pricked through her skin, the injection stinging for a brief moment, but she hardly noticed. Her attention was fixed on why Dan had offered to take care of her and Marie. She’d have thought he’d be eager to see the last of the trouble she and her daughter had caused him. At the same time, she was glad he had offered, even if he’d done it out of a misplaced sense of obligation. She was the one obligated, not him.
It wasn’t only that he’d solved her problem. If she were honest, she’d have to admit, she’d rather be with him than to entrust her baby to someone she wasn’t sure she could count on.
“That should do the trick,” Dr. Bruce said. “Unless something unusual and unexpected occurs, you should notice the difference in about a week. But take the pills, too.”
She thanked him again. As they were leaving the room, she saw him exchange a significant glance with Dan.
Sure enough, once Dan had settled Fay and the baby into the truck, he said, “Be back in a minute,” and returned to the office.
Brother Bruce warning him about her? But why?
After Dan returned, he drove Fay to his childhood home, a two-story frame house, painted white, with a long front porch shaded by several huge maples that were beginning to leaf in.
Megan opened the front door before they reached it. She hugged Fay, guided her in and insisted she relax on the couch, saying, “You look so pale, you must be exhausted.” Once Fay was arranged to her satisfaction, she turned her attention to Dan.
“You carrying a baby,” she said. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Wendy already said that.” Dan sounded grouchy.
Megan grinned at him, then asked Fay, “May I hold her?”
Fay nodded, fatigue catching up to her.
Seating herself on the couch next to Fay, Megan cuddled Marie, who screwed up her face and began to wail.
“Peanut must be hungry,” Dan said.
Megan made a face at him. “Peanut?” She glanced at Fay. “Do you want me to warm a bottle?”
“No thanks, I’m nursing.”
“Would you like to go in a bedroom?”
Fay hesitated, but then shook her head. She didn’t hide when she nursed Marie in front of Dan, so why would she hide from his sister? “Right here is fine, if you don’t mind,” Fay said, undoing her shirt.
“Not at all, but—” Megan broke off and glanced at Dan.
“I take it you think I’m the one who ought to go into a bedroom,” he said to Megan. “Come on, Sis, nursing is a normal activity. Marie doesn’t mind a bit if I’m present.”
“It isn’t the baby I—” Megan broke off and frowned at him. “You’re teasing me.”
“Yes, he is and shame on him,” Fay put in. “Seriously, Megan, I’m not bothered by Dan being in the same room. After all, he helped me deliver the baby and has been taking care of her ever since. We’re not exactly strangers.”
“I’ll bring the old cradle downstairs for the baby,” Dan told his sister. “Is it still in the attic?”
“No, it’s in the back bedroom. I polished it up, had a new mattress made and put my old dolls in it. I figured if none of you three dolts were ever going to get married or stay married long enough to produce an heir, the dolls might as well enjoy the cradle.”
Without replying, Dan left the room.
“I shouldn’t have said all that,” Megan said. “Least of all to Dan. In fact, not at all. Especially since I have no plans to marry either.”
“Join the crowd,” Fay told her. “I feel the same way.”
“But you did produce the heir.” Megan’s tone was wistful.
“Marie wasn’t planned.” Fay smiled down at her daughter. “Not that she isn’t welcome.”
Megan sighed. “She’s a beautiful child. I wish you all the luck in the world raising her.”
“I’m beginning to realize I’ll need all the luck I can get.”
“What do you think of Dan?”
“Why, I’m very grateful to him. If he hadn’t been there to rescue me…” Her words trailed away as usual when she had to face what could have happened. “I know I took an awful risk, but it didn’t seem that way at the time. I think I might have made it all the way to my aunt’s if it hadn’t been for the storm. The problem with that is she probably was getting the call for help while I was on my way and so would’ve been on a plane to California.”
Seeing Megan’s confusion, Fay explained what she’d planned to do and why her aunt had left Duluth so suddenly. “Luckily Dan’s a cop and knows how to handle emergencies,” she added.
“He’s really a great guy,” Megan agreed. “All my br
others are, even Bruce who was the youngest of the three and so the closest in age to me.
“I sometimes think that if mother—that is, if things had been different, Bruce wouldn’t’ve had that problem in high school.”
“Dan mentioned your mother had left when he was in college.”
Megan stared at her, obviously taken aback. “He told you that? Dan, the original zipped lip?”
Fay, uncomfortable under her scrutiny, turned her attention to her daughter, shifting her up onto her shoulder to burp her. Before she managed to think of what to say, Dan came back into the room, carrying the cradle.
“What do you think of it?” he asked, setting the cradle down alongside the couch.
“What marvelous workmanship,” Fay said. “Just look at that beautiful wood. You can tell an expert craftsman built it.”
“Our grandfather,” Megan told her. “Dad could do plain carpentry, but Will’s the only one of us who inherited Grandpa’s talent—a lot of use that is to him as a lawyer. Grandpa did teach me to whittle, though.”
“You still do that?” Dan asked.
She nodded, looking a bit defensive, Fay thought.
“I’ll be taking the cradle back to the cabin, if it’s okay with you,” Dan said. “For the baby. Fay’s going to be staying with me out there for a few weeks more—doctor’s orders. She needs to rest and have someone help with Marie’s care.”
“At the cabin?” Megan cried. “Good heavens, she’d be far more comfortable right here. We’ve got plenty of room and—”
“With you off teaching five days a week?” he pointed out. “I’m the guy with free time here, not you.” Despite his reasonable words, Dan’s tone held a hint of steel.
Marie gave a distinct burp, diverting his attention to her. He lifted her from Fay’s arms. “Wet again, I see,” he said to the baby. “Old Dan’ll fix that.”
“Old Dan will do what?” Megan’s words were tinged with incredulity.
“I’m anemic,” Fay told her. “It’s made me pretty lethargic, so Dan’s had to handle most of the baby’s care.”
Megan shook her head as she watched him change the baby with practiced deftness before laying her gently in the cradle. “Remarkable.”