“I saw him get on the bus.” As she stood in the kitchen doorway, she saw the lunch box on the table. “He forgot his lunch. I’ll run it over to the school.”
“Good idea. We’re jumping here. Then I have lunch and an interview with a doctor for the part-time position. When I come home, I’ll talk to Chad and when I have a chance, I’ll call my lawyer and Marilyn.”
“I shouldn’t have threatened her.”
“You’re right, but I can understand the temptation. She’s always known how to push buttons. Don’t worry. I’ll see you around five.”
Carrie hung up. She grabbed her jacket and the lunch box. As she reached the door, the phone rang. She grabbed the receiver. “Hello.”
“Mrs. Flynn, it’s Mrs. Rodgers, Chad’s teacher. Is he sick? He looked fine last night when I saw him at the mall.”
“Isn’t he in school? I saw him get on the bus.”
“He didn’t come in with the other children. Do you want me to ask if anyone knows where he is?”
“Sure.”
Carrie groaned. Where could he have gone? Had his mother taken him? How? She would have needed a jet to arrive that fast. She stared at the phone.
Where would he go?
The haunted house.
She put on her jacket and headed across the backyard. Should she have called Tony? He’d sounded rushed. She chewed on her lower lip. She’d created the problem and she should be the one to solve the matter.
***********************************************
Tony tapped his fingers on the desk. While he waited for the chest films on one of the new patients, he could make a phone call. Not Marilyn. He was too angry and that would make the problem worse. How dare she call and threaten Carrie and Chad? He was sure his wife had held her own, but his son still thought his mother wanted him.
He called his attorney and explained the latest threat. The man groaned. “Let’s wait until we hear from her. There are things we could use against her, but I hate to see this turn into a nasty fight.”
“I agree.”
“Just don’t call her and if she calls you, hang up.”
“Why?”
“Think, Tony. She twists everything you say. You’re not responsible for her. Brinker is. You’ve paid her all you owe her and more. If I hadn’t called your business man, you’d still be shoveling money into her greedy little hands. How did you get mixed up with such a b...witch.”
“Hormones,” Tony said.
“Before you leap into harness again, I’d advise a pre- nuptial agreement.”
“Too late. I was going to call you about changing my will.”
“Tony, will you ever learn?”
“Carrie’s not like that. In fact, she’s the one with the money, and she works, too. Let me know when you hear from Marilyn.”
“Will do. Hope you’re right about the new Mrs. Flynn.”
Tony stared at the desk. “I am.” Carrie was nothing like his ex. Look at the changes she’d made at the house. The changes she’d made in Chad and the ones she’d made in
him. He sucked in a breath. Lord, he loved her.
He had to tell her. He dialed the house. After a dozen rings, he hung up and ordered white violets and white roses from a florist. She must still be at the school. When he got home, he was going to tell her how he felt and he’d tell Chad there was no way Marilyn would regain custody. If he had to fight dirty, he would.
The phone rang and he grabbed the receiver. “Hi.”
“Brinker here.” The man’s voice held an angry tone.
“How can I help you?”
“What’s this nonsense about you calling Marilyn and forcing her to take that impossible child back. She’s hysterical and in her condition, that’s not good. I won’t have my child and wife threatened.”
“Neither will I. Marilyn is the one who called my wife and made threats. She told her son she was taking him from me and putting him in a boarding school. I’ve notified my attorney, Charles Baker. You can discuss matters with him.”
“Don’t worry, I will. We’re not taking the boy back. I’ll tell Marilyn of your change of heart. She must have misunderstood.”
“I’m sure.” Tony hung up.
************************************************
Carrie hurried up the path through the woods. The sky was dark and she feared a storm threatened. Was it cold enough to snow? Briars pulled at her jacket and she twisted to avoid the thorns. Would Chad be at the tumble-down house or had he chosen another hiding place? As she left the woods, an icy rain misted on her face. She hurried to the porch of the house.
“Chad, are you there?” she called.
“Carrie, help. I’m stuck.”
“Where are you?”
“In here. Upstairs.”
“I’m coming.” She edged into the house. Gray light shone through what had once been windows. Chunks of plaster from the ceiling lay on the floor. She found the stairs and started up. Boards creaked. The railing was broken and the jagged ends of the palings made her shudder.
“Chad, what happened?”
“A board broke. I’m stuck.”
“Keep talking. I’m almost there.”
“I’m sorry.” His voice held tears.
She paused on the threshold of the room. Rain blown by the wind wet the floor near the broken windows. She saw Chad. He had fallen through a place were the boards had cracked. “Chad, I’m here. I’ll get you out.”
“You’re mad, right?”
She gulped a breath. She was too frightened to be angry. “Not now, but when you’re safe, I will be.”
“I don’t hate you.”
“Good because I love you.” She moved closer and knelt in front of him. “I’m going to grab under your arms and pull.”
“There’s a skinny board under me. Maybe I can push.”
“Carefully.” Visions of what would happen if his foot slipped made her catch her breath. Her first attempt failed. The next time, she was able to pull him so his chest touched the floor.
“I wish Dad was here.”
“Me, too.” She gulped a breath and slid her arms beneath his. “One, two, three.” She pulled her arms toward her. Chad popped out. The force made her stumble backward and she crashed into the wall. She landed with one arm beneath her body. A jolt of pain made her cry out.
“Carrie, Carrie,” Chad shouted. “I’m gonna get Dad.”
She tried to move and the pain in her arm engulfed her. She couldn’t speak. The excruciating pain dragged her into darkness.
*************************************************
Tony looked at the man across the desk. “Two days a week and one weekend a month for now. If we keep on adding patients it could be more.”
“Sounds good.”
“Have any problems working with nurse practitioners?”
“As long as they know what they’re doing, no.”
Tony heard a commotion in the hall and then his son’s voice. “Don’t care. I gotta see him. Dad. Dad!”
What had happened? Tony’s first thought was that his ex had gone to the school and tried to take Chad away. He shook his head. The principal would have called. He opened the door.
“Dad!”
“Chad, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Carrie. She fell and she won’t talk to me. I think she’s hurt bad.”
Tony put his hands on his son’s shoulders. “Did this happen when she brought your lunch to school?”
“I didn’t go to school. I went to the haunted house. Got stuck and she pulled me out, but she fell.”
Tony turned to Dave Banecome. “I’d better go. Jane, could you show Dave around?”
“Will do. What’s up?”
“Carrie’s had an accident.” He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. “Chad, wait here.”
“I gotta go. You don’t know where she is and I think...She wouldn’t talk.”
They jogged to Tony’s car. As soon as Chad was in the back seat, Tony spe
d toward the school. The old road from the house would be the quickest approach and he’d have the car to bring Carrie to the clinic. “How did you get here?”
“The principal brought me. I’m in big trouble. This is my fault. I don’t hate Carrie.”
“Never thought you did.”
“After Mom called, I yelled at Carrie. Said I hated her.” His voice was choked. “After she fell, I told her I love her.”
“So do I, son. She’ll be all right.”
Ten minutes later, Tony steered the vehicle up the rutted road. The icy rain kept him focused on the road and not on his fears for his wife. He reached the level area behind the house. In seconds, he was out of the car and running toward the front of the house with Chad at his heels.
“She’s upstairs in one of the rooms.”
Tony heard his son, but all he could think of was Carrie. He’d planned to tell her he loved her. What if she was -- He couldn’t think that way. He reached the steps and dashed onto the porch.
“Carrie,” he called.
“You gotta be careful on the stairs,” Chad said. “Some of the boards are weak. Me first.”
Though Tony wanted to charge ahead, he allowed his son to show the way. “Carrie.” Let her be all right. He trailed Chad into the room and saw Carrie. He also saw the gaping hole in the floor. She and Chad could have fallen to their deaths.
“Chad, go downstairs. Wait in the car.”
“Okay. Will she be all right?”
“Yes.” She had to be. There were words he had to say, the words she wanted to hear.
Cautiously, he made his way across creaking floor boards to where his wife lay. He knelt beside her. Her color was good. Her pulse beat in a slow and even rhythm. He checked her head and found no hematoma. She moaned. He examined her legs and then her arm. When he touched her right arm, she tried to move away.
“Carrie, I love you.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “Tony.”
“I love you.” She smiled and his heart stuttered. “I’ll get you to the clinic.”
“My arm.”
“Probably broken.”
He lifted her. Wind blew icy rain through the broken window. Slowly, he inched to the door and started down the stairs. The boards creaked. He heard a cracking sound and he nearly fell. He heard a crash and looked around. A large piece of plaster thudded on the steps behind him. Chad stood at the foot of the stairs.
“To the car, now,” Tony said.
“I had to wait. Is she okay?”
“I am,” Carrie said. “Except I think my arm’s broken.”
“Body armor,” Tony said.
“What?”
“You will wear a helmet and armor at all times. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He put her in the passenger’s seat and fastened the belt. Her color was ashy so he lowered the back of the seat. “You with us? Did you hit your head?”
“Don’t think so. It’s just the arm.”
“I’ve been a jerk.”
“Me, too,” Chad said.
Tears flowed down Carrie’s cheeks. “I love you both. Could we get to the clinic and stabilize the fracture and medicate me for pain?”
“We’re on the way. I’ll admit you for the night.”
“Absolutely not,” she said. “I want to be where I can hear you say the words a hundred times.” She grinned. “If you’re worried about a concussion, I can think of some
interesting ways to check my neuros.”
Tony laughed. “Starting at your feet with a Babinski.”
***********************************************
Carrie looked at the young doctor Tony had introduced as Dave Banecome. “I’m glad you were here.” She gestured to Tony. “If he’d had his way, I’d be in a full body cast.”
Dave laughed. “Doctors shouldn’t treat their families. Too much personal involvement.”
“You’ve got that.” Tony brushed Carrie’s hair from her forehead. “It was a nasty break. Sure you don’t have a headache? Blurred vision? Nausea?”
“None of the above. I told you I passed out from the pain. Ruth can’t stand blood. I can’t handle pain when it’s mine. Now, can I go home?”
Tony looked at the other doctor. “What do you think?”
“She can go.” Dave paused at the door. “You know about cast care and what to do if you have a lot of pain. You won’t play tough guy, will you?”
“I’ll be good,” Carrie said. “The perfect patient.”
“See you next week.” Dave waved. “Most interesting interview I’ve ever been on.”
“We try.” Tony reached for Carrie’s sweatshirt. “Guess I’ll take you home.” He pulled the shirt over her head and covered her cast. “What are we going to do about Chad’s part in this fiasco?”
“I’d like to say nothing, that his fright was enough. We can’t do that.”
Tony nodded. “You’re right.” He helped her into her jacket. “I love you.”
“I love you and I don’t think you can say that often enough. I hope Hazel comes back soon. I’m not going to be much good in the kitchen with one hand.”
Tony laughed. “Even with two hands.”
Carrie laughed. “I am learning.”
“Maybe Hazel knows someone. One good thing, you have the next four to six weeks off.”
“I’ll have to come in several times. I’m taking over for Ruth when she goes on maternity leave.”
“Great.” He opened the door.
Chad was seated on the floor across from the examining room. He jumped up and ran to Carrie. “Your arm. Did they cut it off?”
She lifted her sweatshirt. “It’s here and in a cast.”
He threw his arms around her. “I’m sorry and I don’t hate you and Dad likes you best and I want to stay with you and Dad and I’ll never go to the haunted house again.”
Tony gathered them both in an embrace. “I love you both. Let’s go home.”
Chad looked up. “I have to be punished, right?”
“Afraid so,” Tony said. “We’ll talk about the particulars when we get home.”
Chad shrugged. “No TV, no phone, no friends over, no visiting friends, clean the house, paint and stay home on Thanksgiving.”
Tony laughed. “You can’t stay home Thanksgiving, but all the others are possibilities. I’m not sure we want grilled cheese every night either. How about no mall and no arcade on Wednesdays? And after school, you can help Carrie.”
“Okay.”
“You’re going to have to put all the pictures in the book for my mom,” Carrie said.
Chad nodded. “Maybe I should have a spanking.”
“That’s not an option,” Tony said.
“Agreed,” Carrie said. “When we get home, we’re going to talk about what could have happened and what’s going to happen. We’re a family now.”
Tony headed them to the door. “I’ll take you both to the house. Then I have to come back and see my patients. After dinner, we’ll talk.”
“What are we going to eat?” Chad asked.
Carrie shrugged. “We’ll figure something out.”
“Oh brother. Good thing Thanksgiving comes soon.”
************************************************
Carrie buried her nose in the bouquet of violets and roses that had just been delivered. Chad sat at the library table in the family room and put the pictures she had set in order into the book.
“Sure you don’t want to watch some TV?” he asked. “Might make your arm feel better.”
“Actually, I’m still kind of spacey from the shot they gave me.”
“Did you cry?”
“Nah.” The doorbell rang. “See who it is.”
A moment later, Chad returned. “It’s more food. Boy, I wonder who Dad told about your accident.”
“What kind of food?”
“Looks like a cherry pie. Can I have a piece?”
“After dinner. Your dad’s late, but he should be here soon
.”
Chad stood beside the couch and put his hand on hers. “I’m really sorry.”
“I know that.”
“Am I really going to stay with you and Dad forever? Mom can’t take me back, right?”
“That’s right.” Tony appeared in the doorway. “I see
the flowers came.”
“Thank you.”
He reached behind his back and held out a bag. “Black licorice.”
Carrie laughed. “You’ll spoil me.”
“I love you and that’s why.” He turned. “Dinner’s here. Had them deliver Beef Wellington from Greene’s with all the trimmings. Tomorrow, Hazel’s boys are coming to paint the living room.”
“You have been busy.”
“Chad, show the waitress where to put the food and set the table.”
“Sure.”
Tony sat on the couch beside Carrie and slid his arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad you proposed. Best thing that’s happened to me.” He brushed her lips with his. “After Chad’s in bed, I’ll need to do a thorough check of your physical state.”
“Can I do one on you, too.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” He pulled her to her feet.
Carrie leaned into his embrace. “I love you.”
THE END
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