“I wouldn’t worry too much if I was you. She glows when you’re around. Not so much when you’re not,” he tells Blaine, and I find myself blushing again.
“Okay, boys. We have three more trees to get to. It seems there're trees for all today and we have to get to that business,” I say and go take Blaine’s hand, taking him away from what looks like his new best buddy.
“You glow, huh? I’ve noticed that. Only I thought you looked like that all the time,” Blaine whispers as we leave the room.
“I didn’t realize I was doing that,” I say as we go back to the nurses’ station to pick up the things to bring some holiday spirit to another kid. “I’ll try to stop.”
“I don’t think you can, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep that perfect glow going on inside of you, Nurse Richards.” His arm runs around me as he takes the box with the small tree out of my hand and we head toward Terry’s room. “I wonder how much you’ll glow when you’re pregnant. I bet it will get even brighter.”
His thought has me wondering how we both thought about that nearly at the same time. I wonder if things really will get that far with us. I wonder if we will get married and have a family.
I suppose stranger things have happened.
Just before we get to Terry’s room, I hear a voice come from behind us. “What the hell is he doing here?”
Looking over my shoulder, I recognize the voice and see Mr. Sanders standing in the hallway just outside his daughter’s door. “Do not engage him, Blaine.” I pull him along with me to get inside of Terry’s room.
“I thought I told you to leave my daughter alone, Vanderbilt!”
Blaine stops, and I go into a panic as I hear Mr. Sanders’ footsteps quickly approaching. I have no clue as to what Blaine will do to the man.
Why does this man have to be such an asshole?
A Christmas Wish
Book Five
Chapter 1
BLAINE
December 15th:
Despite Delaney’s best effort to pull me into Terry’s room, Meagan’s father is in full-on asshole mode and grabs my shoulder before we get all the way inside of the room. “You need to leave!” he shouts at me.
Letting Delaney’s hand go, I turn back and look the man in the eyes. I see something in the light-blue recesses of his red-rimmed eyes. I see a man who is terrified.
Placing my hand on his shoulder, I say, “Look, Mr. Sanders, I know you’re afraid for your daughter. I know you’re looking like crazy for someone to take all your anger out on. I’m not the guy who’s going to take it, though. My advice is for you to go talk to that preacher who comes around here every day. He’s the best man to help you with what you’re feeling right now.”
“Get your hand off me,” he growls. So I move my hand as his face goes red with rage. “You don’t know a thing about me, you rich son of a bitch. Don’t act like you do. My world is being torn in two. I want you out of here. You came in here and have spoiled these children. I can see right through you. You have no soul, Mr. Vanderbilt.”
“That is enough!” Delaney hisses at the man as she grabs my hand. “I’ve had enough of you, Mr. Sanders!” She pulls me the rest of the way inside Terry’s room and closes the door in the angry man’s face. “He has gone too far with this!”
I see Terry sitting up in his bed, looking worried. “What was that man’s problem?”
It’s only been a few weeks since I’ve seen this kid and I find his dark hair, which had been thick and curly, is gone. The way it makes me feel is awful. Then I think about what my brother and sister told me, and I stop thinking about myself and think about Terry.
Who gives a shit how his hair loss is making me feel? It’s him I should be thinking about!
“That man is a very scared person right now with his daughter being so sick, that’s what’s wrong with him,” I say. “People’s grief and anxiety come out in different ways. He’s just going through some bad things right now, and I’m obviously the one he’s chosen to take it out on. It’s okay. Now, tell me how you’ve been doing. I see you’ve decided to get into that Vin Diesel look. You’re rocking it.”
He runs his hand over his bald head and smiles at me. “You like?”
“Very hip,” I tell him, then go sit in the chair next to his bed. “Wanna play some football while Nurse Richards puts up some Christmas decorations to brighten up your room?”
“Yeah, I have some time to whoop your butt in a game.” He tosses me a game controller. “Now, what’s had you so busy you couldn’t stop by for a game in three weeks?”
“Business,” I lie. “So, update me on your progress, Terry. Tell me what I’ve missed.”
“It’s all the same,” he says as he starts the game.
“No, it’s not all the same,” Delaney says as she stops placing ornaments on the tree and looks at me with a shimmery light in her green eyes. “There’s very good news. His tumor is shrinking a little each day. If he keeps making this kind of progress, he’ll be on his way home within a few weeks.”
I shake my head as I look at the fifteen-year-old young man and catch a little smile. “Home? Man, I don’t even remember what it feels like to be there.”
“It’ll be good to get back there,” I say. “There’s no place like home. You know, I heard Santa was going to come by to see you, Terry. He and I are good friends, you know.”
“Is that right,” he says, then laughs. “Well, I’ll just have to start thinking about what I want him to bring me for Christmas, won’t I?”
“I would, if I was you,” I tell him, then score a touchdown. “Yes!”
“You made that look a little too easy, Blaine. I bet you can’t make even one more of them,” he says, and I can see his mind working on how to stop me from winning this game.
The intercom in the room comes on with a squeak then I hear a man’s voice say, “Nurse Richards, I need you and Mr. Vanderbilt in my office.”
Delaney rolls her eyes as she comes to the intercom and hits the button. “Yes, Mr. Davenport. We’ll be there right away, sir.”
“Who is that?” I ask, as I’ve never heard of him before.
“He’s the head of security here,” she says, then takes the game controller out of my hands. “You’ll have to pause your game, Terry. Sorry.”
“Man!” he whines. “I was this close to making a touchdown, myself.”
I laugh as I get up and follow her out of the room. “I’ll be back. And you weren’t close to anything.”
Getting into the elevator, I notice Delaney hitting the basement button. “His office is all the way down there?”
“Yes, they keep him in the basement. That’s where all the security monitoring equipment is. I know that damn Mr. Sanders is behind this. Get ready to get angry, Blaine,” she says as the elevator stops and we step out to find a tall man with short, dark hair, wearing a blue uniform that resembles a police officer's.
His badge has his name on it, making it easy to see this is the man who called us down here. “Mr. Davenport,” I say as I extend my hand. “I’m Blaine Vanderbilt.”
He takes my hand and gives it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you. Follow me, please.”
Delaney and I follow the man to a door on the side of the long hallway. The cement floor makes the sound of our footsteps echo loudly. It’s chilly down here, so I wrap my arm around Delaney as she runs her hands up and down her arms.
When we step into his office, we find it warm and on the cozy side. He takes a seat behind his desk, and we sit in the chairs on the other side. “A Mr. Sanders has asked me to talk to you two. He’s worried about the children you’re visiting and giving things to.”
“It’s none of his business,” Delaney snaps.
I put my hand on her knee in an attempt to keep her calm. Her cheeks are already growing pink, and I think the little Pitbull she can be at times is trying to get out.
For some reason, I find myself calm. Eerily calm.
Chapter 2
<
br /> DELANEY
Fury is right at the surface and I have to fight to remember this is just Davenport’s job. It’s not him I’m angry with, it’s Meagan’s father. Blaine’s hand moves to my knee and he gives it a little squeeze. I suppose he’s trying to calm me down.
But I don’t know if I can be calm about this!
“Look, we aren’t even going to his child’s room. I see no reason why you needed to bring us down here to tell us anything!”
“It’s okay, baby,” Blaine says as he looks at me with a calm expression. “Let the man do his job.”
“Thank you,” Davenport says, then continues, “Mr. Sanders is going to have a meeting with the other parents this evening. He’s not happy at all with the way Mr. Vanderbilt is doing this for some kids and not all of them. I know this is just an excuse he’s come up with. He wants to get the other parents to sign a petition to ban Vanderbilt from making any visits to the children here.”
“This is ridiculous!” I shout, and Blaine’s hand leaves my knee, then he runs his arm around my shoulders.
“Shh. It’s okay,” he says. “If the parents don’t want me to visit their kids, then that’s up to them. Frankly, I doubt the man will get everyone to agree with him. I know Tammy’s mother won’t.”
“It’s the damn point!” I shout again. “I’ll go talk to the asshole, myself!”
“No, you won’t,” both Blaine and Davenport say.
“Why the hell not?”
Davenport leans forward and looks directly at me. “Because things could escalate. So, just stay away from the man. I brought you in here to let you know about the meeting, and that, if there is a petition brought to me, then I will have to follow protocol and Mr. Vanderbilt will be banned from coming here anymore.”
“I don’t know why that man has to be so difficult,” I say, then get up to leave. “We’ve heard what you had to say. We have things to do. Kids to see and trees to put up. It would be appreciated if you would stick up for Mr. Vanderbilt just a bit. He is doing nice things and that damn man is doing nothing but being a jackass!”
I leave the room and find Blaine coming out behind me. “Hey, you need to cool down.”
With a quick spin, I face him and find him looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “Why? So he can get away with this?”
“Because this is purely his problem. It has nothing to do with you. And not even me, really. He feels out of control because he is out of control where his daughter is concerned. The only thing he might be able to control is me being here.”
“Why pick on you?” I ask. “I’m not going to allow that.”
“Baby, this isn’t a thing for you to fix. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. When the other parents go to his little meeting—and let's just see how many even show up for it—then you’ll see that things will end.”
He moves me inside the elevator and pushes the button to take us back up. “Blaine, I really hate this. You came here at my cajoling and this happens to you. I feel terrible. Don’t you see why I feel the need to fix it?”
“I do,” he says as he pulls me into his arms. “But I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”
“You shouldn’t have to face this kind of adversity when you’re doing a nice thing.” A protectiveness over him fills me as I hug him tightly.
He may look like a tower of strength, and right now he’s even exhibiting that same strength, but it infuriates me that anyone would do this to him.
The elevator slows to a stop and he lets me out of the hug, leaving one arm draped around my shoulders. Making our way back to Terry’s room, I see Mrs. Sanders standing at the nurses’ station. She heads our way, and I find my insides getting tight. “Damn it,” I whisper. I am more than tired of dealing with this family today!
“Please come with me,” she says, once she’s close enough for us to hear.
“No way,” I tell her. “Your husband has made himself crystal clear about anything to do with his family.”
“He’s gone. He won’t be back for three hours. I need you to come with me, please,” she begs as she wrings her thins hands. With tired eyes, she looks at Blaine. “Meagan said to tell you that Crystal is with her. I don’t know what that means, but she told me to tell you that.”
Blaine’s face goes pale. “My mother’s name was Crystal.”
“We can’t go in there, Blaine. The camera in the hallway will catch us going in. I’m sorry, but we just can’t. Tell Meagan we would if we could, but we’re not allowed in her room. You have to explain that to her. This is not anyone’s fault but your husband’s.” I take Blaine’s hand and try to pull him away from the woman who’s making him feel terribly.
He doesn’t move though, as she says, “My husband is mad at you, Mr. Vanderbilt, because Meagan keeps talking about you. She keeps saying she’s going to go away with Crystal, but she can’t until she tells you something. He thinks if you talk to her, she’ll die.”
“Is her condition that dire?” he asks me.
I nod. “It is. But there’s always hope.” Turning to face Mrs. Sanders, I continue, “And this notion about her talking to Blaine then passing away is ludicrous. I’ve seen patients who have said they saw people who’d passed away in their rooms, and guess what, not all of them died. I don’t know how to explain any of it, but I know Blaine nor I can go into that room.”
“If we are disguised, we could,” he says. “Say, if we visit as Santa and maybe an elf, or something along those lines. Then we could go in and the camera wouldn’t be able to tell it’s us. I could even have other Santas and elves running around the hospital, spreading Christmas cheer.”
“Blaine, that would take some preparation,” I tell him, not at all liking his idea. He needs to stay away from the kid, or he could end up facing some stiff charges.
“It would,” Mrs. Sanders says. “And that is a great idea. I could make sure my husband has something to do to keep him away from here. I have a very different opinion than he does. If it is time for our daughter to go home, then I will accept that. But I still have hope that she can beat this. I also think you need to hear what she has to tell you.”
“Why don’t you tell her to tell you and you’ll make sure he gets the message?” I ask in an attempt to stop this insanity. Sanders could have Blaine put in jail for going into that room. I will do everything I can to stop Blaine from going in there.
“I have, but she said she has to hold his hand and show him something. She also said Crystal will tell her what to say. She doesn’t know what it is yet. I think the Santa costume thing will work.” She looks down the hallway toward her daughter’s room. “I should get back to her. Please let me know when you’ll be able to get this plan underway, and I’ll make sure my husband is nowhere near here during that time.”
“I will,” Blaine says, then I get him to move his feet and start pulling him away with me. “Maybe in a couple of days. I have to get things together.”
“Come on, Blaine,” I say as I tug at him to hurry. “We have things to do.”
“Yes, we do. We have a lot of things to do. This will take some planning, and I think five sets of Santa’s and elves will do. Some of my employees can help out with that.”
“You can’t possibly be serious about doing that,” I say, then push open Terry’s door.
“Oh, I am very serious. I have a chance to talk to my mother. I know that sounds crazy and I shouldn’t believe it, but something is telling me it’s true.”
Something is telling me it’s not!
Chapter 3
BLAINE
When that woman said my mother’s name, chills ran through me. I wanted to run down the hall and into that little girl’s room more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
We saw the parents of the kids I visited with today and all of them said they would attend the meeting Sanders is having this evening. They said they’d sing my praises.
As I sit in the back of the Suburban with Delaney,
I find myself feeling very empathetic for the man who has it in his head that if his daughter talks to me, she’ll die. No wonder he’s acting so crazy.
Taking Delaney’s hand, I lift it up and place a kiss on top of it. “If that was our little girl having to deal with everything Meagan’s having to, I might act the same damn way her father is.”
“You wouldn’t go after an innocent person, Blaine. You’re not like him,” she tells me, then leans into my side and places her hand on my chest. “And what’s this talk about our kids?”
“I think you’ll be a great mother. What do you think about me?” I ask as I run my hand through her hair.
Her eyes shine as she looks up at me. “I think you’ll be great at whatever you do. I also think you have it in your head that little girl will tell you something to make you believe in something, and I want you to know, that’s a longshot.”
“It’s a shot I have to take, Delaney. You have no idea how much I felt when that woman said my mother’s name. It was like lightning went right through me. What if she can help me believe in something?” I ask as I hold her even tighter.
The way she’s looking at me has me thinking she doesn’t believe in this kind of thing. With a nod of her head, she says, “I guess if she can help you, that’d be great. God knows you need some help in that department. But what if what she says only throws you further into the fray?”
“The fray?” I ask, as I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“The place where you dangle between worlds. Not quite a believer, but not quite not. I think you’re closer to the believing side right now. If she says things you don’t understand or things that make you think it’s all made up or just plain wrong, then I see it hurting you.”
“She’s only a little girl. I don’t expect much, baby. I just need to do this. I really do need it.” Mr. Green pulls into the driveway of the estate, taking us back home for the evening, and I start thinking about the phone calls I need to make to get things going.
Under Her Skin Page 86