by Barbara Ebel
“Peter, it’s Joelle.” A long silence erupted as Joelle’s demeanor soured. “I’m in Danny’s office. I’ll be over. Maybe he wants to come, too.” Joelle leaned over the counter and replaced the phone. She stepped away from the desk out of earshot of the staff. “Peter and Timothy are together in the ICU. They were just going to page you as well. Michael Johnson is dying.”
Danny rested his forehead and short dark hair into his hands. He gulped for air. “I’ve held out the most hope for him. We know this organism literally eats brain cells, but I’ve been in denial. Michael has held out longer, that’s all.”
Matthew came out of a room and spied Danny and Joelle. Danny waved him over. “Matthew, I won’t be long. The source case, our first and youngest patient with the meningoencephalitis, is close to death. Joelle and I are driving over. Would you let Cheryl know for me?” He pointed to the boxes on the desk. “I bought lunch for the office, too, if you could take those back.”
“Thanks, Danny. I’ll tell her.”
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Danny and Joelle couldn’t see Michael in bed because Peter and Timothy stood at the foot of his bed. The two physicians looked like a comical pair – the younger Peter with a short stature and shiny bald head, and the older, tall Timothy leaning on a cane with a few hairs dancing as if they were plugged into electricity. But that’s where the entertainment ended, for the two white coated men talked solemnly and in a whisper under their masks, so as not to be heard above the ventilator.
With two steps, Danny and Joelle were next to them. A cloak of death enveloped the very air around them. Under the sheet, Michael’s long frame, like a pronounced skeleton, marked the bed. For sure, Danny knew, despite his thready vital signs displayed on the monitors, Michael’s existence was now far removed.
With their eyes only, all four doctors acknowledged each other. “I have him at the highest dosage of life support infusions I’ve ever run,” Peter said. “He’s been like this all morning.”
“Peter, there is nothing more we can do,” Timothy said. “It’s unfair for Michael to go on like this for a few more hours. It is too gruesome what’s going on in his brain right now.”
Danny’s heart thumped against his chest, an irregular beat, as if reminding him of Michael’s cursed destiny from the moment he had hit fresh water from a high jump. A little more than two weeks ago his future had been taken away from an innocent summer day of fun. He remembered walking into the cubicle in the pre-op area and exchanging a few words with the young boy. In Michael’s head, the proliferation of killers had already begun and there had been nothing Danny could do to stop it.
“Let’s do the right thing,” Danny finally said. He walked over beside the youth. He grasped Michael’s right shoulder, giving it a good-bye squeeze, and further closed the teen’s eyes. He turned the switch to off on the medication pump, and then turned around to the ventilator. He clicked the master switch to off. The drone of the ventilator ceased and within two minutes what little EKG activity had been present was gone.
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As Danny returned to the office and Joelle to the lab with Dakota’s saliva, the sky darkened. The built up humidity was waiting to burst in the form of a thundershower. By the time Danny parked and shut down his engine, the rain thrashed his car hood like an expert car wash. The road dust and light pollen disappeared. He reached for the compact umbrella he kept on the back floor and protected himself running into the building.
Danny went straight to his office as Cheryl tagged behind him. “I saved you two pieces of pizza,” she said, “I’ll warm them if you’d like.”
“Cheryl, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Danny said. “How about just warming one? I’ll eat it here while looking at the next patient’s chart.”
Cheryl brought him warmed pizza and a soda. After savoring every bite, he dug back into seeing patients. He could have blessed the stormy afternoon. There were three no-shows and at four o’clock the last patient called in. The elderly couple said it was too dangerous to drive and the lady would reschedule her appointment. Wrapping up early by four-thirty, Danny’s apprehension finally got the best of him and he called Mark.
“Danny,” Mark said, “I was just going to call you. I’m leaving my office soon. Can we meet for a quick, early dinner?”
“Okay, pick a place outside of Nashville, on the way to our suburbs.”
“I need a meat and potatoes kind of meal. How about that steak place at the Willow intersection?”
“I’ll meet you there in a half hour.”
Danny helped Matthew with an opinion about a diagnosis, grabbed his trusty umbrella, and headed for the restaurant. He had just slid into a booth by a window when Mark’s baby steps brought him quickly across the wooden floor.
“Nice shirt,” Mark said, realizing they both wore a green Oxford.
Danny nodded. “I can’t wait to hear today’s developments.”
A twenty-something year old with red hair stopped at their table. “What can I get you both to drink or eat?” she asked.
“Know what you want, Danny, besides a possible beer?” Mark asked.
“Medium rare rib-eye, vegetable of the day side, and baked potato.”
“Make it two beers and two of the same dinners,” Mark said, “and one bill to me.” The young lady grabbed their unused menus and left.
“Thanks,” Danny said.
“Don’t thank me. It’s factored into your bill.”
“Well, thanks anyway. Saves me the big trouble of taking out my credit card.” Danny grinned.
The waitress returned with two beers and a basket of bread, and filled their glasses with water. “Steaks will be out in a bit,” she said.
Mark slipped his unused reading glasses back in their case. “So first thing I did today was call Rachel Hendersen’s attorney. Phil Beckett was clueless as to what transpired in the last few days, including Rachel sticking the police on you. But he got defensive for her quick enough and ranted how you’d broken a court order to return Julia.”
Danny restlessly moved on the plastic cushioning. He took a sip of beer and placed the mug down harder than he should.
“Anyway, I made our motion into an emergency protective order for Julia and got it before our family court judge this afternoon. If I didn’t have the pediatrician’s signed statement, we’d be sitting here eating crow right now. Phil put up a great defense for his client.”
Danny relaxed, waiting for more definitive good news. Mark split and buttered a small roll. He ate half, keeping Danny waiting. “So, Danny boy, guess what I got ‘ya?”
“Mark, spill it all out.”
“The judge was actually angry about the physical evidence of abuse. Julia is staying with you, except for supervised weekend visitation with Rachel. It will be the same visitation as you had with her. Danny, this is unusual because you two were never married. Unusual for a single mother who had a baby on her own to lose physical custody like that. However, she could bring more into this history if she is so inclined. Like if a relative had hurt Julia, or something like that.”
Mark took a sip of his beer as the waitress placed down their plates. Danny sighed with relief. Sometimes there was a God.
“Now this only deals with visitation. It would be difficult to change custody from joint to sole custody to you. If we tried that, it would involve a lot more, including a trial. But I would let it rest. Family court nowadays won’t even give one parent sole custody if the other spouse is a dead beat, drunkard, or drug addict.”
Danny listened intently, letting his plate cool, while Mark continued.
“The judge also agreed he’d sign a motion for me to amend the child support you’re paying. I’ll draw the papers up tomorrow and simply bring it next Monday to motion hour. I can get that down to practically nothing. Basically it will be a token payment to her for occasional weekends. Not big enough to pay for her designer shoes, or whatever the hell she wore or
didn’t wear which caught your attention.” Mark put on a sheepish look and cut a piece of steak.
“This is fantastic news.” Danny looked out at the pouring rain. Life had just changed for the betterment of Julia, but it wasn’t going to be easy for him to raise another child. A baby he had never planned for. And starting over with a youngster at forty-six years old? Nevertheless, he vowed to provide her with a proper moral upbringing, see to all her needs, and love her like his other daughters. And that love stretched to infinity.
“Well, better you than me,” Mark said, butting into his thoughts. “But you did the right thing. Makes up for all the wrongs you’ve done.”
“Mark, if I want a pontificator, I’ll go to church.”
“Sorry, Danny, skirts can be a dangerous thing.”
Danny tried not to roll his eyes. The dinner was going to be delicious and hefty, and like his attorney, maybe almost too much to handle.
Chapter 24
By Tuesday Rachel hoped that any anger Leo felt towards her would have subsided. She’d see him the next night and he’d better bring her payoff.
Rachel also knew that fine cop had followed up with her situation by reporting Danny to the Nashville police. She wished she could have been around to watch the surprise on Danny’s face when he was confronted by men in blue uniforms.
However, she still didn’t have Julia. She trusted that Leo wouldn’t call and harass her now, so she turned on her cell phone. She retrieved Danny’s phone message from Sunday and spent the day on and off calls with her attorney. Phil Beckett told her there was evidence that Julia had been abused, it was rock solid, and that Danny’s lawyer would get to a judge by the end of the day.
She paced back and forth in her new apartment until she’d worn an imaginary track into the old hardwood floor. Phil wasn’t even telling her everything, she assumed, maybe deals were going on behind her back. She was a good mother, she would never bend on that, and it wasn’t her who had caused Julia’s pain and scars. But if she explained to any of them that the person she lived with had done it, that wouldn’t bode well for her either. Half of the injuries Phil had told her about, listed on the pediatrician’s statement, she didn’t even know about. Hell, that Leo was one freaking maniac. She should charge him double for all the trouble he’d caused her.
Rachel made an iced tea and squeezed in a lemon wedge. She sat and drank slowly looking out at the Tennessee River. Storm clouds from the west had rolled in and the rain started picking up. Finally her cell phone rang, an incoming call from Beckett and Livingston.
“Phil, I hope you have a definitive time set up for me to get my daughter back,” Rachel said optimistically.
“Uhh… no, Rachel. I’m afraid not. I want you to know you still do have joint custody with Dr. Tilson.”
“Well, now, I don’t think that was a question.”
“Ms. Hendersen, the visitation schedule has changed. The judge ordered Julia to spend the time previously allotted with you to go to her father. You’ll get supervised visitation on weekends twice a month.”
Rachel could swear her skin erupted with hives. “What?” she yelled. “I thought you were going to fix things today, not make them worse.” She got up and paced her previous path.
“Sorry. The facts you left me to work with, most of which I learned from Mark Cunningham, were dismal. Have you ever considered they could press charges against you?”
“It’s not me,” she mumbled.
“The judge in one swoop also changed your incoming child support. It’ll be a hundred bucks a month, a token for those weekends you have her. The judge said he’d sign it at the next motion hour.”
Rachel slithered back down into a chair. A horrendous headache had begun alongside her temples.
“And Ms. Hendersen, you can file a motion like you’ve been doing to have Dr. Tilson pay my attorney fees because of the huge discrepancy of income, but I wouldn’t count on it this time.”
Rachel wished he stood in the same room as her, because she’d wring his neck with the telephone wire. Then she realized she was so upset, she’d forgotten she was on a cell phone.
“Mr. Beckett,” she said, ramping up her decisiveness, “file that motion. The way I see it, the Judge will consider it tossing me a crumb after taking my daughter away. I’ll send you my new address by email and then send me all the legal paperwork of everything that’s transpired. Good-bye for now.”
Rachel hung up, knowing there was nothing else she could do. However, this would put a serious dent in her finances. The money to be used for rent just disappeared. She paced again. She guessed it was time to call back that police officer, Evan Parks, and find out more about him.
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The waitress abruptly stopped at Danny and Mark’s table with a water pitcher and topped off Danny’s glass. The rain outside had ceased to less than a sprinkle and the light thunder now rumbled off in the distance. Danny picked the napkin off his lap and wiped his hands as his cell phone rang registering Casey’s number. The two men had finished discussing legal matters and had turned to lighter topics, so Danny took the call.
“Danny, we all just left the dress shop where Mary got fitted in her wedding dress. We see your parked car. Where are you?”
“At the corner steak restaurant. Come on in. Mark is here and he gave me good news. I’ll treat you all to dinner.” Danny closed his cell phone and put it to the side. “Looks like my sister, her fiancé, and my baby are joining us.”
“Joining you, Danny.” Mark only had half a potato left. He put down his fork and took another sip of his half-full beer. “I better get going. We’ll talk soon and I’ll get the bill on the way out.” Mark slithered out from the bench and paid the bill at the register. When the group entered the front of the restaurant, Mark introduced himself to Casey and the girls. Sara was with them and Mark had previously met her in court because of the Tilson’s divorce hearings. He smiled at Julia in Casey’s arms and said, “So this must be little Julia.”
Danny waved the family over. The waitress with the red hair moved the adjoining table next to theirs. Danny got up and took Julia from Casey, giving her a hug and a kiss. “What a surprise,” he said. “Please scoot in here where I was,” he said to Sara, “and I’ll sit at the end with Julia.” Casey and Mary sat opposite and the girls sat at the wooden table.
“I don’t understand,” Danny said. “What were you all doing while Mary got fitted? Isn’t it non-customary for the groom to see the bride in her dress before the wedding?”
The waitress handed menus and napkins with utensils to the newcomers. “What can I get you all to drink?” she asked, looking at Casey.
“Water?” he asked around. “And a couple of iced teas?” All the women nodded as they began looking at the menu. The waitress headed off. “You’re right, Danny. I didn’t peek. I stayed with Julia, comfortable in another area.”
“Good. Mary’s wedding dress will be a surprise to you and me, too. And how were the first two days of school, girls?”
“The usual,” Nancy said, “but Annabel got the stupidest science teacher in the whole school. What a dork.”
Annabel tapped her fork on the table. “Doesn’t matter, it’s my last year there.” She smiled wide at her father.
Danny expressed his joy for her with a laugh. “Look at you. Braces gone. Your teeth look spectacular, like you.” He realized she had recently backed off the tomboy look just a bit.
“Thanks, Dad,” she said, “and thanks for getting them for me in the first place.”
The waitress came with their drinks, scribbled Sara’s order first, and went on to the others.
“Sara,” Danny said in a low tone, appreciating her orange ginger aroma, “besides your new job, how did your date go Saturday night?”
Sara hesitated. “I am so happy to be back teaching, you have no idea.” She wiggled her beaded necklace for Julia’s amusement. “And my date? He’s a nice man.” She paused
and a small smile crept over her face. “Actually, I was going to call you tonight. Thank you for the flowers. They are lovely.”
“I’m so glad you liked them.” Danny’s eyes softened. He hoped she wouldn’t be going out with the principal again.
“So what happened, Danny?” Mary asked. “Did he have good news?”
“Oh, not good news. Fantastic news.” He sat Julia on the table in front of him, holding her hands. “I will keep Julia all the time, except for Rachel’s supervised visitation every two weeks. I’ll fill you in later with details, but that’s the gist of it.”
Mary sat dumfounded while Casey raised his glass in congratulations. Sara smiled at Julia, who stared at Sara’s double strand of beads. The girls chirped in. “Guess I can make extra money babysitting,” Annabel said, “when you need someone extra, Dad.”
“Hey, I can help, too,” Nancy pouted. “That’s great, Dad. Julia has a better family with us than whoever she’s been with.”
“That sure blew up in Rachel’s face,” Casey said.
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On Wednesday, Joelle opened her drapes to a pretty morning. The rising sun beaming on the scattered, departing clouds from the day before deflected color on the horizon and up into the sky. She smiled because of her condo’s view, at least it was something to make up for her asphalt city life.
Today she anticipated the big PAM meetings the team would conduct in the afternoon, first amongst themselves and then with the media, so her choice of clothes was carefully planned. She slipped on a burgundy dress with pewter-looking buttons down the front and pulled on a belt as an accessory. She slipped on a pair of sandals with very little height and a pair of amber and silver earrings. Then she pinned a small crystal fruit cluster brooch on the lapel of her dress.
As Joelle put together paperwork for her brief case, her cat jumped onto the top of the desk. She stopped sorting her things, and scratched Bell under her neck. “You’re a sweetheart. I’m glad you don’t belong to the medical campus.” Joelle gave her another swipe and left for the big day.