by Floyd, Jacie
“I could see about bringing the circus to Sean.” His eyes twinkled, but she wondered if he was joking or not. If he wanted a circus, she had no doubt one would appear. “But I’ll bet elephants are murder on the lawn.”
She didn’t want to be teased into agreeing to something she opposed so strongly. “He could get hurt.”
“At the circus?” Wyatt didn’t roll his eyes, but she imagined he wanted to. “How?”
“It would be hot and dirty and crowded. I don’t want him around people who might have who knows what kind of illnesses. The big top could fall down. A lion could go berserk. Anything could happen.” Spoken aloud, her fears sounded ridiculous even to Kara. She expected Wyatt to laugh, but he didn’t.
“Anything could happen to him at home, too, but it doesn’t, because you take the best care of him humanly possible. But you can’t keep him in a protective cocoon forever. Not letting him leave your house is as detrimental in its own way as any of those other things you mentioned. Children go to circuses every day without suffering any ailment worse than a tummy ache from too much cotton candy.”
“A tummy ache?” Her own stomach clenched at the thought of her child suffering unnecessarily. “Oh no, we can’t have that.” Kara’s hands fluttered nervously like a trapped hummingbird.
Wyatt caught them in his. “Maybe the circus is too aggressive for our first trip. How about something simpler like a walk in the park, story hour at the library, or a Disney movie? I don’t care where we go, Kara, just so the three of us go there together. As a family.”
“I’ll think about it.” The knowledge that a more traditional relationship was important to him was encouraging. The fact that he didn’t dismiss her concerns out of hand pleased her, too. “Ask me again tomorrow, and maybe I’ll surprise you.”
“You usually do.” He hugged her to him like he never intended to let her go.
She wanted to hug him like she believed him, but the memory of trusting another man she loved with a child just wouldn’t let her surrender her doubts.
Chapter Eighteen
After successful forays with Sean to the park, the library, and finally the circus, Wyatt persuaded Kara to agree to the Atlanta trip. Before they left, Wyatt checked and rechecked every possible detail. By the day of departure, he was as prepared to take a trip with a two-year-old as any human being could be.
The ringing cell phone halted him with his suitcase in one hand and the doorknob in the other. A last-minute call couldn’t be good. A quick glance revealed a number he recognized all too well.
With phone to ear, he said, “I’m on my way, Kara.”
A high-pitched wail answered him. “We can’t go.”
Fearing the worst, he headed for the car. “Has something happened to Sean?”
“N-not Sean,” she said in a tight voice that told him she was close to tears. “My mother.”
“What about her?”
“My brother just called. Mother’s had a stroke. They need me to come home right away.”
“I’ll be right there,” Wyatt said, already pulling out of the driveway.
This wasn’t like a pretend cruise. She wouldn’t fake something this serious just to avoid the trip. His heart went out to her as he sped toward her house, all the while considering the best way to assist her. He could have his assistant contact the best specialist in Indianapolis, if nothing else.
She flung open the front door when he arrived. Anxiety pulled her features into a tight mask, and her hands fidgeted. “Oh, God.” She threw herself into his arms. “I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
Wyatt hugged her close. “What’s the prognosis?”
“Too soon to know, but they said I should get there as soon as possible, just in case.” Her voice quivered, but in a second she had it under control again. “I called the airline. I can get a plane to Indianapolis at two.”
“No need to wait.” He led her to the family room where Sean watched Toy Story. “The jet’s all fueled up and ready to go. We can change the flight plan and take you home as soon as you want.”
“I’m packed and ready.” A pair of suitcases sitting by the door confirmed the statement. “But I can’t leave until one of the Tag Team gets here. I didn’t have anyone scheduled for today, of course. The girls have a class this morning, and Marco’s not home. I left word for one of them to come as soon as possible.”
During Kara’s disjointed speech, Wyatt leaned over and ruffled Sean’s hair. The child clamored to be picked up. Wyatt swung him into his arms. “Why do you need the Tag Team?”
“To stay with Sean.” Kara looked at him like he’d missed the obvious. “I can’t take him with me. My dad and brother will be staying with Mom. My sister and her husband are on vacation in Australia, and we don’t know how soon they’ll make it back. And my sister-in-law is expecting her baby any day now, so I can’t leave Sean with her. And I can’t expose him to so many germs at the hospital.”
She settled on the couch for a moment then leaped to her feet. She fluffed a pillow then straightened a picture. Nervous energy spurred her around the room.
“Kara...” Wyatt chose his words carefully. At her next spin in his direction, he pulled her to a stop. “Kara, Sean’s going with me.”
“With you? But you’re going to Atlanta.”
“That’s right,” he said evenly.
Her response was automatic. “No. Oh, no.”
“Yes,” he said, dismayed to see what little color had been in her face drain away. He hoped she had come to trust him more than this. Wyatt returned Sean to his seat in front of the movie and pulled Kara aside. “Do you have a problem with that?”
She obviously had several problems with it. He could almost see each of them flicker across her face. But in the end she only said, “You’ve never taken him anywhere by yourself. He's used to staying here with the Tagliattis.”
He put his hands on her shoulders while pleading his case. “I’m offended that you prefer for Sean to stay with a babysitter rather than with me.” He would never take their son against her wishes, but he greatly wanted her to agree. “If you think it’s absolutely necessary, and one of them is available, I’m willing to take one of the Tagliattis with me. We’ve come a long way in the past few weeks, and now I’m asking you to trust me again. Will you?”
When Wyatt turned the full force of his attention on her, Kara could hardly think straight at the best of times. But today, while anxiety for her mother pulled at her, there was no way she could resist him. Everything he said rang true. No reason beyond her compulsive obsessiveness called for keeping Sean at home.
Wyatt had every right to take him. He loved him and knew him well enough to know when he needed to go potty, when he wanted his blanky, and when he was tired and needed a nap. He was as familiar with as many of Sean’s idiosyncrasies as any of the Tag Team, and almost, with as many as Kara.
With worry gnawing at her to get to Indianapolis as quickly as possible, she imagined leaving Sean. Would she be more comfortable thinking of him with Wyatt or with Angela? The decision was almost a toss-up. If Wyatt would stay with him at home, no question, Kara would agree to leave her child with his father in a second. But he wanted to take him to Atlanta.
A long way from home.
A long way from her.
A long way from safety.
A refusal hovered on the tip of her tongue. Before she could speak, Sean got up and claimed Wyatt’s attention.
“Watch, Daddy. To infinity and beyond!” He pointed his arm in the air and jumped, promptly falling on face. Kara propelled herself toward him to check for any possible damage and dry any tears, but Wyatt got there first and knelt beside him.
“Good try, Buzz.” Putting his hand on the boy’s tummy, he gave him a gentle tickle. “Try it again.”
Sean giggled himself into a ball before launching himself into his father’s arms for a spirited attack. “No, I tickle Daddy.”
Kara wanted to check Sean for bumps and bruises
, but watching the two of them laughing and playing gave her pause. She might know Sean better than Wyatt did, but sometimes, his instincts were right on the money. He reacted in a natural, spontaneous way, while her reactions were based on fear and over-protectiveness.
“I promised the Tag Team the week off. Let’s let them have their break.” Making the decision, she went to the closet and got out Sean’s jacket. “If you two are about finished, I’d like to go see my mother. And it would probably be best for you two to get to Atlanta before Sean’s bedtime.”
During the flight, Kara tried to take her mind off her worries by making a copious list of instructions concerning the care and tending of Sean. While he and Wyatt tossed cards into a hat, raced Hot Wheels on a portable track, and played guessing games, she occasionally looked up and quizzed Wyatt. “What kind of juice does he like?”
“Apple and grape, but not orange.” Wyatt answered every question correctly, but Kara would add the information to her list anyway.
By the time they landed in Indianapolis and taxied into the terminal, she was almost frantic at the thought of letting them go on without her. Issuing more unnecessary advice was the only way she could control her fear. “If he misses his nap, he’ll be cranky.”
“I know.” Wyatt’s patience with her obsessiveness made her love him even more.
“Be sure and keep him away from the pool. That water’s going to draw him like a magnet, and he’s not used to being around one.”
“I will.” The plane slowed to a halt and Wyatt unbuckled his and Sean’s seatbelts.
On the verge of coming unglued, Kara blurted, “Did I tell you he’s allergic to beets? They make him break out in hives.”
“I’m pretty sure beets won’t be on the menu, but I’ll tell Izzy, just in case.” He helped her into her coat. “You can stop worrying, he’ll be fine.”
“I know. I know he will.” She shrugged helplessly. “It’s just—” Lifting Sean into her arms, she hugged him tightly. “I’ll miss him so much.” Their eyes met over the child’s head.“I’ll miss you both.”
“You won’t miss us for a while yet.” Wyatt took her elbow and led her to the exit. “We’ll go with you to the hospital to see how your Mother is doing.”
“But the plane—”
“—will wait for us until we’re ready to leave.”
“Must be nice,” she muttered to hide how comforting she found his concern. Just like him to go out of his way to prevent her from facing the coming ordeal alone.
She switched on her phone and checked the texts for information from her brother.
“Any change?”
Her shoulders slumped. “No change.”
“There’s a car waiting for us. Let’s go see how she is for ourselves. Sean and I can even stay here if you prefer.”
“But your mother’s expecting you,” Kara objected, although she was touched by the offer and tempted to accept.
“We can leave tomorrow or the next day and still be there in time for her birthday party.”
She pictured interminable hours spent in hospital waiting rooms, family members taking turns outside the intensive care unit, no sleep, no food, and lots of worry. She’d be grateful for Wyatt’s company, but hated to think of Sean keeping such an erratic, unhealthy schedule.
“Thanks, but I don’t want Sean to wait around at the hospital, and if you have to entertain him by yourself, you’d probably be more comfortable in Atlanta than at my parents’.”
He handed Sean to Kara, then picked up her luggage. “Let’s go see how your mom’s doing,” he said with an encouraging smile, “and then we can decide.”
At the hospital, they were greeted with the news that Kara’s mother’s condition hadn’t changed. Wyatt met Kara’s father and brother for the first time. They looked at him with suspicion, and he figured he was more of an outsider and a distraction than a help. After a brief discussion with them about notifying him if they needed assistance of any kind, he returned to the airport with Sean.
Their arrival in Atlanta caused a furor. At first the child stuck close to Wyatt, but in the glow of so much attention, he soon learned to exploit his status as little prince. Wyatt worried his son would be spoiled beyond recognition before he could return him to Kara. Otherwise, things proceeded smoothly.
Rosalie doted on the child. When Sean began to call her Granny Rose, she declared his brilliance to all in attendance. And she allowed him privileges she had never given Wyatt during his childhood. To her further delight, Jackson and Martha’s envy was very apparent. Allie and Xander welcomed Sean with open arms. Izzy and Jonah considered the newest Maitland one of their family, just as they had always included Wyatt.
On the second morning of their visit, Sean woke up cross and listless. Breakfast didn’t stir his interest. He refused to do anything more than sit in Wyatt’s lap and rest.
Wyatt carried Sean into the kitchen to get another opinion. “Izzy, this isn’t like him.”
“You think he’s missin’ his mama?”
“Maybe, but I think he feels warm.”
She dried her hands on a towel and felt the child’s forehead.
Allie, stopping in on her way to work, came through the back door and took in the scene at a glance. “What’s wrong?”
Izzy made the announcement. “This baby’s got a fever.”
“I was afraid of that.” Wyatt could just imagine Kara’s reaction should he have to call her and tell her Sean had gotten sick on his watch. “There’s a baby thermometer in his bag.”
“I’ll get it.” Izzy hurried up the back stairs.
Allie laid a hand against her nephew’s forehead to judge Sean’s condition for herself. “He is warm.”
“Should we call a doctor?”
“Let’s see what his temp is first. Has he been acting like this all morning?”
“Pretty much.” Wyatt shifted Sean in his arms, trying to move him to a cooler position. “What could it be?”
“Nothing serious, I’m sure,” Allie said as Izzy returned.
“It says thermometer on the box, but it doesn’t look like the kind I’m used to.” Izzy held up an oddly shaped contraption. “How does it work?”
“You put this part in his ear, Izzy. After a minute, we’ll hear a beep, and his temperature will be displayed here.”
“That’s much easier than when Xander was a baby.” Allie sat down beside Wyatt at the bar in the kitchen.
All three adults held their breaths while they waited and watched for the display panel to print its numbers.
“A hundred and two.” Wyatt kept his voice steady because he held Sean, but unable to keep the worry out of it. “Who should we call? Do we know any pediatricians? Who was Xander’s doctor, Allie?”
“Dr. Jamison, but he retired last year. Do you remember my friend Danielle Jernigan?” She reached for her phone and scrolled through the contact list. “She’s one of the top pediatrician’s in the city now.”
“Danielle Jernigan?” Wyatt pondered the name for a moment.“A friend from high school?”
“She is a good doctor,” Izzy said. “My Noreen takes her children to her. The youngest one, Lonnie, has trouble with asthma something terrible. Dr. Jernigan does a good job treating that. And sometimes she volunteers down at the church clinic to give shots to them that can’t afford ‘em. She’s got a real easy, pleasant way with the children.”
“And if I catch her at home,” Allie added, “she’ll probably come right over.”
Wyatt wondered what she was waiting for. “Call her.”
Sean whimpered and lifted his head. “Drink,” he said, in a small voice. “Pease, Daddy.”
“Coming right up.” Wyatt asked Izzy, “What should I give him?”
“Water or apple juice, if he’ll take it.” Izzy motioned for Wyatt to stay seated as she got out a sippy cup and a bottle from the refrigerator.
“Danielle’s on her way over,” Allie announced. “She suggested wiping him down with a co
ol cloth while we wait for her.”
Sean gulped his juice and held out his glass for more. As Izzy poured the refill, she handed Wyatt a damp towel. He stroked it over his son’s face and neck, then lifted up his pajama shirt to wipe the cloth over his chest and back. Before his hand had made a complete circuit of the small body, he stopped and stared. “What is this rash?” Then a horrible thought struck him. “He hasn’t eaten any beets, has he?”
“I don’t know about beets,” Izzy said, pulling her glasses up her nose for a closer look, “but I’d say this child has the chicken pox.”
Carrying a cardboard container with coffee and sandwiches, Kara pushed open the door of her mother’s hospital room with her hip. She smiled encouragement at her father when he looked up.
“How’s is she?” Her mother had awakened and improved dramatically during the night, but the stroke had left her with some paralysis on the right side and the doctors said she wasn’t out of the woods yet. They recommended cautious optimism for the next twenty-four hours, before beginning several months of rehab.
“Much better.” Her father rubbed a hand across his tired eyes. “She was awake for a little while, but dozed off pretty quick.”
“I guess we should expect the medication to keep her drowsy.” Setting the carton down, Kara stood beside the bed to check on her mother. Her color was better than it had been, and her breathing was steady and even. All of the monitors beeped steadily. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the lounge to eat, Dad?”
He shook his head stubbornly. “I’d rather stay with her. I think she knows whether we’re here or we’re not.”
Kara stroked her mother’s cheek. “I’m sure she does.”
Sticking a straw through the plastic lid on his drink, her father observed, “She’d also be relieved if she thought you were happy.”