A small reception area was manned by a pretty young girl with a ponytail tied with a bright yellow ribbon. She smiled as Hannah approached the desk.
Sara sat down on a chair next to Cisco and picked up a magazine. She looked up when a tall man with a shock of red hair stood over her. “You’re one of the triplets, right?”
“I beg your pardon,” Sara said stiffly. Her first thought was that the authorities were closing in on them for hijacking Cisco. She almost swooned with relief when she didn’t see a state trooper behind the tall man.
“Joel Wineberg,” the man said, holding out his hand. “My sister Clair belongs to your sorority. We met during your fundraiser last year at Penn State. I’m sorry to say I don’t remember which one you are, though. You and your sister are identical as I recall.”
Sara pointed to Hannah at the reception desk. “I’m Sara. Yes, I remember you. I also remember your robust donation. I hope we thanked you properly for that. You’re a pediatrician, right? It’s nice to see you again. Do you work here?”
“Raising money for elder hospices is at the top of my priority list. I was happy to make the donation, and, yes, the sorority sent me a glowing letter of thanks. To answer your question, I’m on staff. Are you visiting someone? Can I help?”
“You know what, maybe you can help us.” She leaned over to Cisco. “I’ll just be a minute.” Cisco nodded, as Sara walked a short distance away, the pediatrician at her side. She quickly explained why they were there. “Is there an ophthalmologist on call today? We only have till Sunday to make arrangements, then we have to head back to school for finals.”
“This is really your lucky day. Zack Kelly is on duty. All of us single guys gave the married doctors the weekend off so they could spend it with their families. Zack turned down twenty-seven hospitals to come here. When I tell you he’s the best of the best, believe it. Your instincts were right on about this being a slow day. Let me see what I can do.”
“Okay, I appreciate it. Thanks.”
Hannah wiggled her eyebrows when she rejoined Sara and Cisco. “We’re here five minutes, and you’re hitting on some guy. Let’s get real here. This isn’t going to work. You need an appointment. The hospital is shorthanded because of the holiday. I made an appointment for the week after Christmas. The doctor’s name is Zack Kelly. That child over there,” she said, pointing to the girl behind the reception desk, “said Dr. Kelly was a hottie.” She wiggled her eyebrows again.
“What’s a hottie?” Cisco asked.
“A super good-looking guy who has everything going for him,” Hannah replied, laughing. “Who was that guy you were talking to, Sara?”
“Clair Wineberg’s brother Joel. Don’t you remember, we met him at the sorority fundraiser last year? He gave us a real healthy donation. He’s on staff here. Right now, he’s trying to get Dr. Zack Kelly to take a look at Cisco. It’s all in whom you know,” she said airily.
Thirty minutes later, a nurse with a crinkly smile and twinkling eyes approached them, pushing a wheelchair. “Mrs. Cisco, Dr. Kelly will see you now. Dr. Wineberg said the rest of you should go to lunch and come back at three o’clock. Dr. Kelly is personally going to run some tests on your grandmother and will make his evaluation. Is that all right with you?”
“Don’t we have to sign her in or…or something?” Sara asked.
“I can handle all that, Sara,” Cisco said. I have my medical cards. I’ve done this before. Run along and do what the nurse said.”
“And we all know who Mrs. Cisco is. We sell her boxed candies in the gift shop. They’re one of our best sellers. Scat now,” she said, waving her arms toward the door.
“Cisco, is…are you okay with this?”
“Of course I’m all right with this. Explain to Freddie, she’ll understand. Here, give her my scarf. She’ll curl up with it till I get back.” The girls hugged her, their eyes wet.
“She told us to go,” Hannah said, sitting down.
“Since when did we ever do anything someone else told us to?” Sara responded, sitting down next to her sister.
“I think this is one of those times when we should do what we’re told,” Hannah said, getting back up. “Look, there’s Sam and Freddie at the door. Tell me we did the right thing here.”
“We did the right thing,” Sara assured her sister, walking to the door. She opened it, Cisco’s scarf dangling from her hand. Freddie threw back her head and howled.
“It’s okay, girl, she’s coming back. We’re coming back. We have our marching orders,” Hannah said, filling her brother in on what was happening. “Are you okay with it, Sam?”
“I’m not important. Is Cisco okay with it?”
“Yeah. Yeah, she is.”
“Then let’s go to lunch.”
Jonathan Cisco heard his name being called as he blasted through the lobby, but he didn’t turn around. When the call became more shrill, he did turn because some of the early-morning tenants were staring at him.
“Jon, where on earth are you going so early in the morning? I thought…we did say we were going to spend the day together, didn’t we?” Alexandra Prentice asked breathlessly.
His step slowed so she could catch up to him. As always, he was struck by her beauty. “Yes. No, I’m going to have to take a rain check, Lexy. I have to go to Pennsylvania. Why didn’t you wake me last night? I didn’t get your note till this morning.”
“Darling, I did try to wake you. I did everything but douse you with ice water. Actually, I did think about upending the ice bucket but thought better of it. If you’re going to Pennsylvania, I’m going with you. I think we should talk about it first, though. Rushing off like this without a plan could backfire. You don’t want that, do you?”
She was right, of course. “All right, let’s go around the corner and get a cup of coffee.”
Alexandra linked her arm with his as they walked out of the building and around the corner. She hated steamy little coffee shops because she invariably ended up smelling like whatever they were cooking. Jon loved the cozy atmosphere and the early-morning bustle. She particularly hated the thick mugs coffee was served in and the plates with the cracks going down the middle. Cups and saucers of fine china were required to drink her gourmet coffee. She detested paper napkins, preferring fine linen. When they were married, these early-morning excursions to local coffee shops would come to a screeching halt.
She sensed that something had happened between the time she’d left Jon’s apartment last night and her meeting him minutes ago. Something serious, something Jon wasn’t going to share with her. It was probably some damn, noble, family thing. Whatever it was, he was going to have to get over it. Fast.
“Now tell me what happened. Two heads are better than one, darling. Let’s see if we can make some sense out of whatever it is that’s bothering you. Please don’t tell me it’s those tacky, childish lists the children threw at you.”
He bristled at her words. “That’s part of it,” Jonathan said. His voice sounded defensive to his ears. “Sam plowed down the gates at Laurel Hills with his Range Rover. The guards called the troopers, and they were taken to the station. My mother managed to post their bail. I’m sure I can get the administrator to drop the charges.
“What’s really worrying me is they took their grandmother out of the facility. I don’t know where they took her or if they plan on taking her back. For all I know they could be on a plane bound for Europe. I’m sure she’s safe with them. They would never do anything to hurt their grandmother.”
I should be so lucky, Alexandra thought. “Darling, why do you always jump to the worst possible conclusion? The children probably took your mother for an outing. Yes, they are thoughtless; yes, they are acting childishly, even infantile. They’re spoiled rotten, Jonathan, and you know it. It’s their way or no way. How did you let that happen? They didn’t show you one iota of respect yesterday. Forget about how brutal they were to me. You’re their father, they owe you respect.”
“The Tr
ips aren’t like that at all, Alexandra. Cisco and I brought them up to be independent. They think for themselves. Their first loyalty is to their grandmother, and I can’t fault them for that. They feel like I let them down, and I did. I regret that,” Jonathan said miserably.
“Good heavens, Jonathan, they’re acting like snotty little vigilantes. They thumb their noses at you, and you still defend them. I just don’t understand that kind of thinking. You did everything you could. You made sure your mother was taken care of. How can that be wrong? Just because they think like the children they are doesn’t make what you did wrong. You would never forgive yourself if something happened to your mother, and I understand that. Now, what is it you want to do? Whatever it is, I’m behind you a hundred percent. Just know this, darling, you can find out everything you need to know and get the same results on the telephone as you would by traveling six hours.” Alexandra reached across the table to take his hand and squeeze it.
“I guess I’m overreacting. You’re right about the trip versus the calls.”
“I know I’m right,” Alexandra purred. “If there’s one thing we should both know for certain, it’s that your mother is safe with your children. I’m just as certain as you are that they won’t let anything happen to her. They’re probably all having the time of their lives while you sit here stewing and fretting over their antics.”
It all sounded good and plausible, and yet something nagged at him. How easily he could be swayed. He forced a smile he was far from feeling.
“Now, that’s the Jonathan I know and love,” Alexandra trilled.
It was two o’clock when the Trips returned to the Larkspur Community Hospital. They agreed to take turns staying in the car with Freddie. Hannah took the first shift.
“You know what I notice about this place?” Sam said.
“No, what?”
“The smell. Remember when Ben Foster broke his leg hang gliding, and we visited him almost every day at the hospital?” Sara nodded. “Well, this place doesn’t smell like that. You know, disinfectant, alcohol, brewing coffee, and all those other awful smells. This place smells like…vanilla and oranges. Kind of like Cisco’s kitchen when we were little and she was whipping up all those different-flavored caramels for the holidays.”
“You’re right, it does. What do you think they’re going to say, Sam?”
“I don’t know. I wish I did. Do you believe even for one minute that Dad stuck Cisco in that place for all the right reasons?” Sara shook her head. “He’s going to be pissed to the teeth when Cisco doesn’t go back.”
Sara looked at him sharply. “We have to take her back to Laurel Hills, Sam. Cisco has to stay there till we break for the holidays. It’s just for a few weeks. We also have to think about Freddie. We can’t take her to the sorority house, and you can’t take her to your frat house either. Cisco will die without Freddie, and we all know Freddie has never been separated from her. I don’t see what other choice we have.”
Sam slumped in the chair he was sitting in. He wished he was a kid again so he could run to his safe haven—the tree house in the old maple. It was where he and his sisters ran to hide and cry when things piled too high on their shoulders. They’d even slept there after their mother died. His eyes started to burn. What was going to happen to all of them? A family was supposed to pull together, not fall apart the way theirs was doing. Cisco was in fragile condition right now, their father was off the deep end with his latest girlfriend and now they had to cope and try to make things right for their family. As the immediate man of the family, he had to soothe his sister’s raw emotions. And his own. The sudden burning in his eyes made him bite down on his lower lip.
He risked a glance at Sara. Even though she was the oldest and sometimes the bossiest, she was also the most loving and sensitive of the three. He knew she was hurting now. His arm reached out. She squirmed closer. They sat in an uneasy silence as they waited.
From time to time, Hannah could be seen walking Freddie past the main entrance, Cisco’s scarf tied around her neck.
At seven minutes past three, a family of four opened the wide double doors to the main lobby. Freddie jerked free of Hannah’s hold on the leash and barreled through the lobby and down the hall, Cisco’s scarf flying in the wild breeze she created. Sara and Sam gave chase just as the elevator door swished open to reveal Dr. Joel Wineberg and a man wearing a Stetson and a Harley Davidson sweatshirt. Freddie barked, then growled, which meant, Get out of my way. The family of four stood aside, their eyes on Freddie and what she was going to do next. No one was surprised when she threw back her head and howled.
Hannah skidded to a stop and went down on one knee as she finally grabbed Freddie’s leash. “Gotcha!” she said breathlessly, looking up with wide-eyed wonder at the tall man in the Stetson.
“Yes, of course I’ll marry you. When? Which one are you?” The tall man grinned.
“Great! Two weeks from Sunday. I’m Hannah. And you are?”
“The man who’s going to marry you,” he quipped.
Hannah laughed. “Mom always said the man of my dreams would show up when I least expected it.” She held out her hand so he could pull her to her feet. Freddie continued to howl.
“Nice scarf,” the guy in the Stetson said, fingering the messy stitching on the wool scarf draped around Freddie’s neck.
Her hold on Freddie secure, Hannah said, “I made it for my grandmother when I was thirteen and just learning how to knit.”
“I’m impressed. You must have used some good yarn.” He had laughing eyes that crinkled up at the corners. “My God, you really do all look alike!” he said in stunned amazement.
Hannah’s head bobbed up and down. “I’m sorry about Freddie. She wants to see my grandmother.”
“I think we can arrange that,” Joel Wineberg said. He waved his arms, palms upward. “The Cisco triplets.” He waved his hand at the man standing next to him. “Dr. Zack Kelly.”
“Sara,” Sara said, holding out her hand. She blinked. This scruffy-looking guy couldn’t be the highly regarded ophthalmologist, Dr. Zack Kelly.
“Hannah. I already said that, didn’t I? I can’t let loose of Freddie to shake your hand.”Oh, God, this is Cisco’s doctor!
“Some other time, okay?” Zack Kelly grinned, his eyebrows wiggling a là Groucho Marx. “Hopefully, before we get married.”
Hannah’s face turned so red she could feel the heat radiating outward.
“Sam,” Sam said, giving the doctor a bone-crushing handshake.
“Why don’t we go outside and talk. It’s not that cold, and Freddie can stay with us,” Dr. Wineberg said.
They trooped out through the lobby and then to the benches under the overhang.
“Well?” Sara said, fixing her gaze on Joel Wineberg even though Zack Kelly was the ophthalmologist.
Dr. Kelly cleared his throat before he pushed his Stetson farther back on his head to reveal a mass of ebony curls. He set aside his playful personality and turned professional. “I’d like to admit your grandmother for a few days. I ran a few preliminary tests, but there are a few more I’d like to do that will take longer than twenty-four hours. She is in good health. We had a long talk. She’s amenable to checking in, but it seems Freddie’s well-being is what will clinch the deal. I’d like to admit her as a new patient since she’s…ah…on the lam. No sense looking for trouble. She’s okay with that.”
“How long will she have to be here?” Sara asked.
“That pretty much depends on your grandmother. This is a private hospital, so she can stay as long as she likes as long as she’s willing to pay the portion of the daily charges that her insurance doesn’t cover. She’s all right with that, too. Again, Freddie is the stumbling block. Now, as to the cataracts. I could zap them off tomorrow, but Monday would be better. They’re more than ready to come off. It should have been done several months ago, but we won’t go there. Your grandmother is amenable to having it done Monday morning. Before she makes a final d
ecision, she said I had to talk with the three of you. So I’m talking.”
“We have to leave for school on Sunday afternoon. We have finals,” Hannah said, her face filled with worry. “I don’t want her to have to go one day longer than she has to without seeing. Freddie’s our big problem.”
“I can stay till Tuesday afternoon,” Sam said. “I have a final at eight A.M. Wednesday morning. I can study here as well as I could at the frat house. I’ll find a motel that allows dogs. Worst-case scenario, we’ll sleep in the Rover.”
“I can come back down Tuesday night and stay till ten A.M. on Thursday. I’ll have to drive like a bat out of hell to be back for a final at four P.M. I can do it. While I’m here I can pick out my wedding dress.” Hannah grinned. Dr. Kelly turned pink.
“I can leave school Thursday afternoon and stay till Sunday,” Sara said. “I think we’ve got it covered. Will she be able to return to the assisted-living facility that Sunday? She’ll have to stay there until we can leave school for our Christmas break and get the house ready for her, at which point we’ll take her home and stay with her. Does this work for everyone?”
Her siblings and the doctors nodded. “Then it’s a go,” Dr. Kelly said. “If you’ll excuse me, my patient is waiting to hear the outcome of our little meeting. I signed her in as an outpatient, but she will have to be admitted. In the meantime, I’ll have one of the aides bring her downstairs, and you can all go out for an early dinner. She needs to see her dog, and that dog needs to see her. Healing happens quicker when there’s a loving animal in the picture. It was nice meeting you all.”
“I’m being paged,” Dr. Wineberg said, looking down at his pager. “It was nice seeing you again, Sara. I’m glad I was able to help.”
“Me, too. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
The red-haired pediatrician looked at the three of them. “I have a feeling the three of you would have figured out something. I’ll see you,” he said, sprinting for the door.
Sam looked at the expression on his sisters’ faces and burst out laughing. “I wish you could see yourselves. You look…so damn sappy.”
No Place Like Home (Holiday Classics) Page 6