The Switch

by Heather Justesen

  That was problematic since Tia needed to get home to the girls. “Thanks, I’ll see to it.” Somehow.

  Danny grabbed his jacket, which was slung over a chair in the corner. “Now there’s an idea I can get behind.”

  “Me waking you up every two hours?”

  “Me waking to your beautiful face.” Now he was upright he took her shoulder and slid in for a real kiss hello, causing her to lean against him, just grateful he was okay. “Too bad we’ll have to make alternate arrangements,” he told her when he moved away.

  “Yeah.” They exited the hospital and climbed into her car.

  “What do you want to do about your car?” she asked as she pulled onto the road. “It’s still at work, right?”

  “Yeah, but it’ll keep overnight. I’ll get someone to pick me up and take me back to the station tomorrow. Maybe after you get off work?”

  Tia smiled. She’d like that. It seemed their lives were becoming ever-more intertwined. She wondered for a moment what it would be like to marry Danny, to make a family together, and she was comforted to find she could see it.

  She took him to his apartment, fussed over him, made sure he had what he needed, lingered over several kisses, then promised to call every couple of hours to check on him.

  Forty-one

  It had been so long since Tia had visited Dr. Losee that she’d lost hope of hearing back, so her call was a surprise.

  “Hi, this is Dr. Angela Losee.” The doctor greeted after verifying with whom she spoke. “I’ve been thinking about what you said when you visited me and I just found the scrapbook I told you about. I thought you might like to see it.”

  Tia gave the cake batter bowl one last scrape and banged the spoon on the side of the cake pan. “Yes, I’d love to come by. When would be convenient?”

  When she hung up a few minutes later, Tia called Nichole and made arrangements for the girls Wednesday evening. Maybe this was another dead end, but there must be something in that scrapbook, or the doctor wouldn’t have bothered to call. She told herself this was true, hoped it was. She didn’t think she could handle another dead end.

  * * *

  Dr. Losee lived in a three-story home over the border into Kansas. It didn’t take long to find the home: brick, Victorian, though in this part of town, Tia doubted it was anywhere near a hundred year old, never mind from the 1800s. It had stained glass windows over the doors and half circles of stained-glass over the windows. A warm glow diffused through the colored curtains making the windows shine like jewels in the darkness. It was still too early for crocuses, but Tia imagined the bright buds would show soon in the flower beds.

  The doctor opened the door seconds after Tia rang the bell, as if she’d been standing nearby, anxious. Her friendly smile reassured. “Hello, Tia. Come on in. Would you care for anything to drink?”

  “No, thank you.” Tia took the offered seat on the sofa and folded her hands on her lap so they wouldn’t shake and she wouldn’t fidget. “Thank you for calling. I had given up on hearing from you.”

  “I knew I had this scrapbook sitting around somewhere. It took a while to unearth. I’ve been busy.” Dr. Losee sat beside her.

  “I’m sure you have. I appreciate you keeping me in mind and working me into your schedule.” Get on with it, lady. Tia didn’t want to appear too anxious, to rush her hostess, especially when Dr. Losee was doing a favor, but she wanted the details so she could move on with anything that looked promising.

  As if she read Tia’s mind, Dr. Losee reached for a vinyl binder. “This is from my daughter’s birth.”

  She began flipping past pictures of her growing belly. Then they came to a page of baby shower photos. “The girls at work threw a bash for me at the hospital. It was a total surprise when they caught me in the staff room after my shift.” She began pointing to the women in the photos, giving their names, which were listed to the side and the department where they worked. “Lois Millward worked in OB for a few months. I think she had moved on to another department by the time you were born, but you could check. And Glena Parry only worked there part time; she filled in when there were holes in the schedule. I think she had another job somewhere else.”

  “Wait, Glena Parry?” Tia looked more closely at the picture and smiled when she saw the snapshot of the young woman. “She’s my grandmother. I didn’t know she worked at the hospital. She spent so many years at the nursing home. She only retired a few years ago. And she’s enjoying her free time.”

  “That’s nice. I liked your grandmother a lot. She had a tough time, what with her husband’s death when she was still so young, and being a single mother.”

  Tia nodded. She understood what that was like, though she was much younger than her grandmother had been, and was starting to think maybe she was done being really alone. Perhaps, in the not-so-distant future, she might have someone coming home to her at the end of a work shift. The thought made her smile.

  Dr. Losee moved on to the next woman on the page, and Tia scribbled down names as they went. They flipped through the rest of the book and she managed to add one or two more people she could look into.

  “I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me,” Tia said as she stood fifteen minutes after she arrived.

  “You’re welcome. I hope you find your answers.” Dr. Losee offered her hand.

  “Thanks.” Tia shook with the doctor and let herself out. Her mind whirled. The doctor had provided updates on name changes and moves if she knew them, but it was pitifully little to go on. Maybe, Tia thought, she should go to her grandma and see what she remembered.

  * * *

  Glena welcomed Tia with open arms when she showed up on the doorstep a while later.

  “Hi, Grandma. How are you doing this evening?” Tia asked, giving her grandma a big squeeze.

  “Just fine, child. Come on in. I wasn’t expectin’ you tonight.”

  Tia stepped into the warm, cozy room. “I know. I’ve been out taking care of errands and was headed home. Your place was on the way, more or less.” Less mostly. “And I thought I’d pop by to see how you are.”

  “I’m doin’ fine.” Glena sat in her customary brown lounger. “These old bones aren’t as spry as they used to be.”

  “Are you kidding?” Tia teased. “You could dance circles around me.”

  Glena’s laugh was deep and throaty. “How are things goin’ for you?’

  “We’re doing well.” She took a deep breath. The last time she’d brought the subject up, Glena hadn’t been happy, but she needed the information. “Actually, I spoke with a doctor a few minutes ago. She said you knew each other when you did temp work at the hospital, Dr. Losee.”

  Glena paused for a moment, considering, then nodded. “Really? I remember her. Sweet woman. She has a daughter about your age.”

  Though Tia was nervous and a little upset that her grandma had been keeping this all a secret when she might have helped find the answers sooner, there was no point agitating Glena, so she tread carefully. “So she said. We looked at a scrapbook of her pregnancy and birth, her daughter’s first year or so.”

  “That’s nice, but why’d you go see her?”

  Nervous, but not willing to back down when she finally had something to go on, Tia pushed on. “I’ve been wondering who else worked at the hospital when I was born. Specifically in labor and delivery.”

  “Honey,” she shook her head, disapproval on her face. “Haven’t I told you it’s a waste of time?”

  Glena’s insistence on that point bothered Tia. She wasn’t able to keep the irritation out of her voice. “Yes, and I suppose that’s why you never mentioned that you did temp work there.” She twisted her fingers in her lap. “Why didn’t you say something? You know how important this is to me.”

  Glena waved her hand dismissively. “I didn’t work there very long. Just a few months, and not very often, neither. It was one of those passin’ things. I needed a little extra money for somethin’ and the hospital needed so
me help. I barely remember it.” She adjusted herself in the chair and crossed her ankles. “Now, you tell me how everythin’ else is goin’. I want to hear all about those little girls of yours, and that hunky man you brought by. When you gonna marry that boy, anyway?”

  Tia seethed over the omission, but after a moment she managed to rein in her disappointment and anger at Glena’s response. She was an old woman and completely set in her ways. If she didn’t want to talk about it, there was nothing Tia could do about it.

  Tia decided she wasn’t going to get anything useful out of her grandmother and set it aside for now. She kicked off her shoes so she could fold one leg under her in her chair. Might as well settle in for a nice chat. She’d try again in a few weeks if the information she’d learned that day didn’t lead anywhere.

  Forty-two

  Soft music floated around Tia and Danny as they ate their meal at the restaurant. When he pulled her onto the small dance floor, Tia smiled, her head resting on Danny’s chest, loving the feel of being in his arms as the romantic music circled around them. Her hand flexed in his and she tucked it between them. “This was a very good idea,” she said.

  “I’m glad you approve. When we popped by your grandma’s the other day, she badgered me about taking you dancing. I should have thought of it myself.” The music changed and the beat picked up. He released her waist and lifted their clasped hands, spinning her out, then tugging her back.

  Tia laughed and returned to his arms smoothly. “Why didn’t I know you could dance?”

  “It’s nothing special. Don’t ask me to waltz. Did I mention that you look beautiful tonight?”

  “You did. Three times.” Not that she was complaining—she’d never had a night when she felt so feminine, so appreciated. If she’d ever felt like this with Lee, she’d forgotten. She pushed that thought out of her mind. Comparing the two men was unproductive and unnecessary. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He whirled them around the edges of the dance floor and pulled her near again. “You know, I was worried that you’d break up with me after my little incident at work.”

  She supposed she’d given him reason to think that. She bolstered her courage, she’d been holding things back from him—holding herself back, and the time for that was over. “James didn’t tell me what happened, just that you were hurt. It scared me, but thinking you could have been seriously injured had the opposite effect.”

  “Oh?”

  Her face grew hot, but she met his eyes, determined to tell him how she felt. He’d said it ages ago, and she had been putting off reciprocating. “I kept thinking that I could lose you. I couldn’t stand the thought of it.” She lifted her hand from his shoulder and touched his cheek. Keeping his gaze. “I love you, Danny. I can’t imagine living without you.”

  Danny stopped in the middle of the dance floor. He tipped her head up, a finger on her chin, and kissed her, his lips soft on hers, lingering as they stood still while others circled around them. “I love you, too.”

  Tia felt her blush deepen as another couple whirled past. She couldn’t talk, her throat was thick from emotion and her eyes were nearly brimming with tears.

  “I had this whole thing planned, but I can’t imagine anytime better than this.” One hand dipped into his pocket as he took her waist with his other hand, and moved them back into rhythm with the other dancers.

  “Oh?” Her chest seemed to fill with excitement, love, and happiness. It amazed her that it didn’t simply explode.

  She felt something slide onto the ring finger of her left hand. Her breath caught and she looked at it in amazement. A diamond winked back at her even in the low lights.

  “Marry me, Tia?”

  Her chest clenched, but she had to ask, because it was never far from her thoughts. “You know I could turn into a demented vegetable in twenty years. Doesn’t that bother you?”

  “Bother me, yes. Change things, not at all. I’ll take what I can get. Your first marriage should’ve taught you that life’s too short. We need to enjoy it while we can, and I intend to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter the outcome.” His lips brushed along her ear, his voice low, throaty, sent chills down her spine.

  She bit her lip, torn between melting at his sweet, sweet words, and wanting to bring up one more point. The last point won. It had been weighing heavy on her mind since she met Lisa. “I don’t know if I want any more children. If I might pass on the disease to them, I mean. It’s bad enough that the girls might already be doomed to it.” Her breath hitched as he pulled back and looked her in the eye.

  They continued swaying, but his face became still as he studied her. “I won’t pretend I like that idea. I want more children—your children, Tia. But as soon as the ink is dry on the marriage certificate my insurance will pay for you to have that test done to see if you inherited the disease. If you want. No need to worry about it before then, don’t you think?”

  His words should have brought her comfort, but she saw the disappointment in his eyes. “So you won’t mind?”

  He paused, but when he began to speak, she could tell he meant it. “I love you. If we need to adopt, we will. If we only have Tristi and Samantha, that’s the way it’ll be. Regardless, I know I want to be with you. So will you marry me?”

  There was no hesitation this time. She pulled him close. “Yes.”

  A smile broke over his face. “Good.”

  They sealed it with a kiss.

  Forty-three

  Tia tucked the phone in the crook of her neck and continued folding clothes. “So I was thinking, what if we all met each other’s family at once? I’ve mentioned a few things about your mom to my dad, and I know he’d like to meet her.”

  “It might make things easier,” Lisa conceded. “I’d want you there when I met your family anyway, and vice versa. I haven’t told my mom about the switch again. It’ll just upset her all over again, and she may not remember later anyway.”

  Sympathy welled inside Tia. “It must be so hard for you, watching her.”

  “It is.” Lisa paused. “I hope this doesn’t sound insensitive.”

  “Go ahead.” Tia stacked the last of Tristi’s T-shirts on her pile of clothes and stood to carry the pile to the girls’ room.

  Another moment passed. “It’s still hard seeing my mom like this, seeing the slow deterioration, but am I awful if I admit that it’s easier now, knowing I’m not going to be in her place in thirty years? I mean, I feel like I’m saying that at your expense, like I’m pointing my finger and saying ha, ha, it’s not my problem anymore, but that’s really not what I mean.”

  Tia felt the worry curl in her stomach. It was always there now, the fear and uncertainty. “I know it’s not. You should be relieved, though I’m warning you that my grandma is always making comments about how insane my mother’s family is, so hey, if that’s inheritable, you could be in for a bit of dementia anyway.” She kept her voice light, even as she had to beat back the fear that always attacked when she thought of Rose’s disease.

  “That was totally insensitive of me. I am sorry,” Lisa said.

  “Don’t worry about it. Actually, Danny has excellent insurance, and they’ll pay for a DNA test to see if I’ll develop Huntington’s disease. We have to wait until after the wedding to add me to his insurance, but at least I’ll know in a few months.” She had waffled on this issue before deciding to do the test. What would it be like to know for sure that she had the disease? Could she face it? Knowing that she might develop it was bad enough. The relief of finding out that she wouldn’t though, was worth it. She tucked the clothes into the dresser, separating each kind into their own stacks.

  “I’m glad you’ll find out for sure. I’m sorry about everything.”

  Tia wiped at the tear that escaped and worked to keep her voice even. “Don’t worry about it. It’s better to be prepared than to have it be a surprise. So, back to getting our families together. What day would be best for you?”

 
“With everyone’s jobs, a Saturday or Sunday would be best. What do you think, the seventeenth?”

  “Danny works that day, and I’d really like him to be there. Could we do it the next week?” Tia double-checked the calendar on the wall where he’d posted his schedule, at Samantha’s request. Samantha was completely stoked about getting Danny as her dad.

  “That should work. I’ll spring Mom for the day. Are you sure having everyone meet at once is a good idea? What about Ron and Mona together at the same time?”

  Tia laughed. “There is that, but if the weather’s good we can meet at the park and they’ll have a little space between them. “

  “The park sounds great. Lunch time?”

  They agreed on a tentative time and location between their two towns.

  * * *

  They were lucky, Tia thought as she got out of the car, and thanked Danny for opening the door for her. The temperature was comfortable, there was only a light breeze, and the playground was empty. They let the kids out of the back seat and directed them toward the playground equipment. “At least the weather’s nice.” She was anxious about the many ways the afternoon could go wrong and had to focus on the positives.

  “Of course it is—I put in a request.” Danny slid his arms around her waist and kissed her nose.

  “Well, if you put in the request, obviously the weather is bound to be perfect.” She hooked her hands around his neck, then tipped her left hand so the diamond in the ring caught the light and sparkled back at her. It still made her grin.

  “Are you admiring my ability to pick out jewelry?” he asked.

  “Yes. I still think Laura must have helped you choose the ring. How else could you have done so well?” It was an ongoing joke, though she believed he’d done the shopping solo. Either way, she couldn’t complain.

  “Laura helped me plan my big proposal moment—the one that didn’t happen because you changed my plans.” His grin said he didn’t mind.