The Nanny's New Family (Caring Canines)

by Margaret Daley

  Good thing Emma didn’t ask his son if he wanted to see the tricks. Judging from his sour expression, Ian expected Jeremy would have probably said no.

  After Rex demonstrated sit, lie down and come, Emma withdrew from her big apron pocket a treat. “Stay, Rex.” Then she went a few feet away and put the bone on the ground. Rex fixed his attention on the treat but didn’t move. “Come.” He rushed the bone and snatched it up. “Lose it.” Rex dropped it.

  Jeremy watched with a gleam of interest in his eyes but didn’t say anything.

  “Now, I’d call that a well-trained dog. What do you think, Jeremy?” Ian asked, encouraged by the boy’s attention to Rex.

  His son lifted his shoulders, spun around and headed for the gate.

  After Emma gave Rex the treat, she straightened and said quietly, “He hasn’t accepted his situation yet.”

  “No, but he promised me he would come for two training sessions with Rex. I’m hoping that will change his mind.”

  “I’ll do my best to draw Jeremy in.”

  “Thank you, Emma.” Ian pointed to his other kids. “As you can see, the rest would love to have a dog.”

  Over the sounds of Joshua giggling as the puppy licked his face, Annie joined Ian, looking around. “This may not have been a good idea. Each one has gravitated to a different dog.”

  Ian said, “Jasmine, Jade and Joshua, it’s time to leave. You all will be coming back on Monday.”

  Jasmine said goodbye to a black poodle while Jade hugged a cocker spaniel. Joshua ignored his dad’s announcement.

  Annie smiled. “I’ll take the girls and find Jeremy. We’ll be at the car. Have fun trying to get Joshua to come with you.”

  “I’ll trade jobs,” Ian said then walked toward his youngest, the sound of his laughter sweet to hear. For a brief wild moment, he considered getting a dog for each of them but quickly dismissed it. Annie would be stuck with caring for all of them, and he didn’t want to lose her.

  Ian sat on the grass next to Joshua. “He’s cute.”

  “I wanna take him home. Can I?”

  “No, he isn’t ours to take. He belongs here, but you’re coming back on Monday.”

  Joshua picked up the squirming puppy and held him against his chest. “I don’t wanna leave.” His lower lip stuck out. “I wanna stay.”

  Ian had one son who couldn’t get out of the place fast enough, and the other he would have to pry away from the puppy. Ian took the terrier mix and passed him to Emma standing nearby. “We’ve got to go. If you don’t leave now, Joshua, you won’t get to come back on Monday.” Which meant he would have to find someone to watch him, since Annie would be with the other children. When Joshua jumped up and ran for the gate, relief washed over Ian, and he hurried after his son to make sure he didn’t let the dogs out.

  As they strolled toward the building, Joshua took Ian’s hand. Something as simple as that reminded him how much he loved each of his children.

  At the car Joshua climbed into his car seat, and Jade buckled him in. In the far back sat Jasmine, while Annie slid out of the Ford Explorer and motioned to Ian to come near.

  When he did, she whispered, “I think Jeremy was having a petit mal seizure when we were getting into the car. For a few seconds, he didn’t respond or even know we were here.”

  “Thanks. I wonder how many he has that we never see.”

  “It’s hard to say. I’m trying to keep an eye on him, but he loves to stay in his room.”

  Before Annie got back into the front seat, Ian clasped her hand. “Thanks. With everything that has been happening, I’m feeling a tad bit overwhelmed.”

  One of her eyebrows arched. “Only a tad?”

  “I was trying to be tough and strong and not admit the full extent.” Ian smiled and rounded the hood of the SUV, wondering what he would be doing without Annie’s help.

  * * *

  On Sunday evening Annie sat on one side of Joshua while Ian was on the other. The rest of the children were seated in chairs in the den so that the family formed a loose circle.

  Ian finished the opening prayer, took a deep breath and said, “This is our first family meeting, but we are going to have one every Sunday evening at this time.”

  “Why? What’s a family meeting?” Jasmine asked.

  “It’s a time we hash out any problems we’re having. But not just that. It’s also when we can talk about the good things happening to us.” Ian shot a look at Annie, as if to tell her to step in at any time.

  Annie held up a squishy yellow ball. “Only one person should talk at a time so we can hear what’s being said. The person with the ball will have the floor but can’t hold it the whole time.” She passed it to Ian.

  “I thought we would start by telling the person to our right one thing good about them. I’ll start.” He turned to Joshua, saying, “You were ready for school every day this week.” Then he gave his youngest the ball and pointed to Annie.

  “I love your pancakes. Can we have them again?” Joshua grinned and passed the ball to Annie.

  Looking at Jasmine, Annie tried to decide what to say. “Jasmine, I think your idea about an alarm clock was great.”

  By the time it was Jeremy’s turn at the end, his frown had evolved into a scowl. “This is a dumb idea.” He tossed the ball to his dad.

  “I need to go over the few rules we’ll have. If you can’t tell someone something good, don’t say anything. When you’re through talking, put the ball on the coffee table. Then the person who wants to talk will grab it. If we are discussing a problem, everyone needs to listen to the others. Every family member has a voice in this meeting.”

  Joshua snatched the ball from his dad’s hand. “Even me?”

  Ian laughed. “Yes. During the week if you have a problem you want to talk about, write it down on the chart in the kitchen. Joshua, you can have Annie or me do it for you. Some things have to be dealt with immediately, but there are a lot that we’ll be able to decide as a family. Oh, and the last rule is no shouting. Speak in a calm voice.” Ian put the ball on the table.

  Annie knew that would be the hardest one to keep for some of them.

  Jade took the ball and said, “I like this, and I have a problem I want to talk about. We need a dog.”

  Through the discussion about having a dog everyone gave an opinion except Jeremy. He folded his arms over his chest and lowered his head.

  “It looks as though you all want to get a dog. We saw some yesterday. Which one do you think would be best?” Ian looked around the circle while Jasmine, Jade and Joshua gave their suggestions.

  Suddenly Jeremy shot to his feet. “I don’t want a dog! I don’t need Rex!” Then he whirled around and ran from the room.

  Annie remembered the time she’d hurried away when her family gathered to talk to her about the fire. No matter how much they reassured her, the guilt still ate at her. If only she’d blown out the candle before going to bed, her mother would be alive today. That fact wasn’t going to change. But slowly the anger toward others had abated, and she’d learned to deal with her anguish internally rather than lash out at her family.

  Annie stood. “I’ll check on Jeremy while you guys talk.” She wanted somehow to get through to the hurting child. She knew what deep pain Jeremy was in.

  Ian nodded.

  Annie headed for the staircase to check Jeremy’s room, where he usually hid out. But when she started down the hallway, she noticed the door was open, and he kept it closed when he was there. After checking it and the bathroom the children used, she went through the rest of the house then returned to the den and motioned for Ian.

  He came out in the corridor. “What’s wrong?”

  “Jeremy isn’t inside. I wanted you to know before I look outside. Does he have a special place he would go?”

  “No. I’ll take the back while you search the front.” He poked his head into the den. “Jasmine and Jade, watch Joshua. We’ll be outside.”

  While Ian made his way to the kitc
hen to go out to the backyard, Annie stepped out onto the front porch. About forty-five minutes of daylight were left. She prayed they found him before that.

  Descending the stairs to the sidewalk, Annie looked up and down the street and spotted Jeremy three houses away, sitting on the curb.

  She started to yell his name but didn’t, afraid Jeremy would run. Instead, she went to the gate on the side of the McGregor home and quickly found Ian in the backyard. “He’s a few houses away.”

  Ian joined her, and they started for Jeremy, who was still sitting at the curb. The boy looked up and spied them coming. He bolted to his feet and turned to flee. He took two steps and then collapsed to the ground, his body stiffening and quaking.

  Chapter Seven

  “Keep track of the time,” Ian shouted as he hastened to his son. His heart pounded his chest the way his steps pounded the earth as he cut the distance to Jeremy. “Son, I’m here. You’ll be all right,” he said in as soothing a voice as possible. He didn’t know if Jeremy heard him or not, but he wanted him to know he wasn’t alone.

  Wishing he had something to cushion Jeremy’s head, Ian turned him on his side and protected his thrashing body as much as he could without restraining him.

  When Annie arrived, he glanced at her. “How long?”

  “One minute but he’s calming down some.” Annie gestured toward Jeremy on the small patch of grass between the street and sidewalk. “Thank God he hit the ground, not the concrete.”

  Ian closed his eyes for a second and sent up a prayer. Finally—an eternity in Ian’s mind—Jeremy’s eyelids stopped fluttering, and his rigid body began to relax. Ian checked his son for any injuries caused by the fall.

  Behind Annie, a neighbor asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Ian glanced up and noticed several others who lived on the street standing around. “He’ll be okay. Thanks for your concern.” Then to Annie, Ian added, “I’m going to carry him back to the house.”

  She nodded and asked the people to move back.

  Ian wanted to get Jeremy inside before he became angry, his probable reaction when he came out of the seizure, especially if he saw all the people watching him. Although not unconscious, Jeremy hadn’t gotten his bearings yet, his gaze still dazed.

  Annie went ahead of Ian and opened the front door, only to find all the children gathered in the foyer.

  “Is Jeremy okay?” Jade chewed her bottom lip.

  “Did he have a seizure?” Jasmine rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

  Joshua’s eyes filled with tears.

  Ian answered, “He had a seizure, but he’ll be fine. Go with Annie and start getting ready for bed.”

  “But it’s too early—”

  “Jasmine, go.” Ian started for the staircase while Annie tried to calm them.

  He’d seen people have seizures before, but when it was his son, he needed to detach himself to handle it in a matter-of-fact way. Otherwise his children would sense all the emotions rampaging through him. With time he prayed he’d do a better job of masking his fear that Jeremy wouldn’t pull out, and he’d lose him like Zoe and Aunt Louise.

  When Ian placed Jeremy on his bed, he caught his son’s look, his forehead knitted.

  “What happened?” Jeremy murmured, blinking his eyes several times.

  “You had a seizure in front of the Clearys’ house.”

  Red flooded Jeremy’s pasty complexion. “Who saw me?”

  “A few of our neighbors. All adults.”

  Jeremy firmed his mouth in a hard line and rolled to his side. “I’m tired.”

  Ian backed away from the bed. He removed a pile of clothing on a chair then sank down onto it. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving Jeremy. What if he had another seizure on top of this one? More than ever he realized Jeremy needed a dog to let Ian or Annie know when he had a seizure. What happened outside earlier could have ended badly, and Ian might not have known about it. He didn’t want to restrict his son’s activities, but he might have to until his medication controlled his seizures better. Ian didn’t look forward to yet another battle with Jeremy, but his safety came first.

  A sound behind him drew his attention. Annie started toward him, but he rose, palm out, and made his way to her, moving out into the hallway. He didn’t want Jeremy overhearing any discussion about him.

  “How is he?” Annie asked, her large brown eyes full of concern. “The kids have a million questions. I told them I’d talk to you. They’re worried.”

  “He’s alert now. He told me he’s tired, but that may also be his way of avoiding talking to me.”

  “If you want, I’ll sit with him while you talk with the kids.”

  “Thanks. I need to reassure them.” And hope he could put at least their fears to rest. “I want to call his doctor, too. Good thing Brandon’s a friend.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Jeremy while you do that, and if you need me to stay part of the night with him while you sleep, I can.”

  For one impulsive moment, all Ian wanted to do was hold Annie in his arms and draw comfort from her. When he’d first met her, he’d thought she wasn’t ugly but not a beauty, either. But now all he saw was a woman whose beauty shone from deep inside her. Would things have been different with his children if she’d been their first nanny rather than the fourth one? Would Jeremy have come to him about his concerns about blanking out?

  “I’m going to sleep again in his room. It worked okay the other night, but I appreciate the offer. You come back here from your day off and end up dealing with all this.”

  “When children are involved, schedules and plans often get discarded. I’m used to it.” She smiled.

  He chuckled. “I’ll be back in a little while. Kids first, then Brandon.”

  Ian found the children in Jade’s bedroom, his two daughters sitting on the bed with Joshua between them. He’d been crying, his eyes red. The twins were comforting him. Now Ian had to do the same for all three of them.

  He lifted his son into his arms. “Your big brother will be okay.”

  “He isn’t gonna die?”

  “No, he’ll be fine.” Jeremy’s health wasn’t in his control, but it felt right saying that to his children. Ian sat at the desk and placed Joshua on his lap. “Annie said you all are worried and have questions. I’ll try to answer them.”

  “Is this gonna happen all the time?” Jade scooted back on her bed and crossed her legs.

  “I don’t know. I hope not. I hope the right medication dosage can be found soon to control the seizures.”

  “I saw him on the ground. Did he fall?” Jasmine asked.

  “Yes, sometimes a person’s muscles go slack and he drops. So you were looking out the window?”

  Jasmine nodded.

  “How much did you see?”

  “Not much. You blocked my view. What do we do if one of us is the only person around?”

  “Good question, Jasmine. Get help. Place something soft under his head. And if you can, roll him onto his side, but don’t hold him down. Sometimes a person who has a seizure flails and thrashes. He could hurt you and himself if you try stopping him. You should move anything dangerous away from him. Above all else, be calm and stay close until help comes. The seizure will run its course.” As he said this, his children’s eyes grew rounder, and none of them spoke.

  “Calm? How?” Jade finally asked.

  “I know the first time I saw a seizure, it scared me, but remember Jeremy will get better. Talk to him if you want. Tell him he’ll be okay.” If they said it, hopefully they would believe it. It had helped Ian to do that.

  “I’m scared.” Joshua snuggled against Ian.

  “I know it can be scary, but don’t let Jeremy know that. He already feels as if people think he’s strange. Come to me instead. Everyone has problems. Joshua, you do something without thinking about if it’s dangerous or not. Jeremy has seizures. That’s his problem right now.”

  Jasmine glared at Joshua. “Yeah
, remember when you were standing on the railing? You could have really hurt yourself. You scared me.”

  “And me,” Ian added.

  “It wasn’t gonna hurt me. I wasn’t scared. I had my cape on.”

  Jasmine leaped to her feet, her arms straight at her side. “You can’t fly with a cape.” With a huff she said, “I’m going to lay out my clothes for tomorrow and get ready for bed.” She marched from the room.

  “Did I hear right? She’s choosing what she’s gonna wear now?” Jade shook her head in wonderment.

  “Yep.” Ian stood, holding Joshua in his arms. “And it’s time for you to get your pj’s on and brush your teeth.”

  “I don’t wanna go to bed.”

  “Sorry, dude. You have school tomorrow.” He carried his youngest from Jade’s room, set him down and watched as he scurried to his room.

  Ian walked toward his bedroom to call the doctor and passed Jeremy’s. He glanced in the doorway and spied Annie. Of late, he’d felt as if he was taking one blow after another. If it hadn’t been for Annie this past week, he didn’t know if he could have kept it together. But he had—because of her presence.

  * * *

  Tuesday all the children piled out of the Ford Explorer and hurried to Caring Canines. Jeremy remained in the front seat, staring out the windshield.

  “You worked well with Rex yesterday.” Annie removed the key from the ignition.

  He harrumphed.

  “You didn’t say much when I picked you up from school. Everything go okay today?”

  “It was just great,” he said in a sarcastic tone.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Sometimes talking about it helps.”

  Jeremy swiveled around and narrowed his eyes. “Nothing happened.” He drew those two words out.

  “Okay, that’s great.” Annie heard the doubt in her voice. She was sure Jeremy knew she didn’t believe him.

  He pressed his lips together, his gaze scissoring through her. “Okay. I was moved to the front of the classroom this morning, close to the teacher’s desk like I’m a troublemaker. I haven’t done anything wrong.”