by Gina Wilkins
He had a lot to do in the next few minutes, he reminded himself, sending Alice to quickly fetch whatever she wanted to take to the hospital to pass the time while they sat in the waiting room. He still wore the dress shirt and suit pants he’d had on earlier, but he didn’t want to take time to change. He loosened the top buttons of his shirt and turned back the sleeves as he hurried into the kitchen.
Hastily, he stashed away the food Nina had prepared for them, swallowing hard in response to the painful awareness that this would be the last meal she would cook for them at least for the foreseeable future. And then he picked up his phone and located the contact number for Nina’s daughter Lisa, written in the back of the calendar by his always-prepared housekeeper. He knew Lisa would want to be notified immediately, and would probably be on her way to Little Rock as soon as she could make travel arrangements.
There wasn’t time to think about Meagan now. About why he’d assumed she was an office worker, and why he’d been so stunned to find out she wasn’t. Once he was certain Nina would be all right, then he would take time to ask himself why he was so shaken to discover that Meagan was a surgeon, and not the efficient clerical worker he’d naively envisioned.
Almost an hour after Nina had been wheeled into the hospital, Meagan joined Seth and Alice in the emergency department waiting area. They looked tired and worried. The expressions were familiar to her; she saw them all the time on the faces of her patients’ family members. She responded by switching automatically into doctor mode, keeping her voice soothing and professional.
“She’s stable and resting fairly comfortably now. She’s been given something for pain so she’s drifting in and out, but when she’s awake she’s coherent. Her leg is broken in two places: the femur, just above the knee, and the tibia, just below the knee. Fortunately, the knee itself looks good. She’ll have to have surgery to repair the breaks. She’s scheduled for tomorrow morning.”
Seth nodded grimly. He motioned with the cell phone he held in his right hand. “I just talked to her daughter again. She and her husband are on their way. They should be here in another two and a half hours or so.”
“Are you going to operate on Nina, Meagan?” Alice asked.
“No, sweetie, I’m a general surgeon, not an orthopedic surgeon. But I know who’s going to do the surgery, and he’s very good, okay? He’d be the one I’d choose if it were my own mother needing the operation.”
“Can we see her?”
“She’s being moved to a room for the night. You can see her as soon as they get her settled in.”
Alice nodded reluctantly.
“Have you had dinner?”
Alice’s lip quivered a little. “Nina was making spaghetti sauce.”
The girl had been so brave until this point. Meagan suspected reaction was just setting in. She glanced at her watch. “The hospital cafeteria is open for another half hour, or the café off the lobby serves sandwiches, salads and desserts round the clock. Why don’t you two get something to eat and I’ll let you know as soon as Nina’s in her room.”
“Would you like to join us for a meal?” Seth asked, resting a hand on Alice’s shoulder as if he, too, was aware that his daughter needed a little extra reassurance. “You’re probably hungry, too.”
“I’ll go check on Nina again, and then I’ll find you.”
He nodded. “We’ll be in the café. I think sandwiches and salads are all either of us want tonight.”
“All right.” She smiled at Alice. “Just a tip—the chocolate cake is amazing.”
She was pleased when Alice returned the smile, though a bit weakly. “I do like chocolate cake.”
“Then let’s go get you some,” her dad said promptly, giving Meagan a quick look of gratitude. “After the sandwich.”
“I know, Daddy.”
Meagan smiled as she turned to return to Nina.
It was after ten by the time Seth drove Meagan home from the hospital that evening. Because she’d ridden in the ambulance, Meagan didn’t have her car, but she could have called Madison to come get her. She even offered to have Madison take her and Alice home earlier because it was a school night, but Alice didn’t want to leave the hospital until her father did. Seth had been reluctant to leave before Nina’s daughter arrived. Meagan suspected he felt responsible in some way for Nina’s accident, though surely he knew he had in no way caused her to fall.
Seth assured her they’d be fine, but Meagan had opted to stay to help keep Alice entertained and distracted from her distress. She knew seeing Nina crumpled at the foot of the stairs had been a traumatic experience for the girl, even though Alice had handled it very well.
Exhausted, Alice fell asleep in the backseat before Seth had driven a mile from the hospital. Restrained by the shoulder belt, she slept with her head lolling against the padded headrest behind her. She didn’t even stir when Seth parked in Meagan’s driveway and got out to walk her to the door.
“I’ll have to shake her awake when we get home,” Seth said with a chuckle as they glanced back at the car. “She’s getting a little too old for me to carry her inside and tuck her in without waking her.”
“Will she be okay for school tomorrow?”
“Yeah. A little sleepy, maybe, but she’ll be fine.”
“Nina’s daughter seemed nice. She’s eager to move Nina to Mississippi to live with her, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, she’s wanted Nina to move there for the past year or so. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’ll get her wish now. It’s going to be a while before Nina’s back up to full speed.”
“Nina’s in good health. She’ll make a full recovery, though you’re right, it will be several weeks before she’s completely healed.”
“Lisa will still make every effort to convince Nina to stay in Mississippi with her. Which means I’ll have to hire a new housekeeper, I guess. Alice is old enough to stay by herself for a couple hours after school, but I don’t really want her staying home by herself all summer. And even though she’s old enough to do quite a few things around the house, I think it best if we have some help.”
“You’ll miss Nina.”
“Yes, I will. She’s been with me for several years. I always knew I could count on her for whatever I needed from her.”
“I’ve only known her a couple of weeks, of course, but I like her very much.”
“I know she appreciates everything you did for her today. We all do. Thank you for rushing over. I didn’t even realize Alice had called you.”
And of course Seth hadn’t called her, himself, because he hadn’t even known she was a doctor. Meagan still found it startling that he had been unaware of that fact. They hadn’t spent much time together, of course, and had rarely been alone. Their few conversations had focused on Alice, for the most part. She had mentioned she was on a medical leave, but she supposed she hadn’t said from what. But it did seem odd that neither Alice nor Nina had mentioned Meagan’s job to Seth. She guessed they didn’t really think of her in her career much because they had seen her only at home on leave.
Funny, so many people asked almost immediately what she did for a living when meeting her for the first time. She hadn’t gone into medicine to impress anyone, but because she enjoyed the work and the challenges involved but still some people treated her with a bit more deference once they learned what she did. Would Seth act any differently toward her now that he knew she wasn’t the office worker he’d thought, for some reason? She couldn’t imagine why he would.
“I’m glad I could help, and I didn’t mind at all that Alice called,” she assured him. “She’s welcome to come here after school while you look for a replacement for Nina. I’m not cleared to return to work for another couple of weeks, so I’ll be here, and I would enjoy her company.”
“I’ll tell her. I know she enjoys visiting with you. Just feel free to send her home when you get tired or have anything else to do.”
“Of course.”
“So, um—we’re still on
for that charity thing Friday evening?”
“Sure.” That was an odd thing for him to ask, she thought, studying his face in the yellowish porch lighting. “You still want to go, right?”
“Yeah. I mean, Lisa’s here to take care of Nina, and I’m sort of expected to show up…” Apparently realizing he sounded less than gracious, he paused, then finished smoothly, “And I’m looking forward to spending the evening with you, of course.”
She smiled and started to respond lightly, but was interrupted by the buzz of her cell phone. Frowning, she drew it from her pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s my mother. It’s later than she usually calls.”
“I hope everything’s okay.”
She held the phone to her ear. “Mom?”
Seth hovered nearby, looking torn between giving her privacy and wanting to be there for her if she needed anything.
“I know it’s late, but do you feel up to coming over, Meagan? I don’t like the way your grandmother is breathing. Maybe it’s nothing, but she seems to be struggling a little. I’d feel better if you look at her. I tried Mitch, but he’s on call tonight. I was told he’s in an emergency surgery. If you don’t feel up to coming, I can try Maddie. I don’t want to call for an ambulance if I’m just over-reacting.”
What else could go wrong that day? Meagan pushed a hand through her hair, feeling her still-recovering energy waning. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Stay calm, Mom, we’ll take care of her, okay?”
“All right. You’re sure you feel like driving?”
“Of course I do. It’s only a few miles. Don’t worry about me, just take care of Meemaw until I get there.”
She hung up the phone and slipped it back into her pocket, already opening her purse to find her car keys as she spoke to Seth. “My grandmother’s in poor health and Mom wants me to come check on her. It’s probably nothing serious, but Mom will feel better if I look in on her.”
“Is there anything you need? Are you okay to drive? I could take you.”
She smiled, grateful for the offer, though she shook her head. “Thank you, but I’m fine. Trust me, I’m used to being called out late at night.”
“I see. The doctor’s life, huh?”
“Pretty much,” she said, keys in hand now. “My life is much more hectic than this when I’m not on leave.”
“I’m sure it is.”
Something in his tone made her frown a little, but she didn’t have time to analyze it. “Good night, Seth. Let me know if you and Alice need anything. And tell her to feel free to come by after school tomorrow.”
He was already backing toward his car. “I hope your grandmother is okay. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”
Meagan glanced into her rearview mirror as she drove away minutes later. Seth had already driven into his garage and closed the door, she noted. She pictured him guiding his sleepy daughter into the house. And then she made an effort to put that sweet little vignette out of her mind and concentrate on her own family’s needs.
Early Wednesday afternoon, Meagan was just finishing a call with one of her partners, catching up on office business, when she was interrupted by the beep of an incoming call. Seth. She and her partner said their goodbyes and she picked up the other call.
“How’s your grandmother?” he asked.
“A little better today. Thank you for asking.”
“So she wasn’t having a crisis when you had to rush over there last night?”
“Nothing serious, this time. She was developing a respiratory infection, which is fairly common for her these days. Her immune system is depressed by her illnesses and her other medications, which makes her highly susceptible to infection. I put her on a round of antibiotics for ten days. We’ll watch her closely, but I think she’ll recover fairly easily.”
This time, she repeated silently. The day was approaching all too quickly when antibiotics would not be enough.
“How’s Nina?” she asked, pushing that all-too-familiar awareness to the back of her mind. She knew Seth would be closely monitoring Nina’s progress.
“She came through the surgery just fine. I sat with Lisa and Alan during the operation and I got to see Nina for a few minutes before I left for the office. Her blood pressure is still a little too high, but she should be able to leave the hospital in a few days. Lisa let me know that she intends to keep Nina with her in Mississippi, even after she’s back on her feet. She and Alan have a garage studio they’re converting for Nina’s use, so she’ll have her independence but will still be close to them.”
“I know you’ll miss her, but it’s nice that Nina will be close to her daughter.”
“Yeah, I guess,” he said without much enthusiasm. “I don’t suppose you know anyone looking for a full-time housekeeping job?”
“No, I’m afraid not. I have someone who comes in to do the heavy cleaning twice a month, but she prefers part-time work. She wouldn’t be interested in a full-time position. I’ll ask around for you, if you like.”
“Well, if you hear of anyone, I’d appreciate the tip.”
“How was Alice this morning?”
“Fine, once I convinced her Nina’s going to be okay. I don’t mind admitting that whole episode scared the bejeebers out of both of us.”
She smiled a little in response to his wording. “I’m sure it did. I was relieved when I first saw Nina and realized there were no head or internal injuries.”
“Alice wanted to go with me to the hospital today, but I convinced her to go on to school. She felt better about it when I told her she could come to your house after school. That invitation is still open, isn’t it? You don’t have any other plans?”
“Of course she’s welcome. Do you need me to pick her up?”
“No, thanks, that’s not necessary. Alice’s best friend’s grandmother Margaret will chauffeur the kids both ways. She won’t even let me reimburse her for gas.”
“That’s very generous of her.”
“She’s fond of Alice. And of Nina. They met for coffee occasionally. She said she’s going to stop by the hospital on the way to pick up the girls this afternoon.”
Meagan heard a woman’s voice in the background of Seth’s call—a secretary, she guessed—and then Seth’s muffled reply before he returned his attention to her. “I’m sorry, Meagan, I have to go. Send Alice home if you need to leave or anything, okay? She’ll be fine on her own until I get there.”
“Don’t worry about her, Seth. We’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Well, then…I’ll see you.”
“See you.” She realized she was smiling when she disconnected the call, and she suspected her sister would have teased her mercilessly had Madison seen that particular smile. Madison would probably say something silly—like calling Meagan smitten or infatuated by Alice’s cute dad. As the smile slowly faded, Meagan had an uneasy suspicion that Madison’s imagined accusation wouldn’t have been completely wrong.
Chapter Five
“Wow.” Having seen Meagan only in casual clothing until that moment, Seth was suitably impressed when she opened the door to him in more formal attire Friday evening. “You look very nice.”
That was most definitely an understatement. On some blondes, the long, basic black sheath might have been too stark or too bland. Neither was true for Meagan. The dress fit her well-toned curves to perfection. The draped neckline dipped low enough to expose an appealing glimpse of creamy skin accented with a glitter of diamond pendant. Seth had to make a masterful effort to keep his gaze on her face rather than her cleavage or the length of leg revealed by a thigh-high slit in the straight skirt. He supposed the dress was modest enough by most standards, but he still felt his blood pressure rise a bit in response to what it revealed.
She smiled in pleasure at the compliment. “Thank you. It’s been a while since I’ve had an occasion to dress up. You look very dashing in your tux, too.”
He dipped into a teasing bow. “Why, thank you, ma’am.”
/> Tucking a shiny little black clutch bag beneath her arm, she locked her door and walked with him to his car. He opened her door for her, waited until she was safely tucked inside, then closed the door and rounded the front of the vehicle. It felt good to perform those little rituals, he realized with a faint smile.
He loved being a dad. For a while, he’d even enjoyed being a husband. Tonight, it was kind of fun to remember what it felt like to be just a single guy on a date with an attractive woman who made his pulse race.
“How’s your grandmother?” he asked as soon as they were on the road toward the downtown hotel where the event was being held.
“She’s doing as well as can be expected, thank you.”
“How’s your mother holding up?”
“Being my grandmother’s primary caregiver is tough on her, but she insists on doing most of it herself. She’s handling it all pretty well, though.”
He heard the concern underlying her words, and figured she worried almost as much about her mother as she did her grandmother. “Alice said she met your mom at your house yesterday after school.”
Meagan smiled wryly. “With all mom’s other responsibilities, she still thinks she needs to bring casseroles for me to stash in my freezer during my recuperation. Even though I keep telling her I’m perfectly capable of cooking for myself now. I really wasn’t down long, though to hear Mother talk about it, you’d think I’d been at death’s door.”
He still wasn’t sure exactly what type of surgery Meagan had undergone, but that seemed too personal to ask. Instead, he commented, “Alice liked your mother. She said she was funny.”
“Mom liked Alice, too. They got into a spirited discussion about a science fiction program on TV they both follow.”
“Ah. The one about the crazy town with all the oddball geniuses? Alice is obsessed with that show.”
“So is Mom, apparently. She watches quite a bit of television when she isn’t reading, since taking care of my grandmother keeps her at home most evenings.”