A Daughter's Return

by Janet Lee Barton

  “We’re discussing the upcoming baseball season,” John answered.

  They’d enjoyed going to the games last season and Ben hoped they’d be going again this year. They discussed their team’s chances until Marcus got fussy and Violet decided they needed to go home.

  That seemed to be a signal for everyone to leave and for Rebecca’s sake, he was glad. She’d been shifting her foot on the ottoman and he wondered if she was in pain.

  Once everyone donned their jackets, they said their goodbyes to Rebecca.

  “Thank you all for coming to check on me,” Rebecca said.

  “You’d do the same for us,” Kathleen said. “You take it easy, you hear?”

  “I will.”

  Mrs. Heaton and Jenny, along with the other boarders, went to see them out and once they all left, Rebecca let out a big sigh. Ben had a feeling they might have overstayed their welcome.

  Expecting her to deny she was tired, he ambled over to her and asked, “You ready to go upstairs?”

  She looked up at him with a small smile. “You know, I believe I am.” She took up the crutches beside her and managed to stand, but her steps out of the room were on the wobbly side. Ben stayed as close as he thought she’d allow until they got to the staircase.

  “You know, if I hold on to the railing I think I can make it and—”

  “Don’t even say it, Rebecca. If I let you go up by yourself, your mother will—”

  “Be very upset,” Mrs. Heaton said from behind him. “Jenny and I will bring the crutches, Ben. Will you please carry my daughter to her room?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Rebecca shook her head but didn’t argue with her mother. Ben quickly lifted her into his arms and she put hers around his neck. He took care to get her up the stairs and to her room. “Where do you want me to put you?”

  “I’m not a sack of potatoes, you know. The settee will be fine.”

  Ben chuckled at the vision she conjured up. “Now you know I don’t think of you that way, Rebecca. If so, I’d dump you on that settee...instead of setting you down ever so gently.” He lowered her with care as she slid her arms from around his neck.

  “Thank you, Ben.”

  “You’re welcome. Try to get some rest, okay?”

  At her nod, he backed off to make room for Jenny to scramble up beside her mother. “Granma said you might like a nap. Want me to get you a blanket, Mama?”

  “Thank you, dear, but I’m fine for now. Do you want to take a nap?”

  Jenny shook her head. “Gretchen said I could help make dessert for tonight, if you said it was all right. But if you want me to stay with you, I will.”

  Even Ben could see the hope in the child’s eyes.

  “Oh, of course you may help Gretchen. I’m just going to rest a bit. You run on down and help her.”

  Jenny hugged her mother’s neck and kissed her cheek.

  “I’ll go with you, Jenny. Maybe I can talk Gretchen out of a cup of coffee to take downstairs with me. I have some papers to grade.”

  She took his hand and waved to her mother. “Bye, Mama.”

  Jenny gave his hand a tug and he picked her up. “Come on, I’ll carry you down like I did your mama.”

  These two females had a grip on his heart and he didn’t have a clue what to do about it. None, whatsoever.

  Chapter Ten

  That evening Rebecca decided to take supper in her room so that Ben wouldn’t come up and carry her down once again. She hadn’t realized how strong he was until he’d picked her up and carried her down for Sunday dinner. Nor had she noticed how really blue his eyes were.

  Truth be told, she’d liked the feel of being in his arms and she needed to find a way to get downstairs by herself before her mother insisted he carry her down again. So she used her crutches and hobbled around in her room during supper, hoping to get a little steadier on the unwieldy things.

  Her mother came up with Jenny after the meal and brought a piece of the cake she’d help Gretchen with.

  “This is very good, Jenny. You’re going to be an excellent cook if you keep helping in the kitchen.”

  “Thank you, Mama. Mr. Ben said the same thing.” Jenny glowed at the compliment. “He wanted to bring you down for supper, but Granma told him you decided to stay upstairs. He looked kind of sad.”

  “I think he was, Jenny,” her grandmother said, before turning to Rebecca. “I telephoned the contractor and told him to wait a couple of days to start work, dear. I don’t want you up here having to listen to them tear down walls and put up new ones. It’s going to get pretty loud when they do.”

  “Oh, Mama, you didn’t have to do that. I’m sure I can make it downstairs in the morning.” She hoped.

  “No. You’d have to get up and moving earlier than usual so Ben or Matt could help you down before they leave for work and right now you need to rest all you can so that ankle will heal. Wednesday will be soon enough for them to start work.”

  “Then, thank you, Mama. I’m sure I’ll be able to get downstairs sometime tomorrow.” But she was relieved that she wouldn’t have to listen to all the construction noise the next morning.

  “We’ll see,” her mother said. She helped Jenny get bathed and ready for bed and once she’d heard her prayers and kissed her good-night, she came back and helped Rebecca get ready for bed. Then she tucked her in much as she had when she was a child.

  “It’s so good to be here and know Jenny is being taken care of, Mama. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. But truly, thank you for coming back to us and letting me enjoy being your mother and Jenny’s grandma. I can’t begin to tell you what joy you two have brought back into my life.” She kissed Rebecca on the cheek. “Good night, dear. I hope you rest easy.”

  “Good night, Mama. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, dear.”

  “And I love you both,” Jenny shouted from her room. “Night!”

  Both women chuckled as they assured the child they loved her, too. “She has ears like you, Rebecca,” her mother whispered.

  “It appears so,” Rebecca whispered back. “Something to keep in mind at all times.”

  Her mother nodded as she walked out the door.

  Rebecca settled down in bed and grinned as she heard Jenny’s gentle breathing from her room. She was already fast asleep.

  Rebecca whispered her prayers and closed her eyes, willing herself to go to sleep and quit wondering if Ben had really been disappointed that she’d decided to take supper in her room. And there was no denying that she hoped he had been.

  * * *

  The next morning, Maida brought breakfast up to her while her mother got Jenny dressed to go downstairs. Midmorning, she was back to help Rebecca get dressed and settled on the settee. Her ankle was black-and-blue but the pain had eased somewhat and she was determined to do what she could on her own.

  Her mother and Jenny joined her upstairs for lunch and then after they’d gone back down, Rebecca began using the crutches. She even managed to make it out into the hall by herself and then to the top of the stairs. But the thought of trying to make it down the stairs as she looked at the foyer below made her a bit queasy. Maybe not today.

  She hobbled back to her room and put her foot up while her thoughts returned to Ben and how much she’d come to respect and admire him. And how much her daughter cared for him.

  She hadn’t encouraged it, but neither had she done anything to keep Jenny from making him her hero. And was there any way to stop the feeling of a child longing for a father figure in her life? Especially for one who’d saved her from getting badly injured?

  Rebecca sighed. How did one stop thinking of a man as a hero when all he did was keep acting more heroic? How did one stop growing feelings for him when he not only ac
ted the hero but also treated her child as special as she did herself? Oh! Where did those thoughts come from? She had to stop thinking about Ben!

  Rebecca reached for her Bible on the table beside her and opened it. Her gaze fell on Psalm 22, verse 19: “But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.”

  Rebecca bowed her head. “Oh, Lord, please, help me. I’m afraid I could fall in love with Ben. And it will only lead to heartbreak for me and for Jenny. I must think of her more even than me. Please stop these growing feelings I’m having for Ben. He is such a good man, but he’d never want the likes of me. I know You’ve forgiven me, Lord. But I’m not sure any man could. And I don’t know what to do. Please help me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”

  Rebecca sighed and read a while longer. Centering her thoughts on the Bible and letting the Word comfort her gave her peace until she heard Jenny’s footsteps running up the stairs.

  Her daughter burst into the room, her face flushed and happy. She’d evidently been helping in the kitchen again for there was flour on her cheeks and all over the small apron her mother had found for her.

  Rebecca chuckled. “Oh, my, I think you must have had a great time. What did you make for dessert tonight?”

  “I can’t tell you. Granma said it’s a surprise.”

  “All right. I suppose we should start getting ready for dinner?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Rebecca’s mother and Maida came in then to help them do just that. “Ben will be up to help you downstairs, dear.”

  Rebecca only nodded. Hopefully tomorrow, she’d be able to put a bit of weight on her foot, but she had a feeling she wouldn’t be going to class that night. There were stairs there, too, and she could just imagine the ladies’ reaction to seeing Ben carrying her to class. No. She wouldn’t be going back to the Y until she could maneuver stairs by herself.

  But when the knock on her door came, she couldn’t stop the sudden jolt of her heart as her mother went to let Ben in. His smile sent her pulse racing and she tried to ignore it as she smiled back.

  This was Ben, a boarder in her mother’s home, a hero to her daughter and her teacher. He was a good man who helped others however he could and she needed to realize that right now he was only here to help her get down to dinner.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  “Yes, I—”

  He scooped her up before she could say anything more and she landed against his chest, her heart slamming against her ribs.

  “We’ll take your crutches, dear,” her mother said. “Come on Jenny.”

  Jenny followed her grandmother out of the room while Ben carried Rebecca across her room. “How was your day? You didn’t overdo things, did you?”

  “No. Actually I stayed in my room all day, but I did try to get a little better with my crutches.”

  “Hopefully, you won’t need them too much longer.” Ben strode through the doorway and to the landing, but he paused before heading down the stairs. “Put your arms around my neck so I don’t jostle you on the way down.”

  Rebecca did as he requested. Surprised at the pain under her arms, she let out a small moan.

  “What’s wrong?” The concern in his eyes warmed her heart.

  “I think the crutches have made my arms sore.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. They might be too tall for you. I’ll look at them and see if anything can be done to make them more comfortable.”

  “Don’t worry, Ben. Like you said, hopefully I won’t need them much longer.”

  Instead of putting her down once they got to the bottom of the stairs, Ben carried her into the dining room and set her in her chair, pushing it up to where she could eat comfortably.

  Her mother announced that dinner was ready and everyone hurried to take their seats, all asking how she felt or how her day had gone.

  It was good to be downstairs again. Even if she did miss the warmth of Ben’s arms.

  * * *

  Rebecca used her crutches to get into the parlor after dinner and Ben could tell they were too long. But they had no adjustment mechanism to them and the only way to shorten them was to saw them down.

  “I think there’s a saw in the storage room on the ground floor,” Rebecca’s mother said, sending both Ben and Matt on the hunt for it.

  She was right. There was a small saw there, and with Matt’s help he was able to trim down about an inch on each one. They hurried back up to see if it was enough and Rebecca’s smile was all he needed to know that it had at least helped.

  “Thank you! This is much better.” She hobbled around the room with them and to Ben’s thinking, she was handling them much easier than before.

  “I’m glad it worked.”

  “So am I. Maybe by tomorrow evening I’ll be getting around better. I hate to miss class and get behind.”

  Ben hated for her to have to. He’d gladly carry her to the trolley stops and up the stairs, but he knew letting him carry her downstairs and up here at Heaton House was about all she was willing to let him do. Besides, it would be a bit awkward to carry her into the classroom.

  “I hate for you to miss, too.” He liked her company going and coming from class. Liked getting to know her better. Had wondered if she might want to stop for hot chocolate again—if he got up enough nerve to ask her. He’d have to wait for another time. He could relieve her worry about getting behind, though. “How about I leave you the work you’d be doing in class, so you can keep up?”

  “Oh, thank you, Ben. That will help a lot.” The relief on her face was apparent.

  “Don’t worry about getting behind, I’ll make sure you don’t.”

  She seemed to relax after that and enjoy the company of the other boarders for a while.

  “Will you play some music for us, Miss Julia?” Jenny asked.

  “I’ll be delighted to.” Julia got up and went over to the piano and pulled out the bench. “Want to come sit by me?”

  “Oh, yes, thank you!” Jenny hurried over and took a seat beside her. “What are you going to play?”

  Ben sat down in the chair adjacent to the end of the sofa Rebecca was sitting on. He told himself it was just in case she needed him, but it was where he could have a clear view of her while she watched Jenny having such fun with Julia.

  That she loved her child was evident to anyone in the room. Whatever pain she might be dealing with seemed to be forgotten as her smile grew when Jenny began to sing along with everyone. Julia played several popular songs and Jenny proved to be a quick learner.

  “How do you know the words to those songs, Jenny?” Rebecca asked as she applauded her daughter.

  “Sometimes I hear everyone singing when I’m in bed, before I go to sleep,” Jenny said.

  “Well, you know some of them better than I do, I believe,” Rebecca said.

  Jenny’s smile had to warm her mother’s heart—it warmed Ben’s.

  “I like to sing, Mama.”

  “I’m glad. But it is getting late and I suppose we’d better go get you ready for bed.”

  “I’ll do it, dear. You know it’s my pleasure. Come on, Jenny, dear.”

  Rebecca seemed a bit disturbed as Jenny followed her mother out of the room. “Your mother is right, you know. It would be hard for you to get her ready for bed.”

  “I know. I just feel I’m shrugging my responsibility.”

  “Oh, Rebecca. Think of it as giving your mother a great deal of pleasure, instead. She’s been happier than any of us can remember since you and Jenny have come to live here.”

  “Ben is right, Rebecca,” Julia said. “Not that she ever wore her feelings on her sleeve and she always seemed to enjoy her boarders, but there was always something that seemed to be missing and now it isn’t. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

 
; “Thank you, Ben and Julia. It’s just that it’s only been the two of us for so long and I don’t want Jenny to think—”

  “Jenny knows you love her, Rebecca. But I do think she’s very glad to have more family around now.”

  “Yes, of course she is. I’m being silly. Thank you all for being so happy for us.”

  Gretchen came in with tea and coffee just then and talk turned to the upcoming housewarming party for John and Elizabeth. They’d found a place not far from Gramercy Park in a nice neighborhood.

  “Have any of you seen it?” Ben asked.

  “Not yet,” Julia answered. “Have you?”

  “I helped move some of their things over. It’s very nice, although they aren’t in the neighborhood Elizabeth’s father would have preferred. But she and John are determined to live pretty much like they’ve been living here. Elizabeth has never had any desire to live life as her wealth would allow and John says he wouldn’t know how.”

  Everyone chuckled. “Neither would we,” Millicent said.

  “I’m sure it’s nice to know you could, though, if you wanted to,” Julia commented.

  “Perhaps. But then having a lot of money can bring its own set of problems. Glad I don’t have to worry about that,” Matt said.

  “Living here feels like I’m wealthy, after living in the tenements.” Rebecca released a sigh. “I don’t think I appreciated my upbringing until I moved away. I—”

  She suddenly stopped midsentence and Ben wondered what she’d been about to say. She gave a slight shake of her head and he felt sure she wasn’t going to continue.

  He quickly filled the gap in conversation. “Well, on a teacher’s salary, having too much wealth is something I certainly will never have to worry about.”

  “I don’t think that’s anything any of us will have to worry about,” Millicent said.

  “Or lose any sleep over,” Julia said. “I think I’ll call it a night.”

  “Yes, I’d better get up there and see how Mama and Jenny are doing.” She got up with the help of her crutches and began to walk toward the doorway.