by Tara Randel
“I’ll take it.” Zoe pressed the blinking button. “Zoe Simmons. How may I help you?”
“Mrs. Simmons, I’m Major Evans with the US Army. I’m actually trying to contact your husband, Mitch. Would you please pass on his current contact information to me?”
Uneasiness shivered over her like ghostly fingers. “May I ask what this is about?”
“I’m afraid I can only discuss it with your husband. It is important I find him.”
Zoe didn’t have much interaction with the military, her only example being Mitch’s father, which didn’t help her much. But she’d dealt with enough constituents to recognize the steel in the man’s voice. If he didn’t want to tell her what the call was about, he wouldn’t. Even if she pressured him or refused to cooperate, he’d find another way to locate Mitch. She was usually good at getting what she wanted, when it came to the town. This was about her husband.
“Are you sure I can’t help you?”
“Positive.”
At least she had this man’s name, phone number and the knowledge he was looking for Mitch, just in case of what, she wasn’t sure. She rattled off Wyatt’s address and cell phone number.
“I must warn you, Major. My husband is under the weather today so I can’t guarantee he’ll speak to you.”
“I’ll take care of it,” he assured her.
He signed off, leaving her with questions. Was Mitch in trouble? Was this about the accident? With her 10:00 a.m. meeting looming, she put the questions on hold and spent a heated hour with the zoning committee trying to agree on the new restoration of an old building down by the marina verses just razing it. The motion ended up being tabled until another time. Government bureaucracy at its best.
She worked through lunch and was just getting ready to read an updated city financial report when her intercom buzzed again.
“Yes?”
“It’s your mother. Sounds important.”
Samantha had Leo all day today. He’d been sleepy and unusually fussy when she’d left, which was odd since he’d just woken up, but her mother had assured her she’d keep an eye on him.
She pressed the console button. “Mom?”
“Zoe, Leo is burning up. I called the pediatrician and he said to bring him right over.”
“Why didn’t you call me sooner?”
“I thought he’d be fine. I’m sorry. I’m getting him into his car seat as we speak.”
Zoe had risen and was searching for her purse. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Should I call Bob? Arrange a police escort?”
Her mother’s outrageous question stopped Zoe for a second. “No. Just go. Drive carefully,” she nearly shouted as an afterthought.
Ten minutes later she pulled up to the pediatrician’s building. Her mother had arrived already because she could hear Leo crying from the other side of the parking lot. Running, she passed the chief—had her mother really called him?—to snatch up her baby. Leo calmed for a moment when Zoe held him, then he tugged on his ear and let out a loud wail. She ran inside, leaving her mom and the chief behind, hurrying to the doctor’s office.
She was told to take a seat, even though Leo was having none of it. She cooed, paced, sang a song and finally rocked him to a drowsy state, to only then be called back to a cold examining room to have the fussing start all over again. He refused to let the nurse take his temperature, even though Zoe could tell by his heated skin that it must be high. When the doctor came in, Leo took one look at the man and howled. Thankfully, the doctor’s ease with crabby children and frazzled parents had mother and son calm in minutes.
“It’s an ear infection,” Dr. Birney diagnosed. “Let’s start him on an antibiotic here and I’ll give you a prescription for home.”
“This isn’t the first time we’ve been here for the same problem. Why does he keep getting infections?” she asked.
“Chronic earaches come from a buildup of fluid. Because Leo seems to be in here more often than I’d like, I’m thinking the buildup initially doesn’t bother him until it gets painful. His fever seemed high today, not the usual low-grade we expect under the circumstances. We may have to consider putting tubes in his ears until he grows out of this stage. We don’t want the fluid to cause any future hearing problems.”
“Future hearing problems?” Her chest grew painfully tight. “No, I don’t want that.”
“Let’s get him feeling better and then discuss the options.”
“But shouldn’t we—”
“Not today, Zoe. Let’s get his fever down and go from there.”
The doctor typed into the computer while Zoe rocked Leo, blinking back tears. At least the emergency hadn’t been more dire. Ear infections, they could handle. The nurse came in with a small cup filled with bubblegum-pink liquid and had Leo swallowing it before he knew what had happened. He puckered up his face, fisted his hands, then sagged against Zoe, finally out of steam.
“He’ll feel better soon,” the nurse assured Zoe.
“The prescriptions will be up front,” the doctor said as he moved away from the keyboard. “I’ll see him in a few days.”
She nodded. “Thanks, Doctor.”
He opened the door, only to have Mitch come barreling in at the same time, his face pale and drawn.
“Is Leo okay?”
The doctor stopped his forward momentum. “He’ll be fine.” He held out his hand. “Mitch? I’m Dr. Birney. Heard a lot about you.”
“Great. Um, and Leo?”
“Just telling your wife he’ll be fine. I’ll give you a few minutes to get the little guy ready to go home.”
The doctor closed the door behind him. Mitch hurried over, taking Leo’s small hand in his. “What happened?”
“Ear infection.” She glanced at him. “I’m so sorry I didn’t have a chance to contact you. My mother called me at work and I raced over. How did you find out?”
“The chief. He came by Wyatt’s to give me a lift over.”
“Please don’t tell me he turned on the emergency lights when he drove you here.”
Mitch shook his head. “What? No.”
Leo’s heavy lids drooped until he totally nodded off.
“Tough visit?” Mitch asked in a low tone.
“Always scary when he’s crying and I’m trying to soothe him.”
She held Leo out for Mitch to take him. “Let’s check out and go home.”
Leading the way, Zoe took care of the insurance information, collected the paper prescriptions and made another appointment. Leo slept the entire drive home and hadn’t moved when Mitch carried him inside and placed him in his crib.
“He’s so still.”
“The screaming wore him out.”
Mitch jerked his head to look at Zoe.
“Okay, it wasn’t that bad, but he must have been fighting the infection for a few days.”
“You didn’t notice?”
Her spine straightened at his accusation. “He wasn’t acting sick until today. I hadn’t a clue until Mom called me.”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to imply you weren’t paying attention. Seeing him in the exam room took me aback.”
“I get it. First baby sickness for you.”
“Yeah. I don’t like it.”
Zoe rested her head on his shoulder. “Never gets easy.”
They stood staring at their son in the quiet room. The adrenaline started to wear off and Zoe’s muscles went limp, but she shook off the effects. “I need to get Leo’s prescriptions.”
“Go ahead. I’ll stay here.”
She ran the errand, stopping for takeout along the way. When she got home, she went to her room and changed into shorts and a T-shirt. Poked her head in Leo’s room to find Mitch in the same position she’d left him in, leaning over the crib. She then went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Leo may
be resting now, but she knew from experience he’d be fussy after a few hours of sleep.
Minutes later, Mitch joined her. “He’s still sleeping.”
“It’s good for him.” She took in his worried gaze. “We need to recharge our batteries while he’s resting. We may be in for a long night.” She held up a bag of burgers. “Best I could do last minute.”
He took a seat and they divvied up the food.
Zoe unwrapped her burger, releasing the succulent scent. “In all the excitement, I didn’t ask, how are you feeling?”
“The headache was easing off when Bob came by.” He rubbed his temple. “Came back with a vengeance once I saw Leo.”
“Stress triggers the pain?”
“Seems that way.”
“Do you need to take anything?”
“My meds are at Wyatt’s and besides, I don’t want anything putting me to sleep. Not until Leo is better.”
Zoe took a bite of the burger and regarded Mitch. He was pale, like he’d been when he’d first come home. It bothered her, especially when he’d been full of life just a few days before at the beach.
“Sure you can handle this?”
“He’s my son, Zoe.”
“I just don’t want you making yourself sick, too.”
He lowered the burger he’d been about to bite into. “I’m not the sick one. But I’d give anything to change places with him so he didn’t have to suffer.”
“Spoken like a true parent.”
As much as she wanted to, she decided not to pester him about his role as a parent or patient. To make sure she didn’t slip, she sipped her iced tea.
“You told Leo’s doctor about me?” Mitch asked, breaking the silence.
“I had to. For the medical history and all.”
His lip quirked in the corner. “It wasn’t because you missed me?”
“No. Now that we all know you’re just fine.” She shifted in her seat. “We do have something to discuss.”
One brow rose.
“The doctor suggested inserting tubes in Leo’s ears. To keep him from getting so many infections.”
“It’s that bad?”
“Frequent.” She went on to explain the problem and how to solve it. “We need to decide. Together.”
He nodded. “It is for his benefit?”
“I’ve done the research. Yes.”
Reaching out, he placed his hand over hers. “Then we should have it done.”
Zoe let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. We. One simple word that removed the weight she’d had to carry on her shoulders alone since the day Leo was born. “Okay. We’ll get the details at the next doctor’s visit.”
He tilted his head toward the living room. “Mind if I camp out on the couch tonight?”
There was no way she was sending him away. Even less of a chance of him leaving.
“I suggest you get some sleep before Leo’s next dose of meds. He’ll let us know when it’s time.”
“Thanks, Zoe.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Anytime, Mitch.”
* * *
IN A MATTER of a few days, Leo was pretty much back to his usual self. It still amazed Mitch how quickly kids got back on their feet. Leo’s goofy grin and cool skin went a long way in easing Mitch’s headache. Enough to reschedule the photo shoot at Horseshoe Beach to this muggy Thursday afternoon.
While Leo had been sick, Jack Parsons called to inform Mitch he had a conflict in his schedule and wouldn’t be near Cypress Pointe until the following month. So worried about Leo, Mitch had told him they’d catch up later, his only concern at that moment being the welfare of his son.
Now, standing on the beach, the sun high, the temperature balmy, a sense of foreboding swamped him. Getting answers to his past had moved to the top of his list in importance. After Leo’s medical scare, it became crystal clear that he needed a clean slate before he could ever be a family man. Needed to know what went down that day before pledging his life to his wife and son, because the more he remembered, the more he realized the accident overseas wasn’t random. No, it had been thought out and executed in a way he’d only seen the military pull off. Which created a whole different level of anxiety.
“Hey, what about the rise over here with the cluster of sea oats?” Zoe called out from a few feet away. Her dark hair lifted in the breeze, along with the scent of vanilla she favored. She tucked the lose strands behind her ear, her face in profile, taking his breath away.
Spending the last few days nursing their son back to health had been huge. He’d watched Zoe, in awe of her abilities. She’d been born to take care of others, a point of contention between them just a few years ago, but seeing her soothe their son was like nothing they’d ever shared before. When she’d had to run into the office, she’d left Mitch alone with Leo, sure now that he could handle any calamity thrown at him without worry or needing to call in reinforcements. Her trust went a long way in easing his concerns. They’d weathered this emergency together, bonding them like nothing in their marriage had done before.
Once Leo was on the road to recovery, Zoe had agreed to accompany him to Horseshoe Beach for his location shoot.
“You’re sure, being the busy mayor and all?” he’d asked. “You don’t like leaving Cypress Pointe.”
She’d smiled gently at him. “You canceled everything to help take care of Leo. I can repay the favor by going to the beach with you.” Her eyes went dark. “I need to do this, Mitch.”
Her answer was far from simple, so he hadn’t argued, happy to have her along.
Gazing at her as she trudged through the sand, dressed in a yellow T-shirt and denim shorts, he had to admit, the spot she’d selected was a good place to start.
“Good eye,” he told her.
“Between you and my mother, I’ve picked up a few artistic abilities of my own.”
He handed her his gear bag after removing the camera. “Mind holding on to this?”
She looped the strap over her shoulder. “It’s what an assistant does, right?”
“Not sure. I’ve always handled photo shoots on my own.”
“Guess there’s a first time for everything.”
“For you, too,” he said, changing out the lens. “You’re usually in control.”
She shrugged. “Which gets old after a while.”
He tried not to gape at her.
“What?”
“You love being in control.”
“Do I?”
He frowned. “I thought you did.”
“Me, too, but expectations have gotten a bit blurry lately.” She waved off her explanation. “Today, I’m going to enjoy being the assistant and let you call the shots.”
“Okay, then. Let’s do this.”
He spent the next hour taking photos from different perspectives. Different angles. The small inlet, shaped like a horseshoe, created a myriad of artistic choices. Taking Zoe’s suggestions on what might be interesting, it occurred to him that this was the most fun he’d had on a job in a long time.
A family passed by, laughing and darting about on the sand, father and son racing each other for lengths at a time. Could this be what it would be like when Leo got older? Spending the day together, playing with his son? Not off to parts unknown, taking pictures of other people’s children?
His best work had always been taking candid shots of people from all walks of life in different situations, whether playing in a park or surviving in a war zone. Mitch possessed the uncanny ability of revealing the depth of the human spirit. While it had filled his soul before, now Zoe and Leo filled that space.
“Come on,” Mitch said once the family splashed into the water. Back to work. “I want to get a few shots of the abandoned snack shack now that the shadows are getting longer,” he said, pointing to
the old structure.
Zoe hooked her arm through his as they strolled toward the old shack. Once, Horseshoe Beach had been a local hot spot. But the surrounding town had fallen on hard times and tourists now made arrangements to visit thriving beach towns, like Cypress Pointe. They were silent for a while before Zoe said, “I saw you people watching.”
“And?”
“People are the most powerful forces in your pictures.”
He’d learned that back in the beginning. With the click of his lens, he could forever capture the range of human emotion, from tragedy to joy. The more intrigued he was, the more powerful his images became.
“I’m surprised one of the big magazines hasn’t called to offer you an assignment.”
“Who says they haven’t?”
Zoe shielded her eyes against the sun with her hand. “You didn’t say anything.”
“That’s because I turned them down.”
“Why?”
“Life has been much more interesting in Cypress Pointe. I also need more time to heal if I’m going to take a big job seriously.”
“Then why take this local job?”
He couldn’t explain, just knew he wasn’t ready to go back to that world, so he’d kept a low profile. “This suits me right now.”
“Do you miss it? Taking photographs around the world?”
A loaded question due to their past. “Not as much as I would have thought.”
He hadn’t dwelled on it much, busy now with the studio sittings and other scheduled events. Lately, whenever he thought about it, he didn’t miss the challenge of chronicling a global event. Yes, the people had always intrigued him, but the traveling had just been a way to keep running from their marital problems. Since coming home to his wife and son, traveling didn’t appeal. But the people still did. Putting the focus on people as subjects enabled him to catch lasting moments in time. And he could do that here in Cypress Pointe and the surrounding areas just as well as any place else in the world.
“I enjoy the studio,” he confessed. “I thought I would hate being cooped up in a small space, but I was wrong. There are plenty of characters to keep me interested. I’m never bored.”
“But?”
“There are no buts. I like photographing weddings and families.” He gave her a sideways glance. “Like hanging out with my wife.”