“That’s messy,” Rachel said, her mouth twisting in a grimace.
“Doctor’s orders,” he said smugly.
Rachel chuckled. “Popcorn?”
“But I like it,” he added.
“I didn’t realize I was taking two kids to the theater,” Rachel murmured as they walked into the old-fashioned movie theater.
A grand staircase on each side curved up and around to what was now a second theater but had originally been the balcony. The chandeliers that were anchored from the ceiling had been there when she was a little girl. The red carpet under her feet was threadbare but still the original. However, the walls had changed. Gone was the dark paneling and in its place was light wallpaper. The concession area had changed, and the theater had video games in the lobby.
She grabbed her daughter’s hand when Lindsay headed toward one. “No, honey.”
Morgan bought popcorn, drinks and a special kid’s pack for Lindsay, and they all went in and sat down.
Lindsay crawled into the end chair—why did children always want the end?—forcing Rachel to step over her to sit down. Morgan moved in and sat next to Rachel. “I’ve heard this movie is really good. Better than the last few.”
“Since we haven’t seen the last few, I wouldn’t know— You go to children’s movies?”
Morgan chuckled. The lights were low, which made it feel that much more intimate as his deep laughter wrapped its way around her senses. “You’ve found out my secret,” he whispered. “I’m addicted to G-rated movies.”
She giggled. “Are you sure you’re a grownup? Or did a little boy get deposited in that body of yours?”
“Guilty as charged, ma’am.”
Lindsay bounced and pointed as the previews came on. Rachel settled back to watch the movie. Morgan offered her some popcorn, and she found herself accepting. In moments the movie started, and they were engrossed. It wasn’t ten minutes into the movie, though, that Lindsay gave up her popcorn and drink to crawl in her mom’s lap.
Lindsay thoroughly enjoyed the movie, pointing, laughing, and squealing as the hero ended up totally soaked, among other things. Rachel enjoyed watching her daughter.
She hadn’t seen Lindsay delight in anything so much in a long time. Before she wanted it to end, the movie was over. Lindsay was exhausted. And everyone was rushing out to their cars. Rachel and Morgan waited for the crowd to thin. “You want me to carry her?” Morgan asked as they stood.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re stubborn,” he replied, and lifted the tired child from Rachel’s arms. “She’s been on your lap over an hour and a half. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“She enjoyed it,” Rachel said, not minding that he had taken the burden of Lindsay. At three years old, she was getting heavy.
“So did I,” Morgan murmured.
“So did I,” Rachel agreed.
“Are you glad you came?” Morgan asked, holding the door open and letting Rachel slip under his arm and out of the theater.
Smiling at him, she said, “Yes. Very much. I don’t know when I got so overburdened that I forgot how much my daughter needed to get out occasionally.”
“Single parenting is hard, Rachel.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” she muttered as she opened her car door and unlocked Lindsay’s door. Morgan set Lindsay into the seat and buckled the belt. He closed the door and held Rachel’s door until she was seated.
Then he walked around and slipped into the passenger’s seat. “Don’t blame yourself,” he began after she started the car and headed down the street. “It’s just one of those things. You’ve noted it, now just work to change it.”
“But how? Sometimes I think… I just feel I’m going to faint instead of winning the race of getting her to adulthood.” She sighed in dismay. She hadn’t meant to tell him that. She had to learn not to let things slip like that. All he needed was to hear something stupid and he’d be telling her to put Lindsay in a home immediately.
“I’m not the enemy, Rachel. Believe it or not, I do understand. Sometimes when life is overwhelming you, you feel like a grain of sand in a sandstorm. But we tend to forget what we can’t see. God. God is there, on our side, holding our hand. He’s not going to let us slip. He’ll see us through.”
“I don’t know about that. I don’t really know—” She broke off and shook her head, refusing to tell him her confusion and worry about God.
“Another thing you might consider, Rachel. Most mothers of handicapped children don’t take enough time for themselves to relax and get rid of the extra stress raising a challenged child brings. You might want to consider that in the equation, as well.”
“I don’t have time.”
“You didn’t,” Morgan gently corrected. “You’re here in Fairweather now. Take time to relax. Schedule it into your week. On this day I will relax. Make yourself plan something—even if it’s just staying around the house in the backyard. Play cards with your mom or get away if the stress is too much.”
“I’ve read the statistics about challenged children and their parents, Doctor. I know all about stress. I know all about the strain of single parenting and the need to spend time with my child and read to her. Shall I go on?”
Morgan chuckled. “Doctor mode again?”
Grinning, she nodded. “Doctor mode.”
“I offer my most humble apologies, fair lady.”
She giggled. “Do you treat your patients this way?”
Morgan leaned back in his seat, enjoying the way Rachel’s face glowed when she laughed. Her blue eyes sparkled, and her smile stretched. Her head tilted just so as her hair moved around her face. She was beautiful. And in his heart, he knew she was the woman who was his destiny. Thank you, Father, he silently acknowledged. But what about my past? A small cloud of worry fogged his good mood. That was something he didn’t want to think about, let alone discuss.
“Morgan?”
“Huh? Oh. Well, the little girls certainly like my fair-maiden line. The teenage girls, too, for that matter. I don’t think the boys would appreciate being called fair lady, though. Gallant knight, brave solider, maybe, but not fair lady.”
Laughter rang out in the car as she turned onto her street. The pleasure was easygoing and companionable until she pulled into the driveway. Morgan opened her door, and Rachel slid out and retrieved her sleeping daughter.
She paused, grinning. “Thank you so much for taking Lindsay to the movie. She really enjoyed herself. Would you like to come in before you go?”
He opened his mouth to answer when two teenage girls skating by, knee pads and safety helmets on, burst into giggles.
“Dr. Morgan’s on a date! Ooh, Dr. Morgan has a girlfriend!”
“I know you, Tabitha!” Morgan called, and waved a warning finger at her and the other girl.
He turned back, and that’s when he knew there was a problem. Rachel looked pale as a ghost. He looked from her to the girls and back. Understanding dawned. The thought of their time together being called a date, the fact that she had been referred to as his girlfriend, terrified her.
“It wasn’t a date,” she whispered.
He touched her hand, wrapped around Lindsay’s back. “Of course it wasn’t. Well, maybe with Lindsay,” he joked, trying to ease her dismay.
“The whole town is going to be saying we’re dating.”
“Oh, I doubt that. Tabitha isn’t a gossip. She just enjoys giggling and being silly like all teenagers. Besides, how many teenagers talk to their parents? Furthermore, if you’re worried about that, you shouldn’t have gone into a dark theater with me,” he teased, grinning.
Rachel moaned.
“Come on, Rachel. It’s okay. It doesn’t matter what others think. Let’s just relax and give it time and have fun with Lindsay. Remember, that was what we went for, so she could have fun.”
Rachel slowly relaxed. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” She looked at Morgan and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Morg
an. I just have no desire to marry or date or anything like that,” she added too hastily, tipping Morgan that marriage was a word she didn’t like at all. “I mean, I just got back to town, for Pete’s sake. I have a daughter, a new job and I’m trying to get on my feet! I’m still hurting from the betrayals Jim tossed out, and that Lindsay no longer has a father. I’m just not ready for anything like that.”
“And since you know that and I know that, let’s just enjoy the time we have with Lindsay, okay?”
Rachel nodded. “Yes. That sounds great.”
“Speaking of which,” he said as he escorted her to the door, “has Lindsay ever been fishing?”
“Fishing?”
Morgan grinned a boyish grin that almost certainly boded ill for her.
Chapter Seven
Later that evening, Rachel came out of Lindsay’s bedroom, stretching tiredly.
“So, how was the movie, honey?” Betty asked, sitting on a sofa in the living room with a hot cup of tea.
Rachel picked up the toys her daughter had scattered as she replied, “I enjoyed it. Lindsay enjoyed it. We had a good time. It was a long day, though.”
“Leave those for later. Let’s talk. I rarely get much time with you.”
Rachel took the toys she had gathered and dropped them in a basket in the corner. She then collapsed on the sofa and stretched out her legs. “I’m exhausted.”
“Lindsay is asleep, then?”
“Finally. She really enjoyed herself. I feel bad that I haven’t taken her out more often.”
“Oh, please, how frequently did you get to go as a child? Lindsay isn’t spoiled. I agree the two of you need more free time, but don’t beat yourself over it, darling.”
Rachel grinned. “You sound like Morgan. He encouraged me to take more time off but not necessarily at the movies. He suggested that just going out in the backyard was fine.”
“He’s a smart man.”
“And a doctor,” Rachel added.
“Imagine that,” Betty said. “How long have I known him now, and he’s a doctor.”
“Why’d you do it, Mom? Why’d you go behind my back and invite him over?” Rachel hadn’t been able to ask her mom. Her mother had been too busy clucking over her in worry. And they hadn’t had any real time to sit down together since.
“Because I was worried for you.”
“Me?” That surprised Rachel.
“Yes, you. You are so steeped in hurt and anger over what that ex-husband of yours did. Honey, I wanted a doctor just to look at her, to be able to say, ‘no, Rachel, this problem isn’t your fault, your marriage falling apart wasn’t your fault,’ and if there is hope, to say, ‘let me look at her and see if there is something we can do’.”
“I don’t want any doctors examining her,” Rachel said firmly.
“Morgan is different. Has he once treated Lindsay as anything other than a three-year-old child? Has he ever said he believed in putting children in homes? Getting rid of them?”
“No.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure there are instances, when a child is severely handicapped, the mother must make that decision. Did you know your great-uncle Mitchell was in a home like that? It was a Christian organization, and they treated him well. He died when I was eleven.”
“You never told me that, Mom.”
“I don’t know why. Anyway, though, you know Morgan wouldn’t do that. He’s not like that idiot doctor that you had back in the city.”
“I just don’t want her being poked at.”
“Think about it, Rachel. I’m not asking you to right now. You have to know the doctor and believe in him before you go. Speaking of which, how is your head? Is the lump finally gone?”
“Yeah, I can even comb my hair without wincing.”
“Good.”
“Have they fixed that hole in the ceiling yet?”
Betty chuckled. “No. And do you know what? We found out today the office ceiling was only a minor problem. I went into the day care, and evidently the water had been running and rotted out two of our major storage areas. It doesn’t rain but it pours. Land sakes, the mess. Ben is going to have someone out tomorrow to check on those closets and see about fixing them. Ben’s entire time here seems like it has been plagued with problems. Poor boy. He’s such a nice man to have all of this happening to him. Morgan is a nice man too, for that matter.”
“How long has Morgan been here?”
“Not very long. I think he has ghosts, though, Rachel. When he first got here there was a look in his eyes. And he was lonely.”
“I saw that look today,” Rachel said absently.
“Really?” Betty looked at her daughter, surprised. Betty pulled the small coverlet off the back of the couch, wrapped her flannel-clad legs in it and waited for her daughter to elaborate.
“We were talking about him losing someone.”
“He told you he’d lost someone?” her mother asked.
“No, I asked him about something he said, and that look crossed his face.”
Rachel remembered the haunted look and sighed. “He acts like he really understands Lindsay, Mom. Like he feels her pain, her problem and my pain. It’s a little eerie.”
“Perhaps God put him in your path for a reason, dear.” Shifting, she took a sip of her tea. “Maybe he does understand more than we realize. God has a way of working things out, you know.”
“I’m just not sure. I want to believe, Mom, but I just don’t know if I can. Too much has happened, too many things. How can I believe God really takes an interest in me, in Lindsay when he allowed her to be born with a problem that eventually made her father leave her, a problem that it’s possible I caused her while she was in me? Why would God allow that?”
“You can’t blame God for Lindsay’s hearing problem, Rachel. Besides, God can always heal her. If he chooses not to, then perhaps there’s a reason. You never know whom Lindsay might minister to. I know it’s hard, honey.”
Betty leaned forward and touched her hand. Rachel took her hand and held it. There was pain in her mother’s eyes as she said, “It’s really hard to understand when you lose someone and don’t understand why. I loved your father dearly. I have no idea why God took him when he did. However, it’s something I have to accept and then go on. Trust God with your life, Rachel. Let go of the fear and pain, honey.”
Rachel struggled with tears. “I’m trying, Mom. I really am.”
Her mother smiled at her. “That’s all I can ask of my baby. Now, give me a hug and go get in bed. You’re exhausted and need sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Rachel stood and gave her mother a hug. “You know, Mom, I really love you.”
“I know, honey, and I love you. But I never get tired of hearing it.” Hugging her daughter tight, Betty gave her a kiss and then shooed her off to bed.
When she was gone, Betty looked up at the ceiling. “She’s in your hands, Father. The hardest thing is learning to just accept. I’m trusting You to teach her that lesson.”
Returning her attention to the living room, she picked up her book and began to read.
Chapter Eight
“This water is absolutely freezing!”
Morgan chuckled. “Nah, it’s brisk. Don’t you like it?”
Rachel laughed and shook her head. “My piggy toes are going to fall off.”
Lindsay laughed and splashed her bare feet in the water. “Iggy ohs iddy ohs.”
“She’s really good at imitating what you say. Just how much does she hear?” Morgan asked, and sat on the ground near Lindsay and helped her adjust her miniature pole before tossing his line into the water.
Rachel shrugged, sat and picked up her pole. “I’m not sure. She picks up a lot, though. She has trouble with the beginnings and endings. Diphthongs, things like that.”
Morgan nodded. “She’s a very smart little girl.”
“You don’t have to tell me. Did you hear what she did to Jeremy yesterday?”
“
Well, let’s see, I didn’t treat him for a marble up his nose, nor did I treat him for a black eye. What else could it be?”
“It was actually awful. I shouldn’t laugh. But my mom said I did the same thing to my brother.”
“Uh-oh. In the genes, is it?”
“I guess. She played barber with him and cut his bangs.”
Morgan chuckled. “Did you do that, Lindsay?” he asked the little girl.
She frowned. “Bad.” Spanking her hand, she continued. “Maauu spaen me.”
“Spanked? Hey, I only patted your hands for sneaking the scissors out of the teacher’s desk,” Rachel argued, grinning at her daughter.
Lindsay went back to fishing.
“And yet you did it, too?” Morgan prompted.
Rachel giggled. “I got more than a tap on the fingers, Morgan. Mom said Dad made me go sit and watch my brother get his hair cut and then I had to get my own cut. By the time they were done shaving his hair off—I’d cut it right in the middle on the top—I’d promised never to cut his hair again. I was terrified that they were going to give me the same haircut. I would have much rather had a spanking, I’m sure.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” he agreed, chuckling. “Oh, look! Look, Lindsay. You have a fish.”
“Oh!” Rachel jumped up and helped her daughter bring it in. Lindsay was so excited she did more harm than good. Morgan wondered how in the world the two didn’t lose the fish as they jumped and bounced around while trying to pull it in.
Lindsay squealed with absolute delight when the floppy silver fish hit the sand. “Lemee hol id.” She held her hands up to take it. “Oooh boo ee ul…”
Lindsay held it close, touching the pretty colors on its side before wrinkling her nose. “Eeeuwww.”
Walking carefully to Morgan, she held it out. “Mine.”
“That word certainly came out clearly,” Morgan said. Grinning at Lindsay, he nodded. “Yours.”
“I think she learned that at the day care. I hadn’t heard it before that.” Rachel set her fishing pole to one side and joined them, admiring the fish with her daughter.
What The Doctor Ordered Page 5