by Arlene James
“The judge signed an order this morning instructing Pamela to take Tammy to an independent doctor for counseling.”
Merrily felt Royce sag against her. “That’s good, isn’t it?” she asked quickly.
“That’s excellent,” Royce said, squeezing her. “How did you finally manage it?” he asked Dale.
“The nanny. She began changing her tune when she saw Pamela slap Tammy, but she really started singing when Pamela threatened her.”
Royce sat up straighter. “Threatened her how?”
Dale shrugged. “Said she’d see to it the woman never worked again, that she was going to tell everyone the woman was a lousy nanny. About what you’d expect from Pamela.”
“But nothing physical,” Merrily clarified.
“Not overtly, no,” Dale said, “but after talking to the judge again, the nanny wisely followed my suggestion and took a job out of state.”
“But you don’t really think Pamela would physically attack the nanny,” Merrily said.
Dale just looked pointedly at Royce then back to Merrily, as if to say, “Isn’t it obvious?”
Royce abruptly asked, “When can Tammy see the doctor?”
Dale reached inside his suit coat and removed a folded sheet of paper. “As soon as you pick one from this list that the court gave me and we can get an appointment.” He unfolded the sheet and slid it across the table to Royce, adding, “I’ve added stars by the names of those I was able to get recommendations on and crossed off a couple I’ve been told don’t handle children very well.”
Royce studied the list. Merrily did, too, and recognized several names on it. One in particular stood out, though, and she put her finger on it. “This woman is an excellent doctor and one of only two actual psychiatrists on the list.”
“You know her?” Royce asked, looking up.
Merrily nodded. “She’s a medical doctor specializing in pediatric psychiatry. I’ve tended several of her patients. One of them was the only survivor of an automobile accident that killed both of his parents. When I met him, he was an eleven-year-old who had tried to commit suicide by throwing himself in front of a moving car. He threw feces at me the first time I tried to check his bandages. Dr. Denelo completely turned that kid around. He’s been adopted, and I understand he’s an honor student. Dr. Denelo carries a photo of him, along with those of many other patients, and she updates me on him every time I see her. She’s very highly thought of.”
“I’m sold,” Royce said, pushing the paper back to Dale.
“I’ll make the appointment,” Dale affirmed.
“Tell Dr. Denelo I said hello, will you?” Merrily added. “It might speed things up a bit.”
“Can’t hurt,” Dale agreed.
Royce squeezed her again and looked up. “Thanks, angel. I appreciate your input.”
“I’m just glad I could be of some help in this.”
Dale refolded the paper and stashed it back where he’d gotten it, shaking his head at Royce, “Looks like your luck has turned in a big way, pal of mine.”
“It’s about flipping time, if you ask me.”
“Here, here. Well, I have to get back to the office.” Dale rose to his feet and stepped away from the chair. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Our pleasure,” Royce said as Dale pushed the chair under the table.
“Absolutely,” Merrily agreed, adding, “I’ll have to see you out and lock the door behind you.”
“Well, have it, then,” Dale teased, walking around the table and offering her his arm.
“Hey, now, no funny stuff,” Royce warned.
“As if,” Dale retorted.
“As if you thought you could get away with it,” Royce returned.
“Maybe I could,” Dale suggested, waggling an eyebrow at Merrily.
“Hmm,” Merrily mused, looking him up and down with squinted eyes. “Maybe a dye job and a little plastic surgery. No, make that a lot of plastic surgery.”
“Hey!”
Royce roared with laughter. Dale pretended hurt feelings, sticking out his bottom lip. Merrily just grinned, grabbed his arm and set off, dragging him along with her.
“You sure know how to burst a boy’s bubble,” Dale grumbled good-naturedly.
“You’ll get over it,” she said dryly.
“I might,” he told her, dropping his voice, “since it’s so obvious how you feel about him.”
“I’m wild about him,” Merrily admitted softly, “absolutely wild.”
“Like I said, the man’s luck has obviously turned.”
“I hope so,” Merrily replied with heartfelt sincerity.
“So do I,” Dale admitted.
They came to a halt in front of the door, and Merrily let go of his arm, saying, “I’m glad to know that. I could never forgive myself if I came between the two of you.”
“No harm of that,” Dale told her with a crooked smile, “since you so obviously prefer him.”
“You’re number two on my list,” she offered in consolation.
“Yeah, well, I have a feeling that number two is way behind number one.”
Merrily tilted her head apologetically and said softly, “I love him.”
Dale reached out and briefly squeezed her hand. “I know.”
Merrily bit her lip. “Do you think he does?”
Dale lifted an eyebrow. “You haven’t told him?”
She shook her head. “Not flat-out.”
“Why not?”
She shrugged and looked away. “The time just hasn’t seemed right. He has so much on his mind.”
Dale inhaled deeply through his nose. “I take it he hasn’t expressed his feelings, either?”
“Not exactly.”
“Well, as you pointed out, he has had a lot on his plate.”
Nodding, she punched the appropriate code into the keypad mounted on the wall behind the door, then flipped the lock and pulled the door open. “He’ll tell me,” she stated firmly, “when the time is right.”
“My thought exactly,” Dale agreed, starting through the door, but then he paused. “By the way, you shouldn’t take the risks lightly. Believe me, when Pamela gets wind of this new court order, she’s going to go over the edge, so keep that alarm armed. Hear me?”
Merrily nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him.”
“And yourself.”
Merrily made a face. “She’s not going to come after me, no matter what Royce says. She doesn’t even know we’re together now.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure of that. The pair of you send out pretty strong vibes. Besides, if you stay together, she’s bound to catch on eventually.”
Merrily lifted her chin. “I don’t intend to go anywhere. Oh, Royce thinks it’s too dangerous for us to be together after he’s well, but I don’t believe that, and even if I did, I still wouldn’t leave him.”
Dale smiled and winked. “My money’s on you this time, kid.”
Merrily laughed. “Never let it be said that you’re a slow learner.”
“Amen.”
“It’s going to work out,” she said fervently, “because he loves me, too. I know it.”
“He’d be a fool not to,” Dale told her. Then he chucked her under the chin and walked away.
Merrily closed the door, locked it, and rearmed the alarm. No matter what happened she was staying put right where she was. The only thing that could move her now was Royce convincing her that he didn’t love her, and she couldn’t believe that would ever happen. Royce couldn’t touch her as he did, make every night an intimate adventure beyond her wildest dreams, if he didn’t really, deeply love her. Could he?
“So how’s it going with the new doctor, sweetie?” Royce asked his daughter. Cory, as usual, sprawled in his lap. The boy must’ve grown an inch and gained ten pounds since the last time he’d seen him. Seated on the couch opposite the recliner, Tammy shrugged, folded her arms and looked away.
He had been greatly relieved and very pleased when he�
�d learned from Dale that Dr. Denelo had strongly recommended to Pamela and the judge that the children resume regular visitation. Pamela had insisted that the visits be kept short, and Royce didn’t want to appear demanding by insisting otherwise. All things considered, it was probably best that Tammy didn’t stay overnight just now, anyway. She had so much to work through, his beautiful little girl, but at least they seemed to be on the right track now.
“I understand the first time was just sort of a get-acquainted session,” Dale said helpfully, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees, hands folded together. Tammy sat silent.
“Has Dr. Denelo shown you her doll collection, yet?” Merrily asked from behind Royce’s recliner. Tammy shot her a surprised look and nodded warily.
“She gots a train in her waitin’ room,” Cory piped up, vying to be the center of attention. “It goes under the chairs and around the pot trees, I mean, tree pots, an’, an’ everywhere!”
“They aren’t real trees,” Tammy retorted in a superior tone.
“Uh-huh, they are,” Cory insisted. “I climbed one!” He looked at his father and admitted warily, “It fell over.”
“I hope you picked it up again,” Royce said, trying not to chuckle.
Cory nodded. “The lady in the window that works there helped me.”
Royce couldn’t catch his grin. Obviously the boy was referring to the receptionist, who undoubtedly sat behind the usual glass shield. “That was very nice of her.”
“I’ll bet Mama slapped you,” Tammy said spitefully.
“Uh-uh,” Cory denied. “The lady told her not to.”
Royce glanced at Dale, his ire immediately rising. Merrily said quickly, “Did you get to play with the train?”
Cory nodded. “Yeah, it was fun, but Mommy said I couldn’t have one ’cause—” He suddenly broke off, his hand going to his chin.
“’Cause Daddy doesn’t give us enough money,” Tammy finished for him.
It felt like a kick in the gut to Royce. “Uh-uh!” Cory yelled in his defense. “’Cause I was bad and made the tree fall over!”
“It doesn’t matter why,” Royce said firmly. “Maybe I can convince Santa to bring you a miniature train for Christmas, son. I’m sure you’ll be a good boy until then.”
“And, Tammy, your father pays more child support than the court mandates,” Dale said quietly.
Royce shot him a grateful look and changed the subject, speaking to Tammy. “It so happens that Nurse Gage knows Dr. Denelo and thinks very highly of her.”
“Yes, I do,” Merrily confirmed. “Dr. Denelo used to come to the hospital where I worked, and she used to bring a different doll with her every time to show to the children who were patients there.”
“Why were they patients?” Tammy asked suspiciously.
“Oh, for different reasons,” Merrily answered. “Sometimes they were having their tonsils out, or maybe they had a bad case of flu. Once in a while we had a little girl who’d been in an accident of some sort.”
“Were any of them crazy?” Cory asked, bending his head far back to look up at Merrily. Tammy’s face drained of color, and Royce felt his nerves coil tight.
“No,” Merrily said calmly, “a few were troubled about something. One or two were very, very sick and frightened because of it.”
“’Cause Mommy says she’s a doctor for crazy kids,” Cory went on. “Daddy, do you think Tammy’s crazy?”
Royce nearly jumped out of his chair, so angry he could spit. “Absolutely not!”
“’Cause Mommy says—”
“Your mother’s mistaken,” Merrily interjected smoothly. “Both Dr. Denelo and your father know that there is no such thing as a ‘crazy kid,’ only those who are confused or afraid or hurting inside.”
“I don’t care,” Tammy snapped, her hands fisting. “I don’t want to see dumb old Dr. Denelo or her stupid dolls again!”
“You said she was nice!” Cory accused, leaning forward on his father’s lap.
“I did not!” Tammy sprang up onto her feet, adding, “I want to go home now. Mama said we can go home when we want to, and I want to go home now!”
“No!” Cory shouted. “I don’t want to go! I want to stay with Daddy! I want to stay all night!”
“That’s enough,” Royce said, gripping Cory’s knee. He could have cried for them, for all of them. Instead, he swallowed down his disappointment and tried to look on the bright side. Tammy liked Dr. Denelo more than she wanted to let on, and Cory wanted to spend the night. Plus, he’d had another visit with his kids. It was a step forward. He hugged Cory, saying softly, “I love to see you, son. One day soon you’ll spend the night with me again, I promise, but maybe it’s better if Uncle Dale takes you back to your mother’s now.”
“Sure,” Dale said, getting to his feet. “It’s about that time, anyway.” He offered a hand to each of the children. Tammy ignored him, folding her arms, but Cory reluctantly slid off his father’s lap and put his hand in Dale’s. “Tammy, are you going to tell your father goodbye?”
Tammy shrugged, then flipped a hand in what might have been called a wave. “’Bye.”
“Goodbye, honey. I love you. I love you, too, Cory.”
“Love you,” Cory echoed as Dale led him from the room, Tammy marching along beside them.
Just as she got to Royce’s chair, Tammy stopped. For a moment she seemed frozen, her face stoically blank. Only when she fidgeted, bouncing one knee slightly, did she give herself away. Royce reached out with his left arm, and she melted. He swept her against him, hugging her tightly for as long as she would allow. Then she pulled away and bolted from the room. He put his head back, more grateful for that one moment of raw need breaking through her belligerent exterior than he would have been for all the gold in the world.
Merrily’s hand slid down the back of his chair and onto his shoulder. “She’s getting there,” she whispered.
“God, I hope so,” he admitted, reaching up to clasp her hand in his. Merrily came around the chair, and he pulled her down onto his lap.
“She’s coming around, Royce. You’ll see.”
He nodded, praying she was right. Tammy had seemed a little softer, but Cory had been competitive and mouthy rather than his usual reserved self.
“Maybe you ought to talk to Dr. Denelo,” Merrily suggested, “fill her in on what’s going on.”
Royce shook his head. “I can’t, not until she asks to speak to me. Pamela can’t, either. It’s part of the court order, an attempt to ensure that the doctor remains truly unbiased.”
Merrily nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”
“I guess.” He sighed and added, “I feel like I’m running out of time, angel.”
“What do you mean?”
“This cast comes off next week,” he reminded her, lifting his right arm.
“But your leg’s a long way from healed. The doctor just took the pins out.”
“And next week I get a walking cast,” he whispered, barely able to speak of it. “How do I justify keeping you on then?”
“Why should you have to justify it?” she countered. “If we want to be together we can be, Royce.”
He shook his head. “It’s not that simple, honey, and you know it. I’d be putting you directly in harm’s way.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she argued gently. “I can take care of myself.”
“I know,” he answered, unwilling to argue with her. Brushing her hair off her shoulder, he bared her neck there where she so loved to be kissed. He had made it his mission to find and uncover all her erotic secrets these past couple of weeks. It had been the most rewarding undertaking in which he’d ever engaged. She had healed him in so many ways, his sweet nurse, given him the greatest pleasure he’d ever known. God, how could he go on without her? But what other choice did he have?
“Let’s turn in early tonight,” he whispered. She smiled and got up off his lap. Good golly, what a seductive smile the woman had grown in these past we
eks. How he would miss it!
“Is now too early?” she asked in a sultry tone.
“Now is perfect,” he told her, struggling up out of the chair.
Maybe he’d get lucky and break a few more bones.
Chapter Fourteen
“Well, look who’s here,” Merrily said, smiling at Dale. “Sorry I couldn’t get to the door.”
The tall, lanky attorney got up from the deck chair next to Royce’s chaise. “On one hand, I suppose it’s an improvement to have gimp-boy himself let me in. On the other hand, he’s not nearly as good-looking as you.” He opened his arms, and Merrily briefly hugged him, laughing. “Hmm, is it possible the worm has turned?” he asked, obviously needling Royce.
“This worm has just scrubbed the shower,” Merrily retorted, pushing away a lock of hair that had fallen from the heavy twist atop her head. A black, plastic bag sitting at the top of the stairs caught her eye, and she frowned.
She’d been on her way down to the alley earlier to drop the closed garbage bag in the collection can there when Royce had called her back into the house to answer a phone call. By the time she’d convinced the nurse recruiter, who’d gotten her number from her brother, that she was not interested in leaving her current employment, she’d forgotten about the trash. She made a note to take it down before she started supper. It wouldn’t do to leave the thing sitting out after dark. Some raccoon, armadillo or coyote would have it scattered all over the place by morning.
Dale, meanwhile, had brought his hands to his hips and was scowling down at Royce. “You slave driver, you. What happened to Mercedes, anyway?”
Royce sucked the last of his iced tea from the tumbler in his hand, set it on the low table at his right and bent his head back, his eyes hidden by dark sunshades that wrapped around his face. “Mercedes has been downsized or, rather, Merrilyized. She cut back her own hours, says she doesn’t have enough to do with Merrily here.”
“So I pick up after myself!” Merrily exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “Why does everyone have so much difficulty with that concept? It’s not like I cut the woman’s hours, and you pay her too much, anyway.”