[Second Chances 02]California Dreams

by Morris Fenris

  “Not much. Like a small pinch. Let’s play a game. I’m going to draw your blood and when I’m through, I’m going to let you pinch me as hard as you think it takes to equal the pinch my little needle here makes. Deal?”

  Daniella narrowed her eyes in thought, “So, if it hurts me a lot, then I can pinch you really hard and I won’t get into trouble.” She looked first at the doctor, who nodded, and then her mother, who nodded as well.

  “Okay. Deal. But I can pinch really hard so your needle better be nice!”

  Dr. Patterson chuckled, “Oh, I assure you, he’ll be on his best behavior. Now, why don’t you look at that picture on the wall and see how many cows you can find hiding in it.”

  Daniella dutifully turned her head to the I Spy poster hanging on the wall next to her and began to count the cows she found. Jeanine held her arm on the board, blocking Daniella’s vision from what was about to happen.

  Daniella flinched slightly when the needle pricked her arm, but then kept right on counting. A few minutes later, her arm had been wrapped with stretchy tape and the procedure had been declared all finished.

  Chapter 22

  Armed with some special gummy bear vitamins and a promise from Dr. Patterson that he would call as soon as he got the test results back, Grace took Daniella home and they both had an early night.

  Samuel arrived just as Daniella was finishing up her dinner, and rather than taking Jane out as planned, they both stayed in. While Jane and Grace worked their magic in the kitchen, Samuel amused the tired little girl by reading her several princess stories. As he was finishing up Sleeping Beauty, he glanced up to see Jane standing in the doorway with a tender look upon her face.

  “She’s asleep?” she whispered, slowly approaching where he sat.

  Samuel looked down and nodded, “Yeah!” He reached up and brushed a lock of hair off her forehead, “She’s so cute. Every time I tried to change the story, she corrected me.”

  Jane chuckled softly as Grace entered behind her, saying, “You don’t mess with a girl’s princesses. They are sacred, or have you forgotten her desire to play dress up with you?”

  Samuel looked so horrified; both women chuckled, breaking off into silence when Grace stirred on the couch. “That would be my cue to get her to bed.” Picking up her precious daughter, she delivered her to the bed and then sat beside her, praying softly that whatever was wrong with her little body would be made well.

  Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she headed to her bedroom to find some composure. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, for the first time in four years, she let her anger at her husband’s death surface. Alec, why did you have to die? You left me all alone to take care of her and I don’t know if I can do it. What if something’s really wrong with her?

  The tears came in earnest then and she slipped down to sit upon the tiled floor and gave way to the worry that had been eating her up inside for several days now. The tears just kept coming and when the soft knock came on her bedroom door, she was helpless to stop them and answer it.

  “Grace?” Jane tapped lightly on the door again. What was that noise? She listened once more and then she heard the unmistakable sound of a woman crying. Opening the door, she looked around the room, spotting the partially closed bathroom door on the opposite side.

  Stepping into the room, she closed the door and approached the bathroom, “Grace? Honey, can I come in?”

  Grace tried to pull herself together and pushed herself up off the floor. What a pathetic mess! Pull yourself together and deal with whatever comes. You’re stronger than this!

  Grabbing some tissues, she wiped her eyes and then pushed the door open, “Sorry. I guess the day just got to me.” Blowing her nose, she lifted her eyes up and met the compassionate ones of Jane in the mirror.

  “I don’t know how you’ve held out this long. Are you going to be okay?”

  Grace took another look at herself and then nodded, “Yeah. I’m going to be fine. Whatever happens, I’m not going to borrow trouble. I’ll deal with it day-by-day.”

  Jane stepped into the bathroom and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she looked at her reflection in the eye, “That sounds like a wise way to approach life. Would you rather I fixed a tray and brought your dinner to your room?”

  Grace shook her head, “No, I’m not going to cave into the emotions. I can’t.”

  Jane smiled at her, gave her shoulders another squeeze and then left the room, “Dinner’s ready. Come on out whenever you’re ready.”

  “Jane?” Grace’s voice stopped her with her hand upon the door handle. She waited until the older woman turned and looked at her, “Thanks.”

  Jane smiled, “You’re very welcome.” Jane slipped out of the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind her and sending a short prayer for strength Grace’s direction. Jane had a feeling she was going to need all the help she could get over the next few days.

  *****

  “So, tell me about your day,” Grace asked as they finished up dinner.

  Jane smiled, excitement building in her eyes, “Samuel and I went to this new restaurant for lunch. It’s this new program where the chefs are actually students in the evening and then they perfect their skills during the day. It’s very hard to get an interview into the program as they only take a select number of students each year.

  “Anyway,” she said, looking at Samuel with love shining in her eyes, “Samuel arranged for me to interview with them right after lunch.”

  “That’s great! How did it go?” Grace asked, needing something else to think about besides her ill child.

  “Fantastic! I was a little nervous at first because they asked me to critique the meal I had eaten.”

  “Weren’t you afraid one of them might have made your meal and been angered by your critique?”

  Jane nodded, “That briefly crossed my mind, and so instead of criticizing the meal, I simply told them how I would have cooked it and changed it up.”

  “She was very smart,” Samuel interjected, reaching over and lifting her hand to his lips for a brief kiss.

  Grace looked from one to the other and could tell something had changed, “Care to enlighten me on what I missed?”

  Jane blushed and Samuel cleared his throat before saying, “Jane and I agreed to see where a real relationship between us might go.”

  Grace smiled at them both, “Congratulations. I’m happy for you both.”

  “Yes, well, it might mean I’m going to need a place to stay a little longer than a month.”

  Grace shook her head, “Don’t even worry about that. You’re welcome to stick around as long as you need to.”

  Samuel had grown quiet and Grace briefly wondered what was going through his head. Was he happy that Jane was sticking around? One would assume so. But appeared slightly upset by something. Was he hoping to convince Jane to move in with him? She would never do that, not unless they were married. Samuel should know that. Maybe I need to put a little bug in his ear so he doesn’t screw things up.

  Grace was still letting these thoughts run through her head when Jane excused herself to go get dessert. Seeing her chance, she looked at Samuel and said, “You know she has very traditional values, right?”

  Samuel grinned, “Yes, and before you go all momma bear on me, I would never ask her to compromise her beliefs. I want her to stay in California, and I admit I can already see her living in my home, but before that happens, she will walk down the aisle with me, or it won’t happen.”

  Grace sat back and smiled broadly at him, “Good. Just checking.”

  Samuel shook his head at her smirk and laughing eyes, “You’ve definitely got the momma thing down to a science.”

  “Four years of practice. Daniella tends to keep one on their toes.” At the mention of her child, Grace sobered, becoming worried once again.

  “Don’t you worry, Grace. I’m sure everything’s going to be fine. You just have to keep believing that.”

  Grace nodded. Ke
ep believing that everything will be fine. It didn’t work out so well for my mom, but I won’t give up Daniella without a fight. Keep believing. I can do that. For Daniella, I can.

  Chapter 23

  Samuel received the phone call early the next morning telling him that Hector had undergone his kidney transplant and was listed in critical condition and being held in ICU. When he inquired about the projected timeframe for his release, he was told that the attending physician was hesitant about sending him back to the prison facility and was planning to keep him in the hospital for up to two weeks.

  Samuel and Stan conferred and decided that they would each take a shift during this first day, not trusting the Quintana brothers or others within their cartel to not try something. He called Jane and cancelled their plans for the day, “Hey, I’m going to have to cancel today.”

  Jane was a little disappointed, but she also felt the need to stay and help support Grace as they waited for the test results to come back. “That’s okay. Grace could really use me around here today.”

  “I’m really sorry, but you’re probably right. How’s she holding up?”

  “She’s strong. She’ll be fine, she just needed a chance to be weak for a few minutes yesterday. So, what are you up to today?”

  Samuel briefly filled Jane in on the situation with the Quintana brothers before she told him, “Please be careful. From what Trent told me, they have deep connections and are ruthless when backed into a corner.”

  “I’m well aware of those facts. That’s why it’s imperative that nothing goes wrong with this situation until Hector is discharged from hospital and taken back to prison where he belongs.”

  “It sounds like you and Stan have a plan all worked out.”

  “We do. Hey, he’s waving to me, I’ve got to get going. Have a nice day, huh?”

  “I will. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “You bet you will.” Jane hung up the phone and headed to the kitchen to start breakfast.

  Everyone was on tenterhooks that day each time the phone rang. Grace had decided to work from home and had given Daniella the day off from school as well.

  She and Jane watched cartoons with her, made cookies, took a small walk down to the park, and just hung out together. When 5 o’clock rolled around and the phone rang, Grace ran to answer it, “Hello?” she said, out of breath.

  “Grace?” came Sara’s voice over the line.

  “Oh, Sara it’s you.” Grace sounded deflated.

  “Gee, thanks for the warm welcome.” Sara could hear the concern in her sister’s voice and wished she were there to give her a hug. “No word?”

  “Not yet. I flinch every time the phone rings.”

  “Well, just keep a positive attitude. It’s getting kind of late for him to call tonight, don’t you think?”

  Grace glanced at the clock before she responded, “Yeah, you’re probably right. Maybe I just need to get out of the house for a little while.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. Why not take Dani down to the little pond where they race the boats? She always enjoys that.”

  Grace smiled, “That sounds like an excellent idea. We can grab a hot dog or something for dinner as well. Thanks, sis.”

  “No problem, I just wish I was there to help you.”

  “Don’t worry about that, Jane has it covered. That woman is amazing. Oh, and she and Samuel have decided to see where a relationship between them might go.”

  “That’s good news. I really like Samuel and Jane and would love to see them happy.”

  “Well, they are that. Happy.”

  “Good. Well, I won’t keep you, I just wanted to check and see if you’d heard anything. Keep me posted?”

  “You know I will. Love you.”

  “Love you too. Give Dani a big kiss from me.”

  “Bye sis.”

  “Bye.”

  Sara hung up the phone and let her tears fall silently to the desk. Laying her head in her arms, she was still crying when Trent found her moments later, “Sara? Darling’, what’s wrong?”

  Sara lifted her tear-stained face and then went into Trent’s comforting arms, “I just got off the phone with Grace. She sounded so worried for Daniella.”

  Trent sighed, holding his wife closer in his arms and rubbing a hand in a circular motion on her back, “No word on her test results yet?”

  Sara shook her head, trying to dry her tears. “No. I could tell the waiting is driving Gracie crazy…”

  “And you’re wishing you were there to help her.”

  Sara nodded, “Yeah, I do. But I’m really glad that Jane’s there. Grace said she’s been a rock.”

  “That’s Jane. Look, why don’t we wait until those test results come back. We’ll decide then if we need to make a trip to California.”

  “You’d take me back to California to see them?” Sara asked, not daring to believe it might be true.

  “Of course. Sara, you moved to Montana, not another planet. I might not always be able to go with you, but any time you want to go visit your sister, just tell me. I want you to be happy.”

  Sara hugged her husband, then pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed him, letting all of her love shine through the gesture. “Thank you.”

  Trent kissed her back, pulling her closer against him, “All I want is your happiness.”

  Sara snuggled closer into his embrace as they stood there for several minutes. Lifting her head, she told him with a gleam in her eyes, “You know what would make me happy right now?”

  Trent saw the mischief in her eyes and played along, “A hot fudge sundae?”

  Sara shook her head, biting her lip to keep from laughing at his quizzical expression as he played along with her.

  “Hmmm…I know, you want to go build some more snow people in the back yard.”

  “Not likely. It’s too cold out there right now.” Leaning up so she could whisper in his ear, she made her wish known and then squeaked as Trent picked her up and carried her down the hallway to their bedroom.

  “Now that wish I can certainly fulfill. Are we trying for a girl or a boy?” he asked, happy that she had finally come to a decision about starting a family.

  As he closed the bedroom door, he envisioned a smaller version of Sara running around the house and grinned. Yes, that wish was something he could definitely work on fulfilling.

  Chapter 24

  Thursday morning Daniella demanded to go to school. “I feel fine, mommy,” she told Grace as she gobbled up a bowl of cereal like she was starving.

  “Really? Well, your appetite certainly seems to be back.” Grace watched her tip the bowl up and drink the leftover milk, spilling it over her chin in the process.

  “See. All done. Can I go get dressed now?”

  “Sure honey. School doesn’t start for another twenty minutes so we’ve got plenty of time to get there. Brush your teeth and then bring mommy a brush and I’ll comb your hair out.”

  “Okay,” Daniella took off running down the hallway.

  “Well, she sure seems to be feeling better today. Maybe all she needed was a day of rest.”

  Grace was baffled but happy nonetheless, “Whatever it is, I’ll take it. She had me so worried yesterday.”

  “I could tell.”

  Grace placed her empty coffee cup in the dishwasher before asking, “What are you up to today?”

  “Nothing much until later on. Stan and Samuel are taking turns keeping watch over Hector at the hospital. I thought I might sit down and come up with a menu for Sunday’s cooking interview. The more I think about it, the more I know I want to train and cook in that restaurant. I only hope I’m good enough.”

  “What are you talking about? Of course you’re good enough. You may not have a fancy degree after your name, but you are one of the best cooks I’ve ever met. Don’t sell yourself short!”

  “Thanks mom.” Both women chuckled, “Seriously, I want to make a good impression, but I can’t decide if I should make something I’m rea
lly comfortable with, or go for something really over the top and unique.”

  Grace thought for a moment and then offered, “You could take your favorites, those that you’re really comfortable with and improve upon them. Change them up a bit to make them more gourmet.”

  Jane looked at her and nodded, “That’s it. That’s exactly what I’ll do. Grace, you are a genius.”

  “Well, I don’t know if I would go that far…”

  “Doesn’t matter. That’s a brilliant idea.”

  Grace smiled, “Glad I could help. Well,” she said, looking at the phone one more time and wishing it would ring, “I’m going to head into the arts center for a few hours after I drop Daniella off at school. You’ll be sure to answer the phone if it rings?”

  “Yes. I will. If Dr. Patterson’s office calls here, I’ll give him both your office number and your cell phone.”

  “Thanks,” she said, not getting to finish her conversation as Daniella came running back down the hallway, brush in hand.

  “Here mommy, I wants pigtails.”

  Grace took the brush, “You do? How come?”

  “I like them. You said I look cute in them.”

  Grace laughed, “You do and that’s a good enough reason for me.” She brushed her hair out, quickly separating it and forming two perfect pigtails atop the little head. “There you go. Let me look at you.”

  Grace pushed Daniella way and then turned her around. Her daughter’s fashion sense definitely needed some tweaking, but she was only four so got away with a lot more than an older child would. Today she had chosen a pair of yellow leggings, topped with a purple and pink princess t-shirt showing Ariella and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid movie. She had her multi-colored tennis shoes on, with the laces untied, and bright orange socks.

  “Um, Daniella, maybe we should find another pair of pants to wear with that shirt.”

  Daniella shook her head, “No. I wants to wear these ones.”

  Seeing the stubborn look appear on her daughter’s face, Grace mentally threw her hands up. Sometimes you just have to pick a battle that’s worth fighting. So what if the color schemes looks like she fell into a rainbow. She’s four and can get away with it. “Fine. Now, we’d better head out or you’re going to be late, young lady.”