A Christmas to Remember (13 page)

Lillian took out her gloves and tugged them on. “All right, I’ll go. But this is it, Oliver. I mean it.”

“Thank you, Lily.” He forced a serious face, as if he was trying hard not to laugh at her. “Honestly, you’re going to enjoy this more than you think.”

Cape Light, Present-day

“C
HARLIE
,
PLEASE
. J
UST STAY WITH HIM FOR A FEW HOURS
.
I’ll be back by lunchtime, I promise.”

“You knew he was going to miss school today. Why didn’t you find a sitter?” “I tried. It’s hard to find someone to come in the middle of the day.”

Not that Lucy even knew that many sitters. The hours at the diner made it hard, if not impossible, for her and Charlie to go out in the evenings much.

“I need to go to the hospital for a meeting. I’ll come right back.” Lucy kept her voice low. Jamie was in the family room, lying on the couch and watching cartoons. She didn’t want him to hear
her and Charlie arguing over who was going to stay home with him today.

When Charlie didn’t answer, she added, “It’s the first week. I can’t miss sessions this early in my training.”

Charlie shook his head and pushed his plate aside. “Sorry, Lucy. I have deliveries coming in, a guy coming to fix the freezer, and bills to pay. There’s no way I can stay home this morning. I told you that last night.”

He had told her. But that was before she called all over town for help and came up empty-handed. She had thought she might persuade him this morning by compromising and only going in for part of the day.

Now she would miss a meeting of the student nurses on her floor with Margaret Sherman. She dreaded the idea of calling to say she would be absent. Sherman didn’t like her much as it was. This was going to be one more mark against her and give the impression she wasn’t serious and responsible.

Charlie took a last sip of coffee, set the mug down in the sink, and kissed Lucy on the cheek. She stood stiffly and didn’t kiss him back. With his head ducked down as he pulled on his jacket, he left the house.

She heard the front door close and felt stuck, abandoned. But there was nothing she could do. She picked up a few of the breakfast dishes and dumped them in the sink, then poured herself more coffee.

Even if she made more calls and did find someone, by the time a sitter got to her house and she got up to the hospital, the meeting would be over. Half of her day would be over. It wouldn’t make any sense.

She picked up the phone and dialed the hospital. When an operator came on, she asked for Margaret’s line.

“Margaret Sherman.” Her greeting was crisp, no-nonsense.

“Margaret? It’s Lucy Bates.” Lucy felt her mouth going dry. She was losing her nerve. She forced her words out in a rush. “I’m sorry but I can’t make it to the hospital today. My son is home sick from school, and there’s no one to stay with him.”

Margaret didn’t answer for a long moment. Her silence made Lucy even more nervous.

“Nothing serious, I hope?”

“Just a cold and a sore throat. But he has a temperature and I needed to keep him home.”

“Yes, of course. They can’t go to school with a fever.” Lucy heard some papers rustling. “Let’s see…you’ll miss this morning’s meeting. I’ll have to see you privately to review that information.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“We only permit three absences from training. This is only the first week and you’re already using one up.”

“Yes, I know. But it couldn’t be helped. My husband has a business and he had to go in today. He—”

“When you have a real nursing job, situations like this are going to come up. You’re going to need to be better prepared. People will be counting on you. Did you ever hear that Woody Allen saying ‘Ninety-five percent of the secret to success is just showing up’?”

Lucy sighed. “No, Margaret, I don’t think I ever did.”

The way she was talking to her was so unfair, Lucy thought.
As if I’m the irresponsible type, a regular slacker. She has no idea how hard I work and what I can really do.

“This won’t happen again. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Let’s hope not,” Margaret said. “I’ll expect you on time tomorrow.”

Lucy hung up, feeling deflated and depressed. There were a
million jobs around the house she had to catch up on. The kitchen looked like a tornado had struck, and the laundry was piled to the ceiling, and she didn’t feel like tackling any of it.

Jamie wandered in and walked over to her. She felt his forehead with her hand, pushing back a short fringe of brown hair. “How do you feel, honey?”

He shrugged. “I’m bored. Can you play a game with me?”

“Sure.” She nodded then glanced at the clock.

Three minutes past nine. It was going to be a very long day.

“I
DON
’
T UNDERSTAND WHY
I
CAN
’
T BE IN MY OWN ROOM
.
I
F YOU
can roll me in here like a sack of potatoes—”

“Mother, we can’t carry you up the stairs safely. Even if we could, what if you needed to get back down again? What if there was a fire?” Emily struggled for a patient tone, but she felt like a prerecorded announcement. She had already gone through this with her mother a dozen times.

“Who cares if there’s a fire? Let the place burn to ashes.” Lillian gazed around the newly converted sewing room with a look of profound distaste. “I’m not comfortable down here, though I don’t suppose that matters to any of you.”

Jessica walked into the room with a vase of flowers. “Look, Mother, these just came for you. I don’t know who sent them. There’s a card though.”

Jessica handed down the card and Lillian opened it. She picked up her reading glasses, which were hanging from a chain around her neck. “Ezra. Who else?” She looked over the bouquet with a critical eye. “At least he told them to leave out the carnations. He knows they remind me of those cheap arrangements in funeral homes.”

“Ezra called again this morning and asked if he could visit you,” Emily said.

“When I’m up to it. I don’t think I want any visitors yet.” Lillian shifted in her wheelchair, reaching to place the card on a nearby table. Emily could tell from her expression that she was still in a lot of pain.

She also suspected that her mother didn’t want Ezra to see her until the angry bruise around her eye had healed. Which could take some time. It hadn’t looked nearly as bad right after the fall, but now that a few days had passed, Lillian looked as if she had been in a fistfight and emerged with a classic shiner. Emily knew how vain her mother was. It probably bothered her to no end, though she would never admit it.

“Where’s what’s-her-name?”

“Jeanette, Mother. The nurse’s name is Jeanette. She’s making your lunch.”

Lillian frowned. “Do I have to eat in this room?”

“Of course not. I’ll wheel you out to the dining room,” Jessica offered. She got behind the chair and released the brakes. “You’ve hardly seen the kids. Sam has the little ones in the living room. Darrell’s at school but he made you a card.”

“I’ll look at it later, thank you.” Lillian sighed heavily as Jessica rolled her into the dining room.

Emily pulled aside the heavy armchair at the head of the table, and Jessica steered Lillian into the spot.

Dan walked in, carrying Jane. Sam followed, bent over as he led two-year-old Tyler by the hand.

“Look at these men, toting around babies.” Lillian shook her head. “Were you exchanging tips about diaper rash in there?”

“As a matter of fact, we did have a good conversation about teething.” Dan turned to Jane and bounced her in his arms.

“I know it’s the modern thing, but I find this New Age father-hood awfully unnatural.”

“How are you, Lillian? Holding up all right?” Sam asked, knowing better than to take her bait.

“Not bad for an old lady with half her body covered in plaster. They should have done the other half and made a garden statue out of me.”

Sam glanced at Jessica. He couldn’t win.

Lillian’s new day nurse, Jeanette Kramer, carried Lillian’s lunch in on a tray. She set it down on the table. “There’s some soup and a sandwich for you. When you’re done, I’ll bring in dessert.”

Lillian peered at her soup. “What kind of soup is this?”

“Chicken noodle,” Jeanette said cheerfully.

“Oh, I never eat that. Take it away.” Lillian pushed the bowl aside.

Emily noticed the nurse’s surprised expression and felt sorry for her. Well, she needed to get to know her patient and decide if she would stick it out or not.

“But I found it in your cabinet,” Jeanette said. “There were several cans. I assumed you liked it.”

“There were several cans there because I
don’t
like it. Now please, get this vile stuff out of my sight.”

Jeanette picked up the bowl of soup. “Would you like some other kind of soup, Mrs. Warwick? Of course, if you do like it, you probably don’t have any in the cabinet. Is that how it works?” she asked innocently.

Emily had to hide a smile. Jeanette Kramer wasn’t the pushover she appeared to be.

“No soup today, thank you,” Lillian said in a tone of exaggerated politeness.

Jeanette disappeared back into the kitchen. Lillian picked up
half of her sandwich with her good hand and took a small bite. She set the sandwich on the plate again and looked around at her family. “Are you all going to sit there and stare at me while I eat?”

“We’re keeping you company, Mother,” Jessica said.

“I feel like a creature in the zoo.”

Sam had lifted Tyler up to Jessica, and the boy now sat on her lap. As she turned to take a cup of coffee from Emily, Tyler began to smack the table in a quick, energetic rhythm, making the silverware and glasses shake.

“Tyler, stop that.” Jessica gently took his hands off the table.

Lillian sat back in her wheelchair, startled. “What in the world is he trying to do, knock down the house?”

Sam laughed. “I don’t think he’s big enough for that, Lillian. Give him a year or two.”

“He’s just playing, Mother.”

“Babies have no business at the table. I’ve told you that before. Bring him back when he can carry on a proper conversation.”

“Here, I’ll take him. Come on, Tyler.” Sam scooped up the little boy and carried him into the living room.

“Don’t let him touch a thing, do you hear me?” Lillian called after Sam.

“Sam knows how to watch him, Mother. Don’t worry.”

Lillian took another bite of her sandwich and tossed the rest back on her plate. “Dry as dust. I suppose she found the tuna in the cupboard and assumed it was my favorite.”

Dan glanced at Emily and rolled his eyes. Emily steeled herself, knowing that the next topic of conversation was not going to be any easier. “Mother, Sara is coming tonight to stay with you, as we planned.”

“I remember.” Lillian patted her mouth with the napkin. “It will be something to look forward to after spending the day
with…” Lillian slanted her head sharply toward the kitchen. “Where did you ever find
her
?”

“Jeanette was very highly recommended. I hope you won’t make her miserable working here.”

“What me? Make
her
miserable? I have no rights in my own home anymore. Like those babies. Don’t mind me. Do as you please. Let those children run wild and break everything.”

“Calm down, Mother, nobody has broken anything,” Emily reminded her.

“Give them a minute or two, they just got in there,” Lillian pointed out.

Jessica rose. “I’ll go in with Sam and watch Tyler.” She looked pointedly at Emily. “Call if you need me.”

Lillian watched the look exchanged by her two daughters. “What’s up?” She peered at Emily. “Did the doctor tell you something you haven’t told me?”

Emily shook her head. “Nothing like that, Mother. You’re perfectly fine. Except for the broken bones, I mean.”

Emily glanced at Dan. Jane stood on his lap, pulling his hair. Dan sat stoically, like a big friendly bear, tolerating his daughter’s abuse. No help there. She turned back to her mother.

“I have some news for you. Some news about Sara…” She took a breath, not daring to look at her mother while she spoke. “She and Luke are married now, and—”

“They’re
what
? Did you say
married
?” Lillian pressed her hand over her heart. “How could that be? They
can’t
be married. Don’t tell me she threw herself away on him. When did this happen? Why wasn’t I informed?”

“They eloped over the weekend,” Dan explained. “Nobody knew about it. They just told us last night.”

“I’m sure you’re surprised, Mother,” Emily said in what she hoped was a soothing tone. “We were, too.”

“Surprised? I’m appalled. How could you let this happen, Emily? Right under your nose. You had plenty of time to talk her out of that engagement. How could you have let her marry that ragged, lost soul? Some ex-policeman turned do-gooder. What kind of life will she have with him? No life at all, that’s what I say. She could have done much better than Luke what’s-his-name!”