A Forever Thing (21 page)

By the time she came out, the bags were gone, and Theron’s jeans
and shirt were laid out on the sofa. Tina sat on the sofa holding her
pitiful-looking doll.

Theron grabbed his clothing and headed for the bathroom. “My
turn.”

“What do we do?” Fancy asked.

“Pray.”

“For what?”

“That my truck can get us out of the mud. It’s already getting
deep.”

Tina steepled her fingers under her chin, looked up toward the
ceiling, and said, “Now I lay me down to sweep ..:’

Fancy saw Theron stop in his tracks.

“Hey, the Good Book says that if the Big Man upstairs is going
to hear a prayer, you can be certain he’ll hear hers before he will
ours,” Fancy said.

Theron shook his head, then shut the door without a single retort.

When he returned, he picked Tina up, wrapped his father’s old
camouflage coat around her, and hurried her out to the truck, where
he deposited her in the backseat. He turned to help Fancy in, only
to find her two steps behind him. He trotted back up to the porch to
lock the door.

Fancy strapped Tina and herself into the backseat of the clubcab truck.

“Car seat?” Tina asked.

“We’re going to buy you a new one,” Fancy said.

The big truck probably was yet another strange thing in Tina’s
young life. First she woke up in a cabin where she knew no one,
then had to adjust to a brand-new father and Fancy Lynn, and now she had to make a mad dash somewhere in an unfamiliar vehicle
that didn’t even have a safety seat for her. The poor little thing
probably felt as if she were being tossed by the four winds at once.

“New seat and new book?” Tina asked.

“And some new clothes,” Theron said as he backed the truck out
and started down the muddy road.

“But for now we have to be quiet and let New Daddy concentrate on getting us out of here,” Fancy whispered.

“Will he get loud?”

“No, he won’t ever get loud,” she assured Tina.

Tina put a finger over her lips. “Okay, shh.”

They’d barely cleared the yard when the truck bogged down in
the mud and the tires spun. Theron eased up on the gas pedal, and
the truck fishtailed from one side of the dirt road to the other, but
he got control of it quickly and proceeded on.

Fancy let her breath out in a whoosh.

“Had you worried there, didn’t I?” Theron said.

“You did,” she admitted.

Tina shushed them. “Shh. New Daddy is busy.”

The ten-minute trip to the highway took half an hour and lots of
maneuvering, but finally the tires got a little bit of traction, and
they headed north on the highway. Five miles later they reached the
outskirts of the south side of Decatur, and Theron pulled into a
Wal-Mart parking lot. “First stop. Car seat and …”

“A book,” Tina said.

“That’s right. You let her buy whatever she wants-my treat,”
Fancy said.

“Oh, no, in for a dime, in for a dollar. I know nothing about car
seats, girl books, or girl clothing. You have to come with us,” Theron
said.

“I thought I’d get to just rest here in the truck,” Fancy whined.

“I’ll get a wheelchair at the door. I’ll put you in a cart and push
you. I’ll even carry you, but you are going to help me with this. I’ll
owe you big-time. Whatever you say, whenever.”

“Pleeeeeease,” Tina begged.

“Is there a remote chance we’ll see anyone we know?” she asked,
reaching up to touch her mangled hair.

“Not in a million years. And from here we’re going to the emergency room”

Fancy groaned.

“You’re getting a tetanus shot. You don’t want some wicked infection, do you?” he reminded her.

She unlocked the seat belt and whined some more. She was due
her fifteen minutes and hadn’t had it yet. She looked horrible already, and by the time they reached the doors, her hair would be
even wetter.

Theron pulled an umbrella from under the backseat and picked
up Tina. He looped an arm around Fancy’s waist and hugged her
close enough to keep the rain off their heads.

“I feel like a drowned rat,” she said.

“Not a rat. A kitten, maybe. And you are a beautiful drowned
kitten,” he said, and he pulled her even closer.

Jolts of pure electricity that had nothing to do with the rolling
thunder shot through Fancy’s body at his touch. It didn’t disappear
even when they were in the store and had Tina in the basket seat of
a cart.

“You want to push so you’ll have something to lean on?” Theron
asked Fancy, reluctant to remove his arm from around her. It felt
so right and natural there.

“Yes, I would. We’d better have two carts, though. The car
seat will take one all by itself, and the toy and clothes will take
another.”

Theron picked out a car seat, and they moved on to the children’s clothing section. He looked inside the neck of Tina’s sweatshirt and found that she was in a size three, so Fancy steered them
in that direction.

“What do I buy?” he asked.

“Playclothes first. Jeans, pants, and then tops to match. Pajamas
that aren’t so heavy, because your house will be too warm for those
things she has. Besides, I don’t like them,” Fancy said.

“Why?”

“They’re ugly,” she said.

“Well, then, we’ll throw the old ones away,” he said seriously.

“Don’t make fun of me. I’ve hated that kind of pajamas since I was a little girl. Buy her pretty things, Theron. Make her feel special.”

“Okay, help me,” he said.

Fancy held up two outfits. The pink one had a cartoon character
on the front; the bright blue one was decorated with sparkly fake
diamonds in the shape of a heart.

“Tina, which one do you like better?”

She studied the outfits for a moment and pointed to the blue
one.

“She’s a girly-girl. Buy her diamonds and glitter,” Fancy said.

“Jeans?” he asked.

“Sure, for feeding the cows or playing in the barn so she doesn’t
ruin her pretty things. But mostly at her age she needs elastic waistbands so she can get her pants up and down in the bathroom.” She
selected two more outfits. “How about these, Tina? Which one?”
Tina giggled and picked another set.

An hour later they had a cartful of clothing, including two Sunday dresses and a new pair of shoes plus a pair of rubber boots.
Tina clutched a small teddy bear in her arms. That was what she
wanted, even more than a book, and nothing could change her
mind. Fancy picked up a couple of children’s books anyway and at
the last minute a combo bottle of shampoo and conditioner and a
cell phone charger.

It was a hoot watching Theron remove the safety seat from its
bulky packaging in the front seat of the pickup so it wouldn’t get
wet. He wrestled with the big box and finally ripped it to pieces to
get the thing out. It was a narrow fit to get it over the front seat and
into place on the passenger side of the backseat, but finally it was
secured and Tina was safely in it.

Then Theron headed toward the hospital. Fancy was surprised
when they walked into the emergency room and were taken
straight to a cubicle. The doctor took the bandage off the wound,
informed them that he couldn’t have done a better job, redressed
it, and said that he’d order a tetanus shot plus an X-ray, just to be
on the safe side.

Fancy moaned.

Theron grinned.

“I hate shots. I mean, I really, really hate them.”

“As much as ugly pajamas?” he asked.

“Almost” She pouted.

“Payback is the devil, isn’t it? That’s what you get for laughing
at me with that vicious car seat. The thing tried to murder me, and
you just sat back there and giggled,” he reminded her.

“But it didn’t hurt like a shot.”

The doctor returned with a needle, and Tina put her hands over
her eyes. Fancy wanted to too.

After they had a scan of her head, the attending came back into
the room. “I’ll send the results to your doctor, but I don’t see any
problems,” he said.

“I told you it was just an unnecessary expense,” she said.

The doctor patted her on the arm. “You can’t put a price on
peace of mind. Have your husband help you wash your hair. The
way you’re wearing it is the best way I could think of for at least
ten days. He can wash one side and then the other, being careful to
keep the bandages dry. Change them every day, and keep antibiotic ointment on the wound. If it gets red streaks or infected, see
your doctor,” the attending said.

“Thank you,” Theron said.

They went to the desk to sign insurance forms and were back in
the truck in less than an hour.

“I’m hungry,” Tina said.

“Why didn’t you tell him I wasn’t your wife?” Fancy asked.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Macky cheese?” Tina asked.

“I’m not sure where to get macky cheese. How about pizza?”
Theron said.

“Pizza, yes, yes, yes.” Tina clapped her hands.

“All right with you, Mrs. Warren?” Theron asked.

“Are you talking to me? I’m Miss Fancy,” she said.

“Then, Miss Fancy, is pizza all right with you?”

“I love pizza. We could maybe even hit a noon buffet. I could
eat a bushel of salad with French dressing right now.”

“No salad,” Tina said. “It’s …”

Theron and Fancy chimed in together. “Yucky.”

While they ate, another rainstorm hit the area, and they had to use the umbrella to get back to the truck. Fancy was glad she
didn’t have to drive. She was still more than a little jangled.

Tina had been quiet while she ate, but when she was strapped
into her seat, she piped up, “New Daddy is a good daddy.”

“You are right,” Fancy said.

Tina held her new bear tightly and sang “Twinkle, Twinkle,
Little Star” to it.

Fancy touched her pigtails and sighed. “So, Mr. Warren, are
you going to wash my hair when we get there?”

“I surely am. One side at a time, just like the doctor said.”

“Wash my hair too?” Tina asked.

“Yes, I will,” Theron said softly.

He parked under the awning in front of the motel doors and went
inside to register. He returned with one key, apologizing that only
one room was available but that it was large enough to be a suite.

When they got there, they saw that it had two queen-size beds
and a big bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub.

Fancy swooned at the sight of the tub.

Tina squealed about the big plasma television.

Theron sighed deeply at the sight of a bed, but it didn’t take all
the tension from his body. Not by a long shot.

Fancy opened her bag and removed a long nightshirt and a pair
of boxer shorts.

Theron fell back on a bed and shut his eyes.

Tina stood in the middle of the room and hugged her bear. “It’s
a castle,” she breathed.

Theron chuckled. “And I’m the king.”

Tina twirled around, taking it all in. “Fanny is the queen.”

“And you are the princess who hasn’t had a bath. The king can
sleep for one hour while we pamper the princess, and then he has
to wake up and wash the queen’s hair for her,” Fancy said.

“Tell the nearest peasant to do it,” Theron mumbled.

“King for an hour. Commoner after that?” Fancy teased.

“After my nap I’ll be anyone you want,” he said.

Tina thought the Jacuzzi was wonderful once she got past the
noise of the jets. She had two rubber toys in her tote bag, and she
stayed in the tub until her toes and fingertips were wrinkled. By
the time Fancy had dressed her in a new pair of soft knit pajamas
and combed out her tangled hair, her eyes were heavy. She picked
up her old doll and new bear, and Fancy tucked her into bed.

She pulled Fancy down to her in a hug and said, “I’m the princess.”

“Yes, you are,” Fancy answered. She gathered up her things and
went back to the bathroom. She ran a tub of water, got in, and
turned on the jets. She rolled up a towel and leaned her head back
on it and shut her eyes. She wished Maria would have called the
child Echo instead of Tina. When she had children, she intended
to name every one of them something unique and wonderful. And she planned to have at least six. She’d always begged Santa for a
brother or sister when she was little, but he never came through.
Her kids would definitely have others to stand beside them when
the going got tough. The wandering thoughts eased into dreams,
and she dozed. When she awoke, the water was barely lukewarm.

She jumped and covered herself with her hands when the door
opened slightly. “Who is it? I’m in the tub.”

“Are you all right in there? I just woke up, and it’s been two
hours,” Theron asked.

“I’m fine. I’ll get out and get dressed, and you can help me with
my hair.”

“Call me when you’re ready.”

She dried hurriedly and put on her pajamas. It hurt when she
pulled the top over her head, and she moaned. Theron was immediately at the door, only this time he didn’t stop. He plowed right
inside.

“Are you all right? Feeling faint? Do you need to sit down?
You’ve got to get your head checked again when we get home,
Fancy” Worry was etched into his face.