Package Deal (34 page)

H
e
was stopp
e
d
by
one of
th
e
nurs
e
s wh
e
n h
e
reached
the pediatric
floor. “Ar
e
you family?”
she
ask
e
d
.

“Y
e
s,” h
e
said patiently
. “And
Cecelia’s
moth
e
r n
ee
d
s to
e
at som
e
thing,”
he insisted,
pushing past th
e
gr
ee
n-coat
e
d
nurse
who dar
e
d
to block his
path
.
             
             

Amanda was dozing in a chair pull
e
d
up
beside
C
e
c
e
lia’s b
e
d
,
both
hands cradling
her daughter
’s right arm.

“Amanda
, hon
.
”
He
touch
e
d
h
e
r should
e
r. “I’v
e
brought you som
e
thing to
e
at.”

Sh
e
stirred and sat up stiffly
. “I shouldn’t hav
e
fall
e
n asl
ee
p.”
Her eyes were red-rimmed and tiny line
s radiated out from the corners.
W
orry lines,
he thought. But she never had seemed so beautiful, caught up in love for her child, a child whose side she wouldn’t leave.
How could I do more as a parent?
Marcus wanted to gather them both in his arms and carry them off to some place where neither would
ever be
hurt again.

“You n
eede
d
sleep
. You
have to get
r
e
st, too. H
e
r
e
. Hav
e
a sandwich. And coff
ee
, and some
salad. It’s fr
e
sh.” H
e
placed the food on
a movabl
e
tray
and pulled it
n
e
ar th
e
b
e
d
.

Sh
e
start
e
d
to shak
e
h
e
r h
e
ad. “I’m
really
not hungry.”

“You hav
e
to
e
at
, Amanda
. You hardly touched your food the other day.
If you don’t
e
at, th
e
y’ll hav
e
to hook you up to an IV and stick you in a b
e
d
on the adult floor
.
You
won’t be able to hold Cecelia’s hand if they do that.
”

Amanda
rubbed her hand across her face and
blink
e
d
at him. “You ar
e
n’t going to l
e
t it go, ar
e
you?”

“No. T
e
ll you what. If I tak
e
a bit
e
, will you
do th
e
sam
e
? W
e
can s
ee
who finish
e
s first.”
He
wink
ed at her
, r
e
m
e
mb
e
ring
a happi
e
r tim
e
wh
e
n th
e
y had
enjoyed
a rac
e
to finish a sandwich
and get on to other things
.

Sh
e
patted
C
e
c
e
lia’s arm
and
r
e
ach
e
d
for th
e
sandwich.

“Good girl.” H
e
took a bit
e
and th
e
n h
e
ld up a cup so sh
e
could sip.

“Thanks.”

“My pl
e
asur
e
.Has sh
e
squ
ee
z
e
d
your hand again?”

“
Yes, but
t
h
e
nurs
e
s don’t b
e
li
e
v
e
m
e
.”
Her chin puckered
.
“I know sh
e
did.”

“If you felt it, I’m sure it happened.”
He took another bite of his sandwich.
“Hav
e
th
e
y low
e
r
e
d
th
e
s
e
d
ation again?”

Sh
e
nodd
e
d
. “Twic
e
.”

He gulped his coffee, gearing up for what he had to say.
“
I hav
e
to ask you som
e
thing.
”

“What?”
She looked
up
at him and
reached for the salad fork
.

“I spok
e
to your stud
e
nt, Rob
e
rt Francis. H
e
’s in your
afternoon
freshman section
.”

She nodded.
“
H
e
sits in th
e
back, r
e
minds m
e
of a farm kid—all
e
lbows and kn
ee
s.
Why did you need to talk to him?
”

“I found his class assignm
e
nt
,
th
e
on
e
that was du
e
last Friday—
at
your hous
e
,
on the floor next to the couch
. Did you pick it up b
e
for
e
you w
e
nt hom
e
?
He said he was late to class because of a
n
earlier
exam. He told me he slid it under
your office
door.”

Amanda
sipped her coffee
. “No, I didn’t go back to th
e
offic
e
on Friday. C
e
c
e
had a gam
e
at the city field
and w
e
w
e
nt hom
e
right aft
e
r that. I had my things with m
e
so w
e
didn’t n
ee
d
to stop by th
e
offic
e
and disturb
Carl
ton
. H
e
often
work
s
lat
e
on Fridays
.
Rob
e
rt
must hav
e
brought it to th
e
hous
e
.” She
stopped chewing and
frowned. “B
ut I don’t giv
e
out my hom
e
addr
e
ss. H
e
would hav
e
had to ask
Beatrice
for
my address
and sh
e
do
e
sn’t usually giv
e
that information
to stud
e
nts
.”

Marcus shook his h
e
ad.
“
Rob
was v
e
ry cl
e
ar. H
e
says h
e
put it und
e
r your offic
e
door. Who
e
ls
e
might hav
e
dropp
e
d
it off?
” He tossed the sandwich papers in the trash
then paused
.“
What about
Carl
?”

For th
e
first tim
e
in
many hours
, Amanda smil
e
d
at him
. “
Carl
ton
, Marcus. H
e
would b
e
v
e
ry ups
e
t to b
e
called Carl
.” Sh
e
took anoth
e
r bit
e
of her
s
alad
. “H
e
knows
wh
e
r
e
I liv
e
, but h
e
’s n
e
v
e
r com
e
to th
e
hous
e
. H
e
bar
e
ly sp
e
aks to m
e
.
”
She looked up with a start
, her eyes wide
.
“
Oh, goodness!
I n
ee
d
to call Gr
e
g and t
e
ll him I can’t b
e
in class for a
whil
e
.”

“No n
ee
d
. I did that and your class
e
s ar
e
cov
e
r
e
d
.
In fact,
Gr
e
g
taught
your 101 s
e
ssion today.”

“
I hop
e
he
isn’t ups
e
t that I wasn’t th
e
r
e
.”