[Second Chances 02]California Dreams (16 page)

Michael hated even saying the words, but he had to make sure they were on the same page, “Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia?”

“That’s the devil. Do me a favor? Don’t mention that term to Grace. She’ll make herself sick with worry between now and when we get the test results back.”

“That I can do. You’re planning to put Daniella out for the procedure?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I don’t want her to be scared any more than necessary. I’d like to see the slides once they’re made.”

“Certainly. Your expertise will be invaluable. I’ll arrange it with the lab first thing in the morning.”

“Thank you. I’ll be bringing them in myself so I look forward to meeting you tomorrow.”

Michael disconnected the call and took several deep breaths before he turned back to see Grace watching him, “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“Not necessarily. Her white count is a little high and she’s anemic. The bone marrow test will just help rule out several things that could be causing it.”

“Or confirm that she has cancer. Right?” Grace asked, horror evident in her voice at the notion her little baby could have cancer.

“Gracie, I want you to look at me. No one has mentioned that word, and we’re not going to even think that way. Now, where is she? I’d like to take a look at her myself. That is, if you don’t mind?”

Grace shook her head and led him into the house and down the hallway to Daniella’s bedroom.

Michael grinned as he entered the pink and purple bedroom decorated with life-sized images of Disney Princesses on the walls. Turning on the light and opening the blinds, he called to her, “Hey sunshine, you want to wake up and talk to me?”

Daniella slowly opened her eyes, sitting up and rubbing them when she saw Michael standing next to her bed. “Hey, sweetie, you still tired?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Mommy and I were talking and she told me you’ve been getting lots of bruises. Can you show me them?”

“Why do you want to see them?” Daniella asked, coming more fully awake.

“Well, you know I’m a doctor, right?” At Daniella’s nod, he continued, “I help little boys and girls like you get better when things inside their bodies don’t work right. Sometimes, they get lots of bruises too.”

“Can you make the bruises go away? They make mommy sad.”

Grace lost control of her emotions, backing from the room as tears flooded her eyes.
I tried to be so careful to hide my concern.

Michael saw Grace leave the doorway, but his focus was entirely on Daniella. “Can I see a few of them?”

Daniella pushed her covers away and showed him her newest ones on her legs and then showed him the one on her side. “I promise I didn’t bump into anything. I’s been real careful.”

“I believe you sweetie. Do any of your bruises hurt?” Michael asked.

“No. Are they supposed to?” Daniella asked, puzzled that she should have been in pain.

“No. They’re not supposed to hurt. Only real bruises hurt. These aren’t really bruises. They’re just places where some of your blood forgot it wasn’t supposed to stick around.”

“Oh.” Daniella rubbed her eyes and then scooted from the bed, “Do you want to play dress-up and have a tea party?”

“I tell you what. Why don’t you get everything set up for that tea party while I go find your momma. When I come back, we’ll play dress-up and have a party, okay?”

“Yay! Hurry.”

Michael let his hand touch her head for a moment before he left the room to find Grace. He found her sitting at the kitchen table, staring out at the backyard, “Grace?”

“Please don’t lie to me. Just tell me the truth. Does she have cancer?”

Michael sat down beside her, pulling her around by the shoulders, “Look, I’ve seen a lot of kids come in with similar bruising. Sometimes it turns out to be cancer, but just as many times it turns out to be something else. You have to stay positive here. For her and for yourself.”

Grace nodded her head, “I’m sorry you got dragged into this. I know you’re trying to get away from the death and dying thing.”

“Don’t! Don’t do that to me or yourself. I’m here because I want to be. Daniella is a sweet little girl and I’m not leaving as long as she, or you, need me. Now, I’ve been invited to a tea party and I promised to attend. Are you going to be alright out here by yourself, or would you be interested in joining us?”

Grace looked with longing down the hallway, “I think I’d like to join you, if that’s alright?”

“Good choice,” he murmured, pulling her from the chair. He pulled her into this chest for a hug, reminded once again at how small she was compared to him. “She’s going to be alright. Have faith.”

Grace wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly. She had missed being hugged and feeling a man’s arms around her, keeping her safe and protected most of all. Alec had been a large man with loads of muscles and had always made her feel safe. Until he hadn’t come home. Her safety net had disappeared with him, and she had learned to be strong for herself and her child.

Having Michael’s arms wrapped around her brought back those needy feelings and she reveled in them. “You know if we don’t head down there pretty soon she’s going to come looking for us?”

Grace pushed away from him and he chuckled.
I am not ready to have a discussion about boyfriends with Daniella. Not right now.

“Let’s go find you some bling, Michael. It’s required of all attendees. Just thought I would warn you.”

“I’ll have you know I look fabulous in purple, or so I’ve been told,” he replied with a laugh as he escorted Grace to her daughter’s room. Playing dress-up was always fun because it meant his young patients were feeling well enough to play, and that meant there was hope they would recover. Playing was synonymous with hope in his book, and everyone needed a large helping of that right now.

Samuel and Jane had spent the morning and afternoon getting things in order for her permanent move to California. They had stopped at
The Inferno
for lunch, where Jane had carefully watched the kitchen, selecting two women and two men to assist her in the design kitchen – as they were now calling it.

The kitchen space Chef Marco had shown her was magnificent and currently being renovated to contain all of the same ovens and appliances the restaurant kitchens would have at their disposal.

Jane had been floating on cloud nine when Samuel had then taken her to the county courthouse so that they could apply for a marriage license. They had looked at their schedules and decided on an early March wedding, wanting to give Trent and Sara plenty of notice so that they could attend.

Jane was laughing at something Samuel had said as they entered the house but she stopped, feeling the tension even though nobody was visible. “Something’s wrong,” she told Samuel before she headed down the hallway, “Grace? Daniella?”

Hearing noises coming from the child’s bedroom, she pushed open the door and then stared at the strange man wearing not only a tiara and earrings, but some of Daniella’s pretend lipstick as well.

He looked up and waved, “Hi. Would you care for some tea?”

The question was so insane given his size and appearance, Grace burst out laughing, holding her sides as tears slid from her eyes. “Hi…Jane…Samuel…did you all…have a good…time?”

Jane grinned, “Well, yes. But obviously not as good a time as you.” Leaning forward, she whispered to Grace, “Have you been drinking?”

“Only tea. Promise.” The strange man stood up to his full height and held out a hand, “Michael Simpson. We’ve not met yet. You must be Jane and you must be Samuel.”

Samuel looked at the man and had to give him credit. When he played dress-up, he really got into it. “Don’t let us interrupt anything. Go right ahead with whatever you were all doing before we barged in.”

Seeing Daniella yawn, Michael called a halt to their play, “Daniella, sweetie, it’s time to put away the tea set now.” He reached up and removed his tiara and earrings, bowing to her as he placed them back in their carrying case, “Thank you Princess Daniella for a lovely afternoon. We must do this again sometime.”

Daniella bowed her head regally, still playing the perfect princess, “Why thank you, Mr. Michael. Mommy, I’m tired.”

Grace sobered immediately, “I know sweetie. Why don’t I go make you a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk and then you can go to bed. Remember, we get to go see Dr. Patterson first thing in the morning.”

“Alright,” Daniella agreed with another yawn.

Michael helped Grace step over the various tea items and find her way to the door, “I’ll stay with her until you get back.”

Grace smiled at him, not sure what she would have done without his support today, “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

Samuel and Jane were waiting for her in the kitchen, “What did you mean about visiting Dr. Patterson in the morning? I thought you saw him this afternoon?” Jane knew she had missed something big when Grace began to tear up.

Grace took a steadying breath and then told Samuel and Jane about the bone marrow procedure, both of them becoming very quiet and concerned as she finished.

Nodding her head towards the bedrooms, Jane asked, “Who’s the eye-candy?” Seeing Samuel look at her with a raised brow, she forged on, “Oh don’t give me that. I may have agreed to marry you, but I still have eyes in my head. That guy is gorgeous, if you like the young ones anyway.”

Samuel looked at her incredulously for a moment and then burst out laughing, “That’s why I love you.”

“That man down there is Dr. Michael Simpson…”

“Of the Children’s Choir benefactor Simpsons?” Jane asked.

“The one and only. He’s the middle child. Anyway, we met Monday afternoon and then had a wonderful lunch yesterday and well, here we are today. He was here when Dr. Patterson called.”

“What kind of doctor is he?” Samuel asked.

Grace smiled at them, “You’re not going to believe this, but he specializes in pediatric cancer treatment. He’s on a sabbatical here because he’s not sure he wants to continue working at the Craycroft Cancer Center.”

“So, did he examine Daniella? What did he think?”

“He says we need to all think positive and even though her symptoms could be related to cancer, there are several other illnesses that could cause the same symptoms. He’s going to look at the slides tomorrow and give Dr. Patterson his expert opinion.”

“Did you call Sara yet?” Samuel asked, knowing that both Trent and Sara would want to be here as support for Grace.

“Not yet. I don’t know what to tell her,” Grace finished on a sob.

Samuel pulled her into his arms and rocked her, offering comfort the only way he knew how, “Shush. It’s going to be okay. I just know it is.”

Jane pulled the bread and peanut butter from the cupboard and quickly made Daniella some dinner. Filling a glass with milk, she took it all down to the bedroom, shooing Michael from the room so that he could go calm Grace down.

“Gracie? Come on now,” he said, taking her from Samuel with a murmured “Thanks.”

“Michael, I’m going to go call her sister and brother-in-law and let them know what’s happening. They’ll want to be here tomorrow.”

Michael held Grace in his arms, “Grace, I’m going to stay here tonight. I’ll take you both to the hospital in the morning and as soon as possible, I’ll try to have an answer for you, but I need you to think positive and be strong. Daniella’s going to need you to be strong for her tomorrow.”

“What are they going to do to her tomorrow?” Grace asked.

“Do you really want to know?” Michael queried.

“No, but maybe if you tell me it won’t seem so scary.”

That’s highly doubtful.
Michael led her over to the couch and as gently as possible, explained the bone marrow procedure to her. He made sure she understood that Daniella would be asleep the entire procedure, and that they would give her some painkillers so that she would only feel a little achy where the needle had gone in. She seemed calmer afterwards and left him to go tuck Daniella in.

Jane came in after Grace left and sat down on the couch next to him, “You were being very kind to her. So you’ve known her what, two days?”

“Something like that,” Michael said, settling back against the couch for the inquisition he saw coming.

“So what’s your stake in this?”

Michael stared at her, wondering what it would take for her to back down and then realized that she wasn’t going to. “I don’t know if I can explain it. She gets to me,” he placed his hand over his heart, “here. Seeing her work with those kids Monday afternoon, and listening to her talk about her life at lunch yesterday – I don’t know, but she’s so full of life. She’s gorgeous, strong, a fantastic mother…we just seemed to click.”

Jane smiled at him, “It’s kind of scary when it happens that fast, huh?”

Michael looked at her and slowly smiled back, “What do you know about it?”

“My cousin Trent rescued this girl, Sara, a few days before Christmas. She was sick, running from everyone, and they just ‘clicked’ as well. They got married Christmas Eve.”

“Really? They knew they were right for each other that quick?”

“It happens. Now Grace, she’s Sara’s sister by the way, she’s already had her first love and lost him. She’s gone through the pain of raising a child on her own, and burying the man she vowed to spend the rest of her life with. That hurt was so deep, you’re the first man she’s even looked at to my knowledge.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Michael asked.

“Because I care for that girl in there and her daughter, and I’m a pretty good judge of character and I like what I’ve seen of yours so far. She’s scared of loving again because there are no guarantees, and burying your spouse hurts like nothing else but burying a child.”

“You speaking from experience?”

Jane nodded, “Yes. I married my high school sweetheart and buried him a few years later. I’ve let the fear of losing another husband keep me from reaching for love for fifteen years. Fifteen lonely years. I don’t want to see that for Grace.”

“We’ve only known each other for a few days. If you’re asking me my intentions, beyond getting to know her better, I don’t have any at the moment.”

“That’s good enough for me. If you two are right for each other, you’ll know soon enough. Just be honest with her and don’t intentionally hurt her. She doesn’t deserve that.”

“I would never hurt her on purpose. I’ll be careful with her affections.”

“Good.” Jane looked up as Grace came back into the room. “Is she asleep?”

Grace nodded, hiding a yawn behind her hand, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, you’ve had a lot to deal with today. I’m going to bunk out here on the couch, why don’t you go ahead and turn in?”

Grace looked unsure, but yawned again, “Okay. Maybe you’re right. Jane, thank you for everything.”

Jane hugged her and then turned her towards her bedroom, “Off to bed with you. I’ll make sure you wake up with plenty of time to spare in the morning.” She watched as Grace slowly made her way to the bedroom.
God, please let everything be okay tomorrow. Please!

Samuel walked back into the room, having finished his discussion with Trent. “They’re going to catch the first plane out in the morning. They should be here sometime after lunch. Sara wanted to talk to Grace but Trent and I managed to block that. Grace looked done in for.”

“She is. Thanks,” Michael told him.

Samuel’s phone rang again, “Hello?”

“Samuel, you free to talk?” Stan asked.

“Sure.” He looked at Michael and Jane and then headed outside, “I won’t be a minute.” Once he was out of earshot, he spoke, “Talk to me.”

“I just wanted you to know I found out how Julian got ahold of the knife he stabbed the guard with. It seems that Trevor Ward has a sister who also happens to be a nurse. Julian promised that if she would help him escape with Hector, he would break her brother out of jail.”

“Where is she now?”

“Dead. Officers found her strangled to death about an hour ago in a rundown apartment owned by none other than Trevor Ward.”

“He had his own sister killed?” Samuel asked, disgusted by the thought.

“Either that, or Julian was trying to send a message. Anyway, I petitioned the judge for isolation for both men and she approved it.”

“She? You got Judge Blackburn again? What are the odds?”

“Pretty good right now. Everyone else is out on vacation.”

“Well that explains a lot. I can’t believe she sided with you.”

“She didn’t at first, but after I explained to her what had gone down at the hospital, and how we had tried to warn her, she was more than willing to listen to my suggestions.”

“Good. So it’s safe to say that the Quintana cartel has active members already in the states. Pull Julian and Hector’s visitation records. I want to know the location of each and every one of their visitors. If they’re here illegally, arrest them on the spot and let immigration have at them. If they have so much as a speeding ticket, I want to know about it.”

“I’m already ahead of you. We should have everything gathered up by morning. Are you gonna be here?”

Samuel was torn; he needed to make sure the Quintana cartel was taken down, but he also needed to be a rock for Jane during this trying time. The decision was taken out of his hand when Jane wrapped her arms around his waist, “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. You do what you have to do and then come home to me.”

“I’ll be there.” Samuel disconnected the phone and turned, taking Jane into his arms, “You’re pretty special, you know that?”

“Yes, but I like hearing you say it.” Then stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips.

Samuel deepened the kiss for a minute and then set her away from him, “I’m going to let you get some sleep. Grace is going to need your support tomorrow, no matter what happens. I’ll come to the hospital as soon as I can.”

“I know you will. Drive careful going home.”

“Goodnight.” Samuel let himself out the side gate and moments later, she heard the sound of his car driving away. Heading inside, she sent up a silent prayer for his safety and good news on the morrow.