Second Time Around Read online

  Emily thought of the precious little boy, and sank into the sofa. “Have you told him?”

  “I couldn’t. Bryan took the kids to the park to play, so I could start making phone calls.”

  Emily had first met the Wests during Gretchen’s pregnancy, then at church. In addition to having them as patients, she had had Ricky in her Sunday school class for the past two years. As one of her first pregnant patients after moving to Springville, Gretchen had had a special place in her heart. It was Ricky who talked Emily into helping occasionally with preschool. “Is there anything I can do? Help find family, or…”

  “I already have. I called Gretchen’s parents.” There was a long pause. “They can’t even make it here for the funerals. I guess their health isn’t good. Emily, could you go with me to Casper this weekend to take Ricky to see them? According to them, Jack has no living relatives.”

  Emily looked at her calendar. “Sure, I can fit that in. When do you want to leave?” They talked a while longer, and Emily agreed to join Bryan and Laura for lunch to tell Ricky about his parents.

  As she completed her housecleaning, Emily’s thoughts returned to Ricky. She wondered if he would be living with his grandparents for a while, or moving on to some other family member’s home. She wrote a note to herself to make a copy of Ricky’s medical records to hand deliver, thus bypassing all the red tape and the risk of their being lost in the shuffle.

  When Kevin called after work that evening, Emily reminded him of the day at the preschool, and told him about the tragedy.

  “I’m going to put a playhouse together at the preschool tomorrow. Would it help if I took him for a while?” Kevin offered.

  For a man who doesn’t want a family, you’re awfully generous, Kevin. “Check with Laura. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind at all. They’re going to keep Ricky with them for the week.”

  “You want to come along?”

  “I work ’til seven this week, so I’d better say no. But thanks for the invitation.”

  Laura and Ricky met Kevin at the door of the church and escorted him into the preschool, where the teacher was sitting in the middle of a pile of planks and pieces.

  “Thank you for coming, Kevin. I’m sorry to bother you, with all the other work you have.”

  “No problem. Hi, Ricky!” Kevin squatted, resting his rump on his heels, to be close to the boy.

  He listened as the little tike explained what had happened to his parents. Kevin gave him a hug, blinking back the unexpected tears in his own eyes. “It’s really hard when your parents die, isn’t it?”

  Ricky nodded. Kevin jangled his tool belt and looked at Ricky. “Mrs. Beaumont called me to help her build something. What are you trying to make again?”

  “It’s a playhouse, but the instructions are missing. Laura can’t figure it out. Neither can Bryan.”

  Bryan’s wife had already explained that her own husband passed the job along to “the expert.” Laura hadn’t even tried any of the children’s fathers, deciding she wanted the job done right the first time, before she left town.

  Kevin studied the pieces and began experimenting. “I think Ricky and I can figure this out, don’t you, sport?”

  Ricky nodded. He ran to the dress-up box and placed a toy hard hat on his head. “Can I hammer some real nails?”

  “Sounds like a great idea.”

  “You’re looking good, Laura. Feeling okay?” he asked, glancing up. She turned pink, and Kevin laughed, thinking of how much Bryan loved making his wife blush.

  “I’m feeling much better now that I’m into the second trimester.” Laura sat on the pint-size school chair and reached for another plank to hand him. “I hear Emily wouldn’t tell you.”

  “Who could argue with professional confidence?”

  “Nice to know there is some left in the world, isn’t it?”

  He muttered a response, remembering how little respect he had had for it at the time. He’d been worried about Laura, and couldn’t have cared less about ethics, he was ashamed to admit. “When are you due?”

  “Late September. Knowing my luck, it’ll be October. My kids seem to have my sense of timing—not a minute earlier than necessary. If you two are okay here, I thought I’d run and pick up some groceries while you work.”

  Kevin looked at Ricky. “Think we can handle it without Laura’s help?”

  “Yup,” Ricky said, puffing his chest out.

  Kevin put the frame together, then added the sides, encouraging Ricky to pound the heads of the nails until they were flush with the surface. An hour and a half later, just before dusk, they had completed the new playhouse. Across the street, three children were playing on a swing set, begging their preoccupied father to push them higher. The hopeful voices beckoned him, sending Kevin back to his own childhood memories—building a tree house, learning to ride a bike, wading in the icy cold stream learning the “art” of fishing.

  “You’re the only one standing in the way, you know.”

  He turned toward the feminine voice, and Laura smiled. “What?”

  She was carrying a bench across the playground. “I said, you’re in the way, could you move, please? We want this inside for the children to sit on. You two did a beautiful job!”

  “I helped!” Ricky ran up to Laura.

  Kevin jumped to his feet. “You shouldn’t be lifting that in your condition. Let me.”

  He took the bench, realizing when he felt how light it actually was, that he was probably overreacting—to Laura, the children across the way, and to the guilt gnawing at his heart like termites in rotten lumber.

  He had no business criticizing that father for ignoring his children, Kevin realized. He wouldn’t even consider a family for the very same reason. He had no time. Had none, or was he just unwilling to make time for a family?

  “I can’t thank you enough, Kevin. The children are going to love this.”

  “We enjoyed doing it, didn’t we, Ricky? If there’s anything else, give me a call.”

  She helped him pick up his tools, and grinned mischievously. “Don’t worry. I have your number.”

  Kevin thanked Ricky, then watched Laura help him climb into the Suburban.

  Emily visited several times to see how Ricky was coping. As expected, he was angry and frightened. She knew from Laura that he was handling it the way any other child his age would. With Laura’s past experience helping children cope with losing a parent, Emily knew Ricky was in expert hands.

  One evening she decided to entertain the Beaumont children so Laura and Bryan could celebrate their six-month anniversary. Because of Laura’s pregnancy, Emily wanted to lighten the emotional load Ricky added. She ordered pizza and gathered a few games for them to play. Kevin joined them eagerly, and Emily pushed aside the temptation to point out to Kevin his natural way with children.

  She prayed each night that he would change his mind.

  That he would want to make a commitment to her, and to a family.

  That God would heal whatever had hurt him so badly.

  Kevin pulled out the backgammon board and began setting up. Puzzled, Emily watched from the sofa, taking a break from reading a bedtime story to Ricky and Jacob, as Kevin began explaining the game to T.J. and Chad, the nine- and seven-year-olds.

  After a while, T.J. became frustrated and stomped off. Kevin shook his head and followed T.J. up the stairs. A few minutes later they were back, sprawled across the living room floor playing the game again.

  “Now, here’s your home, and this area here is your yard, Chad.” He paused. A few minutes later, she heard him reminding the boys that they always had to have a “buddy” with them or the other player could send them to the “time-out” chair.

  Emily gave up trying to read. She listened, entranced by the way Kevin translated the game to the boys’ level of understanding. By the end of the game, both boys were rolling the dice and making the moves on their own.

  Jacob ran over to Kevin and dove onto his back. The two were espec
ially close since Jacob and Bryan had shared Kevin’s house. They rolled around on the floor, and Ricky watched quietly, staying close by Emily’s side.

  She held him close, wondering what he was thinking, remembering, needing. She was comforted by the fact that he would soon be going to his grandparents’, where he would have plenty of time and attention.

  As soon as she and Kevin had tucked the five children into bed, Kevin begged off duty to go over some bids that were waiting in his To Do pile.

  By the end of the evening, she was exhausted and had an all new respect for Laura’s gift of mothering. “I don’t know how you keep up with everything, Laura,” she said to her friend.

  Laura smiled, rubbing her round tummy. “It’s one of those roles that you sort of ‘grow’ into.”

  Emily rolled her eyes. “Bad, very bad, Laura.”

  Kevin went with Emily to the memorial service, and together they spent the evening at the Beaumonts’.

  “Dr. Emily, when will my mommy and daddy come back?”

  Emily felt his pain, knowing what a blow it was to have a parent never return. Except Ricky’s didn’t have the choice her father had had. That wouldn’t make sense to the four-year-old for years. “They can’t come back, Ricky. When a person dies, his or her soul goes to live in heaven with God.”

  Emily looked to Kevin, hoping for some help. He remained silent.

  “Why can’t it come back here to live with me?”

  “Why can’t what come back here? Their souls?”

  Ricky nodded.

  Emily thought. “In a way, I guess they do. You have memories of your mom and dad that you can think about anytime. That way, part of them is always with you.”

  She asked him about aunts and uncles, to which he just shrugged. It was bad enough that he’d lost his parents, but it was too much to think of him having to move in with a family he didn’t even know. Emily shared his confusion with Laura, who became silent. “What’s going on, Laura?”

  “He has no aunts and uncles. Just Gretchen’s parents.”

  “The ones who are too ill to come here?”

  Laura nodded.

  Emily felt sick. She couldn’t voice her concerns. They were unjust, and she knew it, but she just couldn’t stop herself from worrying.

  “His grandparents called yesterday and talked with Ricky. The bank called them to let them know there was a will. It’s being sent to Casper.”

  Emily watched Ricky playing with Jacob, thankful that Laura and Bryan had been willing to open their home to Ricky temporarily. Not only was it good for him to be with a loving family, but it was especially comforting that he was familiar with all of them. Laura and his mother had been friends, and she was able to share memories of Ricky’s parents with him. Since Laura’s children had lost their father, Laura was already well-prepared for Ricky’s endless list of questions.

  Friday arrived, and Laura and Emily packed up the Beaumonts’ Suburban with all of Ricky’s belongings. The grandparents had already instructed the church volunteers to donate the majority of Gretchen’s and Jack’s belongings to the needy, saving only the things the women believed Ricky might be attached to.

  Bryan and Kevin were there for support, and Kevin was the one who lifted Ricky into the back seat and buckled him into the car seat. “Take care, Sport.”

  Emily felt the tears well in her eyes, and was thankful that Ricky couldn’t see.

  Kevin closed the back door and stepped up to Emily. “You going to be okay?”

  “I’ll feel a lot better when I know he’s in a good home.”

  Kevin nodded. “He’s a tough kid. He’ll be okay.”

  “Tough gets a person through a bad situation—not necessarily in the best mental state, though.” Emily spat the correction automatically, then felt bad for criticizing Kevin’s attempt to give her courage. “I’m sorry, I know you meant it as a positive attribute.”

  He smiled sympathetically. “Stay strong for him, okay? When you get home, I’ll be here to be strong for you.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  The drive was long, and made longer by the barren winter landscape and dreary gray skies. Laura had packed several children’s tapes and books to keep Ricky occupied. An hour after they left home, Ricky was sound asleep.

  Emily looked back. “I don’t know how Social Service workers do this all the time.”

  Laura chuckled. “Don’t you find that comment a little ironic, Emily? You’re a doctor. You perform surgery, bring babies into the world of couples who should never have conceived, and tell people they have terminal illnesses. And yet taking a child to his grandparents, you fall apart?”

  Emily dabbed the tears from her eyes and added the tissue to the already heaping collection in the trash. “I can’t explain it, either.”

  Laura reached a hand over to Emily’s and squeezed.

  They traded driving responsibilities halfway so Laura could stretch out and rest. Laura had called home four times in the first two hours to remind Bryan of things he needed to do. Emily laughed at that.

  “What’s so funny?” Laura argued. “It’s his first weekend as Mr. Mom.”

  “You don’t think he’ll remember to take his own son to the potty? Really, Laura. You’re as pathetic as I am.”

  Both women smiled, a comfortable silence encompassing them. The mileage sign indicated they were almost there. Dusk was falling into night.

  Ricky awoke, rubbing his eyes. “Look at the big boat.”

  Emily and Laura turned toward the bright lights in the distance, unable to tell exactly what they were looking at, yet unable to deny that it did look like a big boat. A gigantic ship, in fact. “In the middle of Wyoming?”

  “Hmm. Remind me to ask George and Harriet about this. I’m sure they can explain what it is.”

  “Mommy and Daddy say it’s a big boat,” Ricky reassured them.

  “A big boat it is, then.” Emily smiled at Laura. They took the Center Street exit and turned toward town. Ricky’s grandparents’ house was settled in the older section, where charming homes had a character all their own. Ricky pointed to a house where a huge ramp had replaced the original stairs. “Gramma and Papa.”

  “Leave it to a child to lead the way.”

  “Are you sure this is it?” Emily queried, looking at the paper with the address, then searching the front of the house for numbers.

  “I trust Ricky. Right, Sport?”

  The toddler had unbuckled his straps and was looking for the handle of Laura’s vehicle. Emily didn’t argue, but watched in amazement as Ricky jumped down, hitting the ground running before Laura or Emily could stop him.

  Whatever reservations Emily had immediately disappeared when she saw Ricky hug his grandparents. By the time they’d unloaded everything, Ricky was dragging his things to the upstairs bedroom.

  Through dinner there was a sudden turn of the proverbial tables, when Harriet began drilling Emily about her life and beliefs.

  After the meal was over, Harriet instructed George to take Ricky to his room to get ready for bed. Harriet was in a wheelchair, so George didn’t argue. Harriet wheeled across the floor with ease, neither asking for nor expecting help.

  The weekend went well, easing most of Emily’s worries. While age and physical limitations were a slight concern, lack of love certainly was not a problem. Ricky didn’t seem to mind that his papa couldn’t keep up with him, or that he couldn’t sit on his grandma’s lap. There were young children living next door, and, according to Harriet, the mother was more than willing to allow Ricky to come over to play.

  By seven o’clock Saturday evening, both grandparents looked exhausted. Ricky had missed his nap and fallen asleep on the floor in front of the television.

  When Emily lifted the youngster to carry him upstairs, Harriet began to sob. Laura held the woman’s hand in silence. Emily paused, then, at a nod from Laura, continued. She dressed R
icky in his pajamas and tucked him into bed.

  When she returned to the main level, the silence was ominous. “Emily, sit down, please,” George asked. Once she had settled on the edge of a wing-back chair, George continued. “We can’t thank you and Laura enough for taking care of our grandson this week, and for bringing him to visit us.”

  “This isn’t a visit, George,” Emily reminded softly. “You said he has no other family.”

  “He doesn’t, but—” he cleared his throat “—Harriet and I aren’t in any condition to care for a rambunctious little tike. We love him to pieces, but…”

  Harriet finished her husband’s sentence. “Our health wasn’t an issue when they wrote their will, but Gretchen and Jack always spoke highly of you. We know they would want you to be Ricky’s guardian.”

  Emily’s mouth dropped open. She looked to Laura for support, and found a tearful smile on her friend’s face. “B-But, you and George are his family.”

  “Oh, they had us as first choice, but knowing our age would one day be an issue, they wanted us to name a second choice in case we couldn’t fulfill the obligation. The last time we talked, Gretchen suggested they ask you. I guess they never got around to it.”

  “Why me? I mean…” How could she tell them Gretchen and Jack weren’t nearly close enough friends to have asked this of her?

  “Gretchen trusted you above all others with her son, Emily. She praised your way with children, your professionalism, your…”

  Emily looked to Laura. “You and Gretchen were closer than we were. This makes no sense.”

  “I also have four-plus children. I can’t say with certainty that that had anything to do with their suggestion, but it would for me. Not to mention Ricky’s asthma.”

  “That’s another issue for us, Emily,” George continued. “We don’t have the knowledge, and I hate to admit it—but for Ricky’s safety, I have to—I don’t have the capability to keep up with his treatments.”

  “We would like for him to stay here to visit for a couple of weeks, if you don’t mind. Mrs. Smith next door has agreed to help us for that long.”