A Child's Heart (Trent & Cassie's Story) A River City Novel (12 page)

“You need to open the door, Dr. Jones,” the uniformed
officer said.

“Just a moment.”

“No one should be in there with her. She was packing
to leave,” Trent hissed through his clenched jaw.

The door opened slightly, but Trent couldn’t see who
was on the other side from where he was standing. All he could do
was watch as two officers pushed their way in, followed by two
more, with their guns drawn. He could hear the scuffle and he heard
the one officer telling someone he was under arrest. Seconds later,
he heard the most beautiful sound.

“Trent?” Cassie shot out of her apartment and wrapped
her arms around his neck. “Ohmigod. Trent. Ohmigod. Are you all
right?”

“I’m fine. You’re bleeding.”

“No, Hughie’s bleeding. It’s his blood, not mine.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Can I assume you want this man?” the security
officer asked.

“Oh, yes. I want him.”

Her smile beamed brightly. As soon as the cuffs were
removed, Trent tried to rotate his shoulder. He held Cassie tight
to his body. Tears began to spill over her cheeks and her body
shook. He held her protectively for a few moments before trying to
steer her back inside her apartment.

“I need both of you to answer a few questions,” an
older police officer said.

“I’ve got to pick up my son from playschool.”

“You’re going to have to stay here until this is
finished.”

“Doesn’t Shawn go to school with Tate’s
daughter?”

“Same school, different rooms.”

“I’ll call Tate. I’m sure she’d pick him up for
you.”

***

It was late when Trent, Cassie, and Shawn started on
their journey to the beach. They only told Shawn that she’d had a
combination of car problems and a big problem at work. He seemed to
accept it and was excited about going to the beach, but within
minutes of being on the road, the boy fell sound asleep.

They stopped once for coffee and a snack. They woke
Shawn with the idea of allowing him to use the restroom, but Trent
realized his son had wet himself.

“Even if I change him, his car seat is wet.”

“Go back to sleep, sweetie. I’ll stay here with you
and Daddy can bring me a cup of coffee.”

“Why don’t you use the restroom first, and decide
what you want to eat. Then I’ll go in and bring it back here,”
Trent offered.

“Sounds like a good plan.”

Soon they were back on the road and Cassie wondered
if driving this late was a mistake for both of them. “Are you sure
you are still up to driving? I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“I’m fine. If you want to take a nap, do it.” His
shoulder burned with pain and his fingers were feeling numb.

“I’m afraid if I fall asleep, you will too.”

“How far are we?”

She unfolded the paper, pulled out a pocket penlight,
and read the directions. “Thirty-five, maybe forty-five more
minutes? I’m not sure.”

“I’ve got to bathe him when we get in. I won’t put
him in bed soaked in urine. I’ll take care of the car seat when we
get up.”

“We can sleep in. Promise you won’t wake me before
noon?”

“I just hope I hear Shawn when he wakes up. I don’t
want him wandering around in a strange house.”

“Child-proofing?” she ventured.

“Yes.”

“I doubt that’s a problem. Tate and Ari take Pamela
down there, so I’m sure every outlet is covered.”

“There’s more to it than that. Shawn is naturally
curious.”

She wanted to assure him. “He’s also very
bright.”

“That doesn’t make it easier.”

“Take the road to the bridge.”

They followed the directions and slowed to a crawl as
they made their way down the street, looking for the house. The
porch lights burned brightly, as did the interior lights.

“They must have left every light on for us,” Trent
said, when he pulled into the driveway.

As they were exiting the vehicle, the front door
opened and a woman came out to them.

“Hi, Cassie. And you must be Trent. I’m Karen
Makowllen, and my husband Seith is inside. Tate called and told me
what happened. Please come in.” She gathered up the things Cassie
had in her hands. “Follow me and I’ll show you to your rooms.”

Trent collected his son and carried him into the
house. The bright modern interior was pristine, as Karen showed him
to his room.

Cassie followed. “Take care of Shawn, I’ll get the
rest of our stuff.”

She and Karen brought in the shopping bags that Trent
had packed for the weekend.

Karen smiled brightly. “Things work in mysterious
ways. I was so dismayed that I wouldn’t get to visit with you, and
then Seith twisted his ankle Friday morning, which meant he
couldn’t run off to that golf tournament. It’ll be so much fun
being here with you.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about your husband. Is he going
to be okay?”

“Yes. His pride is injured, and he’s disappointed,
but he’s fine. He needs to stay off of that foot for a week or two.
I set this room up for you and Trent.”

Cassie blushed. “Trent will be sleeping with his
son.”

“Really? I thought…never mind.”

“Not around Shawn.”

“Oh, I can understand. That must be awkward.”

“So far, we’ve been fine.”

“I can do something with Shawn and give you some time
alone, if that would help.”

“Thanks, but this weekend was planned to give us time
with Shawn”

***

Trent appeared, took the car keys from Cassie, and
asked, “Is there anything left out there?”

“Just the cooler, and we can get that in the
morning.” Cassie stifled a yawn.

“Go to bed. I’ll see you all in the morning. And when
Shawn gets up, I’ll keep him occupied. What does he like for
breakfast?” Karen asked as she locked the front door.

Trent looked at the woman, who appeared to have
several years on his mom, and smiled. “We have a no junk food
policy. Cookies for breakfast are not allowed.”

“I know how to spoil little boys and big ones.” Karen
giggled and gave Trent a pat on his arm.

Trent peeled off his clothes and pulled on his pajama
bottom. Seashell nightlights faintly glowed in various outlets. The
room had been decorated in creams and browns with touches of green.
He stretched out next to his freshly bathed son, inhaled the
child’s clean scent, and studied the fishnet on the ceiling.

For the first time since Hugh Fitzgerald slammed him
into the doorframe, he realize just how much his shoulder hurt. The
pain pulsed with the beat of his heart. His son was about to
undergo major heart surgery, and Cassie had lived through a
nightmare. Certainly he could handle a bum shoulder.

~~13~~

Trent’s eyes flew open when Shawn got out of bed.
Pain ripped through his shoulder as he forced himself out of
bed.

“What’s a matter?” Shawn asked.

“I hurt my shoulder last night. It’ll be fine.”

“It doesn’t look fine. It’s lower than your other
one.”

Trent stared in the mirror and knew something was
wrong, but he wasn’t sure what. It was lower and it hurt like hell.
“Get dressed and I’ll make you some breakfast.”

Trent wet his son’s blond hair and tried to tame the
tufts that wanted to stick out in the wrong places. Putting a
finger to his lips, Trent pointed to the door. Together they
tiptoed out of the room, in search of the kitchen. He should have
known the Makowllens would be awake. There sat a gray-haired man,
sipping his coffee and reading the morning paper.

“Hi, I’m Trent and this is Shawn,” he introduced
himself to the older gentleman.

“I’d get up, but it’s too much hassle,” Seith said.
“Apparently I’m missing a good tournament. Buck Zaro is one heck of
a good player, and he was going to be my partner.”

“Well, that’s what you get trying to do everything
yourself. You should have let me call someone, or at least waited
until Patty was here to help you,” Karen scolded.

Trent looked at this couple, having no idea who they
were talking about, or what exactly had transpired. “If you don’t
mind, may I fix something for my son’s breakfast?”

Karen pulled out two chairs. “Sit. Coffee?”

“Thanks, but I need to fix something for Shawn.”

“Not while I’m here. What would you like for
breakfast? I can fix French toast.”

“I love French toast, ma’am. Is that okay,
Daddy?”

“Yes.” Trent reached to take the proffered cup of
coffee and winced.

“And what did you do to your shoulder? It looks
awful.”

“The scar is old, but I hit it last night. Must have
re-injured it.”

“Are your shoulders always that uneven?”

Trent shook his head.

Karen reached over and cupped her hands over it,
causing Trent to gasp.

“That’s nothing little. You’re going to the emergency
room. It looks dislocated. I’ll feed the two of you and then you
get dressed. Seith and Shawn can watch TV. I’ll drive you there. We
don’t have a fancy hospital here, but there is a well-staffed
complex that handles the community’s needs. Anything major they
airlift to a hospital on the mainland.”

Less than four hours of pain-ridden sleep was not
enough, but Karen’s breakfast was delicious, and he honestly hurt
too much to protest a trip to the doctor.

He emerged from the local medical center with his arm
in a sling and two prescriptions for painkillers. He needed
surgery, and the doctor assured him that it wasn’t an emergency,
but it did need to be corrected as soon as possible. Until then, he
had to keep his arm in a sling.

“The doc said they do it as out-patient surgery. He
told me I could take the stronger pill at night and use the other
during the day, but I can’t drive a car or operate heavy equipment
on them, and that’s my job.” Trent walked from the hospital to
Karen's car.

“Fill both of them,” Karen said with her
motherly-take-charge attitude. “You’re not working this weekend,
and Cassie can drive you home. You’re in pain.”

Trent held Karen's car door for her, then went around
to the passenger side and climbed in. “I don’t want to sleep this
time away.”

“You won’t. Use a good sun block and relax on the
beach. You and Cassie don’t have to lift a finger to do anything.
The only thing you are going to do while you are here is relax and
enjoy the beach.”

He smiled at the blonde woman who appeared much
younger than her years. “Thanks. Shawn’s never been to the beach,
and it’s been years since I’ve been.”

***

Cassie rolled over and stretched.
Too tired last night to care, she had pulled off her clothes and
climbed into bed. Now she realized the sheets were scented with
lavender, and the vase on the bureau contained fresh cut
flowers.
Wish my place looked like this.
Everything is so serene and welcoming.

She took her shower and noticed she had started with
her monthly flow. She’d never been this excited about getting her
period, probably since she had her very first one. She thought back
to those days at home, and the skinny child she had been. She
desperately wanted breasts, but they never appeared. When she had
turned fifteen and still didn’t have her period, she began to
worry. She was certain she was genderless. Her mother took her to a
gynecologist, who did some blood work and checked her very
carefully. The man assured her that she was all female, she was
just slower at developing. He said if she hadn’t started on her own
by her sixteenth birthday, he’d put her on hormone pills. At
fifteen and eleven months, she had that very first showing. She had
torn through the house screaming, “I got it!”

Her big brother, Steffen, picked her up and swung her
around. That night, her mom and dad took her and her five brothers
out to a nice restaurant. All the boys, except for Steffen,
grumbled about having to wear suits. It was Steffen who took her
hand under the table and whispered in her ear that he always knew
she was a female.

She fought with her younger brothers, but never with
Steffen. They were best buddies and, as adults, called each other
all the time. She’d call him today, and tell him that she wasn’t
pregnant. He’d be just as relieved.

Quickly, she dressed and went in search of Shawn and
Trent.

She found him half-asleep in a chair with pillows
under an arm that was in a sling.

“What happened?”

“Oh, ah, last night I was shoved into the doorframe.
The pain kept getting worse, and this morning it was obvious that
something was wrong. Karen took me to the emergency doctor this
morning. I’ve got to call an orthopedic doctor when I get back, and
it’ll need surgery.”

Her stomach tightened knowing this was lousy timing,
and that she was responsible for his injury. “Well, speaking of
timing, I got my period.”

He grinned and held out his good arm to her. “I
figured you would.”

She went to him and kissed him. He slipped his tongue
into her mouth and he tasted of coffee. Warm, loving kisses made
her tingle all the way to her toes.

“Hi, you woke up,” Karen said.

A warm flush crawled up Cassie’s face as she broke
from Trent and faced her hostess.

“Don’t be embarrassed, kissing is loads of fun.” She
scanned the room. “Shawn still with Seith?”

“I think so,” Trent answered.

“Well, tell me if you want breakfast or lunch, and
I’ll fix it while you go back to loving your man.”

Cassie looked at Trent, and said, “Lunch will be
fine. But I don’t want you to wait on us. I brought some things
with me. I guess they are still in the cooler in the car.”

“No, I got them this morning and everything is in the
refrigerator. I’ll fix some sandwiches, then you can take Shawn to
the beach. He’s adorable.”

Trent grinned at Cassie. His gray-blue eyes twinkled
with merriment as he pulled her onto his lap. “I’m still willing to
marry you.”