Loving Miss Libby (9 page)

Libby’s heart went out to the older woman.  She knew
she was in a difficult position—needing to be there for her husband, and
wanting to care for her grandchildren too.  Libby rose to retrieve cream and
sugar for Mary, and gave her shoulder a squeeze as he drew past.  “Try not to
worry.  And I’m sure Dan will understand completely that your focus needs to be
on your husband.”

She sighed.  “I know you’re right.  But I still
worry about the kids.”  She smiled.  “Of course, I’ll worry less, knowing
you’re here.”  She angled a glance at Libby.  “So, how long do you think you’ll
be available to help out?”

Libby weighed the question.  “Well, it depends on my
employer.”

“You work for Matt Mason.  Is that right?”

She nodded. 

“He had a surgery, didn’t he?”  Mary sensed Libby’s
reticence to volunteer any information about Doctor Mason.  “My husband and I
know Matt and his wife.  In fact, they’re dear friends.”

“Oh, okay,” Libby said, smiling with relief.

The older woman suddenly frowned.  “Have you spoken
to Doctor Mason lately?”

She shook her head.  “Not for a couple days.”

“You may want to give his wife a call,” Mary told
her.  “I’m afraid she isn’t terribly keen on him returning to work anytime
soon.  She mentioned to me that he’s a lousy patient, but that she’ll strap him
down if she has to.  She told me that come hell or high water, he was going to
take several months off of work.”

Libby gasped. 
Several months?
  Her employer
certainly hadn’t told her that.

“I’m sorry,” Mary said with a grimace.  “It probably
wasn’t my place to tell you.”

“I’m glad you did,” Libby said, attempting a smile. 
“If I need to find other work, I need to know sooner than later.”

“Being a full-time nanny doesn’t interest you?” the
woman asked, smiling hopefully.

Libby gave a tentative smile in return.  “Well, I
haven’t given the idea much thought,” she admitted.  “Well any thought,
really.  I guess I see myself as a temporary babysitter.  But I guess…”

“So you’d consider it?” the woman plunged ahead. 
“Whatever Dan pays you, we’d be happy to double it.  My husband and I—that is. 
With whatever he’s paying you, plus double…”  She arched her brows, as if
dangling an appealing carrot in front of her face.

Libby chuckled uncertainly.

“We just can’t stand the thought of the kids going
off to a stranger’s house.  And since Dan hasn’t been able to get the kids into
a daycare, he’ll probably end up hiring a teenager, and frankly, that worries
us.  Although I know there are responsible teenagers out there, many just don’t
have the common sense required to care for two children.”

She forged ahead.  “We can’t tell you how delighted
we are, knowing you’re right next door.  It’s so wonderful for the kids that
they’re so close to home.  It breaks my heart that they’re always running back
and forth from our place to home.  Sometimes it’s difficult keeping track of
everything from homework to coats and shoes.” 

Libby remembered the children telling her the same
thing.  They were tired of the constant activity, and sometimes just wanted to
stay home.

Libby smiled uneasily.  What could she say?  Surely
the older woman was joking about doubling her pay and adding it to what Dan was
paying her.  If she was serious, she’d earn a better paycheck babysitting the
kids than working her day job. 

“I think I hear Dan,” Mary announced suddenly, and
gave her a conspiratorial wink.  “If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you
didn’t mention my offer to pad your pay.”

Libby opened her mouth to speak, but the woman cut
her off.

“Let me know if you’ll consider the job.”  She
passed Libby a piece of paper, with a phone number written on it.  “Call me,”
she added with a wink.

Libby was uncertain how to respond to that either. 
Fortunately, she didn’t have to, since Dan walked into the kitchen.  He spotted
his mother and broke into a smile.  “Hey, Mom.  How’s everything with you?”

“Oh, well, your dad and I are hanging in there. 
You’re off early today.”

He heaved a relieved sigh.  “Yeah, I flexed the
time.”  He turned and smiled at Libby.  “Libby, how was your day?”

“The kids and I had a very nice day,” she told him.

“Son, may I have a word with you in the living
room?” Mary asked.

“Sure, Mom.

“I’m going to head home,” Libby said, smiling at
mother and son.  “I’ll just let myself out.”

Dan escorted her to the door anyway.  “Thanks
again,” he said, smiling into her eyes.  “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

She nodded.  “First thing.”

***        

Libby had just made herself a light dinner of a
chicken salad sandwich when her doorbell rang.  She hurried to open it,
surprised to find Dan standing on her porch, wearing a sheepish smile on his
face.

“So Mom tried to bribe you,” he said without
preamble.

A slight smile tugged at her lips.  It seemed his
mother couldn’t keep a secret.  She was grateful for that, since she didn’t
like the idea of keeping information from her temporary employer.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  “My mom
just told me about my father’s aneurysm,” he said with a sigh.  “It sounds
awfully serious.  Apparently the doctor says the thing could burst today,
tomorrow…”

Libby’s heart went out to him.  She could read the terror
on his face.  He’d already lost a wife.  He wasn’t ready to lose his father. 
Reaching out to him, she gave his arm a squeeze.  “Try not to worry.  Surgeons
have made tremendous advances in surgical techniques in dealing with aneurysms,
and to be honest, they’re much more common than you might realize.”  She gave
him another shoring squeeze.  “I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”

He forced a smile.  “Oh, I know.  He’s as tough as
an old boot.  It’s just…”

“What?” she prompted.

“I guess I can’t help but worry about him, and Mom. 
And then there’s the kids…  Kate is going to be devastated, and speaking of the
kids…”

She knew what he was referring to—he was going to
need care for them longer than was anticipated originally.  But…  It seemed she
might need a job much longer than anticipated, since his mother had divulged
that her employer might be out of commission longer than he’d originally
thought.

“I’m going to call my employer first thing in the
morning.  I’ll know then what the next several weeks will look like for me. 
One of the other doctors at work, Doctor Darcey, will be back from his cruise
in a week, but the work he provides equates to about twenty-five percent of my
workload.  That, with what I get from Dr. Lakey, totals about forty-five
percent of my work.  If Dr. Mason is off for some time, I’ve lost the lion’s
share of my transcriptionist work.”  She gave a sigh.  “I’ll be needing work if
that’s the case.” 

“I’m sorry, Libby.  I know you’re dealing with some
worrisome issues too.”

She nodded.  “I really hope my employer is soon
healthy and back to work, but the truth is, he does need a break—and time to
heal.  He rarely takes time off.”

“In the meantime, you’re in a bind.”  He angled a
glance her way.  “I don’t mean to stick my nose into your business, but with
the money I’m paying you, and your partial income, will you be…”

She nodded.  “I’ll be fine.”

He gave a relieved sigh.  “Well, I’d better get back
home.  Mom probably needs to get back to Dad.”  He gave her a hesitant glance. 
“I’m off early…  Would … you care to join the kids and me for dinner tonight?”

“No, that’s okay,” she said.  “I hate the idea of
you having to cook.”

He gave a dismissive wave.  “Oh, I wasn’t going to
cook.  I mean, we’re going out for burgers and fries.  Would you…?”

She smiled.  “I was about to eat a sandwich, but you
know what?  A burger sounds great.  I’ll just wrap up the sandwich for
tomorrow, and…”  She paused and made an embarrassed face.  “It’s a bit early
for supper.  What time did you want me to come over?”

He checked his watch.  “Why don’t we pick you up
around five-thirty?”

“I
like hamburgers almost as much as I like pizza,” Marky said with a contented
sigh. 

“I like them better,” Kate announced, as she reached
for a French fry.  “But I like fries even better than hamburgers.”

“Well, I like pizza and hamburgers equally,” Libby
told the children.

“I like pizza, hamburgers, and … ice cream,” Dan
said with a smile.

Both kids jumped up from the table.  “Can I order
our ice cream?” Kate asked eagerly.  The group was seated out of doors at a
picnic table nearby the fast food place’s order counter.

Dan nodded and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. 
“Get what you want.”  He turned to Libby, who hesitated. 

She gave a smile.  “I think I’ll have a small
vanilla cone.”

“I’ll have the same,” Dan told his daughter.

The children bounced off, thrilled at the idea of
ice cream.  Dan watched after them smiling, and then turned to Libby.  “I
remember when an ice cream cone could make everything right in my world too.” 
He paused and shook his head.  “Well, all’s well in Marky’s world, courtesy of
ice cream.  Kate…”  He gave a withering sigh.

“Is something wrong?” Libby asked with concern.

“I don’t think I’ve told you, but Kate often has
nightmares.”

“The kids did mention that,” she told him.

“She wakes up screaming, but can’t seem to remember
what she dreamt about.  Well, that, or she’s choosing not to articulate it.” 
He heaved another sigh.  “She misses her mother desperately.  I think the
nightmares have something to do with her mom.”

Libby frowned, her heart breaking for the child
again.  “Dan, may I ask?  How did your wife…?”  She hated to be intrusive, but
she thought she might be able to help Kate to better deal with her fears if she
understood specifically what they were. 

He didn’t immediately speak, and she feared she’d
crossed a line.  “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have asked.  I just thought maybe I
could help Kate if…”

He gave her an alarmed glance.  “No, no, you’re not
intruding.  I was just remembering…”  He gave a sigh and continued.  “When
Marky was two and Kate five, my wife developed some lung issues.  She began
having difficulty breathing.  Her doctor was dismissive—said it was simply
asthma—and prescribed an inhaler.”  He paused and glanced off at the children,
and then back to her.  “It turned out it was lung cancer.  It spread rapidly
and within weeks of her actual diagnosis, she was gone.”  He gave a brittle,
humorless laugh.  “Second-hand smoke exposure is, in fact, a killer.”

“I’m so sorry for you and the children,” she told
him.  “I guess I understand what the kids are going through on some level,
since I lost my father when I was a little older than Kate.”

“Oh, Libby, I’m so sorry,” Dan said. 

“To be honest, I don’t remember much about him.  My
sister and I really didn’t have much of a relationship with him.  I guess he
believed children should be seen and not heard…”

“A child who has lost a mother or father tries
desperately to retain memories of their parent, regardless.  If the memories aren’t
good ones…”  He surprised her when he took her hand.  “I really am sorry.”

She forced thoughts of her own loss aside for now. 
“Aside from the nightmares, has Kate said anything that might clue you in as to
what’s going on with her?”

“I think her granddad’s health issues have brought
her fears to the forefront again,” he said.  “She was old enough to understand
her mother was ill, since I allowed her to see her in the hospital.  Had I
not…”  His face contorted in agony.  “I wonder if that was a mistake—allowing
her to see…?”

Libby’s heart broke for the little girl and her
father.  She hadn’t been permitted to see her father in the hospital, and
despite her mixed feelings about him, had always felt horrible that she hadn’t
been allowed to tell him ‘goodbye.’  She had always felt as if she’d let him
down on some level.

“Dan, I can tell you my personal experience.  I
wasn’t permitted to see my dad at the hospital.  When he passed, I hadn’t had a
chance to tell him ‘goodbye.’  It almost killed me.  I think I thought that if
I had been able to hold his hand, kiss his cheek—say something, he and I might
have ‘connected’ in some way that we never had before.  Even though I was
young, the guilt practically ate me alive.  I felt as if I’d failed him—almost
as if his passing were my fault.”

Dan’s eyes, fixed on her face, shone with both
compassion and gratitude.  “I’m so sorry for your suffering, but I’m so
grateful to you for sharing that with me.”

The kids returned, carrying the ice cones.  Dan made
a grab for his from Marky, just as the little boy appeared about to drop it.

“I’m sorry, Dad!” he cried.