Partners (20 page)

And then this hunch that something was the matter! Maybe the baby was dead or dying! It wasn't like him to get that kind of hunch! He had been working too steadily and lost too much sleep. That was a fact. But then he had often done that. It was something more than hard work. It was the business of the girl and the baby that had got him.

Well, here he was! The elevator door clanged open and he stepped out. Now! Now in a moment more he would know!

He walked down the hall to the door and gave his special little fingertip tap, and almost instantly he heard Dale's soft footsteps. He wondered how it was that he was so sure it was Dale and not the heavier-footed nurse.

Then the lock turned, and Dale was standing there.

He gave one breathless look, and then he saw the stars in her eyes. Stars of gladness! He had been afraid to believe that she would be glad!

She had come to the door, thinking it was the boy from the drugstore with something the nurse had ordered. Dale was wearing just an ordinary pleasant look. When she saw who was standing there the glory of a great gladness came into her face and made it radiant. She put out both her hands in a lovely welcoming gesture. Oh, she hadn't meant at all to look glad like that, just pleasantly glad when he came. But she didn't know what joy was in her face, what eagerness was in her eyes. And Rand's heart rose up with an answering gladness and put it into his eyes.

He dropped the suitcase he was carrying and took both her hands in one of his, and his other arm went about her and drew her close. And then he stooped and laid his lips reverently on hers, and drew her close to his heart. Such tenderness, such gentleness, such preciousness! They stood so for several dear seconds, his lips at her lips, her eyelids, and whispering softly in her ear.

They forgot that the door was wide open and his suitcase was dumped on the floor in the hall, forgot the nurse who might appear at any minute now. They even for a minute forgot the baby who had brought them together and might wake up any time and demand attention.

"My dearest, I love you!" whispered Rand softly, and kissed her again, and her eyes lifted to his and gave their sweet answer in like words.

Then suddenly the elevator shot up, far down the hall, and the gates clanged open, letting someone out. Footsteps came down the hall. All at once the two became conscious of the world about them.

Rand's arms came down from that sweet enfolding, and he came to instant attention. He grabbed his suitcase from the hall and disappeared into the room, vanishing into the little kitchenette, from which stronghold he peered out cautiously.

"Is that that ubiquitous nurse?" he asked in a scared comical whisper.

But Dale with very rosy cheeks was twinkling her eyes at him, her mouth all made up in a cute little quirk of mirth as she backed into the room and shut the door softly, locking it with a definite noise.

Then Rand came out of hiding and went over to her again, laying a hand on each of her shoulders, looking down deep into her eyes and then drawing her very close again in his arms.

"I'm telling you I love you with all my heart, my sweet," he said, and his voice was throbbing with tenderness. "Do you mind, little Dale? Do you mind if I love you? Dear heart! This is the greatest thing that ever came to me. Are you listening, Dale? I want to ask you when you will marry me. Where is that nurse? Is she liable to come in on us any time?"

"She's gone to get some sleep. She was up all night. I just heard her snoring," said Dale with a twinkle. "Oh George, it's so wonderful that you've come back! Somehow it didn't seem as if you ever would! And then when I thought you didn't telephone last night I began to think you had forgotten us. I began to think you were just a figment of my imagination."

"You did?" he said in astonishment. "You darling! Why, that's just the way I felt. I couldn't believe there was such a girl as you, darling. You will marry me, won't you, dear? Tell me, and set my heart at rest. I've just been so lonely and so discourage!"

"But, George, you don't know me at all. You've only seen me a few times!"

"I've seen you all I need to see you to know you are the one I want to marry!" said George stubbornly. "But of course if you feel that way about me, why, we'll wait till you're ready. But, Dale, you kissed me as if you loved me! I'm not good enough for such a sweet girl as you are, but I'll make it up by loving you the more!"

"I do love you," said Dale shyly. "But I really know you, you know. Didn't I watch you save that dear baby's life? Didn't I see how gentle you were? Didn't I know how you took care of us both and got the very best there was for us both, just two strange little foundlings, and you took us out of Mrs. Beck's terrible house and put us in this beautiful apartment, and got us a doctor and a nurse, and you stuck by and helped--"

"Yes, but you forget, I loved you both! And you were taking care of the little baby that God let me find--"

Then all at once from the other side of the room came another little voice, "Ahh! Goooo! Ahhh!"

They both looked up in wonder and then with delight. They baby was talking to them in a sweet little voice as if he were giving his blessing. As if he had heard what they said and approved it. As if he wanted to get into the conversation, too.

George pulled Dale to her feet, and with his arm around her and one of her hands in his they walked over to the crib.

"How about it, fella? Do you approve my choice?"

The baby looked at Rand as if he understood, looked at him almost as if he recognized him.

"Ahhh! O-oooo! A-hggoo!" said the baby, ending with a little cheerful crow, like a well baby. And then he drew one corner of his mouth into the shadowy semblance of a smile.

"Why, he's smiling at you, George! He's never done that before! He's never talked like that before!"

"Yes, well, fella, I'm glad you bucked up and smiled for your daddy when he came, didn't you?"

"Ahh-ooo-ahhh!" answered the baby looking earnestly at Rand.

"And so you approve the lady I've selected to be your mommy, do you?"

The baby looked at him solemnly.

"Ahhh! Oooooo-ah!" said the baby, and suddenly gave a little lift to his small feet, tossing them up and ending with a cheery crow and a regular smile this time, with the dimples clearly showing.

"Well, say, fella, you're a regular guy, aren't you?" said Rand, filled with delight. "Has he been doing these stunts right along?"

"Oh, no," said Dale sadly. "He's been very sick. For two days we were frightened. Even the nurse looked grave and sent for the doctor. I think the doctor himself was worried. Didn't he tell you? That was last night when he answered the phone."

"All he told me was that he had to hurry away to an operation and he would call me back when it was over. He said the baby was fine!"

"Well, he didn't go to any operation. He stayed here all night. I know he was worried!"

"Well, I had a hunch! And I'm glad I followed it out this time. But I was might uncomfortable until I decided to come home."

"Well, I was very unhappy, too," said Dale in a small voice. "I thought maybe you had stopped caring for him, and I began to try to plan a way that I could perhaps take care of him."

Rand drew her closer to him and looked down keenly into her eyes.

"Then you really want him?" he said searchingly. "You won't feel he's a burden you have to have just because I want him?"

"I really
want
him!" said Dale. "I
love
him."

"And you won't feel after a time that I brought him in on you and spoiled our home and our life?"

"How could I feel that way? Why, George, he's the one that brought us together. He's the angel God sent to introduce us!"

"You dear!" said George, drawing her closer still and setting a slow reverent kiss on her brow.

Then they could hear the nurse stirring about in her room now, and Dale ran lightly over by the baby, while Rand put on his most dignified air and stood looking out the window at the white, white world, but enchantment was shining in the eyes of both.

"Oh, has Mr. Rand got back? That's nice," said the nurse, coming in with the air of being ready for work. "Why, I thought you said you were going to stay another day or two."

"Well, you see, I got a hunch the baby was worse," said Rand with a sheepish smile, "so I just finished up my work as fast as I could and flew back."

"Now can you beat that!" marveled the nurse. "He
was
worse again, pretty bad for a few hours, and I didn't know but we'd have to send for you, but we got the doctor and he brought him around in fine shape. But to think you'd feel that across a lot of miles! You must be sensitive to thought transference, aren't you?"

Rand grinned shyly across at Dale.

"Perhaps I am," he said amusedly. "I never realized it before. But it must have been something like that."

Dale turned away quickly to hide her smile.

"Well, how's my baby this morning? Is he awake yet?" asked the nurse going over to the crib.

"Oh yes," said Dale. "He's been talking to us. You ought to hear him. It sounded as if he was really trying to say things."

They all circled around the crib, and the baby was greatly intrigued. He looked up and fixed his big blue eyes on Rand, and remarked quite casually, just as if he knew he was being the center of admiration, "Ahhh! O-ooo-ah!"

"Well," said the nurse in a tone of deep satisfaction, "he's better, and no mistake now! He never did that before, did he?"

"No," said Dale, smiling. "It seemed as if he recognized Mr. Rand. He gave several little sorts of crows to him, and he really smiled and showed his dimples."

"Well, I'm sure he's better. We must tell the doctor when he comes. It's a good indication when they begin to take notice."

She went over to the crib and laid her hand lightly on the little forehead.

"His skin feels better, too. Yes, little boy, you'll be well enough to enjoy Christmas. Just one week off today, isn't it? That's time enough to get a pretty good start. Only we'll have to be very careful that he doesn't get another setback. Well, now, young man, I suppose you're reading for your breakfast, aren't you?"

"Ahhh!" said the baby quite insistently, and they all laughed.

The nurse hurried away for the bottle, and Rand slipped up beside Dale and put his arm about her.

Dale thrilled to his presence, and her cheeks grew rosy.

"Sweetheart!" he whispered, and then they heard the nurse coming back.

"We're going down to get some breakfast and then out to take a little walk," said Rand to the nurse. "Will that be all right? You won't need us right away, will you?"

"Oh, no, I shan't need you. This young man will sleep a little while after he gets his breakfast, and when he wakes up he'll be having a bit of a bath. No, I shan't need you."

So with radiant faces and eyes full of a great joy the two went off together, and the nurse sat down with the morning paper in a chair beside her, prepared to feed the baby and take a little easy time before she had to get the room "redd up" as she called it, and prepare for the baby's bath, which was still a most careful operation.

The room was very warm and quiet, the food was just to the baby's taste, the nurse was sitting close by. He could see the top of her head as he rolled his eyes dreamily that way, and the little place where the gray hair parted on her pink forehead. She represented comfort and relief from annoying hunger, or cold, or weariness. She was a comfortable thought even as she sat there crackling that paper now and then, and startling him as he drowsed happily off, almost asleep. It was perhaps after all a pleasant world to which he had come, through so much tribulation, although it had been so terribly cold at first. Perhaps it was only a bad dream, that coldness. That cold white stuff that he put his bare little claw into. That world where there was a glaring light above and nobody to help, and then suddenly big strong arms lifted him and bore him away.

Where were those two who had been there to do such nice pleasant things for him? That sweet-faced girl that crooned to him and put him into nice warm water! The big man nearby who fed him nice hot sweet water. And then that bottle the girl gave him!

"Mm-mmm-mmmm!" They knew what to do for a fellow when he had that gone, empty pain in his tummy! They knew how to smile and talk sweet talk, and call him nice names, and make him feel as if somebody loved him again!

His eyelids drooped, and he swallowed soulfully. He rolled his eyes a little and glimpsed the nurse in the offing, and felt drowsy and comfortable and good. Then he dropped off into a sweet oblivion and never knew when the nipple slipped from his repleted lips and the bottle rolled down against the willow side of the crib. The nurse pulled the blanket softly up around his shoulders and took the bottle away, and he was asleep!

But the nurse dropped down with a sigh and finished the paper, and then drowsed off herself, with her head against the soft upholstery of the chair, and really slept until someone knocked at the door sharply, and a youthful voice called out, "Telegram!"

A kind of strange embarrassment came upon Dale and Rand as they went out into the hall and took the elevator downstairs. A sudden sense of their new relation. A breathlessness at the thought, the memory of the sweetness of their lips upon each other's. The thought of being close and dear and knowing that each cared for the other.

Somehow it didn't seem real yet. Somehow Dale felt as if she must have dreamed it, or if it was true Rand must have merely yielded to an impulse, and that surely he must be sorry. A feeling as if she must give him a chance to escape from what he had done.

He watched her furtively as they went down, noting the sweet outline of her face, the purity of brow and lip and chin, the delicacy of feature, the little curl at the back of her neck that had often lingered in his memory and intrigued his thoughts.

Was it really true, he thought, that she was his? Hadn't he taken advantage of her somehow to have dared to take her in his arms?