Cindi Myers - Lullaby for Two / Child's Play - Lullaby for Two

Now, with her elbow brushing his arm, he felt Sean had two champions no matter what happened.

The surgeon strode to Vince and nodded. “The nerve reconstruction surgery went well. I also removed scar tissue that had been blocking nerve signals. I believe Sean will be one of the fortunate ones, if you’re willing to be patient.”

“I can be patient,” Vince assured the doctor with rough emotion in his voice.

“What will be the recuperation time?” Tessa asked.

“His arm will be in a soft sling for about three weeks. Then he can start physical therapy. But we won’t see results for four to six months and it could be years until he has full use of his arm.”

“Can we see him?” Vince asked, needing to know his son was really okay.

“You’ll be able to see him in recovery in about a half hour. After he’s alert and his vitals are good, we’ll settle him in a room.”

A short time later they were standing by Sean’s crib. Tessa crouched down on one side and murmured to the little boy. Sean responded with a smile and a babble.

“What did you tell him?” Vince asked.

“That he’s the best little boy in the whole world.”

Vince crouched down at his son’s other side and Sean turned his face to his dad. “We’re just going to treat this like a great adventure. ou won’t be alone from now on, cowboy. I’m staying here with you tonight. We’ll be together until you come home.”

Vince couldn’t tell if Sean understood or not, but his son reached for Vince’s hand.

Tessa stood gazing at both of them. “I’m glad you’re staying tonight. Sean will feel safe and protected…and loved.”

“I hope so. Sometimes it’s easier to know the right thing to do than at other times.”

Tessa’s and Vince’s gazes locked.

The beeping of the automatic blood pressure monitor interrupted the sweep of memories that always seemed to suck them in.

The sound gave Tessa the opportunity to turn away and check her watch. “I’d better go. If I start office hours on time, I might finish at a decent time. When I get finished, would you like me to bring you takeout?”

“That would be great. I probably won’t want to leave him.”

“I can imagine what you’re feeling, Vince, but when Sean naps, take a break. You need to take care of yourself, too.”

He was staring at her over his son’s crib, thinking about the two of them together…the two of them taking care of Sean together. Was that too crazy to hope for?

“Do you care if I take care of myself, Tessa? Do you care about Sean’s outcome as more than his doctor?”

They were in a corner of the recovery room with medical personnel stationed at the other end.

“Vince, this isn’t the place—”

“Isn’t it?”

Her eyes were wide with a vulnerability she rarely showed him.

“I care about you and Sean. Maybe too much.”

Tessa believed those were the words he needed to hear right now. Her denial had ended because they were true. Maybe after this crisis, they could figure out how involved they were going to be in each other’s lives.

Tessa peeked into Sean’s hospital room at nine o’clock that night, gripping two take-out bags. Vince had pulled a chair over to the crib and laid his hand on his son’s arm. The tableau touched Tessa deeply and she gripped the bags a little tighter. Just what had she admitted to Vince this afternoon? What had he deduced from it?

She entered the baby’s room now and spotted the recliner that had been rolled in so Vince could stay the night. He was unaware of her presence until she tapped him on the shoulder.

He went still for a moment, then rose from the chair. “I’m losing my instincts,” he said gruffly. “I should have sensed you coming.”

“All of your attention is on Sean. I can understand why you didn’t.”

He shook his head. “That’s no excuse.” He inhaled deeply and smiled at the bags in her hand. “Is that food?”

She grinned back. “I don’t know what’s going to happen if you eat enchiladas this time of night, but I know they’re your favorite. At least they used to be. You haven’t sworn off of them, have you?”

He laughed. “No.”

Handing Vince the bags, she went to the crib and looked down at the baby. “Has he been awake?”

“On and off. He fell back to sleep a little while ago. He’s been through a lot. I’m just grateful Rafferty thinks the surgery was successful.”

“Remember, the improvement will happen slowly.”

“I know. I’ll be patient about it. I have no choice.”

Tessa was close to Vince and she liked the sensation of her shoulder bumping his. Vince had always made her feel safe and protected and cared for. Until—

Until he’d been silent and uncommunicative when he’d visited her in the hospital. Until he hadn’t objected to her going home with her father.

She couldn’t help but lean over Sean and whisper in his little ear, “I hope you’re having sweet dreams, baby. You deserve good dreams from here on out.”

Tessa could feel Vince’s gaze on her and she swallowed hard. Turning toward him, she said, “I’m sorry I’m so late. I had an emergency and then patients got backed up.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Tessa. You don’t even have to be here.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Sorry, that didn’t come out the way it should have. I just mean…I cornered you in the recovery room today. I’m surprised you came back.”

She admitted she cared about him, but she wasn’t going to tell him she couldn’t keep away. “Come on, let’s eat. There’s a taco salad there for me.”

With a vinyl chair pulled near the recliner, they ate in the dimly lit room, the hospital noises outside the door seeming far away. A nurse came in to check on Sean and then departed once more.

After Vince had downed the enchiladas and half of his soda, he said, “I’ll probably take Sean home late afternoon tomorrow. In the morning, the physical therapist is going to show me exercises for his wrist and thumb and fingers. It will be a few weeks before we can do anything with his shoulder.”

“Are you nervous about taking him home?”

“Not nervous. Just concerned he’ll need something and I won’t understand what it is.”

“Would you like me to come over tomorrow evening? I could just check and make sure everything’s okay.”

Vince studied her for a long time.

“What?”

“I’m going to owe you a few Texas T-bone dinners or a room full of flowers when this is all done.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

Again he was silent for a few moments, then he asked, “Will you answer a question for me?”

“Maybe. It depends on the question.”

He shook his head and chuckled. “I should have known.” Then he sobered. “You said you care about me and Sean. Is that why you’re here?”

“Does it matter? I help friends, Vince, and they help me. That’s the way small towns work. You know that.”

“Maybe I’d forgotten, or maybe I just never experienced small-town life the way you have. When my dad was passed out on the living room floor, I don’t remember anybody helping.”

She imagined him as a young boy, in a situation much too complicated for him to figure out on his own. “Did you ever ask for help?”

“Hell no! It was a matter of pride for both me and Dad.”

“So why are you accepting my help now?”

His expression changed, going from serious to much lighter. “Because you have great taste in restaurants,” he joked, pointing to the crumpled bags on the floor beside his chair.

“Vince.”

With a sigh, he ran his hand through his already disheveled hair. “I knew you wouldn’t let that pass,” he grumbled. Finally he admitted, “I’m not sure. Probably because you care about Sean. You care about babies and you know what you’re doing. Since you’re a doctor, Sean needs you to watch out for him. I’ll never deprive him of that, pride or no pride. I guess I’m learning that by being a parent, I can’t let anything stand in the way of what’s best for him.”