Doctor to the Rescue

He eased onto the end stool, leaving two comfortably between them. He enjoyed the break on his feet. He’d been on them nearly twenty-six hours now. “Find any fairies today?”

She chuckled, lowering her gaze. Her lashes brushed the high slope of her cheek. “No, but the troll you tripped so gracefully over has been assigned by Tia to scout the yard for them.”

“I see. I’m not surprised Tia napped, actually. I had to drag her out of bed twice to bring her to the trauma center.”

She shifted thoughtfully. “How come? Did you get called in on a case or something?” She swiped a bead of tea off her lip.

He averted his gaze. “Yeah. Twice.” He should reassure her Tia hadn’t been unattended. Passed around amid nurses, yes. Left alone for one minute, no. “Staff took turns watching her.”

She adjusted her arm sling. “That won’t work long-term.”

Ian nodded, feeling fortunate to have Bri babysitting. She cared. “At least Tia’s not being shuffled around during the daytime, thanks to you.” Still, no wonder Tia’s moodiness had escalated this morning. She hadn’t had proper sleep. Bri was right. It couldn’t last. He was her only parent now. “I need to establish a routine and propagate proper sleep.”

A smile touched Bri’s lips.

“At least that’s what that bossy parenting book said.”

That made her laugh. He was glad. More than he should be.

He forced the smile back down. “I’d like to tell the book’s know-it-all author his ridiculous creative parenting ideas are easier said than done for time-strapped single parents in survival mode.”

She rubbed her arm above the cast. “What creative ideas?”

“Silly stuff, like making Christmas trees with stacked star cookies and caterpillars out of cupcakes and—”

She jerked. Eyes darted to the counter behind him. He turned, peering at the artistic culinary creations, including none other than a caterpillar cupcake.

He looked at Bri. Face down, she rubbed her arm again. Two things greatly concerned him. One, she seemed fearful he’d ridicule her for the cutesy cupcakes she and Tia had created. Second, she couldn’t seem to leave her arm alone.

“You keeping up with your pain meds, Bri?”

Her eyes veered even farther away. Yet the stubbornness befell her that Caleb had warned him about. “As much as possible. I don’t want to risk falling asleep with Tia here.”

“Aw, Bri. I considered that. You need—”

Her head shook. “No. I’m tough. I can take a little pain.”

She might have convinced him had the hollowness not haunted her eyes. She rose swiftly and went to work at the stove.

Ian followed, grabbing salad ingredients. “You okay?”

She shrugged. “I’m worried about Caleb. He hasn’t called.”

Ian froze, knife midslice in a cucumber. Come to think of it, he hadn’t heard from Caleb, either. Not since the day of Bri’s surgery. “I’ll call him. Find out what’s going on.”

Bri added carrots to the lettuce Ian tossed. “No, let me. I’m afraid if you call him, you’ll tell him about my injury.”

* * *

Bri grew alarmed when Ian tensed. “He doesn’t know, right?”

Tia must’ve woke because she shuffled in the next room. “Yes! I’m sure of it, Boom. They got hillbilly fairies in this here forest. And it’s not only haunted with fairy-eating trolls, it’s naked. All the PJs blew to the ground, Boom.”

Ian and Bri turned. Tia walked circles, play phone to her bed-head ear. Naked? The fairies or the forest? Bri wondered.

“How odd,” Ian said, watching Tia wear tracks on the wood parquet floor Bri had installed last week. At least she’d gotten her cabin renovated before falling, thus had a decent place to live.

“What’s odd? Boom? He’s Tia’s imaginary friend.”

He scowled. “She’s my daughter. I am well acquainted with Boom, the infamous scapegoat for Tia’s messy room. I meant odd in the sense that I pace like that when I’m on my cell phone.”

Bri felt like laughing at the fact that Ian didn’t seem the least bit alarmed by Tia’s talk of ill-attired fairies, fallen PJs or cannibalistic trolls. Yet at the same time, Bri’s ire rose at being scolded over explaining who Boom was.

She drew a deep breath to calm down. “I noticed her pacing. And you never answered my question about Caleb.”

His eyes flicked to her with annoyance before returning to rest on Tia. The look of wounded nostalgia entering his eyes caused Bri to stop pressing the Caleb issue. For now.

Ian might be standing here now but his mind was a world away. He watched Tia with a mix of regret and awe as she paced like he did. “I wonder what else she acquired from me,” he said, confirming Bri’s hunch.

“She definitely acquired your beastly moods and appetite.”

Before Ian could utter a retort, Bri stepped out of his line of fire. “Tia, wash your hands. Dinner’s ready.” Bri went to pull garlic bread from the oven.

Ian blocked her. “Let me.” He eyed her casted arm. “You could get burned.” His gaze bore down on her, squelching any protest. Burned? Felt as if she already was.

He neared to help set the table. “You need to trust me.”

She whirled. “About my arm? Or Caleb?”

A muscle clicked in his jaw. “Both.”

“I’m sorry, Ian. I hate not knowing if he’ll be okay and I hate being in the humbling position of needing help.” Bri clenched her teeth against urges to confront more about Caleb.

Both men being tight-lipped could mean Caleb was about to embark on a mission of danger she’d be better off oblivious to. “FYI, Tia also acquired your rude penchant toward ignoring, hedging and projecting in order to protect your secrets.”

Tia “hung up” her play phone and skipped into the kitchen, unaware of her dad’s gaping mouth. Well, what did he expect? He’d been harsh with his words and truth, too.

They sat at the big, rustic wood table that had been Mom’s. Despite the tension, dinner started out light and fun and lively but ended subdued with Ian growing more withdrawn and sullen. So much so, Bri jumped when her wall screeched like a pterodactyl.

Humor hit Ian’s eyes as he studied her, then the bird clock above the fireplace mantel that held copious pictures of Caleb.

“Stupid clock. It’s too loud. Caleb got it for me for Christmas last year as a source of torment. I can’t get rid of the obnoxious thing, because despite its screeching bird sounds, it’s sentimental.”

Ian almost smiled. “Hard to believe Christmas is three days away. What are your plans?”

She shrugged. “Probably eat a frozen turkey dinner and watch Hallmark movies.”

“I’ve had no time for TV lately.”