The Doctor's Redemption

They both turned at the sound of Laura Jo’s daughter’s voice. She was with another woman about Laura Jo’s age and there was a boy with them about the same height as the daughter.

Before her mother could respond the girl said to Mark, “I know you. You’re that man who helped me the other day. Look, my hands are all better.” She put out her hands palms up. “My knee still hurts a little.” She lifted her denim-covered knee.

“And I know you.” He smiled down at her. “But forgive me, I’ve forgotten your name.”

“Allie.”

He squatted down to her level. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Allie.” Standing again, he glanced in the direction of the woman he didn’t know. Laura Jo must have gotten the hint because she said, “This is Marsha Gilstrap. A friend of mine.” She looked toward the boy. “And Jeremy, her son. I thought ya’ll were going to watch the parade over on Washington.”

“We wanted to come by and say hi to you,” Allie said.

Laura Jo gave her daughter a hug then looked down at her with what Mark recognized as unbounded love. He liked it when he saw parents who really cared about their children. Her actions hadn’t just been for show when her daughter had been hurt at the parade. She truly cared about her child. He recognized that love because his parents had had the same for him. That’s why his father had insisted Mark not get involved with Mike’s case after the accident. His father had feared what it might do to Mark’s future. He been young enough and scared enough that he’d agreed, despite the guilt he’d felt over leaving the way he had. Now he didn’t trust himself to get close enough to care about someone. If he did, he might fail them, just as he had Mike. He hadn’t stood beside Mike, whom he’d loved like a brother, so why would he have what it took to stand by a wife and family?

A float coming by drew Allie’s attention. Mark put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on. This is a great spot to watch a parade.”

Allie looked at her mother in question. Laura Jo took a second before she gave an agreeable nod but he got the sense that she didn’t want to.

Allie glanced at the boy. “Can Jeremy come, too?”

“Sure.”

Jeremy’s mother, in contrast to Laura Jo, was all smiles about the boy joining them.

“We’ll just be right up here if you need us.” Mark made an effort to give Laura Jo his most charming smile.

He nudged one of the volunteers out of the way so that the children had a front-row place to stand. A couple of times he had to remind them not to step out beyond the curve. Because they were standing in front of the fire station, there were no barriers in place. After a few minutes Laura Jo and her friend joined them.

“Thanks, we’ll take these two off your hands,” Laura Jo said, as if she was helping him out. What she was really doing was trying to get rid of him.

“Look at the dog. How funny.” Allie squealed. The dog was wearing a vest and a hat. “I wish I had a dog to dress up. Then we could be in a parade.”

Laura Jo placed her hand on top of Allie’s shoulder. “Maybe one day, honey.”

There was something in the wispy tone in the girl’s voice that got to him. It reminded him of how he’d sounded the first time he’d asked if he could be in a dog parade. When he and his brother had participated in a parade it had been one of the greatest pleasures of his childhood. He could surely give that to Allie without becoming too involved in her and her mother’s lives. “You could borrow my dog. Gus would be glad to let you dress him up,” Mark offered.

“Could I, Mom?” Allie looked at Laura Jo as if her life depended on a positive answer.

“I don’t know.”

“I think Allie and Gus would make a great pair.” He had no doubt Laura Jo hated to say no to something her daughter so obviously wanted to do. But why was he making it his job to see that Allie had a chance to be in a parade? Was it because Laura Jo was a hard-working mother who couldn’t do this for her daughter and it was easy enough for him to do? It would be a great memory for Allie, just as it had been for him.

“Please, Mom.”

“Fairhope has a parade on Sunday evening that I believe dogs are allowed in. Why don’t you and Allie come and meet Gus that afternoon? You could bring some clothes for him and see how he likes them.”

Laura Jo gave him a piercing look that said she wasn’t pleased with the turn of events.

In a perverse way he liked the idea he was able to nettle her.

“Allie, I don’t think we should take advantage of Dr. Clayborn’s time.”

“Please, call me Mark. And I don’t mind.” He really didn’t. Since he’d been back in town he had kept to himself. It would be nice to spend the afternoon with someone. “I’m sure Gus will be glad to have the company. I’ve not been around much the past few days. Marsha, you and Jeremy are welcome, too.”

“Thanks. It sounds like fun but I can’t. Jeremy can if Laura Jo doesn’t mind,” Marsha said, smiling.

Laura Jo shot Marsha a look as if there would be more to say about this when they were alone.

“Mom, please,” Allie pleaded. “Please.”

“Won’t your wife mind us barging in? Won’t your children be dressing him up?”

“No wife. No children. So there’s no reason you can’t.”

“Then I guess we could come by for a little while but I’m not making any promises about the parade.” Laura Jo looked down at Allie.

“Great. I’ll expect you about two. Here’s my address.” He pulled out a calling card, turned it over and, removing a pen from his pocket, wrote on it. “I’ll have Gus all bathed and waiting on you.”

Allie giggled. “Okay.”

Mark looked at Laura Jo. “See you tomorrow.”

She gave him a weak smile and he grinned. He was already looking forward to the afternoon.

Laura Jo wasn’t sure how she’d managed to be coerced into agreeing to go to Mark’s. Maybe it was because of the look of anticipation on Allie’s face or the maternal guilt she felt whenever Allie asked to do something and she had to say no because she had to go to work or school. Now that she was in a position to give her child some fun in her life, she couldn’t bring herself to say no. But going to Mark Clayborn’s house had to be one for the record. She didn’t really know the man. She’d admired him with a young girl’s hero worship. But she knew little about the man he had become. He’d been nice enough so far but she hadn’t always been the best judge of character.

She’d searched for a sound reason why they couldn’t do it. Marsha certainly hadn’t been any help. It was as if she had pushed her into going. For once Laura Jo wished she had to work on Sunday. But no such luck.

Allie was up earlier than usual in her excitement over the possibility of being in the dog parade. Jeremy had been almost as bad, Marsha said, when he ran to meet them at the car later that day.

“So are you looking forward to an afternoon with the handsome, debonair and rich Dr. Mark Clayborn?” Marsha asked with a grin.

They’d had a lively and heated discussion over a cup of coffee late the night before about Mark. Marsha seemed to think she should develop him as an ally in funding the single mothers’ house. Laura Jo wasn’t so sure. That was a road she’d promised herself she’d never go down again. She wasn’t ever going to ask her parents or her society friends for anything ever again. That certainly included Mark Clayborn.

After today she didn’t plan to see him again. This afternoon was about Allie and seeing a smile on her face. That only. Allie had been begging for a dog for the past year but they didn’t have a lifestyle that was good for taking care of a dog.

Laura Jo pulled her aging compact car off the winding, tree-shaded road into the well-groomed, riverbed-pebbled drive of the address she’d been given. The crunch made a familiar sound. Her own family’s place just a few miles down the road had the same type of drive, or at least it had the last time she’d been there.

The foliage of the large trees with moss hanging from them gave the area a cozy feel. Soon she entered an open space where a sweeping, single-story beach house sat with a wide expanse of yard between it and the bay beyond.

“Do you see Gus?” Allie strained at her seat belt as she peered out the window.

“Now, honey, I don’t want you to get your hopes up too high. Gus may not like being dressed up.” Laura Jo didn’t want to say “or you.” Some owners thought their dogs loved everyone when they often didn’t.

“He’ll like it, I know he will.”

“I think he will, too,” Jeremy said from the backseat.

Laura Jo looked at him in the rearview mirror and smiled. “We’ll see.”