Our Fragile Hearts Read online

  “No.”

  “Well, I think you might. He showed up at my apartment drunk last night. He was mumbling. Something about Piper being his ticket. A rich lady. A Mercedes. None of it made any sense to me.”

  “That bastard!” I said.

  “Do you know something I don’t?” Judy asked.

  I told her about the stranger who’d knocked on my door. “He smelled like he’d bathed in whiskey and said he had the wrong address. At the time, I suspected he was Piper’s dad. It made sense since you’d told me about him getting out. Anyway, Mary arrived for dinner just as he was leaving and he saw her car. She drives a Mercedes.”

  “Oh, no!”

  “Oh, yeah! That bastard is probably going to try to get money out of Mary. How in the hell sweet Piper came from this man and my mom I’ll never know. Ugh! It makes my blood boil.”

  “Hang in there, Rachel. I’ll see if I can find anything more out about what he’s up to.”

  “Thanks. And I’m going to level with Mary. I don’t want her to get caught in something she’s not prepared for. She’s been too good to Piper and me. I’d never want to see her get hurt.”

  I got off the phone with Judy and tackled the bedroom as if I were on a military mission. I felt the anger welling up inside of me and it came out in each stroke of the dust cloth and each swipe of the sweeper. If that bastard thinks he’s going to use Piper as a cash cow, he’s got another thing coming. What if he kidnaps Piper and holds her for ransom?

  My fears and thoughts spiraled out of control until I was collapsed on the bed crying buckets of tears. I hadn’t heard Mary come home or walk up the stairs. But she found me and wrapped me in her arms.

  “Rachel. Sweetheart, what’s the matter?”

  I heaved and through sobbing tears said, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  Chapter 24

  Mary

  I walked Rachel downstairs and she sat on the couch while I went to get her a glass of water and some tissues. By the time I returned, she was sobbing again. I sat down beside her and took her in my arms. “What’s wrong, Rachel? I want to help.”

  Words shot out of Rachel like lava spewing from an exploding volcano. “Alcoholic, no-good mom. Foster homes. Leaving as soon as I could. Hating her. Finding out about Piper. Hating my mom more. Resenting Piper for what she had and I didn’t. Growing to love her. Worrying about her. Stranger. Judy’s call. Feeling lost. Worried. Can’t sleep. Glad I have you, Mary.”

  I stroked Rachel’s hair and she cried into my shoulder. “Everything’s going to be okay, Rachel. You and Piper have me now.”

  Rachel pulled away and looked into my eyes. “But I don’t want you to get caught up in this. You don’t deserve this drama. God knows you’ve had enough of that in your life.”

  I brushed Rachel’s hair away from her face. “Listen, Rachel. I’m here for you and Piper. I know we’ve only known one another for a short time, but every ounce of my being is telling me to hold on to you and Piper, to help you and love you. And this time, I’m going to listen to my heart.”

  “My mother never told me she loved me, Mary. Not once. I always thought it was my fault she was an alcoholic. Maybe if I’d been smarter or prettier or better in some way she would’ve loved me more. I blamed myself for her drinking, thinking that she drank because then she didn’t have to deal with me.” I looked at the clock on the wall. “I wish I could stay and talk, but I have that doctor’s appointment.”

  I patted her hand. “That’s fine, Rachel. Go.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be all right?”

  “I’ll be fine. Please call and let me know what the doctor said.”

  She nodded and grabbed her purse, and I walked her to the door.

  “Thank you, Mary, for listening. And for caring so much.”

  Rachel walked down the steps and I called her name. She turned around.

  I blew her a kiss. “I love you, Rachel.”

  She smiled. “I love you, too!”

  Chapter 25

  Rachel

  I arrived at the doctor’s office right on time and they saw me right away. Because I was a new patient, I had paperwork to complete. “How much will this cost?” I asked the nurse. I figured I’d have to ask about a payment plan.

  “I’m not sure,” the nurse said. “You can check with the girls, but I know you don’t have to worry about paying.”

  I furrowed my brows.

  “Oh, maybe you don’t know. We were given strict instructions not to bill you one cent.”

  “Instructions? From who?”

  “Mrs. Mary McAlaster.”

  I smiled. “Of course, Mary would do that.”

  “Yes, she’s quite a lady. She gives a lot to the community, that’s for sure. Did you know that if it hadn’t been for Mrs. McAlaster, the daycare center for underprivileged children in the city never would’ve happened?”

  “No, I had no idea.”

  “Every Christmas she visits the center and brings a toy for each child.”

  A knock on the door interrupted the nurse from continuing. A young man who looked to be in his thirties walked in. He was tall, dark and handsome with a smile that seemed to take up his entire face.

  He extended his hand. “Hi, I’m Dr. Sweet.”

  I laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

  He smiled. “Actually, I’m not. Believe me I was teased all through school. It’s one of the reasons I decided to pursue family practice over dentistry. I figured Dr. Sweet for a dentist’s name would be even worse.”

  I laughed.

  “So, tell me what’s going on with you? Why are we seeing you today?”

  I sighed. “Tired. Light-headed at times. And I haven’t been able to sleep.”

  “How long have you been having problems sleeping?”

  “A few months. About the time I started taking care of Piper.”

  “Piper? Is that your cat?”

  I laughed. “No, Piper is my sister. Our mom died and now I’m raising her.”

  “Oh, I see.” He typed something on the laptop he’d brought into the room with him. “And how old is Piper?”

  “Five. She just started kindergarten.”

  Dr. Sweet looked up at me. “And you worry a lot about her?”

  “Yes. About everything, really. I had to drop out of college to work full-time to raise her. Let’s just say things haven’t been easy.”

  He typed some more on his laptop. “Well, I can give you something that will help you sleep.”

  “A sleeping pill?”

  “Actually, I’m going to put you on a very low dosage of an anti-anxiety drug. It will keep you from obsessing and worrying so much. My hope is that you’ll be able to fall asleep at night because you won’t lie in bed worrying. You’ll be able to close off your mind.”

  “Will it help me during the day, too?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sounds great, just what I need to feel like my old self again.”

  He stood and put plastic gloves on. “I’m going to examine you now.”

  He walked over and checked my lungs. “Breathe in and out slowly for me.”

  I did as he asked and each time he’d move the stethoscope to another spot on my back and told me to breathe in and out again.

  “Your lungs sound clear.”

  He started feeling around my neck with both hands. It seemed like he spent a lot of time touching my neck. “Does this hurt?”

  “A little.”

  “How about this?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have a swollen lymph node. Have you had swollen lymph nodes before?”

  I shook my head. “Not that I know of.”

  He finished examining me and took off his plastic gloves, tossing them into the metal trash can. “Rachel, I’d like you to get some bloodwork done. And, I’d like to biopsy that lymph node.”

  “Biopsy?” My heart started to race.

  He nodded. “It’s probably just an infection and
nothing major, but I want to make sure. The nurse will schedule that for tomorrow and we should have the results within five to seven days. I’ll give you the anti-anxiety drug and you can start taking that tonight. I’d really like to get that bloodwork done today. Is that possible?”

  “How late is the lab open?”

  “Only until five.”

  I was about to say I had to pick up Piper, but the look of worry on his face concerned me. Before I’d left, Mary had mentioned she could pick up Piper if I needed her to. I figured I’d call her and ask her to do this so I could go to the lab.

  “I’ll go right away,” I said. “And if you can call my prescription into the pharmacy, I’ll pick that up, too.”

  Dr. Sweet typed some more on his laptop. “Perfect. I sent the order to the lab for the bloodwork and the medication order to the pharmacy. Is there anything else?” He closed his laptop.

  I shook my head. “No, not now. Thanks for seeing me today.”

  He smiled. “We’ll get you feeling better in no time.”

  I hoped so.

  Chapter 26

  Mary

  I heard the anxiety in Rachel’s voice as soon as I picked up the phone. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just finished up at the doctor’s. He wants me to get some bloodwork done this afternoon. The lab closes at five. I wondered if you’d be willing to watch Piper while I did that.”

  “Of course. But is everything okay?”

  “I have a swollen lymph gland,” Rachel said. “He just wants to make sure everything checks out.”

  I wanted to ask Rachel if she frequently had swollen glands, but I didn’t want to appear overly concerned. I knew swollen glands could be caused by many things, including bug bites. The summer June and I went to summer camp, her glands were always swollen from being bitten. We teased her that the bugs liked her better than the rest of us.

  I looked at the clock hanging on the wall. “Do you want me to get Piper at school or at the bus stop?”

  “How about I meet you at the bus stop? If Piper doesn’t see me when the bus turns the corner, she’ll freak out.”

  “Good point. I’ll meet you there. And Rachel, why don’t you visit Claire or do something fun afterward? I’ll take care of Piper and make sure her homework gets done.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. I’d love to spend time with her and give you some time to do something you haven’t had the chance to do in a while.”

  “That would be great, Mary. Thanks.”

  I pulled into the apartment complex right after Rachel. She walked over to my car and opened my door. “Thank you so much, Mary. Sorry for all the trouble.”

  I stepped out of the car. “It’s no trouble at all. We’ll have fun. Did the doctor say anything else?”

  “He prescribed something to help with my anxiety. He said it’d help me sleep. I figured I’d pick that up on my way over to see Claire at the bar.”

  “Good.”

  The bus turned the corner and Rachel and I walked up to where the other parents stood. Piper was the first one off the bus and when she saw me standing with Rachel, her smile grew ten sizes.

  “Mary!” Piper ran toward me and I opened my arms to give her a hug.

  “She doesn’t give me hugs like that,” Rachel teased.

  Piper then hugged Rachel. Rachel bent down until she was eye to eye with Piper. “Listen Pipe, Mary’s going to watch you for a while. I need to run some errands. Is that all right with you?”

  Piper nodded.

  “She’ll help you with your homework and read to you. I’ll pick you up later.”

  Piper looked up at me and I smiled. “And we’ll stop on the way home to buy you dinosaur chicken nuggets for dinner.”

  Piper started jumping up and down, the dinner idea clearly a hit.

  Rachel looked at the time on her cellphone. “Okay Pipe, I gotta go. Be good for Mary. I love you and I’ll see you later.”

  “I love you too, Rachel.”

  I took Piper’s hand and we walked to my car. Rachel waved as she pulled away.

  I buckled Piper’s car seat and we drove to the store.

  Piper pointed to the little shopping carts for kids. “Can I get my own cart?”

  I wasn’t planning on buying a lot, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to go shopping with Piper. I imagined that if I’d had a daughter, this is one experience we would’ve shared. So we shopped and I bought more than I intended, filling up Piper’s kiddie cart and half of my own.

  I noticed all the smiles coming from passersby. I’m sure they thought Piper was my granddaughter. I didn’t mind. It was nice to have a mini me if only for an afternoon.

  Piper pointed to the refrigerated case down from the meat counter. “The chicken nuggets are there.”

  We pushed our carts over to the case and I bent over and picked up two packs. I held them up. “Which one? Regular or dinosaur?”

  “Dinosaur.”

  I handed Piper the pack of dinosaur nuggets and she placed them in her red shopping cart. “Can I have French fries, too?”

  I nodded. “Or, you could have macaroni and cheese.”

  Piper bit her lip.

  “You can’t decide, can you?”

  She shook her head.

  “I’ll tell you what, we’ll get both and you can take the leftovers home.”

  That made Piper smile even more. By the time we reached the checkout line, my cart was so full I wondered if I had enough cash on me to pay for it all. If I didn’t, I figured I could always use my credit card.

  We were standing behind a woman who looked like she’d just come from exercising. Her hair hung in a pigtail and she wore sneakers and an oversized T-shirt. She turned around. I think she heard Piper talking.

  “She’s darling.” She looked and me and then down at Piper. “I bet you’re having fun shopping with Grandma.”

  Piper looked up at me and smiled.

  “Oh, I’m not her grandmother. Just a friend.”

  The woman put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I just assumed…”

  I held up my hand, “It’s okay. Really. She could be my granddaughter.”

  On the way home, Piper brought up the comment.

  “Miss Mary,” she said. “I don’t have a grandma. I don’t have a mommy, either. I have Rachel and she’s my sister. Do you think you could be my mommy?”

  It felt like Piper’s tiny hands were tugging on my heart. I wasn’t sure how to respond. I didn’t want to make promises I couldn’t keep. But I also didn’t want to ignore the question. “Piper,” I said, “I will be whatever you’d like me to be.”

  She nodded. “I want you to be my mommy then.”

  I smiled and thought that I had to be the oldest “mommy” of a child in Piper’s class.

  Chapter 27

  Rachel

  Sitting in the curtained room, I thought I was going to pass out when, after two attempts, the phlebotomist gave up and went to get someone else to draw my blood. “Your veins are so tiny,” she said. “Let me get Calvin. He has a way with tiny veins.”

  A few minutes later, Calvin pushed back the curtain. She was right. He did have the Midas touch. He was able to tap my vein on his first try. I was so happy I could’ve hugged the big guy. “Thank you,” I said.

  He flashed a big toothy smile and winked. “Next time you come, just ask for me. I’ll take care of you.”

  I smiled. I hoped there wouldn’t be a next time.

  After picking up my prescription I swung by the bar to see Claire. I thought I’d also get a bite to eat. I hoped the attorney guy she’d talked about might be there. Claire said he usually stopped in on Tuesday nights.

  Claire just about dropped the beer glass in her hand when I walked in. “Where’s Piper?”

  I slid onto a bar seat. “With Mary. I had to get some bloodwork done and I asked Mary to watch her. She insisted I take some time for myself. I think she enjoys helping Piper with her homework
and reading to her.”

  Claire smiled. “She really does sound a lot like Miss Evelyn.”

  “I can’t wait for you to meet her. I’ll have to have you over for dinner one night and invite Mary, too.”

  Claire’s eyes bugged out. “Wait a minute! You cook now? Wow. You never cooked before. The closest you ever came to cooking was putting a hotdog in the microwave.”

  I laughed. “You’re right, but I’m learning. Mary said she’d teach me.”

  “I’m liking this lady more and more!” Claire laughed.

  “Speaking of food, I’m famished. Can I order a burger and fries?”

  “Coming right up.” Claire walked away to put in my food order and serve some guys sitting at the end of the bar. When she returned, she had the glass of water I’d asked for.

  “So, why the bloodwork?” Claire asked.

  I told Claire about the doctor visit. “He just wanted to check it. Make sure everything was okay.”

  “Maybe you have an iron deficiency. I had a friend once who didn’t have enough iron in her blood. She was anemic, tired all the time. Like you.”

  I sighed. “He also felt a lump in my neck and wanted to check it. The nurse scheduled a biopsy for tomorrow. It’s outpatient. At least I’ll get some sleep tonight.” I held up the pills I’d picked up at the pharmacy.

  “Can I get you anything to drink besides water?”

  “How about a diet tonic with a slice of lime.”

  “No gin?” a deep voice said.

  I turned around in the direction the voice came from to find an older man with white hair closely cropped and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and red tie.

  Claire smiled. “That’s Rod. The attorney I was telling you about.”

  Rod slid into the seat beside me. I held out my hand. “Hi, I’m Rachel. And normally I would have gin, but not tonight. I have to drive.”

  “Now that’s willpower.” Rod ordered a lager. “So why was Claire telling you about me?”

  I sighed. “Because I think I might need a lawyer. She thought you might be able to help. Thing is, I don’t have a lot of money. But if you can advise me. Not now. Not here. I’d come to your office. God, I sound so desperate.”