Humming one of the cartoon tunes in his head, Wayne grabbed both cans of soda that were left just as his cell phone rang. Holding one can, he placed the other on top, resting his chin on them to stop them from moving.
With his other hand, he answered his cell phone.
“Hello.”
“Is this Mr. Myers?” a woman asked.
“Yes.”
“Sorry to alert you, but we have a Miss Michaels here, and you’re down as her emergency contact.”
Fear gripped him. Holding onto the phone as if his life depended on it, he heard the woman explain that there had been an accident, and that Temperance had been run over. She was fine, several bumps and bruises, but the biggest problem was her leg.
It had been broken.
The change of plan happened instantly.
He put Timothy in the car and was speaking to Frances, arranging transport for himself, Timothy, and Temperance.
Arriving at the hospital, he demanded to see her immediately, and much to his surprise they took him.
Temperance was lying in bed, a cast already on her leg, but he wasn’t happy.
“We’re heading back home as soon as it can be arranged.”
“You don’t need to do that, Wayne.”
“Can I sign it?” Timothy asked, his little hand holding onto her leg.
“Sure, sweetie.” There was a pen in the drawer beside the bed. “I don’t need to go home.”
“You’ve broken your leg, and we’re going home. I want to make sure you receive the best care.”
“You don’t think I’ll get the best care here?”
“I’ll have more control back home.”
She chuckled. “It’s kind of cute when you’re being possessive.”
He ignored the comment, and instead left Temperance with Timothy and began to make arrangements. His two weeks had been cut short, but he didn’t have much of a choice.
You’re falling for her.
Within the hour, he had the transport arranged so that by tomorrow they would be seeing the doctor that Wayne wanted her to see.
He stood outside her room. The door was open, but he didn’t push his way inside. He listened to the two people who had turned his world upside down as they talked.
“Can you be my mommy and Wayne be my daddy?” Timothy asked.
“I don’t think so, sweetie.”
The sadness in the little boy’s voice wasn’t hard to miss.
“I want a mommy and daddy. I don’t want to be the stupid boy in the way.”
“You’re not the stupid boy, honey. You’re the best boy in the world.”
“I heard them women talking. The ones that looked after me, and they said I was a pain. I was a liar.”
“You’re not anything like that at all. I promise. You’re a sweet boy, and don’t ever call yourself stupid again.”
Wayne looked around the edge of the door and saw Timothy in her arms.
As he pulled away quickly, his gut twisted, and he didn’t go back in to see Temperance. He grabbed a coffee from one of the vending machines and went outside for some air.
He took a deep breath and sat back, looking up at the sky.
Life had changed so fucking quickly, and he couldn’t even recall life before Timothy. The little boy had come into his world and turned everything upside down. Nothing made any sense. Add Temperance, the woman with a heart and body that sent him into a spiral of need and love.
Running fingers through his hair, he wondered what he was going to do.
Pulling out his cell phone, he called Frances.
“For the hundredth time, everything is in order. There will be an ambulance to take Temperance to the hospital. There will also be transport for you and the boy. You’ll have everything in place.”
He had to cut his losses now.
There was no way he could keep on doing this.
Two weeks was too much. The boy was getting attached, and he wanted to be a father to him.
“Tomorrow morning when we get home, I want you to send the papers to child services.”
This made Frances pause.
The line was silent for several seconds.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I don’t know if it will take them time. Also, arrange to have papers drawn up to stop Temperance’s contract.”
“Yes, sir.”
He switched off his cell phone, sipped at his coffee. The two weeks had been brought forward.
Whatever time he had left now would have to do.
Playing family was all well and good, but now it was time to face reality. Timothy and Temperance weren’t part of that.
****
From buying groceries to being in the emergency room, Temperance looked outside the window of the hospital where she was now. The past twenty-four hours had been … hectic.
One hospital to another.
They had been flown back in a private plane with luxury that had made her feel a little too pampered. Now, with her own room and the silence that filled the space, she felt like her time was coming to an end.
The time had been brief to say the least. A matter of days, a couple of weeks at the most, but already she was invested. This was the only drawback to being with someone in her book.