“Night, guys,” she called over her shoulder, as they started at the stairs.
“Night,” three voices chimed back.
Lou followed Brody up the stairs, shining the flashlight in his path. “Don’t drop my baby,” she requested.
“If you’ll keep that light on the stairs, I won’t,” he grunted.
Lou perfected her aim and Brody sighed his thanks.
She opened the door to her bedroom, laid the plates on her desk, and led him through the bathroom to the adjoining nursery. The room had been converted to a little girl’s dream room when Sarah was four and was “too big for baby stuff.” The room was now full of pink frills, princesses, and lace. It was beautiful even though it was shrouded in shadows. Ballet tutus had been sewn by Sadie and served as valances on the windows. A bookshelf donned one wall with its lower shelves full of books and the upper shelves filled with fragile trinkets Sarah loved.
Lou pulled back the covers and sheets and Brody gently laid Sarah down. She never moved but sighed loudly as he moved away. Lou pulled just the sheets up to her chin because it was a warm night and kissed her on the forehead. She placed an extra flashlight on the nightstand by the bed. She left it on just in case Sarah woke and was confused.
They walked back into Lou’s room and Brody picked up his plate and bottle of water. Lou said, “Thanks for bringing her up. She’s heavier than she looks.”
“Tell me about it,” Brody pretended to flex his back.
“You stop,” Lou teased as she touched his arm.
Brody gestured to her plate that still lay on the desk. “Come out on the porch and eat with me?”
“Sure…why not?” She followed him through the door and onto the porch. They sat, side by side, in the rocking chairs. Lou dove into her sandwich with relish. Brody laughed at her antics and did the same.
“Where did you learn to be such a good mother?” he asked out of the blue, his mouth full of sandwich.
“I didn’t know I was one,” Lou replied, shrugging her shoulders. “I just do the best I can. It’s hard for her, sometimes, not having a dad. But, most of the time, she has enough family to make up for it. I didn’t know squat when she and I first came here. Sadie had to teach me a lot.”
“You learned from the best, then.”
“Absolutely.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
“How long do you plan to stay, Brody? I mean…afterward.”
“Not long. I have a life and work to get back to. I love it here and wish I could stay longer, but all I have ever wanted to be is a doctor. Back home, I get to be a doctor while I never could be one here.”
“Why couldn’t you be one here?”
“My dad wouldn’t allow it. No son of his was going to waste his time doctoring when there was real work to be done. So, he took away my choice. He said I could either be his son or I could be a doctor. I couldn’t let him take my choice away, so I let him take my family instead.”
“Was it worth it?” she asked gently.
“I have always thought so but, being back here, I’m not so sure. I do know though that I still won’t let anyone take my choices away from me.”
“Having Sarah wasn’t a choice I would have made for myself, either. Just so you know.” She looked almost guilty as she said it. “Those first few days, I wasn’t sure if I could make it. I was tired, irritable and overwhelmed. But it was all worth it. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m glad that’s one choice I didn’t have. It seemed like it was just thrust into my lap. Second best thing that ever happened to me was finding this family.”
She munched on her pickle after the sandwich disappeared from her plate. She looked over at his plate. “You going to eat that pickle?”
“I was planning on it,” he replied.
“Sure?” She ogled it some more.
“Oh, here! Good grief!” He passed it over. “Who could resist you with those sad, little puppy dog eyes?” He paused briefly. Then his tone changed. “You do have beautiful eyes, you know.”
She stopped in mid-bite. “My eyes are ordinary. They’re brown—plain, ol’, ordinary brown. When I was young, I wanted blue eyes or glasses, anything that would make me stand out.”
He appraised her from head to toe. “You stand out pretty well, already, Lou.”