Wise Folly (2 page)

T
he Friday of the cocktail party was also the appointed day for Tabby’s visit to the
heart
specialist
.
They walked into his office and began the necessary but familiar examination. Dianna smiled brightly, telling herself it was all right
and
nothing had changed. But it had, a small voice taunted, and the knowledge caused a tight ball of frustration in the pit of her stomach. She kept looking at the specialist
,
a tall spare man with eyes that seemed to see through
her daughter's
small
body without the help of X rays
.
He gave n
othing away.
Tabby was given a complete checkup, then handed a magazine to read in the lobby while her mother talked to Dr. Stom. Tabby had misgivings about missing the best part of the conversation and left
reluctantly
, taking
a seat on
one of the uncomfortable straight-backed chairs in the reception room.

Dianna’s eyes rested on the doctor’s
down bent
head,
wondering why he wasn’t smiling as much as he had after the last visit
. A
small thread of fear wound its way around her heart as the minutes ticked by. She knew what he was going to say. She knew. .. .

“Is it so much worse, Doctor?” she asked, her remark more a statement than a question. He glanced up, his thoughts brought back to the worried woman in front of him and out of the pages of a young child’s heart history.

He gave a short nod.
“
W
e can’t delay much longer. She needs surgery as soon as possible,” he stated grimly. ‘You’ve seen the change in the past weeks?” She nodded
,
afraid her voice had failed, tears brimming in her eyes. Her mind had shut out the possibility of change, but she had known deep down that Tabby was weakening.

“Yes
.
She doesn't have as much energy, her strength goes quickly and she's tired just from playing with her dolls. "She blinked
away tears
. This wasn't the time to cry, it was the time to make sure all the plans were in line. "
I'm
in the process of changing jobs and
we've
taken a small vacation
so I could keep
a closer eye on her than usual. She’s tired by mid
-
mo
rn
ing and her color is so pale she almost looks blue. She’s
sleeping, but not well
.”

"I'd
say with luck we may have another month. After that. . .” He shrugged his shoulders. “This isn’t
something
you can point to and say ‘in two
weeks or i
n three days’ time.’ Every day is a gift
. I
just hope that by the time we’re ready for surgery she’ll be strong enough to endure the operation.”

He bent forward, his elbows on his knees as he took both her hands in his.
"It's a small
defect in her heart
, but it's draining her strength like a thief."

Dianna
looked down at his massive hands, hands that could do such intricate surgery, and was surprised at their gentleness.

“I know,” she choked. “I want this medical plan to go into effect
,
and then
we can proceed as planned”

“And in case surgery is needed before then?” he asked softly but insistently, squeezing her hands lightly.

“Then we’ll have it done
before. I
can sell the house if necessary.
” She glanced up to lock eyes with him
, her
gaze
showing the strength of steel behind
unshed
tears. “Nothing must happen to her. Nothing.”

He smiled slightly, then cleared his throat and stood “
Good.
I've heard of a charity that works on children's problems like these but I haven't heard anything yet. I know a board of directors has to review my letter and the circumstances. I'm just hoping they can make a decision within a month. Call
me if there’s the slightest change.” He turned briskly as he walked her toward the door and opened it for her to pass, giving a wink to the small golden-haired girl waiting impatiently outside. Tabby winked in response as she left the seat and took her mother’s hand in hers.

“Bye.” Tabby waved as she led her mother to the outside door, smiling at the doctor with a sweetness that could melt the most cynical of hearts.

All the way to June’s house Dianna was preoccupied, barely listening to her daughter’s chatter as they drove through the downtown traffic toward the suburban area. The land turned flat, without trees to soften the landscape or the Texas sun’s burning rays as Dianna neared her sister’s home. June had offered them the extra bedroom for the night so that she could care for Tabby while Dianna made her appearance at the
mandatory
cocktail party.

Two days
earlier
Mr. Bradshaw had called to remind her of the reception and stated that a car would
pick
her up around five thirty that evening. Despite her protests that she could get there herself,
the man
had been adamant about sending the car. His insistence had given Dianna an uneasy feeling that had been with her ever since.

When they arrived at her sister's home,
Tabby
was so happy to
greet her cousins. There were few playmates her age near home and
she was usually kept by
Mrs. G
erties
, an elderly neighbor who had watched her since she was a baby.
For Tabitha, c
oming to Aunt June’s was always a treat
.

“Don’t run, Tabby.” Dianna’s voice was sharper than she meant it to be, and she softened it with a smile as her daughter turned, surprised at her tone. “The doctor said that you should be taking it easy for a while,” she explained, and Tabby nodded, looking much like a miniature adult in her seriousness. Dianna wanted to hug her, hold her close, but all she could do was follow her to the door.

An hour later Dianna and June sat quietly over a fresh cup of coffee, the children play
ing a game in the front room. An Ipod sat on a
console
, sending out
low sweet music, emphasizing
the
peaceful atmosphere.

Dianna sighed “You’re so lucky, June.”

“Don’t I know it!” She rubbed at an imaginary spot on the table. “If nothing else goes right all day, at least I know David will be home in the evening and listen to my woes. Sometimes he even makes me laugh
.
” She smiled sweetly. It was a smile that showed the only resemblance between Dianna and June. June was much smaller than her
si
ster, with a crop of short, dark brown wavy hair that seemed to have a mind of its own more often than not By contrast Dianna’s long blue-black tresses hung past her shoulders when they we
ren’t neatly arranged in a formal
knot or a pony tail
or a pony tail when she was home working
.
June’s skin tone was different too, a light olive, while Dianna’s complexion was a pale peach. Dianna
had taken
her
shower and was waiting till it was closer to leave before putting on
makeup
and dress. She
pulled her
sister's
robe tighter around her slim middle as she stretched back in her chair, attempting to relax
her
knotted nerves.

June frowned as she watched. “What you need is a husband and more kids, Dianna. You’re not really as career minded as you pretend to be.”

“What should
I
do, take an ad in the paper? I can see it now! ‘Unmarried mother wants rich husband to act as father and provide
experienced
stud service.’ No thanks! As far as
I'm
concerned David and your son
s
will have to be the only men in my life.” Her voice was bitter, but underlying the bitterness was
pure
fear.

“How one man could do so much damage, I don’t know,” June murmured as she eyed her aster worriedly. “You can’t let it warp your whole life, Dianna. It’s not fair!”

“In the past seven years I’ve learned not to trust men’s motives. All they know when they see my child is that I climbed into bed once, so why shouldn’t I do it again?” Dianna stood and walked to the kitchen door, her shoulders drooping wearily. “Besides, since when did anyone say life was fair?” she asked. “Just count your blessings, June, and I’ll count mine. At least I’ve got Tabby.”

“That’s the most important thing,” her sister agreed “And now that you’re working for Wescomp
,
you’ll
soon
be able to
see
her strong and healthy again
. That's
the biggest fringe benefit of all”

“I know,” Dianna mused. “But somehow I can’t shake this feeling of doom whenever I think about starting work there. I just hope to heaven that applying at Wescomp was the right thing to do.”

“Of course it was, honey,” June was quick to reassure her. “It’s Noah Weston that’s got you so nervous. Isn’t it?” At Dianna’s confirming nod her sister shook her head in perplexity. “I just don’t understand why that man scares you so! You should have gone to him seven years ago when you first found out you were pregnant and asked for his help, instead of waiting until now and going to his company for a job.”

“
I
don’t ever want him to know about Tabby! I'd rather
run and hide forever
than take his charity.”

T
aken aback by Dianna’s vehemence, June looked down at her hands a moment with a worried expression, then met her aster’s gaze as if about to make a confe
s
sion. “Dianna, I... I hope you won’t be angry, but...”

“But what?” she questioned tersely.

“I
,
oh, never mind. It’s nothing really. Let me see about getting the children’s dinner.” June’s uncharacteristically evasive words puzzled Dianna a moment, but she had too many other worries to spend time figuring out this new riddle.
She had to dress for the party.

A sleek steel gray Lincoln Continental purred up the residential street and stopped in front of June’s door at exactly five o’clock that evening. A ta
l
l slim young man dressed in a black tuxedo walked up the pavement and knocked.

Dianna's
simple black sheath was perfect for the occasion. It
was a sleeveless vee-neck with simple lines that
hugged her slim curves when she stood still, tastefully outlining the stunning figure she seemed so unaware of.

Introductions were short and sweet and
after he’d seated her in the luxurious car and
then
dipped into the driver’s seat
.
As he began to slowly drive away from the suburban community, he turned to her with a smile.

“By the way, I work at Wescomp too,
as part of the
sales
team
.” As they sped down the freeway Jason engaged her in conversation, choosing undemanding subjects that quickly put her at ease.

“When Mr. Bradshaw asked me to escort you
I
thought Oh boy, the old guy doesn’t even give her credit for being able to find her own
escort
!” he exclaimed ruefully
, not even realizing how close he was coming to the truth. But his youth and lack of sophistication was refreshing. He only spoke what was on his mind
. “But he explained how you weren’t really beginning work for another week and it would be awkward for you to walk into a room full of strange people and be a conversational wizard.
I
guess I was chosen because I talk so much and most people
in the company know me from one job or another
.
I think I've worked in most company departments.
”

“Well, I can’t complain,” Dianna laughed, “You’ve certainly
kept me entertained
so far.”

He grinned sheepishly. “A less polite way of putting it would be to say
I've
completely monopolized the conversation
.
”

They laughed
again
,
both far more at ease now that the initial meeting was completed.
H
e continued to talk until they
pulled into Wescomp’s underground parking lot and Dianna stepped from
the
car
. The
bright lights and warm colors
that dressed the poles
helped relieve the tedious stretch of gray-
colored
concrete. Stationed at various intervals about the well-lit garage were several uniformed security guards.