Page 49 of The Wife Stalker

He looked up at her and his chin trembled, and she could tell that he wasn’t completely convinced, but he took her hand, and with Evie on his other side, they made their way to the car. She looked at her watch. It was just past five, and the pediatrician’s office wasn’t open, so she drove straight to the urgent care in town. Fortunately, the wait was short and a friendly physician’s assistant asked some questions as she settled Stelli on the exam table and told them a doctor would be with them shortly. Evie stood next to Stelli, holding his hand, and Piper tried to think of something to do to make the time pass while they waited.

“How about if I read you one of your books? Evie, is there anything in your backpack?”

Stelli shot her a dirty look. “My chin hurts.” Tears filled his eyes, and his lip trembled.

Piper went to put an arm around him, but he pulled away.

“It’s okay, Stelli. The doctor will make you all better. Maybe you’ll even have a cool scar, like a pirate,” Evie said.

His eyes lit up just as the door opened and the doctor walked in.

He smiled at Stelli and held out his hand. “I’m Dr. Stanley.I hear you hurt the ground with your chin. You must be pretty strong.”

Stelli gave him a watery smile.

The doctor examined the wound, then turned to Piper. “It’s not too bad. I’m going to clean it up and put some glue on it. That will be less painful than stitches, and he’ll be good as new.” He turned back to Stelli. “While you’re here, how about I take a quick look to make sure you didn’t hurt anything else?”

Stelli nodded and Piper watched as the doctor gave him a full examination. He turned to Piper. “He looks a little pale, has he been sick lately?”

Piper shrugged. “Not really. Just a cold a few weeks ago.”

The doctor’s brow furrowed. “That might explain it. As long as he’s been feeling okay.” He smiled at Piper. “Everything else looks good. Do you want to bring him back here for a follow-up or take him to his regular pediatrician? Who is that, by the way?”

“One of the doctors at Westport Pediatrics.”

He gave her a questioning look.

She quickly continued. “I’m his stepmother, and I haven’t taken him there yet, so I’m not sure which doctor. I can call them in the morning.”

“Okay, then. I’ll have the report from today’s visit sent over to their office.”

The ride home was quiet, and after explaining to a disapproving Rebecca what had happened, Piper went upstairs to change. Her phone buzzed, and she looked at the unfamiliar number.

“Hello?”

“If you had been watching the children like you should have, Stelli would never have been hurt. Why would you let him go on a slide that was clearly too dangerous for someone his age?” The voice on the other end was at full volume.

Joanna! How had she even gotten this number? “Leave us alone, or I’ll call the police,” Piper said firmly.

“I want to talk to Stelli,” Joanna pleaded.

Piper hit the End button and threw the phone down, shaken by the rage she’d heard in Joanna’s voice. When she got downstairs and she still hadn’t heard from Leo, despite having left him two voice mails, she and the children sat down to dinner.

“Hot dogs tonight, Stelli, since they’re your favorite. And as a special treat for being so very brave today, you can choose a movie to watch, even though it’s a school night.”

Stelli sat up straight and gently fingered the bandage on his chin. “Captain America!”

As soon as they finished eating, Piper settled them in the den, wrapping an afghan around each of them, then brought in two mugs of hot chocolate.

Evie reached out to grab a mug, but Piper stopped her. “That one is for Stelli. I put extra honey in it, just the way he likes it. This one is yours.” She picked up the blue mug from the tray and handed it to Evie. “Careful, it’s hot.” She watched as Stelli took a sip from his. “Sweet enough?”

He nodded.

Satisfied that he’d actually drink it, she went back to the kitchen and was making herself some tea when Leo walked in.

“Hey, beautiful. Sorry I’m late. Got tied up in a deposition.” He put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. “How was your afternoon at the park?”

She sighed. “I tried to call you a bunch of times. I’m afraid Stelli had an accident.”

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