Page 79 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
The announcers began talking about the other fighter’s condition, but I turned the TV off and began gathering my things in preparation for a trip to New York.
It was only when I’d made it to the garage, packed bag in hand, that it occurred to me—I wouldn’t be allowed in to see him at the hospital.
I wasn’t family. I wasn’t even his children’s nanny anymore. I was no one special in his life.
On top of that, I wasn’t even sure he’dwantme there, considering how I’d rejected him on our last night together.
All I could do was wait, like the rest of America, for reports about his condition on TV. No, actually, there was one more thing I could do. Pray.
Though I’d been taught God wasn’t into making bargains, I was desperate enough to try it anyway. I’d offer Him anything He wanted if He’d just let Sully be healed and whole again.
If He’d let him live.
No matter what was required of me, I’d do it. Sully was worth it.
* * *
Two days later, I awoke early, startled by my ring tone.
Who would be calling me at six a.m.?
I didn’t recognize the number, but it was a New York area code.
My heart leapt.Maybe it’s Sully.
He could be calling from a hospital phone. Or maybe he’d instructed his doctor to let me know how he was doing.
All I’d been able to glean from TV was that he was still in the hospital and had asked for privacy. I was frantic for an update on his condition—anything to let me know whether my prayers had been heard.
I scrambled to answer the call. “Hello?”
A lilting female voice responded. “Is this the nanny?”
What?What a strange impersonal way of asking. It had to be a doctor or nurse though, and I was too eager to take offense.
“Yes. This is Angelina Rappaport. Do you have news about Sully?”
“Sully?” There was a bit of snark in the woman’s heavily accented tone. “That’s rather casual for an employee. This is Anouk Reece. I’m calling to inform you thatSullivanis on his way to Eastport Bay by private ambulance. He’ll be there in about four hours. And I’m putting the girls on a plane as unaccompanied minors. They’ll need to be picked up in two hours. Can you arrange for this?”
My head was spinning. Sully was on his way home. And apparently so were Skyla and Claire.
“You’re sending the girls here?” I asked, just to be sure I was clear on the situation. “I thought they were starting school tomorrow.”
Anouk’s tone morphed from snark to irritation. “They don’tlikeit here. I don’t know what you did, but their behavior is worse than ever. Besides, I have to go to Bali tomorrow. Pregnancy ruined my career for a few years, but I’m finally getting bookings again, and I have to take them. With my work picking up, there’s no way I can watch the children.”
I was in shock. Once they’d gotten past the first difficult week, the girls had been a delight to be around. And I’d thought the split custody arrangement was a done deal.
But Anouk seemed to be saying she was forfeiting her time with them, giving Sully full custody of their daughters.
“Canhetake care of them?” I asked in confusion. Maybe his condition wasn’t as bad as the media reports had made it sound. “I thought he was very badly injured.”
Anouk let out a huff of irritation. “He saidyouwould handle it. Was he wrong? I’ll text and tell him to call the service and get another nanny. I don’t have time for this. He’ll have to work it out.”
“No. He wasn’t wrong,” I rushed to answer. “Of course I’ll handle it. I’ll pick them up and be here to meet the ambulance. Don’t worry about a thing.”
Anouk didn’t sound particularlyworried, but the last thing I wanted was for Sully to be trying to make phone calls to a nanny placement agency from the back of an ambulance, and that was definitely where this conversation was headed if I didn’t comply with Anouk’s demands.
“Good,” the woman snapped. “Here’s their flight information…”
