Page 37 of Candy Cane Dreams
"There's so much that we can do right around us. It's silly for any of us to be so down about our own circumstances when we could be looking around at people we could help."
They stood there for a moment, and then they both seemed to realize it was getting late.
"I better go. Do you want me to walk you to your car?"
Kate's eyes widened. She wasn't expecting that.
Jack almost looked like he wanted to take it back. Or maybe it was her imagination. He put a hand up.
"Never mind. I guess it's just gentlemanly chivalry that comes out every once in a while. I know you're perfectly capable of walking to your own car. And it's not that late."
"Mistletoe Meadows is perfectly safe."
"It sure is. You did a great job tonight. I'm glad you're in charge. Thank you."
"Good night, Jack," she said, wondering what made him change his mind. Was it her? Did he want to be nice, and so therefore forced himself to do a little bit more than what he normally would? Or was he just not interested in her the way she seemed to be interested in him, since her eyes couldn't help but go to him anytime they were in the same room together?
Whatever it was, she ended up watching him walk out, turning just before he closed the door, in case he looked back. But as far as she knew, he didn't.
Chapter Fifteen
"Ihope we're not interrupting anything," Jack said cautiously as he stepped outside Marjorie's hospital room, where Roland and Nelly stood, talking softly together.
Roland's head came up, and his eyes widened, and then his face broke out into a grin when he recognized Jack.
"Of course not. You're always welcome."
"Lilly was concerned about our Sunday school teacher, so she drew her a picture, and I figured that we'd just swing by on the way home from school."
There were very few beds in the new Medical Center, and they couldn't take acute patients, but Marjorie's condition had been deemed low enough risk that they kept her overnight instead of sending her to the bigger hospital in Harrisonburg.
"I'm sure that will cheer her up immensely. She hates being cut off from all of the things that she feels like she should be doing this time of year," Nelly said, smiling gently at Lilly, who clutched the paper she'd drawn that morning before school to her chest.
"Is she awake?" Jack asked.
"Yes, awake and begging the doctors to allow her to go home. They hadn't made a decision about that when Nelly and I needed to step out for business not related to my mother," Roland said with a smile.
"Good to know," Jack said, as Roland opened the door. He took Lilly's hand, and they stepped in slowly.
Marjorie's eyes came up, and she smiled, looking truly pleased to see them.
"My goodness, look who's come to see me!" she said, a hand to her chest, her eyes on Lilly.
Lilly held up the picture that she had drawn. Jack figured it was too much to hope that Lilly would speak, even though she loved Marjorie with all of her little heart. Marjorie made Sunday school fun, and Lilly couldn't wait to go on Sunday mornings.
"Oh my goodness, look at this. Is this for me?" Marjorie asked, reaching out a hand that was still connected to an IV, the tubes following her, and Lilly's eyes got hooked on them.
"Those are just to make sure that Miss Marjorie is getting all the nutrients she needs. Sometimes when you're sick, you don't feel like eating."
Jack turned to see Kate walking, taking the final step toward Lilly and kneeling down beside her, putting her arm around the little girl.
Jack didn't need a magnifying glass to see Lilly relax and even give a tremulous smile at Kate’s presence and words.
"These things? Were they scaring you?" Marjorie said. "I'm sorry. I never even thought about that."
"She just looks a little different in the hospital than she does at Sunday school, doesn't she?"
Lilly nodded, her little head going up and down like that was exactly what she had been thinking. How did Kate do that? Just get inside his daughter's head, figure out what was bothering her, and think of something to say to ease her fears?
