LITMIR.BIZ

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I’m seven but my birthday is in three weeks.”

      “Oh, goody! I love birthdays! We’ll have a party to celebrate!” she exclaimed, making Josh giggle again. “And that must be why you look so much older. My name is Molly and I’m so happy you came in to see me today.”

      Dan tucked his hands into the back pockets of his jeans and watched, reluctantly impressed with how she’d immediately established a connection with his son. She seemed to know a lot about kids.

      No doubt, far more than he did.

      “We’re going to have lots of fun today, Josh,” Molly confided. She held out her hand to his son. “Are you ready to play some games with me?”

      All evidence of his former tears gone, Josh nodded eagerly as he reached for her hand. Fearing that she didn’t realize his son couldn’t walk, Dan quickly swooped down to swing Josh into his arms. “We’re ready,” he said gruffly, sending her a dark look.

      For a moment her gaze narrowed and her smile dimmed. “Did you leave Josh’s wheelchair out in the car?” she asked with feigned sweetness.

      Just the thought of seeing his son confined to a wheelchair made him break out in a cold sweat. He could spend twelve hours in surgery, meticulously reconnecting coronary arteries and veins to repair tiny damaged hearts, but those hours he’d sat at his son’s hospital bedside after the car crash had been the longest, darkest hours of his life. “No,” he said bluntly. “Josh won’t need a wheelchair. He has me. And now he has you, to help him learn how to walk again.”

      Her lips thinned and her smile faded even more. He thought she was going to pursue the issue, but instead she led the way through the doorway into another, much larger room. There were all kinds of exercise equipment scattered about, along with what appeared to be toys. Lots of toys, like brightly colored balls of every shape and size, jump ropes, bean bags and hula hoops. She gestured toward a padded table located on the right-hand side of the room. “Josh needs to sit right here. And why don’t you take a seat here, on his left?”

      He gently set Josh on the padded table, taken aback by how she wanted him right next to Josh, since he’d planned to just sit back and watch. “I can sit over there,” he said, indicating a hard plastic chair tucked in the corner of the room.

      “I’m afraid that won’t work,” Molly said cheerfully. “We’ll need you close by in order to help. Right, Josh?”

      “Right,” Josh agreed enthusiastically, although Dan was sure the boy had no idea what he was agreeing to.

      While it grated against his nerves to take orders from this petite woman, whose head barely reached the level of his chin, he’d vowed to do whatever was necessary for his son. And belatedly he realized she probably wanted to teach him the same exercises that she’d be doing with Josh, so he could reinforce them at home. “All right, then.” He pulled up a rolling stool to sit close to his son’s left side.

      “Excellent.” Molly grabbed a red plastic ball that was slightly smaller in circumference than a basketball, and took a seat on another rolling stool, positioning herself off to Josh’s right side. “We’re going to play catch, okay, Josh?”

      He nodded enthusiastically.

      “Watch carefully. I need you to toss the ball high in the air, like this …” She demonstrated what she meant, throwing her arms in the air and then keeping them over her head to catch the ball again. “And then catch it again like this. Are you ready?” she asked.

      When Josh nodded, she tossed the ball in a high arch, so that Josh had to lift up his arms to catch it. “Great!” she called with enthusiasm. “Now toss it back up in the air toward your dad.”

      Before Dan realized what was happening, Josh did as she requested, the ball going high in the air and crookedly off to one side, so that Dan had to react quickly in order to catch it. He wanted to scowl at the obvious amusement in Molly’s gaze, but as usual kept his feelings to himself. Besides, he found her enthusiasm and laughter oddly relaxing.

      “Good job, Josh. Now, Mr. Morris, toss the ball back to your son.”

      It was on the tip of his tongue to correct her, Dr. Morris, pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, but right now the focus needed to be on his son. He didn’t mind taking the role of a concerned father. After all, he was currently on leave of absence from the hospital, with one of his partners covering his patients. “Dan,” he said shortly, as he did as she requested, tossing the ball up in the air so his son could reach out for it. “Call me Dan.”

      She didn’t answer, as if she couldn’t have cared less what his name was, and her gaze remained trained on his son. He tried to squelch a flash of annoyance. “Now, throw the ball back up in the air, toward me, Josh,” Molly said. “Up as high as you can.”

      This time Josh’s aim was a little better, although the ball still veered off to the side. They repeated this game several times, and Dan couldn’t help glancing at the clock with growing annoyance. Okay, maybe he could understand her need to establish a bond with his son, but was this really what their medical insurance was paying for? What good would tossing the ball in the air do for Josh’s legs? When was she going to start with his muscle-strengthening exercises?

      “Great job, Josh,” Molly said with another broad, cheerful smile. She looked and acted as if she absolutely loved her job. “Okay, now we’re going to work with a hacky sack.” She put the red ball back on the shelf and brought over a small round beanbag. “Have you ever played with a hacky sack, Josh?”

      “No,” he said, a tiny frown furrowing his brow as he watched Molly. She tossed the hacky sack into the air and bounced it off her elbow, aiming up so that she could catch it again. Then she repeated the motion with the other elbow, and then with her knee.

      It was on the tip of Dan’s tongue to remind her, again, that his son couldn’t walk or stand for any length of time to play the goofy game of hacky sack, but then she sat down on the rolling stool, still holding the small beanbag.

      “This isn’t an easy game, so you have to concentrate very hard,” she warned. “Do you think you can do that for me?”

      Josh’s big brown eyes were wide as he nodded.

      “Maybe we should get your dad to play, too,” Molly said, with a mischievous glint in her eye. Without warning she tossed the hacky sack into the air and then bounced it off her elbow and then her knee, aiming toward him. She hit it hard enough to make him scramble to reach up and grab it before the beanbag could smack him in the center of his forehead.

      His temper snapped as he tossed the hacky sack back in her lap. “Maybe you should quit playing games and get to work.” The moment the sharp words left his mouth he wanted to call them back, especially when Josh’s brown eyes darkened with wounded sorrow.

      Slicing his heart like the sharp blade of a scalpel.

      It took everything Molly had to keep her relaxed smile on her face, when in reality she wanted to sweep Josh into her arms and take him far away from his ogre of a father.

      “Hmm, I think your dad got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, Josh,” she murmured, picking up the hacky sack and turning in her seat so that she faced Josh. She lowered her voice and leaned forward as if he was her coconspirator. “Or maybe it’s just that he doesn’t know how to play games,” she said as if they were sharing a big secret. “You and I are going to have to help teach him, okay?”

      Josh bit his lip and ducked his head, sending a worried glance at his father. “Okay,” he said in a very small voice, as if torn between siding with her and trying to protect his father.

      She did her best to ignore Dr. Morris’s piercing gaze. She knew very well who he was, of course. After all, she’d seen him at the ribbon-cutting ceremony when Angel’s had opened the new neonatal wing, although he hadn’t noticed her. Plus, she’d cared for many patients who’d had surgery performed by him. Parents raved about what a great surgeon he was.

      Dr.

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