the light board to take a look. “There it is,” he said, pointing to a small dark shadow in Dan’s stomach. “Yum.”
“Is he going to be all right?” Melanie asked fretfully.
“Looks like it,” the attending doctor said. “He didn’t suffer from any gagging or choking on its way down, so it didn’t get lodged in his windpipe. The rest is pretty easy. With any luck it should come out painlessly.”
Melanie sighed in relief.
“Is he going to be here in the hospital for the rest of the day?” the doctor asked.
“No, his grandmother is supposed to pick him up in about half an hour.”
“See if you can keep him in the day care instead. You’re going to have to watch for the earring to come out. If it hasn’t by the end of the day, we might do another X ray.”
Melanie swallowed. “All right. How will I know when it’s come out?”
The doctor smiled. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to inspect the contents of his diaper.”
She tried not to appear appalled by the notion, and nodded mutely.
Next she had to call Linda Darrow and tell her what happened. She screwed up her courage and went to the white house phone on the wall. The minutes seemed to tick by extra slowly while she waited for the operator to page Linda.
Finally Linda picked up the line and, with great trepidation, Melanie told her what had happened.
When she finished, Linda sighed heavily. “I can’t believe this.”
“I know,” Melanie said miserably. “I’m just so sorry about it.”
“How much is it going to cost?”
“Whatever it is, obviously I’ll cover it,” Melanie said, glad she could at least do that much.
There was a pause, then Linda asked. “I’m sorry, what do you mean you’ll cover it?”
“The medical costs, time you take off from work, anything.”
“I meant the diamond,” Linda said. “How much will it cost me to replace it for you?”
Melanie couldn’t believe her ears. “You’re not worried about Dan?”
“You just told me he was all right, didn’t you?” Linda asked. “We see this kind of thing, and much worse, all the time around here. Last week we had a girl in the ER who had swallowed one of those little lightbulbs. That was harrowing.”
Melanie gasped. “Was she all right?”
“Oh, sure. They got it out easy. Now about this earring, I don’t think I can buy a new one outright, but maybe if the jeweler has some kind of installment plan—”
“Please, Linda, no. I don’t care about that at all. The important thing is that Dan’s okay.” Knowing Linda’s objection was coming, she added, “I really have to insist.”
“I appreciate that, Miss Tourbier—”
“Melanie, please.”
“Melanie, then. Now I’d better call Mom and tell her not to come, then I’ll come down to see Dan in the day care as soon as I can get away.”
“I’ll hold on to him until you get there.”
Linda clicked her tongue against her teeth. “You’re just the sweetest thing. I hope you stay in Mission Creek for a good long time.”
I hope it doesn’t take a good long time for Jared Cross to decide I can be a mother, Melanie thought, but she said, “I hope so, too.”
By the time she got back to the day-care center, the lights were dimmed and most of the children were sleeping on mats on the floor. Em hurried over to Melanie and Dan and said in a hushed voice, “It’s nap time. Every day after lunch.” She gave Melanie a sympathetic smile. “Speaking of which, you must be starving. Why don’t you give Dan to me and I’ll rock him to sleep while you go grab a bite.”
The last thing Melanie was concerned with right now was food. “May I rock him myself?” she asked, reluctant to give up the warm little boy who seemed to like being in her arms as much as she liked having him there. “Please?”
Em raised her eyebrows and gestured toward the chair. “Be my guest. If you’re sure.”
Melanie gave the boy a squeeze and said, “I’m sure.” She carried him over to the chair and sat down, settling his head in the crook of her arm. He wriggled impatiently at first, but she shushed him and quietly began singing lullabies. Within five minutes he was asleep.
And she was more positive than ever that she wanted a child of her own. No matter what it took.
Unfortunately, it looked like it would take a lot.
Jared sat by himself in the doctors lounge and ate the peanut butter and jelly sandwich he’d brought. This particular lunch was a habit he’d had for a long time.
He took a sip of the milk he’d picked up in the cafeteria and looked at the small color TV that someone had left on in the corner.
There was some kind of news conference going on outside the Stop n’ Save. A painfully thin, pale woman was talking. There were several microphones in front of her, and she was looking into the camera. Her face might have been called pixie-ish if it didn’t look so hard. The caption under her read, Deena Hines, Wife of Escaped Convict Branson Hines.
“Branson,” she said, her voice as thin and reedy as her body. “Please, please, come home, darlin’. I’m worried about you because I don’t know where you are or how you’re doin’. Please get in touch with me—” she looked slyly left and right “—or with the police.” Jared thought he saw the smallest smirk curl the left side of her mouth. “Please, darlin’, I want you back home. It’ll be better for you if you turn yourself in, rather than letting them find you, because they are looking.” At this, she broke down into strangely tearless sobs, and covered her face with her bony hands.
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