CHAPTER 8
Days turned into weeks, and Sam’s condition hadn’t changed, other than the bruises fading and wounds healing. When Dawson wasn’t working, he was at the hospital or helping her family with all that needed to be done while Sam healed. His mornings usually included trips to Baker’s, collecting everyone’s favorites, down to how they took their coffee, or chocolate milk as it may. They had developed a routine, of sorts, that included taking turns on all fronts, beyond just watching Sam.
When meals weren’t sent over from friends and colleagues at the House or brought in by Sam’s hospital friends, they took turns bringing them in themselves. Dawson found himself chipping in more often than not, even with Ellie—trying to keep her busy and distracted was harder and harder as each day passed. She missed her mama.
More than once, Dawson had volunteered to take Ellie to Sugar Pine for her riding club and to her “Art on the Prairie” class. It was good to get her out of the hospital; it was good for him to get out of the hospital, so he could reconcile the events of late and figure out what the hell he was doing. As much as he wanted to be there by Sam, wished her to wake, and felt drawn to help her family, he just couldn’t settle on why those desires were so deeply rooted.
Sam ‘the mystery’ had become Sam ‘the muse’, and now he didn’t know what this was called; a challenge he clearly accepted. But what was his goal, and why was he so determined to achieve it? That, he could not answer. He was learning about and growing more fond of the woman who flooded his thoughts and kept him awake each night. He really needed to get a grip. He was falling hard for a girl in a coma.
His handful of outings with Ellie usually ended with a stop at the Snow Cap Soda Shop for ice cream cones and floats.
“What flavor are you feelin’ today, squirt? I think I’m having another round of that Sherbet.
After a long pause and with eyes gazing out the window, after a long sigh, she finally replied in a sad, small voice that lacked all the charisma that was Ellie Lou, “I don’t feel like ice cream today.”
“What? No ice cream? Are you trying to fool me into getting you extra ice cream again? ’Cause I’m on to you, twerp!” His smile faded at the sight of what had to be the saddest little girl he had ever seen.
“Not even my favorite lemon taster’d with whipped’d cream and fairy sprinkles. It might spoil our dinner and give us belly aches and make our teeths fall out.”
“Wow, this is serious. I know how you love that lemon custard ice cream, and who doesn’t love all those fairy sprinkles that make you run faster?”
He paused at his own statement, trying to figure out when he learned to speak kid and how it flowed so easily. Fairy sprinkles make your wings and feet faster? He was clearly spending a LOT of time with the four and under club. If the gang at the House heard him, he’d be the butt of every fairy sprinkle frou-frou joke there was. They’d have him in a damn tutu in no time.
“I just don’t feel the happies today, Dawson. Can we just go see mama? I wanna tell her I painted her favorite flower today with all her favorite colors of the rainbow. And you aren’t supposed to talk about fairy sprinkles making my wings faster; that’s a fairy secret.”
“Oh, sorry; I thought everyone knew about fairy sprinkles? I know about fairy sprinkles.”
“You’re a fairy,” she deadpanned with a sharp, all business, no play look in the eyes.
“I’m
a fairy? Why am I
a fairy? When did I
become a fairy?” Realizing what he just said, he looked around to be sure no one could hear him, small town gossip and all. Jesus, he was one-foot stomp away from a full-blown toddler tantrum; the transformation from man to child was nearly complete. He would figure out where to turn in his man card later.
With a dramatic eye roll and heavy sigh, she explained what was clearly obvious to everyone but the big fairy himself. “You’re a fairy ’cause you are very giant and bigger than all the other fairies, and you are a boy, so no one knows you are a fairy because you don’t eat fairy sprinkles, and you don’t…wear…a…tutu.”
“That makes me a fairy? Not eating sprinkles and no tutu?” His flailing arms and dramatic body language was quickly reeled in to just hands on the hips and a quick inner monologue that included a strict scolding. Quit acting like such a fucking girl, Tayler! Man up dude, you’re not a fucking princess, errr, fairy!
“Noooooo, you’re a fairy ’cause you keep all da other fairies safe.”
Like a shock to his heart, her words hit him hard, arms dropped, and all of his self-scolding halted. Safe, she felt safe with him around.
“That’s why you drive da ambli-ance with Miss Carigan. You rescue all da fairies and fix them, like mommy. Remember, I said I know’d your secret.”
He did remember, at the hospital, when they first met, all those weeks ago. She said she knew his secret. A sense of pride overcame him as he absorbed her admission. She looked up to him, felt protected by him, and he wanted to protect her. Damn straight he was a friggin’ fairy, and he’d deck the first prick to hassle him for it. He needed to fix things for his littlest fairy pal, pronto.
“You know what I really need, since you know I’m a fairy and all? I’m dying for some fairy sprinkles! I haven’t had any in days, trying to keep my secret. I am not feeling very fast, and since you don’t have the happies, I think we both could use some!”
With a twisted mouth and heavy concentration, she weighed her options a short spell and finally agreed. “Well, only ’cause you need them.”
“Two double scoop lemon custards with extra whipped cream and fairy sprinkle overload, please!”
Earning an all braces grin from the swooning, acne clad, teenybopper behind the counter, Dawson was contemplating how to get his damn man card back when little arms hugged his leg.
Ellie Lou ran right to her mother’s bedside. It seemed she had her ‘happies’ back, for the moment anyway. She delivered a blow-by-blow run down of the day’s events in rapid-fire fashion. Her voice lowered to a near whisper as she leaned in to tell her mom the best part of her day.
“And mama, he told me he was a fairy! I knew it! He ate da sprinkles!”
Relief that his fairy status had such power, or magic rather, over Ellie, satisfied him. He just hoped that magic worked on her mama when she woke up, and he hoped that would happen soon. Keeping himself busy, inserting himself into her world, kept him distracted, yet he still found himself missing her.
Clearly, he missed her for them; he wanted her awake for them, for Ellie, who needed her mama. That’s the story he sold himself and the one he was sticking to. Although they were good together, damn good together, feeling that way for himself put him on edge and incredibly antsy. How could he miss someone this much, who he only knew, really knew, a short time, and what if she woke up and didn’t feel the same?
With Ellie content, talking away to a sleeping Sam, he went to find Lou and Evie to let them know they brought back Chinese food for dinner and fill them in on what transpired this afternoon, minus his fairy status; he would let that detail lay low. He saw them walking up the hall with someone he didn’t recognize. As he approached the door, he heard an unfamiliar voice that sounded all business. She wasn’t in scrubs like the rest of the staff, and he hadn’t seen her before tonight. Given the tone, he assumed she must be from the other end of the hospital—the business office.
“Correct, Miss Shaw. There isn’t anything due at the moment. Insurance has been initiated. It’s been just a handful of weeks, but the hospital does bill monthly, and the residual fees not covered, shortly after,” said the woman in a suit.
He shouldn’t be listening to this. Sam wouldn’t want him to know about her finances and bills, but as if his feet were cemented in place, he stood stealthily and listened anyway.
“We have good insurance here, but even so, the expenses are adding up rather quickly. Without an end in sight, we will need to talk about arrangements in the very near future,” suit lady said sympathetically, understanding the position they must be in.
“A lot of the staff have donated their own vacation days to Sam to help off-set the loss of pay she will inevitably endure, Gran. That will help for a while,” Evie interjected, offering some hope to what seemed like a bleak situation.
“That’s awful generous, honey; a lot of people sure do care about our girl, but it just might not be enough. Her mortgage is coming due, and I already took care of the small stuff that’s come up. Her car has been totaled, but until the insurance people get their crap together, I don’t know what to do with her car note. Julia, down at the bank, has been real helpful sorting this stuff out,” Granny shared, going over what she had done to date almost like she was thinking out loud.
“Like I said, ladies, we have a little time, and I hate to be the messenger, but I wanted to discuss this with you in advance so you have time to prepare. You two are listed in her employee file, and Everly has power of attorney. I do hope something works out. I don’t know Sam well since we aren’t down in the ER much, but I do know she’s a class act and has a little girl. Everyone from my department donated hours. I wish there was more…”
“Oh hush, honey. It was very kind of you to do this. We’ll work things out; we always do,” Granny assured, likely more for herself then the benefit of the other two ladies in her presence.
“Thanks, Susan. My grandmother or I will be in touch; appreciate the heads up.”
That’s when Dawson decided to make his entrance and interrupt the conversation he already knew was over. Most decent people would feel at least an ounce of guilt for eavesdropping, but he didn’t. He knew exactly what his next move was now. His sense of purpose, in the world that was Sam, just took a new direction.
Yep, he missed her, not for everyone else but for himself because he cared for her. He took care of people for a living, and it was in his nature to do so, but this was different. And as unfamiliar as this feeling was, he welcomed it. It had been missing for over a decade now. It was frightening, but he wouldn’t be haunted by it anymore; he wanted this. Tomorrow he would take care of it…he would take care of Sam. He was going to go speak to Susan and Julia.
“Oh hey, hope I’m not interrupting you ladies. Just wanted to let you know El and I brought back dinner whenever you’re ready.”
Ready…he
was ready.