Dalton
“, welcome home,” Mrs. Jenkins said as I walked through the door. Christmas music played, and the smell of dinner caused my stomach to grumble.
She began shoving the kids’ shoes into the closet, then made her way into the living room tidying up where Tommy had clearly been playing with some toys after school.
“Good evening, Betty. How are you and the kids?” I questioned, hanging my coat in the closet, then taking off my shoes.
“Oh, I’m good and, of course, they’re fine. Claire is doing her homework in the kitchen, and Tommy is upstairs working on his project. Neither of them wanted to eat their vegetables tonight. Apparently, Tommy no longer likes carrots and Claire no longer wants to eat corn, but that is how it goes.”
Mrs. Jenkins had worked for us since Claire was born. When Kenzie passed, she stepped up and began working for us full time, helping me raise the kids and allowing me to continue my practice. She was part of the family.
I smiled. “That figures, last week, that was all they wanted.” I chuckled as I placed my laptop bag down on the floor inside the doorway.
“How was your day at the hospital?”
“Hectic. Sorry I couldn’t make it back in time for dinner, which smells delicious, by the way.” I glanced at my watch, cringing. “Again, I’m sorry. I know you like to be home with your son by now.”
“, it’s nothing to worry about. After all these years, I know things get out of control at the hospital.”
She continued to run around, picking up the toys Tommy had left, and then was about to head on down the hall toward the kitchen when I stopped her.
“Betty, you’ve done enough for today,” I said.
“Nonsense. I was just going to plate your dinner, throw in a load of laundry, and do the dishes. Then I’ll be on my way.”
“No. I’ve kept you long enough today. You head on home. I can take care of those things. Plus, I know your son isn’t here all the time and that you want to spend some time with your own grandkids.”
“I know, but you and your children need me, too.”
“I know. In all seriousness, you go. I’ll drop the kids off at school in the morning and we will see you tomorrow night.” I smiled.
“You’re sure?” she asked, looking around at the mess that was still left to clean up. “There is still a lot to do.”
“I’m positive.” I smiled.
I waited at the door and helped her with her coat and then wished her a good night. Once I knew she was in her car and had backed out of the driveway, I made my way down to the kitchen, where I found Claire sitting at the table, agonizing over her homework.
“Hey there, sweetheart. How was school?” I questioned, plating up my dinner from the leftovers in the pan on the stove, popping it into the microwave to reheat it.
“Fine,” she muttered.
“Only fine?” I chuckled.
I watched as she stared at her notebook, chewing on the end of her pencil like she was working on the hardest question in the world.
“What is it?” I questioned, just as the microwave beeped. “Do you need some help?”
“Oh no, I’m okay,” she said, still staring at the paper in front of her.
“Okay then.”
I grabbed my plate and carried it over to the table where I sat down and cut into chicken and popped a piece into my mouth.
“Dad…can I ask you something?”
“Of course. Anything.”
As she smiled up at me, all I could see was my wife. God, she looked just like Kenzie, and the older she got, the more the resemblance stood out. She had her hair and her eyes, even her smile was the same. Some days, it was hard to look at her without remembering everything about my wife, not that she was ever far from my mind.
“Well…there is this dance at school…”
“Ah, yes, I saw that permission form on the fridge door. The Christmas dance, right?” I questioned.
“Yes, you said I could go.”
“Yes, and I signed the form. You took it into school, right? Or do I need to talk to your teacher?”
She nodded. “No, I took it in.”
“Good.” I turned my attention back to my plate. “So, what is this question you want to ask me?”
“Dad, I was wondering, would it be okay if I got my hair done for that? I’ve been saving my allowance, but I am short,” she asked, looking up at me with hope in her eyes.
I looked at her, at her beautiful brown hair that had natural copper highlights, exactly like her mother, and cleared my throat.
“What did you want to do to your hair?”
She looked up at me and shrugged. “I just wanted to get it cut a little.”
Relief flooded me. I was hoping she didn’t want to colour it like some girls in her grade. Her hair was far too beautiful to change, and I’d have had a hard time agreeing to that.
“I think that could be done, and you keep your allowance.” I winked.
“Thanks, Dad.” Clair smiled and went back to her homework just as Tommy came into the kitchen, pulling the juice carton from the fridge with his small hands.
“What you doing there, sport?” I asked, watching him struggle to reach the table.
“I want some juice.” He shrugged before making his way over to the cupboard to grab his cup off the counter.
He placed the cup down and was about to open the carton of juice, only I stopped him and did it for him, pouring him half a glass, then placing his glass in front of the empty chair.
“Thanks, Dad.”
He sat down on the chair beside me while I continued to eat my dinner and Clair worked on her homework. I smiled as both my kids sat with me. We’d all gone through a hard change after losing Kenzie. She was taken so suddenly, and it had changed all of us. We’d all struggled to find a new dynamic, making our smaller family life work. It was hard, stressful, and I worried how not having a other might affect Clair and Tommy in the future. I did my best to be there for both of them, but I barely understood my own feelings.
“How would you guys like to hit the Christmas market on the weekend with Mrs. Jenkins?” I questioned.
Claire’s eyes lit up. The Christmas market was something she’d always done with her mother and since she’d passed, I’d avoided the topic. Honestly, it had been hell even thinking of this time of year, since Kenzie had died so close to her favourite holiday.
“YES!!!!” she screamed, her eyes lighting up! “I can’t wait!”
“What about you, sport?”
Tommy nodded as he drank his juice.
“Okay, it’s a date. Get your homework done.” I winked as I took the last couple bites of my chicken, sat back, and watched my kids.
“Alright, guys, out you go,” I said, pulling up in front of the school, waiting while the kids gathered their things before getting out of the car.
“Tommy, you have your lunch, right?” I questioned, looking in the rear-view mirror at my son.
“He better. I put it in his bag this morning,” Claire said, grabbing her schoolbag and throwing it over her shoulder, then looking over at her younger brother as he grinned up at her. “I swear, if you took it out of there, you’re on your own,” Claire said.
“Tommy, stop bugging your sister and check your bag, please. Last thing I need is a phone call from the school saying I didn’t send a lunch.”
“I got it,” Tommy shouted as he looked inside his bag and zipped it back up.
“What about you?” I questioned, glancing at my watch to see I still had lots of time before I needed to be at the office.
“Lunch money,” Claire said, holding up the twenty dollars I’d given her this morning.
“Spend it wisely.” I winked. “Not on fries and junk.”
“Dad, can’t you just let me enjoy junk for once with my friends instead of shoving healthy food down my throat?” Claire said, rolling her eyes.
“Fine, but only today.” I chuckled as she shut the door and then turned and smiled my way. Watching until I knew they were both safe inside, I pulled away from the sidewalk and toward work.
I stopped on my way at The Cooling Rack for a coffee and just as I pulled into the hospital parking lot, rain started coming down. I looked up at the sky, hoping that snow was in the forecast for the Christmas market, or I knew Claire and Tommy would be disappointed.
With hot coffee in my hand, I made my way toward the hospital. I was just about to the employee entrance when Amelia came rushing around the corner, almost banging the coffee from my hand.
“Whoa,” I said, pulling my coffee into the air, “slow down there.”
“Sorry about that,” she muttered as she looked up from her phone. Those pretty cinnamon eyes of hers met mine.
When she wasn’t opening her mouth and giving me a snarky attitude all day, she reminded me of Kenzie. I held the door open for her and waited for her to step inside.
She looked up at me with shock, then stepped through the door, shifting her purse to the other hand as she turned and smiled up at me.
“Thank you, .”
Even the way she said my name reminded me of my late wife. There was nothing I could do. I had to walk away. So, ignoring her, I pulled open the next door and once again waited until she walked through, then turned to make my way down a different hallway. I didn’t believe in following my nurses to the office, anyway; I preferred to make my way into my office on my own.
“That would be when you’re supposed to say you are welcome!” Sshe yelled in my direction.
I held my hand up and waved without looking back. As I continued down the hall, I finally heard her stomp her foot on the floor and let out a huff. That was when I turned to see her march on down the hall the way she’d been going, and I smiled to myself.
There were times I loved seeing her get all riled up. Somehow, it added enjoyment to my day. Like I said, she was a pretty woman, and for whatever reason, getting under her skin was something I looked forward to. I wasn’t sure if it was the fact that she even acted like my precious Kenzie when she’d get upset with me or if it was because there was no one in this entire hospital in the past three years that had ever thought to stand up to me. I was hoping it was the latter, and not the fact that I was certain I was crushing on my nurse.