Loving Miss Libby (18 page)

Dan gasped.  “Guys, they don’t see it that way. 
They love watching you.”

“Yes, but they shouldn’t have to watch us,” Kate
said.  “They need time for themselves too.”

Dan searched his daughter’s face.  “Honey, I know
that, but…”  He paused and racked his brain.  Even his children sensed they
were pushing his aging folks too hard by expecting them to do daycare on a
daily basis.  Was it possible his folks would now prefer the role of
grandparent only, seeing their grandchildren at will, rather than out of
obligation?

“When school starts, I may have to find you both
before and after school daycare,” Dan acknowledged with a weary sigh. 

Since school was only a month away, he doubted he’d
be able to find anyone to fill in for his folks until then, but he could at
least give them the news they were off the hook come September.

“Let’s go eat our pizza,” Dan urged.  “Miss Libby is
going to think we left the country.”

Marky laughed.  “Dad, she won’t think that.”

“You never know,” he said, ruffling his son’s hair.

Back in the kitchen, Dan sent Libby a reassuring
smile.  The group settled down to enjoy their pizza. 

When they were done, Libby helped Dan tidy up the
kitchen, and then turned to smile at the children.  “Well, gang, I should
probably head on home.  It turns out I’ve got quite a bit of work ahead of me
this weekend.”

Dan frowned.  “You’re working the weekend?”

“I’m afraid I’ll be working for several weekends, in
addition to my regular schedule.  Doctor Mason has asked me to come into the
office to review several patients’ files with him tomorrow.  He’s determined to
update all the files of patients who came in during his absence.”  She smiled. 
“He’s incredibly dedicated and genuinely cares about his patients.  If
something was missed in their treatment plans, he’s determined to find it.”

“That is commendable,” Dan said.

Marky and Kate hurried to Libby’s side and threw
their arms around her.  “We’re going to miss you,” they said in unison.

“And I you, but, don’t forget,” she said, bending to
hug them and simultaneously point toward her house, “I’m right over there if
you need me.”

Libby tried to make her exit as quick and painless
as possible, since although she was only next door, even she felt as if her
heart had been torn out of her chest.  She wouldn’t be seeing the children
first thing in the morning and helping them to ready for the day.  She wouldn’t
get to take them on fun outings, and listen to them go on about exciting
discoveries, or watch them try new things.  She would no longer be responsible
for their well-being, and while she supposed she should be grateful for that,
she felt somewhat bereft.

Back at her house, she glanced around.  It was so
deathly silent.  Oh, she was going to miss the children.

***

Later that evening, Dan called his parents to give
them the news that their daycare responsibilities would soon come to an end. 
To his surprise, his mother didn’t object.  That fact was the surest indicator
he was doing the right thing.

“Son, if we could continue, we would,” she told
him.  “But the truth is, we’d already decided we had to tell you we couldn’t go
on beyond the end of summer.”

“Mom, you should have told me you were concerned
about driving in the early morning and afternoon traffic.”

She made a surprised sound.  “I’ve never told anyone
that,” she said.  “How’d you know?”

“Well, Kate mentioned it.”

“She’s the most intuitive little girl,” she mused. 
“But she’s right.  My reflexes just aren’t what they used to be and you should
see the way those parents drive!”

He chuckled.  “Mom, I wish you’d told me.”

“I know how much you needed us.”

“That I did,” he said with a sigh.  “But I
understand it’s getting harder on you both.”

“What will you do, son?  I was thinking maybe your
grandfather and I could…”

“No, that’s okay.  It’s not your job to figure out
my problems anymore.  You’ve both been a godsend, but it’s time I worked some
things out on my own.”

Libby
dropped onto her couch after another long weekend working with Doctor Mason. 
After the two had reviewed each and every file of the patients he’d missed
seeing during his recuperatory period, he had decided it was necessary he
review the files of
every
patient
.

Libby was grateful for the work and the chance to
put some money away, but she missed having her weekends free.  In addition to
the long weekends, her regular transcriptionist work kept her busy until late
into the evenings.

She was glad for the work, which distracted her from
thinking about Dan and the kids.  Often, as she toiled away in her home office,
she could hear the kids playing in their back yard.  On more than a few
occasions, they had stopped by to visit, and she had had to cut the visitation
short because of her workload.  It had killed her to see the children walk
dejectedly away. 

Mary had popped in to see her once or twice, as
well, and she considered her a dear friend.  She had confided in her she and
her husband would no longer be doing daycare for the children, and she had told
her it pained her that they could no longer help Dan out with the kids.

Libby’s heart broke for her.  She understood that
since Mary and Luther lived just outside of the childrens’ school district, the
kids couldn’t ride the school bus from their home.  It wasn’t easy for them to
take on the responsibility of getting the kids to and from school each day, as
well as attempt to help them with homework and deal with extracurricular
activities.

The start of the new school year was just around the
corner.  Libby hated to see summer come to a close and knew she would always
treasure the time she’d spent with her little neighbors.

As if on cue, she heard the sound of someone
knocking on her door.  She rose to answer it and found Marky and Kate standing
on her front porch.

“Hey, you two,” she greeted them eagerly.

“Miss Libby,” Marky said in a rush.  “We’re having a
barbecue.  Can you come over?”

Libby glanced to Kate, who nodded.  “Daddy said you
could come if you’re free…”  The little girl watched her so expectantly, so
hopefully.

Suddenly, Dan appeared.  “Hey, kids, you were
supposed to wait for me!”  He grinned at Libby, his sparkling eyes as hopeful
as the childrens’ when he asked, “Can you join us for a barbecue?”

She smiled, feeling her heart give a thump.  She
missed them terribly.  All of them.

“I would love to join you all for a barbecue,” she
answered.

His face broke into a wide smile.  “Well, come on
then.  Everything’s ready.”

Libby locked up behind her and allowed the children
to tug her toward their house.  Dan entered through the front door, but the
kids pulled Libby through the side gate and into the back yard.  She
immediately noticed a long table, and spied fried chicken, potato salad, chips,
and brownies.  Dan soon pushed open the back door, carrying a large pitcher of
lemonade.

He set it on the table, beside a stack of plastic
cups.  He surveyed the table.  “Have we forgotten anything?”

“I don’t think so,” Kate said.

“Nope,” Marky agreed.

Dan turned to Libby. 

“Everything looks great,” she said, smiling.

He clasped his hands together.  “Then let’s eat,” he
said.  “I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving.”

They sat down at the table and Libby immediately
began helping Marky with his plate.  When Kate struggled a bit with the large
pitcher of lemonade, Libby immediately came to her aid. 

Dan watched her speculatively, a ghost of a smile on
his face.  “We have missed Miss Libby, haven’t we, kids?”

“Yes!” Marky cried.

“Yes!” Kate agreed.

“How have you been?” he asked her, settling back in
the chair and watching her.

“Busy,” she answered honestly. 

“We don’t see much of you anymore,” he commented.

“Doctor Mason has kept me busy,” she told him.  “I’m
hoping things slow down soon and I can resume my regular work schedule.  Summer
is going too fast.”

“I know what you mean,” he mused, still watching
her.  “I’d planned to take the children on a vacation, but things at work are
so hectic.  I think I’ve experienced more call outs for collisions this summer
than any of the past three.”

She sighed.  She was sorry to hear that, for him and
for the people involved in those vehicle accidents.

“Where did you hope to vacation?” she asked.

“Disneyland!” Marky cried.  “As soon as Daddy stops
being a traffic homi … homicide investigator, we’re going, huh, Dad?”

“Yes, son, we are.”

“But what about school?” Kate asked.

“I’ll take you out of school for a few days if we
have to.”

She smiled and turned to Libby.  “I wish you could
go with us.”

Libby chuckled uncertainly.   “Oh, honey.  I know
you’ll have a wonderful time.  And when you get back, you can tell me all about
your trip.”

The little girl reached up and clutched her
necklace, an indicator to Libby that Kate was worried about something.  She
watched her curiously, wanting to ask her directly what was troubling her, but
afraid to do so, lest she step on Dan’s toes.

Instead, she reached for Kate’s hand and gave it a
squeeze.  “I’ll expect you to take a lot of pictures.”

She frowned.  “My camera isn’t very good.”

“That’s not a problem,” Libby said cheerfully.  “You
can borrow mine.”

The little girl seemed placated and the foursome
talked about the upcoming trip, speculating on the sights they would see and
the attractions they intended to ride.  When they were done eating, Libby
helped them put everything away.

At one point, Libby found herself alone with Dan in
the kitchen.  He was in the process of storing away any uneaten food in the
fridge.  “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

“No, I’ve got it.  Why don’t you have a seat and
talk to me while I do my chores?”

She took a seat, feeling as if she should be
pitching in.  He made short work of his tasks, however, and soon joined her at
the table.  He sighed and rose quickly to check on the kids outside, and then
sat down again.  He smiled ruefully and was silent for a moment.  Finally, he
spoke, taking her by surprise, “We really have we missed you.”

“You have?”

“Oh, yeah,” he told her.  “The kids love their
grandparents to death, but they preferred having you do daycare for them.”

She made a sorrowful face.  “I wish I could watch
them for you, but…”

He gave a burst of laughter.  “Libby, I’m not asking
you to watch the kids again.”  He reached across the table and took her hand,
still chuckling.  “No, I’ve made arrangements for them.  It turns out the
school has both before and after-school programs, so I can drop them off and
then pick them up when I get off work.”

Libby couldn’t help frowning.  “So you’ll drop them
off at six in the morning?”

“It’s early, but…”

Libby’s face flooded with concern for the kids.  She
hated the idea of them waking so early and arriving at school over two hours
before the school day actually started.  “Dan, I…” she began, but was
interrupted by the sound of his cell phone ringing.

He winced as he pulled it from his pocket and
checked the screen.  “Libby, I’m sorry, but I have to take this.”

He rose to answer the call.  He stepped into the
living room for privacy, but Libby could just make out his words.  “Cherise... 
You need me?  Of course, I’ll be there.  Give me a few minutes to get ready.”

He returned to the kitchen, his features rife with
concern.  “Libby, I really hate to ask you, but…”

She nodded, before he could answer the question. 
“Yes, I’ll watch the children.  Do you know how long you may be?”

He shook his head regretfully.  “No telling.”

He went off to apparently get ready, while she
joined the kids in the backyard.  A couple moments later, he popped his head
out and called out a good-bye. 

“Where’s Daddy going?” Marky asked, furrowing his
brow.

Libby couldn’t answer him, since she didn’t know.

“Is he going to work?” Kate asked.

“Cherise called…” Libby said, her words trailing
off.  She was uncertain what she should have told the children, but it was the
truth.  Cherise called him, said she needed him, and he rushed off.

Something about that call didn’t compute.  Something
about the evening didn’t compute.  Dan had invited her to a barbecue.  She
couldn’t deny that for a moment early in the evening, she thought there might
be more to the gesture than him extending a neighborly invitation.  In her
heart of hearts, she had hoped he might have realized he missed her, and he’d
said as much, but she now realized he had missed his childrens’ daycare
provider.  She now suspected he had called her over to apprise her of his
daycare issues.  He was probably going to ask her if she could help out with
the kids in some capacity—maybe watch them before school at her place and then
put them on the bus for him.