Doorstep daddy (17 page)

_{"I'll make it up to you, Callie." Despite his illness, he looked determined.}

_{She smiled. "I'd like that."}

_{"Can I have more tea now?"}

_{"Only if I hit you over the head with it. Your fifteen minutes aren't up."}

_{"You're tough."}

_{She chuckled. "Mark's fallen asleep on your bed again, sans diapers once more. Now that's tough."}

_{Richard smiled and closed his eyes. "I don't know. Watching you blow-dry the bed had great sexual overtones."}

_{Callie let go of him, but gently. As he slumped back,}

_{she said, "You're not too sick if you can think that, Richard.''}

_{Richard grinned wryly. "Don't bet on it."}

_{She had a lot of things she would bet on, but falling for Richard wasn't one of them.}

_{She didn't feel quite so tough at the moment. In fact, she felt almost in...}

_{Callie forced the emotion away. He was sick and she was vulnerable. This wasn't the time to decide on anything.}

_{Chapter Eight}

_{Richard stared at the slender lump huddled under the covers.}

_{"Don't say 'I told you so,'" the lump croaked in misery. "I know I've got it."}

_{He grinned. "Tommy fix you up with his magic bullet?"}

_{"The boy was positively ghoulish about it, the sadistic bastard." Callie looked at Richard with mournful eyes. "You should be home, not here. You're barely out of bed yourself."}

_{"True, but I feel a helluva lot better than you do."}

_{"The world feels a helluva lot better than me."}

_{"I'll help you now," Richard said, grateful Tommy had called him about Callie catching the flu. Richard had gotten a key from Tommy and come over to her apartment to check on her. Jason and Amanda were still at school, so he would pick them up later.}

_{His own flu bout had been short-lived, as Tommy had promised, because by the third day he had been up and about. He hoped that the same would hold for Callie, who'd gotten it right after he had. While he felt better, he was still tired at times. Callie had been so terrific when he'd been sick that he hoped he could reciprocate
a little. In one way he could. "I can hold your sickie bucket for you."}

_{"I'm thrilled," she said, sinking more deeply under}

_{the covers.}

_{Mark climbed onto Callie's bed and lay down next to her. "Callie thick."}

_{"In the head," Callie muttered, reaching out and stroking Mark's soft hair.}

_{"Yes, she is sick, Mark. But we'll make her better.}

_{We hope."}

_{Richard sat down on the bed, partly to be close to her and partly to ensure he didn't suddenly collapse on the floor if his legs decided to turn to rubber without his permission. It'd be a heck of a thing if Mark wound up taking care of both of them.}

_{His hip pressed against hers. Callie's face was almost colorless, and her reddened eyes were rimmed with violet circles. Her hair sprawled every which way on the pillow. She looked ill, yet he couldn't help a moment of physical response to her. His sexual attraction to her overrode everything else.}

_{Of course she'd probably kill him if he acted on his impulse, sick or not.}

_{Her telephone rang.}

_{"Oh, God," Callie muttered, pulling the covers over her head.}

_{"I'll get it," Richard said, rising. He opted for the phone in her living room, so she could rest. "Don't worry about Mark. He's well padded."}

_{Mark had had a slight setback what with Richard's illness and then his trying to cope with getting through the days afterward. Richard had discovered the transition stage in the life-responsibility process wasn't all it was
cracked up to be. Potty training was hard work. Either that, or he didn't have Callie's touch.}

_{When he answered the telephone, he discovered Callie's boss on the line. By the time Richard hung up, he was angry.}

_{"You work for an idiot," he announced, coming back into her bedroom. He liked its cheery yellows and whites, but they didn't alter his mood at the moment}

_{"I know that. He's never happy, but I'm late with a report. It's due in the state offices on Wednesday."}

_{"Doesn't he know you were taking care of a very sick man? Doesn't he have compassion?"}

_{Callie chuckled. "We're talking about my boss here."}

_{"Right. He's also complaining about some guy in the office who's complaining that he's dead when he isn't He's blaming you. Your boss is, not the guy."}

_{"Me?" She put her hand over her eyes. "I called some people to get that straightened out, and they all said they'd put him back into the system."}

_{"I guess he came right back out again."}

_{Callie made as if to get out of bed. Richard pressed his hand to her shoulder to push her back down.}

_{"Oh, no," he said. "You stay put."}

_{"I'll lose my job if I don't get that report to him," she said, eyes tearing. "It's in my laptop."}

_{"You work for me, remember? So you have a job if you need one." She'd taken care of his phone calls very efficiently while she'd taken care of him. Mail, too. He'd had a minimum to handle yesterday. But she wouldn't lose her job over one little thing. "Maybe a little diplomatic push will help," he said.}

_{"I don't know about this," she replied, dubious.}

_{"Relax. It can't hurt. Now, what's the file name of this report?"}

_{"I better get it." She started to rise again.}

_{And again he pushed her back. "I said I'll take it in for you. Before I do, you'll have your three sips of tea and you'll take a nap. Tommy said you were pretty ill last night."}

_{"Very. And you're getting very bossy." She tried to rise once more, then settled back against the pillows in defeat.}

_{Richard chuckled.}

_{"Okay, so a baby can knock me over with a feather," Callie admitted, sighing.}

_{"All the more reason to stay in bed and take care of yourself." He smiled. "And I'll take care of you, too."}

_{"Richard." Her look told him he was in for another no-relationship lecture.}

_{To forestall it, he added, "It's strictly between}

_friends."

_{She smiled wanly. "I'm too sick to fight you."}

_{"Good, because I'd probably lose." He reached over and took Mark. "Come on, kid. We'll go break Callie's computer now. You'll like that."}

_{"You're getting good with him," she said around a yawn.}

_{He grinned, pleased with the praise from her. "I had a good teacher. In a lot of things."}

_{He bent down and kissed her forehead. Mark's head klonked against hers.}

_{Callie groaned and rubbed the sore spot. "Gee, thanks. That was about the only place that didn't hurt."}

_{"Sorry about that."}

_{Richard went out and fiddled with her laptop, not having any problem finding the file and printing it on her home printer. She used the same software he did, al
though hers was an older version. As the finished sheets spit out one by one, he noted she did very nice work.}

_{He and Mark took it to the office. Callie's boss, an unpleasant man, couldn't grasp that she was too sick to come herself. People waited for help, including one stubborn old gentleman who'd accidently been declared dead. Richard couldn't help but like him. Everyone waiting wanted Callie. Richard could see she nurtured people here, too. They, at least, understood her illness and sympathized. Her boss didn't. Richard resisted the urge to punch the guy in the nose. He did pull diplomatic rank a little, and her boss backed down somewhat. Grudgingly, but he did. That he'd saved one thing for her pleased Richard.}

_{When he got back to her apartment, he stretched out across the foot of her bed. The trip had exhausted his still-weakened body.}

_{"I'd say I told you so, but I'm too sick," Callie murmured.}

_{"I think you got it in, anyway." Richard closed his eyes, needing to rest just a moment. Mark had crawled in next to Callie, so he was safe for a while from toddler disasters.}

_{"Haying two men in one's bed is supposed to be some women's fantasy. Somehow, I can't see it."}

_{"Mmm," Richard murmured without opening his eyes. "I never thought that my first time in your bed would include my youngest nephew. Freud would have a field day. Take a nap, Callie. You need it."}

_{"Somehow I don't think it's me who does..."}

_{Richard drifted off. Seconds later, it seemed, he was jolted to alertness when a foot nudged him in the chest. Kicked him was more like it. He sat up, disoriented.}

_{"The kids will be home from school in twenty
minutes," Callie said, confirming he'd been out for more than twenty himself. Her eyes were still red-rimmed but amused. Mark lay next to her, sound asleep. Everyone had napped except the person who'd been ordered to do so.}

_{"I was out that long?" he asked in disbelief.}

_{"Oh, yeah." Callie grinned at him as if she'd enjoyed his presence in her bed.}

_{Richard wished he'd been awake enough to enjoy it, too. Disgusted, he said, "I'm a fat lot of help, aren't I?"}

_{"You probably saved my job. That's enough for one day."}

_{"But I didn't get you aspirin or fluids every fifteen minutes. That's what I'm supposed to be doing."}

_{"Oh, I did that myself while you were out cold." She tapped a half-full glass on the nightstand. "So far, so good. Go home to the kids, Richard. I'll be fine."}

_{"That's what I said, remember?" He had to admit she looked a little better than he had on his first day. Then an idea hit him, a brilliant idea. "I won't go home unless you go with me."}

_{Her eyes blinked fully open. "What?"}

_{"Sure. You shouldn't be here alone while you're sick. Your brother the doctor wouldn't have called me if he thought you didn't need help. At my house, you'll have a bedroom all to yourself and three servants to wait on you. Me, Amanda and Jason. Mark will entertain you. If you don't come home with me, I'll have to bring Jay and Amanda here. How much rest will you get with all of us crammed in your apartment?"}

_{"I'd get more if you'd go home like you should." "No, you wouldn't, so that's not an option. I can't let you be here by yourself. I
won
7."}

_{"Richard, you're very sweet I appreciate your caring. But I'm fine - "}

_{A coughing spasm suddenly overtook her. She sounded horrible and she couldn't stop herself. Richard grabbed the sickie bucket and hovered, just in case it turned into something worse.}

_{Callie waved him away. The spasm passed and she collapsed back against the pillows. "Oh, God, that hurt."}

_{"I didn't have coughing like that," Richard said, worried. "See? That's all the more reason to be sick at my house."}

_{She eyed him sourly. "You're going to bug me to death, aren't you?"}

_{"Yep." He grinned at her. "Where's your coat?"}

_{The move took both their energy reserves, but that Callie saw the sense in it without too much argument gratified Richard. Amanda was just arriving home from school when he pulled the car into the driveway. Jason was usually ten minutes behind her.}

_{She peered in the passenger window, then said as Richard emerged from the driver's side, "She looks bad, Uncle Richard."}

_{"She's got our family flu, lucky girl. Do me a favor and bring Mark into the house. I'll help Callie."}