I'll Stand by You (25 page)

She thumped the bed with her fists. “So what else is new? You take just long enough to make yourself happy, which is my problem with you and your pokes. This is Sunday and you should be ashamed of yourself for wanting to fornicate on the Good Lord’s day.”

Bart’s shoulders sagged along with his ardor. “Sorry,” he muttered, then dressed in record time and made himself scarce.

The minute Pansy heard him drive away, she second-guessed her decision to stay home. Maybe she should have gone and pretended nothing was wrong. In a panic, she jumped out of bed and fell to her knees beside the bed and began to pray, begging the Good Lord to not only forgive her, but to also get her out of this mess with her good name intact.

Even after the prayer was over, Pansy was pretty sure she’d overstated her troubles to the Lord. Her life wasn’t in danger. Her health was fine. They owned their home and their car, and they had food to eat. She didn’t know where gossip fell in the sin category, but then she remembered that verse in the Ten Commandments about not bearing false witness against her neighbors and started bawling.

“I’m fucked,” she wailed and got off the floor and headed for the kitchen.

She needed a drink of something stronger than coffee.

* * *

Johnny had the grocery list and the extra money Dori had given him. The worst of the wind had stopped blowing as he headed uptown to the supermarket, turning the rain into a mere downpour instead of a gale. As he drove, he remembered he needed to call Miss Jane at the Before and After about Dori taking over her duties, so as soon as he parked, he made the call. It rang a couple of times, and then she answered.

“Hello?”

“Miss Jane, this is Johnny Pine.”

“Why, hello, Johnny. I hope nothing is wrong with the boys.”

“No, ma’am, but I need to let you know that Dori’s going to take over getting them to and from school for the last two weeks.”

“That’s wonderful,” Jane said. “I know this will help you immensely.”

Johnny smiled, thankful she understood.

“Yes, ma’am, and they won’t have to get up quite as early either. It will be a big help all around.”

“How is she doing today?” Jane asked. “She looked so stressed out yesterday. My heart just aches for her loss.”

“Yes, ma’am. I guess she’s doing okay. She doesn’t complain and has the baby to keep her thoughts on other things.”

“Well, give her my regards, and you all have a good summer.”

“You too, Miss Jane, and thank you for being my backup quarterback all year.”

He heard her chuckle. “I like being called the backup rather than the babysitter. Maybe I’ll change the name of my day care to Backup Quarterback.”

She was still laughing when he disconnected. He patted his pocket to make sure he had the list and then looked out at the rain. There was no good way to do this, so he slapped his cap on his head, bailed out of the car, and made a run for the door.

* * *

Dori was putting a load of clothes in the washer. Luther was in his playpen, sucking his thumb and fighting sleep. Johnny had been gone almost an hour, and Dori was thinking about what to make for dinner at noon when she heard Beep scream. She dropped the clothes and ran.

The makeshift cave was at the end of the bed, and Marshall was on the floor in front of it. He was on his hands and knees trying to cough, but his face was turning blue. Beep was pulling on Marshall’s arm, trying to help him up when Dori ran in.

She grabbed Marshall around the waist and yanked him up. She knew he was choking, but she didn’t know on what.

“Beep! Beep! Stop crying and tell me what’s in his mouth.”

“A marble. I think he swallowed a marble.”

When Dori saw a handful on the floor beside him, it was evidence enough. She locked her hands beneath his rib cage and began the Heimlich maneuver, repeating it over and over with a prayer in her heart.

God
help
me. Help me. Don’t let this child die.

Beep’s screams masked the sound of running feet as Johnny suddenly appeared in the doorway, his eyes wild with fright. Before he could move, he saw a marble shoot out of Marshall’s mouth, landing with a thunk at his feet.

“Thank you, God!” Dori murmured and then held him close as he began gasping and coughing, drawing life-giving breath back into his body.

Beep was still sobbing as Johnny reached the bed.

Dori staggered backward, taking Marshall with her as she flopped backward onto the mattress.

Johnny turned. “Beep, stop screaming, buddy. Marshall is okay. See? See? He’s breathing on his own.”

Still, he picked Beep up and sat down beside Dori and Marshall, so shaken by what he’d witnessed that for a few moments he couldn’t speak. He kept remembering all the times he’d been gone on brief errands and left Marshall in charge. Today, if Dori hadn’t been here, Marshall would have died.

Dori’s heart was still pounding, but the relief of knowing Marshall was breathing had lessened the panic she’d first felt.

Johnny cupped Marshall’s face and pushed the sweaty hair away from his forehead.

“Hey, Marshall…hey, buddy, are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere? Does it hurt to breathe?”

Too weak to speak, Marshall was drinking air like water as he shook his head and went limp against Dori’s chest, her hands still locked tight against his belly.

Johnny clutched her arm, his gaze locked on her face. “You saved his life!”

Dori shuddered. “And he nearly scared the life out of me.”

“What happened?” Johnny asked.

“I was in the utility room when I heard Beep scream. By the time I got here, Marshall was turning blue. I don’t know for sure how it happened, but he swallowed a marble, and that’s what came out.”

His hand tightened at the back of her neck as he glanced down at Marshall’s face again. His color was returning to normal. He felt his pulse. It was rapid but steady.

Beep was still snuffling and shaking. “Marshall had a marble in his mouth,” he offered.

Johnny frowned. “What the hell for?”

“It was a red one. We was pretendin’ they was starberries.”

Johnny sighed. He couldn’t believe this had happened, and at their ages. He glanced back at Marshall.

“Pretending is fine. Putting stuff in your mouth that could choke you is not. Are we clear on that?”

Marshall nodded and then crawled out of Dori’s lap and into Johnny’s arms as Beep gave way to his bigger brother’s presence.

Dori got up and took Beep by the hand.

“Let’s go get your face washed up and bring a washcloth back for Marshall, okay?”

Beep clung to her hand as they walked out, leaving Johnny and Marshall alone.

As soon as they were gone, Marshall started talking.

“I saw Mama. She was telling me to hang on. I saw Mama, Johnny. I swear on my life.”

Johnny wrapped his arms around his little brother as his vision blurred.

“Well, I’m damn glad you hung on, okay? I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Johnny, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, son, just promise you won’t do anything dumb like that again.”

Marshall spit on his hand then slapped it against his heart.

“I swear,” he whispered.

Beep came back with the washcloth Dori promised and handed it to Johnny, who began wiping Marshall’s face and then wiping away everyone’s tears.

“Are you crying too, Johnny?” Beep asked.

Johnny sighed. “A little bit, I guess. You guys scared me.”

Beep crawled up on Johnny’s other knee as Johnny wrapped his arms around them and held them close.

“I love you guys. Don’t ever forget that, okay?”

“We love you too, Johnny,” they echoed.

It took Johnny a moment to realize Dori had not come back with Beep.

“Where’s Dori?” Johnny asked.

“She said the Pine men needed some time alone. Are we men too, Johnny?”

Johnny managed a shaky grin.

“You’re working on it,” he said. “Now do me a favor. Beep, you pick up those marbles and throw them in the trash. Marshall, I want you to get in the bed and rest for a little while, okay? You can turn on the television, maybe find some cartoons. I’m thinking a little downtime before dinner would be a good idea.”

They nodded in agreement as Johnny kissed them both and then got up and left the room, in search of Dori.

Chapter 16

After Dori sent Beep back with the wet washcloth, she went straight back to the utility room and put the clothes she had dropped into the wash. Her hands were shaking as she stuffed them in the tub and sprinkled in the soap. She was seeing spots before her eyes as she set the water temperature and started the machine, and then on her way back into the kitchen, weakness overwhelmed her.

Oh
my
God, I am going to faint.

She staggered to the sink and then stood for a few moments with her head down and her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath, unaware what was happening was a result of the adrenaline crash.

All of a sudden, there were hands on her shoulders. It was Johnny. She felt him give them a slight squeeze and then he turned her around.

Their gazes locked.

He lowered his head to brush a kiss across her forehead, then wrapped his arms around her. When he spoke, his voice was shaking. “I have no words.”

“I thought I’d found him too late.”

He tightened his grip. “Thank God, you didn’t quit.”

Dori looked up and saw tears swimming in his eyes. “I’m not the quitting kind,” she said.

“I really, really want to kiss you,” he whispered.

Awash with sudden longing, Dori wanted that too. “I wouldn’t mind,” she said softly.

And so he did.

First, it was a mere brush of his mouth across hers, then another pass that lingered. Then he took a breath, centered his mouth upon her lips, and he was lost. He knew she was trembling, but she was also hugging him back. That simple fact gave him hope.

When he stopped and pulled away, the room tilted beneath his feet, as if he’d lost his anchor to earth. He cupped her face, then ran a thumb across her lower lip, still moist from the kiss.

“Please don’t regret that happened.”

“No regrets, Johnny,” she said and managed a shaky smile.

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“I would never want to scare you. If I just did, I swear that won’t ever happen again.”

She put a finger to his mouth and shook her head. “I wasn’t scared.”

He kept looking at her face and shaking his head in disbelief. “I never expected this to happen.”

“What? That you would kiss me?” she asked.

“No, that I would find myself falling for you.”

Dori shivered. “I, uh—”

“Don’t answer,” Johnny said. “I don’t expect anything from you. I just had to say it. And on another note, I think I need to get the groceries off the porch. I dropped them when I heard Beep screaming, and the rest of the stuff is still in the car.”

“I’ll get the porch. You get the car,” she said, glad to be focused on something safe.

He ran a finger down the side of her cheek. “I believe I’ve said this before, but you’re real handy to have around,” he said.

They walked outside together, and when Dori began gathering up groceries from the porch, Johnny picked up his cap, put it back on his head, and made a run for the car. He grabbed the last two sacks of groceries and dashed back across the yard and up the steps, past Dori, as the rain blew into his face. He hurried inside, dropped off his sacks, and was on his way back to help her get the groceries he’d dropped when she met him at the threshold.

“I’ve got it. You get the door,” she said.

Johnny closed and locked the door behind her and then followed her into the kitchen, dripping water as he went. He dried his face and hands, and then they began sorting the food, putting some in the refrigerator and the rest in the pantry.

Dori turned on the oven and got out the hamburger meat, then went through the groceries until she found everything she needed to make meat loaf.

“Johnny, do you have a loaf pan or some kind of dish or pan that I can use in the oven?”

“Yes,” he said and dug through the back of the cabinet next to the stove before he found what he was looking for. “I can’t remember the last time we used this. I think I need to wash it first.”

He cleaned up the casserole dish and handed it to Dori.

She sprayed it with nonstick spray then mixed up the meat loaf, popped it in the baking dish, and put it in the oven.

“You made that look easy,” he said.

She shrugged. “A lot of years of practice.”

“I’m going to change clothes and check on the boys,” Johnny said.

Dori didn’t comment, but when he walked out of the kitchen, she was watching every step he took. Soaked to the bone, his clothes were plastered to his body like a second skin, highlighting his long, steady stride and the play of muscles across his back. When he finally walked out of sight, she shuddered. She was attracted to him in so many ways, and now this only added to her confusion.

“Lord, Lord. This could be a disaster in the making or the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Please let it be good.”

Unaware of her quandary, Johnny stopped to peek in on the boys. They were side by side in the bed, watching television, and didn’t even know he was there. Satisfied that they were okay, he went across the hall to change.

He stripped standing by the closet, leaving the wet clothes in a pile, and then got clean underwear, a pair of sweats, and a T-shirt and put them on over his still-damp body. He left the room barefoot, with his wet clothes, and as he stepped out in the hall, he heard Dori’s voice coming from her bedroom.
The
baby
must
be
awake
.

They’d only been here four days, and yet the routine they’d fallen into had been easy, as if they’d been doing it for years. He’d never thought about his boys’ future beyond bettering their living conditions until Dori Grant and her baby came into their lives, and now in four short days, they had become a huge part of that dream.