Rescued by the Billionaire (Billionaire Romance Novel) (14 page)

Emma toted behind her mom as they headed to x-ray. While they were walking, she began to ask about the x-ray and how it worked.
 

“How does this test work?” she asked.
 

“It’s not like the other one. There’s no noise at all, and you can stand up while they do it. They’ll place individual boards behind you and take pictures of you with a camera that you’ll actually be able to see.”
 

“Good, I didn’t like being in that weird machine back there. Are they going to put me inside another thing?”
 

Kelly laughed, “Oh, no, baby. You’ll just stand in an open room.”
 

Once they reached x-ray, Kelly checked in with the receptionist to let them know they were there. They took a seat in the waiting room until a short, round woman called them back.
 

“Oh, I see you’re already sporting one of our gowns, huh?” the lady joked with Emma.
 

“Yeah, they made me put it on for my other test.”
 

“Okay, now I’ll just need you to stand right here and hold still. When I’m ready to take your picture, I’ll need you to take a deep breath and hold it until I say you can breathe. It’ll only be a few seconds. Can you do that?”
 

Kelly admired how friendly she was with her daughter. She kind of reminded her of her friend Dawn. Suddenly, she wished she had asked her to come with them. It would’ve been nice to have someone tag along for support. Dave was busy, off buying another commercial property in East St. Louis, Illinois.
 

After the woman had taken x-rays of Emma’s spine, she had her sit on the table so she could take x-rays of her hands, elbows, knees, ankles and feet. Poor Emma was bored as she had to hold still for picture after picture. When they were finally finished, the kind woman helped her off the table and offered her a drink.
 

“Would you like some Sprite or apple juice?” the redheaded woman asked as she slid her glasses back up her nose.
 

“Sprite!” Emma exclaimed.
 

“Emma, where’s your manners? Say please.”
 

“Please,” she added.
 

The woman smiled as she made her way to the mini fridge behind the receptionist desk. As she returned with the soda, she told her that she could put her clothes back on since they were finished with their testing. It would be another two weeks until Kelly would know the results of the images, but she was okay with that. At the moment, Emma was healthy and going strong. Her medicine was still working, which Kelly was grateful for.
 

Just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, Kelly once again traded days off and pulled Emma out of class to see the specialist. This time, Dave accompanied them to the appointment. The
assistant called them back, this time placing them in a colorful green room. Dr. Berringen was quite busy that day, which caused them to wait at least a half hour before he made it into the room.
 

“Hello Emma and Miss Hall,” he shook Kelly’s hand. “Good afternoon,” he spoke to Dave. “Okay, let’s take a look at the test results.”
 

He scanned over the analysis of the diagnostic test results for a few moments. After reviewing them, he removed them from the chart to allow Kelly to read them as he explained them.
 

“According to the MRI, Emma has a great deal of inflammation surrounding her joints. This would explain all of the pain and swelling that she’s experienced. It’s especially dangerous in her lower extremities, which caused the stiffening in her legs, feet, and hands. Her sacroiliac joint has the
greatest amount of inflammation, but this is common in those who suffer from AS.”
 

Kelly and Dave nodded, indicating they were following the doctor as they read the analysis from the report. “What is her sacroiliac joint?” she asked.
 

“The sacroiliac joint is the joint where the pelvis and spine join. This would cause all of the lower back pain that she complained about previously.”
 

“Now, with her x-ray, she has a noticeable amount of fusing around her vertebrae. This is a concern because it has caused some damage to her spine. When the vertebrae fuse together, it robs the spine of mobility and leaves her vulnerable to fractures. If this continues, it can gradually lead to her spine curving forward. It’s
imperative that we keep her inflammation under control; if ignored, she may develop calcium deposits in the cushions between the spinal vertebrae.”
 

“But none of that has happened yet, is that what you’re saying?”
 

“Well, she does have some fusion of the spine and her inflammation is a concern. Are her medications still working well for her?”
 

“So far,” Kelly answered.
 

“Then we’ll continue with that treatment plan and we’ll schedule her to come back in six months for more testing to determine the rate at which her disease is progressing. As long as we monitor it and keep it under control, she should grow up to be a young, healthy adult.”
 

Kelly replayed the doctor’s words in her mind as they left the doctor’s office. The spinal confusion concerned her, but she was glad that the doctor didn’t seem too alarmed by it. Sensing Kelly’s mind was preoccupied, Dave interrupted her thoughts as they were getting back in the car.
 

“What are you thinking about?” he asked as Emma buckled herself into the backseat.
 

“Just trying to wrap my head around what the doctor told us,” she explained.
 

“Mom, what did that doctor mean when he said all those things?”
 

Dave turned to look at Emma as he adjusted the rear view mirror, “He said that your spine has
grown together a little and that the medicine seems to be helping you.”
 

Yeah, Kelly thought if it were only that simple. Driving along, she continued to think about Emma, the doctors, and all the testing. How am I going to keep paying for all of this stuff? I still owe close to fifteen hundred dollars on the x-ray and MRI, and that’s only because I put down a hundred bucks on the day of the testing. I just got her regular doctor visits and labs paid off, I have no cash and my credit card is maxed. Business better pick up so I can pay for these two specialist visits and her testing.
 

“Kelly? What’s wrong?” Dave asked, perplexed by her silence on the way to her house.
 

“Nothing,” she lied.
 

They continued to drive in silence until they pulled up to the house. Dave helped Emma out of the backseat as Kelly dug through her purse to find her keys to the front door. Her bag slipped from her grip, sending all the contents flying all over the driveway.
 

“Shit,” she muttered, bending down to pick everything up.
 

“Here, let me help you,” Dave offered.
 

Once they were inside, Kelly flopped onto the couch. Dave sat beside her and offered a foot massage; she graciously accepted while Emma went to her room to draw.
 

“You know, Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. Do you have any plans?” he asked.
 

“No. You?”
 

“No. I was hoping we could spend it together, the three of us.”
 

“I know I’d love it, and I bet Emma would too.”
 

“Do you want to have it here or at my house?” Dave questioned.
 

“It doesn’t matter,” she thought for a moment. “Why don’t we have it at your house? Your kitchen is much
 

 bigger than mine.”
 

“Sounds good to me! I can’t wait.”
 

Chapter Nine
 

On the eve of Thanksgiving, Kelly worked hard in her small kitchen preparing deviled eggs, homemade apple pie, and her famous St. Louis salad. Emma worked vigorously beside her, trying to keep pace with her mom.
 

“Can I help sprinkle the sugar on the pie?” she asked her mom.
 

“You sure can! And when we’re done with that, you can help me stir up the filling for these eggs. Dinner’s going to be so good tomorrow, Emma Buggy, I just know it!” Kelly pinched a bit of flour off the counter and playfully dusted Emma’s nose with it and added, “My little baker.”
 

The two had a marvelous time cooking and baking together in the kitchen, but by the night’s
end, Emma wore out. The tiny eight-year-old passed out on the couch shortly after 10 PM. After carefully covering all of the food and putting it in the refrigerator, Kelly carried her daughter to bed and turned in for the night. She had a big day ahead of her tomorrow that would be filled with more cooking at Dave’s house, but she couldn’t wait to spend their first holiday together.
 

In the morning, Kelly awoke to the alarm clock blaring. Still groggy, she shut it off and headed straight for the shower. Determined to look her best, despite all the cooking ahead of her, she was going to get all made up before she woke up Emma. It would make for a much easier morning, she thought. Just as she was stepping into the shower, someone grabbed her from behind with a loud booming voice.
 

“Ahh!” she screamed, nearly falling into the shower with her slippery foot.
 

Emma giggled from behind, “Morning momma!”
 

Kelly grabbed her chest, covering her racing heart. “Emma! You scared the hell out of me! Why would you do that?” she laughed.
 

Her daughter smiled, “I don’t know. I thought it would be funny,” she said, twisting her hands together as she shrugged her shoulders.
 

“That’s not nice,” she said, still trying to catch her breath. “I’m going to take a shower real quick so we can start getting ready to go to Dave’s house.” She closed the shower curtain as she began wetting down her hair. “Do you want to wear your pink dress or the purple one?”
 

“Mom! You know that purple’s my favorite color! I want to wear the purple dress!” she exclaimed before chanting “Pur-ple dress, pur-ple dress!”
 

“Okay, I got it!” she teased. “Go ahead and brush your teeth real quick, then go get dressed. Momma’s got a lot to do today. We have to get ready, pack up the car, drive to his house and then cook over there. Are you excited for today?”
 

“Yeah,” she answered, with a mouthful of toothpaste.
 

As Kelly showered, she thought of how this was beginning to look like a little family. She beamed with joy as she envisioned the three of them spending every holiday together and being happy. Before, it had always been her and Emma.
Occasionally they’d go to Dawn’s house, but usually only for Fourth of July or Thanksgiving. After the car was packed and they were buckled, they began their journey to Dave’s house. Kelly’s stomach knotted in anticipation of making this their best holiday ever.
 

Meanwhile, Dave was at home, tidying up his kitchen, trying to set everything up in preparation for Kelly and Emma’s arrival. When the girls arrived, he helped get Emma out of the car as he scooped a couple of the dishes under his arm.
 

“Thank you,” Kelly appreciated his help.
 

“No problem. I’ve been working on getting the kitchen set up so we have enough room to cook so we’re not stepping on each other’s feet. I hope you like it,” he grinned.
 

When Kelly walked inside, she was shocked to see the dining room table completely decorated with a beautiful candlelit centerpiece in the middle of the table. The pristine white linen tablecloth appeared freshly pressed. Each chair at the table was set with a festive placemat which featured autumn leaves and wine goblets next to each mat, opposite of the napkin wrapped silverware.
 

“You really went all out, didn’t you?” Kelly asked, astonished.
 

He shrugged, “It’s our first holiday together and I wanted it to be special,” he kissed her forehead. “Here, let’s go put these in the kitchen and get busy cooking.”
 

After their Thanksgiving meal, the trio lay around with puffy, stuffed bellies as they watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the DVR.
Emma eventually grew tired of watching the show while her mom and Dave dozed on the couch.
 

“Momma,” she said tugging on her mom’s shirt, “I’m ready to go to bed. Can we go home?”
 

Kelly opened her eyes, turned her head in Emma’s direction and said, “Yeah, baby, we can go back. Let me just tell Dave goodbye and get our coats.”
 

Eager to leave, Emma grabbed her coat as her mom gave Dave a kiss good night.
 

“Night, Emma,” he called to her as they began walking out to the car.
 

“Bye Dave,” she waved, “see you later.”