A Child''s Christmas (Mills & Boon Heartwarming)

  “I have a wife and two young daughters now—they’re two and three—and you have to realize I can’t help you financially this time. Our agreement aside, I don’t have the money. I made some investments that didn’t turn out well, so I’m working to support Becky, the girls and me. Are we clear on that?”

  “Yes,” Paige acknowledged. Money hadn’t been the motivation for her call. Mark should have known that, but she supposed some things never changed.

  “So, as I said, I doubt I’ll see him, but I’d like you to tell me about the situation.”

  “The situation, as I already told you, is that Jason has cancer again. He’s doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. He’s a great kid.” Paige understood it wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear, but she wanted him to know. Then she told him all the details. “We decided to go ahead with the surgery,” she concluded, and held her breath, not knowing what kind of response to expect.

  There was a long pause. “Why wouldn’t they keep him on the drug until the tumor’s gone and avoid surgery altogether?”

  She explained to Mark that attempting it would require too many treatments and at significantly higher dosages, which would be dangerous for Jason.

  “I see.” The two words were quiet and controlled, giving Paige no indication of what her ex-husband was thinking. “And when is the surgery scheduled?”

  Paige gave him that information, too.

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  The words were still said in a controlled manner, but she heard the fury in them. And that concluded their conversation. He abruptly said good-bye and left Paige holding the receiver until the loud off-hook tone prompted her to hang up.

  She wasn’t sure what the significance of their conversation had been, other than letting Mark know about the condition of their son.

  *

  LESS THAN A week later, Paige learned the significance. A patient care representative from the Karlsen Center for Cancer Care called her late Tuesday afternoon.

  “I’m afraid we have a problem with respect to Jason’s surgery,” she advised Paige.

  Her heart was ready to burst out of her chest, and she found it nearly impossible to breathe. “A problem? What kind of a problem?”

  “I’m sorry to tell you we won’t be able to proceed with the surgery.”

  “What...what did you say?”

  “We cannot proceed with Jason’s surgery.”

  Paige felt the room spin and steadied herself against the kitchen counter before taking a peek into the living room to make sure Jason was still in his room. “I...I don’t understand.”

  “We received a letter from a lawyer acting on behalf of Jason’s father. The letter instructs us not to proceed with the surgery.”

  Paige took a step back, bumped into the wall and slid bonelessly to the floor. “What?” She couldn’t have been hearing the woman correctly.

  “I thought you’d know, but Jason’s father doesn’t want Jason to have the surgery. We have to respect his wishes.”

  Grasping the significance of what Mark had done, she found anger replacing the shock. Her fight instinct had definitely kicked in. “Jason’s father has no right to block the surgery. I have sole legal custody of Jason. Our agreement makes it very clear that I have full decision-making authority with regard to my son’s welfare. I’ve signed all the necessary papers, and I can provide a copy of the agreement.”

  “Please try to stay calm, Ms. Summerville. Mr. Summerville’s lawyer made all of that plain in his letter. Still, his lawyer makes a very strong case—he is Jason’s father, after all—and our attorneys have advised us not to proceed. Mr. Summerville indicated that he would take legal action if we did.”

  Paige pushed herself up off the floor. “Don’t ask me to stay calm! It isn’t your child’s life we’re talking about. This is crazy. Jason needs the surgery! You’re worried about legal action when my son’s life is at stake?” Remembering that Jason was just a couple of rooms away, she lowered her voice to an insistent whisper. “Without the surgery, he doesn’t have a chance. You have to reconsider. Get your lawyers to reconsider.”

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Summerville, but there’s nothing we can do.”

  “Yes, there is.” Paige needed to call Daniel, but first she had to ensure that she wouldn’t lose the scheduled date. “I intend to pursue this matter. I have to do what’s best for my son. Can you at least hold his surgery date? And I need a copy of that letter. You have to give me a chance to respond.” She pulled her phone book from a kitchen drawer and searched for Daniel’s business card. “Please send it to this number, attention Daniel Kinsley,” and she read out Daniel’s fax number.

  As soon as Paige had hung up, she called Daniel’s cell phone. There was no answer. She called his number at Lindstrom, Kinsley and McGuire. Her agitation must have been obvious; Selena said she’d get him immediately, although he was with a client for Heartfelt.

  A few minutes later, Daniel was on the line. Paige’s words tumbled over each other as she tried to explain what had happened.

  “Hold on a second, Paige. I’m having trouble following you, but Selena just brought in a fax that she seems to think might have something to do with what you’re talking about.” Paige tried to compose herself while she waited for Daniel to read the fax.

  “Where are you?” he asked.

  “I’m at home.”

  “I’m on my way. I want you to stay right where you are. What’s Chelsea’s number?”

  It didn’t occur to Paige to ask why he wanted it. She gave it to him, and they hung up. She was sitting on the sofa, elbows resting on her knees, her head in her hands when her apartment door flew open. Startled, Paige looked up. Chelsea was rushing toward her.

  “How did you—?

  “Your spare key, remember?” Chelsea cut her off. “I’m not supposed to talk to you about whatever’s going on, but Daniel made me promise to come down and stay with you until he gets here. Just tell me this. Is Jason okay?”

  “Yes, he is.” Paige massaged her forehead with her thumb and forefinger. “Oh, Chels. What am I going to do?”

  Daniel got to the apartment an hour later. Jason had finished his homework; he and Chelsea were playing Scrabble. Jason was in good spirits, but he kept casting worried glances at his mother, obviously aware of the tension tightly coiled inside her.

  Daniel immediately took charge. “Thanks for coming down, Chelsea.” He gave her arm a little squeeze. “I really appreciate it. Now, would you do me another favor? Would you take Jason up to your place for a while? Play a computer game with him?”

  Jason’s face lit up and he grinned eagerly at Chelsea.

  “No problem.” She dropped her hand onto Jason’s shoulder. “Okay, Squirt. Let’s see if I can kick your butt for a change.”

  As soon as the door closed behind them, Daniel stepped forward and opened his arms. “Come here,” he urged Paige.

  She welcomed the warmth and support of his embrace. “How could Mark do this? What am I going to do?”

  “It’s not what you’re going to do, but what we’re going to do. Technically, it’s what I’m going to do on our behalf, and no objections, please. I’m a lawyer, remember? This is exactly the type of thing my new firm does.” When she drew a deep breath and her eyelids fluttered closed, he brushed his lips lightly across them.

  After Jason had gone to bed, Daniel laid out a plan of action, and he promised to get the best lawyers at Lindstrom, Kinsley and McGuire to help him work on it first thing in the morning.

  *

  TRUE TO HIS word, Daniel cleared his schedule and worked with one of his partners to get a letter off to the hospital’s legal team by the end of the day. Mission accomplished, he made a copy to take to Paige that evening.

  He arrived at her apartment to pandemonium. The building’s entry doors were propped open. There were service trucks parked in the drive and workmen scurrying around.

  He stepped over a thick black hose and headed toward
Paige’s apartment. “What’s going on?” he asked the first worker who wasn’t rushing by.

  “There’s been a flood. A burst pipe on the second floor. A ground-floor apartment got the worst of it. We’re trying to clean it up.” Daniel glanced toward Paige’s apartment and with a sinking heart saw that her door was also propped open. He absently thanked the man and hurried down the hall, following the black hose that snaked into her apartment. He nearly bumped into the back of the man who was wielding what appeared to be a vacuum at the end of the hose. He was using it to suck up water that had pooled on the floor. Looking around, he saw Paige in the kitchen. She was drying things and placing them on all available surfaces above floor level.

  “Paige!” he called out. He splashed over to her, heedless of his shoes and trousers. “Where’s Jason?”

  “He’s next door with Mr. Weatherly. He’s fine. There are people working in Chelsea’s apartment, too, but Mr. Weatherly’s wasn’t damaged, so he offered to watch Jason.”

  Daniel pulled her into a hug. “You should have called me. I would’ve come right away.”

  “I know, but you were working on the letter for Jason, and it all happened so fast, I didn’t get a chance.”

  “I’m so sorry about this.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “No. But that doesn’t mean I can’t feel bad for you. Anyway, the legal letter was sent to the Karlsen Center early this afternoon. I’ve got a copy for you, but that can wait.” He took off his jacket, draped it over a chair and rolled up his shirt sleeves. “How can I help?”

  It was nearly midnight when the work crews finally left. Paige and Daniel sat on her sofa, holding hands, heads resting against the cushions.

  They’d preserved as many of Paige and Jason’s belongings as they could. The apartment looked as if a hurricane had hit it, with items stacked haphazardly on any and all surfaces. The carpets had been removed to be steam-cleaned, although it was questionable whether they could be saved.

  Paige had checked on Jason earlier in the evening. Since the teams were still working diligently to get things cleaned up, she tucked him in on Mr. Weatherly’s sofa for the night. There was no point waking him or bringing him back to their musty apartment.

  Finally Daniel rose. “I’d better go and let you get some sleep. Do you want me to take you to a hotel for the night?”

  “Thanks, but no. I want to stay close to Jason.”

  “You can’t sleep here until the place is aired out.”

  She rubbed her right temple. “No. I’ll stay with Chelsea tonight. Her apartment’s fine now.” Paige rose, too, and walked Daniel to her front door. He remembered the legal letter as he was shrugging into his jacket. He took it out of his pocket and handed it to her.

  “The guy I worked with on this is the best in his field. This letter should do the trick.” He kissed her good-night. “Please don’t worry about this. We’ll get it sorted out. I promise.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  AS NEITHER PAIGE nor Jason was staying in the apartment overnight, Paige left all the windows ajar to air the place out. One of the workmen had cut pieces of wood for her to put in the window tracks so she could leave them unlatched and slightly open, but they couldn’t be forced open any further, ensuring that the apartment remained secure.

  It had done the trick. By morning, the musty smell was mostly gone. Paige closed the windows and went to Mr. Weatherly’s to fetch Jason.

  They had breakfast in their own apartment, and then they walked to school.

  Fortunately, it was Paige’s day off from the call center. She planned to use the time to restore order to their apartment. Her day was interrupted at about two o’clock when the nurse from Jason’s school called. Jason had the sniffles, was running a fever and seemed to be feeling lethargic. She suggested Paige come and pick him up.

  If Jason was feeling under the weather, she didn’t want him walking home. She decided to see if Mr. Weatherly was home, since today was normally one of his days off. If he was there, she’d ask to borrow his car.

  Paige was beginning to wonder if he was out when he finally opened the door partway. Paige explained the situation. He agreed to lend her his car without hesitation.

  As he hurried to get the keys, the door swung open a bit more. Paige couldn’t believe her eyes. Laura Andrews from the Wish I May Foundation was sitting, prim and proper, in Mr. Weatherly’s living room, sipping tea.

  Equally astonishing, Laura was wearing a pretty flower-patterned dress rather than the usual neutral-toned suits Paige was accustomed to seeing her in.

  When they made eye contact, Laura blushed slightly. Daniel’s words the day of the circus came to mind, and Paige had to smother a grin. She said hello, but refrained from further conversation, not wanting to add to Laura’s obvious discomfiture. Realizing that Paige had seen Laura, Mr. Weatherly stammered something about both of them having the day off as he handed her the keys. She thanked him, but neither of them made any other reference to his guest.

  Paige was worried about Jason when she got him home. His fever had risen to over a hundred and one, yet he looked pale rather than flushed, and he was listless. She called his doctor, who advised that if Jason’s temperature climbed any higher, she should take him to a nearby health clinic, because the fever likely wasn’t related to his treatment. She’d tried to reach Daniel, but Selena explained that he was in court.

  Paige asked Mr. Weatherly if she could hold on to his car keys, just in case.

  Daniel called her as soon as he got her message. He offered to come over, but by then Jason was resting and she wanted to keep things quiet for him. Relieved that Daniel was available if they needed him, she returned Mr. Weatherly’s keys.

  Paige checked on Jason a number of times during the night. Although the fever hadn’t broken by morning, it hadn’t risen, either. When Jason woke up, he was clammy and a bit queasy. Consequently, he ate very little for breakfast and went back to bed right after.

  Daniel called Paige early in the morning to check on Jason’s condition and then again shortly before noon. He had excellent news. The Karlsen Center’s legal team had reassessed the situation and must have realized their liability exposure was far greater if they didn’t allow the surgery to proceed. They concluded, as Daniel and his colleague had categorically pointed out in their letter, that Mark’s assertions and threats were without legal merit.

  The hospital confirmed that Jason’s surgery could go ahead as planned.

  With that obstacle behind them and with the scheduled date of the surgery only days away, Jason’s health became the determining factor. He had to be as strong as possible and in good health for his surgery. If he had a cold or flu, the hospital would have to cancel. Paige knew they were racing against time, since even without the virus Jason had picked up, his energy was declining. If his resistance and resilience were compromised much further, the risks that came with surgery would increase dramatically, to the point that the surgeon might decide it was too dangerous to proceed.

  By late afternoon, there was still no appreciable improvement in Jason’s condition, and he’d been unable to keep any food down.

  Paige was frantic. After speaking with Jason’s oncologist, she asked Daniel to come over, and they took Jason back to the clinic. She bundled Jason in his warmest clothes to ward off his chills, and wrapped a blanket around him. Daniel carried him to the car and then into the clinic.

  Based on Jason’s overall medical condition, they triaged him quickly, and a doctor saw him in under fifteen minutes. Daniel was prepared to stay in the waiting area, but both Paige and Jason insisted he come with them.

  The doctor assured them that it was definitely nothing more than a virus. He said Jason might have picked it up from one of the many workers who were in and out of their apartment because he was more susceptible due to his compromised immune system.

  Paige explained to the doctor her concern about Jason’s upcoming surgery. Like Jason’s oncologist, he ca
utioned that the surgery shouldn’t take place if Jason was unwell. He went through the reasons, but it was all lost on Paige; she heard only a buzzing in her ear from that point onward.

  The doctor prescribed some antihistamines to make Jason more comfortable, but there wasn’t much more that could be done other than letting the cold run its course over the next few days. As they were leaving, he advised them again that they should contact Jason’s surgeon, either directly or through their oncologist, to make him aware of Jason’s illness.

  *

  DANIEL CARRIED JASON from his car into the apartment, the boy’s head on his chest. One thin arm was nestled between them, while the other hung limply at Jason’s side. Holding his son-to-be in his arms, a feeling so powerful and all-consuming coursed through Daniel that he knew he’d do anything in his power to protect and shelter this little boy. Anyone who tried to harm Jason would have to answer to him.

  The feeling was unlike anything he’d ever experienced in his life. It staggered him. When Paige reached for Jason, Daniel shook his head and carried him into the bedroom himself. He pulled back the covers, snuggled his teddy in the crook of his arm and tucked the covers around him. Jason didn’t stir once.

  Daniel rejoined Paige in the living room. She was curled up in the corner of the sofa, arms wrapped around her torso. There was a deep furrow in her forehead and a distinct slouch to her shoulders. “I just don’t understand it. What more can go wrong?” She raised her eyes toward the ceiling. “What could I have done that was so bad it brought this upon us?”

  Daniel’s heart was breaking. He sat down beside her and drew her against him. “Paige, this isn’t anything you did. Yes, these are obstacles. We will overcome them. Together.” He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He was about to say “I promise,” but this time he wasn’t so sure he could unconditionally make that pledge.