The Family Doctor (20 page)

To his surprise, Dorothy didn't argue. “Kate said she knew somebody I could talk to, a woman at the hospital.” Her voice was subdued. She hadn't apologized, but neither had she defended what she'd done. “Please don't get someone else to care for McKensy,” she pleaded in a broken voice. “I
promise I'll do whatever you say, but don't take McKensy away from me.”

Tony sighed. How many times had she said that in the past?

“Promises aren't enough this time, Mom. Until I'm convinced you've made a real effort, McKensy will be staying with Judy.” Feeling like a tyrant, but knowing it was the only thing to do, Tony handed his sobbing mother a box of tissues. “And another thing, it's past time you divorced my father. It's one last way of hanging on, and you've got to let go, Mom. For your sake, and for his, too. I know a lawyer—I'll make an appointment for you.”

He should have said that to her a long time ago, Tony admitted. It was partly his fault, this whole fiasco. He probably could have prevented it. He remembered Kate suggesting that Dorothy have counseling in anger management, and how easily he'd dismissed the idea. Now, thinking back on the scene in Ford's room, he shuddered.

Who knew what his mother might have done if he and Betsy hadn't arrived back in Ford's room when they did? Dorothy had been totally out of control. He didn't want to believe that she would have been capable of physical violence, but he couldn't deny the possibility, either. He'd felt the absolute rage vibrating in her body.

Judy was waiting for them at Tony's house. They'd agreed that Dorothy shouldn't be alone, and neither was she in any shape to care for McKensy.
Tony stood by while his mother swallowed the sedatives and then went quietly to her room.

Judy, pale faced and wide eyed, whispered, “How's Dad?”

It was the first time Tony had ever heard his sister call their father Dad. “He seems to be okay, at least for the moment. We'll have to see how the day progresses.” He explained about the bone scans and the possibility that the cancer had spread.

“I hope he doesn't— He isn't going to die right away, is he, Tony? I mean, I know he's really sick, and you said it was just a matter of time, but I hope he gets a chance to enjoy the rest of his stay here in Vancouver.” She hesitated and then blurted, “He's a good man, isn't he?”

Tony put his arm around her and gave her a reassuring hug. “Yeah, he really is.”

Judy hugged him back. “I thought—well, it was really Peter's idea, but I agree with him. We wondered if maybe Betsy and Dad would like to come and stay with us instead of that hotel? It doesn't seem right when we've got plenty of room. When will he get out of the hospital?”

Tony felt a rush of overwhelming affection for his sister. It had bothered him, not being able to ask Ford and Betsy to stay with him.

“That's a great idea, but won't it cause you problems with Mom?” Judy had always needed their mother's approval more than he had.

Judy's chin came up. “Yeah, I suppose it will.
But I can see now that it's wrong to agree with her all the time. I've done way too much of that already.”

“Ask them, then. I know they'll be pleased,” he told Judy. “And now I've got to get back to St. Joe's.”

He knew it was unwise to use his cell phone while he was driving, but he did it, anyway. He had a date with a lady, and he had no intentions of being late.

“W
HERE ARE WE GOING
?”
Kate slid into the car beside him, and the instant she closed the door and fastened her seat belt, Tony pulled into traffic and sighed with relief. Until this moment, he hadn't been sure he'd be able to pull this off.

There'd been a woman in Kate's office when he got there, and she was crying. Kate shot him a helpless look and motioned him out.

He'd paced the hall for what seemed an hour, trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone who might have something they wanted to discuss with him.

At last, the red-eyed woman had scurried out of Kate's office and he strode in just in time to see her reach for the ringing telephone.

“Don't touch that.” His voice was louder than he'd intended, but he was desperate.

She jumped, and then slowly replaced the receiver.

“Tony, what—”

“Sh.” With one hand, he snatched her handbag from the top of the file cabinet. With the other he took firm hold of her fingers.

“Don't answer if anyone speaks to you. Don't meet anyone's eyes. Walk as fast as you can,” he instructed, leading the way to the elevator.

“Tony, I don't understand.”

“Just trust me on this.”

Several of the hospital's cleaning staff were on the elevator with floor mops and a bucket on wheels. Kate raised questioning eyebrows at him, but he shook his head and put a quelling finger on her soft lips.

Even with traffic, it only took fifteen minutes to reach the waterfront hotel. He pulled in under the awning and thrust his keys at the parking valet.

“Room 518, O'Connor,” he snapped, hauling Kate out of the car before the bellman had even started across the tarmac.

Inside the opulent lobby, he stopped at the desk only long enough to retrieve the room card and, with one sinister glare, wipe the smirk off the face of the youthful clerk who asked about luggage.

He was pleased to see that 518 had a panoramic view of the inlet, a king-size bed and an extensive room service menu. The ice bucket holding the champagne he'd ordered was on the dresser, the vase with the dozen red roses on the coffee table. Tony kicked off his shoes and only then realized that he was wearing the same clothes he'd put on to go to dinner the night before. His feet probably smelled. In fact, all of him likely did.

He shoved his shoes back on and opened the
closet, relieved when he spotted the lush white robes hanging in it. There was a bathroom with a glassed-in shower, which he'd use in a minute. As soon as he talked to Kate.

She was watching him without saying anything, then she dropped her handbag on the floor and walked to the window. Turning back to look at him, she said, “Tony? What's this all about?” She sounded confused and wary.

She had every right to be.

He started feeling nervous. Maybe she was getting the wrong impression. Maybe she thought he'd brought her here just for sex.

“It's not Edmonton, but it's the best I could do on short notice.” He hauled in a deep breath. “There're so many things I need to say to you, Kate, and I don't want us to be interrupted. There doesn't seem to be a single damned place we can go to be alone.” He motioned to a soft gray armchair. “Just come over here and sit down. Please?”

She hesitated, but she finally sat. When she was settled, he tried to figure out where to begin, and decided that the end would probably be the best. Who knew how much time they'd have before somebody banged at the door for God only knew what reason. And it was getting harder and harder to keep his hands off her.

He dropped to one knee in front of her.

“I love you, Kate, more than I can say. Will you marry me?”

Her mouth dropped open. When she didn't say anything, panic set in.

“I know we've got a million things to settle between us. I acted like an idiot at work, and I'm sorry about that. All I can say is I
am
learning all this stuff about mistakes and admitting to them. I'm trying, Kate. You'd be taking on McKensy as well as me, but she's been in love with you from the beginning. I know your Eliza doesn't much like me, but I promise you, Kate, she will eventually. She's already got a father, but I'll do my best to be her friend.”

He rubbed a hand over his chin and realized he hadn't shaved since yesterday. “I can't honestly promise much about your ex, but I will do my best not to murder the guy. We'll put some locks on the bedroom door, maybe. And you're going to have Dorothy to contend with. I know that's asking a lot of you, but it does give both of us a real chance to practice your ideas about dealing with angry people—”

She still wasn't saying anything. The energy that had fueled him through the long, difficult night and this even longer morning was gone all of a sudden, and he deflated like a popped balloon.

“Hell. I guess this is a huge mistake. You're not in love with me.”

“Yes, I am.” Her voice was soft, and so were her hands. She put them on each side of his whiskery face and looked into his bloodshot eyes. Hers
were shimmering. “I have been for a long time, but I'd stopped hoping.”

He was starting to again. “I can't figure out where we'll live, Kate. I can't ask Dorothy to move out on top of everything else.” Inspiration struck. “Maybe we can sell both houses and buy a triplex. That way everybody'll have their own space.”

She nodded. “Okay. But my suite is for rent. Dorothy could live there if she wanted.”

It took a moment, but he got it. And grew worried all over again. He knew how much she loved her stepdaughter. “What about Eliza?”

“She's with her dad, but I've got partial custody. She spends half her time with each of us. You were right about me—I needed to take my own life back again. I think it's going to work out fine. For all of us.”

His sense of relief was so great he bent his head and rested it on her lap. His knee was aching, and more than anything in the world he wanted to lie down with her in that giant king-size bed. After he had a shower. After she said what she still hadn't said.

“So, Kate?” She smelled so good. He could feel the warmth of her skin through her cotton skirt. “What do you say?”

He knew she was smiling.

“Yes, I say yes. Yes, Tony, I'll marry you.” There was fierce joy in her voice. “I love you so very much. We'll be a family, you and I and the
girls. But first can we go on a honeymoon? Just the two of us?”

His relief was so great he had to squeeze his eyes tightly shut or embarrass himself totally. He thought of his father, of how precious each moment was.

“Anywhere in the world, my love. Paris, Rome. Anywhere.”

Anywhere was perfect when two people had a lifetime of loving to share.

T
HE CEREMONY WAS HELD
in the back garden of the small brick house. Exotic birds twittered, and the heady smell of roses and hibiscus filled the late September afternoon.

Tony held tight to Kate's hand while the majestic words of the marriage service were read, and he winked at her every now and then as she swiped at her brimming eyes with a tissue. All the women were crying, and many of the men's eyes were suspiciously damp, as well.

“In sickness and in health…”

Betsy tipped her head back and with a radiant expression looked up into the eyes of the man she loved as each of them repeated the age-old vows.

Ford was growing thinner by the day. The blue suit Tony had helped buy just a few days ago already hung in loose folds on his father's gaunt frame, but by some miracle Ford's mind remained clear. The Decadron had given him this window of time, he'd assured Tony, to complete the things that mattered to him, and marrying Betsy mattered most of all.

Dorothy had agreed to the divorce, and with the
assistance of a judge who was one of Tony's patients, the decree had been hurried through.

As his father's best man, Tony had Betsy's gold wedding ring looped on his little finger. When the moment came, he pressed it firmly into his father's hand, so Ford could slide it on his bride's finger.

“With this ring, I thee wed…” Ford's voice was weak, but the power of his emotion rang strong and clear. “With my body, I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.”

Overcome with feeling, Tony turned his head to look at Kate. They, too, had repeated these holy vows just ten days ago, half a world away, in the Vancouver church his family attended, where first his grandfather and then his mother played the organ. Dorothy had played for their wedding.

In this small garden in Brisbane, there was only birdsong as background music. Just fourteen people were gathered here to witness the ceremony, close friends of Ford and Betsy.

In Vancouver, it had seemed to Tony that half the city was there. Kate had wanted a big wedding, and the females in Tony's family had been overjoyed. The men had given him sage advice.

“Lie low and just agree to everything.” He'd found it invaluable.

McKensy and Eliza were flower girls, Leslie was matron of honor, Georgia a bridesmaid. His entire family turned out in force, cousins and aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews. Kate's sister and her
family flew in, friends and co-workers from St. Joe's demanded invitations, and patients brought gifts.

The day of his wedding, Tony missed his father more than he'd ever thought possible. Ford and Betsy had flown back to Brisbane two weeks earlier.

“It wouldn't be fair to your mother,” Ford had said when Tony pressed him to stay. “Kate's a grand girl, I'm honored I've had a chance to get to know her. And I'll be thinking of you on your wedding day, lad. But the only two people who really matter at a wedding are the bride and groom.”

After Ford was released from St. Joe's, he and Betsy stayed with Judy for the remainder of their visit. Dorothy tried her best to change Judy's mind, and when tears and tantrums didn't work, she flew off to Portland in a huff to visit a friend for the duration of Ford and Betsy's visit.

Those few days had been one of the happiest family times Tony could ever remember. Judy organized a picnic to celebrate Kate and Tony's engagement, and Margaret and Georgia followed suit with barbecues and potlucks. The mood of the family changed without Dorothy there to dampen it. Even Wilson managed a joke or two. The entire family gathered at the airport when Ford and Betsy left, and the parting had been emotional on both sides.

It was Kate who insisted on Australia for their
honeymoon. When the telegram arrived announcing that Ford and Betsy were marrying, she'd asked Tony to cancel the Bermuda trip.

“We're flying to Brisbane. Going to a wedding has to be the best way to start a honeymoon,” she'd said in a tone that brooked no argument. Tony hadn't thought he could love her more than he already did, but at that moment his heart felt as if it would burst from his body.

It felt the same way now.

“To love and to cherish until death us do part,” Ford was repeating, and the poignancy of the moment hung in the air, touching every heart.

“What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. I now pronounce you husband and wife. Ford, you may kiss the bride.”

Incandescent joy radiated from Ford's face and reflected back from Betsy's. He gathered her gently into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers.

Tony put an arm around Kate and gathered her into his embrace, thinking of what his father had once told him.

Ford had been so right.

In the end, love was really all that mattered.