Page 292 of Under Her Skin

“It is,” Patsy says as she gets to us. “Thank you for the much-needed pampering, Mr. Vanderbilt. And the job. I feel better than I have in a longtime.”

“You are welcome,” I say. “And may I say you clean up verynicely?”

“You may,” she says with a bright smile. “And, now, to be with my daughter and try to rub some of this new, hope-filled attitude off onher.”

“I’d say you have enough for that,” I say, then we follow her into the dimly litroom.

“Mom?” the little girl in the bedasks.

Her eyes have deep, dark half-circles under them. She has a blue scarf around her head to cover her hairless, little head. I want to cry, but I know I can’t do that. So I look at Delaney and reach out for herhand.

She looks at me with understanding and takes my hand as we stop and let the two of them have amoment.

Patsy runs her hand with a nice, pink manicure over her daughter’s cheek. “Hey you. I have the best news ever. I’m going to be able to stay here with you for as long as you want meto.”

“How’s that?” the little girl asks. “You have to work. You didn’t get fired, didyou?”

Patsy laughs and looks back at me. “No, I quit my job at the restaurant. I’m now a consultant for the Bargain Bin chain ofstores.”

“What?” the little girlasks.

“Tell her, Mr. Vanderbilt,” Patsysays.

“I gave your mother a job so she doesn’t have to worry about bills. She doesn’t have to come to work until you’re better. She’s all yours,Tammy.”

Tammy’s light-blue eyes go to Delaney. “Did you have a hand in this, NurseRichards?”

“Maybe,” she answers. “You see, when you tell someone what you really want, sometimes it happens. You should do that moreoften.”

Tammy’s eyes fill up with tears and my stomach knots as she says, “Then I better get this said. I want to get better. I want to feel healthy again. I want to go home. And I want my hairback!”

Delaney laughs, pulls the wig she had stashed in her large pocket out, and holds up the long, blond hair. “Well, it’s not yours, but will this do fornow?”

She can only nod as she starts crying. All I can do is stand back and try my best to hold onto myself. I can’t run out of here, bawling like a baby. But I also can’t trust myself to say a damn word as emotion is filling meup.

Another nurse wheels a roll-away bed into the room, and I step out of her way. “Here we go. Seems mom’s coming in full time, I’ve been told. Nurse Richards, you’re officially relieved of your duty for the day. I’ll see you back here in the a.m. I have them under my watchful eye for thenight.”

“See you guys in the morning. Have a good night, Tammy andPatsy.”

“We will now,” Patsy says. “And thank you again, Mr.Vanderbilt.”

I nod and open the door, letting Delaney walk out in front of me. Instead of hurrying away, like I half-expected her to, she lingers in the hallway for me. “Are you okay,Blaine?”

Shaking my head, I look down as I walk toward the elevator. I still can’t manage to talk with the knot that’s formed in my throat.This isterrible!

“Want to go out for a drink?” she asks, shockingme.

Chapter7

DELANEY

With a nod, Blaine takes my hand, and we make our way to the nurses’ station, where I pick up my purse, and then go to the elevator. I can see he’s upset and trying hard to holdon.

Stepping into the elevator, I wait for the doors to close before I say, “I cried every day when we had clinicals in the nursing home. For three weeks, I left that place and cried for just about an hour the first few days, then it slowly dwindled down to nothing. Not that my heart got hard or anything like that. I just began to gain an understanding oflife.”

His Adam’s apple bulges as he swallows, and the elevator doors open as we reached the lobby. “Ride with me. I’ll pick you up in the morning, too. You can leave your carhere.”

“I can have a couple of drinks. It won’t affect me for driving,” I tell him, then stop as he makes an abruptstop.