Six Weeks of Grace Pt. 07

Grace was quiet when Don picked her up from school Tuesday, she sat placidly while he drove home, almost falling asleep on the way. As soon as they came in the house, Don made his daily check of her schoolbag looking for homework.

"There's a note from my teacher in there." Grace said quietly, dropping into a chair.

Don looked around in the bag and finally found it.

"Oh no," he said under his breath as he read about the flu that was going around school. The teacher's note stated that at least it was the twenty-four hour variety so most of the students were only missing a day or two of school. She did ask to make sure that the child was clear of symptoms before they returned. They were trying their best to contain it.

Looking over at a very lethargic Grace, it wasn't hard to figure out what was wrong with her. "Maybe just some soup for dinner tonight." He said to her and got a small nod in response.

Just as Grace was finishing her soup, Anne stopped in and Don knew something was wrong as soon as she came into the kitchen. Even though it was a warm day, she was dressed in heavy pants and a sweater.

"You look like you had a tough day?" Don asked her cautiously.

"I should be insulted but you're right, I seem to be really tired today." Anne answered. Then hugging herself she continued, "And I just can't get warm!"

"How about some soup, I made plenty?" Don asked.

"Sounds good, but . . . you made soup?"

"Well, I opened a couple cans and heated it up," he answered with a grin.

"Okay, you got me, I'm too tired to even tease you tonight."

Grace sat quietly as Anne and Don finished their soup. "Daddy, I don't feel so good." She finally spoke, so low the two adults barely heard her.

"Why don't you go up and get ready for bed, I'll be up in a minute." Don told her and she got up slowly and with her head hung low, started upstairs.

"You know I'm starting to feel really bad too." Anne said and then rubbed her stomach. "Maybe your cooking has finally done us in."

Don shook his head and retrieved the note from school and handed it to her. "Not my fault this time."

Anne read the note and then dropped it on the table. "Oh no, not me, maybe I better get home."

She started to get up but seemed unsteady so Don jumped to his feet and offered her his hand. "Thanks," she said as she got to her feet. "I'm going home, I have a bad feeling about this."

She only made it half way to the door before she grabbed at her stomach. "Damn," she blurted out and holding her hand to her mouth, she bolted towards the downstairs bathroom.

Don watched her go and was about to go see if he could help before he heard Grace call for him. Reaching her bedroom, he found that Grace had the same problem but unfortunately hadn't made it to the bathroom. Her bed was a mess and so was she. Don quickly got her cleaned up and into her warmest pajamas before putting her into the guest room bed.

She quickly fell asleep but he knew she might be sick again. As quick as he could, he got her bedding into the laundry and put a bucket by her bed. Walking back through the living room, he was surprised to see Anne slumped down in a chair.

"Anne?" He asked gently as he leaned down towards her.

Her eyes opened slowly. "I'm just getting my strength back, then I'm going." She said, her voice low and weak.

"Okay, but you don't look good." Don told her. "I'm going up to check on Grace."

For the next half hour, Don found himself running up and down the stairs between his two sick charges. Finally he gave up. "Anne . . . Anne?" He said, trying to get her to wake up.

"Just a minute . . . I'm going." Her voice almost disappearing as she finished.

"Hell with this," Don said exasperated at the situation. He leaned over and effortlessly picked her up out of the chair.

"What are you doing?" Anne whispered as she felt herself pulled against him.

"I'm putting you to bed."

"What?"

"I can't take care of both of you when you are on opposite ends of the house, so you are going to bed with Grace."

"Oh," Was all that Anne could say as she snuggled into Don. Once again she felt how warm and safe she felt when he held her.

Anne drifted away for a few minutes as Don carried her to the guest bedroom and got her tucked in next to Grace. Waking a bit later she realized she was under the covers and cozy warm.

"Are you sick too, Miss Anne?" Grace asked in a scratchy voice as she woke to find Anne next to her.

"I am, do you mind the company?" Anne replied softly.

Grace looked at her carefully. "I don't mind, Daddy can take care of both of us." She said confidently.

Don came back into the room and pulled a chair close to the bed. "How are we feeling ladies?"

"I feel a little better Daddy," Grace said with a small smile.

Anne felt embarrassed laying there so weak, she could barely raise her head from the pillow. But she had to admit, she felt better in bed under the covers than she did sitting downstairs. "Don, thank you, I do feel a bit better here."

For the next couple hours Don played nurse to his patients. Both got sick again and again, and he dutifully held the bucket for them. Then he gently cleaned them up and emptied the bucket to get ready for the next bout. If they were hot, he wiped their face with a cool washrag. When they were shivering he piled on more blankets. Both seemed to drift in and out, sleeping for a few minutes then waking and talking to Don.

Anne had drifted away but woke with a start as she felt feverish. Her eyelids felt heavy as she tried to open her eyes, but she finally pried them open. Her head was pounding as she worked to focus on something hovering over her. Concentrating, she was able to make out Don's face above her. Then her head felt instantly better as she felt a cool washcloth on her forehead, then gently wiping around her face.

"Feels good," she whispered out as she felt the cloth caress her face.

"Go back to sleep," Don told her quietly, so as not to wake a sleeping Grace.

Later, she woke again as she heard Grace talking quietly to Don.

"Daddy, I feel better." Grace said, her voice still weak.

"That's good sweetie."

"I never got a story tonight."

"You're sick and so is Miss Anne, I don't want to leave you to go find a book."

Anne was feeling just a bit better too, so she couldn't resist teasing Don. "Tell us a story Daddy, pleeeeassse!" she said with the covers pulled up to her chin.

She saw Don grimace and Grace giggled before she started in on him again."Pleeeasse Daddy!"

"Fine!" Don finally gave in to the snickering Grace. Looking over at Anne all snug under the covers, he pointed at her. "Not funny little girl." To which Anne just replied with a small smile.

"All right, let me think for a minute." Don said trying to get his thoughts together. He sat back in his chair and looked at Anne and Grace lying in bed. Both looked weak and he could see them fighting to stay awake. Anne was there with an arm tucked around Grace, just as a mother would to her child. That though hit Don as he tried to come up with a story.

"Once upon a time," he began and he could see Grace snuggle even more into Anne. "There was a small kingdom with a beautiful princess. She lived in a big castle but she was very sad. She wanted to find a prince to marry but there were none that she liked. She was so lovely that there was no end to the suiters for her hand.

"But down in the valley there was a mean and evil man. He was a huge ogre that scared all of the other inhabitants of the little kingdom."

Don paused and looked at his patients and he could see their eyes growing heavy as they were falling asleep. "But the evil man had a huge secret, he was in love with the beautiful princess. Every time he saw her, he fell more and more in love with her. So one day he looked in the mirror and realized that he would have to change his appearance and the way he treated others in the kingdom. So he decided to fix the horrible way he looked until he was neat and clean. He also started being nice to all of the other people of the small kingdom.

Grace's eyes were closed and Anne was almost asleep so he continued. "Over time and with a lot of hard work, the once evil man changed his ways. He was transformed by his love for the beautiful princess and he turned into a handsome prince. One day the princess was riding through her kingdom and met the man. She was very surprised as she thought that she knew all of the eligible princes in the kingdom. They started spending time together and they fell in love. The once evil man finally asked the beautiful princess to marry him and because he was now a prince, she said yes."

"So the day came that the whole kingdom turned out to attend the grand event. There in the castle, in the center of the land, and in front of all of their family and friends, the once evil man and the beautiful princess were married. They settled down in wedded bliss and together they raised a wonderful little princess of their own. Everyone in the Kingdom came to love the little princess as she was the most special in all the land. And because she was so special to all, she had a special name, and her name was . . . Grace."

When he finished, Don saw that they were both asleep, so he quietly got up and kissed Grace's cheek. Circling the bed cautiously, he approached Anne. Once again he saw the sleeping angel that he saw the morning after she collapsed in his arms. He couldn't help himself as he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. Straightening up, he looked down at her. "If only they did live happily ever after." He whispered to her as she slept.

Throughout the night Anne and Grace slept fitfully, waking to find a cool drink of water, another spoon of medicine or just a cool cloth on their forehead. Don would be there to help them to the bathroom and get them back to bed, then they would fall back asleep, cuddled against each other.

Finally early in the morning Grace's fever broke with Anne's soon after. Don was able to get them each a few sips of water before they both fell deep asleep, catching up after all the tossing and turning they did all night.

Anne was the first to awaken and her eyes took in the alarm clock on the nightstand. She was confused by the time as she saw that it was almost midnight and yet daylight was streaming through the window. "Oh my God" She blurted out as she sat straight up in bed. "It's almost noon!" She started to get out of bed before the weakness caught her.

"Hold on there," Don said as he caught her just before she fell. Gently he guided her back under the covers before he spoke to her quietly. "I don't think you're ready for the dance yet; how are you feeling?"

Anne had gotten her bearings back and looked up at him as he leaned over her. "I feel a lot better but still weak I guess."

"Daddy," Grace said, awoken by the two adults talking. "I'm hungry."

"How about you Anne, do you feel up to a little food?" Don asked.

Anne couldn't help herself. "How do I know it wasn't a little of your food that put us here."

Don looked at her for a second and then she saw the shy smile come out again. "Not funny, now do you want something or not?"

"I do Daddy." Grace said jumping into the conversation.

"Me too Daddy," Anne added, with a little grin.

"Okay, you two relax a bit and I'll be right back." Don said as he left.

While he was gone, Anne hugged Grace to her as she tried to remember what happened. She had been so sick, she just remembered small snatches of the long night, but every memory had one common thread, Don was always there. As she laid there, it dawned on her that he couldn't have slept unless it was for a few minutes here and there while he kept vigil on them. She had gotten sick several times and each time Don had been there to take care of the mess and clean her up before she went back to sleep. She felt a bit of embarrassment at what she must look like and what had happened during the night, but she also knew that Don would never tease her about it or say anything that would make her uncomfortable. He had been there all night, taking care of them just the way that she knew he would always be there for Grace.

Always there, and as that thought came to her, so did a decision, she knew that Don should keep Grace. Yes he had his issues, he was huge and intimidating, quick tempered, and she had to smile as she realized he may never be a good cook, but she also knew that he would always be there for Grace. Over these weeks, he had proven that no matter what happened, he loved Grace and always put her first in everything he did. Always there, and that was all that anyone could ask for from a father.

She couldn't stop the small sigh that came to her as she realized that she hadn't had that when it came to her husband. He was never there for her and when she needed him the most, he left her alone to deal with the anguish over the loss of their child.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Don came in with a tray. "Sit up girls, its breakfast in bed. A little scrambled eggs, toast and some orange juice."

Anne and Grace got themselves situated on the bed and Don helped them with their plates and glasses.

"Thank you daddy," Grace said as she started eating.

"Thank you daddy," Anne repeated, making Don smile and Grace start giggling again.

"Just eat you two!" Don said as he watched them trying to eat while they shared a laugh, once again at his expense.

As Don sat patiently by their bedside, Anne took a good look at him and confirmed her suspicions. If he had slept a wink, he didn't look it. His eyes were worn and had dark rings around them, and his face was drawn and tired. His clothes were wrinkled and she could see spots where they were soiled, probably by one of them as they got sick. He sat back in the chair and she could see him wince as he did, his body obviously was retaliating after a long night in what had to be a very uncomfortable hard back chair.

After finishing their meal, Don took the plates and dishes downstairs before returning.

"I think the worst is over, so I'm going to get Grace in the bath and then some fresh clothes before she goes back to her bed. There is some towels and a new toothbrush in this bathroom if you want a quick shower Anne. I put some sweats and a t-shirt in there for you if you want some fresh clothes."

"Don . . thanks," Anne said as she got out of bed. Once up, she glanced in a wall mirror and saw how bad she really looked. "Oh," she exclaimed as she saw herself in yesterday's clothes, with her hair a tangled mess and her face puffy and dirty. Her makeup was smeared and she saw that her eyes were red.

Tuning, she saw Don watching her and she suddenly felt embarrassment creeping up on her. "Not my best look I'm afraid." She told him, trying to ease the tension she felt that someone was actually seeing her this way.

Don seemed to stare at her for several seconds and Anne was becoming even more uncomfortable. In his mind, all he could see was her cuddled up against his daughter all night. "Beautiful as always," he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Anne's eyes shot open and Don immediately started to sputter out. "I'm sorry, that was inappropriate. I'm sorry." Grabbing up Grace, he headed out of the room, closing the door as he left.

Anne stared at the door after he left, her mind unable to comprehend what she just heard. Beautiful he said, was he teasing her? He couldn't be serious she thought as she again turned to look in the mirror. All she saw was very disheveled and worn looking woman. Beautiful, did he really think she was beautiful? Shaking off her thoughts she went into the bathroom and found the items that Don had left for her. She had to wonder as she held up the sweats he left for her. Too big was an understatement but at least they were clean.

Don kept busy getting Grace bathed and in some fresh pajamas. She was feeling better but was still groggy from the long night. Now that her fever had broken, he felt safe leaving her in her own bed to get some sleep. Once he tucked her in, he grabbed a quick shower and threw on some clean clothes himself before he knew he had to face the inevitable downstairs.

Coming down, he couldn't help feeling apprehensive as he approached the kitchen. He could hear movement and he knew he was going to have to face Anne when he got there. His mind was working feverishly on the best way to handle his gaffe as he turned the corner and saw her standing there.

His mind went blank and he busted out laughing as he took in the sight. Anne had obviously heard him coming and was standing in the middle of the kitchen, hand on hip striking a models pose.

"How do I look now, still beautiful?" she asked with a smile, which turned into giggling when she saw him laughing.

Don felt the tension leave him as he took in the sight. The sweat pants he had given her were tied around her thin waist and the extra string almost went to the floor. They billowed out around her legs with all the extra material pooling at her ankles, making them look like bell bottoms. The t-shirt was even worse as it hung on her like a poncho. Even though it was short sleeve, the ends were half way to her wrists. The neckline was actually so low, Don could see a bit of cleavage. The outfit made her look like a girl playing dress up in her mother's clothes.

As they regained their composure, Anne gave him a serious look. "I want to thank you for last night."

Don cut her off, not wanting to talk about his comment to her. "Its okay, I just hope you're feeling better."

"I am, and I'm headed home to my own bed now." Anne replied before leaving.

Thursday was a day of contemplation for Anne as she worked on her final report. She shuffled through all the pages of notes she made and the records she collected over the last six weeks. But no matter how many times she reviewed the information spread out on her desk, one fact was clear to her. Donald Duncan should be designated as the legal guardian of Grace Warren. To that end, she completed her written report and went through the activities necessary to put her presentation together.

After all of the pages and pages of information were finally assembled into booklets and laid on her desk, she couldn't help reflecting on the last few weeks and how surprised she was over the outcome of this case. Case, that's what this was, just another case, and with that thought she leaned back in her chair and turned it so that she could stare out her window.

The view really held no interest for her as she let out a huge sigh. Deep inside of her, her heart ached as she realized that this wasn't a 'case'. How can you call a precious little girl like Grace just a 'case', she wondered. Thinking about it made the memories flood in, getting hugs and kisses, reading her a story when she tucked her in at night, pushing her on the swings, and cuddling with her in bed as they teased her daddy. Her daddy, and with the thought of Don came another jab to her heart, as she realized that the two of them were going to be a family and she wasn't to be a part of that. Would she ever have a little family of her own?

She felt the tears form in her eyes but she quickly swiped them away and turned back to the job at hand. Unfortunately as she gathered all the copies of her report and locked them in her desk, she couldn't help feeling apprehensive as she thought of tomorrow's final meeting with the partners. For some reason that she just couldn't put her finger on, she knew that there was a showdown coming in the morning.

Though she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to stop in and see Don and Grace that night. Instead she returned to her apartment and sat staring at the television and thought of her life, her marriage and what might have been. Finally, she put her dreams back away where she kept them, turned off the television and went to bed.