His Sugar Baby(24)

Holding the teddy bear behind her back, Cathy pushed open the door and stepped inside the hospital room. She saw that Chloe was awake, watching television. “Hey, Chloe! I’m here.”

Chloe turned her head, a grin lighting up her small pale face. “Mommy! I was worried. I thought you weren’t going to come.”

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m just late.” Cathy swiftly crossed the room and bent over the bed to give a one-armed hug to her daughter. She kissed Chloe’s forehead under the brim of her hat. That evening, Chloe was wearing a deep-red crushed-velvet cloche that framed her piquant face and highlighted her brown eyes. Cathy thoroughly approved. Whoever had sent the cloche had been exceptionally perceptive. Unless someone was already aware of it, there was no way of telling that the small head under the cloche was bald. “I think that is your prettiest hat yet.”


“Thank you,” said Chloe in a grown-up manner. Her solemnity dropped away as she tried to look around her mother’s body. “What are you holding, Mommy?”

“I’ve brought you something. I think your hat is a good match for her.” Cathy brought the teddy bear out from behind her and held it out.

Chloe’s eyes rounded. She reached out for the stuffed bear almost reverently. “She’s be-u-ti-ful,” she breathed, smoothing down the red velvet and white lace with careful hands.

“I’m so glad you like her. Do you want to name her?”

Chloe nodded quickly. Her eyes shone with excitement. “Yes! I’m going to name her Brigitta.”

Cathy laughed. “Brigitta? That’s a lovely, unusual name. How did you come up with that?”

“It was the name of a girl in a movie I saw,” said Chloe. “I’ve been watching TV all day.”

Cathy made a face. “I think that I better get you some more books to read or your brain is going to turn to green goo.”

Her daughter giggled. “No, it won’t! That’s silly.”

“Yes, that’s silly,” agreed Cathy with a smile. It warmed her heart to hear her daughter’s laughter. She took the hoop earrings out of her purse. “Look what else I have.”

Chloe squealed. “Put them on me now!”

Cathy laughed and complied, carefully clipping the pink plastic hoops in place. “There! Hmm. They clash a little bit with the red hat.”

Chloe gingerly fingered both hoops, a delighted grin on her face. “That’s okay, right?”

“Yes, it’s okay.” Cathy glanced at the television anchored on the opposite wall. “What are you watching?”

“Cartoons. I’ll scoot over so you can watch with me.” Chloe made room on the pillow. She wrapped her arm around the teddy bear and cradled it against her chest along with the ragged kitten.

Cathy settled down beside her daughter in the hard hospital bed, being careful not to disturb the IV tubing that was attached to Chloe’s arm. She gathered her daughter’s thin little body against her side and wrapped her arms around both her and the stuffed toys. Chloe’s cheek dropped onto her breast. “Now this is cozy, isn’t it?”

Chloe nodded. Her gaze returned to the television screen. “I like it,” she said with a contented sigh. “Thank you for my be-u-ti-ful bear and my earrings, Mommy.”

“You’re welcome, baby.”

Cathy watched the cartoon for a few minutes, smiling when Chloe laughed at the antics of the hyper animated characters. Eventually, Chloe relaxed bonelessly in her arms, and Cathy knew that she had fallen asleep. Cathy slid the remote out from under her daughter’s limp hand and turned off the television. She also gently removed the pink hoops and set them on the bedside table for Chloe to find in the morning.

Cathy remained sitting in the same position for a long time, her daughter snuggled up against her. She didn’t move even after her backside went numb. She smoothed the edge of the elegant cloche out of the way so that she could watch her child’s sleeping face. Chloe’s nose twitched in her sleep, and she smiled down at her tenderly. Her smile slowly faded as she recalled longingly what it had been like when her daughter had been a vibrant, energetic, typical kindergartner.

The hospital room door swung open, and a nurse came in. She didn’t appear surprised to see Cathy curled up on the bed with her patient. In a quiet voice, she said, “Good evening, Ms. Somerset. How are you doing today?” The nurse approached the bed to check the level of the IV and to lift Chloe’s limp wrist in order to take the sleeping girl’s pulse.

“I’m fine,” Cathy said softly. “Chloe fell asleep just a few minutes ago.”

The nurse nodded, her warm gaze grazing the little girl’s face. She carefully tucked Chloe’s hand back around the teddy bear. “She always sleeps better after she’s been with you.” The nurse walked down to the bottom of the bed to pick up the clipboard hanging from the bedrail.

“I sleep better, too,” Cathy murmured, dropping a kiss on top of her daughter’s soft hat.

“Dr. Richards asked me to tell you when you came in to have him paged. He’d like to speak with you.”

Cathy’s head snapped up. Alarm frissoned up her spine. She could feel her pulse beating heavy in her throat. She stared the length of the bed at the nurse. “Did he say why?”

The nurse shook her head. She looked up briefly from writing her notes on the clipboard. “No, he didn’t. Would you like me to page him for you and ask him to meet you here at Chloe’s room so you don’t have to get up just yet?”