The Wife Stalker(50)

“His depression. That’s what’s made him vulnerable. He thought Piper was his medicine. But that medicine is killing him and killing our family. If he were suffering from a physical illness and I knew the cure, I would move heaven and earth to help him.”

I could tell by her expression that she didn’t agree, but I sensed the veil of detached professionalism descend upon her as she changed the topic. “We have only a few minutes left today. Is there anything else on your mind? How is the exercise plan going?”

Great, I wanted to say. I’m planning to never do it.

Instead, I told her what she wanted to hear. “Good. It’s helping a little.”





33

Piper




Piper sat on the metal park bench, iPad on her lap and a hot latte in her hand, glancing up now and again as Stelli and Evie ran back and forth from the swings to the sliding board. Stelli was a whirlwind, never stopping, always pushing the limits, and Evie watched over him like a little mother. Their personalities were so very different. Stelli exhausted Piper. There were times her stomach was in knots at the prospect of his return from school in the afternoon, but she had decided recently that on Thursdays she would leave the center at three in the afternoon, pick the kids up from school, and take them to the park, giving Stelli a chance to expend some of his energy and perhaps allowing the two of them to forge a bond.

Now, she watched as he scrambled quickly up the steps to the slide and whooped while whooshing down it. She shook her head and turned her attention back to “Getting Our Best,” the blog post she’d been working on. She was almost finished, just needed a powerful closing paragraph, when she heard a scream followed by crying. She looked up to see Stelli sitting at the foot of the slide, blood running down his chin, and Evie trying to comfort him. Piper jumped up, and the iPad slid to the ground as she ran to them.

“Oh my gosh, what happened?” she said, lifting his face so that she could examine the injury. A woman who seemed to be another mother was next to her now, handing her some tissues, which she gratefully accepted. As she used them to blot his face, she exposed a deep gash right under his lower lip.

Piper turned to the woman. “It looks pretty deep.”

She nodded. “Probably needs stitches. By the way, he went down the big slide. That’s for older kids. I guess you didn’t notice.”

Great. Was she supposed to be watching them every second of every day? How were kids ever supposed to self-actualize with all these helicopter moms around? Piper suppressed the panic and irritation that was rising in her and told herself to stay calm and focused. She put her arm around Stelli. “It’s going to be fine, sweetheart. We’re going to go see the doctor, and you’ll be good as new.”

He looked up at her and his chin trembled, and she could tell that he wasn’t completely convinced, but he took her hand, and with Evie on his other side, they made their way to the car. She looked at her watch. It was just past five, and the pediatrician’s office wasn’t open, so she drove straight to the urgent care in town. Fortunately, the wait was short and a friendly physician’s assistant asked some questions as she settled Stelli on the exam table and told them a doctor would be with them shortly. Evie stood next to Stelli, holding his hand, and Piper tried to think of something to do to make the time pass while they waited.

“How about if I read you one of your books? Evie, is there anything in your backpack?”

Stelli shot her a dirty look. “My chin hurts.” Tears filled his eyes, and his lip trembled.

Piper went to put an arm around him, but he pulled away.

“It’s okay, Stelli. The doctor will make you all better. Maybe you’ll even have a cool scar, like a pirate,” Evie said.

His eyes lit up just as the door opened and the doctor walked in.

He smiled at Stelli and held out his hand. “I’m Dr. Stanley. I hear you hurt the ground with your chin. You must be pretty strong.”

Stelli gave him a watery smile.

The doctor examined the wound, then turned to Piper. “It’s not too bad. I’m going to clean it up and put some glue on it. That will be less painful than stitches, and he’ll be good as new.” He turned back to Stelli. “While you’re here, how about I take a quick look to make sure you didn’t hurt anything else?”

Stelli nodded and Piper watched as the doctor gave him a full examination. He turned to Piper. “He looks a little pale, has he been sick lately?”

Piper shrugged. “Not really. Just a cold a few weeks ago.”

The doctor’s brow furrowed. “That might explain it. As long as he’s been feeling okay.” He smiled at Piper. “Everything else looks good. Do you want to bring him back here for a follow-up or take him to his regular pediatrician? Who is that, by the way?”

“One of the doctors at Westport Pediatrics.”

He gave her a questioning look.

She quickly continued. “I’m his stepmother, and I haven’t taken him there yet, so I’m not sure which doctor. I can call them in the morning.”

“Okay, then. I’ll have the report from today’s visit sent over to their office.”

The ride home was quiet, and after explaining to a disapproving Rebecca what had happened, Piper went upstairs to change. Her phone buzzed, and she looked at the unfamiliar number.