The Children's Ward by Patricia Wallace

silence had lengthened, “I’m re-doing your room while you’re here…I found the most marvelous fabric for curtains, and I’ll have them make a ruffle for your bed.” She smiled brightly. “It’ll be the most beautiful room…wait and see.”
    “Got another party tonight, baby, so we won’t be by for visiting hours this evening. You know how long it takes your mother to get ready.” His eyes wandered past his wife and appraised Tessi’s mother.
    Courtney followed her father’s glance and then looked back at her mother. “What color?”
    “What?”
    “What color will my room be this time?”
    “Pink and lavender.”
    David White looked at his multi-function sports watch. “We’ve got the court at two. I think we’d better hustle on over there.”
    “We’ve got plenty of time,” Tiffany protested.
    “Yeah, but I need a drink before I play…a little hair of the dog to clear my head.”
    “But we’ve hardly had a chance to talk…”
    “Courtney understands, don’t you, Courtney?”
    “Yes…I understand.”
    “How’s Aunt Flo?” Russell asked.
    “She misses you; it’s awful lonely without you there to keep her company at night when I’m at work.”
    Russell reached up, grasping the trapeze that was mounted above his bed and pulling himself carefully into a sitting position. “You remind her to lock up at night…sometimes she forgets.” His face became wistful. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could surprise Aunt Flo…if I just walked in the door without saying a word?”
    “That’d be a surprise, all right, although you can be sure that I’d catch hell for not telling her about something so important.”
    “Could it happen? When you talked to Dr. Fuller, did he say there was a chance?”
    “He seems to think he’ll be able to help you somehow,” Delano said, eyes intent on his son.
    “Help me walk?”
    “Not exactly.”
    “What did he say, then?”
    “You know how doctors talk…”
    “But he didn’t say it couldn’t happen?”
    “No,” Delano admitted, “but don’t get your hopes up too high; I don’t want you to be disappointed again.”
    “I just have a feeling, Dad, that this time’ll be different…something’s going to happen…I can feel it.”
    Tessi concentrated on smoothing the fur of her koala bear’s ears.
    “Did you hear me?” Alicia asked.
    “Yes.”
    “Then answer the question.”
    “I don’t know.”
    “You don’t know what?”
    “I don’t know the answer.”
    Alicia drew in a breath, struggling to keep her temper. “Tessi, you’ve lived out on that ranch ,” she spit the word out, “for six months of the year ever since your father and I were divorced. Don’t tell me you don’t know how far it is to the nearest town.”
    “I don’t know,” Tessi said cautiously, “how many miles. Daddy never told me.”
    “Well, how long does it take to drive into town? A half hour? Forty-five minutes?”
    Now Tessi looked up, measuring her mother’s expression. “About a half hour,” she said. The corners of her mouth turned down.
    “So…this last time you got sick, it took at least thirty minutes to get you to a doctor.”
    Tessi nodded, rubbing her thumb gently across the koala bear’s black button eyes.
    “How often does your father leave you alone on the ranch?”
    “Not very often.”
    “But he has to work, doesn’t he? He can’t take you with him.”
    “Maria’s there most of the time.”
    “Maria?”
    “The housekeeper.”
    “You’ve never mentioned a housekeeper before.” The tone of her voice was accusing.
    Tessi did not reply.
    Alicia sighed, leaning back in the chair and watching her daughter’s rapt examination of the toy bear’s toes.
    “How long has this Maria been working for your father?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Was she there last year?”
    “I guess so.”
    “The year before?”
    “I think that was the first time she came.”
    “Did your father tell you not to tell me about her?”
    “No…I