The Promise of Rain (16 page)

“I can’t accept this,” Anna said, holding the papers up. He sure hadn’t wasted any time in calling his accountant and having them drawn up and faxed over.

“We want you to. Please,” her father’s wife said.

Anna’s back prickled at her use of the word
we.
This Mrs. Bekker dressed so disconcertingly similar to how Sue used to. Simple, yet smart and businesslike. Down to the plain beige slacks she’d paired with short pumps, and the small gold hoops in her ears.

Anna racked her mind for her stepmother’s first name and drew a blank. She’d introduced herself, but the momentary shock of seeing her in person had rendered Anna’s ears useless, and she couldn’t recall the wedding announcement. Was it Missy or Mindy? Anna was too embarrassed to ask. Jack would remember. She’d ask him later.

“I really can’t,” she said.

Jack, his jaw popping rhythmically, stood by the hospital bed with Pippa on his hip so that she could see everyone. Her grandpa reached out with his free hand, the one without an IV taped to it, to hold on to Pippa’s. He looked pale, his face drawn.

“Anna,” he said. “It may seem like a lot to you, but it’s nothing compared to what I would have spent on my granddaughter had I known she existed. We’ll start a college fund for her, and add to it every year.”

Anna wanted to argue, but the beeping of his heart monitor and all the tubes and gadgets he was hooked up to held her back. This wasn’t the place or time. He needed to get better, not worse. As much as his absence had hurt her mom, he was still her father, and it was wrong in so many ways to see him weak and bedridden. Anna didn’t want to cause him harm. She didn’t want to cause anyone pain, but to him, money meant power—having the power to dictate how things were going to be. Giving money was a brush-off. He didn’t truly want to be a part of his granddaughter’s life.

Anna glanced at Jack, who seemed to understand how tortured and tongue-tied she felt.

“Sir, that’s generous of you, but I intend to cover my daughter’s expenses,” he interjected.

Jack looked pointedly at Anna. They hadn’t discussed child support. Anna hadn’t questioned that he’d step up to the plate, given his nature and how badly he wanted Pippa to live with him. Still, hearing it was odd. It was right and good, of course, but a tiny part of Anna felt it was one more step in her losing full control of Pippa’s life.

Anna’s father gave him a dirty look, one of doubt and disapproval. “Trust me, there’ll be plenty of expenses for you to cover,” he said dismissively.

Men.
Anna had been managing fine on her own, yet here they were, locking horns over supporting Pippa.

“It’s really not necessary, Dad.”

“It is because I say it is,” he stated firmly. His mental faculties, tone and voice hadn’t weakened at all, apparently. “It’s my money to do with as I please, and I want to give it to my granddaughter. I could die tomorrow. I’m adjusting my estate planning in a way that will benefit everyone and not burden anyone, and this is part of it. End. Of. Discussion.”

Anna flinched at his raised voice. The man still had the power to put her in her place. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jack distracting Pippa with his cell phone, pressing buttons for her, in spite of the stark look on his face and hard set of his jaw.

Her father’s wife showed no reaction until he coughed and started to raise himself on the flat hospital pillows. She immediately reached back to fluff and adjust them for him. Anna stared. Watching him with another woman was surreal.

“Thank you, Mary.”

Mary.
How could she forget such a simple name?

“Gwandma used money and got me dis,” Pippa said, holding out her arm to show off her dress-up bracelet.

Richard craned his neck. “Is that so?”

“We saw Mom earlier,” Anna explained. “I’m thinking she doesn’t know you’re here. She didn’t mention it, but I can let her know. I’m sure she’ll—”

“No. Don’t tell her. I don’t need her showing up.”

Anna was taken aback by his sharpness. The papers she still held were getting crumpled by her grip, and the corners of her eyes stung. She felt like a little girl again, being yelled at for begging him to come to her play, or track meet, or home.

“Oh, okay. I realize she’s no longer your wife, but I just figured—”

“Leave it alone, Anna. When you get older, you’ll see that life is too short for misery. You can’t force yourself to love someone, and you can’t force someone to love you. I’ve moved on.”

You can’t force someone to love you.

He’d moved on long ago.

Anna scratched her cheek and cleared her throat.
Don’t let it get to you. He’s just grumpy and not well.

“If you want, I’ll make sure you can stay in touch with Pippa.” Anna watched his expression to see if the words sank in.
If you want.

The pulse on her father’s monitor began beeping rapidly and Anna leaped out of the chair at the same time as Mary, who pushed a red button on the side of his bed. Jack stepped away with Pippa, letting a nurse who rushed into the room check his status on the monitors. They all waited as the nurse injected something into his IV and the beeping began to slow down.

“I’m so sorry, Dad.” Anna felt terrible. Mentioning her mom had upset him that much? Or was it Anna showing up with Pippa? Meeting his grandchild should have made him happy.

Anna looked over at Jack for some indication that she wasn’t crazy. His forehead was beaded with sweat and he was staring blankly at the heart monitor, hugging Pippa tighter than necessary.

“There are too many visitors in here. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave, and come in no more than two at a time,” the nurse said. “Mr. Bekker, no more excitement. If you can’t talk about the weather or something happy, like that cutie pie, then don’t talk.” She smiled at Pippa, then left.

“I’ll take Pippa down to the car and wait. Let you have some privacy,” Jack finally said, twisting his neck to the side.

“Yes, thank you. A little privacy would be nice,” Richard said, completely unaware that Jack looked paler than he did. “First let me kiss my granddaughter. Pippa, be good and don’t be a stranger.”

So he did want to see her?

“I’m not a stwanger,” Pippa said. Her dad and Mary chuckled, but not Jack. He carried her out swiftly and Anna told her dad she’d be right back. She caught up with them down the hall.

“Jack, you don’t have to go to the car. You could just wait out here,” Anna said. “I can go get you a cold soda or something.”

“Do you have any idea how resistant the strains of hospital microbes are? Pippa shouldn’t be here. She’s used to fresh air,” he said, but Anna knew it wasn’t the real reason he wanted to wait outside.

Her parents had never liked him. But a parent was a parent. And Jack had seen his die from needles up their arms. How could Anna not have thought of that when he’d agreed to come along with her for moral support?

She put her hand on his arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m good.” He pushed the elevator button impatiently. “Pippa and I just need some fresh air. We’ll meet you downstairs.” He was in the elevator before the doors fully opened.

“Okay. I won’t be long,” she said.

She walked in on Mary kissing her dad’s cheek and holding his hand to her chest. Both looked up at the sound of her footsteps.

“Um, I just wanted to say bye. I’ll be in touch to see how you’re doing.”

“Thank you. Take care of my granddaughter,” he added. Anna couldn’t help but read into his words,
Take care of your brother.
She blinked twice. No. She was not taking after her mom. She wasn’t going to get paranoid about everything. “I always do, Dad. And just so you know, Jack is an intelligent man who is well-respected in his field. If and when you want to see Pippa during her visits here, he’ll be the one who’ll be bringing her to see you. So please, be nice.”

Her dad grumbled. “We’ll see,” he said.

She hesitated before going over and kissing him on the cheek. “Get well.”

“It was nice to meet you,” Mary said.

Anna smiled briefly and turned away, as eager as Jack had been to get out of there, and in knots from her efforts to reach out. Her dad just didn’t care. He was clueless, oblivious to what he’d done to his first wife.

“Anna. Please wait.” Mary had followed her out of the room. Anna dried the tears from her eyes before turning around.

“Yes?”

“I was hoping I could talk to you for just a minute. I know how difficult this must be, meeting me like this,” Mary said.

“Yes,” Anna murmured. She couldn’t lie. Besides, the tension was obvious.

Mary wrung her hands and glanced downward, as if trying to find words. “I think you should know that nothing happened before the divorce. Out of respect for another woman, I made sure of that.”

Anna wrapped her arms around her waist and frowned. So they’d met while her parents were married? They’d connected on an emotional level, betraying Anna and her mom long before the divorce was announced and Anna became pregnant. Mary had no idea how much worse that made accepting her as her dad’s wife. Anna looked up at the fluorescent panels overhead and waited a few seconds for her tears to slip unnoticed down the back of her throat.

“I’m trying to clear the air, because I’d love for us to be comfortable with one another,” Mary said.

Anna nodded and swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure. She sniffed and wished she hadn’t run out of tissues in her purse.

“I appreciate that, but I can’t do this right now,” she said.

“Right. I should let you go. Jack and Pippa are waiting for you.”

Anna nodded and started to leave.

“Mary? Take care of him...and good luck.”

* * *

J
ACK
SAT
ON
A
BENCH
in the front lawn of the hospital and unwrapped a granola bar he’d bought, along with a carton of milk, in the hospital lobby, and handed it to Pippa. He was sipping on an ice-cold can of ginger ale. Jack didn’t do hospitals unless he didn’t have a choice. Same with needles. If anyone knew that he, Dr. Jack Harper—grown man, accomplished scientist—hyperventilated every time he had so much as a flu shot, they’d drown in tears of laughter. Getting vaccinated for that trip to Kenya had given him nightmares. And being in that hospital room...the chemical smells, the IV...the moment of panic when he’d thought Anna’s dad was having another heart attack. One that could have killed him right then and there. In front of him. In front of Pippa.
That
did him in. He’d wanted to be there for Anna. He’d wanted to support her, and he didn’t last.

He took another long swig of ginger ale and watched Pippa play under the overhanging oak tree. A cool breeze fluttered the branches and soothed his senses. Pippa had taken to collecting acorns. They were currently at a pile of twenty and counting.

“Look, Daddy! Dis one is bigger. I want to take dem back for Ambosi. Dis one is for Ambosi and dis one is for Haki.” Pippa picked the two largest and set them apart.

Jack glanced up automatically, half expecting a monkey to chuck an acorn at him. A squirrel chittered, obviously annoyed that someone was raiding its tree, and scampered off. Jack was safe.

That Ambosi had a way of sticking in one’s mind. Jack realized Pippa was homesick.

“I don’t think they’ll let you take those on the plane.”

“Uncle Mac lets me take things on his chopper.” Pippa pouted. No doubt those adorable chipmunk cheeks had Mac caving to her pleas a time or two.

Uncle Mac. Jack didn’t know much about Mac and Anna’s history. The man was clearly fond of her. What if he was the one for her? Her John Wayne? They lived in the same place and worked for common goals. Maybe they were in love and Jack showing up had thrown a wrench in their plans. For as much as he hated Jack, Mr. Bekker was right. If Anna’s heart was in Kenya, there wasn’t any point in trying to convince her to marry him. She’d said no twice already. The thing was, he didn’t want another man raising Pippa. He’d be forever grateful that his adoptive parents had saved him from the life he’d been born into, but Jack was here, and able. He wanted to be a father. A great one. And the look on his parents’ faces when he’d brought them Pippa said it all. He’d made them happy. He’d given back to them. Finally.

Anna joined them on the bench, the acorn pile separating them. Pippa took a sip of milk, then ran for more acorns.

“You okay?” Jack asked.

“Yeah. I’m good. I will be, anyhow,” Anna said. She smiled at the collection of nuts. “What about you?”

He shrugged.

“I’m sorry, Jack. I wasn’t thinking. Why didn’t you just say you don’t like hospitals? It didn’t occur to me that it would still bother you, after all the lab stuff you do.”

“Guess I thought I could handle it.”

Anna sighed and eyed his soda. “Do you think you can handle dinner?”

“If you’re hungry enough. I can handle anything. Just not that,” Jack said, thumbing over his shoulder toward the hospital building.

They watched Pippa in silence, except for the exuberant praise they gave when she reached thirty acorns, counting aloud. And she’d skipped only one number. Maybe there was a little scientist in her.

He looked at Anna. She seemed deep in thought. He’d told her about his mom’s call when they were headed to the hospital, and that he’d left the evening free.

“Do you want to go to a restaurant or eat in? We could stop and pick up a DVD, one for us and one Pippa can watch in the morning...or not.” He didn’t mean to imply that DVD babysitting was acceptable. Once in a while couldn’t hurt, but he couldn’t read Anna’s reaction.

“Eating in sounds good,” she said with a smile.

“Any particular movie you want to see?”

Anna laughed halfheartedly and stopped Pippa’s fortieth acorn from rolling off the bench.

“Jack, I haven’t seen a movie in six years, if you count how busy the end of vet school was. Take your pick. I don’t even know what’s been released since then.”

Jack mulled that one over. She was right. Busara didn’t even have a television. No marketing influence on the kids, no need for parental controls. And considering how difficult their internet connection was, she probably didn’t waste time on it for fun. As for a movie, he knew just the one.