Part 16 (1/2)

”Come on,” she said, turning her back to him. He followed her upstairs to her room. She turned on the lamp next to the bed, then sat down. She patted the spot next to her. ”Sit down.”

Phil sat down beside her. ”What's going on, Toots? You don't seem too happy right now. Is it something I said? If it is, let me apologize now.”

She shook her head. ”No, it's nothing you've done, or anyone. It's me.” She took a deep breath, hating what she was about to do, but knowing it was time. Phil meant too much to her to continue the lie. With Bernice's outburst, she was surprised he hadn't questioned her already.

”Okay,” he said, his voice soft and soothing. The one he used with his patients.

”Phil, I haven't been honest with you. There are things about me, about my past, that you should know.” There, that was a start. She took another cleansing breath.

”I see.”

”No, you can't say that yet, because I haven't told you what and why I haven't been up front with you. Let me just get it all out, and then you can ask questions. It will be much easier for both of us. Trust me on this.”

Phil nodded.

s.h.i.+t, she thought. He really isn't going to interrupt me. Okay, Toots, the floor is all yours. Now do it!

”First let me say my dishonesty wasn't intentional. There really isn't any way to break this news other than to come right out and tell you.” Another deep breath. ”Phil, I have been married eight times, and all of my husbands died. I believe I'm a jinx, bad luck, whatever you want to call it. I'm afraid if you and I take our relations.h.i.+p to the next level, as you suggested, that you will die, and possibly you might think I'm a loose woman.”

The truth was out. There were no more lies, nothing between them any longer.

Phil shook his head. ”Can I just ask you one question?”

”Of course.”

”Why do you believe you're a jinx, or bad luck?”

Toots wanted to shake him. ”Phil, I have been married eight times. They've all died. There were no divorces, just death. I've buried and fried so many husbands, I've become quite the expert at planning funerals. I like to refer to them as events.”

”I still don't see what this has to do with us.”

Toots almost choked on her own saliva.

”You're a smart man, Phil. You're a heart surgeon. You make your living saving people's lives. I marry men, and it seems to take their lives. I don't want anything to happen to you because I . . . I care about you too much to take the risk.”

”And don't I get a say in any of this?”

”Of course, you can say whatever you like, but the fact remains, there is something not right with me and my relations.h.i.+ps with men. They all fail by death.”

Phil touched her shoulder, gently guiding her to face him. ”Toots, first of all, I don't believe for one minute that you're a jinx, bad luck, whatever you want to call it. People die. It's part of life. Secondly, I don't care about your past. I care about you, about us, and about our future. When I said I wanted to take our relations.h.i.+p to the next level, I didn't mean I just wanted to jump in the sack with you, though I do, but that's beside the point. I didn't ask you to come to Myrtle Beach with me just to . . . shack up. I want you to be with me, Toots. Always. However long that may be. I'd much rather take a chance with you than spend the rest of my life alone. I've been alone too long, and that's my own fault. Yes, there were many opportunities for me to get married, but I chose work over a family. You didn't do that. You chose your family, and if that meant you had eight choices, then all I can say is, more power to you. But to think any of this matters to me is crazy. I know you've been married before. I'm good with that. h.e.l.l, I can't wait to become a grandfather to Chris and Abby's child, and we haven't even . . . you know what I mean. I want a family, Toots. I want you, pure and simple, bad luck and all.”

Surely, Phil had drunk too much wine tonight. Add all the caffeine they'd consumed, and he was probably talking out of his head.

”Aren't you going to say anything?”

”I don't know what you want me to say,” Toots whispered. She could not believe he was in his right mind, but she didn't want him to know what she was thinking.

”I want you to say what you always say, 'The past is prologue,' and let's take our relations.h.i.+p to the next level. What I don't want to hear you say is, it's your fault that your husbands died. They were d.a.m.n lucky, if you ask me. You've been the light of my life this past year. I didn't really live until I met you. I hate to say it, but I'm glad Bernice was brought to the hospital, even more glad that I was able to save her life and give her a few more years of happiness. That's what I want for us, to live the rest of our lives-however long that may be-together. As man and wife.”

Phil got off the bed and stooped before her, literally on bended knees. He took her hand in his. ”Toots, I want to marry you. I love you more than any woman I've ever known. I love Abby and Chris. I adore Mavis and Sophie. I'm learning to like Ida.” He grinned up at her. ”Now, can you put all that craziness out of your head and answer me?”

She stared down at him in a sort of bemused wonderment. Is this guy for real? she thought. Yes, he is.

And life was short. Too d.a.m.ned short for her past husbands, but Phil was right. She hadn't caused their deaths. So much of her life during the past five years had been centered around death, and ghosts, and superst.i.tion. It's no wonder she'd started thinking of herself as a jinx. Phil was right. Life was too short not to live to the fullest.

She was going to start living in the present, and let the future bring what it may.

”Yes, Phil, I can do that.”

”You really mean it?” Phil asked.

”Yes, I do, but I have one stipulation.”

”Name it.”

”I am going to be a grandmother, Phil. There is nothing that will take me away from my grandchild, so Myrtle Beach is out of the question for me.”

”I've never been a grandfather, either. I wouldn't think of missing this opportunity. I've spent my entire adult life watching people die. I think it's high time I got to watch someone grow, from the ground up. Besides, I can write my novel anywhere. If you want to know the truth, I hate Myrtle Beach. I thought it would impress you if I told you that I was moving there to write my novel. I can write a novel in the bathroom, in the kitchen, or right here in the bedroom. It doesn't matter where I am, Toots. What matters is that you're beside me.”

”You mean it? I don't want you to have any regrets. Remember, I have been around the block a time or two. Some men wouldn't want to get involved with a woman with my past, and one my age. You're not getting the pick of the litter, Phil. I just want to make sure you have absolutely nothing to regret later.”

”As long as you're with me, beside me, I can a.s.sure you that I will have no regrets. Toots, I am a man of my word. I love you, and I want to be a grandfather to Abby's child. That is, if she'll allow me to. I knew the minute I saw you in the hospital that you would have a major role in my life. Don't ask me how I knew, I just did. Pure and simple. I saw you, and thought, 'That's her.' ”

Toots's heart flip-flopped, then did a backward handspring, she was sure, because it felt like it was going to explode with happiness. It was even better than she'd imagined. Her heart was light; and she felt like she wanted to jump up and down like a kid. And she would later, when no one was around.

”Then I say, let's tell the folks downstairs good night. And you can stay over if you want.”

Chapter 27.

At promptly 8:15 AM, the crew from Colorado arrived courtesy of an airport limousine van Abby had made arrangements with when animals were to be transported from the airport.

Dr. Carnes was due to arrive around noon. Last night, Phil had promised to pick her up at the airport.

The three vet techs waited in the intake room, the building closest to the house. There were three cats-one terribly burned, another suffering from dehydration, and the third, a tabby kitten, wore an oxygen mask due to smoke inhalation.

The two dachshunds, a brown male and an adorable black-and-brown female, were the most critically injured of all the animals. Dr. Gary Wright and his wife, Susan, both from Wright Medical Center, a local animal hospital, checked the two dachshunds as soon as they were brought in. The other three dogs, an older golden retriever, a black Labrador, and a mixed breed, weren't in bad shape considering what they'd been through. Right now, they needed food, shelter, and, most of all, love.

For the first time in weeks, Abby didn't feel sick, and she was thrilled because this was her first official day in action as owner and operator of Dogs Displaced by Disaster, or 3Ds as she referred to her organization. Dr. Wright took charge as soon as the animals' immediate needs were met by the volunteers. Today her volunteers consisted of her mother, Sophie, Goebel, Mavis, and Wade. Ida and Daniel were spending the day with Bernice and Robert. Jamie and Lucy had promised to stop by with the homemade dog treats as soon as the bakery closed. For safety purposes, Chris was in charge of Chester, Coco, and Frankie at the house.

The two dachshunds were brought into the state-of-the-art surgical suite Abby had spared no expense to furnish. ”Do you think these little doxies will ever walk again?” Abby asked while Dr. Wright examined them.

”I can't say for sure, since we don't know how long they've been injured. What I can say is, if there is anyone out there who can save them, it's Mich.e.l.le Carnes. She's the best there is. You were lucky to get her.”

”I know. She saved my mother's dog. Well, not really her dog . . . Dr. Carnes performed a miracle with Frankie. We didn't know how long he'd been injured, either. The owners of the house died and he was left alone. We figure he fell. But that's how I came to know about Dr. Carnes. I haven't met her yet, but she'll be here around noon.”

”That should give me enough time for the MRIs. You really have equipped this place with the best,” Dr. Wright told her.