yelled. “Donnie didn’t want me any more, and I don’t want any more dads! I hate James! And I hate you!”
“He sustained some pretty good cuts.” Dr. Eric Ramsey motioned Fallon into the hall. “And he was so agitated I was afraid he’d harm himself, so I had to sedate him. Just lightly. I want to keep him in for a day or so to make sure he doesn’t rip out his stitches. He’s…um…He’s feisty. And very angry right now. I hope James will agree to let him stay for observation.”
“He was so upset, Eric. I couldn’t get him calmed down, and the only thing I could think of was to get him into the car and get him to the hospital. And you’re right. He’s a very angry little boy. But I think it’s more than that. Not sure what, though.”
“So you don’t know anything about him?”
“James just dropped him off and, to be honest, that was the first time I’d met Tyler. I know he’s been a struggle when James has had him before. But I had no idea how much.”
“Well, James is en route to Salt Lake City now with his patient. It’s going to be a fast turn-around, so I suppose we’ll hold off making any further decisions concerning Tyler for a while.” Eric was a pediatrician, and head of trauma services for the White Elk Hospital. “I’ve left a message to have him call here as soon as he can. So, in the meantime, we’ll wait and hope Tyler calms down.”
And here she was, involved. “Then I guess I’ll go and sit in Tyler’s room. He’ll need a familiar face there when he wakes up.”
“He’s going to be asleep for quite a while. How about I prescribe a cup of coffee or something to eat? And I’ll get it for you myself. You’re looking pretty strung out, Fallon. I don’t want you letting this get to you.”
“I’m feeling pretty strung out, as a matter of fact. But coffee and food aren’t going to fix that.” Going home and getting away from anything involving James was the prescription she needed. Only right now that prescription wasn’t going to be filled because Tyler was the priority, and she felt obligated to be with him as James wasn’t. More than that, she wanted to sit with him.
“Want to work?” he asked, half teasing, half serious. “I’m down a nurse today. Dinah’s home with the girls. It’s their regular monthly girls’ day out, and she won’t miss it for the world. So…”
“You know Gabby would have your head if you lured me away from her.”
“And I’m still protesting that she got you and we didn’t.” He faked a frown. “Neil wants you back so badly that he weeps openly when your name is mentioned. You know he’s at odds with his wife for stealing you away from him.”
Fallon laughed, and swatted Eric’s arm playfully. “I love you both, but what I’m doing right now is good. I didn’t realize how much I missed being useful and for now I like the job.” Not the way she liked real nursing. But for a while, until she figured out what she really wanted to do with her life, it would do.
“Well, I’m glad you’re back, even if it’s with Gabby,” he admitted, laughing.
Fallon looked down the hall of the trauma area and sighed. Yes, Gabby did have her. And she was grateful for that. Which meant White Elk Hospital was officially the past now. If only she could return to the past and stay there for ever.
“How is he?” James gasped, running through the door. “I just got the message. I was on my way back when I remembered to check my voicemail.”
“Resting,” Fallon said. She’d been sitting at Tyler’s bedside well over an hour, simply watching the boy. He was even troubled in his sleep. She could see that in the way he tossed and turned and twisted in his covers. “Eric gave him a light sedative and I didn’t want to leave him so I’ve been sitting here for a while, and he’s doing well.” Physically well, anyway. She wasn’t sure about anything else.
“The cuts are all superficial,” Eric said, stepping into the room. “He has a few stitches, and he’s good to go as far as his injuries are concerned. But I’d like to keep him under observation for a while because he was so…I suppose the word to describe it is enraged. He was having a major temper tantrum when Fallon brought him in, fighting her as hard as he could, and I was afraid he’d hurt himself so I gave him something to take the edge off a little, and now I’d like to watch him for a day or so to see if there’s anything else wrong with him other than his cuts.”
James agreed quickly. “I wish I knew his history…if he’s always like this or if this is new behavior. Because it’s extreme. Children have their temper tantrums and that’s part of learning how to cope with disappointment, but when I see a child like Tyler, who acts it out so violently, I’m inclined to look for something other than the momentary trigger of those emotions. I’ve had him three days this time and he’s getting worse, so I think observing him for a day or two, running some tests to make sure he doesn’t have some underlying medical problem, is a good idea. I appreciate the offer, and I’d appreciate it if you’d oversee his care, Eric.”
“Look,” Eric said, “I’ve got to get back to work. But, yes, James, I’ll take over his medical treatment, observe him, run some preliminary tests. You know, blood tests, a general physical, maybe some X-rays, that sort of thing. So, until we know more, if you have any questions, call me. And feel free to sit with Tyler for as long as you like. I’m sure he’ll be happy to have you with him when he wakes up.”
“I’m not so sure of that,” James muttered, slumping to the wall as Eric took his leave. “I’m really sorry about all this, Fallon. I didn’t mean to drag you into it. This whole thing with Tyler has been…difficult.”
“Have you talked to his mother about how he’s acting? Maybe she knows what triggers the temper tantrums.”
“Do you think she’d actually tell me anything? I mean, she didn’t even tell me I had a son until her husband didn’t want him any more. If Tyler had been a well-behaved child, I’m pretty sure she would have never revealed her little secret about his existence. So I have no reason to believe that she’ll tell me anything about his behavior. The hell of it is, Fallon, that when she drops him off and leaves, I don’t even know where she goes. Don’t know where Tyler lives when he’s not with me. They have a son of their own now, and Donnie, the husband, doesn’t want Tyler around. I’d wanted to ask her some questions, so a couple of months ago, after she disappeared with Tyler for the second time, I hired an investigator to find them. But apparently she and Donnie move around a lot, and every time my investigator catches up to her, she moves again. So we start over.” He sucked in a sharp, angry breath. “Secrets. Her stupid damn secrets are killing me, and I can’t do a thing about it.”
Secrets…Reality sprouted in the form of a dull ache in her chest. “But you’re going after custody?”
He nodded. “My first round didn’t turn out so well. I didn’t have the results of the DNA test back, although our blood types matched. And the judge wouldn’t hear the case. To make matters worse, Shelly came back in the middle of that mess and wanted Tyler back, and the judge said I had no legal recourse at that point, that I had to let Tyler go. So I did, then I couldn’t find him again.”
“It must be awful for both of you, never knowing what she’s going to do.”
“This time it may not be up to Shelly to decide.”
It was unthinkable, what Tyler’s mother was doing to him. What she was doing to James. Poor child. Poor James. “And nothing’s getting better yet, is it?”
He shook his head. “Tyler’s so angry, and he’s frightened, and I can’t blame him. When I grew up I had great parents who took care of me, protected me. At his age, I probably had no concept that one, or both, of my parents could simply get rid of me the way Shelly did Tyler. I can’t even imagine…”
“Well, however it works out in the long run, you have Tyler right now and I know