enjoying a day at the park.
But of course this wasn’t a date. It was therapy.
No matter how much she wanted to pretend otherwise, Josh and Dan did not belong to her. They weren’t her family.
She needed to remember that as soon as Josh was able, they’d both walk away.
CHAPTER FIVE
DAN PACED THE LENGTH of the kitchen while Josh ate cereal for breakfast. He felt at a loss as to what to do with himself now that he had so much time on his hands. He’d given Gemma the weekend off to visit her daughter and granddaughter, and now the hours stretched endlessly ahead of him. When was the last time he’d had a week off work? Or a weekend that wasn’t filled with peewee football, birthday parties and soccer?
He felt bad that Josh couldn’t take part in sports anymore, although he sincerely hoped his son would be able to join again next year. And he couldn’t help feeling guilty that he’d been a little annoyed with the chore of driving his son around prior to the car accident.
Now he’d give anything to see his son running up and down the soccer field again.
He flexed his sore muscles, having already worked out in his weight room, trying to sweat thoughts of Molly from his system. It was ridiculous to lose sleep over a woman.
Not just any woman, he corrected himself grimly. His son’s physical therapist, a woman who wore sunshine and happiness like a brightly colored dress.
A woman so different from him that they may as well be suspended in different solar systems.
The phone rang, and he welcomed the distraction, jumping to answer it. “Hello?”
“Dan, Marcus here. One of your patients, Carrie Allen, came into clinic with pneumonia. I just wanted you to know I started her on antibiotics again.”
He frowned, thinking he should go in to see little Carrie for himself. “Did you admit her?”
“No, luckily her mother brought her in early, so I think she’ll be all right. I’m going to see her again next week and if anything changes, I’ll admit her to Angel’s.”
Dan rubbed the back of his neck, trying to relax. “Okay, great. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Are you planning to attend Jack Carter’s going-away party next Friday?” Marcus asked.
“Where is Carter going?”
“He resigned as Chief of General Pediatrics to work with Nina Wilson at her pro bono clinic.”
“Really?” He felt like he’d been away from Angel’s for months, instead of just a few weeks. “Our loss. I would like to attend the party. Where is it?”
“Eight o’clock at the Ritz Carlton. Nothing but the best for Jack.”
Dan made a note of the date and time. “By the way, what do you know about Molly Shriver, the physical therapist?” he asked, trying, and failing, to sound casual. “Do you know if she’s seeing anyone?”
“I don’t know, but I think one of the nurses here is a friend of hers. Just a minute.” Before Dan could stop him, he put Emily on the line, who cheerfully explained how Molly had broken up with some guy a little over a year ago.
Feeling like a fool, he thanked her for the information and quickly ended the call. He wasn’t proud of himself for eliciting gossip about Molly, but he couldn’t help feeling pleased that she wasn’t seeing anyone at the moment.
“I’m finished, Daddy,” Josh said, pushing away from the table. Before he could move over to help him, Josh had swung himself from the kitchen chair into the wheelchair.
He’d been amazed at how quickly Josh had adapted to using the wheelchair and had found getting from one place to another far harder than he’d ever imagined, giving him a new perspective for what his patients had to go through.
Heck, he’d even fallen out of the stupid contraption yesterday at the park. Although the minute Molly had come over to tend to him, embarrassment hadn’t been his biggest concern. Instantly, he’d wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
An impulse that he thankfully hadn’t acted on.
He needed to stop thinking about her, or he was going to drive himself crazy.
“What are we going to do, today, Daddy?” Josh asked.
Good question. How pathetic that he had no idea how to entertain his son. What did other parents do with their kids on the weekends? He had no clue. He racked his brains.
“We could try that new indoor game place,” he offered. What was the name of it? Fun and Games? “Even with your wheelchair, I think there are lots of things you can do.”
“Really?” Josh’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Can we ask Molly to come, too?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to refuse, except for the fact that he’d had the same idea. “I’ll give her a call, but I don’t know if she’ll agree to come,” he cautioned Josh. The last thing Dan wanted was to get his son’s hopes up. “She might already have plans for today.”
Or she might refuse, simply because going with them was crossing the line of professionalism.
His hands were damp as he dialed her number. She didn’t answer so he left a message, giving his phone number and asking her to call him back if she was interested in going to Fun and Games with him and Josh. When he hung up the phone, he had the depressing thought that she might not bother to return his call.
He hid his disappointment when he turned back to his son. “Sorry, champ, but Molly wasn’t home. I left her a message, but I think we’re on our own today. But we’ll have a great time anyway, right?”
“Right,” Josh agreed without enthusiasm.
Dan wished there was something he could do or say to cheer him up. But it was hard to be upbeat when he felt the same way.
He was worse than Josh, counting the hours until Monday when they’d see Molly again.
Molly listened to the voice-mail message at least three times, secretly thrilled at hearing Dan’s husky voice inviting her to go along with them to Fun and Games. She’d managed to push him from her mind during her three-mile run, but now he was back there, front and center.
Although it wasn’t as if he’d invited her out on a date or anything, as Josh would be with them. And the indoor games place was hardly a romantic setting but even so, she was tempted, oh, so tempted to say yes.
She tried to rationalize her desire to go, telling herself this little outing could be just an extension of Josh’s therapy. Josh had already made great progress in just five days—surely he’d be even further along if she helped him today?
Before she could talk herself out of it, she dialed Dan’s phone number. He picked it up on the first ring and for a moment she couldn’t speak.
“Hello?” he asked again. “Is this Molly?”
“Ah, yes, this is Molly,” she blurted out, finally finding her voice. “I’m, um, returning your phone call.” Brilliant conversation, she told herself, rolling her eyes. Just brilliant. Could she sound like a bigger dope?
“Molly, I’m so glad you called back. Would you be willing to go to Fun and Games with me and Josh? We’d love you to.”
The eagerness in his tone soothed her frayed nerves. “Sure, what time?”
“Well, I thought we’d go later this afternoon and then stay for dinner, although they mostly serve pizzas and burgers. With the traffic in New York, I could pick you up at two or two-thirty. If that’s all right with you.” Was it her imagination or did Dan sound nervous? “We could also play more of your games before heading out, if you think that would be all right.”
“No,