Chapter 222: Patty XXV—A Gift From Heaven
Jacquelyn was up to something. Patrick could see that much in her smile, the way she blinked rapidly and became so kittenish in voice. He couldn’t comprehend what she would be planning however, and perhaps it was nothing at all. The girl was no doubt bored and restless without her husband and it was true, Patrick could sense the mutual dislike between her and Michele. He decided that he would keep a sharper eye on her.
Jacquelyn had hit a little nerve inside him, however. Patrick was continually perplexed at why Michele had not yet succeeded with Hinote when she could have on two occasions that she had told him about. Danny was not a creature like Cecile, he was merely obeying the girl’s wishes but he wasn’t a model of her principles. It should be so much easier to get him.
Patrick had been thinking that maybe Michele just wasn’t that interested in the boy and there was nothing wrong with that. The problem would be if she was TOO interested in the boy.
His father had once told him that a man is unfaithful with his body while a woman is unfaithful with her heart. Michele was unique in the sense that she was very much like a man, and her heart didn’t waver although her fidelity did. His father was complimenting his fiancée, Patrick supposed, but it did leave an impression on him. He found it odd himself that he had at that point, known about her various affairs and not brought them to her attention or even felt jealousy over them. They had her body, but he had that as well, and he also claimed her heart. They couldn’t have that.
After everything that had happened, Patrick was happy that Michele even stayed with him, and he supposed that he allowed her everything he did because it seemed to make her happy. And she seemed so curious, so amused by his liaisons, as she put it, that he began to think that perhaps he was just lucky. Not only had he found a future wife, a lover, a friend, but also a partner, a cruel little tart that continuously stroked the darker, baser parts of his nature.
He didn’t know exactly where it had turned into a game for them, when they developed the sport. There was such a morbid curiosity, almost as if they felt they had to impress each other with their prowess and talents. It was not a common system for a married couple, but there it was.
But every now and then, he saw something he didn’t like. He saw certain softness in her face and smile at the mention of a man’s name; he saw her blush in his presence. She giggled too much at his jokes or, simply talked too much about him. There had been occasions like that, and as rare as they were, Patrick couldn’t deny the bitter anger it would stir inside him.
Jacquelyn had tickled that area in him, whether she knew it or not. And Patrick couldn’t help but want to smack Danny Hinote as he had sat on the bench during the game that night. What made him so special that she wouldn’t touch him that she would delay the moment?
Patrick tried to pay attention to the game, to Aebischer in net, that troublesome young man. None of it worked. It was boring when he was not there on the ice, when he was useless and helpless on the bench. When things started to get tight, it was better then because they would begin to ask him if he was seeing something that they were missing on the ice. He could tell them that the boards were being taken away around the net, they had a forecheck going on and it was impeding with clearing attempts. That helped out a little.
They didn’t
win the game however. It was frustrating. When was the last time they had won a
game? Was it before
“Hehe did you see the little girl in the wing over there?” Alex Tanguay asked.
It was the next day and the team was making their annual visit to the children’s hospital. Patrick rather looked forward to the visit, he found it relaxing to banter with children and give them toys. Children more than adults, always seemed to appreciate things more, and the amount of knowledge most of them had about the team never ceased to amaze him.
“Which one?” Patrick asked.
Tanguay smiled, his eyes crinkling with genuine amusement. “There’s this little girl in one of the rooms over there, and she can do the neatest card tricks! She puts the deck in a bag and she can pull out whatever card you tell her to on the first try and not even looking!”
Patrick smiled. “How old is she?”
Tanguay shrugged. “Like six or seven.”
A worry tugged at him at that point, “What is she sick with?”
That was the hard part. The children were here because they were sick and often with terminal or serious diseases. Many of them were so overjoyed to see them that they seemed vibrant and healthy but the knowledge was there, that sometimes they wouldn’t live for much longer.
Tanguay didn’t seem very worried, however. “She escaped a house fire she has some smoke inhalation and some burns on her legs, she okay though. Hehe she said she wants to marry Peter! You should go see her.”
Patrick laughed, “Alright I’m going.”
“See you later,” Alex said, Patrick nodded and proceeded down the wing Alex had pointed to.
Patrick really didn’t know exactly where Alex had seen the little girl but he had a lot of time on his hands, he was in no rush. He yawned and looked at the fluffy teddy bear in his hand. It was the last one he had. They gave the bears to the children as gifts and he assumed that Alex had already given the little girl one. He would give the bear to someone else first.
The sobs were sudden and sharp. Patrick frowned and looked around. He saw a doctor leaving a room, a pale, haggard expression on his face, he was shaking his head. There was a woman crying loudly, he could hear words which were not English. The doctor didn’t notice him at first and Patrick walked slowly to him. He peeked into the room where he could see a Hispanic family. A large, round, woman was sobbing, her face in her hands and a man, her husband perhaps was standing with his arms crossed, frowning with pain he didn’t want to show.
On the bed was a tiny, bony little girl, her skin which should have been dark and brown was a pale yellowish hue and she had a glorious mass of black curls framing her pointed face. Patrick looked at the doctor who was now staring at him.
“Don’t bother them,” he said, “I doubt they’d appreciate it. They don’t need it.”
Patrick felt miffed, “What’s happened?” he asked.
The doctor sighed. “The girl needs a surgery that they won’t have done because they say they won’t be able to afford the aftercare, the procedure, the medicine, yadda, yadda. Basically they have crappy insurance that barely covers the kid, I think they’re probably illegal immigrants so I doubt that the identification cards are real and they won’t give her the medical attention she needs because they’re afraid of going under legal scrutiny.”
Patrick looked back in the room, the woman was sobbing and talking rapidly to her husband and there was another girl, she looked like a teenager who was standing by the bed running her hand over the forehead of the little girl.
“Will she die?” Patrick asked.
The doctor nodded, “Unless she has the procedure done, yes.”
Patrick looked at the useless teddy bear in his hands, “How much does all of it cost.”
“You’re not serious,” the doctor said quickly.
“How much,” Patrick said, “Don’t question me.”
The doctor’s eyes narrowed. “Everything, without insurance, about half a million dollars, maybe a little more.”
“Stay right there,” Patrick said and he entered the room, he couldn’t stop looking at that little girl, her eyes were closed, her face looked lined with pain.
It wasn’t so much. Patrick thought about it. He actually felt a relaxed contentment in his stomach almost as if he had eaten a large meal. He was also very sleepy, which was odd because he really hadn’t been physically that active today.
Patrick yawned as he entered his house, he grumbled at the yapping puppy which he scooped up under his arm. Gigi howled as if she were being skinned alive and began to bark more frantically.
“Patrick what are you doing?” Michele exclaimed, coming out of the kitchen where delicious dinner smells were wafting out of. She was glaring. “Stop picking on her!”
Patrick frowned. “I didn’t do anything to her, I just picked her up.”
Gigi howled and yelped and Patrick sighed and placed the puppy back on the floor. Gigi scampered to Michele, hid behind her leg, poked her little face to snarl at him.
“Brat,” Patrick snipped.
Michele sighed loudly and pressed her hands into her hips, “The bickering you two carry on is amazing. She’s just a puppy.”
With that she went back into the kitchen. Patrick scowled as he took off his coat and hung it up in the closet. His stomach growled, stimulated by the smell of the food. Maybe there was something ready, a snack, an appetizer. The second he stepped into the kitchen Gigi barked and Michele said without turning around, “You can wait twenty more minutes, yes?”
Patrick snatched a slice of buttered bread off a plate and sat down with it. Gigi whined and wagged her tail, her claws clicking on the floor and she barked. “Oh now you like me?” he asked and he tossed a piece of the bread into the air, laughed when the puppy caught it in her mouth, swallowed it and then growled at him. “Where are the kids?” he asked.
Michele
covered a pot on the stove and turned around, Patrick felt a twinge of distrust
when he saw her face, squashed any thought of Hinote. She smiled, “Jana is
watching television with Cecile, and the boys I sent up for showers.
Patrick grinned tightly, his stomach roared at him. He finished the slice of bread and grabbed another one.
At first, when he had told the father of the little girl of his intention to pay for the entire surgery and after care, the man had been deeply insulted. Patrick had been initially taken aback by the father’s anger and he tried to explain that he wasn’t trying to embarrass him. The mother had kept asking questions in Spanish and her older daughter, who spoke perfect English explained the situation to her mother. The mother’s eyes had widened and she had instantly berated the father, burst into fresh tears and hugged Patrick. The father glowered at him and Patrick tried to speak clearly over the shoulder of the woman to him, that he only wanted to see the little girl better.
“Dad,” the older sister had said in fluent English, “Screw your pride I don’t want Alicia dying! Think of it as a gift from heaven!”
“How was the hospital visit?” Michele asked
“It was good,” Patrick said between chews and Michele turned around, shook her head and took the plate of bread off the table.
“You’ll fill up on bread,” she said.
Patrick swallowed and grinned at her.
“You won’t soften me,” she snipped, “Jonathan does it better.”
Patrick laughed. “It was good, like I said, it’s nice seeing the kids, they seemed pleased.”
“That’s nice,” Michele said and she turned a dial on the stove. “I should have had you take Jana or Frederick, it would be good for them to experience.”
Patrick was about to tell Michele what had happened at the hospital when he heard his daughter’s squeal. “DADDY! DADDY!” Patrick felt his heart warm when he saw the exuberant little girl’s face and she threw herself onto his lap, kissed him and hugged him. “Daddy! You’re a hero!” She exclaimed. “I’m going to tell everyone at school!”
Patrick grinned and kissed Jana on the cheek, Michele was frowning. “What have I missed?” she asked.
“Patrick you dear boy,” Coco Lacroix gasped as she entered the kitchen, her eyes were wide and her thin, blue veined hand was pressed against her breast. “I cannot believe what you have done.”
Michele crossed her arms and Patrick winked at her. “What happened?” Michele said in a peeved voice.
“Daddy’s a hero,” Jana peeped and Patrick held her tight when she pressed her cheek into his chest.
“Mr. Roy, hasn’t told you?” Cecile asked and Patrick took a quick glance at the girl. Her face was pale, she looked as if someone had just informed her that her precious Danny had died in a plane crash.
“Apparently not,” Michele said slowly, “Patrick?”
He took another glance at Cecile, saw the girl leaning in the doorway of the kitchen, still pale, blinking, gazing at him. She even seemed to be breathing heavily, deeply. Patrick wanted to laugh, he hadn’t thought about this possibility when he had gone through with the deed.
“Patrick is this true?” Michele exclaimed, she was glowing, also blinking with wide eyes.
“It had to be done,” Patrick said. “And we can afford it, I couldn’t leave her knowing that she would be lost without some sort of help. I couldn’t stop thinking of Jana what if she were in this condition, it was the right thing.”
He glanced at Cecile again, briefly made eye contact with the girl, saw her mouth open, her eyes glistening. He definitely had not thought of this impossibility.
“Oh Mimi,”
“Patrick!” Michele exclaimed. “Half a million dollars?! Are you mad!”
“Nooo!” Jana snapped. “He’s a hero, a hero!”
Michele pressed her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God,” she sighed, “I think I love you.”
“Have you even met this little girl before today?” Cecile asked, her voice was trembling.
Patrick looked at her, “No,” he said. “Never before, but she seemed so sweet that I didn’t think it was right for me to just leave her with a teddy bear, she deserved more.” He watched Cecile’s face, the disbelief, the almost certain rapture, “A lot more.”
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