Between Sisters Part 27

He told himself it meant nothing, was simply an excess of hormones in a body that had been cold for years. But now, looking at her, wanting her again, he knew he was lying to himself.

Across the street, she took a step toward him.

His heartbeat sped up, his hands clenched.

Then she turned and walked away, quickly.

"Thank G.o.d," he said, wishing he meant it.

He shut the water off and dried his hands. Slowly, he went to the mantel and stood in front of a picture of Diana. In it, she stood at the base of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, waving at him. She was smiling brightly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, touching the gla.s.s.

The phone rang, startling him.

He knew who it was, of course. "Hey, Gina," he answered, reaching for his work gloves.

"Hey, big brother. I know it's late notice, but I'm having a rehearsal dinner at my house tonight. I thought you might like to come."

A rehearsal dinner. Prelude to a wedding. "Sorry, no."

"It's for Claire Cavenaugh. She's finally getting married."

Joe closed his eyes, remembering Claire. "I'm sorry, Gigi," he said at last. "I can't do that." The only thing worse than celebrating a marriage would be walking into a hospital.

"I understand, Joey. Really. I'll call you next week."

Claire sat in the doctor's waiting room, reading the newest issue of People People magazine. There it was, a picture of her mother in some city park, surrounded by fans dressed in full s.p.a.ce-traveler regalia. The caption read: magazine. There it was, a picture of her mother in some city park, surrounded by fans dressed in full s.p.a.ce-traveler regalia. The caption read: Eliana Sullivan mobbed by fans on the twenty-fifth anniversary of Eliana Sullivan mobbed by fans on the twenty-fifth anniversary of Starbase IV Starbase IV's first show.

"Oh, please. I had better Halloween costumes in second grade."

"What, Mommy?"

Claire smiled down at her daughter, who sat cross-legged on the taupe-colored carpet, playing with a Cat in the Hat doll. "Nothing, honey."

"Oh. How much longer? I'm hungry."

"Not much longer. Dr. Roloff is busy with people who are really sick. You saw Sammy Chan go in-he has a broken arm."

Alison frowned. "You're not sick, right?"

"Of course not. This is my yearly appointment. You always come with me."

"Yeah." Ali went back to playing.

A few minutes later, the receptionist-Monica Lundberg-came out into the waiting room. As always, she looked beautiful, this time in a pale celery-colored sundress. "Doctor will see you now."

Claire looked down at Alison. "Stay right here, honey. I'll be right back."

"I'll watch her," Monica said. "You go on into room four."

"Thanks." Claire went down the hallway and turned into the last room on the left.

"Hey, Claire, how're the wedding plans going?"

She smiled at Bess, the nurse who had worked for Dr. Roloff for as long as anyone could remember.

"Great. We're having something simple."

"Of course you are." Bess took Claire's blood pressure and temperature. "Good blood pressure, kiddo. You must be living right." She took a quick blood sample, then burrowed through the cupboard over the sink and withdrew a plastic specimen cup. "You know the drill. Leave a sample in the door in the rest room. Doctor will be in as soon as he can."

"Thanks, Bess."

Bess winked. "See you tomorrow. Bye." And she was gone.

Claire hurried across the hall, left a urine sample in the bathroom, then returned to the room, where she dressed quickly in the hospital gown and climbed up onto the paper-covered examination table.

Moments later, Dr. Roloff walked in. He was a tall, gray-haired man with stern eyes and a ready smile. He'd been Claire's doctor for most of her life. He'd tended her through ear infections, acne, and pregnancy. Now he was Alison's doctor. Sam's, too.

The doctor sat down on a rolling stool and moved toward her. "How're the wedding plans going?"

"Great. Will you and Tina be able to make it?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." He paused, looked down for a minute. Claire knew he was thinking about the daughter he'd lost. "Diana would have loved your wedding."

Claire swallowed hard. It was true. One of the hardest parts of this wedding was doing it without Diana. The Bluesers had always done everything together. "She always said I was saving myself for royalty."

He finally looked up. The smile he offered was tired and more than a little worn. "Did you hear about Joe? He's back in town."

"I know. How is he?"

Henry sighed heavily. "I don't know. He hasn't been to see Tina and me." It was obvious how hurt the doctor was by that.

"I'm sure he will."

"Yeah. I'm sure." Dr. Roloff pushed the gla.s.ses higher on his nose and straightened. "Well, enough of that." Opening her chart, he studied it. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"You're not due to see me for another two months. Why so early, Claire? Usually we have to send three notices and make a phone call to get you in here."

"Birth control pills," she said, feeling her cheeks heat up. It was ridiculous; she was thirty-five years old. There was no reason to be embarra.s.sed. But she was. "We want to wait awhile before we get pregnant."

He studied her chart again, then nodded. "I wouldn't want you on them for too many years, but for now you'll be okay. We'll start you on the mini pill."

"Great."

Dr. Roloff set her chart aside. "Let's do your Pap smear."

When he was finished, Claire sat up.

"Your dad told me you had a headache last week," he said, stripping off his gloves. "And that you twisted your left ankle."

Life in a small town. Claire sighed. For as long as she could remember, her dad had run to the doctor whenever she had a hangnail or a loose tooth. Her arrival at adulthood hadn't changed his behavior. "Last year he thought I had Meniere's disease after a ride on the Ferris wheel made me dizzy."

He smiled at that. "Sam is certainly vigilant in terms of health care, that's true. You should have seen him when you were little. I got three calls a week asking if such-and-such was normal. Things like three sneezes in a row would set him off. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean he's a fool. Do the headaches seem to be triggered by your cycles?"

"I'm thirty-five," she said with a laugh. "It seems like I'm always ovulating or flowing. So, yeah, maybe."

"Did you ever start exercising?"

"Ever? Ninth grade was a good year for me. I went out for track and volleyball." Ninth grade was a good year for me. I went out for track and volleyball."

He wrote something in her chart. Probably couch potato couch potato.

"Are you sleeping well?"

"Like a baby. Since I met Bobby . . ." She blushed again. "Well, you know. I sleep great."

"I'm glad to hear that. Stress?"

"I'm a single mother who is about to get married for the first time. The sister I barely know is planning the wedding, and and my mother is threatening to come. So, yes, I'm a little stressed out." my mother is threatening to come. So, yes, I'm a little stressed out."

"Okay. Tell your dad I said everything is fine. No worries. But get some exercise. It's the best treatment for stress. Also, you're a little anemic again. That can cause headaches, too. So start taking some iron, okay?"

"You got it."

"Now get that beautiful little girl of yours home and start doing that woman-wedding thing. The whole town is looking forward to it."

"That's what happens when you wait fifteen years after everyone else in your cla.s.s."

"You were only moments away from being labeled the town spinster. I don't know who Bess and Tina will worry about now." His eyes sparkled behind the small round gla.s.ses.

"Thanks, Doc."

He patted her shoulder. "I'm happy for you, Claire. We all are."

CHAPTER.

EIGHTEEN.

THE AFTERNOON TURNED GRAY AND COLD. RAIN FELL IN tiny staccato bursts that were all but invisible to the naked eye. tiny staccato bursts that were all but invisible to the naked eye.

Claire spent the rest of the day pretending to work.

"Go home, Claire," her father said to her whenever he happened to walk into the office and see her.

"I've got work to do," was her standard answer, and every time she said it, he laughed.

"Yeah. You're a big help today. Go take a bath. Do your nails."

She was too nervous to take a bath or do her nails. Thirty-five was too old to marry for the first time. How could she possibly be doing the right thing?

But every time her worries threatened to overwhelm her, she'd turn a corner or open a door and see Bobby. He was painting the fence around the laundry room the first time she saw him, scrubbing canoes the second.

He'd looked up at her approach both times. Hey, darlin' Hey, darlin', he'd said, smiling. I love you I love you.

Just that, those few and precious words, and Claire breathed easier again, for an hour or so, until the doubts once again welled up.

Finally, at around three in the afternoon, she gave up and walked back to her house. Toys lay scattered on the gra.s.s in the front yard; a Barbie that was half dressed, a pink plastic bucket and tiny shovel, a red Fisher-Price barn, complete with farm animals. She picked everything up and headed for the house.

"There you are," Meghann said when she walked in.

"Hey," she said, sighing as she walked over to the toy box and dumped her load in.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She certainly didn't want to discuss her wedding jitters with Miss Prenup.

Meghann got up. Claire could feel her sister's gaze; it was lawyerly and intense. Not a sister-to-sister look at all. "I was just going to have some iced tea. Would you like one?"

"A margarita would be better."

"You got it. Sit."

Claire sank onto the sofa and put her feet up on the magazine-covered coffee table.

Meg was back in no time, holding two gla.s.ses. "Here you are."

Claire took the gla.s.s and tried the margarita. "This is good. Thanks."

Meg sat in the bentwood rocker by the fireplace. "You're scared," she said gently.

Claire jumped as if she'd been shouted at. "Anyone would be." She took another drink, careful not to make eye contact. She felt like a squirrel in the presence of a cobra.

Meg moved to the sofa and sat down beside Claire. "It's normal, believe me. If you weren't scared right now, I'd take your pulse."

"You think I should should be scared." be scared."

"I remember when Elizabeth and Jack got married. They were as in love as any two people I've ever seen. And she still still needed two martinis to walk down the aisle. Only a fool wouldn't be afraid, Claire. Maybe that's why weddings take place in churches-because each one is an act of faith." needed two martinis to walk down the aisle. Only a fool wouldn't be afraid, Claire. Maybe that's why weddings take place in churches-because each one is an act of faith."