The Doctor's Fake Nanny(13)

       
           



       



"What's the bumble noise?"



I looked from Sophie to Kayla with a question on my face. I was curious  if this was some sort of inside joke between the two of them but Kayla  looked just as confused as I was.



"Bumble noise? What's that, Sophie?"



"Bzz, bzz. It sounds like a bumble bee."



"Oh! I think that's me."



Kayla jumped up and practically ran to the counter beside the stove. She  had left her cell phone there while she was cooking and the sound of  its vibration against the granite was what was causing the sound.



The abruptness of the change in her demeanor when her phone rang as  opposed to directly before was striking. Whereas before she had seemed  relaxed, happy, now she appeared to be completely wired. I could  actually feel the stress coming off of her. What about a phone ringing  could put her so on edge so quickly? I wanted to go back in time to  right before the ringing started, to hide her phone so that the morning  could stay perfect.



"Who's that?"



"Sophie! That's not a question we ask. Phone calls can be private, okay?"



"Okay," she said sulkily, clearly not a fan of being in the dark. Kayla  seemed to be debating whether or not to answer her phone but finally  just stuck it in the pocket of her pajama bottoms.



"It's nobody. Nobody important. Now, are we ready to eat?"



"Food!"



That was all it took for Sophie. The three of us ate breakfast, Kayla  and I mostly listening to Sophie as she chattered away. On the surface  everything was exactly the same, but something about Kayla had changed  when she received that call. There was still a tension surrounding her  and the kind of faraway look in her eyes that suggested that her mind  was somewhere else entirely. I wondered if there was a chance that  someday I might have the ability to affect her so completely, the way  she did me.



"Well, looks like I'm going to be late, girls. Time to head off to work."



"Boo!" Sophie screeched, kicking her little legs against her chair.



"Boo is right. But I'm sure you two will have a wonderful day and I'll be back just as soon as I can."



"Have a good day," Kayla said quietly. "We'll see you when you get home."



I nodded, swallowing with some difficulty. She would see me when I got  home. The way she said it almost made it sound like this was a home the  three of us shared together.





Chapter Eight


Kayla



"Girl, you better be glad you gave me a call."



"What does that mean? What are you talking about?"



"Let's just say that if I didn't hear from you some time in the next  twenty-four hours I was going to put in a call to the cops."



"Oh come on, are you for real? The cops? That's being a little bit ridiculous. It hasn't been that long."



"No, ma'am. Don't try to pull that shit with me, that ‘hasn't been that  long' routine. I haven't talked to you for at least two weeks."



"I guess I didn't realize it had been that long."



"Well, it had. Do you know how worried I've been? Knowing you were  staying with that awful man in his house and not hearing a peep out of  you? You're lucky I didn't have someone go in and break the door down."



"Well, I'm sorry. I honestly didn't mean to stress you out or have you worry. I should have given you a call."



"Is it the doctor? Is he not even allowing you a phone call?"



Something about the way Yvonne said that made my insides clench and my  heart hurt. I knew she felt that way about David. Of course she did. The  last time we talked the whole plan, the plan she didn't want me to go  through with in the first place, was for me to take down the evil doctor  whose negligence had caused my sister's death. How could she know that  things weren't quite so black and white now? I didn't even know where to  begin.



"Kayla? You still there?"



"Yes, I'm here."



"Are you okay?"



"Sure, yes. I'm fine."



"Then what is it?"



"It's just that he may not be as bad as we thought."



"Okay, that's it."



"What do you mean?"



"It's time to have a face to face meeting."



"I can't," I protested weakly, "I've got Sophie to take care of."



"Well, then bring her along. I don't care how you pull it off but you are going to meet me somewhere."                       
       
           



       



"Okay, fine. The park, then. I'll bring her."



"Alright, that's all I'm asking for."



***



Being out in the park wasn't so bad. In fact, watching the utter delight  plastered across Sophie's face as she ran from attraction to attraction  and child to child, I could see that this was something she needed. The  two of us got along so well and we really were almost like friends, but  that didn't replace her need for interaction with children her own age.  I didn't really want to have any kind of conversation concerning what  had been going on with me but it was kind of beautiful to watch the  simple happiness of Sophie. I wanted only good things for her,  especially after learning about the fate of her mother and father.



"So, you really are alive. Good to know. And all in one piece, too."



"Okay, I get it. You made your point. I really am sorry. I haven't been a  good friend to you. Not at all. But I'm here right now and there isn't  much else I can do, is there? If there is I'll do it. Really, I will."



I could see that she was softening, which was a relief. Yvonne really  was my best friend in the world after losing Nikki and I couldn't  imagine alienating her now. This was one of the most confusing  situations I had ever gotten myself into and I needed her. I needed  someone in my corner but also someone who didn't mind slapping me across  the face with a hard dose of reality. I just wasn't sure which way she  would lean towards.



"Naw, you don't need to do anything. You're here, right? That's enough.  It's what I wanted. Just wanted to know that you're safe."



"Is that all? Then I guess I can go ahead and go?"



I grinned at her, knowing she wouldn't be content with that. Sure, she  wanted to make sure I was doing okay, but she wanted the dirt also. I  probably would, too, if the situation had been reversed. It was kind of  like living in an honest to god spy movie. How many people got the  chance to do something like that?



"Hell no that's not all! You've got to tell me what's been happening in  that fancy doctor's house! If he hasn't been holding you hostage up  there, then what's been going on?"



"I don't know. I guess I don't really know how to answer that."



"Well, did you find anything on him?"



"I'm not sure."



"Are you still looking?"



"Yvonne, I don't know."



"Okay … "



It was clear that Yvonne wasn't entirely sure what to do next. I could  see where her confusion was coming from. If there was some change in the  plan I hadn't exactly let her in on it. The problem was, I didn't know  if the plan had changed or not. I looked out at Sophie trying to fashion  a little crown out of wildflowers and felt a burst of love. I thought  about David, about his strong body and brooding eyes, about his  beautiful and elusive smile, his smell that made me weak in the knees.  Was I still looking? Was I really?



"I'm sorry. I shouldn't yell at you. It doesn't really have anything to  do with you, except that you're asking questions I don't feel like  answering."



"How come?"



"I don't know. He isn't the way I thought he would be. None of it is."



"You like him, don't you?"



"That's the thing. I'm pretty sure I do."



"Pretty sure?"



"Okay," I said with exasperation, "I do. I like him very much."



"Does that mean that you don't blame him anymore? That you don't think there was misconduct that led to what happened to Nikki?"



"Yvonne, I can't say for sure. I don't have all of the answers yet. What  I do know is that I've started to feel bad, like really guilty, for  being in his home the way I have. I don't feel good about lying to him.  If he were really a bad guy, wouldn't it feel different?"



"I don't know. I think it would."



"I just can't be sure. I feel like I need to be sure. And Dr. Johnson  called this morning while we were all in the kitchen making breakfast.  I'm in there basically playing house with him and his little girl,  meanwhile I'm getting phone calls from the guy trying to ruin his life.  Doesn't that seem kind of messed up?"



"Truth time? Yes, it sure does. But this whole thing has seemed ‘kind of  messed up' to me from the beginning. And I don't think this has to be  as complicated as you're making it."