Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
“How’s she doing?” Phineas asked at the door of the carriage house.
Ivan shook his head. “She wouldn’t eat anything for me tonight. Do you want to see if you can convince her?”
“I can try. I don’t suppose you’d go grab a beer and leave me alone with her for a couple of hours?”
“If you think she’ll eat for you, I’ll pack a bag for Timbuktu.”
“Going that far won’t be necessary,” Phineas said with a smile. Ivan stepped out of the doorway, and Phineas walked in. “I’ll go check on her in her room. Would you put this in the microwave for me? Three minutes on high.”
“Got it. I’ll leave the container in there for you.”
Phineas headed down the hallway, hoping to find his Little girl resting. When he knocked and silently opened the door, Tiffanie sat crumpled on the carpet next to the bed. Her forehead rested on her knees.
She didn’t raise her head but called, “I’m going to bed, Ivan. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You’re going to sleep on the floor, Princess? Ivan is terribly abusing you.”
“Daddy?” she asked, glancing up in surprise.
“Of course. Did you think I was going to miss seeing you this evening? What’s going on?” He walked forward and sat close to her.
“Maybe you were done with me? I didn’t hear from you all day.”
“Sorry, Princess. I answered your text about the event’s location.
You wouldn’t believe the chaos that happened today.
” He made a mental note to communicate with her more frequently.
“Daddies make mistakes sometimes. I tried to concentrate on work today to get through everything as quickly as possible so I could spend time with you.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. I won’t ever lie to you, Little girl.”
She relaxed a bit and leaned against him slightly. Phineas wrapped his arm around her shoulders and scooted closer. “I had a good day. Stressful now and then. Maybe I screwed everything up. I’m second-guessing myself now.”
“Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“Essie and I had a great meeting. We decided on the decorations and the layout for the Knowledge Fair.”
“That’s awesome news. Was that the stressful part?” Phineas asked.
“No. That came when we were finished. Essie asked me if I was Little. Just like that. I got scared and told her I didn’t know.”
“That question came out of the blue, didn’t it? That took a lot of bravery on her part to bring the subject up.” Phineas could feel the emotions radiating from her. He wanted to make this better for his Little girl, but she’d have to work her way through the worry. Perhaps he could help.
“I didn’t know she was Little! Did you?”
“I didn’t know, but I suspected from a few things I’ve overheard and seen when she is with Zander.
” The muffled sound of a spank on a clothed butt coming from the office before he’d walked in, a whispered good girl, that look that warned of repercussions, and the care that Zander always showed Essie.
“I must be totally clueless,” Tiffanie said sadly.
“Or busy and not paying attention. You’ve had a few things on your mind, and most people try to keep a distance between themselves and their boss when discussing one’s personal life.”
Tiffanie turned her head to meet Phineas’s gaze. She paused for a moment as if considering what he said before saying, “Yeah, I think that’s it. Totally.”
“Did she tell you why she asked?” Phineas asked.
“She wanted a Little friend.”
Phineas smiled. Of course, Essie did. “How sweet. Are you interested in having a Little friend?”
“Maybe? Yes? I don’t know. I’m not sure how to be Little by myself, much less with a friend.” Her hands twisted in her lap.
“Here’s the thing. Once you’ve talked about this, the genie is out of the lamp. You can’t stuff him back in there.” He smoothed a hand down her forearm and wrapped his fingers around her restless ones. Her nervous movements slowed and disappeared.
“I’m aware of that. I didn’t really have a choice,” Tiffanie muttered.
“Come here, Princess. I need to hold you.” Phineas scooped her onto his lap so she straddled his thighs. Having her with him made him feel whole—like she was his other half that had been missing. He hugged her close and noted her heart beat quickly. “What are you most scared about?”
“That she’ll laugh at me.”
“Can you imagine Essie doing that?” he asked, helping her think through her big feelings.
Silence fell between them for several seconds before Tiffanie whispered, “No. She’s my friend.”
“So, she’s going to understand whatever you decide. Whether you wish to be Little and experience that with another Little in a safe space or not.”
Tiffanie melted against his chest and pressed a kiss to his throat. “How do you always make things better?”
“That’s my job, Little girl. I’m here for you.”
“And you had a tough day too. Did you even have dinner?”
“I brought a treat for us here. Ivan had to go out for a while. Would you try it with me?” he asked, holding his breath.
She hesitated for a minute before saying, “Suddenly, I’m starving.”
“Then, let’s go eat, and I can tell you about the great library bathroom explosion.”
Her giggles made him smile for the first time that day. She clapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry. I shouldn’t laugh.”
He chuckled. “You should have seen the reaction of the people near the men’s bathroom. I’ll never forget the absolute horror on the face of the mayor’s wife.”
Tiffanie leaned back to meet his gaze directly. “What did she look like?”
Phineas made the worst face he could, and Tiffanie exploded with laughter. “That’s probably only half as bad. Let me try to showcase her reaction.” After the second grimace, his Little girl wiggled desperately on his lap.
“Daddy, stop! I’m going to wet my pants,” she cried, still giggling happily.
He quickly helped her to the bathroom. “Go potty. Wash your hands. I’ll meet you in the kitchen, Princess.”
He gave himself one more shot at capturing that horrid expression. Instantly, Tiffanie squeezed her legs together and ran for the toilet. Grinning from ear to ear, Phineas headed for the microwave. Fingers crossed, he’d come up with something else she’d devour.
“That was so good, Daddy,” Tiffanie said, rubbing her stomach.
“I’m glad you liked it. What would you like to do tonight? Watch some TV? Play a game?”
“You’re going to stay for a while?” she asked. He loved the hopeful tone of her question.
“I thought I might sleep over tonight if you’ll invite me to share your bed.” Remaining here overnight hadn’t popped into his head until he arrived. Seeing her instantly reminded him how much he’d missed her while they were apart.
“I’d like that,” she whispered.
“Then that’s what I’ll do. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. Perhaps I can convince you and Biff to come live with me.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You want me to move in with you?” Almost immediately, she shook her head. “I’m a lot of work. When I have my treatments, I’m sick and not girlfriend material. Ivan’s stuck with me because we’re family.”
“I doubt Ivan feels like he’s trapped.”
“I don’t,” Ivan’s deep voice announced from the doorway. Her brother’s gaze floated over the dish on the table that was now empty before he glanced at Phineas with relief.
“Right on cue, Ivan. This affects you too. We were discussing Tiffanie coming to stay with me,” Phineas said.
“That’s a big step, Tiff. You should definitely think about where you wish to live and then do whatever makes you happy. In the meantime, Phineas is always welcome here.”
“Thanks, Ivan,” Tiffanie said, nodding at her brother. She yawned hugely and slapped a hand over her mouth as if embarrassed.
“Let’s brush your teeth and go to bed, Tiffanie,” Phineas said.
“Yep, time for your beauty sleep.” Ivan backed him up.
Tiffanie looked between the two men and muttered, “No fair. Two against one.”
“Come on, Princess. Let’s get you into bed,” Phineas announced. He met Ivan’s gaze over her head as he tugged Tiffanie to her feet. He needed to have a frank talk with Ivan about many things, but first, Phineas wanted to hear Tiffanie’s report of how she was doing.
A few minutes later, he stripped off her clothes as she wobbled slightly in the bathroom. This shower wasn’t as large as his, but they could make do. He grabbed an extra towel from the basket next to the shower and tossed the edge of the thick material over the shower curtain.
“You should know what you’re in for,” Tiffanie said quietly.
He didn’t make a joke. Her face signaled him that whatever she wanted to tell him was serious. “Okay. I appreciate that. Talk to me.”
“You’re aware I have cancer, but I haven’t shared any details.”
“I’ll listen to whatever you want me to know,” Phineas said, swallowing hard to rid himself of a lump the size of Texas in his throat. Please let her be okay.
“I was lucky. They did a scan, thinking I had some kind of gastric problem—gallbladder or such. Instead, they found a shadow on my ovary. They discovered that small mass early, improving my chances of survival. I decided to have both my ovaries and my fallopian tubes removed. If genetics had caused this, I would risk having cancer strike the other side.”
“You were so brave. I’m glad you made the best decision for you.”
“Yes. There’s a history of breast cancer in my family, and ovarian cancer can be related as well.”
“Sounds like you did a lot of research and had a good doctor,” Phineas said, sorry that he hadn’t been in her life from the beginning when all this scary stuff was happening. “You’re having chemo now to make sure the cancer is gone?”
“Yes. Just in case a few cells migrated from that spot. There’s no evidence of that, but the risk exists. The blood tests haven’t assured the doctors that I’m in the clear, but the scans show no signs of cancer.”
“Best news ever. So, you keep working on getting everything to be perfect.”
“Yes. But the chemo is hard. My body doesn’t like it. I haven’t lost my hair, but I have trouble with appetite and energy,” she confessed. “Last week, the doctor stopped chemo to give me time to recover. The break is risky, but necessary to keep me….” Tiffanie’s voice broke.
Phineas hesitated, thinking the worst. He didn’t want to say that fear aloud but forced himself to speak for her. “Alive?”
“Yeah, that. I do feel better. I think you’re the reason why.”
“As long as you see an improvement, I’m ecstatic. No matter what the reason is. When do you return to the doctor?”
“Next week. Ivan’s supposed to take me, but would you?”
Jumping at the chance to go with her, Phineas nodded, happy to support his Little girl. “Tell me the date and time to get on the road,” he requested. “I’ll clear my schedule.”
“Tuesday at one-thirty.”
Phineas pulled his phone out of his back pocket and made a note for himself. “When do I need to pick you up? Is the office close?”
“About an hour away,” she said hesitantly.
“I’ll be here at noon unless you want me to leave earlier to have some lunch.”
“Oh, I couldn’t eat. I’ll be too scared,” she said.
“Noon. Text me the address, Little girl, so I’ll be prepared.”
She nodded and looked across the room. “I can’t have kids, Phineas. I mean, that’s the last of my worries, but if having a family is important to you….” Her voice faded away.
“You are important to me. We’ll get you healthy and then we’ll figure out what our future might hold. I’ve never planned on having kids, but if they are essential for you, we have options.”
“It’s that easy?”
“Not really. You’re going to have to fight hard to get better. I’ll be right by your side every step of the way.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“I never want you to apologize again for the awful thing that happened to you. You didn’t ask for cancer.
I will spank your bottom or stand you in a corner if you say that in the future.
” Phineas’s blood boiled at the thought of her feeling bad about something no rational person would seek out—ever.
She nodded and threw herself into his arms. Phineas held her close, squeezing her against him with gentle hugs. She would be okay. Tiffanie had to recover.