without making it worse for the kid?
“Morning, champ.” He rubbed his eyes. “I'm nearly
awake. How about you?”
“Yeah.” Scot was still looking at the
floor.
“Do you have coffee?”
“Orange juice,” he mumbled.
Dan got up and poured him a glass of juice. “What
about breakfast?”
“No thanks. I have to.... Is Mom awake?”
“Not yet. What do you need, bud?”
Scot lifted his head just enough so that Dan could
see his eyes. His brows knit together. “I....” He lowered
his gaze again and stood there, clutching his glass in both hands.
Poor little guy. Like so many of the things Scot
went through, Dan remembered how this felt too. “Listen, bud.
When I used to do it, Jack would make me go take a shower while he
stripped the bed and put the sheets and jammies in the washer. You
think we should try that?”
Scot looked up at him. “You used to pee in
bed too?”
“Yup, sure did.” Dan nodded solemnly.
“Sometimes I would do it when I wasn't even asleep.”
“You did?”
“Yup. You know how the real world fades away
when you're coding? Sometimes I'd be so into what I was writing that
I wouldn't notice that I needed to pee—or even that I had peed!
I think it's the way our minds work. We get so involved with the
interesting stuff, we don't always pay as much attention as we should
to the everyday stuff.”
Scot nodded. “I used to do it when I was
awake too. I don't anymore though.”
“Me neither,” said Dan with a smile.
“What do you think, you want to go shower while I strip the
bed?”
Scot smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Dan.”
“No worries, champ. We smart guys have to
stick together right? Not everyone else gets us, do they?”
He held his fist out and Scot bumped his own
against it. He followed the kid upstairs into his bedroom. “Throw
your jammies out to me before you get in the shower and I'll stick
them in the washer with the sheets. And be quick so we can have some
breakfast.”
***
Missy came out of Dr. Morgan's office and smiled
at Dan, who sat in the waiting room looking uncomfortable, surrounded
as he was by gossiping women and coughing kids. He jumped up when he
saw her and followed her to the door.
“So what did he say?”
“That you and Michael are right. I need some
good food and some iron pills.”
Dan raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing look.
“And some rest?”
“Yeah, that too.”
“So what caused it? Did he know?”
“Umm, a couple of things. It's kind of
hereditary. My mom was always on iron pills.”
“What else?”
Missy wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him.
“ What, Miss?” He looked so
concerned it would be easier to tell him than to leave him worrying
it was something serious.
“Heavy blood loss.”
He looked horrified. “Heavy blood loss? How?
When?”
Oh, the poor clueless man! She couldn't help but
laugh. “Dan, you're supposed to be a smart guy. If I tell you
that the answer to when is a few days every month, I think you can
probably figure out the how!”
“Ah.” He gave her a shamefaced grin.
“I didn't think of that. Sorry.”
She laughed. “Not a problem. It makes it
easier for me to ask you to take me to the pharmacy.”
He held up a hand. “No need to tell me
anything more. I don't understand, but I don't need to.”
She smiled. Hopefully, at some point he might be
interested to know that Dr Morgan had put her on the pill. Not for
the sake of any sex life she might be hoping for, but in an attempt
to help with the anemia by moderating her period. “Okay, I
shall say no more.”
“Thank you.” He opened the passenger
door of the minivan for her. Before she got in, she reached up and
kissed his cheek.
“No, Dan. Thank you. I don't know
what I would have done without you this weekend.” She sat in
the van. “Or this morning, getting Scotty ready and off to
school. Getting me here. You've done so much. Thank you.”
“I'm glad I was here. Very glad.”
While he went around to the driver's side,
“Morning, champ.” He rubbed his eyes. “I'm nearly
awake. How about you?”
“Yeah.” Scot was still looking at the
floor.
“Do you have coffee?”
“Orange juice,” he mumbled.
Dan got up and poured him a glass of juice. “What
about breakfast?”
“No thanks. I have to.... Is Mom awake?”
“Not yet. What do you need, bud?”
Scot lifted his head just enough so that Dan could
see his eyes. His brows knit together. “I....” He lowered
his gaze again and stood there, clutching his glass in both hands.
Poor little guy. Like so many of the things Scot
went through, Dan remembered how this felt too. “Listen, bud.
When I used to do it, Jack would make me go take a shower while he
stripped the bed and put the sheets and jammies in the washer. You
think we should try that?”
Scot looked up at him. “You used to pee in
bed too?”
“Yup, sure did.” Dan nodded solemnly.
“Sometimes I would do it when I wasn't even asleep.”
“You did?”
“Yup. You know how the real world fades away
when you're coding? Sometimes I'd be so into what I was writing that
I wouldn't notice that I needed to pee—or even that I had peed!
I think it's the way our minds work. We get so involved with the
interesting stuff, we don't always pay as much attention as we should
to the everyday stuff.”
Scot nodded. “I used to do it when I was
awake too. I don't anymore though.”
“Me neither,” said Dan with a smile.
“What do you think, you want to go shower while I strip the
bed?”
Scot smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Dan.”
“No worries, champ. We smart guys have to
stick together right? Not everyone else gets us, do they?”
He held his fist out and Scot bumped his own
against it. He followed the kid upstairs into his bedroom. “Throw
your jammies out to me before you get in the shower and I'll stick
them in the washer with the sheets. And be quick so we can have some
breakfast.”
***
Missy came out of Dr. Morgan's office and smiled
at Dan, who sat in the waiting room looking uncomfortable, surrounded
as he was by gossiping women and coughing kids. He jumped up when he
saw her and followed her to the door.
“So what did he say?”
“That you and Michael are right. I need some
good food and some iron pills.”
Dan raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing look.
“And some rest?”
“Yeah, that too.”
“So what caused it? Did he know?”
“Umm, a couple of things. It's kind of
hereditary. My mom was always on iron pills.”
“What else?”
Missy wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him.
“ What, Miss?” He looked so
concerned it would be easier to tell him than to leave him worrying
it was something serious.
“Heavy blood loss.”
He looked horrified. “Heavy blood loss? How?
When?”
Oh, the poor clueless man! She couldn't help but
laugh. “Dan, you're supposed to be a smart guy. If I tell you
that the answer to when is a few days every month, I think you can
probably figure out the how!”
“Ah.” He gave her a shamefaced grin.
“I didn't think of that. Sorry.”
She laughed. “Not a problem. It makes it
easier for me to ask you to take me to the pharmacy.”
He held up a hand. “No need to tell me
anything more. I don't understand, but I don't need to.”
She smiled. Hopefully, at some point he might be
interested to know that Dr Morgan had put her on the pill. Not for
the sake of any sex life she might be hoping for, but in an attempt
to help with the anemia by moderating her period. “Okay, I
shall say no more.”
“Thank you.” He opened the passenger
door of the minivan for her. Before she got in, she reached up and
kissed his cheek.
“No, Dan. Thank you. I don't know
what I would have done without you this weekend.” She sat in
the van. “Or this morning, getting Scotty ready and off to
school. Getting me here. You've done so much. Thank you.”
“I'm glad I was here. Very glad.”
While he went around to the driver's side,
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