From Doctor...to Daddy by Karen Rose Smith Page B

dropped off some of her soup and homemade bread.”
    â€œShe’s a good cook.”
    Whereas Erika’s living room had been straightened up the last time he was here, now it had a different look because it had been a two-year-old’s play area for the past couple of hours. Sofa cushions stood cockeyed against the furniture with a blanket draped over the top. Stuffed animals, dolls and doll clothes lay scattered across the rug. Children’s books covered the top of the coffee table, while a coloring book and crayons were left abandoned on the easy chair. The whole atmosphere gave his heart a pang that was warning him he’d made a mistake by coming.
    Erika scooped up a few toys and cut him a sideways glance. “Be careful not to trip over anything.”
    Emilia was on her hands and knees peeking out of her hideaway at him.
    â€œHi, there,” he said, crouching down. “Remember me?”
    She grinned and crawled out a little farther. “Doctor, doctor.”
    â€œShe remembers,” he murmured, stunned by the wonderful-terrible recall of a child. Toby had been like that, too—quick to remember, quick to make friends.
    â€œShe remembers what she wants to remember, so you must have made an impression,” Erika joked.
    â€œThat could be good or bad,” he said drily. “Comehere, Emilia, I have something for you.” He wiggled the box.
    Emilia scrambled out from under the cushions and blanket, pushed herself to her feet and ran over to him. One of her little overall straps was falling over her shoulder. She bumped against Dillon’s knees, holding on to them to balance herself.
    He pushed her shoulder strap up where it belonged on top of the little white blouse covered with dancing dogs. “Would you like to open this?”
    He set the box on the floor because it was too big for her to handle. Emilia squatted down beside it.
    Erika said, “What do you say, baby?”
    â€œTank you,” Emilia told Dillon with a little smile.
    â€œYou’re very welcome. I hope you like it.”
    Dillon helped Emilia with the package, which pictured a busy box with lights and music on the box.
    â€œI already put the batteries in,” he told Erika.
    â€œYou’ve thought of everything.” Her eyes were full of questions, questions he didn’t know if he could answer.
    After Dillon helped Emilia open the box and extract the toy, he pressed one of the buttons. A tiger popped up, music played and a blue light flashed.
    â€œOh, she’s going to love this,” Erika murmured. “Lights and music fascinate her right now.” She dropped to the floor beside her daughter and sat cross-legged, grinning as Emilia pushed the next button and an elephant popped up with a green light flashing.
    Emilia giggled. Pointing to the elephant, she said, “Dumbo.”
    â€œThat’s the elephant in one of her books,” Erika explained, with a mother’s pride that her daughter was learning.
    As Dillon watched mother and daughter, as he joined in laughing with them, seeing Emilia learn, his heart burned with remembered warmth. The feeling was bittersweet. Pictures of hugging Toby, reading to him and kissing him good-night played across a screen in his mind. Then it was swiftly followed by a feeling of powerlessness because he hadn’t been able to keep his son from slipping away.
    Suddenly Emilia stopped playing with the toy. She climbed to her feet, ran to Dillon and held her little arms up to him. “Huggy, huggy,” she said as if he should know what that meant.
    Dillon sought Erika’s gaze for translation.
    â€œShe wants a hug, and she wants to hug you.”
    With a lump in his throat, Dillon wrapped his arms around Emilia and, ignoring the pain in his side, lifted her onto his lap. He gave her a hug and she hugged him back, burying her face in his sweater.
    He ran his hand over her wavy hair, feeling his throat tighten.
    â€œI