The Marriage Merger by Sandy Curtis Page B

was no longer dragging her
leg she had lost a lot of her dread of public places. Her
fashionable light denim coveralls hid the scarring on her leg and
Jenna had bought her a pair of sports sneakers before they went to
see the movie.
    Jenna let Caitlin choose their meal from the
menu lists she read out. Hamburgers and french fries. A cappuccino
for her and a milkshake for Caitlin.
    Caitlin munched contentedly on her food, a
peaceful, dreamy look on her face. Jenna hoped she was right in her
guess as to the reason for this.
    “Caitlin.”
    The girl looked up expectantly.
    Jenna took a deep breath. “Your Daddy’s up in
Heaven, Possum, just like Simba’s daddy.”
    Caitlin nodded.
    “And you know he’s looking down on you all
the time and he still loves you, don’t you?”
    This time the nod was slower, but her
expression was more accepting, if a little sad.
    “When your Daddy died, Possum,” Jenna
continued, “your Mummy was terribly upset, just like you were. And
when your Mummy saw that you had been hurt she felt even more upset
because she didn’t know what to do to help you, and so she got
sick. It wasn’t your fault. Sometimes these things happen and
there’s nothing we can do to prevent them.”
    Caitlin’s eyebrows furrowed together. Jenna
guessed that even if Alicia’s illness had been explained to Caitlin
before, the girl had probably not been capable of understanding
because of the shock of her father’s death and her own horrific
injuries. Now she had reached a stage where she could assimilate
the information and see the reason for her mother’s strange
behaviour.
    She watched Caitlin digest her words, the
expressive little face indicating that she was coming to terms with
the fact that she wasn’t to blame for her mother’s condition. “You
know, Possum, I bet if your Mummy could see how well you can walk
now it would make her feel a whole lot better. And just wait till
she sees you doing water ballet. She’ll be so proud of you.”
    A spark of hope brightened the grey eyes.
    Jenna mentally crossed her fingers. She was
gambling that any progress in Caitlin’s physical condition would
encourage a corresponding improvement in Alicia’s mental condition.
A germ of an idea took root. She would need Braden’s help. No
matter how furious he felt towards her she was sure that when it
came to Caitlin she would have his full co-operation.
     
    It was dark when the taxi pulled up in front
of the gate at the apartment building. Caitlin had been thoughtful
on the way home, but as they rode up in the elevator to the
penthouse she tightened her hold on Jenna’s hand and smiled up at
her. Jenna’s heart did a quick flip. It was the first smile she had
seen on Caitlin’s face, and it reminded her so much of Braden it
was almost a physical blow.
    They stepped out of the elevator and Jenna
inserted the key into the penthouse front door lock. As she started
to turn the key the door was flung open and Braden stood there,
worry and relief warring across his face.
    “Where the hell have you been?” he
growled.
    “We went to see The Lion King then stayed to
eat dinner.”
    “The Lion King?” he echoed.
    “Yes,” Jenna said, ushering Caitlin past him
and into the loungeroom. She didn’t want Braden ruining the happy
mood Caitlin was in. But she needn’t have worried. Caitlin turned
and limped quickly back to Braden. She lifted her arms up to him
and smiled.
    A kind of dazed wonder spread across Braden’s
face as he bent and scooped her up in his arms. Jenna felt a lump
in her throat as Caitlin hugged her uncle tightly and the faint
sheen in his eyes betrayed his emotion. For several seconds he held
her close, then she wriggled down and he placed her back on the
floor. Jenna took her hand and walked her to her room.
    When she walked into the kitchen after
tucking Caitlin in bed, she found Braden putting coffee mugs and a
plate of biscuits on a tray.
    “Would you like to join me outside?” he
asked.