Skye lingered outside the room for several seconds gatheringher courage.Thei ate the whole thingbutton was clenched tightly in the palm of her hand.Unsteady fingers looped a long strand of honey-blond hair behind her ear.Jordan Kiley wasn’t going to find humor in her little deception.
His eyes probed her as she entered, but she purposely avoided eye contact with him.
“I didn’t think you would come back.”His voice was cool.
“Of course I was coming back.I always keep my promises,” she said, finding it difficult not to smile.“Now, close your eyes,” she whispered, and bent over him.
He complied and she quickly attached the button to his hospital gown.
Jordan caught his breath and reached for her.The attempt to catch her was ludicrous, and Skye stood only inches from his reach, her blue eyes triumphant.A certain pride at having outwitted him prompted her mouth to curve into a Mona Lisa smile.
Jordan looked at the button and grinned.“Clever trick, Pollyanna, but have no doubts I will collect what is due me.”
Skye realized he was the type of man who ultimately got what he wanted.His words were more of a promise than a threat.Disguising the effect of his statement, she put on a smiling façade and handed him the pie on the hospital tray while gaining control of her racing heartbeat.“I told you, I keep my promises,” she said with far more confidence than she felt.
Gradually the tension began to fade, and she relaxed.Combing her fingers through her long hair, she said, “Good-bye, Mr.Grouch.”
The sound of his low laugh followed her into the corridor.
She had escaped Jordan Kiley this time, but she realized she wouldn’t be so fortunate a second time.
Billy and his mother, along with the other children and their visitors, were waiting for Skye when she entered the recreationroom.An upright mahogany piano rested against the outside wall, and when she sat on the padded bench, the happy chatter grew silent.
Skye’s slim fingers flew across the ivory keys in a light, catchy tune, and soon the small audience was clapping in time to the happy melody.The uplifting beat of the music eased some of the worry etched so clearly on the faces of the children and their families.It was for this reason Skye came week after week, year after year.If she could help others forget their own unhappiness, even for a short while, then her time was well spent.
Although everyone enjoyed the piano playing, it was the songs Skye composed that the children loved the best.The clever descriptions of make-believe dragons, castles, and children’s dreams brought smiles and giggles to cherubic faces.
Skye’s closing number was a soft lullaby she had composed using Psalm 62:
My soul rests in God alone.
My salvation is from Him.
He alone is my rock, my salvation,
and my fortress.
I will never be greatly shaken.
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from Him.
Rich and melodious, her voice rang clear and true through the passageway, and as she hummed the final notes several children yawned, ready for sleep.Hoping to place homesick patients in a familiar family routine, the hospital encouraged parents to put their children to bed before leaving.
As Betty wheeled Billy toward his room she asked Skye hopefully, “Do you have time for a cup of coffee tonight?”Alone and young, Betty Fisher needed someone as a sounding board for her worries over Billy’s uncertain future.
“I always have time for you, Betty,” Skye assured the young mother.
“Are you coming tomorrow, Skye?”Billy asked the same question after every visit, as if he were afraid she would disappear someday, just as his father had.
“No, Sprout, but I’ll be here Thursday,” she whispered, hoping not to wake Jordan.The white curtain had been replaced, and the nurse had put a finger to her lips when they had entered the room, indicating that the man was asleep.Skye had given an unconscious sigh of relief.
Just as Betty and Skye were ready to kiss Billy good night, Sally stuck her head in the door.“Do you need a ride home tonight, Skye?”
“Not tonight, thanks, Sally.”
“Okay, I’ll see you Thursday.”
