Page 14 of Tiffanie

Phineas opened her door quietly, scooped her out of the seat, and carried her toward the house. Hoping Ivan had left the door open, he reached for the knob. Success!

Stepping in carefully, Phineas hesitated inside as he looked around. A staircase stood to his right. Tiffanie wouldn’t have a bedroom there. He walked the opposite way past the kitchen and a small family room. At the end of the hallway, he entered a bedroom with a mound of pillows.

A well-loved teddy bear sat on the comforter as if waiting for her. He gently settled her onto the comfortable nest of fluffy covers and pillows and tucked her stuffie in her arms before brushing his lips over her hair. Tiffanie rubbed her nose on the soft fur. He held his breath, hoping she wouldn’t wake completely. To his delight, she didn’t move again.

“Daddy will see you soon, Princess,” he whispered before quietly retracing his path to the front door.

“Phineas?” Ivan’s surprised voice made Phineas press his finger to his lips, warning Tiffanie’s brother to keep the volume down.

“Hey, Ivan. Tiffanie got wiped out. I drove her car home and set her on her bed.”

“I didn’t want her to drive today. She doesn’t have the energy for that. Shit. Forget I said that.”

She must have made him swear not to reveal her illness to anyone. “I know she has cancer, Ivan.”

“Tiffanie told you? Wow.” Ivan shook his head in obvious disbelief. “Do you need a ride to your car?”

“I do. Would you mind taking me to the diner?” He’d savor Ivan’s surprise that Tiffanie had confided in him later as Phineas noted this wasn’t her usual habit.

“My pleasure.”

Ivan preceded him outside. The two men jumped into the truck. Comfortable silence filled the interior as Phineas processed all he’d discovered today. The trip took fifteen minutes. When they reached the diner, Phineas paused with his hand on the door handle.

“How bad is it?”

“She’s had a tough fight.”

Phineas nodded. “Just so you’re aware, I’m going to be part of her life now.”

“That will be up to Tiffanie,” her brother warned.

Phineas nodded and got out. Before he could close the door, Ivan asked, “Did she eat?”

“Half her hamburger and fries dipped in cream gravy.”

“That’s her best meal in weeks.”

“Sounds like I need to take her out on a regular basis,” Phineas said.

“I’ll drive her next time,” Ivan promised.

“No, you won’t. She needed this today. You should have seen her sparkle when we met. Let her pretend everything is okay when she can. I’m glad to make sure she gets home.”

“Thank you for giving her that. She deserves normalcy.”

“My pleasure, Ivan. I appreciate the ride. I’m sure I’ll see you soon.” Phineas offered Ivan his hand.

Ivan shook his with a nod. Phineas slid out and headed for his car. Ivan’s truck was already gone by the time he had his car backed out. Her brother would take care of her tonight, but leaving her had been difficult.

His phone buzzed with a message three hours later.

Thank you.

Hi, Princess. I’m glad you had a good nap.

Lunch was delicious. I enjoyed spending time with you.

Me too, Little girl. How about if I let you rest for a couple of days? Perhaps you’d come watch a movie with me on Sunday afternoon?