The Nanny's New Family

He hurried into the foyer with Annie right behind him. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

“Something is wrong with Jeremy. Come quick.”

Chapter Four (#ulink_5095116e-25b1-5a1d-81de-e0a3d2dfed49)

Annie followed right behind Ian as he took the stairs two at a time and rushed down the hallway. He pushed his way between his twin daughters into Jeremy’s bedroom. With a glimpse at the bed, Annie knew what was happening. His head was thrown back, his stiff body shaking: Jeremy was having a seizure.

One of the twins grabbed the other’s hand, tears running down both girls’ faces. “What’s wrong with Jeremy?”

Annie herded them away from the door and closed it behind her. Jeremy was in good hands with his father being a doctor, but right now the twins were scared and upset. Trying to decide what to tell them, Annie drew them away from the room a few yards before the one dressed in a nightgown jerked away.

“What’s wrong?” the child shouted at Annie.

The other girl threw herself at Annie, wrapping her arms around her and clinging to her. “Is he going to die?”

“No, Jeremy will be fine. Your dad is helping him.” Annie forced calmness into her voice to counter the twins’ raising panic. Since Ian had never told her about the seizures, this must be the first one. She’d gone to school with a friend who’d had epilepsy, and Annie had learned to deal with the episodes when they happened. Some of her classmates had steered clear of Becca because of that, but she hadn’t. Becca had needed friends more than ever.

The twin who wore the nightgown pointed toward her brother’s bedroom, her arm quavering as much as Jeremy had been. “No, he’s not. His eyes rolled back.”

The door opened and Ian stood in the entrance, his attention switching back and forth between the girls and Annie. “Your brother will be all right. He had a seizure, which makes him act differently for a short time, but he’s falling asleep now, and you all need to go to bed, too. You have school tomorrow.”

“But, Dad—” the twin wearing the nightgown said.

“Jasmine, this is not the time to argue.”

Annie clasped both girls’ shoulders. “Would it be okay if they peek in and see for themselves that Jeremy is fine now?”

Ian glanced at her, and he nodded. “Quietly. Then to bed.”

Annie walked with them and peered into the bedroom. Jeremy’s eyes were closed and his body was still, relaxed. “See? After a seizure a lot of people are really tired and will sleep.”

Jade slanted a look at Annie. “Will he have another one?”

“I’ll be here if he does,” Ian answered then leaned over and kissed the tops of his daughters’ heads. “Good night. Love you two.”

After the twins hugged their dad, Annie gently guided them toward their end of the hall. When both entered Jade’s room, Annie didn’t say anything to them. Given what they witnessed, they’d probably start the night together.

“Have you two brushed your teeth?”

“Yes,” they said together.

“Do you have your clothes laid out for school tomorrow?”

They looked at each other then at Annie as if she’d grown another head. Jasmine said, “No, why would we do that? I never know what I feel like wearing until I get up.”

Jade glanced at her closet. “Well, actually I do know. The same thing I always do, jeans and a shirt. So I guess I could.”

Jasmine jerked her thumb toward her sister. “She wears boring clothes. I don’t, and my mood makes a difference.”

Jade charged to her closet and yanked down a shirt and tossed it on a chair where a pair of jeans lay. “And that’s why we’re always late.”

Before war was declared, Annie stepped between the twins. “We won’t be late tomorrow. Jasmine, do I need to wake you up fifteen minutes early so you can pick out your clothes?”

“No! I need my beauty sleep.” A serious look descended on Jasmine’s face.

Annie nearly laughed but bit the inside of her mouth to keep from doing it. These twins were polar opposites. Even if they dressed alike, their behavior would give them away eventually. At least Amanda and she were similar in personalities, especially when they were young, which made it easier to change identities.

“Fine. We’ll be leaving on time so you’ll need to be ready. I won’t make the others late because you are.”

Jasmine’s eyes grew round. “Dad won’t like that.”

Annie smiled. “Be on time and there won’t be a problem.”

“What about Jeremy? What if that happens on the way to school?” Jade asked, drawing Annie’s attention away from her sister.

“Again, don’t worry. We’ll deal with what happens at the time. My mom used to say we shouldn’t borrow stress by worrying. What we fear might never happen.” Annie paused a few seconds to let that bit of wisdom sink in then added, “Time for bed. Have you said your prayers?”

Jade shook her head. “But we will. Jeremy needs our help.”

“Yes, he can always use your prayers.” Annie stood back while the twins walked to the double bed.

The two girls knelt and went through a list of people to bless. At the end Jasmine said, “God, please fix my brother. Amen.”

When they hopped up, Jade crawled across the bed to the other side while Jasmine settled on the right. Annie moved to the doorway and switched off the overhead light.

“Good night, girls.”

Jasmine turned on the bedside lamp then pulled the covers up over her shoulders, saying, “I need a light on to go to sleep,” while Jade murmured, “Good night.”

“Door open or closed?” Annie clutched the knob.

“Open,” Jade replied while Jasmine said, “Closed.”

“I’ll leave it partially open.”

Surprisingly, the two girls remained quiet, and Annie hurried toward Jeremy’s room to see how the boy was doing. She rapped lightly on the door and waited for Ian to answer. A few seconds later, he appeared with a weary expression on his face.

He stepped into the hallway but glanced at Jeremy asleep on the bed. “I need to call a doctor I know who deals with seizures in children. I hope to get Jeremy in to see him tomorrow before his office opens. He’ll need to run some tests and possibly prescribe medication for Jeremy. Will you watch him while I make that call?”

“Of course. I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

“Thanks. How are the girls?”

“They are in bed in Jade’s room. They prayed and asked God to help Jeremy.”

“Then, He’s been bombarded with prayers this evening. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Ian gave her a tired smile and headed for the staircase.

Annie checked to make sure Jeremy was still sleeping then took the chair Ian had been sitting in. She needed to come up with what she’d do when Jasmine was late to go to school. If not tomorrow, she would be probably soon, and the child needed to know the consequences. Annie could remember some of her own battles with her mother over boundaries and how neither parent ever backed down. No meant no. She realized she needed to talk with Ian to see how he’d want her to handle it.