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"Lord, he's always had more heart than sense, but he's so good with those kids." Betty shook her head. "See the boy? Justice was terrified of anything even resembling a needle. Yet Des has him putting on his pump and testing his blood sugar like it's nothing out of the ordinary. None of the drama and tears that were giving his poor parents gray hairs."
"I'm familiar with Des's powers of persuasion," Julie said. "They're hard to resist. Do you know how he did it?"
The crow's feet around Betty's attractive pale green eyes crinkled. "That's a kind way of saying he's stubborn as a stump. But he can be clever, patient and kind about it, which is often just what these kids need. Took me a while to pry it out of him, since he initially said it was a secret bro code between him and Justice."
Betty shook her head. "He told the boy to imagine he was a super hero. Putting on the pump would give him powers against the evil Dr. Sharp, whose strength draws from fear of nee
dles."
Betty considered the thin boy as Des caught him, reclaiming the hat, but in their wrestling for it, his arm ended up around Justice's back and the boy took the opportunity to give him a self-conscious hug. Des returned it in full measure, ruffling his hair.
"He told Justice that every kid who sticks his finger or puts on his pump without fear lessens Dr. Sharp's power, so he can't do bad things to make the world a darker place. I had the pleasure of being there the first time Justice put on his pump without fuss. Afterward, he was beaming from ear to ear. Des high-fived him and exclaimed, 'See, it worked. The world just became brighter, right? That was all you. Your name says it all, man. Justice kicks the ass of darkness.'"
Betty used her hands, voice and widened eyes expressively to bring the story to life. It suggested she was good with kids herself. Since Des obviously held her in fond regard from his own childhood, that came as no surprise.
Julie watched Des put Justice up on the parallel bars, spotting him so he could hang upside down. The boy laughed and then yelled as Des and the little girl tried to tickle him. She wondered if there was anyone Des wasn't comfortable around.
"So are you involved with the playground project, or just here to see Des?"
"I'm here to see Des, but he got involved with this through me. A patient from this neighborhood told me they were renovating the playground and needed skilled volunteer labor. I told Des and here he is, with his friends." Betty smiled. "He and I go way back."
"He said you were the nurse at the boys' home where he was raised."
Betty gave her another speculative look, as if she hadn't expected that to be something Julie would know. "Yes. After he moved out on his own at eighteen, I eventually went into PA work. Physician's Assistant. When he transitioned from an endocrinologist to an internist, as often happens when Type I kids grow up, he came to my boss. Now I'm his PA as well as his landlady."
"So, was he a cool teenager? Give me something that will mortify him. How can I bribe you?"
Betty chuckled. "He was a very cool teenager."
"I'm not surprised to hear it," Julie admitted. "He mentioned he dealt with a lot of health problems. My takeaway from what little he said was that he had to be a pretty remarkable kid to be as good with life as he seems to be now."
The personal note gave Julie the chance to convey the less than subtle message that Des had shared confidences with her, in case Betty wanted to be more forthcoming. She didn't want the woman to betray Des's trust, but now that she'd admitted to herself and him that she was falling in love with him, Julie wanted to know as much about him as she could.
Betty met Julie's gaze. "I believe," she said, with a look that Julie was sure had made more than one boy squirm, "this is where I ask you your intentions with regard to Des."
"That's a great combination of Southern traditional courtesy and 'don't bullshit me or I'll stomp you like a bug.'" Julie shifted closer, turning on her hip to give Betty her full attention. "I'm falling head-over-heels with him and terrified he's going to betray my heart and treat me like crap. He's made it clear that he might screw up my life entirely, but the one thing he'll never do is treat me badly."
Betty blinked. "You do brutal honesty very well. But yes, you are right. Des won't ever treat you carelessly. He's guarded himself so long because he doesn't want to hurt anyone. However, by doing that, I think he's closed himself off from having a truly two-way relationship, where he can be given the gift of someone's heart." Betty gave her another searching look. "Perhaps that's changed."
"Well, let's not go insane. It doesn't say anything about his feelings. I could be a very charming stalker."
Betty's eyes sparkled. "I think not. He doesn't bring women home, and I've never seen any of them visit him while he's working."
"Well, technically this isn't a job site. Though I have been to one of those." At Betty's satisfied look, Julie held up a hand. "Okay, don't freak me out, because being in love with him and okay with that is still new to me and porcelain fragile. Let's go back to the impressive teenager thing and you telling me stuff about him I don't know. If I've passed the initial test."
"I think you have." Betty's expression was a mix of fascination and wary amusement, but she crossed her legs, readjusting the folder beneath her thigh. "Des spent so much time in doctor's offices and hospitals," she said. "It wasn't an easy childhood, but I expect that's what made him Des and what helps him be so good with these kids. He doesn't let them feel sorry for themselves, not a bit, but he's always there with a hug or a pat on the shoulder when needed."
"Were you the one who provided that for him?"
The nurse looked surprised, but her shrewdness returned. "You have a kind heart. He needs that. I was there more than most, and it was still a sad substitute for full-time parents. He was unadoptable, as you can imagine. He accepted that early on, and the need to care for himself. He hated hospitals, doctors, people poking him and taking away his choices. I told him the best way to minimize that was to take complete control of his health."
Betty smiled at Des fondly. He was back over in the construction area, giving the kids pavers to carry to a section of the playground. "It was something to see, a nine-year-old explaining his medical history as capably as an adult. Ten-dollar medical terms tripping off his tongue like a foreign language he knew fluently. He'd tell a doctor what he'd overlooked, or show new techs how to do procedures on him more efficiently."
Betty stopped. "I have a tendency to want to talk about him to someone who thinks he's as remarkable as I do," she admitted. "You were looking at him that way when I sat down, but it wasn't naively starry-eyed. I sense you've already met his frustrating side."
"The head like a brick thing? Oh yeah. But it sounds like that may have made him what he is, too."
"It is. Our weaknesses and strengths often switch places in unexpectedly beneficial ways."
