MARIAN'S WORST FEARS:

It started out as a very special thing. It was only a walk to the store, to the Walgreens up on the corner but Amanda Grace was going on an unchaperoned adventure. She and her 'bestie' Susie Ormand, were going to walk together. Her Mom, Marian and Susie's Mom, Gail both agreed to the plan and decided to wait until the girls got back, nervously talking over a cup of coffee. But it seemed like such an important thing for the two girls.

Amanda Grace Winston was a lovely 7 year old with a head of beautiful red hair, that she'd inherited from her Mom, Marian.

As a matter of fact, the red hair that Marian sported, even in private places, was one of the many complaints that Marian's husband, Jason, before he left with his latest boyfriend.

It had been, at the time, a relief, at least for Marian, who could never understand how Jason could so almost completely ignore their lovely daughter, Amanda Grace. But Jason Winston was a strange young man, and then he was gone.

The divorce, for abandonment, was easy to get and set Marian and Amanda free. Jason, of course, proved slow on support and Marian got tired of the slowness of the legal process to make that right, especially after Jason simply fell off the grid somehow.

After their abandonment, Marian and Amanda Grace went on together, getting closer all the time. Things were difficult for Marian, especially since there was no help from Jason at all. They did, however, manage.

That morning she'd declared that she had to make a trip to the Walgreens on the corner. It was then that Susie and Amanda, with their heads together, hatched the plot to walk to the Walgreens themselves.

Marian was skeptical but she knew that she'd been instructing Amanda Grace, and through her, Susie too, on how to cross the street and be safe, for a while. She, in the end, realized that she needed to trust Amanda's good sense and let her go.

Amanda and Susie were also given enough money for candy for themselves as a treat, when they came back from the store.

Gail and Marian settled down to their late morning cups of coffee and talked about weekend plans that either of them might have. It was a tense kind of waiting situation for both of them.

Amanda and Susie were elated and got across the street safely, on the way to the Walgreens. They got what Marian had wanted and then got their treats, a chocolate bar for Susie and M & M's for Amanda.

They held hands tightly as they approached the crossing point. At that time, Susie dropped her chocolate bar on the ground and bent to pick it up. Amanda had already looked, saw nothing coming and stepped off the curb.

The car had come around the corner at a fairly fast rate and hit little Amanda Grace, propelling her back onto the curb, unconscious.

Up the street, still living in his parents home, Dr. Wilson MacGruder, had been mowing the lawn. He saw the incident and ran across the street to where Amanda Grace was lying. He only saw that the car was an older Oldsmobile with a N Y license on it.

He checked Amanda's vitals immediately and then phoned 911 for an ambulance. Then he quickly checked and called Marian Winston.

"Hello?" Marian said.

"Marian," Wilson said softly, "This is Wilson MacGruder. I'm at the curb across the street; Amanda's been hit by a car. I've called 911 and will see her to the hospital."

Marian simply screamed and dropped the phone. She and Gail were there in an instant with Marian crying, being held by Gail, as Wilson continued to check on Amanda.

Marian knelt then and, looking earnestly at Wilson, said: "Thank you, Doctor, for taking care of her."

"It's Wilson," he said, "She's my pal. We'll get her through this."

By then they heard the siren of the ambulance. When the ambulance arrived, Wilson identified himself; he was chief of surgery at the University Med Center. He got into the back of the ambulance with Marian and the attendant and oversaw Amanda Grace's situation, as she was taken to the hospital.

During the ride to the hospital, with Marian sobbing all the way, Wilson took time now and then to turn to her. At first he simply held her hand but at about half way to the hospital, when Marian seemed to be about to lose control, he simply put his arms around her.

"Marian," he said softly, "I promise you, promise you that she's going to be fine. I will be with her every minute and will see to it."

"Thank you so much, Wilson," Marian said, and the attendant from the ambulance gave Wilson a big smile and said: "Thank you, doctor."

IN WILSON'S CARE:

When they got to the hospital, Wilson took over. He was, of course, well known throughout the hospital and saw to all the details. He even told the admitting gal that she should talk to him, after the emergency was taken care of, about the hospital and ambulance bill.

(Wilson was a friend of Marian and certainly of Amanda's and knew the kind of struggle that Marian was having with her finances, since the decamping of Jason with one of his boyfriends. He intended to see to the bill quietly, so as not to embarrass Marian. She did, of course, find this out!)

Wilson made sure that Marian was comfortable in a waiting room and then went to direct the care for Amanda Grace. Shortly after that, Gail was there to sit with Marian and wait.

After about forty five minutes, Wilson went to the waiting room. He was wearing his green hospital sweats. As soon as he entered the room, Marian was on her feet and rushing to him. She simply threw herself at him, into his arms, waiting to hear what she thought would be the worst.

"Marian," he said, "We can't find any permanent damage at all. There's a mild concussion but she'll be fine from that. I'm going to keep her for the night and maybe one more day to observe."

Marian's response was to simply cry, and hold on to Wilson MacGruder. When Wilson left, to continue to look after Amanda Grace's care, Gail sat with her for a while, as they waited for further word from Wilson. When he came back, he told them that he had Amanda Grace now in a private room and Marian could see her at that point.

They went anxiously to the room.

(After only a short visit, Gail did excuse herself, getting a hug and cheek kiss from Marian and she went home.)

As they entered the room, Amanda Grace looked up and smiled, when she saw her Momma. She began to cry then, as Marian put her arms around her.

"Momma," Manda Grace said, "I tried to be careful! I looked! I did!"

"I know that, honey, Dr Wilson was there and saw it; it was the driver's fault."

"Who was he?" Amanda Grace asked, with Marian wiping her tears away.

"He didn't stop," Marian said, "It was a man that's all we know."

"Momma, that's wicked!" Amanda Grace said, and Marian answered: "Yes, honey, that is wicked; he's a wicked man, a wicked person."

It was just then that Wilson came into the room; he stood and smiled down at Amanda Grace.

"Hi, Doctor Wilson!" Amanda Grace said.

"So, having run ins with moving cars, eh?" he asked her, and Marian smiled, as Amanda Grace giggled.

He went over to her bed side, on the opposite side that Marian was and Amanda Grace put her arms up to put them around his neck.

"Momma," Amanda Grace said, "Dr Wilson is my hero!"

"He's my hero too, sweet love," Marian said.

"Then you need to give him a hug too," Amanda Grace said next, "To say a 'thank you!"

Marian went to where Wilson was standing and turning just a bit red. She fairly launched herself at him and had her arms around him and her head on his shoulder, and she simply began to sob.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I was so worried!"

"Hey, no 'sorries' for us," Wilson said, "Our sweet pea is going to be fine; I just want to run some few tests and keep her over night."

"Yes," was all that Marian managed.

"Tests?" Amanda Grace asked.

"Yep," Wilson said, "Gonna screw the top of your head off and look inside with my trusty flashlight."

(It was the kind of kidding that Wilson and Amanda Grace often engaged in.)

Amanda Grace giggled then and said: "My Momma won't let you do that!"

"She's gonna look inside with me!" Wilson said with a big grin.

At that point, Amanda Grace simply said, with the fervor and innocence of youth: "I love you, Dr Wilson!"

He bent over her then, with a grateful and smiling Marian looking on and said: "I love you too, honey, and we're going to give you the best care. We'll keep you here tonight and either your Momma or I or both of us will be here all the time. We won't leave you alone at all."

"Thank you, Dr Wilson!" Amanda Grace said, and kissed his cheek.

"Good for me!" he proclaimed, "A decoration!"

He turned to Marian then and said: "There are some tests that need to be done now; the technician will be here soon. Can I buy you lunch, Marian?"

She gave him a grateful look and said: "I'd like that, Wilson."

She turned to Amanda Grace and said: "We'll be right here, honey, when you get back."

"It'll take a little while, I'm afraid," Wilson said. "They'll keep me informed though."

It was just then that the technician came to fetch Amanda for the further tests that they wanted to do. When she was gone, Marian began to sob again and got yet another hug from Wilson.

"You'll be okay?" he asked.

"Yes," she said softly, "As long as she's going to be fine."

"She is!" he said, "Hard head!" he quipped and she smiled.

"Maybe like her Momma!" Marian said and they both laughed.

Wilson said then, however, "Beautiful, like her Momma."

He reddened a bit and Marian gave him a semi-adoring look and hugged him.

"You're so nice!" Marian said, "Taking such good care of Amanda Grace and saying nice things."

"Only the truth," he said.

(At this point in their lives, a kind of point of new beginnings that they each would begin to realize, Wilson MacGruder was a 42 year old bachelor. He had always been a career kind of person, not avoiding romance but shy enough, in his own way, to not greatly encourage it either. At even this young age, he was beginning to get some gray in his dark, curly hair. It made him, however, look handsome —- at least that was the opinion of the many nurses around, some of whom lusted for Wilson MacGruder.

Marian Winston, at 27, felt that she'd already lived two or more lifetimes. Most of that went to her having to deal with her former husband Jason's antics, which ended in his running off with a boyfriend. She was slim and red haired. As a matter of fact, one of Jason often mentioned complaints was that she was too slim. She had small breasts with, however, large and responsive nipples. She was slim in the waist but her butt flared out into a near perfect upside-down heart shape. It was, arguably, her best feature, apart from her lovely freckled face.)

Marian just sighed then in response to his statement and said: "Thank you, Wilson, no one has said that to me in many, many years!"

"Don't know why!" Wilson said.

At that point, they'd arrived at the cafeteria, where Wilson insisted on buying lunch for Marian. They both opted for salads and settled down to eat and talk.

During their meal, Marian said: "I need to do something about registering for Amanda Grace."

"No," he said to her, "I've taken care of that."

"What?" she asked.

"Marian," he said, "I told them that I'd be surety for Amanda Grace's bills."

Marian covered her mouth with her hand and began to sob. He handed her a handkerchief, and she wiped her eyes with it.

"Please let me do that!" he said earnestly.

She looked up at him then and he went on: "I know how hard this is being on you and Amanda Grace. I suspect that Jason's not doing his share at all, and I want to help here. Amanda Grace is such a love!"

He said all of this quietly to Marian, who continued to sob softly.

"Will you allow me to do this?" he asked. "I don't want to be insulting or anything like that."

"No, no," she said in return then, "You're not; it's such a lovely thing to do. And, yes, things are so tough just now.We might have to move out of the house, since the rent is getting a bit hard for us."

"And you're missing work today," he said.

She shook her head 'yes'.

"I hope they understand," was her statement then.

"They should!" he said.

Then he asked: "Dessert?"

"Need to keep my girlish figure!" she said.

"Looks just fine to me!" he offered, and she giggled behind her hand.

"You're fun!" he said, and she giggled again. "But maybe we should go and see the beauty?"

(Just then he got a page, which told him that the tests were finished, and the results ready for him.)

"Now we'll go back to her room," he said, "And I need to look over those tests. I'll have results for you quickly."

She stood then and wanted another hug from him, which he was happy to give.

"I appreciate it, Wilson," she said, "And I heard everything! I really did!"

She was sitting there, with Amanda Grace dozing, when Wilson came back. The smile on his face told her pretty much what she needed to know.

"Ohhh," she sighed.

He shook his head and gave a 'yes' gesture with it. "She's fine. The tests show nothing to be worried about."

She was up from her chair than, following the instincts to simply cling to him.

"I wish, I wish," she said fervently, "That I could, we could do something to pay you back; I really do."

"Well," he said, "Loving that little girl and letting me love her too is certainly a good start; it's the kind of payment that will mean the most to me."

"Oh, Doctor MacGruder, you're so nice! So nice to me, to Amanda Grace, to us! It makes me feel so special."

"Good then it's working," he said.

She sat again and he went on: "I'm pretty much finished for today except for a pile of reading that I need to do. Do you need to go home? Get things done? I'm going to stay here with her. If you want, you just come back later. We'll kind of take turns."

She sobbed again. "You must think that I'm a loon, since all that I do is cry and sob."

She looked up at him and her eyes were sparking with tears. He leaned down and kissed her forehead but she put up her hand and moved his face, so that she could actually kiss him.

The kiss was soft and wonderful! That's especially what Wilson thought. When it broke she was noticeably red faced.

"I'm sorry..." she began but that's as far as she got.

He put his finger on her lips and shook his head 'no'.

"That was so special that I won't allow an apology! I simply won't," he said, and she clung to him for another minute.

Before going, she gave Amanda Grace, who was snoozing now, a forehead kiss and said: "Honey, Mommie love you so much! And so does Dr MacGruder."

Amanda Grace stirred as though she heard it and mumbled a silent 'thank you'.

Marian turned to Wilson and simply beamed at him and then, giving him a cheek kiss left to go home and get things straightened out.

GOING HOME AND ALTERNATIVES:

He did his reading, while sitting with Amanda Grace. She eventually woke up and got a huge smile on her face, when she saw Dr MacGruder sitting there.

"Dr Wilson," she said.

"He, sport!" he said. "How are you feeling, the big Doctor wants to know!"

"Special!" she said, "Not bad but maybe hungry."

"I know the very thing for it," he said, "And I'm off to get some chocolate ice cream."

"Goodie!" she said.

He rang the buzzer and the nurse came.

"Terry," he said, "I'm off for chocolate ice cream for this slippery character, who likes to take on full sized automobiles head on. Keep an eye on her. She's a crafty one!"

"Will do, Doctor!" Terry said with a smile and a wink at Amanda Grace.

"Care for chocolate ice cream?" he asked.

"Oh, what a treat!" Terry said.

"How many?" he asked.

"There are three of us up here now," she said.

"You've got it!" was his answer.

He was back in about a half hour and had chocolate ice cream for everyone.

He and Amanda Grace sat companionably and ate their ice cream. When they were finished, he listened to her heart beat and checked her eyes and did a general check up on her.

"How are you feeling, sweet pea?" he asked.

"A bit of a headache," she said.

"Well," he said, "We can give you something for that, and I believe you might have some dinner here soon."

"Momma?" she asked.

"Went home to take care of things there, since I'm here to be with you," he answered.

Then Amanda snoozed for a while then. They had a light dinner, with Wilson ordering his own also, and it was shortly after that, when Marian arrived.

"Momma!" Amanda said, as Marian entered and gave her daughter a huge smile.

"I'm so glad you're back," Amanda went on. "The wicked Doctor said he'd put me in the soup for dinner!"

Wilson hooted and said: "I was only thinking of a way to sweeten the soup!"

"You two!" Marian said, giving Amanda Grace a hug and kiss and then a hug and kiss for Wilson too.

"Hmm," Wilson said quietly, "Smell nice!"

"Bathed and all! Fresh me!" Marian said.

They sat then and Marian told Wilson that she'd called her work place:"And they weren't very understanding at all."

"Hmmm," he said, "We'll see what we can do about that."

Then his face brightened, as though he had a good idea. "You know what?" he asked. "We might have a position for you at my practice. We're short one of our receptionist gals."

"Oh, I'd like that!" she said. "It would help so much; it just seems that right now everything is so tight and hard!"

He went to her then, knowing that she was going to begin to cry again, and put his arms around her, kissing her forehead.

"It's going to be fine!" he said, "You can work for me and we could also see that you got some training to do some other technical jobs," he concluded.

She hugged him. "You just keep making things brighter and brighter."

"There are some things that I need to check on," he said.

"Can I stay?" she asked, knowing that visiting hours were about over.

"Yes, don't worry about that," he said, "I'll be back. And I'm going to give our car wrestling friend here, who just barely missed being in the soup, something to make her sleep. She'll be out for the night but I'll be back to check on you both."

"Thank you," Marian said, watching as he gave Amanda Grace a hug and a kiss.

"I love you, Dr Wilson!" Amanda said, as he hugged her.

"I love you too, sweet pea!" he said, and bent to kiss Marian's cheek, as he left.

"Momma," Amanda Grace said softly, when Wilson had left. "I love him so! He's so nice to us, to me!"

"Yes, honey," Marian said, "You're right about that! He's grand! So grand!"

He went to his office and did a little more work, and then he snoozed on a couch that he had there. It was a kind of schedule that he had long perfected and it served him well.

When he woke, he checked himself and combed his hair and went to see how they were doing. When he got to Amanda's room, he found Amanda not only asleep but Marian also. He went then to fetch a blanket for her and spread the blanket over her. There was a lounge chair in the room, and Marian had arranged it so that it was next to Amanda's bed and the legs were out, making a sleeping chair for her.

"Thank you, honey," she mumbled, when he'd put the blanket on her.

Her eyes popped open but he only smiled and kissed her cheek, and left them.

He returned a few hours later, and, as he suspected, Marian was awake then. He had a cup of tea for her and a yogurt. She thanked him and enjoyed the treats that he'd brought for her.

"I have a couch in my office and it's private, with its own bathroom. Do you want to go and lie down there? I don't think that she's going to wake, and I'll be here, if she does."

"Oh, thank you," she said.

"You'll have total privacy there to get some sleep!" he assured her.

"Lovely!" she said and, after a hug, went with him to his office to settle in.

He was back in a very short time and found Amanda still asleep. She did wake up in the middle of the night but he was there and she saw him right away.

"Hi, Dr Wilson," she said, sleepily.

"Hi, love!" he said.

"Momma?" she asked.

"Sleeping in my office," he said.

"Please take care of her," Amanda said and began to fade again.

"I intend to," he said.

With a very sleepy: "I love you, Dr Wilson! You're my pal!"

"Just what I need to be," he said. "Just no more wrestling with cars!"

She giggled and settled down again.

It was Wilson who spent part of the night now sleeping in the lounge chair in Amanda Grace's room. She slept well, however, and didn't wake up until it was morning.

She'd been sleeping long enough that she was awake at a fairly early hour. Wilson was up and had used the patient bathroom to wash his face and get himself awake.

"Hi, sweet pea!" he said brightly to the smiling little girl.

"How's my very favorite doctor?" she asked.

"Better now that I see your smiling face," he said back to her, going and getting a morning hug.

"Momma?" she asked.

"Sleeping in my office," he said, "I need to go and rescue her."

"Goodie!" she said, and grinned at him, as he left.

He used his key to open his office door, and slipped inside. Lights were on in the bathroom, and Marian stood there with at the sink with a wash cloth, washing herself, her underarms, at that point. She was wearing only a pair of pink panties.

Wilson simply stood there and gaped at her. It was unexpected and entrancing for him.

Marian sensed movement and turned, spotting Wilson. Her reaction was to giggle behind her hand.

"Morning, Doctor!" she said, and, making a quick decision, she went to him and pressed herself up against him.

"Ohhhhhh," he moaned.

"Got you now, Wilson MacGruder! Doctor Wilson, Wilson MacGruder!" she cooed to him.

"You look so marvelous! Sexy! Delicious! Sensual!" he whispered into her ear.

"Thank you," she whispered back to him. "But why are we whispering?"

"Because it's the method of lovers and mad men!" he said.

She giggled and lifted her head for a kiss.

She sighed after the kiss and said: "Wilson, this is an accident; I hadn't planned it and don't want to be inappropriate here."

"That's not what I call it, siren," he said, kissing her again. "But there's a small hurricane in one of our private rooms that's waiting for her Momma!"

"Okay, big boy," she said hugging him and wiggling against him, "But promise me more of this later!"

"Promise!" he said, moving away from her.

She giggled and he said: "What are you gonna do?"

She turned her back to him and wiggled her butt at him. "Like my panties, Wilson?"

"Love your panties," he said and swatted her butt.

She jumped and giggled again, shaking her head.

"Ohhhh," she said, expelling air, "I think that I liked that!"

He shook his head and said: "I'm in so much trouble here!"

She put her arms around him again and said, soothingly, "It's okay Wilson, my Wilson, I'll take such good care of you."

"Well," he said earnestly, "That's certainly what I'm gonna do with you!"

"I know that," she said, with her head on his shoulder and sighing. "I know that so well by now. But I guess I'll put my pants on now."

"Rats!" he said and she giggled.

He watched as she dressed.

"Coffee?" he asked, "Yogurt? She'll have breakfast soon."

"Please!" she said, "Both."

When she was finally arranged, and had collected another hug, with him quipping that she felt almost as good with her clothes on as she had with her clothes off, they went out and got coffee for themselves and then went to Amanda Grace's room.

THE ARRANGEMENT IS MADE:

"Momma," Amanda Grace called out, when she saw Marian enter the room.

The two of them embraced for a good long time. Amanda was in a very good frame of mind that morning. They sat and talked a bit. After a while, Dr Wilson entered the room with a nurse.

"There's the famous Doctor," Amanda Grace said, and the nurse, Terri, grinned at the little girl's enthusiasm.

They did an examination then, with Marian sitting on the other side of the room, as it was done.

"Thank you, Terri!" Wilson said, when he was finished. "I'll talk to them now."

Terri left with a smile and Wilson turned to Amanda Grace and Marian.

"We're not running into complications here. If there were any, they would have made themselves manifest by now. That's the norm. I will, however, want to keep a bit of an eye on our automobile wrestler here for a bit, seeing her now and then.

Marian nodded her head in agreement.

"But here's what I think," he went on. "I still want Amanda Grace to have a few days rest before going back to school. What I'd like is for you two to come to my house. There's plenty, plenty of room. You can stay there for maybe four days or so and then we'll kind of ease back into normal. Is that possible?"

"Ohhh, how wonderful!" Marian said, going to him and hugging him immediately.

Then, when the hug was finished, Wilson turned and Amanda Grace had her arms outstretched and was wiggling her fingers to get her hug also.

"Agreed?" he asked.

"Yes," Marian said, with an obvious sense of relief about the near future.

He turned to Amanda Grace and she said: "You're the doctor!"

"About time that you realize that!" he said gruffly and kissed her on the head.

"I'm gonna have the paper work done now and I'll send home some meds with her just to make her sleep soundly for the first few days," he said. "I'll be back in just a little bit with it all."

"Thank you, Dr Wilson," Amanda Grace said, getting a smile from him, as he left the room.

In the meantime, Wilson made arrangements with a partner to take his rounds and decided on the day off, to get Amanda Grace and Marian settled.

"All set," he said, as he went back into the room.

"Need a ride?" he asked.

"Yes, please," Marian said, "I got a ride here yesterday; I didn't want to trust myself to drive at all."

"Wise!" he said and she hugged him.

"I'm going to go downstairs and get my car; I'll meet you two at the entrance and we'll be whisked away home."

The nurse loaded Amanda Grace into a wheel chair and gave her and Marian the various dolls and flowers and an aid wheeled her down to the entrance.

When they got there, Wilson already had his tan Mercedes parked there, waiting for them.

He greeted them both with a huge smile and helped to settled Amanda Grace into the back seat, got her buckled in and gave her a kiss on the head. Marian moved into the front seat.

When he went around and got into the driver's side, Marian said: "This is so lovely! So much different than my beater!"

Wilson turned to her and said softly: "Marian, we're going to take care of all of that. We just are."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. As she was kissing him, Amanda Grace, from the back seat, asked: "Momma, what did he mean?"

"He means that he's going to take good care of us!" Marian said with a smile for Amanda.

"Goodie!" Amanda said, "I love Dr Wilson! He's my pal!"

"Got it in one, sweet pea," he said and winked at her, getting a giggle from her. "Okay, off we go now to that stately house on the corner of the block."

"Yaaaaay!" Amanda Grace said, as they drove off.

When they got to Wilson's big house —- a sprawling beauty, that was a block away from Marian and Amanda's very small, almost shabby house, but, in terms of reality, a century or more away, he pulled around to the back of the house and pulled into the garage. Marian noticed that he also had a Jeep in the garage.

He looked at her and said: "I tend to indulge myself."

"Why not!" she quipped.

"It's been only me," he said, "For so long. Not any more, I think."

She smiled and squeezed his hand.

He took them into the house via a breezeway between the garage and the kitchen. When they got into the house, Marian exclaimed: "Oh, this is so nice!"

Then she turned to Amanda Grace, who also was looking around at the large and lovely home.

"I love it here," Amanda offered, and they all smiled.

"Yes, it's wonderful," Wilson said. "But it needs a woman's touch badly. I mean the den, my den is very comfortably cave styled but the linens and the towels, all of it needs a touch that I just don't have."

"Stick with us, big guy," Marian said with a grin. "We'll take care of you!"

"I'm counting on it," he said.

(At that point the issue of a growing commitment between the two of them was still unspoken but it would be one of the agenda items that they would need to face within the days that were coming.)