When his cell rang, Aaron woke up. He'd been asleep in a chair next to Matthew's bed.
“Where is he?” she asked.
“St. Edward's.”
“And what happened?”
“He just went mad, rolling around on the floor, totally out of control. The doctor said something about seizures.”
“Okay. Just wait. I'll be there as soon as I can.”
When Jodie walked into the room, Aaron's heart lifted. “Hi. Thanks for coming,” he said.
“Poor little thing,” she said. She put her hand on Matthew's forehead and stroked his hair. Matthew opened his eyes and sat up.
“Whoa, steady tiger,” Aaron said. He tried to push him back down, but he sprang up again.
“Jodie, Jodie,” Matthew shouted. He was smiling and appeared to be his old self.
“Well, who would have believed that?” Aaron said.
“He's a little monkey,” Jodie said.
“What do you mean?”
“Has he been asking for me all the time?”
“Yes. He drove me mad.”
“He's faked this in the hope I would come back to him,” Jodie said.
“Jodie back,” Matthew shouted.
“Look, there's nothing wrong with him.”
Aaron looked at Matthew in disbelief. “Is he capable of such devious behavior?”
“Yes. Very much so. But to go to these lengths is pretty rare.”
“You mean he faked having seizures, or whatever it was, just so you'd come back?”
Jodie laughed. “It looks like it. You're a devious little boy,” she said to Matthew.
“Jodie back,” he shouted once more.
Aaron was stunned and relieved at the same time. He was stunned that Matthew would do such a thing and relieved that there wasn't anything seriously wrong with him. He took Jodie by the arm and maneuvered her into the corner of the room.
“What am I going to do? Will you come back?” Aaron asked. “He's mad about you.”
“I wanted to call, really I did. It's just...”
“I know. I came on far too strong, and you got frightened. I'm sorry. It will never happen again. Just please think about it, about coming back. Will you?”
“You know, I didn't completely dislike what you said to me that evening. I was just so shocked; I didn't know what to do or say. You're a high-power guy; I'm just a nanny.”
“But a brilliant one. One Matthew can't do without.”
“Thanks. Okay, I'll come back.”
Aaron gave a huge sigh of relief and kissed her on the cheek. Matthew saw it and clapped.
“We'd better explain all this to the doctor,” Aaron said.
“I'll do it. I think I'll be able to explain it better.”
In the car on the way home, Matthew sat next to Jodie in the backseat and put his head on her lap. When they arrived at the mansion, Jodie put him to bed and waited until he was asleep.
When she came back downstairs, Aaron was sitting outside where they'd had their argument. “Do you want to go for a swim?” he asked.
“I don't know. It's been a long day. I'm tired,” she said.
“Yes, it has been a hell of a day. But once again you saved us. I really appreciate it. And I'm sorry about what happened. I'm going to bed. Swim if you want.”
When Aaron was in bed, he heard Jodie dive into the pool. He smiled. She was back, thank God. He was so tempted to peek out of the window at her in her swimwear, but he was determined not to do anything more to upset her. He would get over it and meet someone else one day.
Aaron had the best night's sleep he'd had in many weeks. When he woke, he was refreshed and ready to do battle with the world again. When he went down to breakfast, he smiled when he saw Matthew and Jodie making eggs.
“Have you got some for me?” he asked Matthew.
Matthew shook his head. “All Jodie's,” he said.
“My word, I think I've completely lost my child to you.”
“He's an excellent judge of character, and a charming man,” Jodie joked.
“Just like his father then. He'll go a long way in life.”
Aaron had breakfast and left them to finish. When he arrived at the office, Megan saw that he looked more relaxed than he had in weeks.
“Great,” she said when Aaron told her Jodie was back. “Play it cool and reel her in slowly.”
“No. I'm not playing that game anymore. She doesn't want me in that way. I'll get over it, for Matthew's sake.”
*****
A few weeks went by, and Aaron managed to temper his enthusiasm for Jodie. Matthew was back to his old self and Jodie seemed to be happy again. Aaron did everything he could to keep things on an even keel. He threw himself into his work and went on the trips he wanted to. Matthew was making progress again, and everything was running smoothly.
“How was he today?” Aaron asked when he got home. Matthew had already gone to sleep.
“Great. You know, it will soon be time for him to go to school. Have you thought about that?”
“Yes. He's down to go to a school for autistic kids. He can't cope with mainstream school.”
“No, of course not. That's great. He's a really great kid, and I love him to bits,” Jodie said.