Tuesday Tales: From the Word YELLOW

Where has the summer gone? Here it is the last week of August. Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. Our word prompt is YELLOW. I continue with Pumpkin Spice.

“Before I forget, Dr. Tanner told me to come back to the hospital for five. He’ll call when she’s out of surgery.”

Roberta nodded. “He’ll stay with her for a few hours. He usually does after one of his patients undergoes surgery. Mercy Egan’s a fine surgeon like her uncle was. Sometimes, she stays the night here after surgery before going back to Boston.”

My brain slammed on the brakes. Mercy? Mercy Egan? No wonder the name was familiar. She was the woman Walt had introduced me to at his father’s funeral, the woman I’d assumed he’d married, the woman I presumed had been the mother of his children, but that was impossible. The room vanished, and a clearer memory of that sad day filled my mind. The tall blonde by his side had hazel eyes and a friendly smile.

“Squirt, this is Mercy Egan, she’s a fellow resident in New York City. We drove down in her car. She has family in Marblehead.”

I blinked, and the vision vanished. I licked my lips. “That name sounds familiar. I think I met her at Mr. Tanner’s funeral.”

“You might have. Her uncle and Mr. Tanner were close friends. Dr. Egan practiced here in Salem until he retired and moved to Florida two years ago. Mercy and Walt were in medical school together and then did their residence in the same hospital. Dr. T worked there until he came home and started his own practice. Dr. Egan moved to Boston a couple of years ago after she married. She sometimes comes to Salem to help out with difficult cases.”

“She’s not married to Walt?” I blurted, before my brain screamed, you know this. His wife’s name is Aasha.

Roberta laughed. “The only thing Dr. Tanner is married to is his job. Between the clinic and his patients, he has no time for anyone or anything else. More’s the pity.”

A yellow neon sign flashed in my mind. Walt’s Not Married. It took everything in me not to jump up and scream hooray! And then imaginary ice water got dumped on my head.

“But the children—” She cocked her head. “Are my grandchildren. You thought they were his?” She laughed. “My son, Rick, is married to Aasha. He’s a long-haul trucker. When she’s working, I babysit the kids.

That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales