In the aftermath of his father's death, and a near fatal bout of pneumonia, Maggie had set up a playdate for Eddie with Richie every Thursday afternoon. It would give Sonia a break without having to pay for a babysitter or an afterschool program, and would give Richie some much-needed socialization. His progress reports all through Kindergarten had emphasized the need for him to learn how to share attention, and Eddie was very good at demanding his share of attention.
When summer came, they were joined by Billy Denbrough and Stanley Uris. Between Richie's glasses (held together with tape after the fourth replacement), Billy's stutter, Eddie's array of illnesses, and Stan's nervous tic, they were an odd bunch, but Maggie already suspected that Richie was fated to grow up odd, and she hoped that the friendships he was forming now would see him through the tough times ahead.
For the Fourth of July, Zach and Sharon took the kids into town, and then back to the Toziers' for hamburgers on the grill. Eddie started out playing just as energetically as the other boys, but after a few shouted reprimands for overexerting himself began clinging to his mother. She insisted on cutting up his hamburger for him so that he didn't choke, and a few minutes later he began having an asthma attack. Sonia said a hurried goodbye and dragged him off to the car, while Maggie went to comfort a crying Richie.
Sharon went over to the grill, where the men were examining the second round of burgers.
"You won't need to put one on for Sonia."
"They're not coming back?"
"Eddie had an asthma attack."
"He should be fine in a few minutes."
"She always puts him to bed right after an asthma attack. After what happened to Frank, she must be terrified of losing him too."
"If she's not careful, she's going to spoil him," Don grumbled. He was the strictest of the parents, which Sharon supposed came with the territory of being a clergyman. "Too often, we are tempted to indulge a child that has suffered some sort of illness or tragedy…"
"Well," Went interjected, "I wouldn't worry about Eddie too much. Most kids outgrow asthma in a few years."
The Urises and Denbroughs stayed over to watch the fireworks. The Toziers' house was far enough away from where the fireworks were being set off that the noise wouldn't scare Stanley. After the last firework had gone off, two sleepy little boys were buckled into the back seats of cars, and one was tucked into bed. His older sister got to stay up late, as compensation for having to spend the day with 'little babies,' and watch the Boston Pops concert with her dad. It was after 10:00 when he got upstairs.
Maggie was already in bed reading a book. Went squinted at the title "Misery's Trial, huh? Sounds cheery."
"Misery is the name of the main character," Maggie explained, "she's on trial for a murder she didn't commit. Sonia recommended it to me, says it's her cousin Annie's favorite writer."
"Well, I'm glad Sonia has something to do with her time other than hover over Eddie."
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Sonia. You haven't filled the opening for your receptionist yet, and Simone's baby is due in September."
"You want me to hire Sonia?"
"The Junior League's been collecting funds to help them with the bills, but Lisa thinks Sonia should be more proactive about helping herself."
"I would, it's just that the receptionist handles all the confidential patient records, not to mention the billing."
"Went," Maggie sounded shocked, "You don't think Sonia would steal, do you?"
"No, nothing like that. But as flustered as she gets, I could easily see her accidentally taking records home with her or misfiling a billing statement. And if something happened to Eddie and she had to leave during the work day, where would I be?"
"I know it's a risk, but I feel so awful for them."
"I do too, but to be honest, I think they really need some sort of counseling more than a job."
