by Laura Iding
Danny didn’t need a mother, he had Delores.
And God knew, the last thing he wanted or needed was a wife.
CHAPTER NINE
QUINN had to clear his tight throat before he could speak. “Hey, Danny. Auntie D. needs to have a procedure that’s going to take a few hours so we’ll need to stick around the hospital for a while.”
Okay. Danny seemed to take the news in his stride.
“Is everything all right?” Leila asked with concern.
“Yes. She was dehydrated from flu and now her cardiac enzymes and troponin are slightly elevated. Michael Hendricks wants to do a cardiac cath just to be sure.”
“I see.” Leila frowned a bit, and glanced at Danny as if realizing Quinn was glossing over things for his son’s sake. “Good thing that test doesn’t take long. She’ll be finished soon enough, I’d think.”
The way she played along only irritated him more, as he hadn’t asked for her help. Finding Leila and Danny bonding over sign language bothered him. He didn’t want his son to get the wrong idea about Leila. With a strained smile he held out his hand to Danny. “Come on, let’s head down to the cafeteria for a while.”
Danny scrambled over to his father, but glanced back at Leila. Can Dr. Leila come, too?
Quinn was glad his question had been asked in sign language, so Leila wouldn’t know what he’d said. “No. Show Dr. Leila how to say goodbye, Danny.”
Danny did the universal sign of waving goodbye and Leila laughed, following suit. “Even I can understand that one,” she said in a dry tone. “Goodbye, Danny. Hope to see you again some time soon.”
Not if he could help it, Quinn thought as he drew Danny away, allowing Leila to go back to work. She had said she wasn’t on call, but he knew she had probably stopped in to see her patients.
As he walked with Danny through the arena, he realized there were more important problems than finding Leila with Danny. He was scheduled to work second shift, so he’d need someone to watch Danny from three o’clock until well past eleven. Chances were, even if Delores’s cardiac cath was negative, she’d need to stay here overnight for observation. And if she were by some miracle discharged home, she wouldn’t be in any condition to watch his son.
Mulling over his dilemma, he decided against going to the cafeteria just yet. Instead, he took Danny to his office. Leaving Danny there to play games on his computer, he went back to find Seth. Asking for help wasn’t easy, but he swallowed his pride anyway. “Seth, I, uh, need a favor.”
“Hey, I’m glad you’re here,” Seth said. “Kylie just called to ask if you would mind if Danny stayed overnight with Ben tonight.”
An unexpected wave of gratitude hit hard. He didn’t for one minute believe Kylie had come up with that idea on her own. Especially considering she and Seth were getting married in two days. Seth, understanding fatherhood more than most, had already anticipated the problem and had arranged for a viable solution before he had the chance to ask.
In that moment Quinn was more thankful than ever that he’d chosen Cedar Bluff to move to. The small town was warm, welcoming and friendly. It wasn’t as if he’d had the time to become close to any of the staff here, but Seth and Kylie had come through for him anyway.
The people here were open and honest, seemingly without hidden agendas. Maybe keeping his distance wasn’t really necessary after all.
“If you’re worried about the sign language issue, I know Ben’s been practicing a bit,” Seth continued, misunderstanding his silence. “And I can tell you, from watching the boys interact, they seem to communicate pretty well without words. Danny writes simple notes and has always made his needs known. I’m confident we’ll be able to communicate just fine.”
“Thanks, Seth. I could use some help with Danny tonight, as I am scheduled to work and Delores obviously won’t be home.” He hesitated and added, “Danny hasn’t had the opportunity to participate in any sleepovers, but I think he should be all right.” At least, Quinn hoped so. Truthfully, he was a little nervous about having Danny spend the night with people who didn’t know sign language, but on the other hand he also trusted Seth and Kylie. Certainly, if they had some sort of problem, they’d call him.
“You know, we live fairly close to the hospital. If anything happens, we’ll get in touch with you.”
Quinn smiled, knowing Seth had read his thoughts. Again. “I know. Thanks for helping me out.”
“Hey, I’m the one who should thank you. With Danny staying over, Ben will be out of our hair for a while.” Seth grinned. “Not that I don’t love him, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t mind a bit of alone time with my future wife, too.”
His future wife. Sometimes he forgot that Seth and Kylie weren’t officially married yet. They seemed like such a close family unit already. “I can’t believe you’re getting married in two days,” Quinn mused.
“Neither can I.” Seth let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll be glad when the formality of it all is over. I would have been fine with a quick jaunt to Vegas, but Kylie wanted the real deal. And there was no way I was going to disappoint her. I’m lucky enough that she agreed to marry me at all. I hope you’ll come to the wedding, too—everyone who works in the department is invited.”
Weddings weren’t his thing and, truthfully, if he had his way he’d avoid them all together, but Quinn nodded his agreement. From what he’d seen, Seth and Kylie were one of those rare couples who were really, truly in love. Most people weren’t nearly so lucky.
He’d long ago accepted his fate. Marriage wasn’t for everyone. Some people were better off alone. But he could appreciate those isolated few who seemed determined to make it work. “Sure. Sounds fun.”
Seth burst out laughing. “Yeah, right. You say that as if you’d rather have your right foot amputated. Come on, it will be a fun party, if nothing else.”
Obviously he hadn’t done a good job of hiding his true feelings. Chagrined, he smiled. “I’ll come, don’t worry. And I’ll be the first to buy the groom a drink.”
“Great. And as for tonight, Kylie will stop by to pick up Danny whenever you say the word.”
Quinn glanced at the clock. “Maybe we’ll wait an hour or so if that’s all right. I’d like Danny to see Delores after the procedure, so that he knows she’s fine before he goes.”
“Understandable,” Seth agreed easily. “I’ll be here, just give me a holler.”
“I will.” Quinn headed back to his office to pick up Danny, certain his son would be thrilled to spend the night at Ben’s house.
How odd to realize that for the first time in eighteen months he didn’t have a reason to hurry home after work.
Danny and Delores would be gone. All night. If he were going to indulge in a secret affair with Leila, this would be the perfect night for it. Too bad he had to work.
But only until eleven. That still left a good portion of the night free and clear.
The idea wouldn’t leave him alone. Did he dare call Leila? After the way she’d bonded so easily with Danny, he knew he shouldn’t.
But he wanted to. And now that the idea had occurred to him, he couldn’t think of anything else.
He very much wanted to invite Leila over.
There was no reason he couldn’t, he rationalized. Especially if he made sure she clearly understood the ground rules before he took her to his bed.
Leila finished her patient rounds, satisfied that things were going as well as could be expected.
Even Carl seemed to be holding his own. Trevor was well on the road to mending. She was pleased he’d been transferred out of the ICU already.
Would Quinn like to know how Trevor was doing? She was tempted to call him, but held back.
He’d acted strangely earlier when he’d discovered Danny had been teaching her some simple sign language. Almost as if he hadn’t been pleased to find her keeping his son company.
Although maybe she was simply overreacting. Quinn was obviously upset about Delores and her potenti
al heart problems. And he must be worried, too, about how her illness might have an impact on his child-care arrangements for Danny.
Quinn loved his son very much. Which made her even more curious about Danny’s mother. Was she dead? Quinn’s comments at dinner the other evening didn’t give her the impression he was a grieving widower. Was it possible Danny’s mother had abandoned them?
What sort of mother abandoned her child?
A woman like her mother, that’s who.
Although, to be fair, the situation was very different. She’d learned her mother had been young, only nineteen when she’d given birth to Leila. Being so young, it was easy to surmise that Maylyn had been a single, unwed mother who had been unable to provide for a child. She had been three months old when her mother had given her up for adoption.
Danny’s mother hadn’t just given up a son, she’d given up a guy like Quinn. Did Danny have memories of his mother?
She’d often wished she had some of her own birth mother. But she didn’t.
At home, Leila logged onto her computer, automatically checking the reunion Web site that she’d used to post her query, searching for her mother, Maylyn Aquino.
There was a message for her.
Leila stared at the unopened e-mail message for several long seconds, trying not to get her hopes up too high. After all, the person could be just some prankster, not really her mother at all. Taking a deep breath, she finally double-clicked on the message.
“My name is Maylyn Aquino. I’m fifty-three years old and thirty-four years ago, I ran away from home because I was pregnant. While living in Chicago, I tried to support myself and my baby but I couldn’t. I left my baby daughter at a local church. If you think you may be my daughter, and if you can forgive me, please write back. Thank you, Maylyn.”
Chicago. Local church. Leila felt a chill snake down her spine. She’d grown up in foster care in Chicago and had been told she’d been left at a local church, with just her mother’s name and her own as identifiers.
Excitement stole her breath. Could this be it? Was it possible she’d actually found her mother after years of searching? Or was this someone’s idea of a sick joke? And if so, why? Why would anyone bother to pretend to be someone they’re not? For money? Seemed a stretch, especially as she hadn’t posted anything personal about herself. There was no way for anyone to know she was a surgeon, mistakenly thinking she had loads of extra money sitting around.
She desperately wanted to believe. After all this time, to think she might actually learn about her flesh-and-blood family. She could hardly believe it.
With shaking hands, she responded to Maylyn’s e-mail. “I grew up in foster care in Chicago and had been left in a church. After going through a few foster homes, I ended up with an older couple who kept me until I graduated from high school. I believe I may be your daughter and would like to know more about my family. Do you have any proof, such as a copy of my birth certificate? If so, I would like to meet you. Thanks, Leila.”
She held the blinking arrow hovering over the send key, telling herself she’d be wise to wait, taking the time to make sure this wasn’t some sort of prank. But the anticipation was too much to bear and quickly, before she could change her mind, she pressed the send key.
Afterward, she stared at the blank computer screen, wishing she’d asked more questions. Where was her mother living now? What sort of work did she do? Was she married? Did she have more children, providing Leila with some half brothers or sisters?
And most of all, did her mother know who her father was?
She gave herself a mental shake. Too many questions considering she didn’t even know for sure Maylyn was her birth mother.
Leila had routine household chores to do, laundry and cleaning, but she couldn’t concentrate. She had to force herself not to keep checking the reunion Web site over and over again, looking for a response.
After the fifth time of logging on and finding nothing, Leila realized she’d drive herself crazy if she stayed cooped up in her house with nothing else to do but to stare at her computer. This was why her foster parents hadn’t wanted her to search for her birth mother. They hadn’t wanted her to obsess like this. But now that they were gone, and George was gone, there was no one to stop her from being foolish.
Thinking of the people she’d loved and lost made her realize she needed to take control of herself. To find something that would keep her mind off the possibility of meeting her birth mother.
She left the house, making her way to the local health club sponsored by Cedar Bluff Hospital. Running on the treadmill helped clear her head, at least for a while. The moment she walked into the house, though, her phone rang. Barely containing a flash of excitement, even though she knew it was impossible for the caller to be her mother, she grabbed the handset. “Hello?”
“Leila?” a deep, familiar male voice asked. “It’s Quinn.”
“Hello, Quinn. Is everything okay?” She thought it was odd that he’d called her when he was supposed to be working. “How’s Danny’s caregiver doing?”
“She’s fine. Her cardiac cath did show a constricted right main artery, so Michael placed a stent. She’s resting comfortably at the moment.”
“Good thing they did the cardiac catheterization, so she could get the treatment she needed,” Leila said. “Especially as her labs weren’t very impressive.”
“Absolutely.”
“By the way, I thought you’d like to know Trevor was moved out of the ICU today,” Leila said. “He’s doing great. I’m sure he’s going to recover from his injuries just fine.”
“I’m glad,” Quinn responded. “Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem. Carl is holding his own, too, but he’s going to be in the ICU for a long while yet.”
Quinn didn’t say anything, although she was sure he was thinking the guy deserved it. Not that Quinn would wish the man harm, but she knew he’d been far more worried about Carl’s young son than the father himself.
“Leila, do you have any plans for later tonight?”
She was glad he was on the other end of the phone and unable to see the shocked expression on her face. It was eight o’clock. “I thought you were working?”
“I am working second shift, I’m on break at the moment. I should be off around eleven or eleven-thirty. I know that’s late, but I was hoping you wouldn’t mind. Danny’s spending the night with Seth and Kylie. We could meet at your place or mine.”
Delores was in the hospital recovering from a cardiac cath and Danny was spending the night with a friend. It didn’t take much to put two and two together to figure out exactly what Quinn intended.
She supposed she should be glad he hadn’t pretended to ask her over for dinner or for a late movie. He was being honest about what he wanted. He planned for her to spend the night. And somehow she didn’t think sleeping was on the agenda.
If she agreed to this, she knew she was basically agreeing to have sex with Quinn.
“Leila? Are you still there?”
The note of uncertainty in his tone made her feel a little better. At least he wasn’t acting as if making love with her was a foregone conclusion.
“Yes, I’m still here.” Wildly she wondered what to do. It was difficult to say no to something she wanted as much as he did. “I guess we could meet later, after your shift.”
There was a short pause. “I would really like that, but are you sure? You sound apprehensive.”
“Not apprehensive,” she assured him. “Just nervous, I guess. It’s been a long time for me.”
“For me, too.” His voice was low, husky. “You have no idea how much I’ve looked forward to spending time alone with you.”
His words sent a tiny thrill of anticipation shimmering through her body. Good grief, she never would have guessed she could react so strongly to him even over the phone. The man’s charisma was lethal.
“Do you want me to meet you at the hospital?” she asked.
“How
about if I come over to your house instead?”
She licked suddenly dry lips. Instinctively, she thought it would be better to meet him on neutral ground, rather than inviting him into her home, but logically she understood that he might get off later than he’d planned and she’d be sitting around waiting for nothing.
“All right,” she said in agreement. “You can meet me here.”
“I promise I’ll be there as soon as I can.” His reverent tone made it impossible to doubt his sincerity.
“I’ll see you later, then.” She hung up the phone, realizing that the idea of making love with Quinn had managed to trump the excitement of discovering her birth mother.
She wasn’t sure which possibility bothered her more.
CHAPTER TEN
QUINN’S shift crept by at an incredibly slow pace. At times it felt as if no time had passed since the last time he’d looked at the clock.
There weren’t a lot of patients to see either, which also made the time drag. Twice, he ran up to the cardiac unit to check on Delores, pleased to see she was doing very well. The cardiologist planned on discharging her the following morning, barring any complications from the procedure.
“Where’s Danny?” she asked.
“Having a sleepover with Ben, Seth and Kylie.” He’d told her about Danny’s plans earlier, but she’d been under the influence of pain medication at the time, so he didn’t blame her for not remembering.
“Good. That’s good.”
He was a little surprised she didn’t make any cracks about his social life, and the fact that he had the rest of the night free of parental responsibilities. She also didn’t seem to notice anything different about him, despite him feeling as if he had a neon sign plastered to his forehead that flashed, I’m having sex with Leila tonight.
At least, he hoped he was having sex with Leila tonight. If he didn’t mess things up. And if she didn’t have a change of heart while waiting for him.
