Windy City Romance: Boxed Set: Prequel - Book III

by Barbara Lohr

  “You bet.” Sarah’s eyes glistened.

  The couple had chosen aromatherapy as part of their birth plan, and the crisp scent of eucalyptus soothed McKenna’s sinuses. Letting her head fall back, Sarah inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. The air brimmed with guarded anticipation.

  With Dan coaching his wife, labor progressed quickly, and McKenna was glad Sarah had called when she did. When Bethany arrived, McKenna updated her in the hallway. “Dan and Sarah have things under control. We’re good to go,” she concluded. “So far, the twins are both head down.”

  “I've never delivered twins in the birthing pool.” Excitement rippled in Bethany’s voice.

  McKenna smiled. “You never know with twins. We have to be prepared for anything. Gary will be here in case we have to move to the OR for a C-section.”

  But it was Gary's partner who was on her mind as McKenna entered notes in the laptop. Their Sunday together had felt so natural. Easy to see that her family liked him. Away from the hospital, Logan seemed to drop the reserve that she dealt with in the department.

  Wanting to give the young couple as much privacy as possible, McKenna and Bethany took turns in the birthing suite. Mary Beth and Simone, the two neonatal nurses, peeked in from time to time. They would be ready when the babies arrived. With the monitoring equipment in place, all systems were go.

  McKenna enjoyed working with Bethany. Dimples flashing, the younger girl reminded McKenna of her sister. Harper had gone to school in Savannah, eventually settling in the historic city. The entire Kirkpatrick clan had been dismayed to have Harper so far away, but they sure enjoyed visiting her. The two sisters remained close and each had her own dating adventures to share.

  Bethany helped fill the hole left by Harper’s absence. For Women was the only practice where the younger midwife had applied—at least that's what she told McKenna during her interview. Recently, she’d gotten engaged. Everything was falling into place for her.

  Leaving Bethany in charge, McKenna dashed to the nurses’ station to drop off some papers. Her clogs squeaked against the shiny tile floor. Sunday evening, and visiting hours were over. TVs blared from the rooms, along with the low murmur of voices as meds were dispensed. If an LDRP unit was approved, families would be allowed to come and go when they pleased. No more limiting family visitation hours.

  But first she had to convince Logan that the new unit was a good idea.

  More meetings loomed on the horizon—not her favorite thing. She cringed when she remembered the last planning meeting. Regina had caught her in the hall and asked if there were any problems with Dr. Castle. McKenna had assured the VP of Nursing that everything was fine. “My practice champions the natural route,” she’d emphasized and Regina’s eyes had softened with understanding. “More diagnostic equipment and a new ventilation system in the OR…Montclair already has more than most of the area hospitals.”

  Thoughts of a possible disagreement with Logan brought acidic twinges to McKenna’s stomach. For now, she had to concentrate on the Lewis twins, gearing up to enter the world.

  About three hours later, Sarah was ready to deliver, calmly panting through the contractions that had fully dilated her cervix. Gary had arrived but stayed in the shadows.

  “Next contraction, Sarah, use those pelvic muscles,” McKenna coached. “Nothing else.” McKenna glanced at the monitor. So far, so good. The solemnly hopeful sounds of Enya pulsed in the background and Sarah grunted in concert with the music.

  “Here we go, Sarah. First one crowning.” All seemed well as the dark-haired top of one head appeared. When Mary Beth, the neonatal nurse, looked in, Bethany motioned to her. Simone, the second nurse for the babies, slipped in behind her.

  Approaching the next contraction, Sarah’s gaze sought her husband, who nodded encouragement. “Again, Sarah. You’re doing great.” His voice caught in his throat as Sarah pushed and his daughter came into the world.

  “Ladies first,” McKenna exclaimed, scooping the female infant from the warm water. The infant blinked and frowned when she opened her eyes.

  “Oh, honey.” Dan was beside himself, bending over his new daughter. “She's so beautiful. Looks just like you.”

  “Hello, Kristen.” Sarah beamed when McKenna placed the baby in her arms. After cutting the cord, there was still work to be done. The baby was transferred to Mary Beth and Sarah got ready for round two.

  Eyes on the screen, McKenna ran the doppler wand over Sarah’s taut stomach. “Jason’s an active little guy. Typical man.” The second baby was now in the transverse position and she cut her eyes to Gary. The game plan had changed. Sarah and Dan must have seen that in her face.

  “McKenna, what’s going on?” Sarah asked.

  “Everything’s fine, but I think we’re headed for the OR.” McKenna kept her voice matter-of-fact and reassuring. “Jason’s been having a good old time since his sister left. He’s not in a position to come out anytime soon.”

  “Is anything wrong?” Sarah's face constricted.

  “Absolutely not. Heartbeat’s strong, but the OR is the best place to welcome this little guy into the world.”

  “Not totally unexpected, Sarah,” Gary added, stepping up. “I’ll do a C-section and McKenna will be there.” As he talked, the worry dissolved from the parents’ faces.

  “Can I be in the room?” Dan asked.

  Gary nodded. “Absolutely.” The couple relaxed a little, Sarah clinging to Dan’s hand.

  A nurse arrived to take Sarah to the third floor operating rooms while Mary Beth took charge of the new baby girl. “Kristen will be waiting for you on the obstetrics floor,” McKenna told Dan, who was beginning to look frazzled.

  ~.~

  Ninety minutes later, McKenna was relaxing in the staff lounge. Sarah had been transferred to her room on the obstetrics floor while her husband fussed over the twins. Everything had gone smoothly. The couple did not seem at all disappointed that the delivery plan had to be changed.

  After pouring a cup of coffee, McKenna stood at the window studying the nightscape. She’d heard that Logan lived in one of the high rises. Behind her, the door opened, and Gary came in, stripping his surgery cap from his head and heading for the coffee.

  “Thanks for your help tonight,” she said. As she got to know Logan’s partner better, she liked the low-key doctor a lot.

  “Don't mention it.” Then he shrugged and grinned, brown eyes glinting gold. “Okay, mention it.”

  Gary was dating Mindy Muenich, a neonatal nurse, and they made a cute couple. “I was kind of surprised that you called that C-section so quickly,” he said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

  “Water birth is a great option. But I never take any chances.”

  “I agree.” Stirring some creamer into his cup, Gary looked at her like a man with something on his mind. “Since you came a year ago, you’ve brought some welcome changes to this hospital, McKenna. I want you to know that. New ideas. New ways of doing things. Good for us all.”

  “Montclair was attractive to me because the administration welcomes innovation.” Pleased, she collapsed into a chair. Time to plant some seeds. “Gary, I appreciate your support of the LDRP. Hope it comes to pass. I'm not sure everyone sees it that way.”

  Gary’s jaw shifted as he slid into the barrel chair across from her and plunked his feet on the coffee table. “You have to take Logan with a grain of salt. Sometimes he needs time to process things. Trust me, there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye.”

  “And you’re telling me this because...”

  “The last few days Logan’s been a different man. Don’t know what you two are doing.” He held up one hand. “Don’t want to know.”

  Really? A pleased flush warmed her cheeks. “Logan and I have been working closer together lately. That’s about it. I invited him to hang out with my family. We’re... friends.” That mind-blowing kiss flitted through her mind and the heat in her cheeks ratcheted up.

  “Whatever. I’m just saying we all
need a personal life. And he hasn't had one since…” Gary stopped, as if he’d said too much.

  “Since his divorce?” she offered softly, lifting her head.

  “Yeah, but that’s not all, McKenna.” Gary bit on the tip of his stir stick before blowing out a sigh. “Look, Logan keeps his life pretty personal. I respect that. But I think you should know what you're dealing with. Logan had a son—a baby that died shortly after birth. Problematic delivery with a midwife who probably didn’t make the right decisions.”

  McKenna set her coffee down on the table so fast it slopped over the side. “I had no idea.”

  “Logan keeps his personal life private.” Gary’s face tightened. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this until he tells you.”

  “Understood. But he may never bring it up.”

  “Somehow, I think he will.”

  “Is that what ruined his marriage?”

  Gary shrugged. “Maybe. Logan and Rebecca were never a great couple. You have to realize, when we're residents, we only meet nurses or other doctors. We don't have time for anyone else. So we marry them, for better or for worse. As I recall, Rebecca was someone he’d known from his past, but later, they just didn’t have what it takes to stay together. She chose midwifery for the birth and, as I heard it, insisted on staying the course when it was time to make a different decision. Logan couldn’t be there and in the end, they both regretted it. Deeply.”

  ~.~

  McKenna muddled through that Monday, Gary’s words replaying in her mind. She'd grabbed some sleep in one of the on-call rooms, but time alone made her restless. She ached for Logan and his terrible loss.

  As the day wore on at a glacial pace, she retreated to her desk drawer several times for some serious chocolate relief. Thank goodness her natural childbirth classes didn't start until Wednesday.

  Selena grabbed her when she came in later that morning. “Hey, I may have been wrong about Logan. Hate to admit it, but he didn’t seem half bad Sunday.”

  “Glad you decided to give the guy a chance,” McKenna teased before growing serious. “He seemed to have a good time with my crazy brothers, Seth included. It was fun hanging out with him.”

  “Hanging out.” Selena laid each word down like a brick.

  “Exactly. He’s an only child. You know how much fun my family can be.” A storm cloud was building on Selena’s brow and McKenna rushed on. “Still, let’s not get crazy. Maybe you should hold back on the Guatemala trip until he has a chance to understand what it's all about. Up to you.”

  Selena’s forehead smoothed. “Why not bring him to one of our Midwives in Action meetings?”

  “I'll see what he thinks.” My, she sounded so proprietary. “I mean, why don’t you ask him about coming to the meeting?”

  Selena gave her a long, silent look. “Maybe I’ll just do that.”

  Later in the afternoon, McKenna decided to switch her fix from chocolate to Dr. Pepper. The pop machine in the Medical Office Building was out, so she headed over to the main building around three o'clock. Logan stood at the end of the walkway with a striking blonde. McKenna had never seen her before. This was a woman she'd remember.

  As she approached, Logan turned. “McKenna, want you to meet Priscilla Preston. Think I mentioned our recruitment efforts. Priscilla is interviewing. We’re finding out if we’d make a good fit.”

  With a wide smile that didn't touch her eyes, Priscilla extended one French-manicured hand. Suddenly McKenna felt grungy. She wasn't wearing makeup, her hair was in a sloppy ponytail and she was in serious need of sleep. Priscilla’s shoulder-length hair was probably sprayed to last all day. The dainty pearls in her ears suited her subtle makeup.

  The woman was perfect. Dazzling and perfect.

  “So pleased to meet you, McKenna.” Priscilla’s slender hand was delicate but strong.

  “Welcome to Montclair. Hope we’re making a good impression.”

  Priscilla's cool blue eyes did a dismissive sweep from McKenna’s messy hair to her worn white clogs. “Why, everything’s almost perfect.”

  McKenna pulled her lab coat tighter around her rumpled blue scrubs.

  When Priscilla turned to Logan, her smile revved up a notch. “And Logan, ah, Dr. Castle has so much to teach.”

  “Priscilla and I knew each other in grade school,” he said. Was he blushing? “Long time ago.” The two of them laughed, Priscilla a little louder.

  “So, you’re from Chicago then?”

  When Priscilla nodded, not a hair on her head moved. “Yes, my two little girls are so happy to be back near their grandparents.”

  “I was just telling Priscilla about our plans for obstetrics,” Logan continued, looking very pleased. “Might be a good idea to have her attend our committee meeting this week. Give you an idea of where we might be headed. That is, if you have time, Priscilla.”

  “Well, of course.” Priscilla’s smile widened.

  McKenna could almost see the silver spoon in Priscilla’s mouth. In so many ways, this woman might be perfect for Logan. At first, the thought leveled McKenna. A welcome wave of relief followed. Yesterday with Hot Doc had felt totally out of control. She didn’t like it one bit. Was she just setting herself up for another heartbreak? When McKenna pictured him with Priscilla, the anxiety in her chest eased, like she’d just escaped a train wreck before impact.

  “Since I'm a single mother, my life is really busy,” Priscilla continued. “My parents are glad to have their grandchildren closer and happy to help out.” Then her eyes swung to Logan. “But I’m being presumptuous. I mean, if the practice is a good fit for everyone.”

  From the look on Logan's face, there was no if about it. He’d mentioned needing another physician onboard, but McKenna sure hadn’t pictured anyone like Priscilla. Was this jealousy snaking up inside her?

  When it came to Logan, she was seriously screwed up.

  “So nice meeting you, Priscilla. I’ll let you two continue your tour. Off to a meeting.” With a pert nod, McKenna marched toward the elevator that would take her to the cafeteria and the vending machines. How pathetic was it that she had to make up a meeting? Was she trying to make herself look important? She hated managers who pulled that trump card. While the elevator doors closed behind her, McKenna’s mind worked overtime. Conflicted feelings about Hot Doc sent a wave of jitters through her stomach.

  When had she ever felt so wildly attracted to a man? All the advice she gave her friends so freely clamored in her head. But this was her life and her risk. These early feelings for Logan dropped the floor right out from under her feet. Could she take another heartbreak so soon after Nick? On top of that, she liked it here at Montclair. Dating a colleague posed risks. She wanted to stay at Montclair for a long time.

  Only when a woman entered with a small child did McKenna realize the elevator had arrived at her floor. “Excuse me. Sorry.” She darted out just before the doors whooshed closed.

  Close call. The best thing, the safest thing might be to steer Logan in the direction of another woman.

  Chapter 6

  That evening McKenna drove to Oak Park and met Vanessa for a visit with Amy. Time to see how that sweet little Gianna was doing. Mallory met them at the door. So cute how he chattered about the baby’s feeding schedule in that smooth-as-butter southern accent as they followed him upstairs to the nursery. The baby’s room was wallpapered with silly monkeys and smiling giraffes. Amy sat in a white wicker chair nursing Gianna.

  “Almost finished.” She kissed her baby’s head. The air was filled with the scent of powder and baby.

  “Y’all probably have a lot of catching up to do,” Mallory said from the doorway, clearly doting on his new daughter. “I’ll leave you to it.”

  “Scoot, now.” Amy waved him away. After a reluctant last glance, he disappeared

  “You’ve never looked better,” McKenna told her. Was this the same girl who’d once been so stressed out because she thought she couldn’t have a baby? Cuddling Gianna
, Amy positively glowed.

  “Thanks, McKenna.” Amy settled Gianna onto her side in the bassinet. “Don’t know when I’ve felt happier.”

  “A present from Petersen’s.” Vanessa held up a white paper bag before setting it on the dresser.

  With a pleased grin, Amy reached for the treat. “Oh, yum. I don’t even have to look inside. Thank you!”

  While the new mother enjoyed the hot fudge sundae, Vanessa and McKenna plopped down on a daybed in the corner. Vanessa asked Amy questions another mother would ask. “Sleeping through the night yet?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Amy clucked. “I swear, Mallory wakes her up just to play with her.”

  “I swear, you are picking up your husband’s Savannah accent,” McKenna teased.

  “Do tell. But what about you? Tell me about your doctor friend—the hot doc Vanessa mentioned over the phone,” Amy said between mouthfuls.

  “Hope you don’t mind, McKenna.” Vanessa shot her an embarrassed look. “I kind of brought Amy up to speed about Logan.”

  McKenna began to jiggle one foot. “Nothing to tell. We work together. Logan’s a nice guy, who needs more fun in his life, so I invited him to Seth’s last Sunday.”

  Amy tipped her head to one side. “Really? Took him to a family gathering, huh?”

  “He’s a new friend and I thought he’d have fun. End of story.”

  “That story is so not over.” Vanessa exchanged a look with Amy, who rolled her eyes. “I am ready to shake you, McKenna Kirkpatrick.”

  “Sometimes a guy makes a better friend than a, a...”

  “Husband candidate?” Vanessa challenged her.

  “There you go! Now you understand.”

  But their frowns told her they obviously didn’t.

  “You just want to feel safe after what happened with Nick. That’s not you.” Vanessa was ticked, pouting with arms crossed. “You’re the woman who encouraged us to be risk-takers.”

  “Exactly,” Amy chimed in, setting the empty ice cream cup on the dresser. “Sounds like you’re making this way too complicated.”