A Mother's Special Care

by Jessica Matthews

  “It’s happened before,” she admitted.

  “I see.” Dr Grant paused, appearing curious. “With all of the nurse-anesthetists, or one in particular?”

  She squared her shoulders. “I can’t speak for the other PACU nurses, but my experience has only been with one of them.”

  He ran one hand through his hair, looking as if he intended to say something else, but the moment passed as Dr Rob Naylor, Allen Clark’s orthopedic surgeon and a personal friend of hers, walked in and greeted them.

  “I just came to check on my patient,” Rob said jovially. “How’s he doing?”

  “Fine.” The lines of tension on Mr Clark’s face had eased and he was resting comfortably.

  “Good,” Rob said. “I’ll send him to a regular room and you can have another free bed.”

  Suddenly, the pager on Dr Grant’s waistband bleeped and he silenced the noise as he read the number on the display.

  “Excuse me,” he said politely. “I have to make a phone call.” Without waiting for her reply, he headed for the telephone on the nurses’ desk across the room.

  Lori sensed that Dr Grant would have a talk with Brad but only time would tell if Brad would straighten up his act. In hindsight, Dr Grant’s presence had been fortuitous. He’d seen Brad’s incompetence for himself and had helped save Leiker’s life. Not a bad way to spend the morning.

  While he’d always treated her with polite respect—she’d always assumed it was because she was one of the few single women who didn’t throw themselves at him—today something had changed. Maybe it was because for the past hour they’d been partners, drawn together by the common goal of keeping Leiker alive. It was hard to remain aloof from someone under those circumstances.

  Lori wasn’t sure if she liked this new development. She’d caught herself on more than one previous occasion wanting to trace the defined lines of his mouth and his sexy chin, to feel his large but infinitely gentle hands splayed across her back. He exuded strength and power and kindness and he possessed something in his gaze that always managed to send awareness humming through her entire body.

  How could she keep her thoughts and hormones under strict control if he cast his rare but extremely special smile in her direction on a regular basis?

  At times, Lori had wanted to erase the anguish in his eyes, but she refused to get lumped in the same category as so many other women who wanted to snag a successful, handsome widower. She worked with him on a daily basis and didn’t want personal issues to interfere with their colleague-of-sorts relationship. Her job was too important to jeopardize.

  No matter how things had changed this afternoon, she couldn’t completely let down her guard. After falling for one needy soul, she’d wound up pregnant and married at eighteen. She’d struggled for the last eight years, two of them with Glenn, and she’d lost her desire to repeat the experience. Someone else would have to exorcize Dr Grant’s ghosts.

  If she decided to invite another man into her life, it would be one who, as her sister described, had his head screwed on straight and who was the proverbial open book.

  Rob broke into her thoughts, making her realize that Talia had joined them and both were staring at her strangely. “Why the frown?” he asked.

  “I was about to ask the same thing,” Talia said.

  “No reason.” Lori flashed them a smile. “Just wool-gathering. It’s been my first opportunity all day.”

  “I’ve been thinking, too,” Rob said. “About what you asked me earlier. About Ronnie needing a dad.”

  Talia’s green eyes popped open. “Gosh, Lori. When did you decide to remarry?” As a twenty-four-year-old newlywed, she’d been unsuccessfully trying to organize dates for Lori with her husband’s bachelor buddies.

  “I haven’t,” Lori answered her friend as she glared at Rob for mentioning the subject in front of a woman who’d embraced matchmaking as her newest hobby. If she didn’t explain, she couldn’t begin to imagine what Talia would say or do.

  “I just want someone who’ll go to school with Veronica and act as her dad for the school’s ‘Donuts for Dads’ breakfast program. A friend, an uncle or a grandfather-type would do just as well.” Since Ronnie’s only uncle lived eight hours away and she had no grandfather, that left the final category of friend, which was why she’d asked Rob to fill the role.

  Unfortunately, he was committed to attending an orthopedic conference on the same day in Chicago. What a shame that technology hadn’t progressed to allow people to be in two different places at once.

  She addressed Rob hopefully. “Did they change the date of your meeting?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry. I wish they would because I’d love to go with Ronnie.”

  “I know.” She’d first met Rob, and his wife and daughter, at St Anne’s annual spring picnic shortly after they’d moved to Redwood. Veronica, or Ronnie as she preferred to be called, had caused a stir when she’d broken her wrist by falling off the park’s monkey bars. As one of the town’s two orthopedic surgeons, Rob had immediately taken charge of Ronnie while Gail had taken Lori under her wing. Eventually, their sixteen-year-old, Susannah, had begun babysitting Ronnie before school in what soon became the perfect arrangement for everyone. Susannah’s parents didn’t have to drag her out of bed each morning and Lori went to work secure in knowing her daughter was looked after in spite of the early hour.

  If Rob could help her, he would.

  “What about Doug Halforan?” Talia asked, referring to one of the OR technicians.

  Lori shook her head. “Doug’s a nice guy, but he turns beet red whenever a woman talks to him. I can’t imagine how he’d act in front of a room full of inquisitive children.”

  “There’s always Brad.”

  “I’m not that desperate. I can just imagine what he’d assume if I asked him to accompany my daughter to school.” She shuddered, imagining his feral grin and his sly winks. “No, thank you.”

  “What about someone from another department?” Rob suggested. “Surely you’ve met more people in the hospital than those who work in surgery.”

  “I’ve met some and know their names, but they’re basically strangers. I couldn’t possibly ask such a favor.”

  “You realize that you’re a widow, not a nun,” Talia reminded her.

  Lori sighed. “I know.” Perhaps she was ridiculous to hold onto her dreams of a fairy-tale romance, but this time she wouldn’t settle for anything less.

  Rob pursed his mouth into a thoughtful line. “What about your neighbors?”

  “Men are few and far between on my street,” Lori said wryly. “The city should change the name from Willow Lane to Widow Lane.”

  “It’s not that bad, is it?” Talia asked.

  “We have three men living on the entire block,” Lori told her. “One constantly complains about Ronnie riding her bicycle across his driveway, another needs a motorized wheelchair for mobility and the third has just been arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Who would you choose?”

  Talia grimaced. “I see your point.”

  “Actually,” Rob said slowly, “I believe I know someone who would work out nicely.”

  “Who?”

  “Mac.” Rob inclined his head in Dr Grant’s direction.

  Talia’s sharply indrawn breath caused her to cough, but Lori ignored her as the idea sent a shiver of something—anxiety or maybe delight—down to her toes. “Dr Grant? Why him?”

  “You two would be good together,” he insisted.

  “Yeah right.”

  “I’m serious. He’s so perfect, I don’t know why I didn’t think of him before.” Rob appeared as proud as if he’d just unraveled a mystery of the universe.

  “Rob, I’ve never had a conversation with him that didn’t revolve around the hospital,” Lori protested. “I don’t know anything about him.”

  “You know he has a son in Ronnie’s grade at school,” Rob said.

  “Only because you told me. He’s worse than
a clam when it comes to talking about himself or his family.”

  “If you want my vote,” Talia interjected with enthusiasm. “I think you should ask him.”

  “Don’t you have a patient to look after?” Lori asked crossly.

  Talia giggled. “Yeah, which is why I put my two cents’ worth in early.” With that, she returned to her monitors.

  Rob folded his arms across his chest. “See? Even Talia agrees with me.”

  Lori glared at him, irritated by the broad smile on his weathered face. “I still don’t understand why you think he’s so perfect.”

  “It’s simple, really. Have you forgotten that the week after ‘Donuts for Dads’ is ‘Muffins for Moms’?”

  “How did you know that?” She’d asked for the day off, but hadn’t shared her reasons with anyone.

  “Susannah might be a teenager, but I can remember back to when she was eight. I do have a few cells of functioning gray matter up here.” He tapped his forehead. “Anyway, you two can help each other out. Mac doesn’t have a wife, so his son is in the same boat as Ronnie.”

  Joining forces with Dr Grant for two simple school functions seemed like an innocent and logical solution to a mutual problem, but was the problem a mutual one?

  “Maybe he’s already found someone to go with his son,” she pointed out. “Maybe Dr Grant has a girlfriend.”

  “He doesn’t.”

  Lori wasn’t really surprised by the news. From the bits and pieces of conversations she’d overheard from the other physicians and the way his cool stare froze even the most determined flirts, Dr Grant acted as interested in dating as she did. Then again, it could have meant that he was already spoken for and didn’t want to publicize the fact.

  “Who went with him last year?” she asked.

  “Their housekeeper, Martha. As of a week ago, she moved to Iowa to be closer to her grandchildren. Mac’s on his own.”

  “What about an aunt, a grandmother?”

  “His sister lives in Portland. Corey doesn’t have any grandparents either. And, before you ask, his in-laws won’t be of any help. They haven’t been in touch for years.”

  “Why not?” The idea seemed far-fetched. “Surely they’d want to see their grandson.”

  “You’d think so but, according to Mac, they don’t.” His tone became pleading. “For Corey’s sake, and Ronnie’s, please work something out.”

  She really didn’t want to approach Dr Grant for something so personal, but her daughter desperately wanted a father figure to accompany her on this one day. It was too easy to imagine his son hoping for the same minor miracle and being disappointed, all because she was too timid.

  “You didn’t mention this to him, did you?” she asked, remembering how a short time ago he’d acted as if he’d wanted to say something and hadn’t.

  Rob appeared affronted. “Of course not. The idea just came to me a few minutes ago. If you want me to lay the groundwork, though, I will.”

  “That’s quite all right. I’ll talk to Mac, ers, Dr Grant myself.” She was already in trouble if she was starting to think of him by the nickname Rob used.

  “But if he takes offense,” she warned him, “I’m holding you responsible.”

  “It’s a deal. Now that we have that settled, I believe my patient is waiting for me.”

  So was hers. Yet as she checked Mr Clark’s vital signs again she wondered if she could possibly follow through with this idea. Talking to Dr Grant had never been a problem but, then, work-related subjects were safe topics.

  She tried to think of a way to weave the upcoming Parent-Teacher Association programs into her next conversation, but her opening lines seemed contrived and silly. He was sure to think she’d lost her good sense, if not her mind.

  How did one ask the most taciturn physician on the staff to be a stand-in father?

  CHAPTER TWO

  “THIS isn’t a good time to page me.” Mac spoke on the phone to his eight-year-old son as he settled behind the nurses’ desk.

  “I can’t help it, Dad,” Corey protested. “I need your permission to go home with Ronnie today so we can work on our science project. Her mom is taking her to the Parent Resource Center to cut out planets and stuff, and we need to work on this together.”

  Ronnie and the feminine pronoun didn’t go together. “Ronnie’s a girl?” Mac asked for clarification.

  “Yeah, Dad. I told you about her, remember?”

  He wasn’t sure that he did, but if Corey said so, he’d take his word for it. Mac rubbed his hand over his face, wishing once again that he didn’t feel totally lost without Martha, his combination housekeeper and nanny.

  “Anyway,” Corey continued over the telephone, “we have to pair up for our project on the solar system, and Ronnie is my partner. So, Dad, can I go with her after school? They have really neat stuff at the resource center.”

  Mac heard the plea in his son’s voice and instantly guilt attacked him. “Why don’t I take you tomorrow on my afternoon off?”

  “It’s closed on Wednesdays, Dad. We have to turn our project in on Friday. Today’s the best time to go.”

  Mac knew that he needed to spend more time with Corey. His sister had preached on the subject for years, but juggling his parenting responsibilities and medical profession without Martha to guide him was like a surgeon operating with his eyes closed. For the past week he’d suffered tremendous feelings of inadequacy and failure, and situations like today’s made it appear as if those sentiments wouldn’t lessen any time soon.

  He offered another suggestion. “What if I try to pick you up by four-thirty? We can go then.”

  “You’ll be late,” Corey predicted without rancor. “You always are.”

  “Not always,” he protested.

  “Most of the time.”

  That much was true, which was why Mac simply had to find someone to take Martha’s position, and soon. He didn’t want to worry about Corey waiting at school like a forgotten child, but he couldn’t walk away from the hospital whenever he felt like it either.

  “The place closes at five,” Corey added. “Even if you weren’t late, I wouldn’t be able to get everything done.”

  Mac ran one hand through his hair. Corey was right—thirty minutes wouldn’t allow him to make an adequate start—but knowing it only served to spotlight Mac’s inadequacies with blinding clarity. In this case, he didn’t have any choice but to rely on the kindness of strangers.

  “Are you sure Ronnie’s mother won’t mind?”

  “Ronnie says it’s OK, but you can ask her mom yourself.”

  “Is she there at school?”

  “No, Dad.” Hearing Corey’s long-suffering tone, Mac could visualize his bespectacled son rolling his eyes. “She works in the hospital with you.”

  He tried to think of a woman who had a daughter named Ronnie, but came up blank. It wasn’t surprising, though. He didn’t spend time visiting with the staff. “She does?”

  “Her name is Mrs Ames.”

  Immediately his eyes were drawn to Lori, who at the moment was performing her quarter-hour checks. “Lori?”

  “I’m not sure. Do you know more than one Mrs Ames?”

  “No.”

  “Then it must be her.” He sounded very practical for one so young.

  “I guess so.” This shed new light on the situation. If Corey had told him about Ronnie and her mother, he couldn’t believe that he’d forgotten. “Did you tell me about her mother before?”

  “Ronnie just told me, so how could I?”

  That one detail gave him some consolation.

  “Then is it OK?” Corey persisted.

  “Sure,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at her house after five.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I gotta go.”

  Before Mac could ask for the address, a dial tone filled his ear. It wasn’t any great problem, he thought as he stared across the room. He’d simply ask Lori as soon as she had a free minute.

  He waited patiently, watching
her gentle movements as she dealt with Mr Clark. He’d always felt comfortable in her presence, more so than with most of her colleagues, although in the interests of self-preservation he’d taken great pains to hide it. The friendly glint in her eye could easily turn into the sly, calculating gaze of so many other women on the prowl, and he’d hate to see that happen. In any event, he was still too much in love with his wife’s memory to be entertaining thoughts of another woman, no matter how personable, how charming, how open and honest, and how attractive he found her.

  Lori’s hair was the color of polished oak, and clearly long enough to fashion into her usual knot at the back of her head. During rare moments of fancy, he wondered what those shiny tresses would look like if she let them hang free, but decided it was better if he didn’t know.

  Her features were girlish, her cheeks rosy with good health, her fair skin tanned. He rarely saw her without a soft smile for both staff and patients, including days when everyone else’s tempers were frayed.

  She was taller than average, but the top of her head only came to his chin. He’d noticed, because he could often smell her floral-scented shampoo when he stood next to her. Her body reminded him of the quiet and easy grace of a figure skater as she glided across the recovery room on silent feet.

  During her first few days at St Anne’s, he’d heard of her widowed and single-parent status, and as time had passed he’d fully expected some lucky man to claim her. She was friendly, caring and seemed like a woman who was tailor-made for a role as wife and mother, so who could resist? Yet when Talia had brought cake to celebrate Lori’s twenty-seventh birthday last month, he couldn’t understand why she wasn’t any closer to adding a ring to her finger.

  Whatever her reasons for remaining single, he couldn’t deny that Lori Ames was one classy lady.

  Something akin to jealousy stirred inside him as he imagined Corey basking in the sunshine of her smile. It had been ages since he’d spent time with a woman who understood his work and was near his own age, and to his surprise he discovered that he missed the experience. Sure, he visited with Rob’s wife Gail, but seeing his friends together in comfortably wedded bliss only emphasized how alone he really was.