The Doctor’s Secret Baby

by Teresa Southwick

  “Henry’s not back there.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Having tests.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “CAT scan and EEG.”

  Her stomach knotted. “Is it more than just a bump on the head? Patty said he was bleeding.”

  “There can be a lot of blood from a head wound, which doesn’t necessarily mean severe trauma. But—”

  “I hate that word!” she said fiercely. “Why is he having tests?”

  “To rule out bleeding in the brain that can cause intracranial pressure. He’s lethargic. Could be a slight concussion. Not severe,” he assured her when she sucked in a breath. “He didn’t lose consciousness, but—”

  She stared at him. “There’s that word again.”

  “Let’s just say he’s not the same energetic kid who wore me out at the barbecue. I just want to be sure.”

  “Did they tell you what happened?”

  “He was running and tripped over a toy. Hit his head on a table. The one Jonas was making for him,” he added.

  “Oh, no.” Her heart twisted.

  “For sure he’s going to need stitches to close the laceration,” he said.

  “How are Patty and Jonas holding up?”

  “They’re putting on a brave front to keep Henry calm. But you can see the fear in their eyes, like every concerned parent with a child in the E.R.”

  There was something in his eyes that she’d never seen before. After dating for a while she’d gotten to know him pretty well but this expression was new. “It’s different for you now, isn’t it?”

  “Care to be more specific?”

  She tilted her head to the side and studied him intently. “You understand how the moms and dads feel when their children are suffering,” she observed.

  “How did you know?”

  “Because of Annie.” She was talking more about herself when she added, “When you’re walking in the same shoes it’s hard to ignore the pain because you know what they’re going through.”

  And because of the baby she’d given up, she understood so many more things. She knew Patty and Jonas were struggling to do right by their little boy because they’d made the decision to raise him against their families’ advice and didn’t want to hear the I-told-you-so. But it was more than that. Again she understood because of the baby she gave away and Annie. The love for their little boy was bigger and more consuming than anything else. Giving him a perfect, pain-free life was their only goal, however impossible.

  “Doctor Westen?”

  They glanced at the young woman in scrubs standing by one of the open double doors separating them from the trauma bays.

  “What is it, Gretchen?”

  “The Blackford boy is back from radiology.”

  “Thanks. Tell his parents I’ll be right in.”

  “Yes, Doctor.”

  Emily looked up at him. “That was fast.”

  He shrugged. “I pulled some strings.”

  “So Henry took cuts?”

  “Maybe.” A small smile threatened at the corners of his mouth. “But no one’s medical care was compromised.”

  “How long will it take to get the results?” Em asked.

  “Guaranteed in thirty minutes. I’m going to call right now and see if I can’t get them sooner,” he answered. “Do you want to see Patty?”

  “Yeah.”

  To avoid the crowded waiting area he led her through the maze of halls, which was the back way into the trauma bays. He walked past curtained areas that protected the privacy of patients being tended to and dodged various mysterious machines with dials and tubes and equipment carts. They were on wheels to make them portable but for the time being had served their purpose and were hastily parked until needed again. He indicated the third room on the right.

  “Stay with them. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Okay.”

  Em watched his broad shoulders until he turned a corner and disappeared. She felt the loss of his warmth and security. She spent time here and worked with patients after Cal had saved their lives or did what he did to get them back on the road to health. But tonight it felt like she was making her way through a foreign country because a little boy she cared very much about was hurt. Thank goodness Cal was here.

  She walked into the room where the young mother sat on the bed holding Henry. Her sleeveless white T-shirt had brownish stains that were no doubt her baby’s dried blood. Jonas stood beside the two of them looking angry, which meant he was feeling worried and helpless.

  Then Patty saw her and a tear slid from the corner of her eye. “Emily—”

  Em rushed over to them and gave the teen a quick hug. “Hi, kiddo. How is he?”

  “Not having a good day,” Patty said.

  She sat beside the young mom and gently rubbed a hand on the toddler’s chubby leg. A gauze square covered the gash on his forehead and he was unusually quiet. “Hi, Henry. Did you get an owie?”

  “Big time,” Jonas said.

  “Cal is checking on the test results now. I’m sure he’ll have some news soon.”

  “He’ll need stitches,” Patty said, looking scared at the prospect.

  “We wish he didn’t have to go through that,” Em said. “But I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have take care of him than Cal. Henry is in very good hands.”

  He loved his job and was very good at it. That’s one of the things that had attracted her from the very beginning and why she’d advised Patty to bring her little boy here to Cal.

  He walked into the room and they all looked at him expectantly. “The tests came out fine,” he said, not wasting time. “Good thing Henry has such a hard head.”

  “Thank goodness.” Patty reached a hand up to Jonas who instantly squeezed it.

  “All the news is positive, but to be on the safe side I’d like to admit Henry and keep him overnight for observation—”

  Patty glanced worriedly at Jonas. “Can’t we watch him at home? You could tell us what to look for.”

  Cal rubbed a hand over his neck. “This is about not having medical insurance, right?”

  “Yeah.” Jonas brushed a gentle hand over his son’s matted hair. “Don’t get me wrong, Doc. I want him to have what he needs. But I’m not sure how I’m going to pay for everything already.”

  “It’s not as bad as you think,” Cal said.

  “That’s because you’re not the one on the hook for it.” Jonas crossed his arms over his chest. “Everything always costs more than you think.”

  “I don’t recommend taking him home yet.”

  Henry sat up and pointed at Cal. “Cookie?”

  “Hey, you. Feeling better, big guy?” Patty looked at him. “But he’s perked up, almost back to normal.”

  Cal blew out a long breath. “It may not be necessary, but I’d rather err on the side of caution.”

  Jonas shifted from one foot to the other. “Look, man, Patty and I appreciate everything you’ve done. And we respect your opinion. But we’ll watch out for him ourselves.”

  “Then you’ll be taking him home AMA.” He saw their confused looks and added, “Against medical advice.”

  Emily knew the intense expression on Cal’s face and had been on the receiving end quite a bit lately. She also knew it was generated because he sincerely cared. Both sides had a point and she watched from the cheap seats between a rock and a hard place.

  “There must be some kind of compromise between caution and common sense,” Emily said. “If he’s at home there are four adults to take turns looking out for him and you can tell us what to watch for.”

  “Like a family,” Cal said.

  “That’s what we are.” She wondered why he was staring at her as if she’d come from another planet. “And just so we’re clear, I’ve got your cell number if we have any questions.”

  “I’ll go you one better.” He glanced at the watch on his wrist. “How about this. My shift is almost over. You guys hang here until then, and I’ll com
e home with you and stay the night, to direct the troops.”

  Patty and Jonas exchanged a look, before she said, “Why?”

  Cal met her gaze. “Because Henry is my daughter’s best friend.”

  That was guy speak for how much he cared and Emily’s heart did a stop, drop and roll maneuver that was completely involuntary.

  “You don’t have to, man.” Jonas sounded as if he wasn’t accustomed to catching a break.

  “It’s what I do.” He looked at her. “My compromise. Take it or leave it. And before answering you should know that I’ll be there no matter what you say. And I know where you live.”

  Emily cleared the lump from her throat before saying, “As far as the rest of the cost for Henry’s E.R. visit, I’ll look into finding a way to pay for everything. It’s what I do. I’ll talk to Sister Monica. This is a nonprofit hospital and they have to give back a certain amount to the community to maintain their tax-exempt status.”

  “My medical group bills independently from the hospital and I’ll write off my time,” Cal offered.

  Patty blinked up at him. “We don’t want charity.”

  “The heck we don’t,” Jonas argued.

  Cal grinned. “Attaboy.”

  “Jonas, I thought we agreed we were going to do this on our own,” Patty said.

  “You are,” Cal assured her. “But give people a chance to lend a hand. It makes us feel good about ourselves.”

  “You’re just saying that so we won’t feel bad,” she accused, as Henry started squirming in her lap.

  “Is it working?” he asked.

  “I’m good, man.” Jonas took his son when the boy held out his arms.

  “His male pride is off life support, that just leaves your maternal instincts.” Cal looked from one parent to the other. “Let me help. Just because I can.”

  “But coming with us to watch Henry is enough,” Patty protested. “We can’t ask you to donate more of your time.”

  “Technically, you didn’t ask. I volunteered. So it’s settled.” He nodded with satisfaction. “Now I’ll just get my little buddy stitched up. Don’t worry. I’ll make him as comfortable as possible.”

  When he left the room to get what he needed for the repair, Emily followed. “Cal?”

  He turned. “Hmm?”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “As if you didn’t know.” She smiled. “Why are you really doing it?”

  “As if you didn’t know,” he said, echoing her words.

  “I don’t.” Maybe she didn’t want to know. Or more to the point, didn’t want to hope.

  “You make it hard to stand on the outside just observing instead of stepping up to help.”

  That sounded a lot like a compliment and her heart did another flip-floppy thing as she looked at him.

  “You’re my hero.” The words just popped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

  It wasn’t often he looked surprised, but he did now. “Even though I’m judgmental, pigheaded and sometimes don’t know when to stop talking?”

  She shrugged. “Heroes are imperfect. Maybe that’s why the heroic stuff stands out. They do the right thing in spite of the flaws.”

  He nodded. “I’m going before you change your mind about that.”

  This time when he walked away she didn’t follow even though she was still confused. He implied that he was helping out for her. What did that mean? Maybe he respected what she was trying to do, but she wasn’t sure that he liked her. He definitely didn’t trust her. Why would he do anything for her that was so heroically above and beyond the call of duty?

  Just when she thought she had him all figured out he had to go and change the rules.

  The next day Cal drove away from Em’s place with her beside him in the passenger seat. He glanced sideways and noted that she looked pensive.

  “I appreciate you going with me to pick out a gift for Mitch and Sam’s baby.”

  “How could I say no after you played guardian angel last night?”

  “What happened to hero?” he asked, glancing over at her.

  “That, too.” She met his gaze for a second, but his teasing hadn’t chased away her tension. “Are you sure your mom’s going to be okay with Annie?”

  He continued to the entrance of the 95 Freeway and got on, seamlessly merging into northbound traffic. “Absolutely. She insisted, especially when I mentioned shopping for Mitch’s new baby boy. Mom’s been wanting to spend quality time with Annie and this seemed a perfect opportunity.”

  “I kind of got that when she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “That, too.” He grinned at her.

  “You don’t find it ironic that we’re shopping for a baby gift and dumped our baby on your mother?”

  “No. Besides the fact that Annie’s taking a nap, what Mom said made sense. It will be faster and easier to pick out just the right thing by ourselves and she’s perfectly capable of babysitting.” Something was bugging her and he was in too good a mood to spoil it by persuading her to discuss what was on her mind. Better to change the subject. “Isn’t it amazing that we’re both off today?”

  “It’s a good thing you are after the night you had.”

  “Yeah.”

  It had been a long night and not just because of looking in on Henry. Since Lucy and Patty’s place was crowded with Jonas there, Cal had commandeered Em’s couch to snag some z’s whenever he could. It wasn’t often considering that the apartment smelled like her. Between looking in on Henry and thinking about Emily’s soft, sweet skin and how exciting it would be to touch her everywhere, sleep had been elusive.

  Just before dawn Annie had awakened him when she’d grabbed his nose in her chubby little fingers. It was the first time he’d had a chance to watch her toddle happily around first thing in the morning and that energized him somehow. Then his mom had called to see if he still wanted her to help him shop for a baby gift, which had evolved into her watching Annie.

  He glanced sideways and noticed that Em looked uncomfortable. At the risk of spoiling his mood, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “So many things, so little time.”

  “Pick one,” he suggested.

  “Can I have two?”

  “Knock yourself out.”

  “Actually number one is how your mom will hold up with our little bundle of energy, and I have to bow to your wisdom on that.” She twisted her fingers together in her lap.

  “What’s number two?”

  “Are you sure it’s okay to leave Henry?”

  They’d already been through this and he got the distinct impression that she was creating speed bumps to this shopping expedition where none existed. “Technically we’re not leaving Henry. He’s being well cared for by his mother and father.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” She met his gaze. “Is it okay for you to be away?”

  “Yes.”

  She looked at him expectantly. “Care to elaborate?”

  “Kids bounce back incredibly fast. You don’t need an M.D. after your name to see that he was feeling his oats this morning. That kid is high-energy and he’s got the battle scars to prove it. Frankly, the hardest thing for Patty and Jonas will be to keep him quiet. They don’t need extra people around stirring him up.”

  “You’re sure?”

  He glanced over and briefly met her gaze. “First do no harm. Words every doctor lives by. You watch, wait and intervene when necessary. Last night was all about watching and waiting. I was there if he needed anything, which is what would have happened if he’d stayed overnight in the hospital. He was quiet in the E.R. but you never know if that’s part of the trauma or just a symptom of a new and scary environment. It’s my job to make the call about whether or not skilled observation is indicated. I believe in erring on the side of caution. Patty and Jonas felt they could handle it. Fortunately, they were right and today, except for the sutures in his forehead, you’d never know he took a header yesterday
.” He briefly met her gaze before looking at the road again. “I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t okay.”

  “Wow, that was quite a speech.” She smiled just a little. “I guess it goes with the new wheels.”

  “I was wondering when you were going to notice.” He’d traded “the princess” in for this Lexus SUV. “There was nowhere for Annie in the other car since it was a two-seater and she couldn’t sit in the front. This is more kid-friendly.”

  “A family vehicle,” she said, a tinge of wistfulness in her voice.

  That was the second time in two days that she’d mentioned family. It wasn’t something he had an answer for and decided saying nothing was the best way to do no harm.

  He exited at Lake Mead Boulevard, turned left and crossed over the freeway, then made a left-hand turn into the shopping center where the baby warehouse store was located. It was hard to miss what with the humongous giraffe on the outside of the building.

  They parked in front, then entered the store. He looked around at the overwhelming inventory of kid stuff and shook his head.

  “I don’t know where to start,” he admitted.

  “I’m shocked and appalled.”

  “If this were an emergency situation you’d get to feel that way. But I’m completely out of my element. It’s why I brought you along. Any suggestions?”

  “Do you know if Sam and Mitch registered here?” She sighed at his blank look. “For gifts. Like prospective brides and grooms, expectant moms and dads register their product preferences with a store for shower gifts or even after the baby is born so that anyone wishing to purchase something will know what to get.”

  “Did you do that with Annie?”

  She nodded, but instead of pleasure in the memory, her expression turned pensive. “Sophia threw a baby shower and I registered here.”

  “Then you know how to check and see if Mitch and Sam did.”

  “I do.”

  “Lead the way.” He followed her to a computer terminal and they plugged in the names, but couldn’t find any information.

  “I guess we’re flying blind, then,” she said. “Let’s start in the infant section, zero to six months.”