The Surgeon's Christmas Baby

by Marin Thomas

“Maryellen.”

  “Nice to meet you, Maryellen. How close are the contractions?”

  “About a minute apart.”

  Hannah looked at Alonso and the confidence in him that shone in her eyes spurred him into action. “Help Maryellen out of her dress and put this sheet over her.” Alonso turned his back while Hannah helped undress Maryellen. He found a scissors and thread to tie off the umbilical cord and a suction bulb in case he needed to clear the baby’s airway.

  “Can I push now?” Maryellen grimaced.

  Alonso looked between her legs and saw that the baby’s head was crowning. No turning back now. “Slow and easy,” he said.

  Sweat broke out across his brow as the baby’s head came farther out with Maryellen’s next push. “Does your husband have hair?” Alonso asked, hoping to distract the mother from the pain she was in.

  “No,” she gasped. “He shaves his head. Why?”

  “Your baby girl is bald, too.”

  Maryellen laughed, then squeezed Hannah’s hand when another contraction hit.

  After three pushes, the baby slid into Alonso’s hands, and he placed the crying infant on Maryellen’s chest. After he tied off and cut the cord, he briskly rubbed the little body and a loud cry escaped her tiny mouth. “Her lungs are working.”

  “You did it, Maryellen.” Hannah smiled at the mother and daughter.

  A few minutes later, Alonso delivered the placenta and Hannah helped Maryellen clean up while Alonso weighed the baby. “Seven pounds eleven ounces.” He wrapped the little girl in a towel, then listened to her chest. “Caroline’s heart and lungs sound fine.” He handed the baby to Maryellen just as the exam door burst open, knocking Hannah into Alonso’s chest.

  A wild-eyed bald man shouted, “Where’s Maryellen?”

  “I’m right here.”

  Alonso pulled Hannah aside so the father could see his wife and newborn daughter. He kissed Maryellen, then the baby. “She’s as beautiful as you, honey.”

  Alonso and Hannah left the room, giving the new parents time alone.

  “You were wonderful in there.” Alonso brushed his fingers across his cheek. He stared into Hannah’s baby blues. “I can’t go back to Albuquerque.”

  “Why not?”

  “I love you.”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks.

  His heart thudded painfully in his chest. How had he ever believed leaving Hannah was the right thing to do? “I love you and our baby, but loving you both scares me to death.”

  “Parenthood can be frightening, but we’ll help each other through it.”

  He shook his head. “It’s so damned risky, Hannah. What if something happens to the baby?” Or you.

  “There are no guarantees in life. We do the best we can, make the best decisions we can and hope in the end everything works out.” She went up on tiptoe and kissed his mouth.

  He wasn’t sure it was as simple as Hannah made it seem, but he didn’t want to go back to the ER and get swallowed up by all the darkness again. Hannah had shown him there was still beauty and goodness left in the world—all he had to do was give her his hand and she and the baby would keep him looking forward to a future filled with love and hope, not hate and destruction.

  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I’d like to try working at the clinic with Doc when he returns from his hip-replacement surgery.”

  “But you can help more people in a hospital.”

  “I’ve had my fill of trauma surgeries.”

  “Are you sure this town, the ranch, me...are enough for you?”

  “More than sure.” He threaded his fingers through hers. “I need you, Hannah. I need your strength. Your courage.” He sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. “I love you for wanting to bring my child into the world, knowing that you might have had to do it on your own.”

  Hannah wrapped her arms around Alonso and hugged him. “And I love you for being brave enough to give you, me and the baby a chance to be a real family.”

  He stared into her eyes. “You have my word that I’ll be by your side every step of the way no matter what life throws at us.”

  “I don’t need your word. I just need your heart.”

  When Alonso kissed her, Hannah felt a surge of joy rush through her body. The future suddenly looked brighter than she’d ever dreamed possible. Someone cleared their throat and Hannah broke off the kiss.

  “Are you going to be much longer, Dr. Marquez? There’s a lady in the waiting room who needs her insulin shot.”

  “Be right there.” He smiled at Hannah. “Looks as if it’ll be a long day.”

  “Will I see you later?”

  He nodded. “I’m coming home tonight.” Hannah and the baby were home now. Once Hannah left, he entered the waiting room and discovered every chair filled. Baked goods and casseroles were piling up on the counter. “Okay, who needs their insulin shot?”

  “Me. I’m Gladys. I can’t get the hang of that newfangled meter. It’s always telling me my blood sugar is low, but I don’t think it is.”

  Alonso checked Gladys’s blood sugar, gave her the insulin shot and sent her on the way. Next, he stitched up Kevin Heppner’s finger, which he’d gashed when he’d accidentally grabbed hold of a barbed-wire fence without a glove. Then he clipped and filed Mr. Livingston’s toenails and recommended he get a pedicure every two months. The man argued that pedicures were for women, which ignited a discussion in the waiting area about the term metrosexual, after which Mr. Livingston loudly denied that he was gay.

  Not long after Mr. Livingston left, the midwife arrived with two of her children in tow. The kids played with the chicken while their mother tended to Maryellen. Soon after, the new parents left with their baby.

  The day slipped by and finally at six thirty he locked the front door. Exhausted, he stared at the messy waiting room. He stored the perishable food in the fridge—he wouldn’t have to make his lunch for a month. Just when he was ready to turn out the lights he heard a scuffling sound—the chicken stared at him from the end of the hallway. “Where have you been all day?”

  The bird waddled up to Alonso, then sat on top of his boots. “Make yourself comfortable, why don’t you?”

  He scooped up his new feathered friend. “I hope Rambo takes a liking to you.” He got into Doc’s truck and made a phone call on the way out of town.

  “This is Dr. Marquez. A patient of mine was life-flighted to the hospital today and I’m calling to check on him.”

  “What’s the patient’s name?”

  “Billy Johnson. Head-trauma victim.”

  “He went into surgery to stop a brain bleed shortly after he arrived. He’s still in recovery.”

  “What’s his prognosis?”

  “Excellent. Dr. McNamara performed the operation.”

  Dr. McNamara was a well-respected surgeon. Billy had been in good hands. “Thanks for the update.”

  After a few miles Alonso glanced across the seat—his copilot had fallen asleep. It was almost eight o’clock when he pulled into the ranch yard. Rambo barked, and a moment later Hannah walked into the kitchen, Luke on her heels holding the puppy.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Sorry I’m so late. The patients left me with a mess in the waiting room.” He smiled. “It was a long day but a good day.”

  “Hannah said you’re not going back to Albuquerque.”

  “I need to talk to you about that, Luke.”

  The teen glanced between the adults. “Okay.”

  “I’d like to marry your sister and I was hoping you’d approve.”

  “What about your job at the hospital?” Luke asked.

  “I’m ready to move on to something different. A slower pace.” Although today had been anything but slow.
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  Luke grinned. “Does marrying my sister mean you’re going to live here on the ranch with her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, heck yeah, you can marry my sister.”

  Hannah playfully punched Luke in the arm. “I’m seriously going to be outnumbered by males.” She placed her hand over her stomach. “Let’s hope we’re having a girl.”

  “I want a boy.” Luke set Rambo on the floor and the dog raced over to the door. “He’s got to go outside.”

  Alone in the kitchen with Hannah, Alonso pulled her close for a hug. “Are you sure?” Hannah had had several hours to think about marrying him after she’d left the clinic. If she was having second thoughts, he wanted to know now.

  “I’m more sure of you than anything else in my life.”

  “I’ll work hard so you never lose faith in me.” He kissed her gently, pledging his love to her.

  “Hey, did you know there’s a chicken out here?” Luke called through the screen door.

  Alonso chuckled. “I guess it’s a good thing we live on a ranch. Who knows what I’ll be bringing home every night.”

  “I don’t care how many critters you bring home as long as you’re the one bringing them.” Hannah pressed her mouth against his and Alonso tasted all that was good and beautiful—a future together, a family and a forever love.

  Epilogue

  “I knew Hannah would get her way.” Luke walked into his bedroom, grinning.

  Alonso shrugged into his suit jacket. “I underestimated your sister.” Alonso had believed he’d have a few months to get used to the idea of becoming a married man but Hannah hadn’t been willing to compromise on a wedding date.

  “You sure you want to marry her? She can be bossy.”

  “Your sister’s not bossy,” he said. “She’s persuasive.” And a seductress. But Alonso couldn’t very well admit to his soon-to-be brother-in-law that he hadn’t put up much of a fight when Hannah had launched her campaign to move up the wedding date using her wiles in bed against him.

  Only two weeks had passed since he’d taken over the clinic for Doc, but he’d settled into a routine with his patients that felt comfortable and right. And each night he came home to Hannah—the best part of his day. Later in bed, after they made love, he’d rest his hand on her tummy and imagine what their child would be like. What its personality would be.

  Some nights Alonso swore it was as if the baby was communicating with him. His palm would heat up against Hannah’s belly and the warm sensation would then travel up his arm, into his chest and straight to his heart, bringing him a sense of peace he’d never felt before.

  He turned away from the mirror. “Yes, I’m sure I want to marry your sister.”

  “Cool. I’m glad she won’t be all alone after I graduate from high school.”

  “Don’t worry about your sister. I’ll take good care of her and your niece or nephew. You just make sure you graduate.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  “Is it warming up outside?” Alonso asked.

  “No, but the sun is out.”

  Hannah had enlisted Maria Fitzgerald’s help in planning the ceremony at the Blue Bison. Cruz’s father-in-law, José, had prepared the food for the guests and Betsy from the Red Bluff Diner had baked the wedding cake. Michael came up the weekend before the wedding and helped Luke build a maze out of hay bales for the kids and Rambo to play in after the ceremony.

  “Doc Snyder wants to talk to you before you go outside,” Luke said.

  “Sure, send him in.”

  A minute later Doc entered Luke’s bedroom and shut the door.

  “Hey, Doc.”

  “Alonso.” Doc held out a brand-new black Stetson.

  “What’s this for?”

  “For taking care of my practice while I recuperated.”

  Doc Snyder had recovered quickly from his hip-replacement surgery and was scheduled to return to work in another week. Alonso wasn’t sure what he was going to do about a job, but Hannah didn’t seem worried, so he’d taken his cue from her and decided that things would work out the way they were meant to be. “You didn’t have to buy me a hat.” Alonso examined the Stetson. It wasn’t his first cowboy hat but it was his first nice one. He tried it on, surprised it fit well.

  “Now you look like a country doctor.”

  “I guess I do.” Alonso stared at his image in the mirror. There was no trace of the soldier that had followed him home from Afghanistan. That part of his life was over now. He’d hold the good memories close—his friendships with his comrades—then let the bad ones go.

  “I have a proposition for you,” Doc said.

  “What’s that?”

  “I’ve decided to retire and I want you to take over my practice.”

  Shocked, Alonso didn’t know what to say.

  “I’ve been meaning to retire for a while now, but I didn’t want to turn my patients over to just anyone.”

  “You still have some gas left in you, Doc.” He expected a smile or a chuckle but the older man’s expression remained sober. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “I’m not getting any younger, and now that I can walk pain-free, Marlene wants to travel. We’ve never been to Italy, where her great-grandparents are from. We just bought our plane tickets. We’re leaving in March.”

  “But—”

  “I don’t mind consulting on cases if you need a second opinion, but I’m not coming into the clinic every day.” He cleared his throat. “Being a country doctor might not be challenging enough for a man with your talents, but folks like you.” He straightened his shoulders. “You think you could be happy taking care of your friends and neighbors instead of strangers?”

  Taking care of friends and neighbors... Not bodies without names whom he never saw again after they left the surgery suite. Doc was offering Alonso the opportunity to serve people who would become part of his life. “Are you sure you’re ready to hang up your stethoscope?”

  “Positive. If I bring home any more chickens, Marlene will pluck me for dinner.”

  Alonso chuckled. “I’d be honored to take over your practice.”

  “You won’t make as much money as surgeons in Albuquerque.”

  “Money’s overrated.”

  “You won’t think so when you have more kids.”

  “Whoa, let me get used to having one first.”

  The doctor offered his hand. “I don’t know what brought you to Paradise, Alonso, but I do know you’re the best thing that’s happened to Hannah and Luke. God knows that girl deserves some happiness in her life. You do right by her and my patients, and I’ll be forever in your debt.”

  Alonso patted Doc on the shoulder. “I’m ready to see my bride.” He followed Doc outside to the front porch, where the ceremony would take place. Hannah had insisted on no bridesmaids or groomsmen. Luke was giving Hannah away and the rest of the onlookers had gathered in the front yard.

  Alonso had invited his sisters and his mother, and they’d been thrilled for him and Hannah. His mother had been especially excited about another grandchild and had offered to take care of the baby anytime Hannah and Alonso wanted to get away together. He smiled at his mother, who stood by the porch steps, tears of happiness in her eyes.

  He hadn’t counted on being this nervous before the ceremony, but his knees felt as if they were held together with rubber bands. He searched the crowd and spotted Riley and Cruz. They came forward and joined him on the porch.

  “This is a big step,” Riley said. “You ready?”

  “I thought I was.” He looked at Cruz. “I’m afraid I’ll screw this up.”

  “Welcome to my world.” Cruz smiled, then winced when Riley elbowed him in the ribs.

  “You two haven’t had it easy all these years, th
ere’s no question about that. But you both beat the odds and found a better life outside of the barrio. Let yourselves believe that you deserve to be happy.”

  “Easy for the rich guy to say,” Alonso said.

  Riley fought a grin. “I hope I wasn’t just a wallet to you two.”

  Alonso and Cruz exchanged glances, then Alonso said, “You’ve been the big brother we always wished we’d had.”

  “And the father we never had,” Cruz said.

  “And a mentor we probably didn’t deserve,” Alonso added.

  Cruz cleared his throat. “Not a day goes by that we don’t appreciate what you’ve done for us.”

  “That’s enough of the sentimental crap.” Riley clasped both men by the shoulders. “I’m proud of you guys.”

  Someone turned on the music and the bridal march began to play. Riley and Cruz returned to the lawn and stood by their wives and children. The minister opened the front door and Luke escorted the bride outside.

  Hannah was breathtaking in a simple white wedding dress. She carried a bouquet of red roses, and a dark red ribbon held her hair back from her face. The minister asked who gave the bride away, but Alonso didn’t hear a word after that as he lost himself in the love for him shining in Hannah’s eyes.

  * * * * *

  Be sure to look for Marin Thomas’s next book in her COWBOYS OF THE RIO GRANDE series,

  available in 2016

  wherever Harlequin books are sold!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from LONE STAR TWINS by Cathy Gillen Thacker

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