A Lawman for Christmas
Page 16
Arriving at Blair Memorial, Morgan had pulled up in front of one of the hospital’s valets. The latter, wearing a Santa cap, looked uncertainly at the flashing lights atop freshly promoted Detective Donnelly’s car. His confusion grew as two more cars pulled up directly behind the first, and people started pouring out.
“Got a woman about to give birth,” Morgan called out. Instantly, the second valet rushed off to fetch a wheelchair, the bells tied to his shoes jangling as he ran.
The smell of pine greeted them the moment Bryan pushed Kate’s wheelchair into the E.R. waiting area. There was a Christmas tree next to the entrance. They were the only ones there. From all appearances, the hospital was experiencing a slow night.
That changed the moment her family came pouring in, Kelsey observed.
“She’s going to be fine,” Morgan had whispered in her ear as a nurse and an orderly took her mother and father to the maternity floor. Morgan pressed for the next available elevator car.
“Of course she is,” Kelsey had retorted, her voice firm to convince herself.
That had been five hours ago.
Now, here they all were, crowded into the maternity floor waiting area. Cody was curled up in his mother’s lap, asleep despite his efforts to remain awake. The rest of them were watching the doorway intently for any signs of someone coming to notify them that the newest Marlowe had finally arrived.
The air was thick with tension.
“Something’s wrong,” Kelsey said suddenly, unable to rein in her agitation.
“Some babies take longer than others,” Miranda tried to reassure her.
Kelsey fisted her hands at her sides. “But her water broke,” she insisted. Weren’t babies supposed to come popping out right after that? Wasn’t that why they’d raced to the hospital like that?
“Doesn’t mean anything,” Laurel told her, slowly stroking her son’s hair as he went on sleeping. “It can still take a long time.”
Kelsey wasn’t convinced. “I’m going to find someone to ask,” she declared, heading for the doorway.
But just as she was about to explode out into the festively decorated hallway, her father, dressed in green scrubs, cut her off at the threshold.
Bryan Marlowe grinned from ear to ear and looked almost like a teenager.
Instantly, everyone was on their feet except for Laurel. They circled him like hungry birds around a crust of bread.
“Well?” Kelsey demanded.
“It’s a boy. Born one minute after midnight,” her father announced proudly.
“I think there’s something in the hospital guidelines that says you can’t have twelve people at a bedside,” the night nurse declared as she walked into Kate Marlowe’s room and saw the crowd gathered around the maternity floor’s only new patient in the last twelve hours.
“Oh, please,” Kate entreated the older woman. “Just for a few minutes. It’s Christmas,” she added as a finalizing argument.
Bryan smiled warmly at his wife, looking down at the son who measured his age in hours. “Yes,” he agreed. “It certainly is.”
Morgan, his arm around Kelsey’s waist, bent his head and kissed her hair softly. He’d never thought that he could feel this way again. That anything would cause his heart to open like this.
“This give you any ideas?” he asked Kelsey in a low whisper.
An expression he couldn’t quite fathom was on her lips. “I was going to save this for later,” Kelsey answered, “but I guess now’s as good a time as any to tell you.”
Puzzled, he stared at her. “Tell me what?”
Her face lit up as she whispered, “Merry Christmas, Morgan. You’re going to be a daddy.”
Speechless, overjoyed, Morgan swept his wife up into his arms and kissed her in full view of everyone—including his newest brother-in-law. It certainly was a Merry Christmas, he thought. From this day forward.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4287-0
A LAWMAN FOR CHRISTMAS
Copyright © 2009 by Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
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