That was the last he’d seen of her, and now this dragon of a hospital employee was keeping him from seeing Shay again, turning down his requests to talk to her doctor, refusing to let him know her status.
But these are my kids she’s having, he wanted to snap at her.
The knowledge finally hit, a solid blow that almost sent him staggering.
Yes, Shay was bringing these lives into the world. But no matter what she said, they were his as much as hers. Not just his responsibility. His family.
The nurse took him by the arm, urging him away from the admittance desk. His heart lightened at the knowledge she was finally going to take pity on him. Instead, she led him aside and nearly backed him up against a wall, most likely, he belatedly realized, to get him as far away as possible from the curious stares of everyone else in the room.
“You’re not listed on our paperwork as the father of record or even a close family member.” She gave him a small, malicious smile. “Therefore, I’m not allowed to divulge any further information to you.”
Of course not. Why should she be allowed to do that when she wouldn’t do anything else?
Then the implications of what she had said sank in. She wasn’t allowed to divulge any further information to him. He wasn’t listed in Shay’s records. Did that mean she had named someone else as the father?
The dragon turned and walked away.
He glanced around him. Everyone in the place sat staring at him as if he were the dragon. One with six heads.
Suddenly he felt grateful for the wall behind his back. He sagged against it and ran his hand over his face. The evil nurse might have control at the moment, but somehow he needed to get information from her. Acting like a real jackass wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Desperately, he searched for a single sane thought to hold on to—and couldn’t find one. Every thought he had was jumbled, erratic and fleeting.
He’d never planned to become a daddy. Never wanted to be a daddy. And yet, here he was, in a panic because that’s exactly what was going to happen, and that dragon nurse was telling him he had no rights to his own children.
Now she stood with her back to him calmly flipping through a few charts on the desk in front of her. He was tempted to vault over the front counter and tear across the space behind her and through the double doors.
That idea was put to rest when the automatic doors from the street swished open and Grandma Mo entered the emergency room with Jed Garland at her side.
* * *
TYLER HAD LOST track of time.
He and Jed had taken seats while Mo stopped at the counter, evidently to provide the staff with all kinds of information he wouldn’t have known. He leaned forward, face tilted down, elbows on his knees, in an attempt both to avoid the continuing stares of those around him and to get his head together again.
Eventually, Mo returned to lead them both down the hall to a family waiting room. Lightly padded plastic chairs made a corral around a low table holding some magazines and a few books.
He tried to get comfortable in this awkward situation. Jed knew the truth. But did Mo know who had fathered her granddaughter’s babies?
He told them what had happened back at the house, describing Shay’s pains, the phone call, the arrival of the ambulance.
The nurse, whose name turned out to be Annabel, entered the room with a tray of paper cups filled with water. “Cafeteria’s closed for the night, but I thought y’all might like something to drink.”
Sitting had put him at about eye level with her. He couldn’t avoid meeting her gaze. As she handed him a cup, she gave him the same small smile she’d given him earlier, which he now could see didn’t have a trace of malice in it. Instead, it was a sympathetic smile. She wasn’t a dragon nurse after all.
Panic could make a man think crazy things.
“Sorry about before,” he muttered, taking the cup.
She patted his shoulder. “Most men aren’t at their best when they show up here with a woman in labor.”
Yeah, but how many of those men were daddies with three babies arriving at once? And could the fact he would soon face just that event excuse some of his behavior?
As for the staring faces in the waiting room, he didn’t know whether it helped or hurt that, very likely, those were all folks who knew Shay—and Mo and Jed. Just as likely, they were all thrilled to finally have a look at a potential candidate for the father of Shay’s babies.
Jed and Mo sat watching him. Grandma Mo hadn’t said a word about his panic. More importantly, she hadn’t reacted to Annabel’s reassurances, which answered his question about whether or not she knew the truth about him. Either she’d known all along, or the surprisingly kindly nurse had clued Mo in when they were filling out hospital forms together.
As Annabel left them, he took a gulp of water, then looked at Mo.
Green eyes almost the shade of Shay’s stared back at him.
“You know?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Shay told you?”
She shook her head. “No, it was more a case of putting two and two together.”
“Or two and three, as it’s turned out.”
She gave a soft laugh. “That it has. Never did I think I’d be having my great-grandchildren by the handful. I’m happy for it. But I’ll be happier once I know they’re all here and healthy.”
“That makes a few of us.” He hesitated, then admitted, “I kind of went off the deep end when the nurse wouldn’t let me know what was going on with Shay.”
Jed settled back in his chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. “I was in that position when my Mary and I had our first boy. Sometimes, with all the hustle and bustle and everybody knowing their jobs and doing them, it feels like the daddy’s the last to learn the details.”
“My husband felt the same when I delivered Shay’s father,” Mo said. “It’s no shame that you felt a bit frustrated, Tyler, when Annabel wouldn’t answer your questions. If it’s any consolation, she said you were almost persuasive enough to make her bend the rules.”
“Obnoxious enough, she means.”
“Well,” Mo said, her eyes twinkling, “that may have been one of the words she used.”
He sent her a rueful grin.
The doors to the waiting room opened again. A silver-haired man wearing a white coat and a wide smile came directly to Mo.
“Everything’s fine,” he said promptly, to Tyler’s immediate relief. That feeling disappeared just as quickly when the man, his expression now solemn, took a seat beside Mo and rested his hand on her shoulder. “We’re not going to be able to transfer Shay and the babies up to Santa Fe as planned.”
“But you’re prepared for the births here, Jim?” she asked. Tension ratcheted up the accent he’d noticed in her voice.
“You already know we are, Mo. Now, don’t worry about that.”
“What about her pain?” Tyler demanded.
The doctor glanced at him, then back to Mo again. She nodded as if confirming she wanted the information, too.
“We don’t have a definitive answer for that yet,” the doctor told him. He returned his attention to Mo. “All four of them are being monitored closely while we run some tests. The babies’ lung development has already been checked, and everything is just as it should be. The tests will tell us if there’s anything more. From everything we’ve seen so far, in my and my colleague’s opinions, the babies are getting restless.”
He smiled, and Tyler liked the man for trying to ease Mo’s worry.
“When we have any news,” he continued, “you’ll be the first to know. Once the testing is done, you may be allowed in to see her. You alone, but it may be a while.”
She nodded. “I’ll be right here.”
“Good.” The doctor nodded to Tyler and Jed, then left.
“We
ll, son,” Jed said, “looks like it might be time for us to go home.”
Stalling, Tyler pretended to take a drink from his already empty cup.
Shay wouldn’t acknowledge his rights. The nurse wasn’t allowed to accept his word. The doctor addressed all his comments to Shay’s grandma. And it looked like Jed wanted him to walk away.
That left Mo, who sat quietly watching him.
“I’ll stay for a bit,” he told Jed. “You’ve got a way to get back to the ranch?”
“Got my truck. Don’t worry about that.”
The echo of the doctor’s words to Mo made Tyler think again of Shay. And her pain. And their conversation at the Big Dipper when he found he was going to become the father of three.
It’s not up to you who I tell and who I don’t.
He winced, sure he knew how she would feel about him discussing her with her grandma. But there was nothing he could do about that now. And it was the least of his worries.
Mo sat with her head tilted, studying him thoughtfully. He’d bet her next words wouldn’t make him feel any better.
“Since we can’t tell how long I’ll be sitting here,” she started, “and as Dr. Grayden said I’m to be the only one allowed in to see Shay...”
The only one Shay wanted to see.
The cup he held seemed to vibrate in his hand. Slowly, he curled his fingers around it, crumpling it in his fist. He tossed it into a trash basket near the end of the couch.
Mo continued gently, “In view of the circumstances, Tyler, I think it might be best for you to go with Jed. I’ll be in touch when I know something.”
Jed clapped him on the shoulder as if to second her request.
Looked like no one thought he had the right to be here.
Chapter Ten
“Your babies are beautiful.”
At Layne’s enthusiastic assessment, Shay couldn’t hold back a grin. In the two days since she had given birth, she hadn’t been able to stop smiling. Other than informing her the babies had a case of jaundice, Dr. Grayden had pronounced them perfect.
Even the exhaustion from two days and nights of sleep broken by multiple feedings couldn’t dim her happiness. Her babies were safe and sound, healthy, and finally here.
She looked at the small cribs lined up against one wall of the hospital’s neonatal care room. “Thanks. I think they’re beautiful, too, but it’s good to hear it confirmed by an expert mommy.”
Layne laughed. “I’m no expert. And according to Mo, you’re doing fine yourself.”
“So are the babies. We should be able to move into a room together soon. Right now they’re here under a special light to help with their jaundice. Dr. Grayden says they may need to stay an extra day in the hospital because of that, but their color is improving. And they all have great appetites.”
“I thought they looked bigger already,” Layne teased. She had seen the triplets for the first time the day before.
“They are bigger. Timothy met the minimum birth weight to go home. Jamie was just under the wire, but he’s above it now, too. And Bree has only a few ounces to go before she catches up with her big brothers. I’m having to supplement with bottle feedings. It wasn’t my first choice, but...”
“Nothing wrong with that. You wouldn’t have enough milk to nurse three babies,” Layne said matter-of-factly.
“That’s true. They do seem to eat a lot. And when they’re not eating, they pretty much spend their time sleeping.”
“Be grateful for that,” Layne advised. “In just a few days, you’ll be wishing for more nap times.”
“For them or for me?”
“Both.”
They laughed.
“I know Mo’s been here,” Layne said. “Sugar and Beth told me they stopped in, too.”
“I’m glad to have the company.” Dr. Grayden and the staff were all business when it came to watching over her babies, and she couldn’t have asked for better care even from the neonatal unit in Santa Fe. There, visitors might not yet have been allowed, but in a small-town hospital like Cowboy Creek’s, the rules were more flexible.
“Has anyone from the ranch been to see you?” Layne asked.
“Yes, Jed and Paz were here yesterday after you left, and Tina and Jane were in this morning.” Layne continued to look at her expectantly. Shay frowned. “I know what you’re thinking, and the answer’s no.”
Layne gave a small gasp of surprise. “But now Tyler knows he’s the daddy. He didn’t even make an attempt to get here?”
“Not as far as I know. Witnessing my panic at the house the other day must have given him a big dose of reality. And watching me being taken away in the ambulance probably made him think about the craziness of life with three babies. No wonder he hasn’t come to the hospital.” She shrugged. “That’s fine with me. I don’t want to see him. And the babies are too little even to notice who visits them.”
But were they? In just these two days, all three of her babies had bonded with her. They appeared comfortable when Grandma and Paz and Jed held them. They seemed quick to respond to anyone who came into their very small world. But of course, they couldn’t miss someone they’d never known.
Layne said nothing.
“I know what you’re thinking again, but he doesn’t have any right to be here. He doesn’t plan to be...anything to my babies.” She looked away from Layne and focused on the cribs. “Grandma and Jed are stopping by this afternoon. They’ll be here soon. Please promise me you won’t bring up Tyler’s name in front of them.”
“Tyler who?” Layne asked airily.
Shay laughed, but somehow, she didn’t trust that tone.
No matter what excuses she had just made, she had been surprised that Tyler hadn’t shown up at some point during visiting hours. He had been with her when she’d gone into labor. He had held her hand and tried to calm her while they waited for the EMTs. Even in the hustle of her transfer to the ambulance, she recalled him in the background, lending her silent support. She had thought for sure he would want to see their babies.
But that was just wishful thinking. She needed to stop those crazy thoughts. As she had told Layne, he didn’t intend to have anything to do with the triplets.
She felt the same about him. And to her relief, it looked like he had walked out of her life again for good.
* * *
IN THE HOSPITAL parking lot, Jed held the door of his truck open until Mo settled herself inside. Then he went around to the driver’s door and climbed in to sit beside her. Even if he hadn’t volunteered to pick her up from her house and take her home again, he’d have come to see Shay and her little ones, just like he had with Tina when his first great-grandson had been born in this very hospital, too. For him, new life was a sight that never got old.
“Your girl seemed more restless this afternoon than she did yesterday,” he said. “What did you think?”
“I agree. She’ll be wanting to get those babies home.”
“And something else?”
Mo tilted her head, considering. “I’ve not quite figured her out yet, Jed. She hasn’t said a word to me about Tyler. Has she mentioned him to you?”
“Nope. Nor to Paz. More than likely she doesn’t want to make a fuss. She doesn’t ask about Cole or Pete or Mitch, except in general. If she singled Tyler out, how would she explain her interest in him, since she doesn’t know we know why she’s interested?”
Mo frowned. “It’s a good thing I know how your mind works after all these years, Jed Garland, or I’d never have understood a word you just said.”
He laughed. “You know darned well your mind’s working just the same as mine. Now...once Shay gets home with those babies, we need to make sure she and Tyler have plenty of time alone with them.”
“I don’t see how that can happen. Our schedule’s already full with women who have vol
unteered to come in to help.”
“Schedules often change, Mo.”
She smiled. “That’s true enough, isn’t it. And until then? I haven’t a clue in my head as to what to do next.”
“That’s just it.”
“What is?”
“We don’t do anything next. We let nature take its course.” He gestured toward the hospital. “Shay’s been in here for a couple of days now, and I’ve got everybody at the Hitching Post staying quiet about how she’s doing. I figure the less we say to Tyler, the easier it’ll be to flush him out.”
“Meaning...?”
“Meaning he can’t show his hand by asking too much about Shay, either. But I don’t think he’ll be able to hold out much longer. Eventually, he’s going to talk to me outright about her.”
“And what are you going to tell him?”
Grinning, he started the pickup. “Haven’t got a clue in my head.”
* * *
TYLER PARKED HIS truck in the hospital lot between two cars only half its size. He hadn’t wanted to come. Shay wouldn’t want to see him. She wouldn’t even admit to anyone he had fathered her babies. And still, here he was.
He had lasted three days. Three long days of hearing the Garlands talk about Shay and the kids without revealing much of anything new. Three frustrating days of learning next to nothing after Paz and Jed’s visits to the hospital. Three anxious days without knowing how Shay was doing, other than Jed’s uncharacteristically brief reports of “fine.”
“Fine” didn’t tell him anything.
The rest of the Garlands had to know he was the babies’ dad, but it was as if they were deliberately shutting him out. He couldn’t ask questions, couldn’t show too much interest. Not after he’d made a point of telling Jed he had no plans of marrying Shay.
But what if they all were trying to hide something from him? Maybe that ride in the ambulance hadn’t been good for her or the babies. Maybe something he’d said or done had upset her enough to make her go into labor early.
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