by Lois Richer
“Let’s go!” Autumn’s enthusiasm fueled his. He matched his stride to hers as they walked down the hall toward the birthing suites.
Autumn knocked on the closed door and a man opened it. “Hi, Greg,” she said. “We met at the expectant parents night.”
“Right.” He rubbed his hand over his closely cropped hair and gazed at the mother-to-be, who gripped the windowsill as a contraction rippled through her. He winced. “You’d think this would be easier the second time around.”
“How are you doing, Lisa?” Autumn asked.
“Okay. I’m better standing. But I’m starting to feel like I should push.”
“Great. That’s probably pressure from your water wanting to break. But we’ll wash up just in case your baby decides to follow. This is Dr. Hanlon.” Autumn introduced him. “Lisa and Greg Kent.”
Jon extended his hand to Greg and then Lisa. In the slight lull that followed he thought about telling them to call him Jon.
“Kelly told you he’d be doing the delivery?”
Lisa nodded between breaths as another contraction started.
“He’s new here, and we want to break him in right.”
Jon stiffened. He’d certainly delivered as many babies as she had. Probably more.
Greg rolled his eyes. “Women,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose this is their domain.”
Jon agreed to a point. But he was as capable of delivering a baby as any woman.
Lisa squeezed her husband’s hand hard. “I’d be perfectly happy to have you take on this part next time, not that there’s going to be a next time.”
“That’s not what you were saying a few weeks ago.”
“It’s what I’m saying now.” Lisa groaned in pain.
Jon hated when the parents got into it in the delivery room. He’d had births where he’d wanted to ask the father to leave to reduce the tension for the good of the mother and the baby. He hadn’t, though.
“Hey, you two. You can discuss family planning another time,” Autumn said. “We’ve got work to do here. Hop on the bed so we can take a look. Dr. Hanlon, would you like to do the honors?”
Jon caught Lisa silently mouthing “I love you” to Greg. Her husband mouthed “me, too” back.
Feeling like an intruder on their intimacy, Jon looked at Autumn, who was smiling at the couple. She was so at ease with them. He reached for his pad to make a note to himself about his observations and stopped. He wasn’t an observer this time. The whoosh of Lisa’s water breaking snapped his attention back to her.
He jumped back, hands up, conscious that Autumn was close behind him. He wasn’t any more comfortable having someone looking over his shoulder now than he’d been in medical college. But he’d tolerated it as part of the learning process.
“Looking good,” she said. “Kelly was right when she said that once you get started you don’t waste any time. The head is crowning.”
“Hey, that was my line,” Jon said.
Autumn stepped to his left and replaced the wet pads on the bed with dry ones. She and Greg exchanged another look, making him feel superfluous.
If she’d wanted to do the delivery, she could have. She still could, except Lisa was Kelly’s patient, and Kelly had asked him to do the delivery. It wasn’t his place to speculate why. He studied the placement of the baby’s head and checked the instrument tray at his right, although he knew everything was there. He’d supervised the preparation of the room himself before the Kents had arrived.
He glanced to his right. Autumn had moved away and was talking with the nurse, who was preparing the warm towels for the baby. He couldn’t imagine Kelly not trusting Autumn’s competence. He’d seen Autumn in action at Samaritan. He’d had colleagues who’d given up obstetrics, but generally for the more lucrative gynecological surgery.
“How are we doing?” she called over.
He wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or the parents. “About to start second stage.”
“Is that right, Lisa?” Autumn asked. “Do you feel like pushing?”
“Yes,” the mother-to-be grunted. “I said that before.”
“Then we should be welcoming Ingrid very soon.”
She knew the baby’s name, and he’d vacillated about telling the parents to call him Jon. From what he’d seen of the Paradox Lake-Ticonderoga area, Autumn and Kelly probably knew all of Greg and Lisa’s family members, too. The only one of his deliveries where he’d gotten to know the parents was a couple he’d already known from church.
Greg’s “her hair looks red, Lis” as he looked at the mirror behind Jon brought him back into focus on the birth. His neck grew hot. Something could have happened while he was letting his thoughts drift. He reached down and caught the baby as she made her appearance with a loud squall. Jon held her for a moment before placing her onto Lisa’s chest.
“Here’s your new daughter.”
She was pink and perfect as far as his quick assessment could tell. A rush of joy flowed through him. He clamped the umbilical cord and reached for another clamp.
“Can you hand Greg the cord scissors?”
Jon looked at Autumn and blinked.
“So he can cut the cord.”
“Of course.” He should have asked, rather than thinking to do it himself. Fathers and other birth partners routinely cut the cord. He handed Greg the scissors.
Once they had the family all settled, Jon and Autumn stepped into the other room to give Lisa and Greg some privacy.
“That went well,” Jon said.
“It did. Lisa and Greg are a cute couple. You should see their little boy. He’s a miniature Greg.” Autumn swung her arms forward and then stretched them back. “I’m always so jazzed after a birth.”
“Me, too. I often go running.”
“I’m not that ambitious. But you may notice that the only time my house is really clean is after a birth.”
The joy he and Autumn had shared bringing little Ingrid into the world still shone on Autumn’s face. “I’m a little puzzled as to why Kelly asked me to cover today. You would have been fine without me.”
She stilled. “Because I don’t do births anymore.”
The vehemence in her voice puzzled him even more. Why wasn’t she doing births when she so obviously enjoyed them? Not that he was going to ask right now. His intended compliment had snuffed out the warm afterglow of the wonder they’d just experienced together.
She looked at her watch. “I should check on Lisa and the baby.”
“Yes, we should.”
“You don’t have to. I can handle things. Go take your run. Seriously. The time with the new parents afterward is one of my favorite parts of a birth.”
He hesitated. Lisa was Kelly and Autumn’s patient. He’d done his part, needed or not. He didn’t have to stay. “I could stand to burn off some energy and the sticky buns my nurse brought into the office this morning.” It couldn’t hurt to try to tease back some of the joy they’d shared in the birthing room.
“And I should be right behind you working off the half a carrot cake my grandmother dropped off yesterday because she knows it’s my favorite.” Her voice was lighter.
“I can stay and give you a hand here. Then you could join me in my run.”
Autumn burst into laughter. Tears streamed down her face and she bent over and hugged herself.
“What’s so funny?”
“I—” She choked to get control of her laughter. “Sorry. A little excess energy on my part there. I’ve seen you take off for your lake run. And return. I’m afraid you’d lose me before the end of the driveway. I’m more of a hiker or a leisurely-stroll-around-the-lake type of person.”
Autumn had noticed him taking his runs? He stood straight, his shoulders back. “Yeah?” He grinned a
nd reached over to wipe a tear off her cheek.
She leaned into his touch, tilting her face up to him.
He locked his gaze with hers as he lowered his lips. The kiss was soft, sweet and short.
Greg peered around the doorway from the birth room. “Autumn, we have a question.”
She spun away from him so fast, her braid flew out and hit him. “I’ll be right there.” Greg disappeared into the other room, and Autumn turned back to Jon.
“I...I...” He stuttered like a teenage boy caught by a father stealing a kiss from his daughter.
“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s the adrenaline overload. I’m sure it’s not the first time you’ve been caught up in the wonder of birth and reacted instinctively to share your exuberance.”
Was that some kind of dig? The pounding in his chest slowed. He knew he’d gained a reputation at Samaritan that wasn’t entirely undeserved. He liked women and had dated a lot of them. But he wasn’t in the habit of kissing his delivery staff no matter how exhilarating the birth.
“Have a good run.” She waved him off.
That was it? She hadn’t felt any attraction at all from adrenaline or otherwise? He’d been attracted to Autumn at Samaritan and still was, even though the timing was as wrong now as it had been then.
Forty minutes later, Jon was in his jogging shorts and muscle shirt racing up Hazard Cove Road, making what might be his best time yet around the lake. As he hit the beach path, he looked out across the placid blue waters and speculated whether his speed was triggered by the lingering adrenaline rush or because he wanted to get back home to check in with Autumn to see how she and Lisa and Ingrid were doing. Before he’d given in to the impulse to kiss Autumn, he’d meant to tell her that he wanted to go with her to Lisa’s follow-up home visit.
His feet pounded the path, throwing small pebbles behind him. Sharing the birth today with Autumn had made him more curious to know what had caused her to give up catching babies. It had to be major, and he probably wouldn’t find out until she was ready to tell him. If they ever got that close. But he wasn’t here to get close to Autumn, or anyone else. He breathed deeply and exhaled, thinking of their kiss. As inviting as that might be.
Chapter Seven
Autumn juggled her Bible and the canvas bag of cookies and iced tea so she could slide the key into the door of the Hazardtown Community Church hall. No one else was here yet. But she was a good fifteen minutes early. She wiped her hand on her jeans and turned the key. The temperature had to still be at least ninety degrees—a good ten degrees higher than normal for July—and it would only be warmer inside.
Why had she had the bright idea of splitting the former singles-plus Bible study and social group in two this past spring, one for couples and the other a true singles group? Attendance at the singles meetings had dropped off steadily since, following the spiraling trajectory of her social life in general. Obviously, she didn’t have the leadership draw her father had with the members of his married group.
The sound of a vehicle entering the church parking lot made her turn. She knit her brows in concern when she recognized Jamie’s SUV and checked her cell phone to see if Kelly had tried to contact her. If they had a birth and she hadn’t been able to get through, Kelly might have sent Jamie to track her down here. No bars. Autumn’s heart dropped. Three of their mothers-to-be were overdue. If they’d all gone into labor, Kelly would have only Jon—Autumn swallowed the lump that clogged her throat—and her to help cover. The other midwife who had delivery privileges at the center and sometimes covered for them was on vacation this week.
Jamie pulled the van parallel to the sidewalk and the passenger-side door opened. “Hey, Autumn. I’m early,” Lexi said. “My car died on the way home from work today, so I had to hitch a ride with Jamie. She’s on her way to a birth.”
“Hi. I’m glad you came.” Autumn looked past Lexi to Jamie. “Who’s having the baby? Tanya, Sara or Allie?”
“None of the above,” Jamie said. “It’s one of Maureen’s mothers.”
Autumn shoved her hand into her front pocket. She hadn’t considered that Maureen, the other midwife they covered births for, might have any of her mothers giving birth this week.
“She’s two weeks early. I’m meeting Kelly at the center.”
Autumn nodded. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Unless we need to call you in. Tanya, Sara and Allie.” Jamie laughed as she repeated the names of their three overdue mothers. “We know where to find you.”
Autumn swallowed. She hoped they wouldn’t have to.
“And Jon if you need him,” Lexi added. “He told me he was coming tonight.” She closed the SUV door behind her and Jamie drove away.
Autumn pulled the door open. He hadn’t said anything to her about coming when they’d gone on the follow-up home visit to Lisa Kent’s. The memory of their kiss plagued her, not for the first time. It didn’t mean anything. As she’d said, it had been the adrenaline. The trouble was she’d enjoyed it, despite all of the reasons she’d given herself since then about why she shouldn’t be attracted to him. And, apparently, it hadn’t registered anywhere on Jon’s radar. She’d half expected him to apologize for it, but he hadn’t said anything. While that didn’t validate the view she had of him from Samaritan, it did seem he might be more casual with his affections than she was.
“We usually meet in the lounge off the hall. There aren’t that many of us.”
“I don’t mind a small group.”
No, Autumn didn’t suppose Lexi would as long as Jon showed. She’d been full of questions about Jon today after she’d learned that Autumn had worked with him before. “Give me a second to put the tea and cookies I brought in the kitchen and I’ll show you where the lounge is.”
“Sure.”
Autumn stashed the food in the refrigerator and led Lexi down the hall to the lounge. She switched on the lights and opened the drapes to let in the remaining evening light. The cross on the top of the church sign stopped her thoughts. She was being petty. She was transferring her stress about the possibility of being called to do a birth to Lexi. What did it matter to her if Lexi was interested in Jon? She was his type. A tall, willowy brunette, like her former roommate, Kate.
“Hi. By the looks of things, I guess I’m not as late as I thought I was.”
Autumn turned from the window to see Becca Norton, a friend of her aunt Jinx’s who taught history at the high school.
“Not late at all. Come on in. I wasn’t sure if you were going to join us or stay with Dad’s group.” Becca had been alternating between the two.
“Yeah, it was a toss-up. But I am single now.”
“Did anyone else mention coming?” Autumn asked. “I had to take a home visit for Kelly last Sunday, so I wasn’t at service.”
Becca shook her head. “Not that I remember, except Jon. He told me Sunday afternoon at the lake when he was teaching Brendon how to fish.”
Jon and Becca? Unwarranted jealousy squeezed her heart and bolstered her resolve to not give in to Jon’s appeal.
“But that doesn’t mean more people aren’t coming,” Becca quickly added.
The slight sense of defeat that had pressed Autumn when she’d arrived at the church intensified. It looked as though the group tonight would be her and Jon, if he came, and his latest fan following.
“Excuse me.” A tall blond man who looked familiar to Autumn poked his head into the lounge. “Is this the singles Bible study?”
“Yes, I’m Autumn Hazard.”
“Josh Donnelly.”
“Mrs. Donnelly’s—I mean Stowe’s—grandson.” The elderly retired teacher had remarried a couple of years ago, but Autumn still thought of her as Mrs. Donnelly. “You were a couple of years ahead of me at school. I thought you looked familiar.” Autumn realized she hadn’
t introduced Lexi to Becca. “This is Lexi Zarinski. She’s new to the area. And Becca Norton.”
“Hi.” Josh’s eyes lingered on Lexi. “In a way, I’m new, too. I recently moved back to Paradox Lake to take a job with GreenSpaces.”
Autumn’s spirits lightened. As she’d told Jamie, the group could use some new men. She checked the clock. It wasn’t seven o’clock yet. Others, besides Jon, might still show up.
“And I know Mrs. Norton,” Josh said.
“Becca, please. You’re making me feel old. I had Josh in my class the first year I taught at Schroon Lake Central.”
Autumn heard another muffled male voice in the hall and her pulse ticked up. Jon?
“Hi, everyone.” Tessa Hamilton walked in, followed by Jon. “I’ve brought a new member.”
He’d come with Tessa? Autumn didn’t know he even knew Tessa. He must have met her at church. But he always had been a fast worker. She leaned down and placed her Bible on the table in the middle of the circle of seats. What was with her? Since Lexi had said Jon planned to come to singles group, her every second thought had been about him and critical of him. So they’d kissed. She had to put it out of her mind as he’d obviously done.
Jon smiled, and all of the women smiled back.
“I ran into Jon in the parking lot of the General Store on my way over here,” Tessa said. “We were both picking up deli sandwiches for supper, so we stayed and ate them together.” Her gaze softened.
Tessa, too? What about Becca? That was last weekend, though, and the Jon she’d known at Samaritan hadn’t been known for long-term relationships. But unlike Lexi, who’d pressed her lips into a tight line, Becca didn’t look at all put out that he’d had supper with Tessa. Autumn pushed a nonexistent stray hair behind her ear. What did any of it matter, if there was anything to matter? It wasn’t as if she were interested in Jon.
