“I almost feel as if I’m in the middle of a disaster drill, except this isn’t a practice. These children are really sick. I haven’t stopped until now and I haven’t stepped out of the one ward.”
“What’s sad is how the patients in the other three are just as ill, if not more so.”
“You realize that three days isn’t nearly enough time to make a dent in treating these people?”
“Believe me, no one is more aware of that than I. What’s more disconcerting is when you realize Ciuflores isn’t the only village experiencing this scenario. What we’re seeing is taking place across the country. A lot of those communities aren’t as lucky as this one.”
The picture he’d painted wasn’t pretty.
“Because they don’t have a Father David who has a personal connection to the CEO of a charitable organization?” she asked.
His mouth curved into a gentle smile. “Exactly.”
Gabe polished off the food on his plate then leaned back. “Are you hinting you’d like to stay longer?”
Was she? “I’m only making an observation,” she said. “But isn’t it difficult to leave when you know your work isn’t finished?”
“Definitely,” he agreed, “but staying until the crisis ends isn’t feasible. Hector and his staff know that, and they’re grateful for every bit of help we provide because it’s more than they had before. When you stop to think about it, Ben and I have literally doubled the number of medical professionals in a sixty-mile radius, so we can treat twice as many patients. We may be a mere stitch in a wound that needs ten, but sometimes one, if properly placed, is better than nothing.”
He stared at her now empty plate. “Are you ready to tackle our next assignment, Nurse Montgomery?”
She was starting to get her second wind. “Sure.”
“Good, because, house calls, here we come.”
Armed with David and his knowledge of his parishioners, Gabe began his round of house calls. He found everything from a household with only one or two sick individuals to homes where the entire family was symptomatic. Fortunately, none required hospitalization, which was good because he didn’t know where Hector and his staff would squeeze in another patient.
Leah, however, was a star in his eyes. She performed basic nursing care from taking temperatures to giving sponge baths. She taught children and parents to sneeze into the crooks of their arms and, with David’s helpful translation skills, encouraged them to wash their hands with soap and water for the same length of time it took to sing the happy birthday song.
As soon as it was too dark to see more than a few feet in front of them, Leah was lagging behind and even David appeared a little frayed around the edges. Gabe wasn’t functioning on much more than adrenalin, either.
“We’re calling it a night,” he told his crew as they returned to David’s truck.
“We can see a few more people,” Leah protested.
“We could,” he agreed, “but we won’t. We’re all exhausted and tomorrow is another day.”
Leah dutifully climbed into the cab of the truck, allowing the two men relative privacy.
“Your wife doesn’t know when to quit, does she?” David asked.
“Afraid not.”
“Have you told her where you two are bunking down?”
Gabe should have, but the opportunity hadn’t presented itself until now. “Not yet. I’m hoping she’ll be too tired to care.”
“Good luck with that. If we weren’t having an epidemic, I could make other arrangements, but—”
“We’ll be fine at the orphanage,” Gabe said firmly, hoping he was right. “Leah will understand our choices are limited. Did you find places for Sheldon, Ben and Corey, our pilot?”
“They’re bunking together down the hall. I’m sorry I only had two rooms to spare, one for you and your wife and one for the others.”
“We won’t spend that much time in them anyway,” Gabe answered practically.
“True. By the way, in the morning, before you’re torn in a hundred different directions, save a few minutes for me, okay?”
“A problem?”
David sighed. “Yes and no. It’s too late to go into detail.”
“I’ll find you first thing,” Gabe promised.
As it happened, Leah was too exhausted to notice her surroundings, or, if she did, the fact simply didn’t register. Gabe gratefully ushered her into the room they’d been given, although he knew his moment of reckoning would come in the morning.
As soon as she saw the bed, she sighed gratefully and began stripping off her clothes. By the time Gabe had opened his duffle bag, Leah was curled beneath the covers.
“Sweet dreams,” he said softly, but she was already fast asleep.
He undressed down to boxers and a T-shirt and slipped under the sheet beside her. Immediately, she snuggled against him and he tucked her under his arm, pleased she’d turned to him without being aware of it. Which only proved that subconsciously she knew she belonged at his side.
Holding her against him, Gabe reflected on their day. She’d been such a godsend. Not only had she kept him sane on their long flight, she’d been a great partner when they’d finally started to work. She’d anticipated his requests, offered suggestions, and both her smile and calm manner had soothed the most anxious parents and fretful kids. He’d accomplished a lot today and he owed it all to her.
As he began drifting off, he realized her presence had given him another benefit. Normally, on trips such as these, he had a hard time going to sleep. Between pushing himself to the point where he was simply too tired to doze off and thinking of everything he had to accomplish the next day, he had trouble shutting off his brain so his body could follow suit.
Now, though, having her in his arms, listening to her gentle breathing and feeling her steady heartbeat brought him peace. Tomorrow would start early and end late, but one good thing had happened already as a result of their trip.
After so many months apart, Leah was finally sharing his bed.
CHAPTER NINE
A THUMP and a giggle teased Leah as she dreamed of a summertime picnic with three children. Another giggle, a loud whisper, a foot digging into her side and a happy-sounding “Shhh” jarred the pleasant scene in her head, and she slowly opened her eyes. The two little girls straddling Gabe’s chest in their nightgowns startled her completely awake.
“What in the world—?”
“She is awake?” the oldest asked, and immediately a boy, who looked to be about four years old and was wearing cowboy-print pajamas, climbed aboard, too.
The youngsters all chattered a mile a minute at Gabe, who simply laughed and answered in Spanish. Although she couldn’t follow the conversation, she recognized a few words—desayuno, breakfast, and señora, lady.
“Gabe?” she asked as the smallest girl suddenly leaned over Leah and smiled at her around the thumb in her mouth. “What’s going on?”
“This is Anna, Rosa and José. They are Carlotta’s grandchildren,” he explained as he sat up, holding on to Rosa so she didn’t tumble off the mattress. “Anna is the oldest. She’s five. Rosa is almost two and José is four.”
“Carlotta the cook?”
“Yeah. They all live here with the rest of the kids.”
“The rest of the kids?” she echoed. “Where are we?”
“David gave us a room in the staff quarters at the orphanage.”
“We’re staying in the orphanage?” she asked, horrified.
“I know what you’re thinking, but this is where we usually bunk down. Besides, David couldn’t ask a family who’s sick to take us in.”
She exhaled, knowing she couldn’t refute his logic. She could do this. She would.
“Fine, but do we have to stay in the same room?”
“David only had two available. We have one and the rest of our group is sharing the other.”
“I don’t suppose we can ask for another bed or a cot?”
“All extra beds and
cots are being used by patients. Unless you’d like to kick one of them off their mattress so you can have one to yourself?”
She cast him a disgusted look. “Of course not,” she grumbled. “Maybe one of us should sleep on the floor.”
“Feel free,” he said. “I’m the one with the sore ribs, remember? Besides, nothing will happen in here that you don’t want to happen.”
His comment wasn’t completely consoling. Given the opportunity—and her own weakness where he was concerned—they’d do far more than sleep. The good news was that they’d probably both be too exhausted when they finally fell into bed to have the energy to make love.
Just then the children bounced on Gabe again as each one chattered louder than the other in an obvious attempt to get his attention.
So much for his sore ribs, she thought uncharitably, eying the youngsters. Yet their excitement was contagious. After seeing the seriously ill children yesterday, it was refreshing to see such happy, healthy ones.
“I’m sorry about the early wake-up call.” He tugged on the oldest girl’s pigtail. “The kids aren’t supposed to barge in, but they’d heard I’d arrived and, well…” he shrugged helplessly “…they couldn’t wait to see us.”
He tickled José and the dark-haired imp laughed with delight.
“You have an exuberant fan club,” she remarked.
Gabe’s grin made him look like the man in their wedding photos. The shadow she’d seen in his eyes yesterday had lifted and joy shone in its place as he tugged on José’s hair. “I’m a novelty,” he said.
Leah watched as Anna leaned over and planted a sloppy kiss on Gabe’s cheek. “For being a novelty, they’re very comfortable around you.” In fact, she thought they were more than comfortable—they all looked at Gabe as if he was their personal fairy godfather.
“They remember me from my previous trips and haven’t forgotten that I usually bring candy.”
Rosa’s eyes sparkled with interest. “¿Tienes chocolate?”
“Later,” Gabe promised, as he threw back the sheet and swung his feet onto the floor. “After breakfast.”
Immediately the children screeched with delight. His next words sent the children scampering off the bed with several more enthusiastic bounces before they disappeared through the open door.
“What did you tell them?” she asked.
“Candy is for children who eat their oatmeal first. I also reminded them that Father David won’t be happy if their grandmother reported them missing.”
“Well, I guess this means we should get up and start the day, though I still feel like I need another few hours in bed!”
“Did you sleep well?”
“I must have. I don’t remember a thing after I stumbled in here last night.”
“I’m not surprised. You worked hard yesterday. Unfortunately, today won’t be easier.”
“I didn’t expect a vacation when I left home,” she told him. “So don’t apologize.”
“Okay.” He rose and stretched. “Come on, lazybones. Breakfast and our adoring public are waiting.”
The morning meal was a noisy affair. The trestle tables were full of youngsters of varying ages, all waiting for their food. Yet when David rose to say the blessing, the littlest to the oldest became so quiet Leah could have heard a mouse scamper across the floor.
While Sheldon and Gabe discussed their plans for the day—Ben apparently had spent the night at the clinic to monitor several patients who’d needed ventilator support—Leah sensed she was being watched. At first, she disregarded her suspicion because so many of the children kept glancing in their direction, but the feeling persisted. When she saw the trio of children who’d provided their early-morning wake-up call, she knew she hadn’t been imagining things.
Rosa was studying her with a thoughtful expression and José watched Gabe with adoration. Anna’s gaze drifted from Gabe to her, then back to Gabe again, and it held such longing that it nearly undid her.
There was no doubt about it. For whatever reason, these children loved Gabe. And seeing the sparkle in their eyes when they captured his attention made her realize how she, too, had once looked at him through those same eyes of love.
Curious about the children’s story, she waited to ask until the meal was over and Gabe had left the table to deliver the promised treat. While he was swarmed over by the youngsters, she pressed David for answers.
“Their grandmother has been our cook ever since her husband died several years ago,” David began. “After her son and daughter-in-law were killed when his fishing boat capsized about a year ago, the children came to live with Carlotta. She needed to keep her job to support herself, so we worked out an arrangement where she continued to cook at a slightly reduced salary in exchange for day care and a place for the three of them to live.”
He sighed. “The really unfortunate thing is that Carlotta has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.”
“Gabe suspected as much but I didn’t realize her diagnosis was official.”
“Unfortunately—her condition being what it is—we don’t know how much longer she’ll be with us.”
Leah’s heart went out to the three children. To lose their parents and, soon, their grandmother… Life would be tough for them. “I’m so sorry to hear that. Do they have any other family?”
“Carlotta has another son. The children’s uncle. We’re trying to locate him, but no one seems to know where he is, what he’s doing, or if he’s even alive. I’ve been told he was quite a hellion in his younger days and went to Mexico City, where he fell in with the wrong crowd. Carlotta hasn’t heard from him in years.”
“What happens to them, then, after…?”
“If we can’t find their next of kin, they’ll stay here. If we do find their uncle, the children will go with him, unless he doesn’t want them.” He sighed. “The odds aren’t in favor of him accepting the responsibility, but it’s hard to say what might happen.”
Leah glanced at the children interspersed around the room. “I presume all the children have a similarly sad story.”
He shrugged. “More or less. Some are orphans, others have parents who simply can’t provide for them.”
“They’re all from Ciuflores?”
“No. We’re the only orphanage in the area, so kids come here from miles around. If I had the space, we could easily double our number. Life in this part of the country is difficult and the children often pay the price.”
“I see.” She paused, watching the three as they clung to Gabe, but it was more for his attention than the candy he provided. “Those three seem to love Gabe,” she remarked.
“They all do,” David said simply, “although I have to admit he has a special rapport with these kids in particular. Their faces always light up when I mention his name. I’m not sure why because he doesn’t single them out but I suppose it’s the same for them as it is with us. There are some people we feel more comfortable with than others.
“The thing is, he’s good with children, in general,” David continued. “A modern-day Pied Piper. He definitely has a gift.”
“He does,” she agreed, trying to ignore the sudden ache his words caused in her chest. If not for her, Gabe would have a houseful of his own children.
A sudden scuffle at the opposite end of the dining room drew the priest’s attention. Either he had eyes at the back of his head or being the director of an orphanage of fifty had given him a sixth sense for trouble. “Sorry for deserting you,” David apologized, “but I have to play referee.”
David hurried toward the two teenagers, who were shoving each other and occasionally throwing punches. Rather than observe the drama unfolding at that end of the room, she watched Gabe as he dug in his pockets and passed pieces of wrapped hard candy to the children who swarmed him.
He looked so happy as he laughed, joked and hefted the littlest ones into the air.
She thought of the instances when they’d visited friends with children or her own fam
ily gatherings with her sister’s kids. Their children had always climbed over Gabe on their arrival and she’d attributed their attraction to his freely lavished and complete attention.
His affinity for little people didn’t stop there, either. Sick children responded to his smile and quiet confidence in a way that many adults did not. She’d seen that scenario more often than not in the hospital. More recently, she’d seen it during yesterday’s house calls.
David’s description of Pied Piper seemed apt.
Her insecurities suddenly flooded over her. It was far too easy to wonder if Gabe regretted marrying her or if he wished he’d cooperated when she’d offered a divorce. A legal piece of paper would have given him the freedom to find someone who could fill the need for a child in his life.
Although she rapidly dismissed those ideas as foolishness because he’d said he would love her regardless, one hard truth stared at her.
She was the one holding up the adoption process. She was the roadblock to their dreams of a family. Gabe had given control over those dreams to her, and she now carried the deciding vote.
Don’t let fear influence your choice.
Deep in her thoughts, she didn’t notice Rosa had toddled over to her until she felt a small hand on her knee.
Leah stiffened, an instinctive reaction born from her reluctance to let herself grow too close to a child…any child…but the trust shining in those dark brown eyes and the featherlight touch that was both comforting and tentative made her smile come easily.
“Shouldn’t you be with your grandmother?” Leah asked. Then, because the little girl didn’t seem to understand, she fished for the right phrases in her limited vocabulary. “¿Dónde está tu abuelita?” Where is your grandmother? “Debes estar con ella.” You should be with her.
Rosa simply popped a thumb into her mouth and grinned.
Unable to stop herself, Leah stroked the tousled jet-black curls. “Don’t you want to play with your friends?”
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