Six-Week Marriage Miracle

by Jessica Matthews

  Rosa didn’t answer. Instead, she simply waited, as if she had faith in Leah’s ability to eventually figure out what she wanted.

  Oh, please, let something else grab her attention, Leah thought. It was one thing to share her love with nieces and nephews and quite another to give it to a child she’d never see again. And yet she couldn’t send Rosa away, not when she was waiting so patiently for acknowledgment. This toddler had already known more rejection than any child at her age should. She wouldn’t add to it.

  “Do you want me to hold you?” Leah asked. She searched her limited vocabulary for the proper phrase and came up missing. She simply patted her lap and held out her hands.

  As if Rosa had been waiting for the invitation, she immediately popped her thumb out of her mouth, climbed up and made herself comfortable.

  With an awkwardness that came more out of emotional uncertainty rather than a lack of the mechanics involved, Leah shifted positions to tuck Rosa under her arm.

  With her thumb back in her mouth, Rosa melted against her, as if there wasn’t another place she’d rather be.

  Certain one of the staff would soon retrieve the toddler, Leah allowed herself to enjoy the weight of the little body in her lap and the special scent so common to babies. Slowly, tentatively, she began to rub her shoulder.

  “I wonder what you’re thinking,” Leah said, aware that even if Rosa understood her, she couldn’t answer. “You are definitely a snuggler, aren’t you?”

  Rosa smiled around her thumb as if she understood or was simply happy to have Leah all to herself.

  “I’ll bet you’ve wrapped Father David and everyone else around your little finger,” she murmured.

  It wouldn’t have been difficult to do, she decided. She’d been holding the tyke for less than five minutes and already felt the gossamer ties ensnaring her.

  Somewhat amazed by Rosa’s decision to seek her out, Leah simply continued to hold her and savor the moments when suddenly Anna and José appeared beside her. He held out a small battered toy truck while Anna showed off her own precious possession, a doll that showed it had obviously been well loved by the threadbare dress, broken nose and missing index finger. Immediately, Rosa squirmed off Leah’s lap and disappeared as fast as her short legs would take her.

  Wondering what had sent Rosa away, Leah admired the other children’s toys. “Does your truck make a noise?” she asked José, then made a few questioning engine sounds. The boy beamed and he knelt down to run the truck beside her feet to demonstrate.

  While he was occupied, Leah touched the doll’s face. “Does your doll have a name?” she asked. “¿Nombre?”

  Anna’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “Sarita,” she answered, before launching into a conversation that Leah couldn’t begin to follow. It obviously revolved around Sarita because Anna stroked what was left of her doll’s pigtails.

  Suddenly, a new lovey was thrust into her lap—a light brown teddy bear with matted fur, a frayed red neck ribbon and one eye. Apparently Rosa wasn’t to be outdone because she waited for Leah to acknowledge her toy, too.

  Conflicting emotions filled Leah’s chest—pain that these children were so happy with so little, and awe that they wanted to share what obviously meant so much to them. Plus, they wanted to share it with her.

  For an instant she couldn’t breathe and her vision blurred. She was desperate to escape and began frantically looking around the dining hall for Gabe to rescue her, but Anna spoke and Leah knew she couldn’t obey her instinct to run away. Leaving the three so abruptly would be a rejection they couldn’t understand and didn’t deserve.

  So she forced herself to breathe slowly and deeply until the overwhelming feeling passed, leaving bittersweet longing in its wake.

  If not for David’s intervention, Gabe would never have been able to untangle himself from the children clamoring for his attention. Fortunately, after David had dealt with the two boys who’d clearly experienced a difference of opinion, he clapped his hands and ordered the children to their daily chores. Less than thirty seconds later, the noise level had dropped considerably and he saw Carlotta slowly approach, leaning heavily on the girl beside her.

  “Shouldn’t you be in bed?” He fussed over the woman, who didn’t appear anything like she had when he’d last seen her. She’d lost weight and her skin color reflected the toll her cancer was taking on her. Perhaps if he’d been able to convince her to go to a major facility for tests when he’d first examined her, they might have been able to halt the disease and give her a bit more time, but now it was too late. According to David, Taylor had talked Hector through a biopsy procedure and a preliminary result had confirmed the aggressive nature of her disease. While surgery and subsequent chemotherapy were options, those treatments would only prolong the inevitable.

  “I will go there soon enough,” Carlotta told him with a smile as she accepted the chair he’d pulled out for her then tiredly waved away her helper. “I must do what I can now. Your breakfast was good?”

  According to David, Carlotta had been teaching two girls to take her place in the kitchen. From the food Gabe had eaten so far, Carlotta’s replacements were learning their lessons well.

  “It was delicious, as was yesterday’s meal,” he answered.

  “Good. I want to see my grandchildren. They seem happy, yes?”

  Gabe turned to find his wife and saw her surrounded by the three familiar faces. For a moment he waited and watched the childless woman with three motherless children…and wished.

  “Your wife has a mother’s touch.”

  “She does.”

  “Yet, the padre says you do not have children.”

  He ignored the familiar twinge of disappointment. “We had a little boy, but he was too small when he was born. Then we tried to adopt, but things didn’t work out. So, no, we don’t have children of our own.”

  “I see. That explains why your wife isn’t, what is the word, comfortable with my babies? She has too much pain inside.”

  “Probably.”

  “And yet she has a good heart.”

  “She does.” Gabe watched as Leah planted a kiss against José’s temple. As he squirmed, she laughed as if she found his reaction humorous.

  “You carry your own sorrow, do you not, Dr. Gabriel?”

  He hesitated. “A part of me always will,” he said simply. Then, because he wasn’t comfortable under the older woman’s scrutiny, he motioned toward the scene before them. “Your grandchildren are great kids.”

  “Even when they wake you early?”

  He chuckled. “You knew they’d paid us a visit?”

  “Grandmothers have eyes everywhere.”

  “With those three, you need them,” he said.

  “Oh, yes.” Her gaze drifted in Leah’s direction and she smiled at José’s demonstration of his truck. “He is my busy one,” she said. “Always moving, even in his sleep. Anna is my noisy one because she talks, talks, talks. And Rosa…” Her face was a mixture of love and sorrow as Rosa rested in Leah’s lap. “Rosa is my cuddly one. It is good they are familiar with everyone here.”

  “No one will ever take your place,” he said kindly, “regardless of who cares for them.”

  “Thank you for that, Dr. Gabriel,” she whispered. “You, too, have a good heart. Perhaps Father David will find someone like you and your wife to take my place.”

  Gabe froze. Was Carlotta hinting that she wanted Gabe to adopt her grandchildren? If so, would Leah be open to the idea, especially after she’d adamantly refused to adopt? As he glanced at the children, he admitted that in spite of telling Leah he’d abide by her decision he’d love nothing more than to take these children into their home. He truly wanted to make it happen—to barge in, full steam ahead, just as she’d accused him of doing—but he couldn’t. He’d told her the choice was hers, and he’d stick by that, even if it killed him.

  “Do not fret,” Carlotta told him. “What will be, will be.” She struggled to her feet. “Come. Th
ose three will play all day with your wife if we let them. Shall we rescue her?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  LEAH knew they were pushing hard to see as many patients as possible because they were scheduled to fly home in the morning. She hated leaving when the residents of this community obviously needed her help and she consoled herself with the reminder that the assistance she’d provided had eased the regular staff’s burden to a small degree.

  She also had to admit that the Salazar children had captured her heart, and in such a short time, too. How could they not, especially when Rosa smiled hugely whenever she saw her, then toddled over and wanted to be held?

  These aren’t your children, Leah told herself as she played with Anna and José. You’re just—what did Gabe call it? A novelty. Yes. That’s it.

  In one small corner of her mind she was glad they were leaving so soon. She didn’t want them to become so entrenched in her affections that her departure would be traumatic. They’d have enough to deal with when their grandmother died because they were old enough to remember her—at least for a while—but too young to understand why the one constant in their lives had disappeared forever.

  During her odd moments she wished she could take all three home with her, but it was impossible. Their uncle would assume responsibility, which was as it should be.

  By mid-afternoon, she had lost track of the number of homes they had visited. Most had at least one parent healthy enough to care for the sick members of their household, but the very last family they visited—the Ortiz family—was in dire straits. Every member was ill and the mother, pregnant with her third child, had an advanced case of pneumonia. The father had left several weeks earlier to find work and no one knew when he would return.

  Leah, David and Gabe stood off in one corner to discuss their options.

  “We can’t leave her here,” Leah warned. “She has diminished lung capacity with the baby pressing on her diaphragm. She needs to be in the hospital with round-the-clock nursing care, not to mention ventilator support.”

  “The hospital is full,” Gabe pointed out.

  “But if she stays at home…” Leah left her sentence unsaid. The outcome, in her opinion, was obvious.

  “I know,” Gabe said tiredly. “She won’t make it for sure.”

  “Then David will increase his occupancy by two, at least in the short term.”

  “He still might,” he warned. “Being in the hospital doesn’t mean we’ll provide a magical cure.”

  She knew as well as anyone how hard this strain of influenza was on pregnant women. “Yes, but there she has a fighting chance. Left at home, she has none.”

  Her argument had its desired influence because Gabe turned to David. “What will we do with the children if we can find a bed for her? Can you find someone to stay with them?”

  “Ordinarily, I’d say yes, but I’m running out of healthy adults,” David said ruefully. “The best I can do is bring them to the orphanage.”

  “But won’t we expose the others?” Leah asked, hating the thought of Rosa and the other children contracting the same disease.

  “We’ll quarantine them,” Gabe said.

  “But David doesn’t have enough staff to separate these two from the rest,” she protested.

  He raised an eyebrow. “What do you want me to do, Leah? The hospital doesn’t have room—we’re going to have to squeeze her in as it is—and we can’t leave them here to fend for themselves.”

  “We have no choice,” David added. “We’ll do the best we can and pray it will be enough.”

  She exhaled, hating their lack of options. “You’re right. Just be sure your staff understands how easily the flu can spread through the orphanage if they aren’t careful.”

  “I’m counting on you to remind them,” he said.

  “Then it’s settled,” Gabe said. “We’ll move her to the hospital and the children to the orphanage.”

  As they turned to leave, Leah held Gabe back while David went on ahead to make arrangements. “How are you doing?”

  “Fine.”

  “You look tired.”

  His smile was lopsided. “Aw, honey, I’m way past tired, but thanks for asking.”

  “Maybe you should take a break.”

  “I can’t. Not now. Not with Mrs. Ortiz in her condition.” He rubbed his face.

  “You’re worried about her,” she guessed.

  “I’m worried about a lot of things,” he admitted. “Can we help her pull through with limited resources? Can we give her the attention she needs when so many others need it, too? Frankly, how Hector and Miguel bear up under this on a daily basis boggles my mind.”

  “Maybe the epidemic will play itself out soon.”

  “We can always hope.” He dropped a quick kiss on her mouth then straightened as he gave her a rueful smile. “Gotta run.”

  A short time later, Leah found herself not only selecting a room for the two far away from the others but also instructing all the adults and older children on proper hygiene. Through it all, Carlotta’s grandchildren became her shadows, although she refused to allow them in the same room as the sick children. A few times she was certain she’d caught a glimpse of Carlotta out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked, the woman was gone.

  Leah felt guilty for enjoying Rosa and Anna’s attention, especially when she knew their time with their grandmother was so short, but having three energetic children in the older woman’s sickroom wouldn’t be a pleasant experience for any of them. She was doing the woman a favor by looking after the three, she told herself. After tomorrow, someone else would take over, anyway. Until then she planned to store up memories of toothy smiles, sloppy kisses and gentle hugs.

  Dinner was a semi-relaxed affair, eaten in the dining hall long after the children had finished and were playing outside. David had disappeared into his office and Sheldon and Ben were back at the clinic, leaving Gabe and Leah to enjoy another meal of tamales and beans.

  “I can’t believe we’re going home tomorrow,” she remarked.

  “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

  She reached across the table to cover his hand. “I wouldn’t call this fun. I’d describe the trip as enlightening, challenging and overwhelming.”

  “But you’re glad you came.”

  She nodded slowly. “I am.”

  “We make a pretty good team, don’t we?”

  “Is this where you say, ‘I told you so’?” she asked lightly, aware that so far this trip seemed to be fulfilling Gabe’s expectations. Working together had opened her eyes to many things, but most of all she’d finally been able to see Gabe’s character without the vision being distorted by her own pain and resentment. In fact, she was seeing the man she’d fallen in love with and knew it wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge.

  “I hear the garden has a beautiful moonlit path,” he said offhandedly. “Want to check it out with me tonight?”

  “A moonlight stroll sounds perfect. Do you think we can disappear for a while, though?”

  “I don’t see why not. Everything seems to be under control.”

  Sheldon took that moment to approach and lean over the table. His face was solemn, his tone grave as he spoke. “You spoke too soon, boss. We have a problem.”

  Gabe’s shoulders slumped slightly. From Leah’s own experience with Gabe’s second-in-command, Sheldon tended toward understatement rather than exaggeration. If he said there was a problem then the problem was usually major, not minor.

  “Somehow, I’m not surprised,” Gabe said wryly. “What’s up?”

  “Ben wants you in the hospital ASAP.”

  Gabe frowned. “We were just there. Did he say why?”

  “Not really. Something about Hector.”

  Leah exchanged a glance with Gabe. “What could be wrong with him?”

  Gabe rose. “Let’s find out.”

  They found the clinic’s physician lying on the small cot in his office. Ben was sitting beside him
as he listened to Hector’s ragged breathing while Elena sponged off his face in an obvious attempt to bring down his fever.

  “What happened?” Gabe asked in a low voice.

  Ben slung his stethoscope around his neck and motioned them into the hallway. “Influenza.”

  Gabe’s heart sank. “Damn,” he muttered, running his hands through his hair. “We don’t need this on top of everything else.”

  “My sentiments exactly,” Ben agreed. “I noticed he wasn’t feeling well this morning, but he shrugged it off as exhaustion from too-long days and too-short nights. Then, about thirty minutes ago, he could hardly stay on his feet and wasn’t making any sense when he talked. I thought maybe it was the language barrier, so I found Elena to talk to him. She was as clueless as I was.”

  Elena nodded, her dark eyes large with worry. “Sí. He was out of his head, talking crazy talk.” She made circular motions near her ear.

  “Elena and I convinced him to go to bed, which didn’t take too much effort, I might add. Then I sent Sheldon to find you.” He hesitated. “We’re going to need a Plan B.”

  Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose, already anticipating the repercussions Hector’s illness would have. From the looks on everyone’s faces, they were realizing them, too.

  He turned to Elena. “Do you know when Dr. Diego will return? Is there any way we can reach him before then?”

  “He will be back in a week, maybe more, maybe less.” She shrugged helplessly. “I can send someone to find him, but he does not always follow the same path. Sometimes he goes here first. Sometimes there first. Is no way to tell.”

  “What about a cell phone?”

  She shook her head. “It does not work where he is going.”

  Damn! Gabe felt everyone’s gaze as they waited for his answer. He only wished he had one to give.

  “Here are our options,” he said. “We leave as scheduled—”

  Leah gasped. “But we can’t desert these people now, when they don’t have a doctor and they’re in the middle of a medical crisis. Even if the patients were all doing well, the nurses can’t handle Mrs. Ortiz—the pregnant woman we brought in earlier.”