by Danni Roan
Pablo made the final turn toward the hospital. “I’ll head up to the waiting room while you go to the gift shop.”
Both of their phones dinged as they locked the truck racing for the stairs. “Looks like you’d better hurry,” Pablo shot over his shoulder as his long legs carried him up the stairs two at a time.
***
Anita’s heart pounded as she dashed into the hospital gift shop scanning the shelves for something to give the newest member of her family. She didn’t know if it was a boy or girl and wanted something adorable, huggable, and snuggly.
“It’s perfect!” Anita gasped rushing to the shelf and pulling down the enormous squishy toy as she fumbled for her credit card.
The ping, ping, ping of her phone told her she needed to hurry, and she didn’t even wait for a receipt as she raced for her sister-in-love’s room.
Pressing the button on the elevator Anita bounced in place, all traces of jet lag and exhaustion washed away by excitement.
Stepping from the elevator she clutched her gift in her arms as her phone beeped once more and she struggled to look down at her screen while walking quickly across the polished floor.
Anita never even saw the turn in the hallway, instead barreling forward and straight in the chest of a man in scrubs coming the other way, both of them bouncing backwards from the collision and landing on the floor, the plush bears in their arms a padding that resounded between them.
***
“I’m so sorry,” a man’s voice washed over Anita as she shoved her phone in her pocket after seeing the text ‘The baby is here!’
“Excuse me?” she said blinking as the blonde man in light blue scrubs reached for her hand, tucking a huge, brown and white teddy bear under his arm.
“I’m sorry,” the man smiled apologetically reaching for her hand and helping her to her feet. “I was hurrying to my sister’s room, she just had a baby.”
Anita laughed shaking her head as the man’s beautiful blue eyes widened. “I’m on the way to my sister-in-law,” she said holding the huge stuffed Polar Bear wrapped in a red scarf before her. “I think we both had similar ideas.”
The tall man chuckled, he looked tired and his short blonde hair was disheveled in a very becoming way.
“Oh, the bears,” he nodded finally understanding. “Yes, this was the last one they had in the gift shop. We weren’t expecting the baby yet, and since I’d already put in a fourteen hour shift on my intern schedule, I had to improvise.”
“I just flew in from Alaska,” Anita said. “I got the polar bear,” she laughed hefting the floppy limbed animal that was more than half her size in her arms.
“You aren’t hurt are you,” the man said. “I should have asked,” he shook his head still holding her hand in his as if comforting her.
“I’m fine,” Anita said, her dark eyes searching a sparkle of light in the blue depths of his. “I’m Anita by the way,” she added not able to look away.
“Devon, Devon Willshire, almost M.D,” he laughed, and the rich warm sound made Anita wonder what he looked like in something other than baggy blue scrubs. His hand was strong and warm in hers and the ripple of muscle along his arm was obvious. When did the man have time to work out if he was pulling intern hours?
Anita’s phone beeped again in her back pocket and she jumped as the sound broke the sweet spell that seemed to have been cast over both of them.
“I think that’s my brother,” she admitted. “I have to go.”
“Oh, right,” Devon said. “Sorry, I didn’t think. Shoot, my sister will wonder where I am!” releasing her hand he shifted the bear in his arms and pulled a small card from his back pocket. “If you need anything just call,” he said with a bright smile, “and congratulations!” He added stepping past her and hurrying down the hall.
Anita stood blinking down at the little card in her hand for several seconds as she tried to still the beating of her heart. Devon Willshire was a good looking man. Shaking her head she tried to push thoughts of the handsome soon-to-be-doctor away and raced towards Jamie’s room to meet her new nephew.
Chapter 4
“He’s perfect,” Anita said ten minutes later as she stood over the bed looking down on Jamie and the tiny bundle in her arms. Glancing up at her oldest brother, she saw the wonder in his eyes as his whole face seemed to glow with delight.
“He has his mother’s nose,” Carlos said leaning over and kissing Jamie on the forehead. “You are amazing,” he added watching his exhausted wife smile.
“Have you chosen a name yet?” Anita asked while Pablo stood at the end of the bed strangely quiet and still.
Jaime looked up her soft eyes caressing Carlos’s face, and nodding.
“We are naming him Christian,” he said his voice breaking. “After Poppy.”
“That’s good,” Pablo said swiping at his eyes. “I’m going for coffee anyone want some?” Before anyone could reply, he had stepped out the door and was gone.
“Are you all right with this?” Jamie asked looking at Anita who still held the humungous polar bear tight.
“I think it is wonderful,” she said laying her hand on her sister-in-law’s shoulder.
“Good, now can you take the baby, so I can sleep?” Jamie asked. “If you don’t mind putting down that ridiculously enormous bear,” she finished with a weary smile.
Jamie and Anita laughed as she placed the bear on a table and reached for little Christian then moved to a rocking chair while Carlos pulled the blankets over Jamie, stroking her damp hair with a loving hand.
It had taken a long time for this little miracle to arrive. Anita knew how badly Jamie and Carlos had wanted children, and each year as the holidays approached, she could see the sorrow in their eyes at another year without this special blessing. She was so thankful for this tiny baby and vowed to keep him close in her heart and in her prayers.
“I’m your Aunt ‘Nita,” the raven haired young woman crooned to the baby who blinked up at her sleepily. “I’m going to spoil you as rotten as possible,” she added with a grin. “Your Uncle Pablo will too, but he’ll be sneaky about it,” she giggled.
Reaching out toward the tiny tot, she placed her finger in his hand beaming when he wrapped his tiny hand around hers. “You are very strong,” she sighed. “Like your daddy. You will grow up to be a good man.”
Her eyes fell on Carlos sitting quietly next to Jamie’s bed, keeping watch as she slept off the exhaustion of child birth. It made Anita’s heart sing to see her brother so much in love and so much loved in return.
For a moment she thought back to the ornament in her handbag, remembering how Jamie had said she received the ornament of a paint brush the very day she had literally turned Carlos’ world upside down.
“I’m going to go find Pablo,” Anita whispered to her big brother placing the baby in a basinet beside him. “I’ll see you later.”
Carlos rose wrapping his baby sister in strong arms. As a painter and the chief repairman to the Old Inn and its string of bejeweled cabins along the shore of Lake Michigan, he was in good shape and he squeezed her until her back cracked.
“Get some coffee and something to eat,” he urged. “You must be tired after your long flight. Here,” he continued fumbling for his wallet.
“I have money Carlos,” Anita hissed. “I’m not fifteen anymore you know.”
“I know,” Carlos said stepping back and looking at the beautiful young woman his little sister had become. Somewhere between the loss of their parents and his marriage to Jamie, she had blossomed from a shy teen into a talented and capable woman, “but you will always be my baby sister.”
Anita leaned in on tiptoes placing a kiss on her brother’s cheek. “Get some sleep,” she urged turning and walking out the door that swung shut behind her with a silent click.
Chapter 5
Anita peeked into the coffee shop looking for her brother, spying him sitting alone at a booth near the window. With a soft smile, she stepped into the
room, surprised when she saw Doctor Devon seated at a table, where he seemed to doze over a large cup of steaming coffee.
The handsome man looked exhausted, and she wondered what his specialty was or would be, depending on what year he was in school. She stifled a laugh, moving toward her brother as the blonde man sat upright with a jerk and ran his hands through his hair making it stick up all over.
“Miss Anita,” Devon said a bright smile zipping across his face as he spotted her. “Can I get you a coffee?” he added jumping to his feet.
“No, that’s all right,” Anita tried even as the man hurried to fill a mug. “How’s your sister-in-law?” he asked filling the cup then pausing. “Cream or sugar?”
“Just cream,” Anita said glancing toward Pablo who still stared gloomily out the window. It wouldn’t hurt to visit with the handsome doctor for a minute.
“Did she like the bear?” Devon asked slipping back into his chair and placing the fresh mug across from him.
Anita grinned taking the seat. She didn’t want to be rude, and it looked like Pablo could use a little more time to sort out his emotions anyway, judging by the way that he was staring out at the snow-covered world.
“She did,” Anita nodded taking a sip of coffee and placing the mug on the table once more. “And how about your sister, do you have a niece or nephew? Did she like the bear?”
“She cried,” the blonde man spoke, looking somewhat disconcerted. “And it’s a girl,” he finished his smile bright. “Mom chased everyone away a bit ago and told us to let Jennie sleep, so here I am with a whole extra hour of free time on my hands.”
“It looks like you’re making the best of it,” Anita agreed looking at his steaming coffee cup. “Wouldn’t it be better if you slept though?”
“No, no,” Devon shook his head. “My shift ends tonight at midnight,” he mused. “I’m better off if I stay awake and then crash for ten hours.”
“Is it always like that?”
“Pretty much,” Devon’s blue eyes sparkled at her and a warm feeling seemed to fill her chest. “That’s the way this whole thing works you see. We have all sorts of crazy hours, chase the doctor’s all over and cram for exams and then we come out on the other end with a degree.”
Anita sipped her coffee wondering how he did it. The pressure would be too much for her, she was sure, but he seemed to be holding up well based on the smooth muscles she could see beneath the V-neck of his blue scrubs.
“What did you say you do?”
“I’m an artist,” Anita blushed. She always felt that people would judge her, thinking she was trying to make a hobby into a livelihood, but art had always been her passion, and she was grateful for the chance to pursue it.
“That’s cool,” Devon said. “What do you do? Do you paint, sketch, do portraits?”
“A little of everything,” Anita admitted. “Though I’m studying landscaping now. I just came back from Alaska where I was doing some commission work as an intern gig for a resort up there. It’s a kind of internship that one of their directors came up with.”
“That sounds amazing,” Devon said. “I’d love to go to Alaska some day. My aunt and uncle took their motor home and visited a few years ago. They saw all the big animals and even took a cruise through Prince William Sound.”
“It is a beautiful place,” Anita said feeling someone step up behind her. “I’m glad I had the chance of visiting.”
“’Nita, who’s this?” Pablo’s words trickled over Anita’s shoulder.
“Pablo this is Dr. Mr. Devon.” She stopped shaking her head, “What do I call you? This is Pablo my brother.”
“Devon Willshire,” Devon said standing to his feet and offering his hand. “I’m afraid I bumped into your sister in the corridor earlier today, and we discovered we both have bears and babies in common,” he chuckled. “You’re not the one with the baby are you?” he finished looking at Pablo oddly.
Pablo looked down at his baby sister questioningly, and she wanted to groan.
“His sister just had a baby too, and we both bought gianormous bears as gifts.”
“Good thing too, or we could have hurt each other when we turned that corner,” Devon laughed. “This way we had extra padding,” he finished slapping his flat stomach with a brilliant grin.
“Pablo Jimenez, Anita’s second and single brother,” he said shaking the other man’s hand and seeming to settle a bit. “I take it you work here?”
“I’m an intern,” Devon said. “Can I get you a coffee?”
“I’m good,” Pablo said. “We’d better get back to Jamie,” he continued looking down at Anita. “Nice meeting you.” He finished drawing his sister with him.
“Thanks for the coffee, Devon,” Anita called twisting to look back over her shoulder for one more glimpse of the handsome medical student. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“I hope so,” Devon said wondering where the words came from as the young woman, her shimmering black hair falling down her back like watered silk disappeared through the door.
“Pablo that was rude,” Anita said hurrying to keep up with her taller sibling. “I was visiting with Mr. Willshire and you interrupted.”
Pablo shrugged. “He looked tired,” he said. “I figured I’d get you away before he said something stupid or asked you out. You don’t need a guy like that in your life.”
Anita stopped dead placing her hands on her hips and glaring at her brother, her dark eyes flashing with anger. “It isn’t your place to decide who I need in my life,” she snapped, her words spinning Pablo on the spot. “I literally bumped into the man earlier, and he was nice enough to buy me a coffee. A-COFFEE. He wasn’t ogling me, or trying to get me to go out with him. He was being nice. You remember nice right?”
“Calm down nina,” Pablo said stepping up to her and looking down into her face. “I was just looking out for you. Sure that guy’s got the hot jock look down, but you don’t want some doctor chasing after you. They have the worst reputations, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Anita ground her teeth, but held her tongue as her hands curled into fists.
“Pablo, I’m not that little girl who let some football player corner me at the homecoming game anymore. I don’t need you to rescue me from some handzy teenager. I get it, you want to look out for me, but I’m good. You got that?” she added forcing him to meet her eyes. “I’m good. You and Carlos have taught me how to look after myself, and I’m not afraid. Sometimes I think you’re too cynical. You need to remember that people are basically just normal people.”
“‘Nita,” Pablo said, his dark eyes condescending.
“Don’t Nita me,” the young woman said. “Now let’s go cuddle our nephew. I’m sure his mother will be glad to see us,” she finished hurrying toward the elevator and leaving her brother behind. She loved Pablo, but he needed to remember she was grown up now.
***
Pablo watched his baby sister hurrying toward the hospital room down the hall and shook his head wondering when she had grown up.
To him family was everything, and whether she liked it or not, he would always be looking out for her best interest.
“You do what you want Nita,” Pablo drawled under his breath, “but a fancy pants college boy is not what you need.”
Chapter 6
Devon collapsed into bed, exhausted after nearly twenty hours at the hospital with only brief naps throughout the night before.
His heart was full after meeting his tiny niece, and he couldn’t seem to settle his mind. Today had been monumental and now, as tired as he was, he couldn’t sleep. The lovely face of a raven-haired artist floated in his mind’s eye, unbidden, making him smile.
Rolling over on his back and clasping his bare arms behind his head Devon chuckled at the chance encounter. What were the odds that they would have both bought the biggest plush bear available in the gift shop for the newest addition to their families?
Miss Anita was a pretty woman, the soon
-to-be-doctor thought. He wouldn’t mind meeting her again sometime. Turning onto his side he wondered if he would see her the next day during his rotation. Perhaps he could snag the maternity ward for the day and bump into her again, hopefully not literally this time.
With a soft chuckle he stretched until his sinews popped, flopped onto his stomach and begged his mind to let him sleep.
It was almost Christmas. It was almost time to move into his full time internist position, and it was almost time to decide what he wanted in life. He was an uncle now, a man who could lavish his love and affection on the tiny tot who had arrived fresh and new into the world today. What else would come next? He didn’t know, but two dark eyes sparkled at him in his memory, and he longed to see Anita one more time. Did chance encounters in hospital hallways really amount to anything or was it simply a ruse set out by all those holiday romance movies?
Darkness crept into Devon’s mind and his body sagged with relief as he drifted into peaceful sleep.
***
“He’s perfect isn’t he?” Carlos asked as Anita sat holding her nephew. “I never knew it would be like this,” he added. “I knew I wanted children, wanted a family with Jamie, but this… it took me by surprise. My heart is bursting with joy, hope, happiness and a little fear.”
“You’ll be a wonderful dad Carlos,” Anita said looking up at her oldest brother. “You did a great job with me and Pablo,” she smiled.
Carlos nodded. “That included a lot of prayer,” he admitted for the first time. “I didn’t know what I was doing most of the time and never had a clue what to say to either of you when something happened. All I knew was you are my family and I love you.”
Pablo thumped his older brother on the back and grinned. “You kept me out of trouble somehow,” he grinned. “You got me a job that was perfect for a motor head and set me on the right path.”
Carlos looped an arm around his younger brother. “Now you two have to help me look after Jamie and Chris. We’re a family and that’s what we do.”
