by Webster, K
We’re still hugging when I feel eyes on me. My stare meets Daniel’s. He’s watching me with an intensity that always turns my insides to mush.
You’re a good mother.
He says it all the time, but more importantly, he makes me feel it.
“Okay, Mr. Dinosaur,” I chirp, to chase away the urge to cry with happiness. “Let’s have a taste of this amazing root beer float.”
Ollie and I take turns sipping on the yummy treat.
“Best root beer float ever,” I praise.
“Mom,” Taylor says, “try mine.”
I have a taste of his. “Ohhhh, we have a competition now.”
Ollie giggles. “What does the winner get?”
“Kisses,” I tell them primly. “Lots of kisses.”
“Momma, taste this one,” Derek says, hobbling over to us, sloshing the root beer all over the floor.
“Careful not to slip,” I say as I take the cup from him. After a sip, I nod. “Oooh, this is great!”
I’m pretending to decide which one I like best when Daniel comes around my other side and kneels. He hands me a root beer float with a root beer Dum-Dum unwrapped with the stick down inside the straw.
The boys all laugh and call him a cheater.
I pull out the Dum-Dum and have a taste. Then I sip down the root beer. “Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner.”
Daniel leans in for his kiss and I give him a long one.
One that says I love you.
One that says thank you.
One that makes the boys groan and call us gross.
When he pulls away, I can’t help but bask in the moment. That’s all life is anyway. A series of moments all smashed together to make one incredible journey. Sometimes the journey is short, and other times it’s long. It doesn’t matter the duration, but how much fun you have along the way. It should be filled with love, laughter, and end with root beer floats.
But our story doesn’t end here.
Dr. Dum-Dum and Root Beer Angel have more love to give to other little souls like Noodle Butt and Robot Derek and Mr. Dinosaur.
We just have to find them first.
Daniel
“Well, if it isn’t the good doctor,” Mae says when I charge into the SICU.
“Just checking on my patient.” My voice is tight. I’m stressed as fuck. We almost lost her. Lin cried when they wheeled her off the OR.
“Princess Nakayla is sleeping it off, hon. Want me to call you when she’s being moved to PICU?”
She knows better. I won’t rest until I see that she’s okay. The tiny thing had emergency heart surgery, for fuck’s sake. I need to see her.
Mae lets out a heavy sigh. “You remind me of my granddaughter. She has a heart of gold and a spine of steel. Relentless as hell. That’s why you’re my favorite and you get away with so much when it comes to me. Go on, she’s in curtain six.”
I give her a thankful smile before stalking over to where the little girl sleeps. Her chocolate-brown skin is a contrast against the white sheets. My own heart cracks right down the middle seeing her sleeping so serenely on the bed with tubes and wires coming out of her.
“Hey, little princess,” I whisper as I sit on the edge of the bed. “How are you doing?”
I doubt she can hear me, but I don’t want her to be alone. Not now. Not after nearly dying today. Her brown cheeks are still streaked from her crying when they first brought her in. At just two, she’s so fragile and tiny. I wish I could call her mother in here and force her to cuddle her.
But she has no mother.
I tore apart her file the moment she was whisked off to the OR. Nakayla Dawson lives with Anna. Another foster kid. Broken and abandoned. Lost.
“She looks like a princess, hmm?” Mae asks as she flits around and checks her vitals.
“She does,” I say, my voice husky with emotion. “What did Dr. Davis say?”
“He repaired the atrial septal defect without open-heart surgery. Was able to patch it,” she says, stopping to stroke her fingers over the toddler’s forehead. “She should make a full recovery, but as with any condition, she’ll need to have it continually monitored.”
I’m still staring at Nakayla long after Mae leaves. The little girl’s eyes eventually flutter open. Big, round, pale brown. As soon as she sees me, her eyes fill with tears. Her bottom lip wobbles.
“Aww, don’t cry, little princess,” I say softly, patting her foot over the blanket. “I’m a doctor. You’re safe here.”
“B-Bankie,” she whispers, her voice so sad and sweet.
“You want your blankie?”
She nods, sending tears cascading down her brown cheeks. Nakayla is the cutest little girl.
“Tell you what,” I say as a nurse comes in. “I’m going to go look for your blankie.”
Nakayla starts to cry, effectively breaking my heart. “Dotor no bye-bye.”
I shoot the nurse a panicked look and he laughs. “I’ll go out there and look for it.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I assure her. “The nurse is going to get it.”
She smiles shyly. Such a beautiful smile. Reminds me of my granddaughter Cora when I’d first met her.
“Do you like suckers?”
She nods, watching me curiously.
I reach into my pocket and pull out a bubblegum-flavored Dum-Dums sucker. Her brown eyes widen.
“Peek,” she squeaks out. “Peek sucker.”
“You like pink?”
“Pink bankie.”
“My wife likes pink,” I tell her as I hand her the sucker. “She’s the only girl in a house full of boys.”
Nakayla kicks at the blanket and sticks her small foot out to show me. She wiggles her toes, showing me they’re painted pink. She clutches the sucker but doesn’t try to eat it.
“Those are the prettiest toes I’ve ever seen.”
The nurse returns with a ratty pink blanket that’s seen better days. Nakayla snatches it and hugs it to her. In one hand, she clutches the bubblegum sucker and then she shoves her thumb into her mouth. Her lids droop and then she startles awake.
“Dotor no bye-bye,” she says firmly, around her thumb she’s sucking.
I pat her cute brown foot before covering it back up with the blanket. “Dr. Dum-Dum’s not going anywhere.”
She smiles and then starts to fall asleep. As soon as her eyes are closed, I pull out my phone and text Lauren.
Me: We need a princess.
My wife immediately responds.
Lauren: Did you find a missing part of our family?
Me: When you know, you know.
Lauren: What’s her name?
Me: Nakayla. She loves pink.
Lauren: I think Nakayla Venable has a lovely ring to it. I’ll call Enzo and get the ball rolling. Love you, Dr. Dan.
Me: Love you too, angel.
Nakayla sucks on her thumb, looking sweet and serene. She may have a literally broken heart, but the Venable family is just the one to fix it. Alone, we’re sad and broken, but together we’re strong and happy. She deserves to be loved and happy too.
Sometimes the best medicine isn’t anything that can be prescribed.
But love can be a healer.
I should know. I’m a doctor.
The End
If you enjoyed Daniel and Lauren in Dr. Dan,
you’ll love Drew and Sophia in Crybaby!
K Webster’s Taboo World
Cast of Characters
Brandt Smith (Rick’s Best Friend)
Kelsey McMahon (Rick’s Daughter)
Rick McMahon (Sheriff)
Mandy Halston (Kelsey’s Best Friend)
Miles Reynolds (Drew’s Best Friend)
Olivia Rowe (Max’s Daughter/Sophia’s Sister)
Dane Alexander (Max’s Best Friend)
Nick Stratton
Judge Maximillian “Max” Rowe (Olivia and Sophia’s Father)
Dorian Dresser
Drew Hamilton (Miles’s Best Friend)<
br />
Sophia Rowe (Max’s Daughter/Olivia’s Sister)
Easton McAvoy (Preacher)
Lacy Greenwood (Stephanie’s Daughter)
Stephanie Greenwood (Lacy’s Mother)
Anthony Blakely (Quinn’s Son)
Aiden Blakely (Quinn’s Son)
Quinn Blakely (Anthony and Aiden’s Father)
Ava Prince (Lacy/Raven/Olivia’s Friend)
Karelma Bonilla (Mateo’s Daughter)
Adam Renner (Principal)
Coach Everett Long (Adam’s Friend)
River Banks (Olivia’s Best Friend)
Mateo Bonilla (Four Fathers Series Side Character)
Vaughn Young
Vale Young
Enzo Tauber
Jenna Pruitt (Dr. Venable’s Daughter)
August Miller
Winter Burke
Callie Miller (August’s Daughter)
Landon Englewood (Lauren’s Brother)
Teddy Englewood (Landon and Lauren’s Dad)
Lauren Englewood
Daniel Venable (ER Doctor and Jenna’s Father)
Thank you to my wonderful husband, Matt, who encourages me to “write better books” and keeps me humble. Also, he listens to each and every storyline without fail, always offering unique advice that I never take…HA!
A huge thank you to my Krazy for K Webster’s Books readers group. You all are insanely supportive and I can’t thank you enough.
Thanks so much to Misty Walker for being the best friend a girl could ask for!
Lauren, the real Lauren, thank you for answering all of my questions about kidney disease and generously offering me your own story. I hope I did this Lauren justice and honored you in a way that makes your heart happy! #LaurenIsAFighter
A gigantic thank you to those who always help me out. Elizabeth Clinton, Ella Stewart, Misty Walker, Holly Sparks, Jillian Ruize, Gina Behrends, and Wendy Rinebold—you ladies are amazing!
A big thank you to my author friends who have given me your friendship and your support. You have no idea how much that means to me.
Thank you to all my blogger friends both big and small that go above and beyond to always share my stuff. You all rock! #AllBlogsMatter
Emily with Lawrence Editing, thank you SO much for editing this book. You rock!!
Thank you Stacey Blake for your artistic magic, always pleasant attitude, and ongoing professionalism. I appreciate you more than you could ever know! My books are always formatted so beautifully thanks to you! Love you, lady!
A big thanks to Nicole Blanchard with IndieSage PR for always taking care of me. You’re a doll and I love you!
Lastly but certainly not least of all, thank you to all of the wonderful readers out there who are willing to hear my stories and enjoy the characters like I do. It means the world to me!
K Webster is a USA Today Bestselling author. Her titles have claimed many bestseller tags in numerous categories, are translated in multiple languages, and have been adapted into audiobooks. She lives in “Tornado Alley” with her husband, two children, and her baby dog named Blue. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and researching aliens.
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Psychological Romance Standalones:
My Torin
Whispers and the Roars
Cold Cole Heart
Blue Hill Blood
Romantic Suspense Standalones:
Dirty Ugly Toy
El Malo
Notice
Sweet Jayne
The Road Back to Us
Surviving Harley
Love and Law
Moth to a Flame
Erased
Extremely Forbidden Romance Standalones:
The Wild
Hale
Like Dragonflies
Taboo Treats:
Bad Bad Bad
Coach Long
Ex-Rated Attraction
Mr. Blakely
Easton
Crybaby
Lawn Boys
Malfeasance
Renner’s Rules
The Glue
Dane
Enzo
Red Hot Winter
Dr. Dan
KKinky Reads Collection:
Share Me
Choke Me
Daddy Me
Watch Me
Hurt Me
Contemporary Romance Standalones:
Wicked Lies Boys Tell
The Day She Cried
Untimely You
Heath
Sundays are for Hangovers
A Merry Christmas with Judy
Zeke’s Eden
Schooled by a Senior
Give Me Yesterday
Sunshine and the Stalker
Bidding for Keeps
B-Sides and Rarities
Paranormal Romance Standalones:
Apartment 2B
Running Free
Mad Sea
War & Peace Series:
This is War, Baby (Book 1)
This is Love, Baby (Book 2)
This Isn’t Over, Baby (Book 3)
This Isn’t You, Baby (Book 4)
This is Me, Baby (Book 5)
This Isn’t Fair, Baby (Book 6)
This is the End, Baby (Book 7—a novella)
Lost Planet Series:
The Forgotten Commander (Book 1)
The Vanished Specialist (Book 2)
The Mad Lieutenant (Book 3)
The Uncertain Scientist (Book 4)
2 Lovers Series:
Text 2 Lovers (Book 1)
Hate 2 Lovers (Book 2)
Thieves 2 Lovers (Book 3)
Pretty Little Dolls Series:
Pretty Stolen Dolls (Book 1)
Pretty Lost Dolls (Book 2)
Pretty New Doll (Book 3)
Pretty Broken Dolls (Book 4)
The V Games Series:
Vlad (Book 1)
Ven (Book 2)
Vas (Book 3)
Four Fathers Books:
Pearson
Four Sons Books:
Camden
Elite Seven Books:
Gluttony
Greed
Not Safe for Amazon Books:
The Wild
Hale
Bad Bad Bad
This is War, Baby (Book 1)
Like Dragonflies
The Breaking the Rules Series:
Broken (Book 1)
Wrong (Book 2)
Scarred (Book 3)
Mistake (Book 4)
Crushed (Book 5 – a novella)
The Vegas Aces Series:
Rock Country (Book 1)
Rock Heart (Book 2)
Rock Bottom (Book 3)
The Becoming Her Series:
Becoming Lady Thomas (Book 1)
Becoming Countess Dumont (Book 2)
Becoming Mrs. Benedict (Book 3)
Alpha & Omega Duet:
Alpha & Omega (Book 1)
Omega & Love (Book 2)
