by Force, Marie
“That sounds perfect.”
“Sorry about dinner,” David said as he signaled for the waiter. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do, Daisy. I’m being called away from our date to go check on my ex-fiancée, who may or may not be looking at a pregnancy complication. Most women would say at the very least that calls for some sparkly jewelry or some such thing.”
Her laughter filled him with warmth and pleasure at knowing he’d managed to take her mind off her troubles, even for a little while. “Well, if you think that’s what it’ll take to get back into my good graces, knock yourself out, Dr. Lawrence. But the movie would’ve been more than enough.”
“Damn me and my big mouth,” he said as he signed the credit card slip.
He took her home and insisted on seeing her safely inside, even though she said it wasn’t necessary. “It is necessary.” He handed her both boxes of takeout. “Keep this warm for me. I’ll be back as fast as I can.”
She ran a finger down the middle of his chest. “I’ll be waiting.”
The words and gesture made his mouth go dry with lust. “Are you trying to make sure I think only of you while I’m with my ex?”
“That would be very devious of me.”
His soft laughter brought a smile to her face. “Trust me when I tell you I think about you all the time.”
“I think about you, too. Pretty much all the time.”
“Glad we have that in common.”
She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “Take care of Janey, and don’t worry about me. Do your job.”
“See you soon.” He left her with another quick kiss and made sure she was inside with the door locked before he returned to his car. Since David never knew when he might be called on to help someone, he kept a medical bag in his car. He had everything he needed to do a perfunctory exam. On the way to Janey’s house, David tried to think about anything other than where he was going and who he was going to see. This was about his job and nothing more.
“Keep telling yourself that,” he said out loud. “Maybe you’ll actually believe it by the time you get there.” To take his mind off his task, he made a quick call to Victoria.
“Hey, David,” she said, sounding out of breath. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to let you know that Janey McCarthy, er Cantrell, I mean, fainted tonight. I’m going to her house now to check on her.”
“Yikes, that’s awkward. You want me to do it?”
“It’s okay. I ran into her parents, they told me about it, and I offered.”
“That’s nice of you.”
“It’s my job.”
“It’s your ex.”
“Believe me, I know.”
“Tell her to come in and see me in the morning. I’ll make some time around nine thirty.”
“Will do.”
“So I met this guy. Oh my God, he’s amazing. He’s Irish. So sexy.”
“How’d you meet him?”
“He came into the Beachcomber, and we totally hit it off. I think I might be in love.”
“Honestly, Victoria, with some guy right off the ferry?”
“He’s not just some guy. He’s Seamus O’Grady’s cousin, Shannon. Yum, yum, yum.”
“Spare me the gory details.”
“The details are quite gory, and they’re going to get even gorier before he leaves if I have anything to say about it.”
“Lalalala, gotta go.”
Victoria was laughing when he disconnected the call.
At times she drove him crazy treating him like her best girlfriend, but most of the time she was a good friend and an excellent colleague. David would’ve lost his mind a long time ago without her help with women’s health and midwifery at the clinic. He had all he could do to stay on top of the other demands.
Every light seemed to be on in Janey and Joe’s big contemporary home when David pulled into the driveway. The place was nice. Really nice. But then what did he expect? As the owner of the ferry company that serviced the island, Joe was loaded, and Janey’s family wasn’t exactly poor either.
“Knock it off,” he grumbled. “What does it matter to you what they have or where they live?” It didn’t matter to him. Janey was his past, and he’d moved on. He was feeling hopeful again, even happy since he’d been seeing Daisy, and he chose to focus on that rather than the mistakes of the past as he approached a front door illuminated by a porch light.
He pushed the doorbell and waited.
Joe came to the door, looking a bit frazzled—and happy to see him, which was a first since the nose-punching incident. “David, come in. Thanks so much for coming over. We really appreciate it.”
“Sure.” David followed Joe through a nice living room and kitchen to a screened-in porch, where Janey was reclined on a chaise. Even hugely pregnant she was gorgeous, and the sight of her brought back a slew of memories he wouldn’t have thought would be so easily resurrected after all the time they’d been apart.
“Hey,” she said, seeming embarrassed as she smiled at him. “I fear this is much ado about nothing, but thanks for coming.”
“No problem.”
“It’s not much ado about nothing, Princess,” her father said as he hovered at the foot of the chaise. “You fainted. That’s not nothing.”
“Is it okay if I check your pulse?” David asked Janey.
Seeming as uncomfortable as he felt, she extended her arm. As he pressed his fingers against her pressure point, he thought of how many years they’d spent together, how many times he’d held that hand or woken to her face on the pillow next to his. A pervasive sense of sadness filled him over how cavalier he’d been with something so precious.
“Your heart rate is a little fast. Have you been exerting yourself at all?”
“No, not really.”
“We haven’t let her do much of anything,” Joe said as he paced from one end of the porch to the other.
“Joe, sit down,” Janey said.
“I’d rather stand up, if it’s just the same to you.”
“Joe.”
He went to the end of the chaise and raised her feet to make room for him to sit with her. That’s when David noticed how swollen her ankles were.
“How long have they been like that?”
“A couple of days,” Janey said. “Just since it got really hot.”
“Any headache, blurred vision, sensitivity to light or abdominal pain?”
“A few headaches here and there, but none of the rest.”
David applied the blood pressure cuff and reached for his stethoscope. As he pumped up the cuff, he caught her watching him and gave her a small smile, hoping to calm her.
“It’s funny,” she said.
“What is?”
“Seeing you in doctor mode.”
“Finally, huh?”
She smiled and stayed silent while he took her blood pressure.
Shit, he thought, 140 over 90, definitely higher than it should be. “Do you remember what your BP was the last time Victoria took it?”
“I think it was 130 over 70.”
So it was creeping up. “When you fainted, did you hurt anything?”
“Just my elbow and my pride.” She held up her arm so he could see the bluish tinge to the skin below the bone.
“It bends the way it’s supposed to?”
“Yep.” She extended her arm to demonstrate.
“You didn’t hit your head, did you?”
“I caught her,” Joe said.
“Good thing,” David said. “You probably saved her from being seriously injured.”
“What would cause the fainting?” Joe asked.
“Did you eat enough today?” David asked Janey.
“I was a little nauseous earlier, so I didn’t have lunch,” she confessed sheepishly.
“Damn it, Janey!” Joe said. “You can’t skip meals right now. What if I hadn’t been here to catch you when you fell?”
<
br /> Nudged by his wife, Big Mac approached Joe and put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go outside and get some air, son.”
“I don’t want air. I want to know why she’s skipping meals when she shouldn’t be.”
“Joseph,” Janey said sternly, “go with my dad or deal with my wrath. Your choice.”
Joe scowled at her but let Big Mac lead him out of the room.
David smiled at Janey.
“Ugh, he’s driving me crazy with his hovering.”
“He’s not wrong, you know,” David said. “You really can’t skip meals at this stage in your pregnancy. The baby is drawing a lot of nutrients from you, so you need to take in enough for both of you.”
“I know, but I felt so gross I couldn’t imagine eating anything.”
“Somehow you have to get it in.”
“I’ll try harder.”
“Let me take a closer look at this swelling.” He pressed his fingers against her left ankle and counted the seconds it took for the dents left by his fingers to disappear. Three seconds on the left side and four on the right.
“What does that mean, David?” Linda McCarthy asked.
“It’s a simple diagnostic test to tell whether the edema—or the fluid buildup—is something we need to be concerned about.”
“Is it?” Janey asked.
“I’m going to tell you the truth, Janey. I don’t love what I’m seeing here. The elevated BP, the edema, the fact that it took four seconds for my finger imprint to disappear and the nausea are all possible signs of preeclampsia or pregnancy-induced hypertension.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Linda asked.
“It can be if left untreated. We’re going to need some more information before I can say for certain if it’s something to worry about. Can you come into the clinic around nine thirty tomorrow? I’d like to run a urinalysis and put a monitor on the baby for a couple of hours just to be sure everything is okay.”
“Sure,” Janey said hesitantly. “No problem.”
“Going forward, I want you on full bed rest. Do you understand what that means?”
Janey groaned and dropped her head back against the chaise. “Seriously?”
“I’m afraid so. For now, I’ll allow trips to the bathroom and a quick shower every day, but that’s it. Otherwise, you’re in bed or on your chaise or wherever you’re most comfortable. And I’d prefer for you to spend as much time as you can on your left side, which promotes circulation.”
“It’s summer, and I can’t do anything?”
“What is it that you want to do?”
“Mac and Maddie are having a big cookout this weekend that I’ve been looking forward to for weeks.”
“If Joe carries you to the car, and Mac has a lounge chair waiting for you at his house, I don’t see why you couldn’t go. It’s all about you exerting yourself as little as possible.”
“We can do it, Janey,” Linda said. “Dad and I will help, and everyone else will, too. If David thinks it’s what’s best for you and the baby, then we’ll help you do nothing.”
“I do think it’s for the best,” David said, “or I’d never put you through it.”
She closed her eyes and blew out a long, deep breath.
“What’re you thinking?” Linda asked.
“That I’ll go mad being stuck in bed for two months.”
“We won’t let you go mad, honey. We’ll all be here to keep you entertained.”
“I know.” She glanced up at her mother. “Could you give me just a minute with David?”
Linda seemed hesitant to leave them alone together. “Oh, um, sure. I’ll be right outside with Dad and Joe.”
When they were alone, David said, “Why’d you do that, Janey? Your husband won’t appreciate that I’m in here with you.”
“You’re my doctor. Why would he possibly object?”
“Maybe because I’m also your ex-fiancé?”
“That was a very long time ago.”
“Not all that long.”
“Long enough that we’ve all moved on, haven’t we?”
It seemed to matter greatly to her that he agree, so he nodded.
“I want you to be happy, David.”
“That’s far more than I deserve from you.”
“I don’t like what you did, but I forgave you a long time ago. If I can forgive you, maybe it’s time to forgive yourself, too. Hmm?”
“Maybe,” he conceded.
“I heard you’re seeing Daisy.”
Startled by the blunt statement, he met her gaze. “Yeah.”
“I like her. She’s perfect for you.”
“Is that right?” he asked, feeling mildly embarrassed to be having this discussion with Janey of all people.
“Uh-huh.”
“Don’t you have other things on your mind besides my love life?”
“So it’s love?” Her delighted smile reminded him of many a sparring match with her in the past. She’d always been a worthy opponent.
“None of your business. Let’s talk about you, your baby and your bed rest.”
“I’d rather talk about your love life.”
David laughed at the scowl she directed his way. “I know it’s a major drag, but it’s in your best interest and the baby’s to stay as quiet as you possibly can. No strenuous activity, nothing that makes your heart beat fast.”
“Well, that eliminates a few of my favorite things.”
David tried not to let the memories of how much she’d enjoyed sex wash over him, but some things were hard to forget. “Definitely none of that.”
“You’re a real killjoy, Dr. Lawrence.”
“So I’ve been told a few times. We’ll see you in the clinic tomorrow. If you call when you get there, we’ll meet you with some wheels to keep you off your feet.”
“Oh, a wheelchair. It just gets better and better.”
He zipped his bag and stood to leave. “It’ll all be fine, Janey, as long as you follow doctor’s orders.”
“Joe’s first question is going to be whether we should leave now for our house on the mainland.”
“You have to do what makes you comfortable, but personally I don’t think it’s necessary. We can take good care of you here for the next four weeks and get you to the mainland to deliver with plenty of time.”
“And I’ll be able to travel?”
“We never know anything for certain, but based on what I know now, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I’ll be quoting you later tonight when Joe is packing our bags.”
“Good luck with that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“David?”
“Yes?”
“This is the second time you’ve come when I needed you. I just want you to know that your generosity doesn’t go unnoticed.”
David let her words wash over him, a gentle balm on the wounds he carried with him. “When I think of you, Janey—and I think of you often—I try not to focus on how we ended, but rather on the very good years we spent together. And I’ll always come when you need me.”
“There’s going to be an invite coming your way to Mac and Maddie’s cookout this weekend. I hope you’ll come with Daisy.”
“I’ll try to make it.” He turned to leave and nearly ran smack into Joe. Judging by the stormy expression on Joe’s face, he’d heard what David said about coming when she needed him. That was okay. David didn’t regret saying it.
“I’ll see you both in the clinic tomorrow,” David said, anxious to get out of there.
“Thank you for coming,” Joe said, surprising David with a handshake.
“Any time.” He let himself out the front door and found Janey’s parents sitting on the porch swing.
“Everything okay?” Big Mac asked.
“It is for now, but she’s going to need to stay off her feet for the next few weeks.”
“Nothing can happen to my little girl,” Big Mac said, his voice hitching on the last two words.
“That�
��s the last thing in the world I want either.”
Big Mac stood and came over to him, his height and size as imposing as it had been when David began dating Janey as a fifteen-year-old. He extended his hand to David. “Thank you for checking on her.”
David shook the older man’s hand. “Happy to do it.” Aware of them watching him, he went down the stairs and got into his car. Driving into town, he allowed himself to wallow in the odd feelings that came with seeing Janey, even if she was married to another man and pregnant with his child.
This time, however, he didn’t feel bitter so much as sad for what he’d had and lost, for what he’d failed to treasure the way he should have. As his thoughts shifted to Daisy, waiting for him in town, he was suddenly desperate to see her. When he was with her, there was no time for bitterness or regret. With her he found hope and renewal and other things he couldn’t yet name.
He decided to call her to see if he was still welcome so late.
“Hey,” she said when she answered his call, her voice husky and sleepy sounding.
“Hey. Just checking to see if you’re still up or if you’d rather take a rain check.”
“I’m still up, and I’m not issuing any rain checks tonight.”
Smiling, he said, “I’ll be there in a few.”
Chapter 10
David pulled up to her house ten minutes later and parked at the curb. As he took the stairs to the porch, she opened the door and greeted him with a warm, welcoming smile. A profound sense of homecoming overtook him, wiping away every thought that didn’t involve her.
“Everything okay with Janey?” she asked as he stepped inside.
He nodded and hooked an arm around her waist.
She wound her arms around his neck, her fingers sliding through hair that needed to be trimmed. “Everything all right with you?”
“It is now.”
Smiling up at him, she looked sweet and young and gorgeous—and determined. What was that about? “I could heat up your leftovers. Are you hungry?”
“Not for food.”
“You’re in a strange mood.”
“Am I?”
She nodded. “Was it hard to see Janey?”