SH Medical 09 - The M.D.'s Secret Daughter

by Diamond, Jacqueline

  Chapter Twelve

  The administrator’s secretary posted the weekly rankings for the Hope Challenge in the doctors’ lounge at noon on Fridays. With about six weeks left, Zack had been edging upward, reaching third position behind Owen Tartikoff and Mark Rayburn.

  Teeth gritted, he stared at the latest list, which dropped him to number four. How unfair, especially now that he was adding patients and his tally of successful conceptions had been improving. Previously, Zack had devoted a lot of time to learning the newest microsurgical techniques involved in egg harvesting, transfer and implantation, working with Dr. T, who got credit for those patients’ successes.

  He’d expected to vie for the second spot this week or next. Instead, he found a new name above his.

  Dr. Cole Rattigan.

  The urologist had arrived a few months ago to head the male-fertility program and was doing an impressive job. But since when did men get pregnant?

  Scowling, Zack glanced away and met the sympathetic gaze of Dr. Nora Franco, the only other person in the lounge. Working part-time since returning from maternity leave, the blonde obstetrician fell near the bottom of the rankings. However, she shared a practice with Paige, who was in fifth position, and both supported the proposed grant program.

  “Guess you’re not thrilled at being edged by a newbie,” she remarked.

  “How does that work, anyway?” Zack asked. “He treats men.”

  “You must have missed the email. Couples count twice if Cole treats the husband, so two doctors get credit.” Nora shrugged. “My guess is Dr. T tossed him into the mix to shake things up.”

  The fertility head’s glee in throwing curve balls at the staff was well-known. “Any idea where Cole would donate the prize?”

  “I’ve barely met the guy.” Nora transferred her attention to the posted list of on-call assignments. Although one staff obstetrician worked a regular night shift, the others took turns on weekends. Recently, Nora had agreed to join the roster even though she was only a part-timer.

  “I didn’t realize...” She hesitated.

  “Something wrong?”

  Deep breath. “I’ve been proud of how well I’ve been balancing medicine and motherhood, but... Zack, I hate to ask a favor, especially while you’re adjusting to a new family situation.” Nora waved her hand apologetically. “I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

  “I’m used to it.” In the past four days, as word of his living arrangement spread, Zack had grown accustomed to speculative glances and to the conversational lull that greeted his arrival in the cafeteria. “How can I help you?”

  “Neo is having tubes put in his ears this afternoon, and I’m scheduled to be on call tomorrow night.” Neo was Nora’s eleven-month-old son. “Leo’s handling a tough case and might have to go on stakeout.” Her husband, the brother of hospital attorney Tony Franco, worked as a police detective.

  Normally, Zack would have readily offered to replace her. But was that fair to his family?

  After a few days on their best behavior, the girls had begun picking fights with each other since yesterday’s arrival of a much mellower Gorilla. Kimmie carted the neutered cat around the house, declaring she didn’t want anyone else to touch him. Meanwhile Berry had become intensely protective of Smidge and accused the larger cat of intimidating her baby.

  “My sister-in-law and I usually sit for each other, but Brady has a cold and I don’t think Neo should be around him so soon after surgery. And Paige is on her honeymoon.” Nora regarded Zack wistfully.

  What kind of person was he turning into, for heaven’s sake? Nora shouldn’t have to leave her son with a sitter the day after his operation. “Of course I’ll do it.”

  Relief flashed across her face. “Are you sure?”

  “No problem.” On the posted chart, Zack substituted his name and initialed the change. “I’ll tell the deliveryroom staff.”

  “I can take care of that.” Nora hugged him. “You’re a sweetheart. And I’ll cover for you whenever you like.”

  “No hurry.” Zack had always taken on-call responsibilities in stride, and so had Berry. Of course, until recently she’d enjoyed spending the night with little Rachel.

  He was about to call Mary Beth Ellroy to see if she could take his daughter on Saturday, when it struck him that Jan could watch both girls. While they’d left the girls’ regular after-school arrangements in place, this was different. Sleeping in her own bed meant less disruption for Berry. So why did the prospect trouble him?

  Jan wasn’t Berry’s stepmother, or anything beyond a temporary housemate. How would Berry react to being left in her care overnight? And, if they grew attached, to her departure in a few months?

  Being banished to Mary Beth’s house might be even worse, however. Checking his watch, Zack calculated he could spare a few minutes to discuss this with Jan.

  Downstairs, he was glad to see no trace of the nosy receptionist, who must be at lunch. As Zack approached Jan’s office, however, the adjacent door opened and he found himself face-to-face with Cole Rattigan.

  Zack gave the other man a polite nod. Although only a few years older than Zack and about the same height, the urologist carried his stockier frame with a self-satisfied air. Understandable, since Rattigan had been wooed by Dr. T due to his impressive résumé and national reputation, but his air of superiority did nothing to make him more likable.

  “Did you want to talk to me?” the other man asked. “I was on my way out.”

  Might as well seize the moment. “Congratulations. You’re in third place.”

  Cole blinked, apparently baffled. “In what exactly?”

  “The Hope Challenge,” Zack clarified.

  Understanding dawned. “Oh, that. What about it?”

  The urologist wasn’t making this easy. Still, Zack could hardly expect him to care as much about the outcome as those who had a more vested interest. “You’ve heard about our competing propositions for the prize money?”

  “Someone mentioned it,” Cole said vaguely. “The winner’s free to donate it wherever he or she wishes, I gather.”

  Was he deliberately being provocative? Hard to tell. “A grant program could mean a lot to our patients. Men as well as women,” Zack noted.

  “Dr. T’s the one you have to persuade. He’s practically a shoo-in. Or Rayburn, but since his wife’s behind the counseling center, I expect you’re out of luck there,” the man said, as casually as if they were handicapping a football game. “Catch you later, Jack.”

  With a clap on the shoulder, off he went. Zack didn’t bother to correct his mistake about the name.

  Jan peeked out her door, eyes dancing. “Is there steam coming out of your ears?”

  “You heard that?” Of course she had. “Damn.”

  “For what it’s worth, I’d choose the grant program, but my opinion doesn’t count. What can I do for you?”

  Zack glanced around, a habit that had become second nature. Since they’d spread the news of their shared parenthood and living arrangements, they’d been extra careful to avoid any personal discussions.

  Jan indicated the empty desk and the open doors around the perimeter. “Everyone’s out,” she said. “Come in and tell me what’s up.”

  Keeping an eye out for Caroline’s return, Zack explained about Nora’s request. “I suppose I should have checked with you first. You might have other plans.”

  “Frankly, I’m delighted.”

  He hadn’t anticipated
that reaction. “You’re delighted I’ll be away?”

  “Touchy, touchy.” She chuckled. “It’s just that, so far, I haven’t had any time alone with the girls.”

  “And that’s a problem?”

  “I’m not criticizing you,” she said. “Why so tense?”

  “It’s the damn contest.” Well, not entirely. “And I’m concerned about Berry. You can see how things are unraveling.”

  “You mean because the girls are sniping at each other?” Jan leaned against the edge of her desk. “It’s a relief. I’ve been wondering when the gloves would come off.”

  How could she take this so lightly? If people didn’t control their emotions, the result could be open antagonism and even estrangement. “They need both of us there to...” He nearly said “lay down the law,” which was what his father would have said. Disturbed by that observation, he amended it to “Mediate. And reassure them.”

  “This is their period of adjustment,” Jan advised. “They have to work it out.”

  “They aren’t married.” The psychology classes Zack had taken to help counsel patients had explained about the phases marriages went through.

  “Any serious relationship goes through a bumpy period as people figure out where they stand,” Jan countered.

  “Not necessarily.” His and Rima’s first-year adjustment had gone smoothly. Of course, Zack had made allowances for any differences due to her ill health, and she’d been a gentle soul like her daughter.

  “Most of the time,” Jan persisted. “People instinctively push the boundaries. It’s part of figuring out how far the other person can be trusted. Besides, the girls could use some time away from you.”

  “I don’t see that at all.” Kimmie had already spent seven years away from him. That was more than enough.

  She raised her hands in a pacifying gesture. “When you’re present, they feel like rivals for your love. This might give them a chance to find common ground. I’m more of a neutral party.”

  Zack wasn’t convinced. “You’re hardly neutral. You and Kimmie have a lifelong bond that leaves Berry on the outside.” His little girl ought to feel she had at least one parent in her corner, especially in her own home.

  “She and I are part of each other’s lives now,” Jan said. “I expect we always will be, because of your involvement with Kimmie. Berry’s aware we’re moving out in December. If we establish a relationship now, I can continue to be her friend. That’s all I’m suggesting.”

  The girls had absorbed that timetable with no obvious concern. Zack wasn’t sure they grasped what it was going to mean. Still, he would like his daughters to view each other as sisters, and that meant giving Jan a continuing role with Berry. “I guess she can cope with having you babysit. Beyond that, we’ll have to see.”

  Her hands formed fists, but with a clear effort of will Jan flexed them and settled back against the desk. “I’ll be fair to both girls,” she said quietly.

  “We can play this by ear,” Zack conceded. “I appreciate your willingness to supervise her.”

  “Glad to.”

  “My on-call shift starts at eight o’clock, so I’ll be home for dinner. Any idea what we’re having?”

  “Spaghetti?” It was one of Jan’s fallbacks.

  “They’ll like that.” But he wasn’t crazy about serving all those carbs. They ought to work out a system for meal planning. “Over the weekend I’ll draw up a list of healthy meals. Turkey burgers, chicken sausage, some vegetarian dishes. You can add to it, of course, and we’ll take turns shopping and cooking. How’s that sound?”

  “Fine.” She nodded toward the outer office, where Caroline had put in an appearance. “Thanks for your input, Dr. Sargent.”

  “My pleasure.”

  He was halfway down the hall before he registered that they’d quarreled and patched it up. Maybe they were having their own period of adjustment. If so, they’d just weathered a storm.

  That felt good.

  * * *

  TOO RESTLESS TO STAY in her office, Jan spent the rest of Friday reviewing the hospital facilities available to the egg-donor bank. Because they were scattered all over the building, she had to work on visualizing the project as a cohesive entity.

  Originally, Dr. Rayburn had explained, the corporation that owned the medical center had intended to purchase a nearby dental office building to remodel for the fertility program. When those plans fell through, unused space in the hospital had been reconfigured and upgraded.

  Thus, her office and Melissa’s were on the main floor, while Dr. T’s and Alec Denny’s occupied a suite on the fifth. On the second floor, two operating rooms were set aside for fertility surgeries, along with rooms for egg retrieval and sperm donation. In the basement, major remodeling had upgraded air-and-water-filtration systems to accommodate the embryology and other laboratories that Alec oversaw.

  Today’s tour sparked new insights and ideas, even though she’d viewed everything before. And pounding the staircase instead of taking the elevator wore the edge off her agitation. She was pleased she’d held on to her temper with Zack, and she sympathized with his fears for Berry. If only he were more willing to trust.

  Not that she didn’t have some issues in that department, as well. For years she’d raised their child alone, ignoring occasional yearnings to have a man protect and help her. A man to laugh and cuddle with like on the night they captured Gorilla.

  Jan hadn’t met anyone who came close to fitting that description, except for Zack. Despite the undeniable physical response he could still awaken in her, the divide between them loomed as large as ever.

  Never mind that. The immediate challenge was to reconcile the girls and the cats. And to demonstrate that being around Jan was good for Berry. Besides, tomorrow should go smoothly. With Zack leaving close to the girls’ bedtime, what could go wrong?

  On Saturday morning, Berry played at a friend’s house and Kimmie enjoyed a chance to play with Smidge. With permission, she took the kitten onto the patio, since it was too small to run off. Indoors, Gorilla jumped into Jan’s lap and curled there while she worked on her laptop with a view of her daughter through the sliding glass door.

  Zack joined Kimmie for a while, then took Berry to a park where, he’d explained, they liked to run laps on a track. When they got home, Berry seemed calm and happy...until she learned Kimmie had taken the kitten outside.

  “He’s mine.” Berry’s jaw jutted forward as she stood in the middle of the den.

  Jan shot Kimmie a warning glance. Her daughter, clearly on the verge of arguing, shrugged instead. “Whatever.”

  “Don’t you do it again!”

  “Nap time,” Jan announced to head off a squabble. “Who wants to sleep in my room?”

  “Me!” Kimmie shouted.

  Berry folded her arms. “I’d rather play with Smidge in my room.”

  “It’s my room, too. Don’t forget you’re sleeping in my bed,” Kimmie added.

  “It’s Berry’s bed as long as we stay here,” Jan corrected.

  “I never liked it anyway,” her daughter shot back.

  From the kitchen table where he was reading on his tablet computer, Zack glanced up. “Naps sound like a good idea.”

  “I’m too old to nap,” Berry retorted.

  Talking back to her father? That was a new development, Jan gathered, and from Zack’s expression, obviously not a welcome one. “Then you can have quiet time instead,” she responded. “There’s a new fashion magazine
on the table over there, if that’s all right with your father.”

  Zack raised no objection. “Okay!” Berry snatched up the magazine and ran off.

  Kimmie lingered. “Read to me.” She peered at her mother appealingly.

  Too appealingly. Much as Jan enjoyed reading to her daughter, she didn’t want to show what might appear to be favoritism.

  “This is my quiet time, too,” Jan responded. “Besides, the more you read on your own, the better you’ll get at it.”

  “Whatever.” That seemed to be Kimmie’s new favorite word. It was rapidly becoming Jan’s unfavorite.

  Zack watched his younger daughter depart. “You managed that well.”

  “Thanks.” Jan opened the dishwasher, which they’d run after lunch, and began putting away the clean dishes. “Period of adjustment. If I repeat that phrase often enough, it should keep me from screaming.”

  “Let’s all do something together when they finish quiet time.” His phone rang. “Did I tempt fate by saying that?”

  “Possibly.”

  As it turned out, several of his patients had gone into labor and were requesting his personal attention, he explained after ending the conversation. Although it was three o’clock and he wasn’t due in for five hours, obstetricians had to be flexible. Also, the doctor on duty had his hands full.

  “Some days are like that.” Zack switched off his tablet. “I’m grateful I don’t have to rely on Mrs. Ellroy to watch Berry this afternoon. Jan, I appreciate your help.”

  “My pleasure.” She hoped that would be the case.

  “Good thing I keep a bag packed.” He’d explained he slept in the doctors’ on-call room on nights like this. “I’ll go tell the girls goodbye.”

  “See you in the morning.” The prospect of spending the night here without him bothered Jan a little. Funny how in less than a week she’d grown accustomed to being around Zack in the evenings after the girls went to bed. Mostly, they read in companionable silence in the den, catching up on professional journals, or watched documentaries and news shows.