by Francis Ray
“Is this Ms. Taggart?” asked the woman garbed in surgical green.
“Yes,” Daniel quickly confirmed.
“I’m Nurse McKinnie. Dr. Scalar called.” She indicated a wheelchair. “I’ll take her back. You can go sign her in.”
“I want to go with her,” he cried, holding her tighter.
“Are you her husband?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry. Regulations.”
Reluctantly Daniel lowered her into the chair. She needed help he couldn’t give her. The thought was a humbling and scary one. His unsteady fingers pulled her blue terry cloth robe back up over her shoulders. “I’ll be here.”
Looking small and frightened, Madelyn bit her lip. His last glimpse of her was of tears streaming dawn her pale cheeks just before the nurse wheeled her away through a set of heavy, automatic doors.
Being helpless wasn’t something Daniel accepted easily or was used to. “I should be with her.”
“Let’s go sign her in.”
Guilt-filled eyes lifted to his mother’s. “How? I don’t even know her birthday, her exact address, her…” Fist clenched, he swallowed.
“Then we’ll do the best we can,” Felicia answered reasonably.
He looked at the double doors through which the nurse had disappeared with Madelyn. “I should have been with her.”
* * *
Daniel paced the waiting room. Luckily Madelyn had preregistered for her delivery, and they had been able to pull her up on the computer. The fact made him feel worse instead of better. His name wasn’t anywhere. If she hadn’t called his mother, he wouldn’t even know she was here. The unsettling thought caused him to break out in a cold sweat.
He should have been with her all through her pregnancy instead of denying his paternity. It had taken this disaster for him to stop fighting what he had always known deep in his heart, his soul.
Duplicity wasn’t in Madelyn’s makeup. She was open and honest, sometimes too much so. Her sense of fair play was too ingrained for her to place false paternity. He had let his hardheaded logic, then fear of his feelings, then his jealousy at her apartment Sunday afternoon get in the way of that knowledge.
The baby was his. Stopping, he stared up at the ceiling. Please, God, don’t let it be too late for me to make this up to both of them.
“Felicia.”
Daniel whirled abruptly. A black man in his late thirties, in a white lab coat over green surgical garb and a white cloth cap, held out his hands to Felicia. His mother rose immediately.
“She’s fine. Food poisoning. Several more of her church members are in the main ER,” he said, his voice a smooth baritone.
“Thank God,” Felicia said.
“Can I see her?” Daniel asked.
The man turned to him, his hands still holding Felicia’s, “Daniel Falcon, I take it?”
“Yes. Dr. Scalar, I presume.”
Deep black eyes twinkled. “You presume correctly. I don’t suppose you can wait until I grab a cup of coffee? I’ve been here for ten hours.”
“I don’t want to, but since you helped Madelyn, I’ll wait.”
Dr. Scalar’s gaze narrowed thoughtfully. “I can’t imagine waiting is something you do well.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“In that case, follow me.”
“Give her my love,” Felicia called.
Daniel followed the broad-shouldered man, resisting the urge to ask him to hurry.
“We’ve given her something for the pain and the nausea. Since she’s in the first trimester of her pregnancy at almost eleven weeks, I’m keeping her in observation overnight,” he told Daniel, pushing open a solid green door.
Seeing Madelyn on the bed, Daniel rushed past Dr. Scalar to her side. Unable to resist, he placed his hand on top of hers resting on her sheet-covered abdomen.
He frowned slightly as she removed her hand and put it under the covers. “Mother sends her love.”
“I feel like a fool for worrying her. But I’m so relieved I could dance,” Madelyn said. “Thank you, Dr. Scalar.”
“You just be careful what you eat from now on.”
Something was wrong. Her smile was too bright, almost forced. “Do you need anything from your place?” Daniel asked.
“No, we’ll be fine now.” She patted her abdomen. This time her smile was real.
Daniel wanted to place his hand on hers again, but wasn’t sure of his reception.
“I’d better go. I have a patient in labor upstairs.” Dr. Scalar gave Daniel a considering look. “The father is a wreck. I hope you hold up better.”
“Someone else is going to be my birthing partner,” Madelyn quickly said. There wasn’t a hint of regret in her steady voice.
Dr. Scalar’s face lost its warmth. “Whomever you choose will be fine, I’m sure. I’ll stop by before I leave the hospital.”
The door swung shut. Daniel didn’t know what to say. He suddenly had the feeling he had lost something infinitely precious, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to get it back.
“Daniel, I have to ask for your forgiveness,” she finally said, her fingers playing with the seam of the sheet.
Surprise knitted his brow. “For what?”
“For being so righteous when I was telling you about the baby.” She shook her head, seemingly unconcerned that her hair was spiked over her head like a porcupine. She had never looked more beautiful or precious to him.
“I was going to take care of the baby and not let it grow up feeling guilt or blame because it was unplanned. But the first time the pregnancy interfered with something I wanted to do, I resented it.”
Her face clouded. “The last thing I remember before going to sleep tonight was wishing my life was back the way it was.”
“That’s understandable, Madelyn,” he told her, wanting to take her in his arms so badly he ached. “Your life was changing, and you weren’t prepared for those changes. My reaction to your pregnancy didn’t help. I should have known the baby was mine. I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”
“That’s the point I’m trying to make.” She lowered her head for a moment, then shook her head. “I blamed you for the same thing I was unconsciously doing. Tonight I finally realized I was spouting words. The pregnancy hadn’t really sunk in until it interfered with a job assignment to Singapore.” She bit her lip.
“I felt sorry for myself. Then I woke up in pain. I was so afraid I was having a miscarriage. In an instant I realized the best job in the world wouldn’t make up for that loss. I had no right to expect you to jump up and down when I really hadn’t accepted it myself,” she said, condemnation heavy in her quiet voice.
“Mad—”
“No,” she said, cutting him off. “This has to be said. I was so concerned about what my family would say, how the people at my job would react, how the parishioners at my church would treat me, that I forgot about the most important thing of all. The welfare of my child. Anything else is secondary.” She glanced down at her stomach hidden by bedcovers and circled her arms protectively around it.
When she lifted her face, she glowed with happiness. “I won’t forget again. I had never told my baby I loved it, only that I would take care of it. Thank God, I now have the chance. My baby is going to know it’s loved.”
Nowhere in her diatribe did she mention a need or a place for Daniel in her life with the baby. “I never doubted you’d make a great mother. The kids loved you at the twins’ birthday party.”
“I’m going to do my best,” she said with absolute confidence.
Unable to resist, he brushed unsteady fingertips lightly across her cheek. “You better get some sleep.”
Dutifully she scooted down in bed. “Would you mind asking the nurse if I could have a phone? Dr. Scalar doesn’t want me to go to work tomorrow.”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said, then added silently, and take care of you and the baby if you’ll let me.
“Thanks, but I’d rath
er call,” she told him, already shutting him out.
Not knowing what else to say, Daniel slowly left the room. He had tried to convince himself he didn’t need Madelyn in his life, only to find out that he did. It was an unexpected twist of fate that she had taken a page from his book and decided the same thing.
The instant his mother saw him, she rushed to him, her face anxious. “Did something happen to Madelyn and the baby?”
“They’re fine,” he told her.
“Then why aren’t you happy? Despite what’s happened in the past, I know you care about both of them.”
“ ‘Too little, too late,’ as the saying goes.”
Taking his arm, his mother led him out of the waiting room into the quiet hallway. “Will you please tell me what went on in there?”
He repeated their conversation. Each word was like a twisting knife in his heart.
“Daniel, I want to ask you something,” Felicia continued when he simply stared at her. “Are Madelyn and the baby worth fighting for, worth locking that stubborn pride of yours in a closet and throwing away the key?”
“Yes.” There was no longer any doubt. He wanted both of them in his life.
“Then don’t make the same mistake I did,” she told him fiercely. “Admit your mistakes. Do everything in your power to let her know you love her.”
“You still love him, don’t you?”
Tears crested in Felicia’s eyes. “I must be a better actress than I thought.”
“Then you just didn’t marry him because of me?”
Shock widened her eyes. “Is that what you thought?” Her eyes closed briefly, then opened. “Naturally I was scared at first, but it didn’t take me long to realize I had the means to make John Henry mine. I can see by your face you think I trapped him. At the time, in my selfishness, I didn’t see it that way.”
Gratefully she accepted the handkerchief Daniel offered her, then dabbed the corners of her eyes before continuing. “I loved your father from almost the first moment he grinned at me from the rodeo arena. Wonder of wonders, he loved me, too. But your grandparents’ wealth sometimes made him uncomfortable.”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “Is that why you tried to make him over?”
“Partly. Although I knew he loved us, a part of him would never be satisfied and happy in tailor-made suits and Italian loafers. The idea of losing him scared me.”
She bit her lip. “John Henry is the only man I couldn’t wrap around my little finger. The knowledge infuriated as much as frightened me.” Trembling fingers swept her hair back behind her ear. “I’m not proud of the way I tried to make him into what I thought he should be. I wanted him less proud, more needy. He took it until I did the unforgivable in his eyes.”
Daniel had heard a lot of stories about the final breakup between his parents while his mother had been at a two-thousand-dollar-a-week spa in Florida, but both refused to discuss what had happened. Daniel wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to hear.
“Don’t look back on this months or years from now with regret,” his mother said fervently. Her hand closed gently over his jacketed arm. “Don’t follow in my footsteps.”
Daniel’s concern for his mother grew. He had honestly believed the final breakup hadn’t affected her one way or the other for long, believed their forced marriage had slowly killed what love they once might have had for one another. It was a startling revelation to find out how wrong he had been.
He loved his parents, but saw no reason for them to be unhappy together when there was some chance for happiness apart. Now he knew that wasn’t the case. “Mother, maybe I can talk to Dad.”
Shaking her head, her hand dropped to her side. “Your father wouldn’t appreciate your interference. I ruined my marriage. I don’t want to ruin your relationship with John Henry.”
“He’s stubborn, but fair.”
“No, and that’s final.” She hitched the strap of her handbag over her shoulder. She was his mother again—in charge, and not to be denied.
He’d forgotten she was as stubborn as his father. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the car.”
“And then what are you going to do?”
“What else? Go back in there and fight for another chance. I only hope it’s not too late.”
Chapter 13
“Here’s the phone you wanted,” Daniel said. Madelyn opened her eyes, a frown forming on her face as she raised up on her elbows in the hospital bed. “What are you still doing here?”
“They’re shorthanded and I decided to stay.” The lie slipped out easily. Plugging the phone into the wall outlet, he handed the receiver to her. “It’s not like I haven’t pulled this duty before.”
She accepted the phone, her attention still on Daniel. “I could barely lift my head then. Except for a little queasiness, I feel fine.”
“Good.” He pulled out a straight-backed chair and sat down near the bed.
“Daniel, I’m fine.”
“I know.” He leaned back in the chair and crossed one booted foot over the other. “Just let me get used to the idea. You scared me again.”
“I scared myself,” she confessed softly.
Standing, he brushed back her hair, his eyes searching hers. “I know.”
Brown eyes misted. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“All the tension finally caught up with you.” The pad of his thumb caught a tear and wiped it away.
“I suppose.” Dialing, she talked briefly with her boss, then hung up.
“You told him?” Daniel asked, gathering as much from the one-sided conversation.
Nodding, Madelyn leaned back in bed. “He wanted me to accept one of the positions in Singapore at the new petrochemical plant Sinclair is going to build. I was the first person he asked once he came back from his meeting.”
Daniel placed the phone on the bedside table, then adjusted the bedcovers. “From your expression, I take it he didn’t greet the news very well.”
“He’s really a very nice man. He has a reputation in the company for having the best and the brightest.” She picked at the open weave on the blanket. “I let him down. He likes for us to go out and shine.”
Casually Daniel picked up her soft hand. “So you’ll shine in Houston instead of Singapore.”
She sent him a bright smile. “You can count on it. I’m after his job.”
“Something tells me you’ll get it,” he told her with absolute confidence. “Now rest. I’ll be here if you need anything.”
Uncertain brown eyes watched him. “You really don’t have to stay.”
“Yes, I do. Now close your eyes and get some rest before they kick me out of here.”
“Daniel,” she said softly after she had lain down and closed her eyes. “I’m glad the baby’s all right, and I’m glad you’re here.”
His chest ached. A lump formed in his throat. Tonight could have ended much differently. “So am I.”
* * *
“Daniel, go home. You look ready to drop.”
“Felicia’s right, Daniel,” Madelyn agreed, resting comfortably in her own bed the next morning. “You look more in need of being in bed than I do.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” he told them. “You’re sure I can’t get you something else?”
Madelyn smiled. “No, I think the magazines, candy, and flowers you picked up in the gift shop this morning just about take care of it.”
“Daniel, go home and go to bed,” Felicia ordered, bodily leading him by the arm out of the bedroom. “I’ll be here.”
He rubbed the back of his stiff neck. “I guess I could use a shower and change of clothes.”
“Don’t you dare come back here before this afternoon.”
He frowned down at her. “I thought you were on my side.”
“I am. That’s why I’m sending you home.” Felicia regarded him critically. “How much sleep did you get last night?”
“I don’t remember.”
She pounced on his answer. “
Exactly.” Opening the front door, she urged him through. “Goodbye, Daniel.” She was still laughing when she reentered the bedroom. “I thought he’d never leave.”
“He was so sweet and attentive,” Madelyn said, a trace of laughter in her voice. “You should have heard him giving the nurse instructions on pushing my wheelchair into the elevator so I wouldn’t be jarred. When he went inside the gift shop, the nurse leaned down and told me she hoped she was off the night I delivered.” She sobered. “I guess she thought he’d be there.”
“He will be, if he knows you want him there,” Felicia said softly.
Madelyn shook her dark head. “Daniel has to go the rest of the way on his own.”
The doorbell interrupted any comment Felicia might have made. “If that’s Daniel…” Ruefully shaking her head, she went to open the front door. Instead of her son, a couple in their midsixties stood there. “Yes?”
“Good morning,” greeted the gray-haired woman. “We’re Mr. and Mrs. Sampson. Is it possible that we see Madelyn for a moment?”
“Is she expecting you?”
“No, but she called last night and told my husband about her illness,” the elderly woman explained.
“You must be her boss.” Felicia smiled warmly. “Daniel said she called you last night.”
“Daniel. Daniel Falcon?” the man questioned, his voice rising in apprehension.
“Who is it, Felicia?” Madelyn called from the bedroom.
“May we see her?” Mrs. Sampson asked. “We’d like to give her these flowers. We promise not to stay long.”
“This way.” Felicia led them to the bedroom. “You have visitors, Madelyn.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Sampson, what are you doing here?” Madelyn questioned, forgetting about the magazine in her lap.
“Howard wanted to tell you something,” Mrs. Sampson said.
Madelyn tried to take comfort in the spring bouquet Mrs. Sampson was holding. It wasn’t likely she was being fired if they were bringing her flowers, but being asked to transfer to another department would be almost as bad. “Of course. Felicia, could you please excuse us?”