Bachelor Father

by Pamela Bauer

  “There’s a nurse and a lab technician in with Megan. It should only be a few minutes and we can go back in.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s been sleeping ever since she came back from recovery. Have you talked to Dr. Lindgren?”

  “Yes. He said the surgery went well.”

  She nodded. “That’s what he told me, too. They’re giving her antibiotics, which should take care of the infection, but she’s going to have to stay in the hospital longer than if it had been a simple appendectomy…probably another five to seven days.”

  “I don’t suppose she’s going to like that,” he surmised with a lift of one eyebrow.

  Lori rolled her eyes. “Not if the way she behaved before surgery is any indication. She cried and begged me to take her home. Not that I blame her. Having an operation is scary enough when you’re an adult—but when you’re only six…” She shrugged helplessly.

  “The worst should be over.”

  “Yes, and now her daddy’s here.” Lori sighed in relief. “She’s going to be happy to see you.”

  Adam hoped she was right. As hard as his sister-in-law had tried to smooth over the rough edges in their relationship, he knew that Megan regarded him as the man she’d been forced to go live with when her mother had died. In the short time she’d been with him, they hadn’t managed to get beyond that. Any affection she had for a father figure still went to her uncle. She treated Adam with a suspicion that at times bordered on indifference.

  “Have you called Tom Anderson?” he asked, suddenly remembering the other man.

  Lori nodded. “I told him I would keep him posted on what’s happening. He asked if he could talk to her this evening once she was back in her room, but until now she’s been too sedated to do much of anything but sleep.”

  “I’m sure she’s going to want to call him as soon as she’s able to use the phone,” Adam noted.

  “That probably won’t be before morning. I don’t expect she’ll be awake much tonight.” Lori glanced at her watch and said, “I can’t believe it’s only seven-thirty. It feels much later than that to me.”

  “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m okay,” she answered, although the circles under her eyes contradicted her. “It’s just the usual complaints of a pregnant lady.” She stretched, rubbing the area near the base of her spine.

  “Backache?”

  “Everything aches,” she quipped.

  He saw the lines on her face and realized how stressful the day had been for her. “When I asked if Megan could stay with you while I was gone I never expected something like this would happen. I’m sorry, Lori. I probably should have just taken her out of school and brought her with me.”

  “We both know why that wouldn’t have worked.”

  “I wouldn’t have brought Naomi if Megan had come with me.” He didn’t want to sound defensive, but ever since Megan had come to live with him he’d felt as if his personal life were suddenly under a magnifying glass.

  Lori raised both hands as if to ward off an argument. “I was happy to have Megan stay with me.”

  He knew that was true, but it didn’t make him feel any less guilty about the situation. “I know, but you shouldn’t have had to be the one going through all of this, especially not in your condition.”

  She brushed away his concern with a wave of her hand. “Now you’re sounding like Greg. Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I have to sit at home with my feet up. I managed just fine today.”

  “I knew you would. Just knowing you were with her was a great comfort to me, although I have to admit, that probably was the longest flight I’ve ever taken.”

  “I hope I didn’t sound too frantic when I called you, but honestly, Adam, until that doctor came out of surgery and told me she was going to be all right, I was scared. Really scared.” Her voice broke with emotion and she bit down on her lip.

  “Waiting in a situation like this is never easy, is it?” he asked rhetorically. “I’m just glad you brought her to the emergency room when you did. You saved her life, Lori.”

  She leaned back against the wall, her shoulders sagging. “I know, but I can’t help but wonder if the infection couldn’t have been prevented if I had only taken her to the doctor last week.”

  “She wasn’t having an appendicitis attack last week.”

  “No, but last night wasn’t the first time she’s complained of stomachaches, Adam,” she said soberly.

  “No, it wasn’t,” he agreed. “She’s had a lot of them—like when she didn’t want to eat her dinner or she didn’t want to go to school. You remember the story about the boy who cried wolf?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “Lori, she had a physical exam before she started school here and the doctor said she was in good health,” he reminded her, not wanting to admit that the same thought had crossed his mind when he’d learned that Megan’s appendix had ruptured. Images of her rubbing her tummy and telling him it hurt had flashed relentlessly in his head.

  “She had none of the other symptoms of appendicitis until this morning,” Lori added, as if trying to convince herself she wasn’t to blame. “It’s not easy to diagnose, even with all of the symptoms.”

  “No, it isn’t, as Dr. Lindgren told us. Nor does it do any good to second-guess the situation at this point. Yes, Megan did complain of stomachaches, but she’s complained about a lot of things since she’s been here.” He rubbed a hand around the back of his neck. “Sometimes I feel as if that’s all she does.”

  “She’s had a lot to deal with these past few months,” Lori said sympathetically.

  “I realize that. I’m also aware of what a huge change it was for her to come live with me. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn’t have simply accepted the financial responsibility of her care and allowed her to stay with Tom.”

  Lori placed her hand on his arm. “No, you are her father. She belongs here with you. I know that it’s been a little difficult for the two of you—”

  “A little difficult?” He interrupted with an incredulous chuckle. “She’s been with me for eight weeks and she still calls me Adam.” A clear sign to him that she didn’t want to be with him.

  “She’s not used to having a father and you’re not used to having a daughter. It’s going to take time for the two of you to adjust to your relationship.” It was the same argument Lori had used repeatedly for the past few weeks.

  Time was the one thing he hadn’t been given. Most men had nine months to prepare for a fatherhood that began with an infant. He’d had to take a crash course that had ended with him being delivered a kindergartner. He’d expected there to be a period of adjustment while the two of them got to know one another. What he hadn’t expected was that after so many weeks he would feel as if he’d failed the first test of fatherhood.

  “I’m not sure what else I can do,” he said, feeling frustrated by his efforts. “I’ve given her everything I can think of to make her feel at home with me.”

  “Things will get better,” she predicted. “You just have to patient.” She arched her back, again placing a hand at the base of her spine. “I wonder how much longer it’ll be before we can go in? I could use a chair about now.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She smiled weakly and nodded. “I’m just tired.” She put a hand on her stomach. “And it doesn’t help that your nephew has decided today is the day to practice his soccer kicks.”

  “Why don’t you go home?”

  She shook her head. “Can’t. I promised Megan I’d be here when she woke up.”

  “She’s probably not going to know who is and who isn’t here tonight,” he noted.

  Lori glanced apprehensively at the closed door. “I am tired,” she admitted.

  “Then do me a favor and leave. On top of all of this I don’t need the wrath of my brother on me. He’s not happy that I made him go to the boat show in the first place, and if he comes home and finds you’ve run yourself ragged whi
le he’s been gone, he’s going to be all over me.”

  “It’s a good thing he is there,” she remarked. “Your grandfather can’t really handle a show on his own anymore.”

  “I called Bill Grainger and he’s going to fly out first thing in the morning to help in any way he can,” Adam told her.

  “That’ll be good.” She placed a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry you had to leave in the middle of the show. I know how excited you were about the Seababy.”

  He shrugged. “Things happen.”

  Although Adam often oversaw construction at Novak Boats, his first love was design. It was why he was the company’s best spokesperson. He knew every inch on each custom-designed yacht that came out of the factory. Boat shows were the perfect place for him to showcase the cutting-edge technology that had earned him numerous industry awards. This year it was the Seababy, a midsize motor yacht, that was his pride and joy and already the buzz in the boating world.

  But then Novak Boats often was at the center of attention in the industry. What his grandfather had founded as a small family business to build pontoons for local lakes had evolved into an internationally known yacht manufacturer creating pleasure cruise boats easily handled at sea. From a single employee to nearly one hundred and fifty, the company had earned its place in the boating world with a reputation envied by many.

  Building boats was a passion Adam had discovered at an early age. While some kids went to nursery school, Adam had tagged along with his father to the factory where his grandfather had put him to work fetching tools. He’d learned the art of boat building at the knee of a master, and by the time he went off to college to earn his engineering degree, he knew every aspect of the business, including how to represent Novak Boats at the various shows across the country.

  When the door to Megan’s room opened and a lab technician came out carrying a tray of medical supplies, Adam asked, “Is everything okay?”

  The woman nodded. “You’ll be able to go in in a few minutes. Her nurse is just finishing up in there.”

  “Is she asking for me?” Lori wanted to know.

  “Oh, yes. I think she must have said ‘I want my mommy’ at least five times.”

  Lori’s startled glance caught Adam’s before she said to the tech, “I’m her aunt. Her mother died last fall.”

  The tech grimaced. “Oooh. I’m sorry. I thought…”

  Lori shook her head. “It’s okay.”

  “It’s probably the medication confusing her,” the tech said with an apologetic shrug, then disappeared down the hall.

  The door opened again and this time a nurse stepped out. “You can come in now.”

  Adam introduced himself and asked, “How is she?”

  “She’s resting comfortably. She was having quite a bit of pain so I gave her something to help her sleep,” the nurse explained. “Mr. Novak, if you’d like to spend the night, we can put a cot for you in her room.”

  Lori looked at Adam. “One of us should probably stay in case she wakes up.”

  He nodded. “I’ll stay. You go home and get a good night’s sleep.”

  “What if she asks for Christie again?”

  “I doubt she will.” He dismissed her concern with a shake of his head. “But if she does, I’ll clear things up.” As he watched his sister-in-law walk away, he realized it was a heck of a time for him to hope to improve communications with his daughter. But he would. Somehow. Someway.

  CHAPTER TWO

  WHAT THE NURSE CALLED a bed was actually a padded vinyl chair that collapsed in the middle so that it resembled a cot. There were times when being six foot three had its advantages. This was not one of them. As Adam tried to stretch out on the makeshift bed, his feet dangled over one end. After a period of tossing and turning in search of a comfortable position, he put the chair back into its original position. It wouldn’t be the first time he would have to sleep sitting upright.

  Not that he expected to sleep. He needed darkness and silence. Megan’s hospital room had neither. If there wasn’t some piece of equipment blinking, there was an electronic machine beeping. Then there were the frequent visits by various medical staff.

  And, of course, there was Megan herself. She was not a quiet sleeper. Although she wasn’t tossing and turning, she made little sounds that were a cross between a groan and a hiccup. The first time he heard one he thought that she was in distress. He’d jumped up from the chair and called for the nurse who had assured him Megan was not in any danger.

  To his surprise he finally was able to get a couple of hours of sleep. When he awoke he discovered someone had pulled the drape around Megan’s bed, separating him from his daughter. Although he couldn’t see the two people on the other side, he could hear them.

  “It hurts,” Megan cried.

  “I know it does, dear. I’m going to give you some medicine to help make you feel better.”

  When the only sound to be heard was Megan’s whimpering, Adam called out, “Is everything all right?”

  “Everything’s fine, Mr. Novak,” a woman’s voice answered from the other side of the curtain. “We’re just taking care of some business.”

  Then he heard Megan say in a voice that was slightly hoarse, “Is Adam here?”

  Adam. Being in the hospital hadn’t suddenly made his daughter want to call him Dad. He wondered if she would ever regard him as her father.

  “If you’re referring to your dad, yes, he is here,” Adam heard the nurse say. “He’s been here all night actually, and as soon as I’m finished we’ll open the curtain and you can see him.”

  “I’d rather see my mommy. Can you get her for me?”

  Adam frowned. It had been almost six months since Christie had drowned. Megan knew her mother had died and gone to heaven, so why was she asking for her now?

  The nurse didn’t answer her question about her mother but went on to advise Megan to be very careful and lie still because it was important that she not disturb the bandages on her tummy.

  Adam could see nothing but darkness through the sliver of an opening in the window blind. He glanced at his watch. It was five-fifteen. He had a crick in his neck, his clothes were wrinkled and he was in desperate need of a cup of coffee. Thinking he might take a break and find a coffee machine, he was about to ask the nurse how long she’d be with Megan when the drape swung open.

  “How is she?” he asked in a low voice.

  “She’s still pretty sleepy, but she’s doing much better, aren’t you, Megan?” the nurse said, walking over to write some numbers on a white board hanging on the wall.

  Adam moved closer to the bed. Although Megan still looked tiny and frail, her face wasn’t as pasty as it had been when he’d first seen her. The medical equipment surrounding her reminded him, however, that she was one very sick little girl.

  “How do you feel?” he asked her, wishing he could do something to make her more comfortable. She reminded him of how she’d looked the first time he’d seen her. It had been in the attorney’s office and she’d stood perfectly still next to the lawyer, as if she were afraid to move a muscle for fear of something horrible happening to her.

  “It still hurts,” she replied in a voice that begged for his sympathy. “Lori told me the operation would make me feel better.”

  The nurse came back to her bedside. “It doesn’t hurt as badly today as it did yesterday, does it?”

  “No.” The response was barely audible.

  “Each day it will hurt a little less,” the nurse told her. “Once your tummy heals you’re going to feel as good as new. Now I’m going to leave you so you can get some more sleep.” She checked the IV unit next to the bed, then said, “If you need anything, you know what to do, right?”

  “I push the button,” Megan said weakly.

  “That’s right.” On her way out, the nurse said to Adam, “I’ll just be down the hall if you need me.”

  He nodded. “Is there someplace where I can get a cup of coffee?”

  “Ther
e’s a lounge near the elevators with vending machines, but at this time of night, the coffee’s pretty strong. You might want to go across the street. There’s a small diner that’s open twenty-four hours.”

  Adam thanked her then took the place she’d vacated next to the bed.

  Megan glanced at him through half-closed eyes. “Where’s Lori?”

  “She’s at home.”

  “She said she was going to stay,” Megan said in a voice that was on the verge of tears.

  “She wanted to, but she was tired so she went home to get some sleep. She’ll be back in the morning. I’m here if you need anything.” He noticed a cup with a straw in it on the tray table next to her bed. “Would you like a sip of water?”

  She shook her head. “Did you come home on an airplane?”

  “Yes.”

  “Didn’t you like the boat show?”

  “Yes, I did, but I wanted to be here with you.” It was the truth. The moment Lori had called with the news that she’d taken Megan to the hospital his first thought was to get home as quickly as possible so he could be with her.

  She scrunched up her face. “I feel funny.”

  “Funny how?” he wanted to know.

  “Like my head’s fuzzy,” she murmured.

  “That’s from the medicine. The more you sleep, the less fuzzy you’ll feel.”

  “But I don’t want to go to sleep,” she whined. “I want to find her.”

  He leaned closer to her. “Who do you want to find?”

  “Mommy. She’s here in the hospital, you know. I saw her. When the man was pushing me in my bed.” Megan yawned, her eyelids fluttering as she fought to stay awake.

  So that was the reason for her confusion. While she’d been sedated she had seen someone who resembled Christie and mistaken her for her mother. Adam knew he needed to correct her. He couldn’t let her go on believing that she’d really seen her mother, yet he wondered if she would even remember such a conversation tomorrow morning? What she needed was sleep. There would be plenty of time to talk about what she did or didn’t see tomorrow.