A Mommy for His Daughter

by Amy Ruttan

  “What’s going on?” Derek asked.

  “Christina started bleeding. Heavily. Dr. Saunders had to transfuse her, but it’s not stopping. The air ambulance is waiting to take her to Sitka.”

  Derek glanced over and saw Tom, looking stunned, holding the baby. He knew that expression all too well.

  No. Evelyn has this handled.

  They’d been like one being in surgery.

  Surgery was not his strong suit. He could get by, but being with Evelyn had made him feel completely at ease. It had been like a beautiful dance, and he couldn’t have done it without her.

  “Dr. Taylor...?” Tom said.

  Derek knelt down in front of Tom. “It’ll be okay, Tom. Dr. Saunders is a pro.”

  There was a commotion from the back and he saw Evelyn helping the paramedics wheel out Christina, who was on oxygen and getting blood.

  Derek helped Tom up. “Go with your wife. Take your baby. The nurses in Sitka will help.”

  “I’m going with Christina, Tom,” Janet said as Evelyn and the paramedics loaded Christina into the ambulance.

  Derek nodded in acknowledgement and Janet took Tom and led him to the back of the vehicle.

  Derek walked back to the exam room where not that long ago they had delivered Christina and Tom’s baby. A frank breech that Evelyn had said was “textbook.”

  He opened the door and saw the blood on the floor. His stomach twisted in a knot—not because of the sight of it, but because all he could see was Vivian on the floor of their home, his arms around her as he tried in futility to help her, begging her to stay with him.

  A life was saved today. Two lives.

  A sense of pride overcame him.

  It was all thanks to Evelyn.

  There had been no tragedy here. There could have been. There might have been. But she had brought hope.

  He grabbed a mop, started cleaning up the mess.

  Saving lives was all that mattered.

  And who will save yours?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  EVELYN BREATHED A sigh of relief as she watched the air ambulance take off. Christina was stable, and that bleeding might have been the result of anything. It might have been a tear, or a clot, but Evelyn didn’t have the means to examine it herself. There was no anesthesiologist on hand. Derek had stocked blood in his clinic, but not enough to do a surgical repair. It was better that the Sitka hospital take care of it. There were more people in Sitka. There were more supplies and specialized instruments that weren’t here.

  At least Christina was still awake... She must remember to praise Derek later for having that small stock of universal blood on hand. If there hadn’t been any it might have been disastrous. Derek’s smart thinking in stocking the clinic had probably saved Christina’s life.

  “Need a lift, Dr. Saunders?”

  Evelyn turned to see Joe Yazzie Jr. sitting in the airport.

  “I would like that—but I have to confess I left my purse at the clinic.”

  Joe chuckled. “It’s on me. Family and everything.”

  Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat. “I guess you’re right. We’re cousins, I suppose.”

  Joe scratched his head. “Yeah, no ‘suppose’ about it. We are. That’s what Léelk’w and my father say. It’s nice to meet you, cousin.”

  Evelyn felt like she’d been sucker-punched. “Did you say Léelk’w? Is she still...?”

  Joe beamed. “Alive? Yeah, Léelk’w is still alive and kicking. I don’t know if she knows you’re back in town. Dad hasn’t gotten around to seeing her since he ran into you last night.”

  There were so many emotions that were swirling around inside Evelyn. Her maternal grandmother was still alive? She’d thought she’d died. In fact she’d been led to believe that she’d died. Evelyn had mourned her so long ago, but Léelk’w was still alive.

  She felt angry for all the time that had gone by.

  All the time she’d missed.

  And whose fault was that?

  She’d written so many letters and never heard back. After a time Evelyn had felt as if Léelk’w must have forgotten her, and as more time went on she assumed that Léelk’w had died.

  How had anyone thought that was the best thing for her? How was being separated from you family and not knowing about them better? How was Boston better than Wolf’s Harbor and not vice versa?

  No one had ever taken into account her feelings. No one had ever asked her what she wanted.

  Because you didn’t deserve it. Your father didn’t get what he wanted so why should you?

  She really hated that voice inside her. That internal dialogue that never let her forgive, never let her forget what happened.

  “You okay, Dr. Saunders?” Joe Jr. asked.

  Evelyn nodded and plastered a brave smile on her face. “Yeah, I’m great—and you know what, Joe? You might as well call me Evelyn. We’re cousins, after all.”

  Joe grinned. “Okay.”

  Evelyn climbed into his cab and he whisked her back to the clinic.

  “Will I see you later with Jennifer?”

  “Jennifer couldn’t get time off for the afternoon, but we’re coming tomorrow first thing.”

  Evelyn nodded. “Good. I look forward to seeing you both.”

  Joe parked the cab out front. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She got out and walked back into the clinic. Nancy looked up from the reception desk.

  “I tried to get Jennifer Yazzie in...”

  “It’s okay, Nancy. I spoke with her husband and I know she couldn’t get the time off. I’ll see her tomorrow.”

  “I’m headed home. Dr. Taylor hasn’t rescheduled his appointments. He said to take the rest of the day off.”

  Evelyn frowned. “But there’s still time left.”

  “Well, he’ll stay here in case there’s an emergency, but no regular patients. Do you need me to stay, Dr. Saunders?”

  “No, it’s fine, Nancy. If Dr. Taylor gave you the rest of the day off, go. It’s been one heck of a first day for me, anyways. Thanks for your help.”

  Nancy smiled. “See you tomorrow, Dr. Saunders.”

  Evelyn walked back to the exam room, to clean up the mess, and walked in on Derek, mopping the floor. He glanced up as if only just noticing her.

  “Need help?” she asked.

  “Nope—I got it,” he said, not looking up at her. He seemed sad, distant, and she hoped he wasn’t mad at her for not cleaning up right away.

  “I was coming back to clean.” Evelyn grabbed another mop.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Derek sighed. “I’ve got it mostly cleaned up. But, honestly, a mess like that shouldn’t be left.”

  “And was I supposed to stop trying to save Christina’s life and clean the floor?”

  Derek rubbed his temple. “No, you’re right. Sorry.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Just concerned about my patient.”

  “She’ll be fine. I wanted to congratulate you for having universal blood on hand. That probably saved her life.”

  “Thanks, but it was you too. Your skills which saved her life.”

  She helped with the mopping, then glanced up at him. “You’re really connected to the people in this town, aren’t you?”

  He fixed her with a piercing stare—one that made her blood heat with the intensity of it. She was always attracted to stand-offish alpha males, but usually they never wanted anything more to do with her than a quick fling. Just sex. And she could tell this was no exception.

  Nathan had wanted more.

  The problem was, she hadn’t wanted more from Nathan.

  Did she want something from Derek? Yeah, she did. It was alarming how much she was attracted to him. How he made her nervous and yet excited. How much he affected her
.

  No man had ever made her feel this way before, and she wondered if Derek might be the kind of guy who might cure her of her restless nature.

  But even if she wished it, it wasn’t that way—because she didn’t want any of that. It was way too risky.

  You’re not here to stay. You don’t have time for a relationship.

  He shrugged. “They’re like family, and someone has to be.”

  She understood that. He was protective of his practice just like her father had been. Where her grandmother had loathed his dedication to Wolf’s Harbor, Evelyn had admired him for it.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Of course,” she said, hoping he didn’t detect the nervousness she was feeling.

  He cocked his head to the side, as if he didn’t quite believe her. As if he knew what she’d been thinking about only moments before.

  “It was an intense first day for you,” he remarked before going back to his mopping.

  Whew.

  “Yes,” Evelyn replied, relieved.

  “It’s usually not like this here. It’s a quiet town.”

  “Oh, you know that’s not a word you should utter after an emergency situation. Especially to a surgeon.”

  Derek cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “‘Quiet’ means anything but in the emergency room. It’ll get busy again now. You just watch.”

  “I hope you’re wrong. We’ve had enough for one day. Heck, we’ve had enough for a month!”

  They laughed together at that.

  Just as she had finished disposing of the trash and placing the instruments on a tray to be sterilized she heard the distinct cry of a child in pain.

  Derek’s head snapped up and he dashed out of the room as if he’d been struck by lightning.

  What in the world...?

  Evelyn peeled off her rubber gloves and followed him.

  An older woman was holding a gauze bandage to a little girl’s head, and Evelyn could tell it was soaked through with blood. The girl was clinging to Derek, who was rubbing her back, and as the little girl stopped crying to speak to him she could see brilliant gray-green eyes—Derek’s eyes—looking up at him.

  Now she understood what was keeping him in Wolf’s Harbor. It wasn’t just his patients who were his family.

  He had a family. A real family.

  Great. You’re lusting after a married man.

  “Is everything okay?” Evelyn asked.

  Derek looked at her defeatedly. There was worry etched on his face.

  The older woman spoke up, “She was feeling better and running around the house, but then she had a dizzy spell and slipped, hitting her head against a cupboard door. It was a deep gash, so I’ve brought her here.”

  “She’s my daughter,” Derek said. “This is Monica. Mo for short.”

  She was surprised. Derek didn’t wear a wedding ring, and had never mentioned his daughter before, but then again he didn’t chat much about his personal life.

  She looked at the little girl, bleeding from her head wound, crying and clinging to her father. She had once been that little girl in her father’s arms.

  Her heart melted. She loved kids.

  “Well, why don’t you bring her into exam room two and I can look at the gash?” Evelyn suggested gently.

  “I can do it,” Derek said, not looking at her but holding his daughter close and rubbing her back.

  “No, you can’t. You’re her father. I will do it.”

  “You’re an OB/GYN.”

  “I’m a surgeon, first and foremost. I think I can suture a wound.”

  Derek nodded, and then turned to the older woman. “I’ve got it from here, Edna. Thank you for bringing her in. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Edna nodded, but looked worried all the same as she left the clinic.

  Derek followed Evelyn into exam room two. His daughter had calmed down and was staring at her, with her head pressed against her father’s shoulder. She had the same beautiful eyes and tawny skin, and the most beautiful curly sandy-colored hair that Evelyn had ever seen.

  Derek set her down on the paper-covered exam table and Monica still watched her.

  “Who’s that, Daddy?” she asked.

  “I’m Dr. Evelyn Saunders, but you can call me Evie.”

  Monica smiled. “I’m Monica, but you can call me Mo.”

  Evelyn smiled at her. “Well, Mo, can I take a look at your head?”

  Mo looked at her father, unsure.

  “It’s okay. Dr. Saunders is nice.”

  “Evie, Daddy,” Mo corrected.

  “Oh, I don’t let him call me Evie. He’s too grumpy,” Evelyn teased, and Mo’s eyes twinkled and she laughed.

  Derek smiled tenderly at his daughter, but didn’t look at her.

  “How old are you, Mo?” Evelyn asked.

  “Five—well, I just turned five.”

  “It was your birthday recently?”

  “In March,” Derek said. “Not that recent.”

  “I wasn’t talking to you,” Evelyn teased.

  Mo laughed, and then winced.

  “Can I look at your head?”

  Mo still looked uncertain, but Derek gently prompted her and Evelyn was able to remove the gauze from her head.

  “Ouch—you’re being super-brave, Mo.”

  Evelyn brought over a suture kit and Mo eyed it with worry.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “This is going to fix that nasty cut on your head and make you feel a lot better.” Evelyn got some numbing agent out. “In fact, looking at it, I don’t even think I’ll have to stitch that. I think we can get away with cleaning and some paper sutures—which is a fancy word for a plaster.”

  “Really?” Mo asked.

  Evelyn nodded. “Yep.”

  “Edna said I would have to get stitches cause it bled so much. I got blood on my blankie.” Mo held up a ratty old crocheted afghan.

  “Who made that for you?” Evelyn asked.

  “My mommy.”

  “I’m sure your mommy can clean it for you.”

  “Mommy is dead.”

  She saw Derek stiffen and she looked up at him quickly. Now she understood. All the pain in his eyes was the same pain that she’d seen in her father’s.

  Evelyn’s heart melted even more. Sure, Derek was sexy, and she was highly attracted to him physically, but this was something more. This was something far more dangerous. She felt sorry for him handling this alone.

  She remembered all those times she’d snuck downstairs and caught her father crying, mourning her mother. She knew the keen sense of loneliness he’d felt.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Evelyn said gently. “How about your daddy? He can clean it for you, right?”

  Mo nodded. “He can.”

  “That’s good. He’ll get it all cleaned up and you’ll forget that this even happened.” Evelyn pulled out the antibacterial cleaner and some gauze.

  “Will this hurt?” Mo asked.

  “Truth?”

  Mo nodded.

  “A little bit,” Evelyn said. “But if we get this cleaned out and fixed up then it won’t hurt later and it will heal right up. Kids have an amazing super-power.”

  “Oh?”

  “They heal super-fast.” Evelyn smiled. “If I’d cut my head that bad I would probably need stitches, and it wouldn’t heal as fast as your cut will heal. Plus, I think this would be an awesome opportunity to get some ice cream out of your dad.”

  Mo’s eyes lit up. “Okay!”

  “Thanks.” Derek chuckled.

  Evelyn grinned. “Can you lie back for me? I’ll get that cleaned out. It’s going to sting a little bit, but it’ll be over with soon—I promise.”

  Mo lay down and closed
her eyes as Evelyn began.

  “Why did it bleed so much, Evie?” Mo asked.

  “Your head always bleeds a lot because there are tons of blood vessels in your scalp that are close to the surface—so when you get a cut it bleeds a lot.”

  Evelyn finished cleaning the wound and then placed Steri-strips over the wound and a bandage.

  “There—all done, and you were incredibly brave.”

  Evelyn helped her sit up. Mo’s little hand slipped into hers, and in the little girl so attached to her father Evelyn saw herself.

  She had once been Mo.

  The only difference was that she’d remembered bits and pieces about her mother, and she’d had her mother’s extended family reminding her of who her mother was.

  “You can take her home now,” Evelyn said to Derek. “You know the drill. I can manage closing up the clinic.”

  “Thank you, Evelyn.” Derek scooped up his daughter, but didn’t look at her.

  “Thanks, Evie,” Mo chirped. “Daddy, can Evie come over for dinner? Evie, do you want to come over for dinner?”

  Evelyn was taken aback by the sweet, heartfelt invitation. But Derek’s eyes were wide as he tried to come up with an excuse and she knew that she couldn’t intrude on their dinner. Derek was clearly uncomfortable, and now she understood. He had a daughter to protect.

  Evelyn wasn’t going to be here in Wolf’s Harbor permanently, and Mo had lost her mother. The last thing Mo needed was some strange woman coming over to the house and getting attached. Evelyn didn’t want things to be harder on Mo. She knew personally how that could feel, and she didn’t want this poor little girl to have any more trauma.

  It wouldn’t be fair.

  “That’s very sweet of you to invite me, Mo,” Evelyn started. “Maybe another night?”

  Mo looked sad, and Derek looked at her. “Tonight is fine, Evelyn—if you’re available. Mo is right. You should come over for dinner. It’s the least we can do to say thank you for helping us.”

  Mo looked so hopeful that Evelyn didn’t want to disappoint her. And she didn’t really have any other plans, except continuing to clean that atrocious apartment.

  Make an excuse. Don’t go.

  Only Evelyn couldn’t break that sweet little girl’s heart. She knew what that girl was feeling deep down. She felt a connection to her.