by Kristi Gold
By the time he made it back to his patient, Mr. Rutherford had returned to his wife with their five-year-old-daughter in tow. Rutherford stuck out his beefy hand. “Great to see you, Dr. Madrid. Thanks for everything you did last night.”
Rio took the hand he offered for a quick, robust shake. “Your wife did all the work. I was just there to make the catch.”
Both Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford chuckled while their frowning daughter looked on, twirling a blond curl around her finger with a vengeance.
The door swung open to a nurse carrying a yellow bundle in her arms.
“Looks like the guest of honor has finally arrived,” Rio said. After he took the newborn from her, the nurse rushed away as if she expected he might take her head off. Obviously Sara had read the staff the riot act over not bringing the child in sooner.
Rio approached the bed to finally unite child with mother but first caught a glimpse of round cheeks and sleepy innocence from beneath the blanket. Another bout of melancholy crept in as he laid the baby in Mrs. Rutherford’s arms.
“Does he have a name yet?” Rio asked.
“Rufus Harold Jr.,” Mr. Rutherford stated with open pride.
Rufus Rutherford. Tough break, Rio thought. “And you are?” he asked the little girl who seemed totally disinterested in her brother, if not somewhat annoyed.
She jutted out her chin in defiance. “Rita Louise Rutherford and I don’t like babies.”
“Rita,” Mrs. Rutherford scolded. “You haven’t even seen him yet. Come take a look.”
“I don’t wanna.”
A classic case of sibling rivalry, Rio decided. When Mr. Rutherford stepped forward as if to escort his daughter out, Rio put up a hand to stop him then pulled a lollipop from his lab-coat pocket and offered it to Rita. “For the big sister.”
She seemed somewhat appeased yet still not overly thrilled as she unwrapped the candy and stuck it in her mouth. Rio knelt on her level. “My mother spoke often about the sun and moon. The sun is strong and therefore in charge of looking after the moon.” He brushed away a golden curl from her shoulder. “Since your hair is the color of the sun, then your little brother will be the moon. He’ll look to you for guidance. That’s a very important job. Think you can do that, Rita?”
She glanced over her shoulder toward the baby then pulled the sucker from her mouth with a pop. “I guess so, as long as he doesn’t get into my stuff.”
Rio presented his first real smile of the day when Rita gave him a winning grin. “Why don’t you try holding him?”
After Rita nodded and handed her father the candy, Rio picked her up and put her on the bed. Mrs. Rutherford gently placed the baby in his sister’s arms and Rio saw an immediate transformation in the little girl. New life had a way of working on a person, no matter what that person’s age.
Mrs. Rutherford looked up with a grateful expression. “Thank you, Dr. Madrid.”
“No problem, and I’m sorry it took so long for you have your son with you.”
While Rita continued to hold the baby, Mrs. Rutherford unwrapped the blanket to do the usual motherly all-parts-accounted-for check. “Two hours is a long time to be without your child.”
Try two months, Rio thought as Joanna’s predicament worked its way back into his brain. As he watched the family gathered around to survey the miracle, he realized how much Joanna needed to have her son with her.
He’d been alone for so long, Rio was only beginning to realize the importance of that concept—and the extent of his own loneliness. He hadn’t stopped to consider how difficult it must be for Joanna, not having those she loved and needed nearby. He’d only considered how much he wanted her, his own desires and needs. That made him a selfish bastard, and somehow, someway, he needed to make amends.
Starting now.
Joanna dismissed her next-to-last patient and moved on to the final one, thankful to discover the patient was Allison Cartwright. She could use a familiar face right now, someone who might distract her from thoughts of Rio.
As Joanna entered the exam room, Allison smiled but it immediately faded. “You look absolutely beat, Joanna.”
She felt as if she’d taken a beating—to her heart. “It’s been a long day.” Joanna moved to the chair next to the table where Allison sat wearing a cornflower-blue exam gown, her swollen feet propped up on a stool. “How have you been feeling?”
“Pretty good, except for the usual pregnancy woes. Caroline examined me since you were running behind.”
Joanna tamped down her guilt. “I’m sorry. I’m not moving very fast today. Anything special to report?”
Allison’s smile disappeared. “Actually, she’s a little concerned about my blood pressure.”
Flipping open the chart, Joanna scanned the notes. “Your pressure is a bit high but your urine looks normal for now. However, you do have quite a bit of edema.” She set the chart down and turned her attention to Allison. “To be on the safe side, I’m going to put you on bed rest for the next couple of weeks. I also want to check you on Monday, and in the meantime, we’ll order a few lab tests.”
Allison’s eyes widened. “Bed rest? Is that necessary? I really don’t have any extra sick leave coming to me. If I have to take off early then I run the risk of losing my job.”
“Allison, I know it’s tough, but I don’t want to run the risk of anything happening to you or your baby. You could be facing preeclampsia and we don’t want to take any chances. Preeclampsia is a condition where—”
“I know all about it,” Allison said. “My sister had it and so did my mother. In fact, my mother died giving birth to my sister from full-blown eclampsia.”
Joanna’s concern increased. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Allison. And that’s all the more reason to watch you carefully since you could have a genetic predisposition.”
Allison sighed. “Okay, I’ll figure something out. This baby is very important to me and I don’t want to take any chances whatsoever. After all, the doctors said I’d never be able to get pregnant.”
Joanna smiled. “Well, I guess they were wrong, weren’t they?”
“Yes, they were, and speaking of doctors, I spoke to Dr. Madrid today.”
Joanna swallowed hard. “Really?”
“Yes, on the phone, and I appreciate you letting him know about my decision.”
“He seemed okay with it?”
“Yeah, he was fine, as far as I could tell.”
Joanna wondered how cooperative Rio would be if he knew of Allison’s current problems. “I’m glad.”
“He did seem a little distracted, though.”
He could join the club, Joanna thought. “I’m sure he’s probably very busy.”
“He said I was in good hands with you.” Allison grinned. “Does he have personal knowledge of your hands?”
Boy, did he. “Very funny, Allison.”
“I’m sorry, but that day I saw him here at the center, I could tell something was going on between you two.”
Joanna’s face felt like an inferno. “What makes you think that?”
“By the way he looked at you. Are you going to deny there’s something going on between you two?”
After hesitating just a little too long, Joanna realized she might as well come clean. After all, she could use someone to talk to. Several times she’d almost called Cassie O’Connor but she didn’t want to burden a busy mother of twins. And she had forged a friendship with Allison in the past few weeks. Right now Joanna could use a friend. A female friend.
Turning away from Allison, Joanna walked to the counter and toyed with the chart. “Actually, I live with Rio.”
Allison’s sharp intake of air caused Joanna to face her once more. “I had no idea it was that serious,” Allison said.
“I’m only living with him temporarily until I can find a decent place of my own.”
“But there’s a little more to it, isn’t there?”
Joanna lowered her eyes and fiddled with the stethoscope hanging aro
und her neck. “I suppose you could say that.”
“Are you sharing his bed?”
Maybe not his bed, but she had shared his bathroom floor. “I guess you could say things have progressed from an intimate standpoint. Right now I’m kind of confused over the whole situation.”
“Sex can definitely cause confusion. It certainly changes things.”
“Yes, it does,” Joanna said.
Joanna glanced up to see Allison’s hands resting on her distended belly, regarding her with a questioning gaze. “Are you in love with him, Joanna?”
Hearing the words sent shock waves spiraling through Joanna. “I’m, um, well, I’m very fond of him.”
Allison’s eyes went wide. “God, you are in love with him, aren’t you? Didn’t they teach you in school to never fall for a doctor?”
Joanna had sworn to never fall in love again, probably an unrealistic goal unless she decided to stop living completely. But she certainly hadn’t intended to take that leap now, and especially not with a man like Rio Madrid. A man who steered clear of commitment. “I’m not in love with him.” Yet.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.” Liar. “Believe me, I’ve worked with more than a few doctors that are great at what they do, attractive in a lot of ways and anything but commitment material.” Rio in a nutshell.
“So have I,” Allison said wistfully. “And it’s the hardest thing to accept, isn’t it?”
Joanna was beginning to suspect Allison had more than a little personal experience with doctors. “Stop me if I’m being too intrusive, but does a doctor figure into your baby’s parentage?”
After glancing at the picture of a perfect family hanging on the pale-blue wall, Allison turned sad eyes back to Joanna. “Yes, my baby’s father happens to be a doctor.”
“Does he know about the pregnancy?” Joanna asked.
Allison twisted the hem on the gown until Joanna thought it might rip. “No, not yet.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“I’m not sure. He’s only recently returned from a six-month leave of absence. I don’t know how he would take the news or if he would even want to be involved. It happened one night, a huge mistake, except for the pregnancy. I wouldn’t take that back for a minute. This baby is a miracle.”
Joanna’s heart went out to Allison knowing she might have to raise a child alone. How well she could relate to that. And although she was curious to know exactly who the unidentified doctor might be, she wouldn’t ask. “Right now, let’s concentrate on your health. Get plenty of rest, we’ll monitor you carefully and by this time next month, you’ll have your little one. Then you can decide what you want to do about the father.”
Allison sent Joanna a knowing smile. “And maybe soon you’ll have what you want, too. Whatever that might be.”
Right now Joanna only wanted to go home and consider what she needed to do about Rio. At least it was Friday and she wasn’t scheduled to take call but she did intend to phone her son. She needed to hear his voice, to speak to the little man, the center of her life, the only male who should matter at the moment. And Joseph did matter, more than anything in the universe. But one thing had become all too apparent. Despite how angry he’d made her that morning, Rio Madrid was starting to matter to Joanna. Too much.
Eight
At a little past 8:00 p.m., Joanna arrived home and held her breath as she pulled up behind Rio’s truck. In a way she’d hoped to find him gone. Another part of her warred with excitement just knowing he was there.
“I’m mad at you, Rio,” she murmured as she turned off the ignition and slid out of the sedan. She continued her litany as she strode up the front walkway. “Very angry. Furious, in fact. Absolutely livid—”
“Mama!”
Joanna’s mouth dropped open at the same time she dropped her keys and purse onto the walk. Before she could quite register the sight of her son running toward her from the house, Joseph had already hurled himself at her waist in an enthusiastic embrace. Tears of pure joy rushed in and a boulder-size lump formed in Joanna’s throat as she knelt to hold her precious baby in her arms. She brushed the dark hair from his forehead and replaced it with kiss after kiss until Joseph pulled away and said, “You’re getting me all wet, Mama.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve missed you so much, honey.” She swiped an arm over her damp face then immediately wrapped it back around him. “What are you doing here?”
Joseph grinned and in the diffused light coming from the porch, she could see the dark space where he had lost his first tooth in her absence. “Mr. Rio put me and Gran on a plane so we could come see you this weekend.”
“Oh he did, did he?” Joanna was so utterly surprised by the gesture, so totally grateful to Rio that her anger died like fall foliage in winter. “That was very nice of him,” she managed to say through a sniff. “Where’s Gran?”
“In the house with Mr. Rio.”
Joanna grabbed up her belongings and took Joseph’s hand, relishing the feel of his tiny fingers wrapped around hers. Oh, how she had missed him. “He’s a doctor, sweetie, not a mister. Dr. Madrid.”
Joseph shrugged and skipped along the path, dragging Joanna with him. “He said I could call him Rio, but Gran always says you should call someone mister if you don’t know him.”
“If he told you to call him Rio, then you can do that.”
Only a few moments before, Joanna had wanted to call Rio much worse. Now she only wanted to thank him and hug him for doing something so totally incredible as reuniting mother and son.
Once in the foyer, Joanna found her mother waiting for her at the entry to the den, her light-blue eyes still vibrant and full of mischief despite her advancing age, her silver hair still styled in the same short casual cut, as it had been for as long as Joanna could remember.
She opened her arms to Joanna. “Hello there, daughter dear.”
Joanna relinquished Joseph in order to hug her mother hard. She fought another bout of tears with great effort as she kissed her cheek. “You really pulled a fast one this time, Margaret Ann Mathis. I can’t remember when I’ve had such a welcome surprise.”
Margaret patted Joanna’s cheek. “You have Dr. Madrid to thank for that. He actually persuaded me to get on a plane. Can you imagine that?”
Joanna wasn’t at all surprised. Rio could be very persuasive. She glanced beyond her mother and visually searched the den but found it deserted. “Where is the doctor, anyway?”
“He’s in the garage. He said he’d stay out of the way until we had a chance to say our hellos. I told him that wasn’t necessary, but he insisted. He also insisted on having dinner brought in. I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve already eaten. Joseph was starving and Rio wasn’t certain when you’d be home. We saved you some.”
“That’s okay. I’m not really hungry.” She wanted to find Rio, to thank him properly. “Why don’t I see if he’ll join us? We can have a nice visit before Joseph’s bedtime.”
“I’m not sleepy,” Joseph said adamantly as he bent and hugged Gabby who had come into the foyer to check out the happenings. The dog wagged her tail furiously and licked Joseph’s face until the boy fell into a fit of giggles.
Gabby had never paid Joanna much mind. Obviously the dog was quite taken with both Joanna’s men.
Both her men…
But Rio wasn’t hers.
“While you go and get the doctor, I’ll put Joseph in the tub,” Margaret said.
Joanna nodded toward the stairs. “There’s a really nice old bathtub up in my room. Joseph will love it. Through the door at the top of the—”
“I know.” Margaret patted her arm. “Rio gave us the grand tour. He said that Joseph and I could have his room and he’ll sleep on the twin in the guest room.”
“I wanna sleep with Mama,” Joseph said. “In Rio’s room.”
Joanna ruffled his hair. “That’s fine, Joseph. As long as you don’t steal all the covers or kick me out of the bed.”
<
br /> “Then I’ll take your room, Joanna. Now you run along and go find your young man.”
Better to set her mother straight immediately, Joanna decided. Before she got the wrong idea. “He’s not my young man, Mom. He’s my landlord.”
Margaret flipped a hand of dismissal toward Joanna and sent her a smile that said she believed otherwise. “Whatever you say, my dear.” She held out her hand to Joseph. “Come along, tough stuff. Time to get cleaned up.”
Joseph ran back to Joanna and hugged her around the waist, then set off with his grandmother up the stairs. Joanna took a minute to watch them as they made their way to the second floor where Joseph paused at the stained-glass window and said, “Cool.” Joanna smiled, still not quite believing they were here, in the flesh, thanks to Rio.
On that thought, she headed through the kitchen and outside toward the detached garage. She noted a sliver of light coming from beneath the closed entry door and heard the sound of a blaring classic-rock song. She knocked on the side door twice and after receiving no response, concluded that Rio couldn’t hear anything over the din. She entered to find him sitting cross-legged beside a shiny black motorcycle, oblivious to her presence.
He wore a pair of tattered faded jeans and an equally faded blue T-shirt that read, Let the Power Consume You. And boy, did she ever feel consumed by his power while watching him tightening some sort of bolt near the bike’s rear tire. The tendons in his forearms flexed as he worked and Joanna was as mesmerized now as she had been the time she’d watched him perform the C-section on Mrs. Gonzales. Everything he did with his hands seemed effortless, especially when he’d used them on her.
Images drifted into her mind of that morning, images of kisses and caresses, bodies entwined…
She tried to shut them off at the same time she shut off the radio positioned on a worktable to her right. The music abruptly stopped but to her chagrin, the memories did not.
Rio glanced up, confusion in his expression until he pinned her in place with his hypnotist’s eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were there,” he said as he unfolded and stood, grabbed a rag from a nearby shelf then began wiping his hands.