Cal didn’t have a stethoscope on him, either, so he pressed his ear to the boy’s chest and back, listening for any evidence of wheezing or labored breathing but breath sounds were normal.
Patty grabbed the whimpering child when he held out his arms to her. “Is he okay?”
“I think it’s just a cold.”
“That’s what I said,” Lucy reminded him.
“Is there some medicine he should take?” Patty asked, shooting her roommate a stand-down stare.
“A children’s fever reducer will make him more comfortable. At this point an antibiotic won’t help because as far as I can tell it’s nothing more than a virus.” Which Henry had probably already shared with his pint-size roommate. “Is Oscar showing signs of not feeling well?”
“Not yet,” Lucy said. “But I’m watching him. We’re trying to keep the kids separated as much as possible.”
“That would be best. And be sure to wash your hands often.” Cal nodded. “As far as any other medications, they’re not indicated yet. If he takes unnecessary antibiotics, he’ll build up a tolerance and they won’t work when he really needs them.”
“Okay.” Patty nodded. “Is there anything else I should do?”
“Push fluids. Diluted soda. Juice. Popsicles. Water. Make sure his diapers are wet. That means he’s good and hydrated.”
“I’ve been doing that,” Patty told him.
“And if his fever goes up to a hundred and two, bring him to see me in the E.R. at Mercy Medical Center.”
“As if,” Lucy said.
“What?” he asked.
“We can’t afford to go there,” Patty explained, looking apologetic. “No medical insurance. If either of them needs to go to the E.R. I’m not sure what we’d do.”
“Emily will know,” Lucy said. “She always finds a way.”
“I don’t know what we’d do without her,” Patty agreed.
Both girls spoke about Emily Summers as if she had wings, a halo and walked on water. But he knew better. Angels didn’t lie about having a guy’s baby. Just because she’d told the truth about the lump didn’t mean he could forget about the months of his daughter’s life that she’d stolen from him.
There was a knock on the door and Lucy went to answer it. “Hi, Em.”
“Hey. How’s Henry?”
“The doc says it’s probably just a cold,” the teen explained.
“The doc?” Emily took one step inside holding Annie in her arms. “Cal?”
“Hi.” He watched Annie babble something and squirm to get down, but her mom held her tight. That was a good thing since she shouldn’t get too close to Henry.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him.
“I was in the neighborhood,” he hedged.
“Right.” Her tone clearly indicated she didn’t buy that for a second. Without moving any farther inside, she handed a small, white bag to Lucy. “I got the children’s’ Tylenol for you.”
“Thanks.”
“I hope Henry feels better soon,” she said, sending a sympathetic glance in his direction.
“Me, too.” Patty handed him a sippy cup and he started drinking.
“I need to get this little girl home,” Emily said, backing out of the apartment.
Cal followed her, then looked back at the teens. “If you have any questions…”
“Thanks, Doctor,” Patty said. “I really appreciate you looking at him.”
“You’re welcome.”
He followed Emily into her apartment next door. As she bent over to pick up a toy, his attention was drawn to her shapely body. In her sleeveless, white-cotton sundress and matching low-heeled sandals, she looked like an angel. Although there was just enough wickedness in her windblown dark hair to speed up his heart. The wispy silky strands around her face reminded him of all the times he’d run his hands through it while loving her. Something tightened low and deep in his gut, and his hands ached to pull her against him, just like old times. Then he got a good look at the expression on her face.
“What are you doing here?” she asked again. “And we both know this neighborhood isn’t your usual stomping grounds.”
“I stopped by to see Annie.” Mostly.
She set their daughter on the floor. “It would have been nice if you’d called first.”
It would have if he’d actually planned ahead for this. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
As if registering her protest was enough, the indignation seemed to drain out of her. “Thanks for taking a look at Henry.”
“No problem.”
“The girls are barely getting by on welfare, food stamps and small subsidies from a children’s foundation. Without Helping Hands, they’d probably be in a women’s shelter. If they were lucky. The street is the only other option.” A dark look slid into her eyes. “So you can see that private medical insurance isn’t in the budget.”
“They told me.”
“And there’s not enough money to pay for an office visit.”
“Where are the kids’ fathers?” Cal asked.
“Lucy hasn’t seen Oscar’s dad since telling him about the pregnancy. Her parents kicked her out when she broke the news to them.” The disapproval on her face and contempt in her voice said loud and clear what she thought about that. “Henry’s dad, Jonas Blackford, is making minimum wage working for one of the local hotels and he’s taking college classes. An education is the only way to get ahead and make a better life for his son. Financially he does what he can and stops by to see the boy every day. They’re not married, but doing their best to raise Henry together. You have to respect that.”
Did he? When you made a mistake, you tried to do the right thing. That’s the way his parents had raised him. Annie was watching him while she chewed on the yellow plastic key that was hooked to a red, blue and green one. She took it out of her mouth and banged it several times, blinking as if she’d surprised herself. Then she threw them down and crawled over to where he and Em were talking, the first time she’d voluntarily come this close to him. Although from what he’d seen she had no problem with the teens next door. The baby put a hand on her mother’s dress and pulled herself to a standing position while staring up at him.
“So,” he said, “Annie seems pretty comfortable with Lucy.”
“Patty, too. She’s over there all the time. They watch her for me if I have to run to the store, or I get an unexpected call to work and haven’t lined up child care.”
“I could help with that.”
“You have to work, too,” she pointed out. “But I appreciate the offer.”
He smiled at Annie who was blinking up at him and out of the blue, she returned his smile. A big, warm feeling swelled inside him, followed by a free fall into never-ending tenderness. And a sensation of wanting to keep her safe from anything and everything that could hurt her.
“You know Henry’s probably contagious,” he said.
“Poor baby.” She sighed. “Yeah, I know.”
“Annie should keep her distance.”
“Of course. But it’s hard.” She reached a hand down to steady the little girl, then eased her to a sitting position. “She loves those little boys. The three of them are like siblings.”
And like a lot of what was going on lately he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. An instant later words came out of his mouth before he could think them through or stop them.
“You and Annie should move in with me.”
Chapter Four
Emily stared at Cal for several moments. “I must be more tired than I realized. You’ll never guess what I thought you just said.”
“You heard right. It’s a good idea for you and Annie to move into my house.”
Once upon a time she’d have given anything to hear those words, but now they just gave her a bad feeling. “Why?”
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“Which is?” she asked.
He looked down at their daughter, clinging to her skirt
. “That this is just because of Annie.”
“That’s not even close,” she told him. “But now that you mention it…”
“It’s a big house.”
She picked Annie up and balanced her on a hip, then went to the kitchen to get her some water. After settling her on the floor with an assortment of toys, she moved closer to Cal and looked up.
“I remember exactly how big your place is. I’ve been there. Maybe you forgot.”
“Hardly.” Heat flashed through his eyes for just a moment, a sign that he hadn’t forgotten the way they’d burned up the sheets. “But you told me once that it’s a pretty big place for one person.”
She remembered. That was during her brain-hiccup phase when she thought they might have had a chance at happiness. “I stand by that.”
“And I agree with you.” He grinned the grin that brought women to their knees. “It’s also in a great neighborhood.”
Emily’s knees threatened, but she refused to buckle. Especially when she understood the subtext of his remark—by comparison to his big house and great neighborhood where she lived was lacking. She folded her arms over her chest. “I don’t think it’s paranoia leaping to the conclusion that you think Annie’s current neighborhood isn’t up to Spanish Trail’s standards.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then let me put a finer point on your meaning. You don’t want Annie hanging out with anyone who doesn’t meet your personal standards.” A long time ago when she’d been impossibly young and pregnant, she’d been the girl no parent wanted their daughter to hang out with. Part of that lonely, humiliated girl still lived inside her.
“I meant that it would be easier to control her surroundings. When you go to work or the store, she wouldn’t have to stay in a germ-filled environment.”
“Oh, please. The world is full of germs. There’s no way to protect her from that, Cal. You’re a doctor. Isn’t that taught in Microbiology 101, or something?”
“Or something.” He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “But right now she’s unnecessarily exposed to stuff. For your information, that’s a professional opinion. As you pointed out, I am a doctor.”
She really wanted to be bitchy and mad at him, but two things stopped her. Dressed in a black T-shirt tucked into worn jeans gave him serious points for cute. And thing number two had a lot to do with how darned endearing he was being in trying to protect his child. He had great instincts. With a little training, he’d be an outstanding dad who’d take really good care of their child, if the need should arise.
And if she could be personally objective, his invitation would merit some thought. But she’d never been able to be impartial about Cal Westen. He was an all-or-nothing-at-all kind of guy.
“I’m running the Helping Hands program. I mentor the teens and part of my responsibility is being accessible to them.”
“You couldn’t be accessible from my place?”
“Even if I wanted to, you live on the other side of town. If Lucy or Patty, or the boys need me, I’d be too far away.”
“Isn’t Annie more important?” Feet planted wide apart, he rested his hands on lean hips and glanced at the baby, happily babbling while playing with a stuffed doll.
“She’s the most important person in the world. And I’d never do anything to compromise her welfare.” She took a deep breath. “But those teenagers and the children they’ve brought into the world are important, too. They need guidance more than ever because of the little boys depending on them. And because their families threw them away when they got pregnant they have no support system and nowhere to go.”
She didn’t miss his small wince and knew he was remembering his soliloquy on the benefits of being alone. “To remain here, they must go to school, either for a GED, college classes or a vocational program. I insist on it because the only way they’ll be able to take care of themselves and their kids is with an education. With help, they can raise their children and become productive members of society, instead of living dependent, wasted lives.”
Emily hadn’t had the choice to keep her baby. She’d loved her child with every fiber of her being and couldn’t bear the thought of him being hungry, cold or sick. She couldn’t bear it if he’d needed something she couldn’t give him because she was too selfish to do the right thing. Her baby boy had needed a warm place to live with a father and mother who wanted him more than anything.
Cal blew out a long breath. “You’re really dedicated to these kids, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely,” she answered without hesitation.
“Why?”
Her reasons were deeply personal. Though giving him up for adoption was the right thing, it still pained her unbearably when she wondered if he was doing okay. Did he ever think she hadn’t cared about him? Was he angry and resentful that he didn’t know his biological mother? Did he have any idea what he’d have endured if she hadn’t made the choice to give him away?
Her motivation was to save as many girls as possible from having to go through a similar agonizing experience. But all she said was, “It’s the right thing to do.”
“I know all about doing the right thing,” he said.
“Of course you do. You’re the guy in the white hat. The knight in shining armor.”
“When I was in medical school the time came when I had to decide on a specialty—medical or surgical. And I picked emergency medicine for children.”
“Because you like the adrenaline rush of the emergency room,” she guessed.
“It’s more than that. The kids I see usually have parents who are emotionally invested in their children. They’d move heaven and earth to make them better. Do what it takes for a good outcome. And I never see those kids again.”
“Which is the goal,” she said.
“Right.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “But they’re the kind of moms and dads who’d pick up and move if there was a better place to raise an asthmatic child. Mortgage their life to the hilt to pay for whatever treatment necessary to make a child well.”
They’d talked about this once. She knew he was dedicated to saving every child in the E.R. whose life was at risk and would never understand that she’d given her child up for the very same reason.
“Your goal is to never see a child in your E.R. again. My girls need ongoing help and I won’t abandon them.”
“Even if Annie would be better off somewhere else?”
“Look, Cal, do you really think I’m a bad mother? Because a bad mother wouldn’t put her child first and—”
“That’s not what I’m saying—”
“Yes, you are.” She put her hands on her hips as she stared up at him. “Everything I do, every decision I make is with Annie’s welfare in mind. Including telling you that you have a child in case something happens to me. And right now I have to say that’s a decision I’m beginning to regret.”
“And why is that?”
“You’re butting into my life,” she answered.
“Did you really think you could tell me about my child and not expect me to become involved?”
“You wouldn’t be the first,” she said, thinking about the first biological father she’d never set eyes on. And she’d never felt as alone as that fifteen-year-old girl who told the boy she’d slept with that he was going to be a father, then never seen him again.
“I’m not like Lucy’s FOB.”
“I agree. Complete opposite. You drop by unannounced.” What she didn’t share was how happy she’d been to see him, which was part of the reason she was on the defensive now.
“If I’d called, would you have made an excuse to put me off?” he asked. “Or keep me from coming over because there was something you didn’t want me to see?”
“I get it. Really.” Em pointed at him. “You don’t trust me. You didn’t believe I was telling the truth about Annie being yours or that I have a lump.”
“Can you blame me?”
No, but he’d nev
er hear that from her. “I’m not going to live my life proving that everything I say or do is sincere and truthful. I don’t lie, Cal.”
“Except by omission.”
“I’m not perfect. I make mistakes but apparently the people in your world aren’t allowed that luxury.”
“That’s a little harsh.”
“Then why did you go into guard-duty-surveillance mode?” she demanded.
“I think that’s a father’s prerogative,” he retorted. “Just like you’re doing with Helping Hands.”
“I won’t let those girls be alone.” Not like she’d been.
“And I won’t let Annie be alone. Wasn’t that why you came to me in the first place?”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“Then you can’t have it both ways. You can’t tell me she exists then keep me out of the loop. I’m not irresponsible. I’ll step up and take care of her, but I want a say in what happens. Legal rights.”
“Okay.”
He blinked. “As easy as that?”
“You call this easy?”
“Now that you mention it…”
Annie crawled over and pulled herself to a standing position, again using Em’s skirt for leverage. She picked her up and settled her on a hip. “Hey, baby girl.”
Em had never thought of herself as the kind of woman who didn’t share well, but now she wondered if Cal was right about her wanting it both ways. She’d worked very hard for her independence because she never wanted to need anyone again. Then she’d met Cal and made the mistake of letting him in once.
It was obvious that her attraction hadn’t ended with their relationship, which meant stopping it altogether would be about as easy as reversing the effects of global warming. She’d tried to forget him, but never quite managed to pull that off. Maybe because he’d fathered her baby.
The fact was they were both responsible for this child and he was determined to be a father, so she needed to find a path to peaceful coexistence. But moving in with him, relying on him, leaning on him was a path she wouldn’t go down.
The Doctor’s Secret Baby Page 5