The Switch

by Heather Justesen

  When she opened the door and found him standing on her doorstep, she caught her breath and wished she could have ignored him instead. He looked so good, his broad grin making his face irresistible, a bunch of wild flowers grasped in one hand. She reminded herself not to get her hopes up, even as she let him in.

  “These are for you.” He passed over the flowers.

  She resisted the urge to sniff at them as she carried them back to the kitchen. “Thanks. They’re beautiful.”

  “I know I didn’t set a time to pick you ladies up,” he said. “But when I checked show times, it looks like the one we want starts in forty-five minutes.” He acted nonchalant as he reached into the cupboard and pulled out her vase.

  Tia turned to the sink to add water, feeling the confusion and zing of electricity she so often felt in his presence. If he came only to sooth Samantha’s feelings, she would deal with it, but it would have been easier not to see him again if that were the case. On the other hand, these flowers say something different. She played with the blooms a little as she slid them into the vase, then glanced over her shoulder at him.

  He was looking at her, studying her. There was a wariness she’d never seen in his eyes before, but he smiled when he caught her gaze, making her heart flutter a little.

  “Danny!” Samantha exclaimed. “I didn’t think you were coming.” She threw her arms around him.

  “Of course I came. I said I would, didn’t I?” He swung Samantha up on one hip and listened to her chatter about her week, turning his full attention on her.

  “Danny, you didn’t have to,” Tia said.

  He met her gaze, his expression firm. “I promised. Besides, I think we have a thing or two to clear up.” He waited for a reply but after a moment, he continued, “How about if you grab Tristi and anything we’ll need for the afternoon and we’ll go?”

  The thought crossed Tia’s mind that she could have said no and told him to leave. But she was as glad to see him as Samantha had been, so she nodded and followed his suggestion.

  The movie was fun, and dinner was both delicious and entertaining with Danny in their midst. He cleaned up spilled sodas and handed French fries to Tristi one at a time so she wouldn’t toss the package on the floor. He smiled and laughed and cajoled them all, showing them some of the best holiday lights in town before taking them back home. It had been a wonderful afternoon and evening and Tia didn’t know what to think anymore when he carried a sleeping Tristi in the house.

  “I can take her,” Tia said, reaching for her baby.

  He met her gaze, held it, his expression saying he wasn’t going to be dismissed so easily. “I’m sure you can. I’ve got her, though. Lead the way.”

  She nodded and took him into the girls’ room. She grabbed Samantha’s pajamas and sent her to the bathroom to change, then watched as Danny expertly changed Tristi’s diaper, without waking her, and snuggled her down in the crib.

  Samantha came back in and he read her a story and listened by the bedside as she said her prayers.

  When they returned to the living room a few minutes later, Tia realized she was alone with him for the first time all evening. Things were suddenly awkward again. “Okay, you said we needed to talk,” she started the subject, not wanting to prolong things.

  “Yeah, but first things first.” He leaned forward, slid a hand behind her head and drew her close for a kiss.

  Her breath caught in surprise as his lips touched hers, soft but insistent. The next moment she found her hands resting on his well-muscled shoulders as she leaned closer, tipping her head for a better angle enjoying his touch. His cologne wafted between them, beckoning to her.

  When his hands slid down to her waist, drawing her closer, she melted against him.

  When he drew back, she had to catch her breath.

  His thumb ran along her jaw, giving her chills. Their eyes met and his voice was husky when he spoke. “Tia, no matter what happens, I’m dating you, no one else. Believe me when I say Laura and I are nothing but friends, and neither of us wants to be more.”

  She wanted desperately to believe him, but needed reassurance. “Have you ever tried? Maybe you feel more for her than you think.”

  He smiled. “I think it’s safe to say I know what I want.” He kissed her briefly again. “If I were in love with her, don’t you think I would have realized by now?”

  Of course she’d thought that. Still, she pushed him. “She wasn’t really dead.”

  His tone and expression turned solemn. “She was to me. You have no idea how much I missed her, but in all that time, I never once wished we had tried for a romantic relationship.” He lifted Tia’s chin so she had to look him in the eye. “You’re the only one I’m interested in.”

  Tia’s lungs felt tight with hope and nerves, “Carrie said you two were always together.” She hadn’t meant to bring up the conversation, but once the thought came, the words popped from her mouth.

  His brow furrowed and his eyes hardened. “Carrie? What does Carrie have to do with this? When did you talk to her?”

  “Tuesday in the grocery store.” Tia felt like an idiot for bringing it up, but wasn’t going to let him derail her thoughts. “She said you and Laura had a special relationship, and you mooned over her after the accident. She always felt like she was sharing you with Laura.”

  Danny’s gaze didn’t waver. “Carrie’s a self-absorbed little woman who thinks the whole world revolves around her. She was angry with me because I skipped her sister’s wedding to attend Laura’s funeral. Then she was upset I didn’t simply forget Laura existed the next day. If Laura had literally been my sister, instead of as good as, she would have been every bit as jealous about me putting the funeral first.”

  He touched her hair, combing it back from her face, his eyes never leaving hers. “You’re not like Carrie.”

  So, what—she was a pushover? “If she was so bad, why were you dating her?” Tia pulled out of Danny’s arms. Being that close to him made it difficult to think clearly.

  He released her, reluctance in every move. “I probably wouldn’t have been much longer. I needed someone who could support me the same way I supported her and accept my job for what it is.” He shrugged one shoulder, as if this had been a hard realization. “I was never really good enough for her, and as much as I hate to admit it, she didn’t matter enough for me to fight for our relationship.”

  Was that his MO? “And how is that different from our situation?”

  He answered her by crowding close and kissing her again, though he kept his hands to himself. “You are well worth fighting for, and have the sense not to keep pushing me away over trivial things.”

  She nudged him away, narrowing her eyes. “Are you saying this was a trivial issue?” It hadn’t felt like it.

  “No.” He slid his hands into his pockets, his gaze steady. “And it won’t become blown out of proportion because I know we can work things out.” He looked at the sofa. “Mind if we sit?”

  She agreed and took the overstuffed chair, leaving him the sofa. She might have sat beside him, but his touches and kisses were a little too potent and she needed her wits about her.

  “Two things you need to understand,” he started when they were seated. “First, Laura’s been my friend since the day when being friends with girls meant you kicked dirt on their tea parties and they wouldn’t quit being competitive until their sand castle was bigger and better than yours.” He leaned forward on his elbows. “That’s not going to change. She’s always going to be my friend, whether she moves back to the area or not. I hope you can be friends with her as well.”

  Tia wanted to be honest, even if she still had some reservations. “I liked Laura, from the brief meeting I had with her at the school last year.” She had visited one of the consumer science classes and Laura had shown her to the classroom.

  “Good. The second thing you need to remember is you and I have something special. It’s headed somewhere important. I’m in no hurry to rush into
something serious before you’re ready, but I’m not going away, either.” He stood, took her hand and sat on the arm of her overstuffed chair, their eyes riveted as his hand enveloped hers in comforting warmth. “I feel drawn to you. I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long time. While we’re dating, I’m only seeing you, thinking about you. I hope you feel the same way.”

  Her heart pounded and it was hard to breathe. As romantic statement went, that ranked pretty high on her list. “It’s not like I have guys pounding on my door for dates every night.”

  “I don’t know why they’re all so stupid.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “A woman as talented and beautiful as you ought to be socked in with offers.”

  She laughed despite herself, charmed, and looked away. He was too sweet, too smooth. Could a guy like this be real? “You sure spin a nice line.”

  “It’s no line, Tia.”

  When she looked in his eyes, she believed him. At least, she wanted to believe him. He’d taken her and the girls out for the afternoon like he’d promised, which definitely said something in his favor. “Are you sure Laura feels the same way you do? What if she wants more?”

  He lips tipped up at the corners. “I’m like her brother. She doesn’t want more.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Would you like to talk with her? I can arrange it. Next time she’s in the area we can get together. In fact, I’d like you to get to know each other better.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across her temple.

  Generally satisfied with his answers, she released her jealousy.

  He followed the kiss on the temple with several others to her cheeks, chin and then lips, distracting her completely from the conversation for some time. When he pulled back, he returned to the sofa, and coaxed her down beside him. “Now, tell me how your research has been going.”

  Tia was still a little dazed and disoriented, and his change of subject took a moment of adjustment. He simply grinned as he waited for her mind to come back into focus. “You’re a smug jerk,” she told him, though she couldn’t help but smile.

  “I know. I can’t help it.” He tapped her chin with his fingertip. “Have you found anything interesting in your search since we talked about it last?”

  His question helped bring her back to focus. “Yes. Did you know over a hundred babies have been reported as switched in the past two decades? It’s unbelievable.” Tia snuggled further into his arms and discussed the little progress she’d made before changing the subject to how his ambulance runs had gone over the previous few days.

  Twenty-four

  Back in the newspaper archives on Monday, Tia prayed at least one of the sets of parents she was still researching had taken the time to put a birth announcement in the paper. All five would be miraculously wonderful, but she wouldn’t hold her breath.

  She’d been there an hour before she found the first one, and another half an hour when she found the second. Though she paged through several more weeks of announcements, she didn’t find any others. Still, it was time well spent, as she now had verification that the families she thought she’d connected to the hospital were in fact the right ones. She also had Facebook data on one, including pictures.

  The whole time she tried to block out the verbal meanderings of the bubbly intern from her first visit.

  Deciding she’d found everything there was, Tia flipped her notebook closed and put away the giant books.

  “So what do you think about my idea for a show?” the intern asked.

  “It sounds great. Unfortunately, I don’t think the local stations make suggestions for new sitcoms.” Tia tucked her notebook into her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “Thanks again for your time. I appreciate it.”

  Her phone started to ring before she even reached her car. She smiled as she saw Danny’s number. He’d only had Saturday off, then gone right back to the firehouse to make up the shifts he’d traded for his trip home. She wondered why he didn’t seem burned out on work after nearly a week straight.

  “Hey, beautiful, how’s the search going?” he greeted her.

  “Terrific! I’m now sure that I have the right women for Lisa and Paula and based on pictures of her with her family, I’m ready to cross Paula off the list of possible switches. The woman posts everything on Facebook for the whole world to see, and she looks nothing like my parents, and vice versa.”

  “Great. That puts you down to four, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah. The question is what to do next. I think I’ve reached the limit of what I can accomplish online.” It had been a hard decision to make, but this had been her last idea.

  “Then we’ll check some other things. Any headway on how this happened in the first place?”

  “None.” She shrugged, hoping it would loosen up her shoulders. Between being hunched over the book and the intern’s yammering, she was tense. “I’ll have to contact the hospital, but whether they’ll cooperate or not is another issue. Do they have lists of employees from then? Even if they have employee lists, it’s highly unlikely they would have any way of finding out who worked that night. I don’t even know where to start.”

  “I know a few people at the hospital,” Danny said. “Let me ask some questions and see what I can find out.”

  Tia was touched, but didn’t want to put him out. “Danny, I can’t let you do that.”

  “Why not? I offered, I have contacts, and I want to help you.”

  “I feel like I need to do it.” She reached her car and unlocked the door, opened it, and slid inside. Was she trying too hard to be independent? Nichole sometimes accused her of that.

  “Then I’ll wait until you can come with me. I’m off tomorrow. We could swing by in the morning, see who I can prod for information.”

  Though she was still tempted to say no, Tia decided she’d be a fool not to take his help. He might be able to find something she couldn’t. “Okay, then. If I’m going to do it, it has to be between nine and ten-thirty. I’ll be pushing the limit for getting to the station on time if it’s any later.”

  “I’ll swing by for you a little before nine, then. And if anything comes up and I’m running late, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks, Danny. I appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.” He hung up.

  Tia clicked end on her cell and tucked it back in her purse. Though she kept telling herself she needed to hold back a piece of herself, he was worming his way into her heart. She found she didn’t mind after all.

  * * *

  Danny and Tia walked into the hospital shortly after nine and he led her through the entrance, around the corner and down the hall toward the ER. She smiled and pretended she was as comfortable as he was in the setting. He greeted a few people by name as they passed, but continued on through to the front desk where a statuesque woman in her late forties typed on a computer while she talked on the phone.

  “I’m afraid I can’t talk about a patient’s condition. You’ll have to speak with his doctor. No ma’am, the law prohibits me from giving out that information. The doctor’s name is Ray Lacey. Yes, good luck.” She sighed as she hung up the phone, then smiled when she saw Danny, turning on the charm. “Well, hello there, Tullis, how are you doing today? You’re not in uniform this time.”

  “I’m here asking a favor.” He turned and motioned to Tia. “This is my girlfriend, Tia Riverton, and she’s looking for some really old information about employees. Tia, this is Dr. Clark. She runs the ER.”

  “Dr. Clark, it’s nice to meet you.” Tia tried not to be intimidated by the woman or the fact she and Danny seemed chummy. He had introduced Tia as his girlfriend. Is that what they decided they were? She hadn’t taken time to analyze it—or maybe she was trying not to think about it too hard.

  “Same here.” The doctor offered to shake her hand. “I love your cooking segment when I get a chance to see it. I don’t know how much I can do for you, but I’m happy to help.”

  A man in s
crubs approached and handed her papers, muttered something under his breath then continued on. A woman passed by and pulled a form from a nearby stacker.

  Tia always liked hearing someone enjoyed her segment, which normally would have relaxed her, but the number of people close by made her uncomfortable. “Thanks. Is there a chance we could talk to you somewhere more private? It should only take a moment.”

  Dr. Clark laughed. “Yes. It is a bit crazy in here, isn’t it?” She came out from behind the counter and led them down the hall to a corner with another counter, which had no staff. “Now, what can I do for you?”

  Tia had grown more nervous by the second, and the reassurance she’d received from Danny’s kiss before they’d entered the hospital had dissipated. She plunged forward. “This is going to sound completely crazy, but I was born here twenty-eight years ago—which I know had to have been long before you became a doctor. The thing is, we recently learned I’m not actually my parents’ biological child. They always thought I was, but DNA tests prove otherwise.”

  Dr. Clark gave her a funny look. “You’re saying your mom came in here, gave birth to some other child, and walked out with you instead?”

  Tia nodded. “I’ve managed to track down information on the other families who had daughters born within twenty-four hours of me, and narrowed it down to a few possibilities, but even if I knew who my parents’ biological daughter was, I don’t know how this all happened.”

  “They put bracelets on the child while they’re still with the parents—before the baby is even weighed and measured. For such a mix up to have occurred, the change would have had to be deliberate.” Dr. Clark’s eyes had narrowed and her arms crossed her chest in a guarded manner. “I hope you’re not saying you think someone did that on purpose.”

  The woman’s defensiveness made Tia uneasy. “I told you it would be hard to believe.” She tried to modulate her voice to be as inoffensive as possible. “DNA doesn’t lie, though. I believe once I left the hospital my parents would have noticed if their baby had been switched. The only reasonable possibility is that the change occurred while I was still in the hospital.”