by Amy Vastine
CHAPTER FOUR
Scott thanked the young woman behind the counter as she handed him his coffee and bagel. Some breakfast would help fill the time opened up by the delay.
Since the moment he’d ordered, the clerk had been more focused on him than doing her job. “Have a happy Thanksgiving.”
“You, too,” he replied politely.
A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed she was still staring at him as he walked away. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to women ogling him. Sheridan Colfax could attest to the fact that no one gave Scott a second look in high school. Puberty had not been kind.
Thankfully, everything had changed about halfway through college, around the same time Sheridan’s parents divorced and her whole family seemed to go into hiding. Scott couldn’t believe it had been so long since he’d seen the former homecoming queen.
According to the departure board, his flight wasn’t due to take off for another few hours. He had texted his brother, who had planned to pick him up in Minneapolis. Wes wasn’t going to believe Scott had run into Sheridan Colfax. He’d freak out when Scott told him she was pregnant. Some lucky guy had won her heart. Back in high school, Scott would have done anything to have been that guy, but that was a long time ago.
Daylight filtered through the snow that had begun to accumulate on the barrel-vaulted ceiling made of glass and painted steel beams. Scott headed to the food court and found an open seat. The airport was a zoo today. Everyone appeared more travel-weary than travel-ready.
Hopefully Sheridan’s trip wouldn’t get any more stressful. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Scott noticed her struggling to make her way through the crowd. Her jaw was clenched tight as she searched for a seat, her laptop bag slung over her shoulder. Dylan set his backpack on the floor and waved when she looked his way.
There was definite hesitation on her part, reminding him what it had been like back in the high school cafeteria. She bit her bottom lip as she considered her options. Unlike in high school, her options here were severely limited. There was one other open spot next to a large family with a rambunctious toddler, who cried as his brother held a purple elephant toy just out of reach.
Sitting with a former high school nerd had to be less horrifying. Sheridan apparently agreed and made her way over to him.
Scott held the chair out for her. “Thanks,” she said, setting her bag on the table. “This place is nuts.”
“I’m almost finished. Your mom or sister can have my seat.”
“No, no, it’s fine. Sit. I told them I was going to the bathroom. I need a break from them if I’m going to make it to Orlando without losing my mind.”
She took her phone out and grimaced.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“My battery is almost dead thanks to Holly’s five million texts. And every charging station in this airport is full.” Sheridan put her hand on her lower back; her discomfort was clear.
Scott unzipped his backpack and rummaged through it for his portable charger. “Here. Use this.”
“Seriously?” Relief softened her face immediately.
“Absolutely.” He was happy to help. Even though she had refused to go to prom with him, she had been nicer than most.
She took out her laptop. “I should really take advantage of the extra time and get some work done.”
Scott hoped the delay wouldn’t lead to a cancellation. The interview his father had arranged for him at St. Agnes was today. They wouldn’t look kindly upon him asking to reschedule. Being the son of Dr. Bradley Spencer wouldn’t get him any more special favors than it already had.
“What do you do at E-Pulse, exactly?”
Sheridan pulled her hair over one shoulder. She had been a pretty girl who had turned into an absolutely beautiful woman. Pregnancy looked good on her. Her skin was flawless and those green eyes had always been capable of taking his breath away.
“Well, someone should have told me to forget about Algebra and ditch Physics because I make a darn good living surfing the web and playing on social media all day long.”
“So, basically your job is to do what everyone else does when they’re trying to avoid doing their job?”
“Pretty much. My official title is Social Media Editor. I search the internet for stories or videos and turn them into posts or articles and share them on our company’s social media accounts. For example, this weekend my assignment is to find something that reflects the ‘heartwarming nature of the Thanksgiving holiday.’”
Sheridan had never been very confident about her abilities in school, but Scott had believed she was smarter than people thought. She was creative and socially savvy, traits that didn’t always pay off in the classroom but seemed to be exactly what she needed to be successful in her career.
“Our jobs are so different,” he concluded.
“Only if you think saving lives isn’t the same as entertaining millions of 18-to 34-year olds with videos of babies who giggle when their dads belch,” she said with a straight face.
They both laughed, and it felt good. Sheridan was a breath of fresh air.
“I’m sure your baby will find his or her dad’s burps extremely hilarious.”
Sheridan’s smile slipped and she shifted in her seat. “Probably not. This little guy’s dad doesn’t really plan to be around very much.”
“Military?” Scott assumed.
The skin on Sheridan’s neck turned red and blotchy. “He wasn’t planning on this.” Her hand went to her belly. “He works in London and that’s where he wants to stay. But his new girlfriend is knitting the baby a blanket for Christmas and he promises to send money when he can. He’s super helpful like that.”
Her sarcasm couldn’t hide her hurt. “I’m sorry, Sher. You deserve better than that.”
Her cheeks were now as red as her neck. She shrugged and said, “Maybe. I’m far from the easiest person to get along with. I probably would have moved to another country to avoid being stuck with me, too.”
“You? Hard to get along with?” Scott couldn’t imagine it. “You’re one of the nicest people I know.”
“I was nice. Then, my dad turned out to be a jerk who cheated on my mother for years, and I think I became more bitter than she did. Men haven’t stood a chance since.”
The rumors were true. Scott’s mother had heard that the Colfax’s divorce had something to do with infidelity. Scott felt horrible. Mrs. Colfax had always been good to him, giving him work and talking him up to all her friends. He’d made so much money in the summers during middle school and high school, he hadn’t needed to work when he went to college.
He was about to about to offer his sympathy when he noticed the toddler at the other table wasn’t crying anymore; his lips were swollen and his face was red. He needed Scott’s help. Immediately.
CHAPTER FIVE
Sheridan shouldn’t have been surprised when Scott ran off after learning she had no filter. Her waistline wasn’t the only thing this pregnancy had taken away.
“I’m a doctor,” Scott stated as he approached the neighboring table. He knelt in front of the mother with the toddler on her lap. “Is he allergic to anything?”
“No, not that we know of,” the mother said, her voice shaky.
“Call 911,” Scott directed the man at the next table over before turning his attention back to the family. “What has he had to eat?”
The boy’s parents rattled off everything that came to mind. Nothing sounded life-threatening to Sheridan, but she had no clue what was dangerous or not.
One of the pre-teen girls with them held up a candy wrapper. “I gave him one of my chocolate-covered peanuts so he’d stop crying.”
Scott laid the child on the floor and held the boy’s little legs up. His breathing had turned to wheezing and his eyes were swelling. His mother got down on her knees beside him as silence fell over the food court.
“Does anyone have epinephrine?” Scott shouted. “I need epinephrine!”
“I have an injector!” A woman seated near Taco Hut spoke up. She ran a pen-like object over to Scott, who knew exactly what to do with it.
Sheridan’s heart beat so fast and hard, she was sure she it was about to jump out of her chest. Scott jammed the pen into the boy’s thigh. She couldn’t breathe until the boy could, too. He sat up and climbed into his mother’s lap, wrapping his arms around her neck.
Some paramedics appeared, and Scott explained the situation. Sheridan was in awe of his calm under pressure. He was completely in control.
He returned to their table and bent down to pick up his backpack. “I’m going to go with them over to the Urgent Care Center in Terminal 2, make sure he’s okay. It was really great catching up with you.”
“Yeah,” she replied, surprised by the disappointment she felt in his leaving. “Tell your family I said hello and happy Thanksgiving.”
“I will.” He gave her one last smile before following the family out.
Everyone went back to their food and conversation, yet Sheridan still felt unsettled. Her phone chimed with a text, and she realized she still had Scott’s portable charger.
Are you okay? Where are you?
Daisy and her mother had most likely heard there was some sort of medical emergency, and for the first time since they’d arrived, Sheridan was glad for their presence. She texted back her location and Daisy showed up a few minutes later.
“Mom thinks you’re mad at her, so she stayed at the gate.”
“I’m not mad at her,” Sheridan said with a sigh. “I was feeling overwhelmed.”
“Well, you wouldn’t be if you would stop fighting us and accept our help.”
“I can’t rely on you. The reality is I’m going to have to do this by myself. I am going to be someone’s mother.” She tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. “I’m not ready, Daisy. I’m going to screw up and ruin this baby’s life.”
She had been trying so hard to convince everyone she could do this on her own, but she couldn’t. That mother with five children hadn’t known what to do when her son was having an allergic reaction and she was an expert in Sheridan’s mind. She didn’t even want to think about what would have happened had Scott not been there.
“You aren’t the first person to be afraid of becoming a parent. You’re going to be a great mom.”
“I’m not,” she asserted. Tears welled in her eyes. “It’s too much responsibility. I have to keep this baby alive. Every day. For the rest of my life.”
“Come on, Sher.” Daisy cocked her head. “Eventually, he’ll be responsible for himself. It’s not like Mom has to constantly make sure we’re breathing.”
“You know what I mean. I’ll still feel responsible even if he’s lucky enough to make it to adulthood.”
Daisy had been the troublemaker in the family growing up while Holly was the perfect one and Sheridan was the popular one. Daisy had ditched school often and once crashed their dad’s BMW. Fortunately, she grew out of most of the rebelliousness, but she still told it like it was, and Sheridan respected her more than anyone else.
“You can come home. Move to Minneapolis and let us help.”
“I can’t.”
“Won’t,” Daisy accused. “Well, the one thing this baby needs more than anything is love. And when you love someone you go all out.”
Sheridan pressed her lips together to hold in a sob. Love came with trust, and since her dad had admitted to being unfaithful, trust was something she had difficulty giving as freely as she once had.
“I think I’m scared of taking care of the baby and of being alone when the baby’s all grown up.” This was the thought that kept Sheridan awake at night. Would she ever be able to trust a man? Would anyone put up with her and her issues?
“Remember how worried we were that Holly wouldn’t be able to love anyone more than she loves herself?” Daisy asked.
Sheridan fought a smile. “Yeah.”
“Well, she proved us wrong. She puts those kids first.”
“Mom of the Year, if you ask her,” Sheridan scoffed.
Daisy clarified, “I didn’t say she had a personality transplant. I said she’s proven she can love someone more than herself, which means there’s hope you’ll stop treating every guy you meet like he’s Dad.”
“You know who’s not like Dad?”
“Scottie Spencer?” Daisy fluttered her lashes and clasped her hands under her chin.
Sheridan smacked her sister’s arm. “Yes. He saved a little boy’s life a few minutes ago. Took care of someone else’s child without a second thought because that’s the kind of person he is.”
“He’s a doctor.”
Sheridan knew there was more to it. “He’s always been like that. It’s who he is, not what he is.”
“Well, it’s a good thing he’s always had a super soft spot when it comes to you. Maybe you two could see more of each other since you both live in Chicago.”
As great as he was, there was no way he’d want to get involved with a woman in her situation. It was a nice thought, though.
“I think you’d have a better shot at landing a guy like Scott than I would.”
“You think so?” Daisy’s eyes lit up, creating a surprisingly uneasy feeling in the pit of Sheridan’s stomach.
“Nah, you like `em a little more rough around the edges. You two wouldn’t last a month.”
“You’re probably right,” Daisy agreed.
Sheridan’s shameful relief was short-lived. An intense shooting pain in her back made her cry out.
Her sister reached for her. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
The pain came and thankfully went. Sheridan took a couple deep breaths, exhaling like the nurse who ran her childbirth class had taught her. “I’m fine. I think I need to get up and walk.”
Hopefully that was all she needed.
CHAPTER SIX
“Thank you again, Dr. Spencer.” Dana Walters hugged Scott for a third time. “You were our guardian angel today.”
Scott accepted some more thanks from her husband and another hug before he headed back to Terminal 3. He still had two hours before his rescheduled flight. Snow plows were busy clearing runways and he saw some planes landand take off. The airport wasn’t completely shut down…yet.
His phone rang and his father’s face appeared on the screen. “Hey, Dad.”
“What time are you getting in? You need to be in Minneapolis by three.”
“I’m scheduled to be there by two-thirty. As long as there aren’t any more delays, I should be fine.”
“You should have driven. You could have left last night and been here by now.”
Scott had been in no shape to drive after a twenty-hour shift, and the weather would have interfered with the roads as much as it was messing with his flight.
“Well, there’s nothing you can do about it now,” his dad huffed. “Let’s hope you make it in time.”
“I helped rescue an eighteen-month-old with an undiagnosed peanut allergy this morning. So, I guess you could say my delay was a blessing,” Scott said, trying to put a different spin on things.
“And I’ve got to check on a patient whose life-threatening brain tumor I removed two days ago. Get home, son. I’ll see you tonight.”
He should have known his father wouldn’t have been impressed. If the lifesaving didn’t happen on the operating table, it wasn’t worthy of praise.
Scott came from a long line of doctors. His great-grandfather had been a pediatrician, his grandfather had been a trauma and orthopedic surgeon, and his father was an almighty neurosurgeon. Scott had taken the placement in Chicago because he loved the pace of emergency medicine. He also wanted to please his father, which was why he was reconsidering a surgical residency. A trauma surgeon would still get time in the ER; it would be the best of both worlds…supposedly.
* * *
Disappointment washed over Scott as he passed the food court and didn’t see Sheridan. Running into h
er had been an unexpected plus to this trip. Too bad she lived in Chicago and he planned on leaving.
She wasn’t married, though, which surprised him. Sheridan seemed the most likely to leave their small town and find her Prince Charming.
“Scott!” Mrs. Colfax waved him down from her little corner at Gate C5.
“Are you hanging in there, Mrs. Colfax?”
Prim and proper as ever, Rita sat with her ankles crossed and hands in her lap, surrounded by carry-on bags but no daughters. Their purses saved their spots on the chairs on either side of her. “I’m miserable, but Sheridan’s having a terrible time. Is there any way you could make sure she’s okay? She’s walking around with Daisy because she said she can’t get comfortable in these chairs. I’m worried.”
“Absolutely.” He glanced to his left and spotted her before he needed to ask which way they’d gone. All three Colfax girls were beautiful, but there was something about Sheridan that had always made Scott’s pulse race. “How’s it going, ladies?”
Daisy unlinked arms with her sister. “She’s been in a lot of pain. I don’t know if the walking is help or not.”
“It’s helping,” Sheridan said, grimacing.
“Where does it hurt?” Scott asked, coming to her side and placing a hand on her lower back.
“Right where your hand is.”
He quickly assessed her situation. She hadn’t been drinking enough water, so their first stop was the newsstand to buy a bottle.
“I’m going to check on Mom, Sher. I’m leaving you in capable hands.” Always the most forward of the Colfax sisters, Daisy shamelessly ogled Scott before adding, “Imagine if you had looked this good back in high school, Spencer. Your nickname would have been Scottie the Hottie instead of—”
“Go check on Mom, Daisy,” Sheridan said firmly.
Daisy smirked and headed back to the gate.
“Do I want to know what my nickname was in high school?”
Sheridan’s lips fell in a grim line as she shook her head.