A grumpy old doctor? Was that how she saw him? Grumpy and old? How could she say that? At thirty-five, he couldn’t be much more than a year or two older than her.
As for being grumpy, that wasn’t a big surprise. However, she should know better than to expect him to be all smiles and sunshine when he was run off his feet. If she had ER qualifications, then she’d endured her share of stress too…unless she was the same free-spirited person that her cousin was, which meant that she couldn’t be counted on either.
Speaking of which, Mark itched to see for himself what Dixie was doing to their new arrival. What did he truly know about Dixie or her credentials? She may be a physician, but he knew that having “MD” after one’s name didn’t reflect one’s level of competence. If only he could rush this final part of the delivery process, but if he did, his troubles—and Rosy’s—would just be starting. The complications of pulling on the cord rather than letting it detach on its own were horrific. He simply had to be patient.
“Talk to me,” he demanded of Dixie. “I want a play-by-play narration of what you’re doing.”
“Don’t worry,” she said calmly. “We’re coming along nicely.” After a brief pause, she added, “Are you always this uptight?”
“I’m entitled,” he ground out. Instead of talking to him, he heard her speak to the baby. “What’s going on over there?” he demanded again.
Suddenly, there was a loud gasp, and the baby answered with an angry cry.
Dixie chuckled. “Our little miss has finally decided to join us. She’s pink, has all her fingers and toes, and is gorgeous.”
“Apgar?” He wanted to know the score assessing the baby’s condition, not how pretty it was. All newborns were red and wrinkly and, in his opinion, quite homely. Beauty, as they said, was in the eye of the beholder.
“Eight. As I said, she’s doing fine. She was a little lazy about breathing at first, but she finally got the hang of it.”
Rosy rattled off something, but the only word Mark caught was “bambino.”
Dixie showed the new mother her wrapped bundle and spoke softly. Mark caught a familiar word here and there but, between his language barrier and looking after Rosy herself, he didn’t get much out of their conversation. When Rosy suddenly burst into tears and started wailing, he was glad that Dixie was there. Consoling a weepy woman was hard enough when they both spoke the same language. Consoling one when neither could make themselves understood was next to impossible.
Dixie talked to Rosy for a while and as soon as she wiped the new mother’s face with a wet washcloth, Rosy calmed down and smiled through her tears.
“What was all that about?” he asked.
“She’s upset about her husband not being here. I told her it was OK, that she’d have time to freshen up and look extra-pretty before he saw her. He can get in on the fun next time.”
He didn’t doubt for a second that Rosy and her husband would give their daughter brothers and sisters.
“And if he missed the birth of his second child, she could…” She paused and grinned. “Never mind. It’s a woman thing. I’d be drummed out of the sisterhood if I said another word.”
“Something truly mean and memorable, I suppose.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Absolutely.”
The door opened and Jane poked her head inside. “Are things presentable in here?”
Miranda had been working to clear away as much evidence of the birth as she could, although it would take a lot of work to restore the room to its pre-delivery-room appearance. “More or less,” he answered. “Why?”
“Mr Valesquez is with me.”
“Great. Send him in.”
Jose Valesquez, a young, attractive man in his early twenties, rushed to his wife’s side. Worry was evident on his face and as soon as he grabbed her hand, words flew.
Meanwhile, Mark massaged Rosy’s uterus and kept a close eye out for any hemorrhaging. Yet the excitement in their voices was infectious and he couldn’t help but steal a glance at the happy couple.
No, they weren’t a couple. They were a family.
Jose would come home every night to a doting wife and a daughter who’d be delighted to see him. There’d be smiles and giggles and, when his child grew older, tosses in the air and a plea to “Read me a story, Daddy.” In Spanish, of course.
Quite the opposite of what went on at his house, where the only greeting was the gurgle of the aquarium that the pet store maintained for him. His fish collection might be awesome to look at and quite gregarious when he sprinkled food in the water, but that sort of welcome didn’t compare to a warm human hug.
How strange. The idea had never bothered him before. He must be more tired than he realized. Maybe he was coming down with something…
Dixie passed the baby to the father, then moved next to Mark to peer over his shoulder. “No tears. I’m impressed.”
“This isn’t the first baby I’ve delivered.”
“I can tell.” She didn’t sound flippant or sarcastic, so he didn’t quite know how to take her comment. Instead, he turned the tables.
“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.”
She shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”
“You speak it very well.”
“I get by.”
“Did you take classes?”
“I had a Spanish-speaking roommate in college. Neither of us had extra money, so we worked out a deal where she taught me Spanish and I tutored her in chemistry.”
“You would have paid her for lessons instead of taking a course by yourself?”
“I would have helped her for nothing, but she wouldn’t accept it for free. Trading her knowledge for mine helped her save face and I learned something that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”
He wondered how many other people would have walked the extra mile like she did in order to salvage someone else’s pride. The fact that she did was impressive.
She grinned. “To be honest, her student didn’t catch on as fast as mine did.”
“It sounds to me like you did.”
Once again, she dismissed his praise with a shrug. “What can I say? She was a taskmaster and pride kept me plugging away. The payoff came when I went to med school. I’m at a first-grade level when it comes to reading and writing, but I can hold my own in a conversation. You’d be amazed at how many times being bilingual has helped me in the ER.”
“I can imagine,” he said as he thought about the difficulties he’d encountered in his own practice.
“As another benefit, her parents owned a restaurant called Poncho’s. I ate there more times than I’d care to count. To show their gratitude for helping Luisa pass her course, they also shared a few of their recipes. I can make the absolute best enchiladas and salsa you’ll ever eat.”
Ironically enough, he wondered if he’d ever have the opportunity to taste them. Spicy Mexican food was his weakness.
“Do you have a large number of obstetric patients?” she asked.
He was almost sorry to change the subject. He didn’t want to get to know her, but admittedly these bits and pieces were interesting.
“A fair amount,” he replied. “We’re working to bring in an OB-GYN, so if that comes about, I’m sure all of the family practitioners will see fewer obstetric cases. As for me, even if my numbers don’t decrease, it will be great to have someone local to handle any problems. Speaking of which, how’s your knee holding up?”
“To be honest, between my pain pill and the excitement, I’d forgotten all about it,” she confessed. “I guess that means I’m well on the road to recovery.”
“Don’t overdo things,” he warned gruffly as he cast a side-long glance at her.
“I won’t.”
For the next few minutes he concentrated on finishing up his duties with Rosy. Baby Valesquez was still in her dad’s arms and, to judge from the lack of noise coming from her, either perfectly content or fast asleep. Mother and father were speaking quietly and Dixie…
Dixie
was standing off to one side, gazing at the young family with the most longing expression he’d ever seen. Had her biological clock started ticking?
More importantly, did she have a significant other in her life?
Irritated that the question had crossed his mind, he focused on his patient. “Did you ever find out why she came here instead of the hospital? Didn’t she realize she was in the final stage of labor?”
“She was waiting for her husband to come back after he finished an out-of-town job he’d taken on the side to supplement their income. Her labor pains weren’t regular, so she didn’t worry until they suddenly started coming five minutes apart. She knew she was supposed to come here first to be checked, so she did.”
“And by then she was too late.”
“Exactly.” Dixie’s attention remained riveted on the couple. “What a perfect picture. That baby has already wrapped her daddy’s heart around her little finger.”
He glanced at the new family. “Sure. It’s a father-daughter thing.”
Dixie chuckled. “Genetically ingrained, I suppose.”
“So my sisters tell me. By the way, I heard you talking to the baby in Spanish when you were working on her. What did you say?”
“Oh, I just told her that she’d miss out on a lot of fun things like dances and proms if she checked out now.” She giggled. “It must have worked because she started breathing on her own.”
Jane returned at that moment, a step ahead of the ambulance crew, which consisted of two familiar faces, paramedic Annie McCall Tremaine and her EMT partner, Mic Haines.
“Giving the maternity ward some competition?” Annie teased as she and Mic wheeled in the gurney.
Mark laughed. “Just trying to keep my office staff on their toes. They’re lucky I was here, otherwise they might have had to handle this on their own.”
He was conscious of Annie glancing at Dixie. “Looks like you had plenty of help.”
“This is Dr Albright. Dixie, Annie. And Mic.” Under the circumstances, he thought it best not to advertise Dixie’s relationship to Ned. With Ned gone and Dixie leaving in a few days, it seemed pointless to give a lengthy introduction. And if Annie should ask, he’d simply announce that she was a locum.
Annie smiled. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Same here,” Dixie murmured.
Annie eyed the mother. “Anything we should know about?”
“A routine delivery. Baby’s Apgar was eight after delivery.” He turned to Dixie. “Can you tell Rosy and her husband that they’ll take her to the hospital just as a precaution for both her and the baby? If all goes well, they can go home tomorrow.”
Dixie obliged. Within a few minutes Rosy and daughter were on their way to the ambulance while Jose pumped Mark’s hand and rattled off a string of Spanish.
“He’s thanking you for looking after his wife,” she murmured.
“I guessed that,” he said. “Tell him I’ll stop in at the hospital later this evening to check on Rosy and the baby.”
She did, and as soon as Jose hurried out of the room she hesitated, as if she hated to leave. Mark assumed that after the afternoon’s drama, sorting through Ned’s desk was as appealing as the prospect of a colonoscopy.
“I should get back to Ned’s office.”
For his peace of mind, she definitely should. “Thanks for stepping in,” he said instead.
“You’re welcome.” With that, she tucked her crutches under one arm and left the room.
To Mark’s surprise, the bright, upbeat atmosphere suddenly changed to a bleakness that matched the winter landscape. He didn’t know how Dixie had managed it, but she had taken all the warmth in the room with her.
Dixie parked in her cousin’s driveway and stared at his house gratefully. In comparison to her bungalow, it was a large building with a wide porch, and obviously built within the last ten years, but, regardless of its newness, it represented a haven that at the moment she needed desperately.
In the next breath, though, her relief sprouted into worry as she noted the yards of ice-covered concrete that stretched between her and the front door. Idly, she wondered what her doctor would say if he knew what she was going to do. He may have given his permission to drive—she didn’t have to use her left leg to operate a gas pedal or a clutch—but she doubted if it included navigating icy paths on foot.
You can do this, she told herself as she turned up her parka’s collar to protect her ears from the cold. The sidewalk probably isn’t as slick as it looks.
She eyed the distance and fought her fear of falling. If something happened, she had her cellphone and could call for help. Consoling herself with that thought, she braced herself against the cold, opened the door and somehow managed to drag her crutches out with her.
Not certain if she could make this trip again, she slung her purse and the sack of papers she’d gathered from Ned’s office over her left shoulder.
With cautious steps, she skirted her little Pontiac and headed toward the porch. Each advance required a carefully orchestrated balancing act and intense concentration because the going was as treacherous as she’d feared. When a crutch slipped in one spot and nearly sent her tumbling, she froze and willed her pounding heart to slow down.
“You’ll make it,” she encouraged herself aloud between deep breaths. “You’re halfway there.”
In fact, if she hadn’t gotten that far, she would have turned back and driven to a hotel. It didn’t seem worth the risk to her knee to continue, and yet what choice did she have?
Unfortunately, at the rate she was going, she’d freeze into a Popsicle before she even got to the front door. Her exertion had warmed her inside and out, but just standing still for these few minutes was enough to cool her down.
Before she could will herself to move again, she heard her name yelled across the yard. Relieved that she wasn’t alone, she gratefully glanced at the newcomer. Her welcoming smile turned to a gasp of surprise as Mark walked toward her with the surefootedness of a mountain goat.
He was definitely a sight for sore eyes. Although his head was uncovered, he wore black leather gloves, a black trench coat that hung to his knees, and a gray scarf around his neck.
“Wait for me,” he called out.
“Like I’m going anywhere,” she mumbled. Although he was the last person she would have expected to be her savior, she wouldn’t refuse his offer of help. The big question in her mind was why he’d bothered to drop by. He hadn’t spoken to her all afternoon and she’d received the distinct impression that she couldn’t leave soon enough to suit him.
“This is a surprise,” she quipped.
“It wouldn’t be if you hadn’t slunk out of the office without a word.”
“Excuse me,” she sputtered. “I didn’t know I was expected to check in and out with you.”
“You aren’t.” He sounded gruff. “I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t be doing what you’re doing now.”
She stared at him, incredulous. “I’m going to my cousin’s house.”
“And not doing too well at it either, I might add.”
She drew herself up to her full five and a half feet. “I may not be running any races or setting any records, but I’m doing just fine.”
He pointedly glanced at the distance remaining. “How long did it take you to get this far?”
Too long, but she wouldn’t admit it. “I’m not timing myself.”
His mouth twitched as if he’d read her thoughts. “You have no business navigating outdoors by yourself. It’s too dangerous, which is why you should have told someone you were on your way here. Good grief, woman, the house has been empty for days, we had an ice storm a few days ago and no one’s cleared the walk. You’re an accident waiting to happen.”
For a woman who’d been independent for years and was the problem-fixer in the family, it was quite novel to be on the receiving end of someone’s concern. “I can’t help it. Everyone was busy, including you.”
“You coul
d have stopped me.”
“When? You whizzed in and out of exam rooms all afternoon. If I heard your voice in the hallway and thought I could catch you, you’d disappeared by the time I got there myself.”
A wry smile tugged at his mouth. “We were a little busy today.”
“I’ll say. For a few minutes, I almost thought I was back in the ER on a Saturday night.”
“Which is where you might have landed if I hadn’t driven by and seen you.”
“Why, Dr Cameron…” she batted her eyelashes at him “…I didn’t know you cared.”
He locked his fingers around her elbow. “You helped me and I’m returning the favor.”
“Really?” She didn’t know quite what to think. He didn’t seem the type to worry about returning favors.
“I’m also trying to give myself an evening off, which I won’t if I have to go to the ER because you hurt yourself.”
She wondered why he thought she’d call him if she had a problem, then decided to let it slide. “Don’t you have regular ER physicians?”
“We do, but if they get busy, we take turns with back-up. And sometimes, if one of our patients has a major problem, like an acute MI, or needs surgery, the ER doc contacts us.”
“And you come running.”
“Yes.” He stared down at her. “I don’t know about you, but it’s too cold to be standing outside visiting.”
“Yeah, my nose is frozen.” So was everything else.
And yet warmth had started to build inside her—a warmth that she directly attributed to Mark’s hand on her arm and the knowledge that for all his bluster he wasn’t as cold-hearted as he’d first appeared.
If Ned had been within grabbing distance, she would have shaken him for causing this man so much grief.
“Nose, ears, feet,” he agreed. “And parts in between.”
His nose and ears were pink from the near-zero temperature, but the rest of him appeared perfectly fine. Heat emanated from his body and she was extremely glad that nature had built him large enough to block most of the north wind.
“I hate to mention this…” she began.
“Mention what?”
“Can you get my suitcase from the trunk?”
The GP's Valentine Proposal Page 3