Officer Daddy

by Jacqueline Diamond

  Much as she longed for a child, she hadn’t wanted to get pregnant this way. Not unexpectedly. Not when she was under so much pressure at work. Above all, not by a man who had no interest in fatherhood.

  Nora hurried to the building next door and let herself into her empty office. From habit, she checked her computer and noted the emails from patients and reminders from her nurse. She’d return the calls tonight.

  First, she had a pregnancy test to take.

  Chapter Five

  For Leo, the Saturday shift started with a hardware-store burglary discovered by the owner when he arrived that morning. The alarm hadn’t sounded and there were no obvious signs of a break-in, which pointed to an inside job. The storeowner admitted he hadn’t changed the alarm code in years and suggested a recently fired worker as the suspect.

  Leo documented everything for his report even more meticulously than usual. That was the best plan he’d been able to come up with—simply do his job exceptionally well and demonstrate as much initiative as possible.

  “Too bad we have to hand this over to Crimes Against Property,” Patty said as they sauntered out. “I bet we could wrap this up pretty fast. I mean, it’s obvious who did this.”

  “Is it?” Leo returned. “Could be a current employee smart enough to know someone else would get the blame. Or an ex-wife with a grudge.”

  “You watch too many TV shows,” his partner said.

  “Yeah, probably.”

  The rest of the morning passed with routine traffic stops, a complaint about kids weaving their bikes through traffic—no sign of them on arrival—and a call about a loud argument at the beach. That turned out to be two actresses rehearsing a scene while working on their tans.

  At noon, Leo dropped Patty off at the station house. She’d received permission to spend the last few hours of their shift with Mike.

  “I’m sorry I stole your idea about shadowing him.” She pushed back a strand of stick-straight hair. “And don’t accuse me of sounding like a wimp. I mean it.”

  “You didn’t do it on purpose.” While not entirely placated, Leo saw no sense arguing over a done deal.

  Besides, he didn’t want to vent his ill temper on his partner. He’d awakened this morning grumpy, partly from drinking too much at a bar with some police buddies last night and partly because he’d been having sexy dreams about Nora.

  Why did she have to wreck a good time? They were a perfect fit, and they’d barely gotten started. Usually women waited until the glow had faded before they brought up the old ball-and-chain business.

  Yeah, he and Nora were a perfect fit, all right—in the bedroom. Outside of it, they moved in different worlds. Maybe if he were a corporate lawyer or owned a software company, she’d figure he was worth a little more of her time.

  Half an hour before his shift ended, Leo cruised along the interconnected parking lots behind a group of civic buildings. The library looked busy, but nothing was amiss. He passed the fire department, where the guys were cleaning their equipment and probably figuring out what to fix for dinner, since they worked 24-hour shifts.

  Behind the community center, which also housed the seniors’ center and the Edward Serra Memorial Clinic, Leo saw only a half-dozen cars. Slow for a Saturday.

  Normally, he’d have patrolled a few nearby streets and then headed back to complete his paperwork. But today, rather than drive along enjoying the ride and the sea breeze through the open window, he decided to check out the community center on foot. With so few people around and a lot of expensive equipment sitting in those buildings, it was a natural target for thieves. The sight of a uniformed officer making the rounds ought to discourage such thoughts. And he had vowed to show initiative.

  The back door of the community center pushed open with barely a creak. To his right, through a glass door marked Office, he saw an older woman working at a computer. Toward the front, in the larger of two meeting rooms, a couple of men were setting up tables for what, according to a flier on the bulletin board, was a local charity’s annual awards dinner taking place tonight.

  Nothing wrong here. That was a good thing, Leo reminded himself.

  Outside, he strolled around to the annex, which a couple of now-defunct local clubs had used for headquarters over the years. Then the Serra clinic, founded at the hospital, had gotten kicked out to make room for the new fertility center. Leo had heard about that from his brother and Kate, who’d volunteered as a peer counselor until baby Tara came along.

  The entrance to the annex lay on an alley. The door stood wide-open, which Leo supposed made sense for a drop-in counseling clinic, but you never knew who else might come by. He doubted the staff inside the main building would notice if there were trouble here.

  As he approached, a girl’s angry words drifted out the doorway. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not interested? Leave me alone!”

  Might be a heated discussion. But domestic disputes could turn violent.

  Approaching cautiously, Leo peered into the sparsely furnished front room. The only person in sight was a young man facing in the opposite direction. All Leo could see was slick dark hair, baggy pants and an oversize T-shirt. Despite the garb, there was no obvious gang insignia or tattoos.

  “It’s my baby, too.” The young man addressed someone in a second room, out of view.

  “Oh? You planning to raise it by yourself?” the girl demanded in the same strident tones as earlier.

  “Suzy, I want to marry you. What’s wrong with that?” the fellow pleaded. “I can take care of you.”

  Leo relaxed marginally. So far, this guy’s manner appeared peaceable enough.

  “Yeah, you’ve told me that like a million times!” the girl screeched. “What does it take to get it through your thick head? I’m not giving up college for you or anybody else. I’m entitled to my dreams.”

  “What about my dreams?” the boy demanded.

  “Leave me out of them!”

  “What about our baby?”

  “As long as it’s in my body, it’s my business.”

  From the inner room, a woman said, “Ralph, let’s make an appointment so you and I can talk privately.”

  Her velvety voice shimmered through Leo. He’d had no idea Nora was volunteering here. What idiot had left her alone to handle such a volatile situation?

  “So you can tell me I’m wrong and she’s right?” the youth snapped.

  Time to make his presence known. Keeping back to avoid invading the boy’s personal space and perhaps arousing a fight-or-flight reaction, Leo said, “Everything okay here?”

  Ralph whirled, his fists clenched. No tattoos on his broad, high-boned face and no indications of a weapon, Leo observed. Also, when the boy saw the uniform, his anger visibly deflated. Respect for authority—good.

  A chair scraped and Nora appeared. With her long hair tucked behind her ears and wearing a loose sweater and jeans, she could have passed for a college student. “Leo!” She sounded relieved.

  “Everything okay?” he repeated.

  “We were just talking.”

  She moved aside, making way for a Hispanic teenager, whose eyes lit up when she spotted his uniform. “Officer, this guy is harassing me.”

  Ralph stared at her. “I was not!”

  “He won’t leave me alone.” She twisted a strand of dark hair around her finger. With only a slight thickening of the waist, the girl didn’t appear very far along in her pregnancy.

  Leo had to respect her claim, even if it seemed exaggerated. “I’ll be happy to take a report. If you need me to issue a temporary restraining order…”

  “I’m not stalking you, Suzy! Are you trying to get me arrested? I’ll lose my job.” Ralph stared disbelievingly at the girl. “I’m trying to be a good guy. I don’t want to run out on my family like my dad did.”

  “I’m not your family.” Suzy pressed her lips together.

  Nora glanced at Leo uncertainly. She might be an expert in her field, but obviously no one
had trained her to deal with this kind of incident.

  If Patty were here, Leo would separate the couple and talk to the boy privately while she interviewed the girl. Working alone, he had to make sure Suzy’s rights were protected. On the other hand, he hated to see a young man slapped with a restraining order that might affect his employment.

  He took out his pad. “I’ll need to see some identification from both of you.” Might as well let them know this was serious business.

  Suzy’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean it. He isn’t stalking me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  The girl nodded. “I’m just not interested in getting married and keeping the baby, and I wish he’d quit harping on it.”

  “We can work this out.” Ralph gave Leo a sideways glance. “I mean, that’s my opinion.”

  “Suzy and I need to finish our counseling session,” Nora said. “Ralph, I’ll be happy to meet with you next Saturday if you’ll come by around one.”

  Now that tempers had calmed, Nora was taking charge. Leo admired her quiet resolve.

  “It won’t do any good,” Ralph grumbled.

  “Why don’t you cool down and then give the clinic a call?” Leo told him.

  “I guess you think I’m some kind of criminal,” the boy muttered.

  “Actually, I think you’re a responsible guy who cares about your girlfriend,” Leo answered honestly. “Most men would hang on to their freedom. Have you thought about what it’s going to mean to raise a kid? There’ll be medical bills and temper tantrums, and before you know it, you’ll have a teenager who tells you where to get off.”

  “I don’t want to be like my dad,” the boy said stubbornly. “He dumped us when I was five.”

  That meant the kid had no father to talk to, Leo mused. While his own father had been physically present, they’d never discussed anything that mattered. Leo had missed that. “If you need somebody to unload on, maybe I can help.”

  “You mean, like a counselor?” Ralph asked.

  Leo hadn’t intended that, exactly. But catching the glimmer of appreciation in Nora’s eyes, he decided it wasn’t a bad idea. “Sure. I get off duty in a few minutes. My name’s Leo Franco, by the way.”

  “I’m Ralph Trueblood. But I have to work. At the supermarket,” the boy added. “I could come by next Saturday, like the lady said.”

  Leo had that day off. “Fine. I’ll see you here at one.”

  They shook hands. As Ralph departed, it hit Leo that he’d volunteered for something that had no bearing on his quest to make detective. He ought to be spending his free time on more productive pursuits.

  No matter how annoyed he’d felt about Nora’s rejection, he was still a sucker for her. Seeing her gorgeous mouth stretch into a smile, Leo didn’t regret what he’d done. Not one bit.

  NORA HADN’T EXPECTED THE volunteer director to leave early and put her in charge. Then, while she and Suzy were reviewing how to relinquish a baby for adoption, Ralph had showed up.

  Although the boy didn’t act threatening and she sympathized with his position, Nora understood how touchy a situation like this could get. Leo’s arrival felt like a reprieve.

  Also, he looked great in a uniform. The blue shirt set off his brown hair, and despite the heavy cluster of equipment around his hips, it was obvious he kept his body in great shape. Well, she knew that already, didn’t she?

  Then she remembered that she needed to talk to him about an issue he was not going to like. Well, maybe some other time, when she’d had a chance to prepare what she wanted to say.

  “I can stick around till you’re done,” Leo told her and Suzy. The concern in his eyes nearly made Nora forget how fast it was likely to change into—what? Resentment? Denial? “This place is kind of isolated.”

  “Oh, we’re not alone.” Nora gestured toward the small office next to the counseling room. “There’s a computer guy upgrading our system.”

  Leo frowned and glanced inside. “I should have noticed someone else was here.”

  “The way Ralph was carrying on?” Suzy said, as if she hadn’t contributed her share of noise.

  Leo shook his head, clearly annoyed with himself. “I don’t usually make mistakes like that.”

  “I guess you were distracted.” And so was Nora. So distracted she only now noticed a new face peering in the front door, a young girl with Vietnamese features and a bulging abdomen that indicated she was well into her third trimester. “You must be Violet Nguyen. Dr. Sam said you might stop by. I’m Nora Kendall.”

  The arrival of the second girl provided an even better excuse to postpone talking to Leo. Still, putting off their discussion wasn’t going to make it any easier.

  The girl edged inside, her wary gaze fixing on Leo’s uniform. “What’s going on?”

  “Routine patrol.” He checked his watch. “Got some reports to write. Well, since you have company, I’ll be on my way. Don’t stay here alone.”

  “I won’t.” Nora enjoyed the sight of his powerful body striding away. “Violet, if you’ll let Suzy and me finish up, I’ll be with you in a couple of minutes.”

  “Oh, I’m done.” Suzy fetched her purse and gave Nora a hug. “You were great, Dr. Kendall.”

  “I’m not sure I told you anything you couldn’t have found on the internet,” she admitted.

  “It feels different, hearing it from a doctor. I’ll see you next Saturday.” With a wave, the girl went out.

  Next Saturday? Nora hadn’t committed to counseling more than once. Still, she ought to see Suzy through another session or two. They’d established a connection, and it would be a shame to break it now. Although the girl seemed determined to give up her baby, she might have second thoughts as the pregnancy progressed.

  “Come on inside.” Nora had looked up Violet’s file in advance, but found only sketchy information. No home address, only a cell-phone number, and no medical or other records. Nothing to confirm her age, either, which was listed as eighteen. Given her shy manner, she might be younger.

  Eleanor, the director, had made it clear the clinic didn’t pressure its clients for ID. To do that might chase away the very people they wanted to help.

  “You’re a doctor?” The girl followed Nora into the counseling room, which featured a worn love seat, a couple of chairs and a low, child-size table with crayons and pads of paper.

  “Yes. Do you have any medical questions?” Nora estimated Violet to be about seven months along.

  A head shake sent the girl’s straight hair swinging.

  “What would you like to talk about?”

  “My boyfriend won’t give me money,” she said. “My mom’s mad at me and… Is it wrong to keep my baby?”

  Nora felt a rush of empathy. She understood the overwhelming love and longing for a child, and now that she carried one inside her, she couldn’t imagine relinquishing it to someone else.

  If Violet wanted to raise her child, she faced a long and difficult road. But the obstacles weren’t insurmountable. “It isn’t wrong at all. You’re already receiving medical care, I understand. Has anyone arranged for you to talk to a social worker?”

  “No social worker!” Pushing back her chair, the girl rose heavily to her feet.

  “Only to help you apply for state aid.” Nora tried to decide how to proceed. With her regular patients, she offered advice and then sat back while they reached their decisions. By contrast, Violet was barely an adult—and that was assuming she hadn’t lied about her age. “There are several programs you should qualify for, but we have to get started on the paperwork. These things take time.”

  Violet opened the door. “My boyfriend comes from a rich family. They should help me.”

  “You said he refused,” Nora pointed out.

  “I’ll make him change his mind.”

  The boy did have legal obligations. “Let’s talk about finding you a lawyer.”

  “I have to go.” Clearly, the discussion made Violet uneasy.

  “You’ll c
ome back next Saturday?” Although Nora wanted the girl to stay today, she couldn’t force her. “I’ll research legal aid.”

  “Maybe.” Swiveling away, Violet gave a start at the sight of a stocky young man flipping through a magazine in the lobby. “Oh! I didn’t know anyone was here.”

  “I’m Ted Chong.” He pushed his glasses higher on his flat nose. “I was waiting to tell Dr. Kendall I’ve updated the programs.”

  “I’m Violet.” The girl shook hands politely.

  Although these two, with their Asian backgrounds, might appear to be from the same culture, Nora knew that the main culture they shared was American. Orange County was reputed to have the largest Vietnamese population in the world outside of Vietnam itself. Many of the families, possibly including Violet’s, had arrived as refugees since the fall of Saigon. By contrast, Ted’s family was Chinese, and most Chinese immigrants came here for economic and educational reasons. The cultures retained distinctly different native languages and traditions, even as the younger generations blended in with their Californian peers.

  “Thanks, Ted.” Nora had immediately liked the young man, whose mother, May Chong, worked as administrative secretary at the hospital. She also volunteered at the center.

  “I can walk Violet to her car,” he offered. “The pavement’s kind of uneven. Don’t want a pregnant lady to trip.”

  “That’s kind of you,” Nora said. “Violet?”

  “Okay. Thanks.” The girl let Ted take her elbow and help her across the parking lot.

  What a contrast to Suzy and Ralph’s situation, Nora reflected as she watched them go. Bringing in a lawyer and dragging Violet’s boyfriend through court might produce some money, but reluctant fathers often caused so much stress and wasted time that in the end the mom earned every cent she received.

  Speaking of reluctant fathers, Leo’s remarks to Ralph hadn’t been reassuring, she mused. The man clearly had negative expectations of parenthood.

  It had been such a pleasure to see Leo that she wished she didn’t have to break the news about her pregnancy. How was she going to approach him? Waiting until next Saturday didn’t seem fair, but she could hardly barge into the police station like some heroine in a melodrama and declare that the handsome officer had done her wrong.