“I need to deliver her baby now. It’s a little early, but if we don’t the risks to her and the infant are too high. The only treatment is to end the pregnancy. I need to do an emergency C-section.”
“But, Rebecca, you’ve said sometimes it’s best to watch and wait. What if—”
Warmth spread through him and stemmed the tide of fear when she put her hand on his arm. “Gabe, there’s absolutely no question in my mind that this is the right thing. If I don’t do this now, we could lose her, the baby or both of them.”
Was this what had happened to his mother? He’d never asked. His father had never discussed it. Gabe only knew his mother went to the hospital to have a baby and he’d never seen her alive again.
“Can I see Amy?”
“She’s still unconscious.”
“Just for a minute.”
Rebecca hesitated and must have seen something in his face, because she nodded. “Okay. But I really need to get her to the O.R.”
She turned abruptly, and Gabe followed her through the doors and down the hall. She took him into an exam room where Amy was still on the gurney with an IV in her arm and surrounded by equipment. A white cotton blanket covered the mound of her belly. She looked pale and impossibly young. And so still his chest went tight.
He moved beside her and took her hand. “Hi, kiddo. It’s Gabe. I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I hope you know somehow that I’m here.”
“We have to take her up, Gabe.”
He glanced over his shoulder. A man and woman in scrubs waited beside Rebecca. She had her doctor face on, and he had no idea what she was thinking. Now that he was here, he didn’t know what to say to his sister. What would he have told his mother if he’d had the chance?
He squeezed his sister’s hand and brushed the hair back from her face. Then he kissed her forehead. “I love you, Amy.”
“Gabe—”
He looked at Rebecca and nodded, then stepped back and let the professionals do their work. They wheeled his sister out of the room and he was left alone with Rebecca.
“Take care of her,” he said.
“I will.” She met his gaze. “Gabe, you should think about calling your father.”
“What are you saying?” he demanded.
“Not that.” She held up her hand. “But this is very serious. Amy is his daughter and he should know what’s going on with her.”
He had nothing to lose now because Amy couldn’t run. More important, Rebecca was right.
“I’ll let my dad know right away.”
“Good.” She started for the door.
“Wait—”
“What?” she asked softly.
“Here’s the thing, Rebecca. I feel like I just found Amy. Or maybe she found me. I don’t know. The point is that we haven’t had enough time. I don’t want to lose her.”
“I’ll do my best.”
And her best was good because she was really smart. He’d never had more reason to be grateful for that than he was right now. After losing so much, he didn’t think he could stand to lose one more person he cared about.
Thank God the C-section had gone well, Rebecca thought. It had only been several hours since she’d delivered the baby, but Amy’s condition had stabilized quickly. Rebecca had gone home for a few hours and was back now, on her way to check on the teen. At the end of the hall, she noticed an older man standing outside the newborn nursery. There was something vaguely familiar about the tilt of his head, the strong stubborn chin, the tall, lean body. His khaki slacks and navy knit shirt suggested he’d just left the golf course, but not if he was who she suspected.
She stopped beside him and noticed gray at his temples. But the dark-blond hair was the same shade as his son’s. “Mr. Thorne?”
“Yes.” He turned away from the window and met her gaze. “And you are?”
“Dr. Rebecca Hamilton.” She held out her hand and he shook it.
“Carleton Thorne.” After staring for several moments, he said, “You look too young to be a doctor.”
“I get that a lot.” She smiled, remembering the first time she’d seen Gabe and Amy. It was a day that had changed her life. While she cared about all the women in her care, Amy Thorne had a special place in her heart. So did Gabe.
That’s why she was back here at the hospital. She needed to check on her newest mother. She’d talked to the nurses who said the teen was doing very well. Physically. But she was refusing to have anything to do with the baby. For that reason, Rebecca was happy to see this man.
“You got here fast, Mr. Thorne.”
“Gabe sent the company Gulfstream and picked me up at McCarran’s Executive Terminal a little while ago.” His eyes were blue. Like his son’s.
“One’s own jet would certainly speed things up,” she said, nodding.
It was the middle of the night, but as the prime contractor on the hospital expansion project, Gabe had a badge with the metallic strip that would let him in and out of Mercy Medical at all hours.
“Where is he?”
“Sitting with Amy.” His polite expression changed to concern. “How is my daughter? And my grandson?” he said, glancing at the swaddled baby in the isolette on the other side of the window. Because most new mothers wanted their newborns with them, he was one of only a few babies in the nursery.
“Your grandson is approximately four to five weeks early.” That was her best guess and only Amy knew for sure if it was right. “He’s just over four and a half pounds, a little small, but—” Not as small as she’d feared. Low-birth-weight babies were a problem with teenage mothers who didn’t take care of themselves.
“But?”
“He’s been checked out by a neonatal intensifist…specialist,” she clarified. “We’ll watch him carefully, but there’s no indication that he won’t do well.”
“I see.” He folded his arms over his chest. “And Amy? Gabe filled me in on the medical factors and the need for an emergency C-section.”
“The initial danger is past, but she’s not out of the woods for at least forty-eight hours. Hypertension can cause restricted blood flow and tends to affect the brain, liver and kidneys. We’re monitoring her for any sign that they’re shutting down. It’s just a precaution. I’m cautiously optimistic that she’ll make a full recovery.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“You’re welcome.”
He stared down the hall, pensive and brooding. Obviously, he’d wasted no time getting to his daughter after Gabe called, and yet he looked lost. Torn between the new life his daughter had brought into the world and the daughter who hadn’t wanted him to know she was in trouble.
Rebecca wasn’t sure what she expected from him, but anger at being left out of the loop would be at the top of her list. And she saw no evidence of that. He’d lost his wife in childbirth. The motherless child she’d left behind had nearly lost her life. But this was the same child he’d been too heartbroken to notice. She couldn’t help being angry about that and did her best not to let it show.
And she had a question outside the parameters of her professional medical obligation. She should walk away. But from the moment she met Amy, and Gabe for that matter, she hadn’t been able to walk away when she should have.
“Mr. Thorne, have you seen Amy yet?”
“No.” Sadness brimmed in his eyes. But there was something else, too. “I can’t imagine what you think of me, Dr. Hamilton. My own daughter threatened to run away if her brother involved me.”
“Mr. Thorne—”
“Call me Carleton.”
She nodded. “Obviously, you care about Amy or you wouldn’t be here now.”
“Of course I care. But I’m ashamed to admit I have no idea what’s going on with my daughter. I didn’t even know she was dating, let alone that she was going to have a baby.”
“Were you worried about her when she took off?”
“Of course I was. It was a relief when she called to let me know she was all ri
ght. She told me she was with a friend.”
Partly true, Rebecca thought. At least, she and Gabe had put down a foundation for friendship. Anger didn’t blind her to the reality. “Carleton, you couldn’t know what she didn’t choose to tell you.”
His glance slid to the baby behind the glass. “Our problems go back to when her mother died. My wife was the glue that held the family together. When she was gone, I didn’t know what to do, especially with a baby girl.”
“You were in shock.”
The expression in his eyes was bleak, with overtones of anger. “Apparently it’s a condition that’s lasted for eighteen years. There is no way to mitigate my culpability, Rebecca. May I call you that?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve let my daughter down and there’s no way to fix that.”
She put her hand on his arm. “You didn’t deliberately disappoint your daughter. It must have been a devastating loss. Amy’s mother was a lucky woman to have been loved so deeply.” She drew in a breath. “And you’re right about one thing. You can’t fix the past with your daughter. But the future is up for grabs. You don’t have to let Amy down now.”
“She doesn’t want me to be a part of her life.”
“Your daughter doesn’t really know what she wants. But I’ll tell you this. What she needs is support. Someone strong to lean on. I’m concerned about her emotional well-being.”
“In what way?”
“She’s resisting bonding with her baby. I don’t know if the cause is rooted in her childhood and losing her own mother before she ever knew her. Or…something else. Whatever it is, she needs her father more than ever. And if you walk out on her I will personally—”
“Kick his ass?” The familiar voice held a trace of amusement. “Watch out, Dad. She’s one tough lady.”
Rebecca glanced over her shoulder to see Gabe behind them. He was still wearing the jeans and shirt from yesterday in Red Rock Canyon. It seemed a lifetime ago. Now he was rumpled in the sexiest possible way. And he was solidly there for the people he loved.
“And how do you know this, son?” There was a gleam in the elder Thorne’s eyes.
Come to think of it, there was a gleam in the younger Thorne’s eyes, too. But Rebecca suspected it was generated by something completely different, something that made her stomach jump and her heart race.
Gabe stood beside her and looked down. “I know because she’s really smart. I’d listen to her if I were you.”
“I’ll do my best.”
She nodded. “Let’s go see your daughter.”
The three of them walked in the room. Rebecca took the lead and saw that Amy was awake. She had an IV going with a small, hand-held pump that allowed her to control her own pain medication.
“There’s more color in your face,” she said. “Are you comfortable?”
“Pretty much.” The teen tensed when she saw her father.
“Hello, Amy.”
She didn’t say anything and looked more like a sad little girl than the defiant teen Rebecca had first met.
Carleton stood at the foot of the bed. “How are you?”
“Okay.”
“I’ve seen the baby. He’s quite something.” He cleared his throat. “What are you going to call him?”
“I haven’t thought about it.”
“My father’s name was Matthew.”
“So?” The shield of hostility was in place, although it was fuzzy around the edges. Drugs took the edge off the glare she aimed at her father. “Aren’t you going to ask how I could be so stupid?”
Rebecca held her breath as she looked between the two. She had her suspicions, but no one knew for sure how this baby had been conceived. The teen had thrown down the challenge, almost given her father a script of how this first meeting was going to go. It was as if she was giving him enough rope to hang himself. He’d never been there for her. She didn’t expect him to be there and she was going to give him a reason not to be there now.
Rebecca recognized it in the teen because the behavior was so familiar to her. It was a pattern she knew well.
“That’s a loaded question,” Carleton told his daughter. “Both a yes and no response imply that I think you’re stupid. That isn’t the case. You’re very bright.”
“How would you know? You never paid any attention.”
“That’s true. And I worked hard at it, too.” He met her gaze. “In spite of my shortcomings as a father, some information sank in.”
“What’s your point?”
“I want to pay attention now.”
Amy blinked. “Why? I don’t need you now.”
“You’re wrong.” He moved beside her and started to take her hand. He hesitated a moment, then took her fingers in his palm. The body language was stiff, awkward, but it was a start. “I think you need me now more than ever. However, I’m not going to argue. That would be a waste of time and I’ve wasted enough already. Besides, words are cheap. All I can do is be there for you every day from now on. I need you in my life.”
“Since when?”
“Since I thought I was going to lose you,” he said, his voice cracking.
“Why should I believe you?”
“No reason on earth. But I’m not going anywhere. You’ll just have to get used to it.”
Amy looked at her father and for once didn’t have a comeback, but the sheen of tears in her eyes spoke volumes. It was a vulnerability Rebecca had never seen in the girl. And it was time for her to leave this family alone and let the healing begin.
She slipped into the hall and leaned back against the wall with a deep sigh. Carleton Thorne was far from perfect, but he was there. He’d admitted his fault and he was trying. No one could ask more than that.
She couldn’t help thinking how she would feel if she were in Amy’s situation. She’d want someone to hold her. In that instant she realized there was nowhere she’d rather be than in Gabe’s arms.
She was in love with him.
The realization shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Her feelings for him should have been obvious when she’d decided to tell him what happened to her. Instead of joy, she was filled with a deep sadness, because she understood that a positive outcome was hopeless.
Just a few minutes with Gabe’s father gave her a pretty good indication that the Thorne men loved with their whole heart and soul. They were one-woman men. And Gabe had already found that one woman. Then he’d lost her. Rebecca didn’t have a chance.
Chapter Thirteen
Gabe nodded with satisfaction as he took a last look at the newly installed wallboard of what would be the expanded women’s wing of Mercy Medical Center. It was coming along well. And so was his sister. The forty-eight-hour mark had passed and she’d been declared officially out of the woods, which was a major relief. The positive outcome to her medical crisis had gone a long way toward improving his attitude about hospitals. Or maybe it was Rebecca’s positive influence. Not only that, one look at her beautiful face had a way of making him see the brighter side of life.
He walked down the construction stairs and left his hard hat with one of the workmen. Since he was already here, he’d drop in and see his sister. He took the elevator down and got off at her floor, then headed toward her room. Their father was making plans to take his daughter home, which also should have been a major relief because that meant his own life would get back to normal.
Then he saw Rebecca walking down the hall and something intense flared through him. His body went hot and tight; his heart jolted. Right then and there he became acutely aware that nothing would ever be normal again after knowing her. That did not make him happy.
He moved toward her and waited expectantly for the sunny smile, but it never came. Apparently she wasn’t happy, either, but she was definitely deep in thought—preoccupied and worried. She would have gone right past him if he hadn’t reached out and touched her. It was weird, but he knew with absolute certainty that he could never not be absolutely aware o
f her.
When she didn’t respond right away he said, “Rebecca?”
“Hmm?” She looked at him and it took a second or two for her to focus. “Oh. Hi.”
“Is something wrong with Amy?”
“No.” She hesitated, then said, “Not physically.”
“What does that mean?” When she hesitated to answer, he said, “I can see you’re concerned. I’d like to know why.”
She rested her hands on her hips for a moment, then met his gaze. “Her body is healing and all her tests are normal. From a medical perspective she’s doing extremely well.”
“But?” he prompted.
“Emotionally we’re still at square one.”
“Because?”
“She still hasn’t seen or held her baby.”
The words sliced through him and he thought it just might be a Thorne family failing. He hadn’t seen or held his nephew, either. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it and face the painful reminder of his own tiny daughter and the smiles he would never see, the milestones the two of them would never share. She’d never talk or take her first steps and he’d never have the chance to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. Not a day went by that he didn’t think of her or wonder what she’d look like now.
“She has the option of giving up the child and she’s receiving counseling, but…Gabe?”
He must have zoned out because Rebecca was giving him a funny look. Pulling it together he said, “Amy’s been through a lot. Give her time.”
He took Rebecca’s arm and moved her against the wall when two hospital attendants wheeled a bed down the hall toward the elevator.
When she met his gaze, questions swirled in her eyes. “I know you think I’m barely old enough to have a medical license, but I’ve delivered a lot of babies. I’ve seen women go through long labors and a great deal of pain associated with giving birth. But all they can think about is holding their baby for the first time. Even when they’re planning to give up the baby, usually nothing keeps them from their child—unless there’s something wrong.”
The Millionaire and the M.D. Page 15