To Save His Baby

by Judi Lind

  “But why?”

  “Let’s see.... He’s rich, good-looking, a doctor and you think the sun rises off his salon-coiffed hair.”

  She laughed again. “Sid’s pretty wonderful, but I always liked darker, more physical men.” She reached up and touched the patchwork of stitches on his temple. “Rugged is good.”

  Embarrassed and oddly pleased, he took her fingertips and guided them to his lips. “Kind of ironic, don’t you think?”

  She swiveled to look up at him. “What is?”

  The dark smudge on the tip of her nose was too irresistible. Gil kissed it away before responding. “Carl Bender provided the money to pay for the intended hit on us. So, in a manner of speaking, he paid for his own death. Poetic justice, if you ask me.”

  “Mmm. You know, he wasn’t the nicest person in the world, but he was a fine physician. Could have had a great career, except he just didn’t like people.”

  Gil nodded toward the smoldering heap. “No, I’d say the man was definitely lacking in people skills.”

  She nestled against his chest, seemingly oblivious to the sound of footsteps running toward them. “You know something, Branton? I don’t think I’m cut out to be a cop.”

  “You know what, Doc? I don’t think I am, either. At least, not any longer.”

  Twisting in his lap, she looked up at him, her face radiant in the orange-gold light shed by the burning vehicle. “What are you saying, Gil?”

  Gil lowered his head until his lips were an inch from hers. At that moment the gang of doctors, nurses, technicians and police reached their side. The wail of a fire engine added to the cacophony.

  He lifted his head. It was too late. The magical moment had vanished.

  Ferdy Sanchez was the first to speak. “Madre de Dios! I can’t leave you two alone for a single minute, can I?”

  Without waiting for a reply, he turned and barked orders, and three men raced to direct the fire crew to the burning hulk. An ER nurse produced two blankets and draped them around the still-dazed pair. Valerie knew the nurse was anticipating the onset of shock, but she felt astonishingly calm. And relieved, now that the worst was finally over.

  Emily Pierce pushed her way forward and knelt beside Valerie. After a somewhat brusque but thorough examination, she rocked back on her heels and scowled. “Doctor, I think you’ll find there are easier ways to get a few days off than beating yourself half to death.”

  Her gruff demeanor was exactly what the doctor needed. Valerie grinned and held up a hand. Pierce pulled her to her feet. She moved to help Gil to his feet, too, but he waved her off. He hated to admit it, but the woman intimidated the hell out of him. He kept expecting her to yank a hypodermic out of her pocket and poke him in the rear.

  Now that the fire crew had doused the smoldering Blazer, Ferdy Sanchez strode back and stood in front of them, hands on his hips. After asking a few questions about the events of the past half hour, he finally closed his notebook. “You two need another repair job in the ER?”

  Valerie raked her eyes over Gil, as if assessing the damage. “I don’t think so. I can clean these minor cuts and abrasions at home. And home is where I want to be right now.”

  Sanchez nodded. “Since you killed another car, I suppose you’ll need a ride?”

  She grinned broadly. “We’d appreciate it.”

  The detective barked out another order and tossed his keys to his assistant. The young man hurried off. Less than a minute later the detective’s unmarked police unit squealed to a halt a dozen feet away.

  Gil kept his arm around Valerie as they hobbled to the car. Every muscle and joint in his body ached. Tomorrow would be worse, he knew. Unless he could ward off some of the damage with a long, steaming shower.

  Of course if they showered together, he wouldn’t have to worry about saving enough water for her. He was nothing if not thrifty and mindful of the environment, he reflected as they slid into the front seat beside Sanchez.

  With a short blast of his siren to clear the crowd, they finally left the hospital parking lot.

  “Somebody said that crispy critter in the car is Dr. Carl Bender,” Sanchez said. “Can either of you confirm that?”

  “Yeah.” Seated by the passenger door, Gil looked around Valerie to respond. “It was Bender, all right. I was so sure Sidney Weingold was Monica’s partner.”

  “Nah,” Sanchez replied. “Bender’s guilt doesn’t really surprise me. Dr. Weingold phoned me this afternoon with some crazy story about a phony adoption ring working out of the WomanCare clinic.”

  “He did?” Another surprising bit of news. “Weingold figured out what was going on?”

  “Sort of. He thought you were behind it, Branton.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah. He’d sort of figured out that strange things started happening about the time you first showed up at Parker Memorial. That’s why he was so desperate to reach Dr. M, here. To warn her.”

  Gil was so stunned he couldn’t respond. No wonder Weingold acted so guilty whenever he was around. They’d had a real Mobius loop of distrust going, and neither of them had been willing or able to break it.

  Valerie spoke for the first time. “Speaking of Sidney, have they found him yet? I’m so worried about him. I hope he isn’t badly hurt.”

  Strangely enough Gil hoped the same thing. Pure juvenile jealousy had caused him to throw all his suspicions on the doctor. Now he had to meet the man face-to-face and apologize. He only hoped it wasn’t too late.

  While Gil was wallowing in guilt over his unprofessional treatment of Sid Weingold, Valerie was overcome with disturbing thoughts of her own.

  As if sensing their need to sort out the details of the past few hours, Sanchez kept his silence for the remainder of the ride to Scottsdale.

  Now that it was safe to return to her little house, Valerie was filled with a yearning for home. For safety. But there was one more hurdle she had to face before the night was over. She had to tell Gil about the baby.

  She felt sick to her stomach. Would he ever forgive her?

  They had just pulled into the driveway when the car radio crackled. Sanchez picked up the microphone. After some arcane codes were exchanged amid a static jumble of competing messages, she was able to pick out the words of the young officer who had helped at the scene. “Just found Dr. Weingold.”

  “What’s his condition?” Sanchez demanded.

  More static. “Unconscious but alive. ER people said someone pistol-whipped him and left him for dead. He came to and crawled out of a utility closet. They got him in intensive care, but the doctor said his condition is stable.”

  Valerie and Gil exchanged a look of relief.

  Sanchez signed off and put the cruiser in park. After thanking the detective for his help and promising to make themselves available for more questions the next day, Valerie and Gil climbed wearily out of the car. Valerie’s anticipation of the secure feeling of home failed to materialize. She felt oddly discomfited now that they were alone in the house. No doubt her anxiety was only dread over the onerous task she still faced. “How about some coffee?” she asked, perhaps in a subconscious bid to stall for more time.

  “Yeah. Just what the doctor ordered.” Spreading the Santa Fe-style blanket over the upholstery to protect it from his filthy, sooty clothes, Gil collapsed into the armchair.

  In Valerie’s professional opinion, the man was emotionally and physically spent.

  She returned a few moments later with a bamboo tray laden with coffee fixings. She added a double dose of cream and sugar to her mug, then sat on the edge of the sofa across from him. After a quick, fortifying sip she set the mug on the end table. “Gil, there’s something I have to tell you.”

  “You’re planning on eloping with Sid Weingold, after all.”

  She tossed her head. “This is serious.”

  His own mug rattled on the terra-cotta coaster as he pinned her with his dark gaze. “Okay, shoot.”

  “When... when you left for Los Ang
eles, I suspected but wasn’t sure.... Anyway I found out for certain soon after that...that I’m going to have a baby.”

  He picked up his mug. “I know.”

  “You do?” She was speechless with shock.

  “Yeah. Monica mentioned it in the lab tonight. I’d just found the switch for the speaker in the corridor.”

  “So you’ve known all this time and didn’t tell me?”

  His laugh was harsh. “Oh, that’s rich. In the space of two hours, during which time I was in a fistfight, nearly shot, then mugged and finally almost blown up, gee, I guess I forgot to mention that your secret was out. Of course, you didn’t happen to find the time, or think it worth mentioning, over the past what...three or four days?”

  “I was going to. I even tried once.”

  “What stopped you?”

  Valerie closed her eyes and sank back against the sofa cushions. Her worst nightmare was coming true. Gil was furious. He would never forgive her. It was over.

  She gave one half-hearted try at an explanation. “You’d disappeared without a word. Then showed up at the hospital with some crazy story. You didn’t even come to see me when you got back to town! I felt I...I couldn’t trust you at first.”

  He took a long swallow of coffee. When he spoke his voice was cold and emotionless. “You trusted me enough to sleep with me.”

  Valerie had no rebuttal. No words that could make him understand. In hindsight she wasn’t sure she understood herself. Knowing Gil was quick to anger and just as quick to regain control, she waited.

  Finally he looked up at her. His eyes were luminous, raw with pain. “I don’t want to sound like a crybaby, but I have to tell you this past week has been a nightmare. And on top of it all, I never knew from one minute to the next where you stood, how you felt about anything. About me.”

  He held up a hand as she started to interrupt. “Ever worked jigsaw puzzles? That’s what my memory feels like. A little piece here, that makes no sense on its own. Another piece over there—sometimes conflicting with what I thought I knew about the first piece. But as more and more of my memory has returned, I’ve started to get a glimpse of the whole picture.”

  Drawing a deep breath, as if he needed an infusion of courage, he continued, “Tonight I recognized one simple truth. How close I came to losing you for good. I wish you’d told me about the baby earlier, and I wish I’d taken you into my confidence before I went to Los Angeles. Since we can’t have those opportunities back, I want us to start fresh. A child deserves two parents. So can we give ourselves a second chance?”

  Her heart in her mouth, she said, “Gil, I don’t want to...force a relationship just for the sake of the baby.”

  “The baby’s important and probably sped up this process, but it’s you I want to be with. You’re the only woman I’ve ever said these words to.”

  “What words, Gil?” she asked.

  When he finally uttered them, he wasn’t quick or glib. Emotion wavered in his voice. “I love you, Dr. Valerie Murphy, and want to spend the rest of my life with you. So what do you say? Care to settle down with a battered ex-FBI agent?”

  Sliding off the sofa, she crossed the small space between them and knelt before him. “Are you sure?”

  “As sure as I’ve ever been of anything,” he whispered, gently cupping her face with his hands.

  “But there’s so much to be worked out. Jobs, where we’ll live, houses to sell....”

  “Details. Minor details,” he assured her.

  “Then I guess...what am I saying?” Reaching up, she threw her arms around his neck and settled on his lap. “Of course I want us to be together.”

  “Good thing. While you were fixing the coffee I phoned D.C. and told my boss I was hanging it up. Now I’m an unemployed, homeless, battered ex-FBI agent.”

  She trailed a finger down the maze of cuts and bruises marring his ruggedly handsome features. “Definitely battered. But you’re not homeless. And don’t worry—we’ll find you a job.”

  He buried his fingers in her mass of hair. “I could be a bouncer at a topless joint. Wonder if those bikers would give me a reference?”

  Holding his precious face in her hands, she lowered her head until her lips hovered a scant whisper from his. “Shut up and kiss me. Doctor’s orders.”

  And so he did.

  Epilogue

  After nine hours of labor, it was finally over.

  They were back in Valerie’s room, waiting while the pediatrician gave the baby a thorough examination. Of course, Gil had no doubts that they’d just delivered the healthiest, most beautiful infant on earth.

  Valerie stirred and he leaned over the bed, brushing a strand of hair from her wan face. “You’re the most beautiful woman on earth. I love you more than life.”

  “I hope you’re not planning on a large family. Delivering babies is a whole lot easier than having them yourself,” she groused.

  “But you were wonderful. And our child is wonderful.”

  She touched his face. “The baby is beautiful. Perfect.”

  “Mmm. You know, before this case I’d never given much thought to kids. But seeing the faces of those five mothers when their babies were returned gave me a clue that there must be something special about children.”

  She laughed. “I thought Karen Lundquist was going to explode with joy. But no more than I felt when Sid first handed our baby to me.”

  As part of a plea agreement for a reduced prison sentence, Monica had provided authorities with the locations of the kidnapped children. Although Valerie was happy the babies were reunited with their families, she sympathized with the adoptive parents who were caught in the middle. She hoped they all found babies to adopt—through legitimate agencies.

  They were interrupted by a soft tap on the door. Sid Weingold’s tawny head peeked around the frame. “Safe to come in?”

  Gil rose to his feet and went to shake the doctor’s hand. “Sid, I have to hand it to you. You sure know how to deliver babies.”

  The doctor approached the bed and picked up Valerie’s hand under the pretext of taking her pulse. Gil suspected the man was still harboring a crush.

  “So you think you’ll keep the baby?” he jested. “Decided on a name yet?”

  Gil and Valerie exchanged a look. “Well, if it had been a boy, we’d considered naming him—”

  Fierce Pierce chose that moment to erupt into the room, a tiny flannel-wrapped bundle tucked in her arms. “I don’t care how grateful you are to Dr. Weingold,” she announced as she laid the infant on her mother’s breast. “You aren’t naming this precious child Sidney. No offense, Doctor.” She flashed him an unabashed look.

  “Actually we have decided on a name,” Valerie Murphy-Branton said as her husband reached down and knuckled the tiny perfect cheek. “You tell them, honey.”

  He looked up and fastened a wary stare on the nurse. “We’ve decided to call her Emily.”

  Emily Pierce’s hand flew to her ample bosom. “After me?”

  Gil raised a finger in warning. “Under one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “No one ever calls her ‘Fierce.’”

  Fierce Pierce swiped at a tear. “Oh, don’t you worry about that, Mr. Branton. No one’s going to call my darling little namesake by such an awful nickname.”

  Weingold patted Valerie’s shoulder. “Well, I’d best be getting back to my rounds.”

  She grabbed his hand. “Her middle name, we decided, is going to be Sydney. With a y.”

  “Really?” He bent over to inspect the precious bundle a little more closely.

  As four adults crowded around the bed, Emily Sydney Branton let out an authoritative yell.

  Father, doctor and nurse exchanged a look, then turned their grinning faces to Valerie. “Yep,” Gil declared, “she’s already just like her mother.”

  ISBN : 978-1-4592-5141-0

  TO SAVE HIS BABY

  Copyright © 1999 by Judith A. Lind

 
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  Visit us at www.romance.net