Determined not to be left out, she excused herself, then picked her way around the television news crew to join them.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, glancing from one to the other.
“Jean says she overheard the firemen saying it was deliberate,” Galen replied.
She faced her receptionist. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am.”
An unwelcome thought came to her and she took a step forward. “Emma? I need to check on Emma.”
“We will,” Galen promised, grabbing her elbow and pinning her to the spot. “They won’t let you in.”
“I’ll find another entrance.”
“Just relax until we hear the official word,” he said firmly. “Now isn’t the time to panic.”
A commotion at the entrance drew everyone’s attention, especially Nikki’s. The firemen, who’d swarmed through the building with set faces and hurried strides earlier, now exited with smiles on their faces and walked at a more normal pace.
The fire chief followed with a veritable entourage, including a man wearing the fire department’s uniform but without the protective gear, Hope’s CEO, Thomas Waverly, and a police officer. After clearing the automatic doors, the chief stopped.
“You folks can go back inside,” he announced. “Everything’s under control.”
“See?” Galen breathed in her ear. “It can’t be that bad. It’s hardly been thirty minutes.”
Nikki didn’t care if it had been ten. Now that Emma’s safety had been called into question, she didn’t want to waste time popping in to see her.
She brushed past the fire chief, but Thomas Waverly stepped in her path. “Dr Lawrence?” he asked. “Chief Becker would like to talk to you.”
Hating the delay, she glanced at Galen and mentally telegraphed her message. He apparently read her mind because he nodded.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” he promised.
Satisfied that he’d check on Emma, she turned to Chief Becker, praying that this wouldn’t take long. “What would you like to know?”
He guided her away from the entrance to make room for the people slowly moving back inside. “This is Bill Thompson, our arson investigator,” he said as he glanced at the fireman beside him.
Arson? Jean, their resident find-a-crook-under-everyrock staff member, had been right. Nikki acknowledged the thirtyish blond with a nod.
“I understand you reported the fire, Dr Lawrence,” Thompson said.
“My receptionist made the call but, yes, I noticed the smoke first.”
“Did you see anything else?”
“Not really. I thought I’d smelled something unusual…like something burning…so I went to investigate. I headed down the hallway, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”
“Nothing at all?”
“Just someone going into the family room near the ER.”
This news made his eyes gleam and her wonder if that person had been responsible. He immediately spoke into his walkie-talkie, instructing the person at the other end to go through the room she’d mentioned with a fine-toothed comb.
As soon as he’d finished, he addressed her again. “Can you identify this person?”
“I wish I could,” she apologized, “but I really only saw the door closing. I’d turned around to go back when I heard several loud pops and saw a flash of sparks out of the corner of my eye.”
“Then what?”
She shrugged. “Lots of white smoke.”
“Did you notice anything on the floor?”
She pictured the scene again. She’d been looking up, not down. “No. I’m sorry.”
Thompson smiled. “Thank you, Doctor. You’ve been very helpful.”
“Then…” She paused. “It wasn’t electrical?”
He shook his head and held out his hand. Inside rested a plastic bag containing remnants of string and the burned-out shells of something she hadn’t seen since she was a kid.
“Nothing electrical,” he said. “Just a string of old-fashioned smoke bombs and firecrackers.”
After finding Emma snoozing contentedly in one of the day-care cribs, Galen thanked Susan for letting him interrupt.
“Drop in any time,” she assured him.
Grateful to report good news, Galen returned to the MEC with what he liked to refer to as “deliberate speed.”
“She isn’t back yet,” Jean reported as soon as he poked his head into her office. “I assume she’s still talking to the fire chief.”
“Thanks.” He strode back through the front lobby in time to meet Nikki.
“Emma is sleeping like a baby,” he said with a smile. “Susan said everything there has been quiet, unless you count one young man who threw a temper tantrum because he didn’t like his snack.”
“That’s good to know, but she wasn’t in any danger,” Nikki told him.
“The fire?”
“Someone decided to shoot off a few firecrackers and smoke bombs.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know the kid’s name, but after I told them I’d seen the door to the family room just off the ER close right before it happened, a few firemen went inside to look for clues. They found him sitting in the corner.”
“Maybe he was just waiting for someone to rescue him.”
“With a pile of matches and more firecrackers beside him?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so and neither did the police.”
“I wonder why anyone would do such a thing,” he mused aloud.
She looked away to the group coming toward them. “It’s hard to say. I’ll bet this is our culprit.”
Galen watched the young dark-haired boy stoically walk out between two police officers. Recognition was immediate, along with horrified surprise. “I know that kid. That’s Walt’s son.”
“Walt who?”
“Walt Whittaker. He’s the physician who was killed in the same plane crash that injured Jared Tremaine. I’d heard that Robbie was having a hard time dealing with the accident, but for him to do this…” He shook his head. “Poor Julia.”
“He’s obviously a troubled young man.”
“Yeah.” He grew thoughtful. “I haven’t kept in contact with the family since Walt’s funeral like I should have. Maybe Robbie’s smoke-bomb incident is his way of demanding attention from his father’s cronies.”
“Or maybe he just has a lot of anger at the world bottled up inside,” she said. “It has to come out in some form. He’s just lucky that he didn’t start a real fire. This place has so many flammables that a stray spark could have devastating consequences.”
“A fact which the police and his mother will emphasize most emphatically, I’m sure,” he said, saddened to see his colleague’s son being guided into the back of the police cruiser.
“And speaking of consequences,” Nikki began, “I suppose my department is under water.”
He grinned. “Did you forget your swim fins?”
“Along with my scuba gear and inner tube.”
“Don’t worry. When I breezed through a few minutes ago, looking for you, the housekeeping staff were already hard at work.”
“Then I suppose we should be, too.”
“How about dinner tonight?”
“It depends on what you’re hungry for.”
“The Red Pagoda has a great buffet if you like oriental.”
“OK. What time should Emma and I be ready?”
“I was hoping we could leave her at home,” he said slowly, watching her reaction.
“She’s a little too young to stay by herself, Galen.”
He rolled his eyes. “I know that. I thought we could find a sitter.”
“Not at this time. Besides, I wouldn’t feel right leaving her with another stranger so soon after I got her.”
He hadn’t expected her to jump at the opportunity to go out with him on what he considered a date, but hope had still sprung eternal.
“What time will Miss Piglet be ready for a night on the town?” he asked, tryin
g to hide his disappointment.
“Around eight.”
“I’ll be there at seven, right after I get off work.”
“What for?”
“To help you. If she’s awake, she’ll need someone to keep her occupied so you can do whatever primping you women think you need to do.”
“Primping? I’ll have you know that I do not primp.”
“I stand corrected. I’ll see you at seven.”
He headed off, then stopped short when she called his name.
“Yeah?” he acknowledged.
“Do you still want to go out to dinner without Emma some time?”
Did birds fly? Did dogs bark? Was she the cause of his sleepless nights? Yes, yes, and yes.
“I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t what I wanted.” He focused a steady gaze on hers, willing her to see his sincerity.
“How does Friday night sound? I could probably find a babysitter by then. That is, if you’re interested. Maybe we could even go to a movie?”
“Interested? Of course, I am.”
Her face colored as if she’d seen the hunger he felt. “Friday night it is.”
Without another word she hurried off, leaving him to realize that he’d just received an unexpected blessing.
Four days seemed an interminably long time but, as he’d once been told, good things came to those who waited.
Eager for their evening outing, Nikki went to the day-care center to gather up Emma and her belongings. Instead of finding the usually placid baby, she found Susan pacing the floor with a fussy and clearly inconsolable Emma.
“She’s been like this for the last two hours,” Susan said, handing her over quite quickly and with apparent relief. “We’ve tried everything and the only thing that works to some degree is to keep her moving. Preferably, bouncing.”
“What’s the matter, Em?” Nikki asked the infant perched on her shoulder. “Do you have a tummyache?”
Emma’s lower lip quivered and huge tears brimmed in her eyes as she let out another whimper.
“Shall we go home and play in the tub for a little while?” Nikki asked, knowing how much the baby enjoyed the water.
“We checked her temp and she’s not running a fever so, whatever it is, it’s probably minor,” Susan added. “Which is why I didn’t call you.”
“That’s fine. I’m just sorry she made your last hour miserable.”
Susan laughed. “That’s what’s nice about providing day care. You can enjoy the little ones and when they get fussy give them back to their parents. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Emma let out a half-wail, as if bored with being in one place for so long. “I’d better go,” Nikki said.
“See you tomorrow.”
Emma roared her unhappiness during the ride home, forcing Nikki to close her ears. Her hope that the motion of the car would soothe the infant came to nothing. A watery romp in the baby bathtub didn’t improve her disposition, neither did a trip to the balcony to listen to the wind chimes. For the first time while in Nikki’s care, Emma turned her face away from a bottle.
The only thing that seemed to help was for Nikki to carry her in a football hold and to walk around the room. She lost track of time until the doorbell rang.
“You’re early,” she told Galen as soon as she opened the door and let him in.
“Nothing better to do.”
She bounced the baby on her hip. “We’re going to have to make other plans for tonight.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Emma has a tummyache. There’s no way I’m taking her out in public when she’s feeling wretched and will make everyone else equally as miserable.”
Emma snuffled in Nikki’s arm and kicked her legs.
Galen bent over to peer into her face. “Hey, Miss Piglet, what’s all the fuss about?” He reached out to take her from Nikki. “I’ll take over. Go do whatever you need to do.”
“She’ll get us kicked out of the restaurant,” Nikki warned, still feeling the touch of his fingers as they’d brushed across her midriff.
“Just get ready,” he said as he ambled across the room. “It isn’t as if we have reservations to worry about.”
She hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Go.”
She went. She showered in record time and jumped into a pair of red and white floral capri pants and a red tank top. Suddenly aware of the quiet, she hurried out of her bedroom and saw Galen and a now-contented Emma sitting on the balcony in the shade of the roof’s overhang.
“How did you do that?” she asked, amazed and somewhat irritated that he’d accomplished what she could not.
He grinned. “Trade secret.”
“Seriously.”
“How do I know? I just held her and we talked about what ailed her, what she wanted out of life, how to handle boys. Important stuff.”
“How to handle boys?”
“Can’t have these discussions too soon,” he said cheerfully. “She took in every word.”
“I’ll bet.” What was it about Galen that a few minutes with him made women, including the three-month-old variety, turn into domesticated pussycats? “Where have you gotten all your baby experience?”
He shrugged. “Who said I had any?”
“Believe me. Most men who haven’t been surrounded with relatives’ children run in the opposite direction when a baby appears. With five brothers, I know what I’m talking about.”
“It’s really not that big a deal,” he said. “I helped out for a few weeks in the NICU when they were short of cuddlers for the babies.”
She stared at him in surprise. “You did? You never said anything.”
“It was only temporary and I didn’t think it was important.”
A man who willingly cuddled babies? What woman wouldn’t want him on that basis alone?
“It contradicted your playboy image, didn’t it?” she guessed.
“A little and, as I said, it was only for a few weeks and not worth mentioning.” His tone changed. “Are you ready to go? Emma has assured me that she’ll be on her best behavior.”
Nikki wasn’t quite convinced of Emma’s co-operation but, after seeing the former bundle of energy lie quietly on Galen’s shoulder as she gazed at her surroundings, she could almost believe it.
“Not quite. Jean thinks we’ll be on tonight’s six o’clock newscast, so I want to see if one of us happened to be a momentary movie star.”
“I’ll be in as soon as I pry myself out of the chair.”
Back in the living room, Nikki clicked on the television with her remote just as the announcer began his teaser and the camera flashed a scene with a fire truck parked in front of the hospital.
“Top local stories include a reported fire at Hope City Memorial, the County Fair opens this weekend, and the City Council is considering incentives to curb water usage. Stay tuned for these and other stories. But first, our national news…”
“We were mentioned,” she remarked as Galen walked inside. “They only showed one picture, though.”
“Maybe they’ll show more during the broadcast.”
“I hope so. Jean will be so thrilled.”
Nikki turned back to the television, intending to shut it off, when the announcer’s story caught her attention.
“The trial of casino owner Ralph Arches is slated to begin next month in Emerson County, Oklahoma after several long delays…”
“I heard about this guy,” Nikki exclaimed, recognizing the picture of the accused on the screen. “His story has been in all the national newspapers.”
“I must have missed it. What did he do?”
“Hired someone to murder his wife a year ago and then billed the amount to his corporate account as a business expense.”
“Sounds like a nice guy.”
She focused on the newscast. “Shh.”
“The chief witness is reportedly the company’s accountant who noticed the discrepancy during a routine audit. A grand jury indicted
Arches on his testimony and, because of feared mob connections, the man and his family are in protective custody…”
Another picture flashed onto the screen, this time showing the courtroom scene as Arches was led away following his indictment. Near the bottom of the image, Nikki caught a glimpse of someone who suddenly set her hair on end.
A gray-haired man stood with his back to the camera while he leaned heavily on a woman’s arm. A dark-haired woman.
The woman she’d met once before and for only a few minutes.
Emma’s mother.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“OHMIGOSH. Did you see her?” Nikki exclaimed, pointing to the screen.
“See who?” Galen asked as he rubbed Emma’s back.
“The woman near the bottom of the picture.”
“What woman?”
The announcer moved on to the next story and the image changed. “You missed her. Darn it, I wish I had this on videotape.”
“Missed who?” he demanded. “Come on, Nik. You aren’t making any sense.”
“You missed seeing Emma’s mother.” She started to pace. “This is absolutely amazing.”
“How can you be so positive?” he asked. “The picture was on the screen less than five seconds.”
“It’s her,” she insisted. “Don’t you believe me?”
“Let’s say that I don’t disbelieve you. If you think she looked like the woman who claimed to be Emma’s mother, then who am I to argue?” He grew thoughtful. “If you’re right—”
“I am.”
“Then that would explain the secrecy involved.” He gently stroked Emma’s head. “But not why she dumped Emma on you.”
“Maybe she was afraid I’d refuse.”
“She gave you that option in her letter,” he reminded her.
None of those excuses fully explained what had happened and Nikki knew that. She sensed that perhaps there was something else going on, something else that wasn’t obvious, but what that might be she wouldn’t know until Alice returned for her daughter.
“I’m a trauma physician, not a psychoanalyst or a criminal profiler,” she said impatiently. “I’m simply trying to give the woman the benefit of the doubt. It isn’t as if she simply dumped her and ran. She tied everything up nice and legal.”
“Legal papers or not, her actions were still irresponsible,” he said flatly. “Not to mention how they also raise the question of why she chose Hope in the first place. Or why she didn’t keep Emma with her if they were in protective custody.”
The Baby Rescue Page 10