Emergency: Single Dad, Mother Needed

CHAPTER TWO

THERE. She’d said it. Boldly brought up the night she’d crossed the line, ruining their friendship, forever.

After admitting the truth, Holly felt as if a huge weight had rolled off her shoulders. It was good to have everything out in the open between them. At first she’d been so angry at Gabe for walking out on her wedding, until she’d realized it had been her own fault.

Looking back, she realized she should have taken her subtle feelings toward Gabe, and his subsequent leaving of the church, as a sign. Especially after the horribly public and painful way her marriage had ended. Still, wasn’t it always easier to look back after the fact, to realize what you should have done?

“Holly, it wasn’t your fault at all.”

He was just saying that to be nice. The night she’d almost kissed him, he had been the one who’d pulled back, who’d stopped her from making a terrible mistake. She hadn’t even had a good reason, the situation hadn’t started out as anything more than two friends going to check out a band for her wedding. Tom had been called into surgery, so Gabe had gone with her instead. They’d crashed the wedding, had a few drinks and danced, deciding then and there to hire the band. She’d only intended to thank him for coming along. But the moment she’d looked up into his dark eyes the atmosphere had changed. Suddenly she’d wanted to kiss him. Had actually leaned toward him, until he’d pulled back, making her realize what she’d almost done.

Afterwards, she’d been horrified at her near miss. And, right or wrong, she hadn’t said anything to Tom. What could she say? That she’d almost kissed his best friend? She hadn’t, but being tempted even for a second was bad enough. She’d tried to brush the whole episode off as a foolish mistake, a result of too much wine, but that moment in time had bothered her long afterwards.

“When did you divorce Tom?” he asked.

Her eyes widened. Good grief, had the news of her divorce traveled all the way across the country? A note of panic laced her tone. “What makes you think I divorced him?”

For a moment he looked taken aback by her question. “Because you’re using Davidson, your maiden name.”

She let out an exasperated huff, realizing she’d overreacted. Thank heavens the gossip mill hadn’t reached this far. She didn’t want Gabe to know the gory details. “Not all women take their husband’s name,” she pointed out. After the divorce she’d wished she hadn’t, as changing her medical license in both the state of Minnesota and the state of Arizona had been a pain. “But you’re right. Tom and I split up almost two years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

He was? She ignored the tiny pang of disappointment. “So am I. But I’m over it now.” She didn’t care about Tom anymore. Any feelings she’d had for him had been wiped out by his betrayal.

But she didn’t think she’d ever get over losing her daughter. The familiar wave of grief tightened her stomach. She’d wanted children so badly, had been so thrilled to become pregnant. Looking down into her daughter’s sweet, tiny face and knowing she’d been too young to survive had been heart-wrenching.

She’d never forget Kayla. Lost in the sorrowful memories, she belatedly realized Gabe was staring at her. With an effort she tucked her daughter back into a protected corner of her heart and glanced around. “I, uh, need to get back to work.”

“Wait.” He held out his arm, stopping her from brushing past him. “I’m sorry, Holly. You have every right to be angry with me.”

“I’m not,” she protested. His fingers were warm against her arm and she must be pathetic and desperate to wish he’d haul her close. She needed to get a grip on her emotions and keep a polite distance between them. “Honest.” She stuck out her hand. “Friends?”

He stared at her outstretched hand for so long she feared he wasn’t going to take it, but then his large hand engulfed hers, easing her inner tension. “Of course, Holly. I’ll always be your friend.”

“Good.” One could never have too many friends, right? She missed her friend Lisa from Phoenix, but somehow suspected Gabe wasn’t going to be able to fill that role. She shook his hand firmly, before stepping back. Nothing good would come of rehashing the past. Moving forward was what was important. Taking this position at the Children’s Medical Center was a huge step forward in her career. Now that she was here, she wanted to do a good job.

And if that meant working with Gabe on a professional level, then fine. No problem.

“Gabe?” One of the nurses poked her head into the lounge. “There’s a call for you. It’s JT,” she added when he looked as if he would brush her off.

He nodded and turned away. “I have to take this, Holly. Excuse me.” Without waiting for a response, he strode out to the closest phone.

Curiosity compelled her to follow him, shamelessly listening to his end of the phone call. “JT? What’s wrong?” He paused. “Another nightmare? Hey, it’s all right, buddy. I understand. I’m glad you called, see? I’m here at work. Everything is fine. I love you, JT.”

Holly sucked in a harsh breath, shock rippling all the way down her body to the soles of her feet. From the tone of his voice and the brief reassuring conversation it was easy to deduce JT was a young child.

His son. Gabe must have a son.

Which meant he was likely married, too.

A stab of disappointment pierced her heart, stealing her breath.

“Maybe you’d better let me talk to Marybeth, okay?” Gabe said in a cajoling tone. “Don’t worry, I promise I’ll run home to see you during my lunch-break.”

Holly turned away, feeling slightly sick. Why she was bothered by the fact that Gabe had a son and a wife, she had no idea. He certainly deserved to be happy. But she couldn’t help feeling as if the rug had been pulled out from beneath her.

Maybe because Gabe had a family.

And she didn’t.

For a moment she remembered the excitement of being pregnant, the thrill of carrying a tiny life in her womb.

But she’d lost her small daughter. And in almost the same moment had lost her husband.

No, a family wasn’t in her future.

She must have been standing in a daze because suddenly Gabe was back. “I didn’t mean to ditch you like that, but when JT has nightmares, he needs to talk to me right away.”

“Sure, I understand. Congrats.” She pushed the word through her constricted throat, trying not to dwell on the painful past. “On your marriage and your son.”

“I’m not married,” he said, a slight edge to his tone. “Marybeth is JT’s babysitter.”

He wasn’t married? Skeptical, she found herself wondering if he was really telling the truth, but then remembered how he’d referred to Marybeth by name. He hadn’t said maybe JT should let him talk to Mom, he’d said maybe JT should let him talk to Marybeth. The difference eased the tension in her chest.

“Sounds like you have your hands full,” she murmured. She wondered where JT’s mother was. Had Gabe gotten a divorce too? Did they share custody?

“Yeah, a bit.” He shrugged, although his expression was still troubled. “I’d ask you out for dinner, but I can’t leave JT home alone and his babysitter takes night classes.”

Dinner? As much as she was tempted, she knew seeing Gabe outside work was just asking for trouble. The last thing she needed was to be seen with one of her colleagues outside work. Still, it sounded as if he might need some help. And she was more curious than she had a right to be about JT’s mother. “It’s okay, but if you need help with JT, let me know.”

He flashed a lopsided smile. “Thanks. But I think I have everything under control.”

Of course he did. Gabe was always strong, and extremely competent. The way he’d taken control with Mark proved that. “See you later, then.”

“Take care, Holly.”

She turned away, heading back to her office where she’d left the list of patients she was scheduled to see.

The list was long, but that was all right. Better to keep busy than to wallow in the mistakes of the past.

Or to wish for something she could never have.

After he found someone to cover over his lunch-break, Gabe rushed home, knowing he didn’t have a lot of time. “Hey, JT, how are you?”

“Uncle Gabe!” The five-year-old threw himself into Gabe’s arms. “I missed you,” he mumbled against his shoulder.

Gabe closed his eyes, holding the little boy close. The poor kid had been through so much, yet he couldn’t keep leaving work every day either. “I missed you too, sport.” He hugged JT tight, then eased back to look into the boy’s eyes. “You had the bad dream again?”

JT nodded. “Wild animals came out of the woods and tried to bite me.”

Gabe didn’t understand this sudden fear of wild animals that JT seemed to have. But he suspected the real underlying factor was losing his mother. And worrying if he was going to lose Gabe too. “Last night, before you went to bed, I explained how I had to work today. Remember?”

JT’s lower lip trembled, his blue eyes wide. “I know, but when I had the nightmare, I forgot.”

“It’s okay.” He couldn’t be mad at the poor kid, after everything he’d been through. When his sister, Claire, had been killed in a car crash, he’d taken custody of JT. His mother, who’d recently moved to Florida and remarried, had offered to move back to help out in raising her grandson, but he’d declined her generous offer. After all these years, his mother deserved to be happy.

So he’d taken JT because there wasn’t anyone else. And he’d even gone as far as to apply for formal adoption. He’d managed to get things moving the week after Claire’s death but now they were waiting on DNA tests from the two men who, according to his sister’s diary, may be JT’s biological father. Despite the security he’d tried to give his nephew, JT had a deep fear of losing Gabe in the same abrupt way JT had lost his mom.

He’d hoped the boy’s nightmares would fade over time, but so far no luck. Of course, it had only been four weeks since the funeral.

“Everything all right?” he asked Marybeth, JT’s babysitter. The girl was a young college student who watched JT during the day and took a graduate class two evenings a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays. He was lucky to have her, especially when she’d established a great rapport with his nephew.

“Fine,” she reassured him. “JT is always better once he talks to you.”

Crisis averted, at least for the moment. “Do you think he’s okay to attend his pre-school this afternoon?”

“Sure. I think he’ll have fun.”

“Okay, then. I’ll pick him up on my way home.”

“Let me know if you run into trouble, I don’t start class until six o’clock.”

“I will.” The few times he’d had to work late Marybeth had been more than willing to pick JT up after pre-school. He turned back toward JT. “I’m going back to work now, but I’ll pick you up at four. You know how to tell the time, don’t you?”

JT nodded with enthusiasm. “Yep. When the big hand is on the twelve and the little hand is on the four.” He hopped from one foot to the other, his earlier fears seemingly forgotten. “Me and Jeremy are going to play swords this afternoon.”

“Be careful.” Why did boys always want to play with weapons? Gabe figured he must have done the same thing at JT’s age, but it was amazing how almost anything he gave the boy to play with ended up as a sword, a knife or a gun, no matter how hard he tried to discourage it. Maybe JT could use the sword to kill the wild animals in his dreams. He pressed a kiss on the top of JT’s head. “All right, then. I’ll see you later, buddy.”

“Bye, Uncle Gabe.” JT’s face was relaxed and smiling, making him feel better about going back to work. As he strode to his car, he noticed he’d barely have time to wolf down a quick sandwich before seeing patients. But the potential indigestion from eating too fast was worth taking the time to calm JT’s fears.

Too bad he hadn’t been able to ask Holly out for dinner, but leaving JT wasn’t an option. The boy’s emotional status was still too fragile. Would probably be too fragile for a long time to come.

Yet after meeting Holly again that morning, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Interesting how she’d assumed he’d left because of the moment he’d sensed she’d been about to kiss him when in reality it had been his own response he’d run from. She couldn’t know how close he’d come to crossing the line that night, too. Stepping back from her had been one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do.

Tom had been right during their argument on his wedding day. He had wanted Holly for himself. But that was then, and things had changed. He wasn’t just a single guy anymore, he had JT to think about now. The boy needed a home, stability. Besides, he wasn’t still hung up on Holly.

He’d moved on with his life, had been engaged to marry Jennifer before Claire had died. Their engagement had been broken off when he’d discovered that she hadn’t been at all willing to take JT in as their adopted son. She’d kept arguing that they needed to find JT’s real father, something he was trying to do. His plan all along, even once they found JT’s biological father, was to fight for sole custody of JT.

Forced to make a choice between Jennifer and JT, his young nephew had won hands down. And if the reality of living with a young boy day in and day out was overwhelming, he’d have to learn to deal with it.

He caught a glimpse of Holly leaving the ED and his pulse kicked up in awareness. He took a deep breath, trying to ignore his body’s reaction, telling himself it was only physical because he hadn’t been with a woman since Jennifer had walked out on him.

There were more important things to worry about than the last time he’d gone out with a woman. Right now, JT had to come first.

With everything that had happened in the past, he knew better than anyone that he and Holly could never be more than friends.

Holly spent the rest of the afternoon trying to keep her mind off Gabe and figuring out how to balance the stat calls with the scheduled patients she needed to see. At three-thirty, her mother called to let her know she was finished with dialysis. Holly had just finished seeing her last patient, so she readily agreed to drive her mother home.

The outpatient dialysis unit wasn’t far from Children’s Medical Center, so it didn’t take her long to get there. She tucked her mother into the passenger seat, and then headed to her mother’s house.

Hemodialysis treatments usually left her mother feeling exhausted, but that didn’t stop her from asking questions. “How was your first day at work?”

“Pretty good. Busy,” Holly answered as she negotiated rush-hour traffic. She cast her mother a quick glance. “I really like my job. I have many interesting cases.”

“I’m glad.” Her mother smiled faintly, her face pale. “I hope I didn’t take you away from anything important.”

She thought of Mark, the young boy whose condition was still so tenuous. “No, you didn’t. Although I do have a very sick young man in the PICU.”

“I’m sure you’ll help make him better.” Despite her mother’s reassuring tone, deep lines of fatigue bracketed her mouth. For a moment Holly felt a flash of resentment toward her father. Her father had been Dr. Kendall Davidson, the chief of neurosurgery and he’d died several years ago after a long night of surgery. Her parents had divorced when she’d still been in high school, a traumatic event when she’d discovered her father had been cheating on her mother. When his young lover had become pregnant, he’d filed for divorce.

She’d made peace with her past, except for rare moments like this, when resentment still burned. How ironic that by marrying Tom she’d made the same mistake her mother had.

Tom had seemed to want the same things she did, a loving home and family. Children in particular were important to her, she hadn’t wanted to put her kids through a painful divorce like she’d experienced.

After Kayla was stillborn, Holly had known there wasn’t anything left of her marriage to save. Wisely, Tom hadn’t bothered to put up a fight. To his credit, he’d made the divorce proceedings as painless as possible.

Pushing the memory aside, she pulled into her mother’s driveway and brought the car to a halt. After getting sick, her mother had finally given up her mausoleum of a house to move into the much smaller, more practical home located closer to the hospital. So close she could easily take a care-van to her dialysis appointments. Holly hurried around to open the car door. “Here, let me help you.”

Her mother leaned heavily on her arm as Holly guided her inside. After she’d got her mother settled on the sofa, covered in a warm, wool blanket, she went into the kitchen and threw together a light meal of scrambled eggs and toast, carrying everything out on a tray.

“Thanks, Holly.” Her mother’s grateful tone made her feel guilty for leaving during those years she’d been married to Tom. It was good that she’d come back home. Obviously her mother needed her.

“You’re welcome.” She leaned over to give her mother a gentle hug. “Is there anything else you need before I go?”

“No, thanks, dear.”

“All right, then. Call my cell if you need me.” Holly let herself out of the house, wondering if the time would come that her mother might need more full-time care. If so, she’d do her best to take care of her.

Family was important, even if her father and Tom hadn’t thought so.

Her pager went off and she paused in the driveway to glance at the display. The message wasn’t from work, as she’d expected, but rather from Gabe.

Please, call me when you have a minute, Gabe. He’d left his number on the text message too.

Was he still at work? Had something happened to Mark? With a frown, she flipped open her cellphone and dialed his number.

“Hello?”

“Gabe? It’s Holly. What’s wrong?”

“I picked up JT from his pre-school and something just doesn’t seem right. He’s running a low-grade fever and has chills.” Gabe sounded uncertain, not at all like his usual self. “I don’t think it’s serious, but I could use a second, unbiased opinion.” He paused and then added, “If you’re not too busy.”

She hesitated for the barest fraction of a second before she realized she was allowing her personal need to stay away from him to interfere with taking care of a sick child.

How could she turn him down? After all, she’d offered her help. “Of course I’m not too busy. I’ll be right there.”

CHAPTER THREE

HOLLY wasn’t sure what to expect when she arrived at Gabe’s house. Luckily, his directions had been easy to follow, but when he opened the door before she had a chance to knock, it was clear his usual calm composure had deserted him. He wore a haggard expression and his brown hair stood on end, as if he’d raked his fingers through it non-stop for the past few hours.

“Thanks for coming over.” Gabe stepped back to allow her to come in. “I’m pretty sure JT just has a virus, but I want to make sure I’m not missing something, like strep. I’ve peered down his throat so many times I’m starting to doubt myself.”

“That’s because you’re thinking like a parent, not like a doctor.” She’d seen plenty of stressed parents and those with medical backgrounds weren’t any different.

“Yeah, maybe.” He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “I know I’m probably overreacting, but this is the first time JT’s been sick.”

“The first time, ever?” She was taken aback by the news, considering the boy was five years old. Most kids at least had the occasional ear infection or bout of flu before the age of five. “I’m surprised.”

She barely had time to notice the warm, welcoming earth tones of his living room before he dragged her down the hall to his son’s room. “I’d like you to take a look at him. My first instinct was to treat him with a pain med and wait to see how he does overnight, but he’s been so listless I’ve started to doubt my objectivity. Be honest. Tell me if you think I should take him into the clinic.”

“All right.” Odd, it wasn’t at all like Gabe to doubt himself. He was after all board certified in emergency medicine. Taking care of sick kids was his specialty.

But, then again, she’d made similar mistakes with horrible consequences. Assuming her cramping pains during her pregnancy had been from stress and not from placenta previa, a condition where the placenta broke away from the wall of the uterus prematurely. She’d down-played her situation and had lost her daughter as a result.

Even if she had gone to seek help earlier, there really hadn’t been a chance of saving the baby, not at only twenty-five weeks gestation. Still, her medical knowledge hadn’t helped her then.

Gabe’s might not be helping him now either.

He pushed open the door to a small, cozy bedroom. “JT? Hey, buddy, this is Dr. Holly. I’ve asked her to take a look at you.”

“Hi, JT.” She approached the boy, who was curled up on the bed.

“Hi.” His dark blue eyes, so much like Gabe’s, stared up at her. “I don’t feel so good.”

“So I hear.” She sat on the edge of his bed, noticing his face was flushed. She offered a reassuring smile. “Does anything hurt you?”

“My head hurts.”

“Hmm. How about your throat?” She felt his forehead, noting he was indeed running a slight fever but not one that was dangerously high. She trailed her fingers down to his throat. No swollen glands from what she could tell. “Can you open wide for me?”

Obediently he opened his mouth. “Ah-h-h.”

Using her penlight, she peered down his throat. No sign of any infection at all, from what she could see. Although maybe it was too early to tell. “Great job. How about your tummy? Does that hurt?” She gently palpated JT’s abdomen, and he didn’t wince, neither did she find any enlargement of his liver.

“No, just my head. The lights are too bright.”

Hmm. Strange that he would have photosensitivity. She spent another minute or so examining him, but didn’t find anything seriously wrong. His pupils were equal and reactive. Yet, like Gabe, she sensed something just wasn’t quite right. She glanced back at Gabe, who hovered over her shoulder. “You treated his fever?”

“Yeah, I gave him a dose of pediatric pain med right before you came over.”

“Good.” JT closed his eyes, either because the light was too bright or he was simply tired and falling asleep.

“He was fine at noon when I came home for lunch,” Gabe muttered. “Suddenly I pick him up from his preschool class and he’s running a fever and not acting at all like his usual self.”

“I’m sure it’s just a virus,” she assured him.

“So you don’t think I need to take him in?” Gabe asked.

She hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head. “No, I think I’d wait and watch him. If his headache persists tomorrow, though, I’d take him in. Kids do get headaches with fevers.” She rested her palm against JT’s flushed cheek for a moment, thinking how young and innocent he looked.

JT’s eyelids fluttered open. “You’re pretty,” he murmured.

His sweet expression tugged at her heart. It was no secret where the boy had gotten his charm. “Thank you.”

She glanced up to find Gabe watching her intently.

“JT obviously has good taste,” he murmured in a low tone.

Raising a brow, she didn’t try to come up with a response. Since JT was starting to doze off, she gently stood and tiptoed out of the room. Gabe followed her, softly closing JT’s door behind him.

By mutual consent, they moved into the living room so they wouldn’t wake him. Gabe’s expression held chagrin. “I suppose you think I’m an idiot for calling you over.”