Maitland Maternity: Triplets, Quads and Quints

He felt sure Abby had planned the ultrasound for the last part of the checkup. He was eager to see his daughters.

He stood at the door for several minutes, hearing the murmur of feminine voices. Then a soft knock informed him he could enter.

Stepping into the room, he nodded to Abby and walked to the head of the table. Bri was staring at the monitor, probably assuming he was another nurse. But something must have alerted her to his presence, and she shrieked and dove for the sheet, trying to cover her stomach.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded in a hoarse whisper.

“I want to see the ultrasound, both to check the babies and to evaluate the quality of the machine. Abby agreed.”

“Well, someone should’ve asked me. I don’t want you here.” She turned to Abby. “Please, Abby, make him leave!”

Abby stepped forward and took her hand. “Bri, you’re all covered up except for your stomach, and I’m sure Dr. Callaghan has seen pregnant stomachs before. Just relax before your blood pressure gets too high. Your babies need more time in the womb. Take deep breaths.”

Hunter spoke softly to the nurse and she left the room.

“Do you need something?” Abby asked, frowning.

“Yeah, something to bring down the blood pressure,” Hunter said.

“I don’t think medication—” Abby began as the nurse came back into the room carrying a towel and a bottle of lotion.

“Of course not. But a foot rub will do the trick,” he said, pouring cream into his hand.

“What did he say? What’s he doing?” Bri asked, trying to raise her head high enough to see over her stomach. Then she sighed as he began rubbing cream on her feet. After a moment, she remembered to protest. “Hunter, you shouldn’t—”

“Relax, Bri. Abby’s going to show us those three little girls. Let’s have a look-see.” Then he nodded to Abby as he continued to massage Bri’s feet.

He only stopped once, when the picture first clearly showed his three little girls. “They’re beautiful,” he murmured, and received an enthusiastic agreement from Abby.

Bri, lying more relaxed on the table, blinked away tears, but her gaze was focused on the screen that showed three squirmy babies jockeying for position in their limited space.

After a quick look at Bri, Hunter began massaging her feet again, silently giving thanks that Bri had decided to keep their children and try to manage on her own. She was a courageous woman. Even if she wanted nothing to do with him after the babies were born, he felt sure she wouldn’t stop him from seeing the girls.

“Everything’s all right?” Bri asked Abby, sniffing away the tears.

“Oh, they’re doing beautifully, Bri. And if you give birth now, they’ll make it just fine. But the longer you carry them, the faster they’ll go home from the hospital.”

“I’m being careful.” Then, she flashed her gaze to Hunter and back to Abby. “I’ve already hired a lady to help at home, so I can get plenty of rest.”

“Oh, good. I’d been worrying about how much you were trying to do. Good decision.”

Bri’s gaze returned to Hunter. “Yes. I appreciated the concern that—I got some good advice.”

Slowly, he grinned, knowing that was her way of thanking him. Pretty magnanimous, since he’d been interfering where he had no right to interfere. Maybe she would accept his protection a little more readily in the future.

Even as he was thinking such pleasant thoughts, her jaw firmed and her lips were pressed together. “But I’m an adult, and I can manage my affairs by myself.”

He had no intention of letting her try—no matter what she said!

THAT EVENING was again delightful. Alice joined Bri for dinner, and everything in her house was sparkling and fresh.

“You’re going to have to mess up more things, young lady, so I’ll have enough to do.”

“Oh, Alice, you shouldn’t be working so hard.”

“Well, I wanted to ask you about cooking ahead. Most things are good for six months, I think. I thought I’d bake some lasagna and freeze it. Maybe a cake or two, because you’ll probably have several visitors after the babies are born. We’ll need something to feed them when they visit.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, Alice, if you don’t mind the extra work.”

“Well, I have the time now. If you don’t mind the added expense.”

Bri quickly assured her she didn’t. After dinner she took a shower. Abby had suggested it might be best to have showers now. Then she settled among the cushions on the sofa, turned on the television and relaxed. Alice brought her a cup of tea and some cookies.

“I’m not sure I should eat the cookies.”

“Dr. Callaghan said you need to fatten up a little so your babies won’t be too skinny.”

Bri froze. “When did Dr. Callaghan say that?”

“He told me today when he called to tell me your checkup went well. He knew I’d be worried and he was afraid you wouldn’t want to talk about it.”

Though she was fuming inside, Bri tried to make her voice calm. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think to tell you. But everyone’s fine.”

“I know,” Alice said with a smile. “Now eat your cookies and drink your tea. I put in cream instead of milk. It makes it taste wonderful.”

Alice was so pleased with her behavior, Bri couldn’t be mad at her. But she could be mad at Dr. Hunter Callaghan.

As soon as Alice left, she grabbed the phone. She wasn’t calling Hunter. Not yet. She had some other calls to make.

“Dad? Just wanted to let you know that my checkup went well.”

“Yes, I’m so glad. Hunter said the girls looked great. He thinks you may make it almost to term. I really appreciated his letting me know. I’ve been worrying about you.”

“So why didn’t you call me?”

After a moment of heavy silence, Jackson said, “I was afraid you’d get scared because I was worried. After what happened to your mother, you know.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I know, Dad. But it’s all right. We have better doctors and better equipment, thanks to you. Everything is going to be fine.”

“Yeah, Hunter assured me he’d take care of you and the girls.” He actually sniffed into the phone, as if he were hiding tears, as she had in the doctor’s office. “Hey, how about lunch again tomorrow?”

“Thanks, Dad, but with the appointment today, I lost a lot of work time, so I can’t go out for lunch. I’ll just have my assistant bring me something. I’ll take a rain check if you don’t mind.”

“Okay, but you let me know if there’s anything you need.”

“I will, Dad.”

When she’d disconnected, she began dialing Caleb’s number, but a knock on her door stopped her. She moved to the door to peek through the peephole. Dr. Hunter Callaghan, bossy doctor, stood there.

She was wearing her Hawaiian muumuu, so she swung open the door, a big glare on her face.

“Hmm, welcome as usual,” he said with a grin.

“How dare you!”

“I don’t know how I dare, since I don’t know what’s got you steamed this time. Unless it’s my sitting in on your checkup.”

“No! I’ve accepted that you have a right to do that, though I don’t like it.” She folded her arms across her chest, though they actually rested on top of her stomach. “But you don’t have a right to interfere in my personal life.”

He nudged her backward and stepped inside, closing the door. She was so wrapped up in her anger, she didn’t realize what he’d done for several minutes. “I didn’t invite you in!”

“But you should have. Grace would be appalled at your manners,” he assured her, still smiling.

“You think you’re so smart, but you wouldn’t be so popular if I told everyone you abandoned me after getting me pregnant!”

She immediately realized what she’d done when his eyes brightened and he took a step closer. “I didn’t mean you really—I meant what if I told them that! That’s what I meant. What if I lied to them?”

Somewhere during that speech, he’d switched to doctor mode, instead of father-to-be mode. “Your blood pressure is rising again. Come sit down. I’ll make you some more tea.”

“How do you know I want tea? Maybe I want a slug of whiskey, or a soda, or Kool-Aid! You don’t know me—or what I want.”

“I know you don’t want to hurt your babies. Come sit down, Bri.”

He arranged cushions behind her back. Then he picked up her cup and took it to the kitchen. In no time he was back with a fresh cup of tea, with cream added, much as Alice had made.

“Do you still have cookies to eat?” he asked.

She glared at him and didn’t answer.

“Honey, we need to talk about what’s upset you so it won’t make your blood pressure go up. I promise I haven’t deliberately tried to rile you.” He sat on the couch, pressing against her legs as she lay there. “Now, tell me what I did this time.”

“You told Alice, my dad, and probably Adam, Caleb and Grace about my checkup.” She doubled up her fist and hit him in the arm, knowing it wouldn’t hurt him, but maybe it would let him know how angry she was. “Alice told me I needed to eat the cookies because you told her I needed calories.”

“Who else but your cook should I have told? And I had to tell her about seeing the babies, so she’d believe me.”

“And my father?”

“Well, I could tell, when we talked at lunch, he was putting up a front about everything being all right. He was scared to death you were going to die just as your mother did. I wanted to reassure him.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she bit her bottom lip. “And my brothers?”

“Your father asked me to call and reassure them because they were worried sick about you, too. You’re the only female in the group. They don’t know if you’re just trying to reassure them, or if maybe you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“And they believe you because you’re a man!”

“No, they believe me because I’m a medical professional who’s delivered a lot of babies.”

“Did you call Grace, too?”

“Yes, because she asked me to. She said she didn’t like to ask you because she was afraid it would make you worry.”

She sniffed. She’d been sure the man had overstepped his mark, but there he was, explaining it all away, making her look like a hysterical woman. “I—I still think you should’ve at least told me you were going to—to interfere in my life.”

He leaned forward to pick up the cup of tea and then held it to her lips. “Take a sip.”

She did so, trying to ignore his body pressed against her stomach. His touch drove her crazy. It apparently affected the girls, too, because they suddenly began jumping around like five-year-olds playing soccer, running in all directions and kicking anything that moved.

After he set the cup back on the table, he looked at her and whispered, “May I?”

She didn’t have to ask what he wanted. She knew he wanted to feel her babies move. She nodded.

His big warm hands spread out over her stomach, acting like a lightning rod for the movement. One lump in particular caught his attention. “I think one of the girls is standing on her head.” He rubbed the lump and it shifted.

“They move around a lot, especially at night.”

“Bri, I want to thank you for having the courage not to terminate the pregnancy.”

“You’re wel—I mean, it has nothing to do with you! Nothing at all.”

With his hands still on her stomach, he stared at her, challenging her words.

“These are my girls, and no one, not their father or anyone, is going to hurt my girls.”

“Why would you think their father would want to hurt them?” he asked softly.

“Because he hurt me! He left me alone, wanting—wanting his love and—and my children are better off just belonging to me. I won’t hurt them.”

“Are we talking about the mythical boyfriend who split? Or are we talking about me?”

She looked away, refusing to give him an answer. “I’m tired. I want to go to sleep.”

He sighed. “Okay. Do you need a foot rub?”

“No! I can manage.”

“All right, but you need to understand, Bri, that I’m going to watch over you, try to care for you and the girls. I’m not trying to hurt you or trap you into anything, okay?”

“Fine.”

“Okay, I’m going to go turn down the covers. Take my arm while I walk you to your bedroom.”

“I can—”

“I know you can. Just let me help. Then I’ll lock the door as I leave.”

“Fine!”

They walked to her bedroom in silence. He pulled down the covers, then covered her up as she settled in the bed. As he turned away, she saw him pause by her dresser.

“What is it?” she demanded as he picked something up and looked at it. Frantically, she tried to think what he could’ve found. Whatever it was, he put it back in the ceramic bowl where he’d found it and told her good-night. The minute he’d left her bedroom, she knew what he’d found.

A black stud from a tuxedo—ripped from Hunter the night they’d made love. The one thing she’d found of Hunter’s the next morning.

And treasured. The one sign that what she’d experienced hadn’t been a figment of her imagination.

Even if he had left her.

Chapter Twelve

Hunter left Bri’s condo with a smile on his face. For the first time, Bri had admitted the girls were his daughters. She’d given it away when she’d threatened to tell everyone he’d abandoned her.

He was coming to know Bri better, and he was pretty sure she told the truth. Except to him.

When he’d seen the tuxedo stud, he knew it was the one he’d been unable to find the morning he’d left her room. And she’d kept it. And she’d said the father of her babies had abandoned her when she’d wanted him to love her.

She wanted him to love her.

He was willing. But he was pretty sure she couldn’t handle any pressure about her life right now. It was taking a lot of work on his part to keep her blood pressure from rising too high. The best thing he could do now was to take care of her and the girls. Later, when they were safely born, he’d woo her, convince her he hadn’t left her.

The last thing he’d wanted was to lose her. He climbed into his SUV and looked up at her windows, dark now so she could sleep. If he was lucky, he’d get his cake and eat it, too. He’d have Bri to love and three little girls to complete his life. All he had to do was wait.

THE NEXT MORNING, the tenth of December, Bri got to work early. The hospital opening had occurred before Hunter had arrived. She hadn’t wanted Christmas decorations up until after the opening.

Today they would be hanging two angels in maroon robes with golden halos on their heads, playing their horns, in the huge windows of the lobby. The angels would be seen both from inside and outside the hospital.

At the other end of the lobby, there would be a huge Christmas tree, a real one. The fragrant scent of pine would fill the air. Twinkling white lights would cover the tree, as well as oversized ornaments.

All the departments would get a regular-sized artificial tree. Though Bri hated to use the artificial ones, she did because some patients might be allergic to the smell of real evergreens. The staff members would decorate their trees. Overnight, the entire hospital was going to be festive.

She loved Christmas.

“Bri, nice job,” April called as she crossed the lobby at eight. “I wondered when we would have decorations.”

“I wanted to wait until after the opening. By then it was hard to get on the schedule,” Bri explained.

“This is perfect. We’ll have at least a couple of weeks to enjoy them. How’d your checkup go yesterday?”

“Fine,” Bri said, thinking that at least here was one person Hunter hadn’t called. “Abby says the girls are in good shape if we have to deliver any time soon, but late January is still the expected delivery.”

“Great. I heard we got several more patients in the hospital last night. Let’s go to the cafeteria and have some breakfast, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Did Hunter put you up to this?”

She regretted her question when April looked at her with surprise.

“No. I didn’t eat breakfast. All I could think about all the way here were those cinnamon rolls Sam makes. Don’t you love them?”

With a sigh, Bri agreed. “Yeah. Let me tell the guys where I’ll be if they run into any problems.” She consulted the workers and then followed April to the cafeteria.

Soon she was indulging in a cup of hot tea and a big cinnamon bun, warmed to just the right temperature. “I’d worry about the calories, but Hunter is encouraging me to eat more.”

“Wow! That’s my kind of doctor. I thought Abby was your ob-gyn, though.”

“Uh, yeah. Dr. Callaghan is a hands-on supervisor.”

“I see.” After taking a bite, April looked at her friend. “There are a lot of rumors circling the wing.”

“About what?” Bri asked cautiously.

“About you and Dr. Callaghan.”

Bri chewed deliberately on her bite of cinnamon bun, giving herself time to answer. “Don’t believe anything you hear. People make things up,” she said with a big smile.

The level of noise in the room mounted, and they both turned around to see what had caused the uproar. Two men brought in big boxes and began putting together the artificial Christmas tree for the cafeteria. It was bigger than most of the trees because the room was so large.

“I guess everyone’s pleased about the decorations,” Bri said, delighted to change the conversational topic.

“Yeah, some of them thought we wouldn’t have Christmas decorations this first year, since we had the big opening.”

“Oh, no! I should’ve said something. That didn’t occur to me. I just didn’t want them up until after the opening, that’s all.”

“I know. But it’s going to lift the spirits of everyone. And having the new patients will, too.”

“You haven’t told me about them.”

“One lady is having twins, but her blood pressure got too high. Her doctor thought she would carry them longer if she remained in bed.”

“Oh,” Bri groaned. She hoped that didn’t happen to her.

“The other is a teenager. She’d been living at a boardinghouse nearby. Dr. Beaumont got her on the approved list for a charity case and they moved her in last night. She’s only a little over six months and she’s carrying quadruplets. I’ve heard they’re small. She didn’t get any prenatal care until she saw Dr. Beaumont a couple of days ago.”

Bri shuddered. “That’s terrible. I hope the babies make it.”

“Yeah, I think they said she’s twenty-six weeks, so she’s three or four weeks behind you.”

“Well, I’d better finish my breakfast and get upstairs. I’ll want to be sure they have everything they need for both patients. But I’ll stop and check on the twins we already have in the nursery. Aren’t they sweet?” Bri asked.

“They’re terrific, and already gaining weight. I think they and their mom will go home tomorrow,” April said. “Our first successful multiple birth for the wing.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later.”

After checking on the twins and stopping in their mother’s room to see if she had any complaints, Bri went back to the lobby to make sure everything was progressing as it should.

The foreman came over to speak with her. “Ms. McCallum, the new head doctor wanted us to add a banner that says Peace on Earth beneath the angels. We have a really nice one with gold-leaf trim that looks as if it’s on a roll, but it will cost an extra five hundred. He said to ask you about the expense.”

The budget was tight, but she decided to grant Hunter’s request. Everyone was so excited about the decorations. It made her feel guilty that she hadn’t let them know they would have Christmas decorations before now.

“All right, that will be fine. Just add it to our bill.”

“Great. It will look real nice.”

“I’m sure it will.”

On the way to her office, she was humming “Silent Night” beneath her breath. She stopped by Hunter’s office and told Helen to assure Dr. Callaghan they were adding Peace on Earth. “He’ll know what I mean, Helen.”

“Is that Bri?” Hunter called from his office.

“Maybe you’d better tell him yourself, Bri. He’ll be upset if you try to avoid him.”

Bri raised her eyebrows, unused to not being obeyed by the employees, but she guessed Helen didn’t want to be caught between the two of them. She crossed over to Hunter’s door. “Yes, it’s me. I just wanted to tell you that we’re adding Peace on Earth.”

“Good. I think that will be a nice touch.”

“Thank you for leaving the decision up to me.”

He grinned. “No problem. You heard about our two new patients?”

“Yes, I’m checking with their doctors to see if they have everything they need. I suspect the teenager might need a few things.”

“Can we provide them?”

“It will get done,” she said, not mentioning that the money might come out of her own pocket. She was fortunate to have the funds to live as she wanted. She liked to help those who couldn’t.

“If you need a donation, let me know.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Oh, and Bri? Nice working with you.”

He was right. This was the first time they’d both wanted the same thing. And it was nice. She gave him a smile and slipped away.

After calls to the two doctors of the new patients, Bri went back downstairs to visit with the teenager, Jenny Barrows. As she’d expected, the girl had almost nothing in the way of personal supplies. Afterward, Bri talked to the nurses.

“She didn’t bring much with her. We put her in a hospital gown because she didn’t have anything but a T-shirt.”

“And she has no family,” the second nurse added.

“All right. We’ll see if we can help her out a little,” Bri said.

Both nurses relaxed. “Thanks, Bri. That’s great.”

She returned to her office. “Lisa, we’re going shopping. Switch the phones to voice mail because we’ll be gone a while.”

An hour later, they returned from one of the large economy stores, with several bags. “Why don’t you take off the price tags and go introduce yourself to Jenny, our new patient, and tell her these things are hers to keep.”

“But Bri, you should take them. You bought them.”

“The charity fund bought them. I’ll fill in an expense-account form for the money. Besides, I need to check all the departments to be sure the trees are taken care of.”

“But I could do that and save you some—”

“Just do as I ask, Lisa,” she said quietly. “I’m going to eat lunch before I check the departments, so it will be a while before I get back.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll switch the phones back on as soon as I return.”

“Good.”

After Lisa left, Bri drew a deep breath, then headed to the cafeteria. She was tired from the shopping expedition, which probably explained why she didn’t shop anymore.

After she’d chosen her meal, she turned around to look for an empty table. She found one near the windows and sat down with a sigh. No question about her appetite today.

“Mind if I join you?” a male voice asked.

“Uh, I don’t mind, but it would be better if you don’t. There’s a lot of gossip already,” she told Hunter, giving him a quick glance and then staring at her plate.

“I told you not to pay any attention to gossip,” he said lightly, sliding his tray onto the table beside her.

Bri was concerned about the thrill that seemed to flow through her. She mustn’t let her hormones dictate her behavior. She had to think of the girls. And her weak resistance when it came to Hunter. She was as hard as whipped cream when it came to Hunter. Then she caught sight of Annabelle just leaving the cash register. She waved to get her friend’s attention.

“You don’t mind if my friend joins us, do you?” Bri asked, staring at Hunter.

“Of course not. I’m hoping to get familiar with all the staff.”

Annabelle reached the table.

“Join us, Annabelle,” Bri said at once, pleading with her eyes.

“Of course, if Dr. Callaghan doesn’t mind.” Annabelle kept looking from one to the other as she sat down after Hunter’s assurance that she was welcome.