Babies in the Bargain (5 page)

Holly raised her head toward the obstetrician. “I wish we had more like this one. A healthy baby. Nine pounds and so cute.”

Marc stared at the way she cuddled the baby against her breasts, as if he were her own. He thought about his nephew. Somehow, he knew in his heart that Holly would take good care of the orphaned preemie until he came back from Puerto Rico. And then... He had to make a decision about Paulito’s care. Fast.         

Halsdale’s voice brought him back to the story. “Terry felt in harmony with nature, which may be fine for a naturalist, but she chose a dangerous area of cliffs and rapids to do it.”

“Is she nuts?” Marc couldn’t help exclaiming. Lydia had worried herself sick for the child she carried.

“I’ve been wondering if she was on drugs,” Halsdale said while pulling out the placenta. “I’ve already requested a psychiatric evaluation.”

“And I’ll request a urine analysis to see if the baby has a trace of drugs in his system.” Holly’s gaze dropped to the baby she cradled. “Although he looks healthy, you just never know.”

“Child Protective Services may have to get involved to decide if she can keep her child.” Halsdale continued to suture the mother. “To love him is not enough. She needs to care for him the right way. Not
her
way. Trust me, with three daughters, and eight grandchildren, I know what I’m talking about. Selfish love is no love.”

Marc swallowed hard, absorbing the lesson. Could he love his nephew the right way, without selfishness? The way Carlos would have done?

“I’m finished here,” Halsdale said. “But I want Terry under observation until the psychiatrist arrives. Holly, keep the baby in the nursery and out of her reach.”

Marc disconnected the tubes and monitor but left the IV line in Terry’s arm. “She’ll sleep another hour at least.” The nurses moved the patient to a gurney and wheeled her to Recovery.

Holly hadn’t let the baby out of her arms, as if she was trying to shield him from an uncertain future. Marc frowned. His thoughts flew to another baby, his tiny nephew who slept in the NICU without a father and mother to protect him and guard his future.

Marc couldn’t create a mother or a normal family for his nephew and he was certainly not father material. He scowled at the newborn while pondering his own dilemma.

The truck that had smashed into his brother’s car and taken two lives had also shattered Marc’s carefree lifestyle forever. He could see his daily schedule mapped in front of him, structured around a baby. No more weekend vacations on the spur of the moment or even incredibly long hours at the hospital to save patients or work on research.

Halsdale had talked about
unselfish love
.

An arrow of remorse pricked Marc’s heart as the word
selfish
echoed in his ears. He couldn’t take Paulito to be raised in San Juan. It would be like abandoning him and denying Carlos’s wish for his son to be raised in the U.S.

Unselfish love
.

As he fixed his eyes on Holly and her little charge, Marc silently pledged to adopt his nephew. He sucked in a deep breath, praying things would work out—hoping Holly, his sweet Holly from before, would agree to help him.

A subtle pain needled his chest. How could he ask her to help after he’d gone out of his way to make her forget him?

He hadn’t had a choice then because of his family, and he didn’t have a choice now. Because of Paulito.

Things had to work out.
Dios
, he would transform himself into a dedicated, loving father and raise Paulito the way Carlos would have wanted. No matter what it took.        

CHAPTER FOUR

On her way to the fellows’ office, Holly realized she’d forgotten to tell Marc that Paulito’s fever had dropped. She strode back down the hallway and took the elevator to the seventh floor where the attending physicians had their offices.

She knocked on Marc’s door, a shy tapping she hardly heard herself. Why hesitate? She only wanted to reassure him about his nephew, but coming twice to his office within a few hours was too much. Especially after she’d tried to quarantine herself from him for five long weeks.

And now she was seeking him.

Professionally. Only professionally.

She sucked in a deep breath and fisted her hand to knock again. The door opened before her knuckles connected with the wood.

“Holly? Come in.”

“I just wanted to tell you Paulito’s fever has dropped.” She delivered her message in a quick, steady voice from the threshold, without looking at him. Rooted to the floor, she debated whether to enter or not.

 “Good. I’m glad he’s already started to improve. I was about to go to the NICU to give you some papers concerning the baby. The birth certificate and a power of attorney. Just in case. Please, have a seat.”

He was calm, controlled just as she expected he’d be. She relaxed, followed him inside and slipped into the only chair in the small room. He sifted through the papers strewn across his desk then tucked some sheets into a folder and handed it to her.

“I’ll keep them in a safe place.” She nodded, pleased that he finally sought her help in a tangible way.

“Holly, is the baby going to be too much work? Additional responsibilities?”

She shrugged. Since when did she worry about responsibility or work? She was used to tackling heavy workloads. “I can handle it.”

“Thank you. I’ll call often to check if you need anything.”

She froze, suddenly aware this baby would create an unwelcome bond between her and his uncle. “Uh-ho...No need. It’s expensive all the way from Puerto Rico to here.”

“Still.” He perched a hip on his desk and leaned forward. His dark eyes bored into her, questioning. “I wonder...I haven’t seen much of you outside the OR since I came back to WCH?”

So, he’d noticed she’d been avoiding him. She tensed and tilted her chin up. “I was swamped, you know, OR, night shifts, my studies.”

He frowned. “I wouldn’t want to burden you with the extra charge of the baby.”

She was making a fine mess with her excuses. “It’s only for a couple of weeks.”

“Are you sure? You never seem to be around at hospital gatherings.” He arched an eyebrow, telling her in no uncertain terms that he’d drill the truth out of her. “How long do you have left on your fellowship?”

Ah, the Board of Neonatology
.

The most important goal of her life. She’d almost forgotten about it in the last twenty-four hours. “Just one year. I’ll take my exams next April, and then—”

“The sky’s the limit. I’ve been there. I can still remember the impatience of the final months before getting my specialization license. I’ll help you.” His stern attitude relaxed as he reached down and squeezed her hand.

“Thanks.” Heat radiated to her throat.
He’d help
?
Or...distract
? She’d rather not tempt fate. She pulled her hand away and realized she’d never had a chance to ask why he came back to D.C. “How come you’re here? Working in sunny Puerto Rico didn’t agree with you?”

“I enjoyed San Juan for a while.”

“Don’t tell me you got fed up with swimming in the Caribbean Sea?” She couldn’t suppress a lopsided grin.

“Of course not. I didn’t have time for the beach. Too many responsibilities at home.”

She frowned, taken aback by his snort.

 “There aren’t enough doctors in San Juan. And too many sick people live in poverty. I worked at the hospital during the day. At night, I ran a free clinic.”

The handsome, perfectly groomed Marc drudging in the slums of Puerto Rico? Was this the same Marc she’d known seven years ago, the heartthrob of the hospital who used to collect sports’ trophies and nurses’ kisses?

“So what brought you to WCH?”

Years ago, their dates had consisted of a few hours stolen out of their busy schedules for a fast-food dinner or a football game, followed by a passionate tumble. No time to waste on useless chats during their time together.

Seven dates.

She grimaced. Cripes, she could still recite the exact days and hours she went out with Marc, hoping she’d be the one he’d meet at the altar eventually. Her jaws clenched painfully. How could she have been so naïve?

“The hospital made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

I bet
. WCH had headhunted for several months for an eminent anesthesiologist. “I’m sure you’ll find the work quite challenging here.”

“I hope so. In addition to a clinical practice and residents’ training, I’ll be able to spend my free time doing research.”

“Free time?” Holly shook her head. “Never heard of it in this place.” Maybe he could teach her how to handle a
thirty-hour
day with a smile on her face. Hmm, on second thought she’d better keep her distance. The
magnetism of his smile
could reach deep into a woman’s heart.

But Marc had lost his legendary smile a few hours ago, that seductive smile that sent her pulse into overdrive. He straightened and moved to sit behind his desk. His gaze dropped to the picture still lying upside down on the desk. He picked it up and stared at it, his face contorting into a mask of pain.

“Carlos and Lydia moved here three years ago. I wanted to be close to them. Carlos was working on a Ph.D. in Engineering. As you know, Lydia was having problems with her pregnancy.” Marc raised his head, the sadness in his eyes grasping at her heart. “I will never forget your kindness toward her.”

“Please, don’t mention it.”

She was extending sympathy and support, and he was offering gratitude. She almost laughed with bitterness. Darn, what happened to healthy feelings of attraction and love?
Not for you, my dear
.
Remember your board exams
.

The picture trembled in his hand. “It’s too late now, anyway.”

“You have...had just one brother?”

“One brother and four sisters. Three married, each with three or four kids, and the youngest one in med school. Abuelita didn’t allow her to leave Puerto Rico. Our mother was killed in a car accident fifteen years ago. Papa survived but remained paralyzed. He died two years ago.” Marc’s eyebrows knitted in a frown as his finger skimmed the happy couple in the picture. “A lot of responsibilities,” he muttered under his breath, his voice hoarse and bitter. “Accidents seem to be the curse of our family.”

“I’m sorry, Marc.” A surge of pity flooded her heart as she stared into his brown, velvet eyes.

Pity? And an unexplainable feeling she wasn’t brave enough to analyze.

She clasped her hands in her lap, afraid she’d try to console Marc again. The wrong way. She trailed her gaze down his straight profile, firm chin, and sensual mouth. He was handsome as sin, even in his sorrow.

A rational inner voice screamed at her to recall her self-control stat. “I have to go to the NICU.” She stood, adjusted her scrubs.

He rose from his chair and came toward her. His Adam’s apple worked in his throat. “Holly, we’re starting a new chapter now.”

Oh, no
. She took a step back and swallowed a gasp. Not a new chapter, not a page, or even a line with Marc, outside work. She squinted at him, but there was no sign of humor in his face. Little lines she’d never noticed before creased the corners of his mouth. “What do you mean?”

“Can we forget the past and start fresh?”

“Start what?”

He raised his hands, palms out. “A good working camaraderie. Maybe an honest friendship between two doctors? We can help each other. What do you say?”

She arched an eyebrow. “I get along well with my colleagues. Even if I don’t get as close to them as you do.”

“Touché,” he said, accepting her sarcasm. “So, you won’t continue your disappearing act when we’re outside the OR?”

She tilted her head, sighed, and immediately smiled to hide her embarrassment. Good colleagues working together in the delivery room was all she’d been able to handle so far. But now, she’d make an effort to socialize. She’d already stopped avoiding him since the accident. “I’ll be around.”

His eyebrows gathered in a scowl, he walked her to the door and paused. “Your sympathy has helped so much.”

Her hand on the knob, she faced him and nodded.

“Thank you, Holly.” Marc gently rubbed his fingers along her jaw. “I appreciate all you’re doing.”

She instinctively pressed her cheek against the long fingers and then jerked away as her face heated, her throat warmed, her pulse raced.

All he needed was a hug from a caring friend. She heaved a deep breath, inhaled his healthy masculine scent and a hint of lemon fragrance, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You’re welcome, Marc. Holler if you need me.”

Marc narrowed his eyes, her last words churning in his guts. “Ah, I need you, all right.” He brought her hard against him.

She threw her head back, eyes wide and turquoise. A bewildered expression spread over her face, but her limpid gaze reflected the same desire that simmered through his blood.

The wrong time, the wrong place, the wrong reason.