Christmas Babies (3 page)

Silence drifted between them as
he drove. His lungs swelled with a happy feeling. She’d given him the best
congratulation present he’d ever received. As they approached the bar he tossed
her a glance and froze.

Her hands clenched in her lap.
Shoulders slumped and lips slightly parted, she stared straight ahead. A frown
wrinkled her forehead and her foot tapped the floor of the car. Why?

Was she back to her old self?

He stopped the car. “Madelyn,
thank you for a great evening.”

She immediately smiled and opened
her door. “Thank you, I had a blast.” She bent and brushed her lips over his,
and strode toward her car before he could recover from his surprise.

He wanted to run after her, take
her in his arms and ask her—

Ask her what?

His fingers clutching his steering
wheel, he waited for her to enter her car and pull away.

Would they ever share a similar
evening again?

Chapter Two

As soon as she entered her
apartment, Madelyn kicked off her high-heels and wiggled her toes. Without
turning the lights on, she padded to her bedroom, the fancy sandals dangling
from her hand. The city nightlights and the moon glow poured in through the
wall-to-walls bay windows and bathed the quiet room with a hazy light that
soothed her overwrought nerves.

Keeping up the pretense of a fun
evening had mentally exhausted her. She slid down the mini-dress that was so
not
her
, and hung it in the remote corner of her closet, quite
determined to never wear it again.

The feel of a cotton nightie
refreshed her overheated skin and put things back in the right perspective.
Be
fair, you had a good time with Nick
. For a few hours she’d forgotten about
her recent health problems and really enjoyed being held in his arms. Even
though the man was a confirmed bachelor, tonight he’d made her feel special,
cherished, protected.

A snort escaped her.
Sickening.

Dr. Madelyn Ramsey didn’t need
anyone’s protection—especially one coming from the most famous womanizer who’d
ever dwelt in St. Lucy’s Hospital. Her jaw tightened in a death grip.
Forget
Nick
. She’d better disregard this whole evening. It had been nothing more
than a sedative to alleviate the hurt inflicted by the life sentence she’d
received in the afternoon.

Resolutely, she crossed her
living room to settle for fifteen minutes in a lounge chair on her balcony and
look at the ocean as she did every night. A fantastic therapy guaranteed to
relax her after a long day at the hospital. When she reached the glass door, a
continuous beep attracted her attention. Her answering machine.

Darn, she hadn’t called her
mother today. Madelyn entered her office and scowled at the blinking light.
Good God, eight messages. Guilt flooded her. She pressed the play button. Sure
enough, the first call at 7:30 pm was from her mother. “Still at the hospital? Honey,
you really work too hard. Call me when you come home.”

The second call followed at 8:00
pm. “Maddy, you’re still working? But you were on call last night. They’re
going to kill you in that damn place.”

Mom’s concern and exasperation
escalated with her third and fourth calls, and sent Madelyn on a guilt trip.
Biting her lip, she clicked on the fifth call. “Maddy sweetheart, I’m worried
sick.” A few sniffles interrupted her mother’s trembling voice. “Darling, you
promised you’d call every day when you’re not on duty. I tried to reach you at
the hospital. They said you left. Why did you have to join that damn medical
school?” Mom’s tone gained strength. “I should have insisted you marry Bert who
adored you, and—”

And stay on the farm with Bert
.
With a brisk tap, Madelyn ended her mother’s rattling. She’d heard it often
enough in the past. Was it any wonder that she’d left Kentucky and held on her
independence with both hands?

The next message was from
Heather. “For heaven’s sake, Maddy, call Mom. You’re going to give her a heart
attack. She’s calling me every ten minutes to cry and curse your job at the
hospital. Why couldn’t you have married Jeff’s brother and lived happily ever
after on the big family farm as I did with Jeff? You could have had four kids
like us by now. Anyway
call
Mom.”

“Heather, mind your own business
and enjoy your farm,” Madelyn snapped at the answering machine. Pain pinched
her insides at the mention of four kids. She’d made her decision ten years ago
and never regretted it.

Until now?
Regrets, Dr. Ramsay
?

No, not even now. Nothing could
replace the thrill of saving babies. Certainly not Bert Bollin and his farm.

Madelyn groaned and skipped
Heather’s second call to take the next message. Her scowl relaxed as she
recognized her sister Roxanne’s voice.

Roxy rarely called. “Hi sis,
apparently you sent Mom into a temporary nervous breakdown. Imagine she
complained even to me. You better warn her once and for all that you’re too
busy to call her more than twice a month, otherwise she’ll drive you insane
with her over protectiveness. Been there. I know what I’m talking about. I wish
you were out partying, wearing the pretty dress I gave you, rather than
working. Having said that, let me add that if you have a problem and want to
talk, don’t feel shy about ringing. Bye.”

“Oh Roxy, thanks for the support.
And for the advice.”

Reaching for her cell phone,
Madelyn texted her mother. “Mom, I’m fine. Very, very busy with a patient.
Desperate medical case. Can’t talk now. Will call next week. Love you.”

A sigh of relief escaped her. Now
she needed her fifteen minutes on the balcony. But the reflection of the moon
in the ocean and the hum of the waves didn’t appease her. A scent of algae
wafted with the breeze and brought back happy memories, unwelcome at the
moment.

How could she perform the medical
procedures necessary to save premature babies? On the other hand, how could she
give up her career and stop practicing?

Wetness tickled her eyes. No one
could see her here in the darkness and the privacy of her eighteenth floor
condo. She didn’t try to suppress her sorrow and let the tears roll down her
cheeks. A moment later, her sobs dwindled and then ceased. She thought about
her dad and his strength of character when cancer ravaged him. He kept working,
“As long as I can move my legs and arms,” as he said.

She’d take her medicine and hope
things would improve, or at least wouldn’t deteriorate. And she’d party, with
Nick, or Greg, or anyone from the hospital, and catch up on the fun she’d
missed all these years. It had helped tonight. It might help again.

****

Instant silence greeted Madelyn
at the nurses’ station of the Children’s floor. All heads swiveled toward her,
some with inquisitive frowns, others with subtle smiles. All waiting. Hailey,
the nurse on duty, added a shiny Christmas ball to the small tree sitting on
the reception desk. Well, she’d let them stew in their curiosity.

“Good morning. Hailey, I’ll be in
Delivery till noon.” Determined to avoid questions, Madelyn grabbed the sign-in
clip board.

“Well, just like that,” the young
nurse blurted and flapped both hands on the reception desk. “I mean, after what
happened last night, you can’t go back to the usual routine.”

Madelyn slowly raised her head to
offer her a cold stare. “Excuse me?”

“Uh, I’m sorry.” Hailey’s head
slumped into her shoulders. “I didn’t mean...”

“Come on, Madelyn,” Greg
intervened. “The whole clinic is wondering if you’re going to continue to be
the fun person we discovered last night. Or if you’re reverting to that strict
Dr. Ramsay who talks only about work.”

Madelyn couldn’t help the quirk
of her lips. “Why do I have the feeling you were taking bets?”

Uncomfortable at best, Greg
cleared his throat. “Actually—”

“I’m very flattered by your
interest. So let me reassure you. Yes, I plan to continue, or rather start
having fun. After hospital hours. Are you satisfied?”

A whoosh of relief answered her
and above the din, Nick’s voice reached her. “Very satisfied.” His deep voice
stirred a pleasant memory of their past evening, their dance together. A smile
slid onto her lips.

She spun to face him. “Nick.” The
man radiated charisma. How did he manage to be so bright and gorgeous at eight
in the morning, after a night of partying?

He’d quietly arrived while she
debated how to handle the staff’s curiosity. “I was wondering if you enjoyed
your evening.” His gaze riveted on her.

“Very much,” she answered with
the same tone. “Thank you. Now we have to work. Right, boss?”

“Please, don’t call me that. Not
you.”

A snort escaped her. Who knew how
long she’d be able to work for him? She’d taken her first pill last night
before the party, another at bedtime and one this morning. Would three pills be
sufficient to control her hands’ tremor and more importantly to prevent a
seizure?

“Madelyn? You’re not here.” Nick
observed her with concern.

“Just sorting the morning
schedule in my mind.” She tilted her chin in that haughty way she often used to
end an annoying conversation. “See you in Delivery.”

“Not right away. Your first is
with Greg. I’m on my way to a hysterectomy.”

As she reached the door, he held
her elbow, and they sprinted down the hallway. “Relax,” he urged after they
exited the crowded lobby. “Having fun is supposed to be
fun
.” He
chortled at his own words. “I’ve never seen you so nervous.”

She shrugged and sighed. “I guess
you’re right.”

“I can show you how to relax.” He
captured her gaze and she feared he might read her confusion, her anxiety and
more.

“Yes, I count on you.” Anything
to get rid of him now before her mask cracked and self-pity engulfed her. She
offered him a smile to reassure him and rushed to the Delivery Department.

In the prep room, she covered her
head with a cap and tied a mask around her neck.

“Ready?” Sandra Morelli, the
pediatric head nurse asked.

“Almost.” Madelyn scrubbed at the
sink and allowed Sandra to gown her.

“When you left the clinic in the
afternoon you were still your usual self, but when you arrived at the bar you’d
metamorphosed into a different person. Pardon my curiosity, Maddy. What prompted
you to change so radically in the span of two hours?”

Empty words wouldn’t fool Sandra.
They’d attended high school and premed together. Sandra’s father’s sudden heart
attack had killed him at a young age and smashed his daughter’s dream of medical
school. Instead she’d worked at night to pay her way through nursing school.

Madelyn needed a substantial
reason to explain her new attitude. Some half-truth that Sandra wouldn’t be
able to brush off with a cautious look and a meticulous questionnaire.

“A phone call from Roxy and a
thorough lecture about wasting my youth. I finally agreed that being a good
doctor shouldn’t preclude enjoying my after-work hours. Shall we go?”

“Yes.” Sandra frowned, not
totally convinced. “Hmm. Anyway, the anesthesiologist is here and Greg should
be arriving any minute.”

Saved by a delivery. Madelyn
adjusted her mask over her face to hide her smile and entered the OR. Already
prepped by the nurses, the patient moaned when the anesthesiologist turned her
to her side and injected her with the epidural anesthetic. Greg proceeded with
the c-section and extracted a baby boy from the protruding belly.

Comfortable in her own skills and
reassured that her medicine should suppress her symptoms, Madelyn reached for
the blue-tinged baby and performed the resuscitation.

The morning flew at incredible
speed with three more deliveries performed by Greg and two more procedures on
the preemies for Madelyn. By noon, she threw her surgical paraphernalia in the
waste basket and strolled toward the elevator. A huge sigh of relief escaped
her. The morning deliveries had gone without difficulty. At least on her part.
Blessed be her little pills. Maybe she could continue to practice without
anyone noticing her problem.

Eager to eat a bite and take her
noon pill, she headed to the hallway leading to her office. Nick stormed out of
a side corridor and ordered, “Madelyn, go scrub. Emergency delivery in OR1.
Toxemic patient with twins.
Stat
.” He passed her and sprinted down to
OR1.

Rooted in place, Madelyn stared
at his back. Good Lord, she had a pill to take.
Stat
. And she couldn’t
swallow it on an empty stomach. “Nick,” she called. “Take Dr. Raynes.”

He spun. “Kathy’s off until 4 pm.
That’s why she indulged in so much drink last night.” A frown etched his
forehead and his tone hardened. “Three lives are in the balance. Do I need to
say more?”

“I’m coming.” As if she had a
choice. She backtracked along the corridor.

Nick waited for her. “What’s
wrong?” Adjusting his pace to hers, he marched beside her.

“Nothing. I thought Kathy was
here. I had a full morning of deliveries.”

“So?” His eyebrows arched and
then his eyes squinted. He looked at her as if she’d grown horns. “Since when
had a full morning stopped you from working afternoon, evening and night?”

To be honest, she’d have stared
the same way two days ago if anybody had dared suggest she couldn’t work a
twenty-four hour shift without a break.

“Forget it, please. Part of my
new plans. To have more breaks.”

His scowl relaxed. “What a pity.
Just when you finally decide to take it easy, I’m the one who stresses you
out.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry. But what can we do?
We’re doctors before all else.”

“Of course. Don’t worry about me.
I’m fine.” Easing out of his arm, she opened the prep room and readied herself.
The staccato beats of her heart reminded her of her first day in surgery as a
young intern. Eager but shaking at the thought she might fail. Why hadn’t she
kept a pill in her scrubs’ pocket?