Christmas Babies (9 page)

“Thank you, Nick. But there’s
something you should know.” She bit her lips, and shook her head.

He decided to help her and
extracted the bottle from his pocket. “This.” He turned his palm up, showing
her the medicine.

“You found it. So you know.” Her
eyes shone with tears she tried to suppress—tears that undid him.

He drew her into his arms.
“Darling, why didn’t you tell me? We could have worked it out together.” With
gentle hands, he stroked her hair, hating to see the independent Madelyn
defeated.

She sobbed against his shoulder.
“I couldn’t. I had trouble accepting it myself. And now, even this dose is not
enough. How can I function in the delivery room or the NICU? How can I hold a
baby?” The despair in her voice speared him. He pulled a tissue from the box on
her desk and wiped her eyes.

“Sit down. Let’s talk about it. I
saw on the prescription bottle Shawn Lu is your neurologist. He’s good but too
far from here.”

“I didn’t want anyone to know.”

“I understand. How about Carl
Graddy from Broward General? You can see him in his office. He can work with
Lu. Not many people know you in that hospital.”

“I don’t care anymore since I’ll
stop practicing.”

“You won’t stop. Let’s not jump to
conclusions yet.” He held her hand and squeezed it, hoping she’d let him help
her. “You discovered it recently according to the date on this bottle. How did
it start?”

“I had tingles in my hands and my
feet several times for weeks. I tried to ignore them, thinking it was stress.
Then one morning, I got up of bed, felt dizzy, lay down, and stared into space.
I had an absence seizure. That’s when I made an appointment with Shawn and had
tests.”

“What did he say today?”

“He said I was under too much
stress and he adjusted the dose. Actually same dose but four times a day. And
he insists I have to relax.” She sighed and raised her chin. “Nick, you’re the
director. I can’t impose on you. If your patients hear about my case, they can
sue you.”

“Don’t worry about my patients.” He
smiled to reassure her. How like Madelyn to decide and try to control, even
when she was the one in need of help. “First we’ll cut your schedule by half to
decrease the stress.”

“You mean I’ll work part-time?”
Her tone showed her interest and her eyes sparkled with hope.

“Yes, part-time in OR. We’ll call
you only for the difficult cases where we need your expertise. Sandra will
closely assist you as she did the last ten days. You’ll also train our three
new residents and help them acquire your expert skills. I want you to have more
time to sleep and relax. You’ll keep your rounds in the nursery and the NICU.
There you can examine the babies without carrying them.”

 Tears moistened her lashes. She
blinked several times. “You sure you want to take a chance on me? It’s a risk.”

“I’ll take a chance on you
anytime, Madelyn.” He brushed his lips over her cheek. “For my patients’ sake,
and yours, you’ll keep me informed of any improvement or relapse of your condition.
On a daily basis,” he insisted.

“Yes, of course. And you’ll let
me know if you change your mind and prefer to have me stop coming to the OR.”

 “Agreed. I have one more
question.” He couldn’t help his mischievous grin. “Is your condition the reason
you insisted on
kisses only
?”

She stiffened and frowned. “My
personal life is not part of your jurisdiction, Dr. Preston.”

“My dear Dr. Ramsay, I realize
you shouldn’t become pregnant while taking this medicine and I can promise you
I know how to—”

“Stop it. I’m not ready to
discuss this.”

“Sorry, Madelyn.” He raised both
hands in apology. Wrong time to joke when she was hypersensitive about her
health problems. “Are you ready to leave?”

She nodded. “I’ll be at your
place in half an hour if you still want me.”

Boy did he want her, but he’d
abide by her rules even if it killed him.

****

“Wow, you’ve barely moved in and
you’ve already set up your Christmas tree.” Mesmerized by the splendid
evergreen that reached the ceiling, Madelyn froze in her tracks. A poinsettia
pot forgotten in her arms, she stared at the magnificent display of red balls incrusted
with gold decorating every branch.

“You like it?” Nick smiled,
pleased by her reaction.

“It’s so beautiful.” She handed
him the plant. “I brought you this to cheer your new home. But I can see you
don’t need it.”

“Ah, but I love it, because it comes
from you.” He took the pot and set it on the marble floor at the base of the
tree.

“When did you have time to do all
this?” She walked closer to the tree to admire it.

“I bought the tree yesterday, and
spent the night decorating it. I wanted to have it in the apartment before you
visit.”

He was so sweet. She felt sorry
for doubting him. “Thank you, Nick. The red lamps are gorgeous. A work of art.
And the yellow porcelain frames hanging between them. What a great idea. I’ve
never seen the like of them. Are these family pictures?”

“Yes, special pictures of me
growing up, family portraits at various Christmases.” His arms crossed over his
chest, he contemplated his tree with pride and sadness. “All the decorations belonged
to my mother. I brought them here with some of her furniture. The rest is still
in the big house. Christmas was the only time I had a family. I wanted to
recapture the feeling.”

“The famous Christmas tree of
Anne Lee Meyer. I remember seeing a picture of it in a magazine.” Madelyn
examined every picture, glad to have a glimpse of Nick as a little boy. As cute
as she imagined. “Your graduation?”

“From high school. The last
picture we had together.”

To distract him from his
difficult memories she turned around and surveyed the living room. “I’m glad
you rented this condo. The furniture enhances the setting.”

A mix of elegant modern sofas,
loveseats and tables, highlighted by the Queen Ann dining room table and
antique crystal chandelier. She was no expert, but could swear every piece must
have cost a fortune—a testament to the famous actress’s good taste.

“I’ll show you the other rooms.”

In the bedroom, the large bay
windows had view on the high rises of downtown Fort Lauderdale, all lit at
night, like a decorated map. “Fabulous.” An artistically crafted, cherry wood
king-sized bed, matching night tables and dresser occupied the large room.

Without lingering, she proceeded
to the other two rooms, a guest room with two beds and an office where Nick
admitted he’d spend most of his time working on his computer.

Everywhere oriental rugs enhanced
the elegant mood and mirrors reflected the sight of the ocean. “Gorgeous. I
don’t think you need help organizing things around.”

“But I do. I have a few frames
I’m not sure where to hang.”

He showed her the signed paintings
and they discussed the best place to showcase them. When he was done nailing
them on various walls, she settled on the sofa and he went to the kitchen. “I
ordered the pizza. Here is lemonade for both of us. I made it from fresh
lemons.”

He placed a tray loaded with a
pitcher and two glasses on the cocktail table and poured the refreshing drink.

 “Delicious.” She sipped more and
licked her lips. He hadn’t tried to bring beer or any alcoholic drink for
himself. Mom would say,
he’s a keeper.
Good thing her mother was not
here and would never meet Nick.

“If you want, I can help you
decorate your tree,” he suggested as he sat beside her.

She chuckled. “My tree is no big
deal. Only two-foot high with a string of small lamps I never remove. I just
take it out of its box and set it on a table.” Embarrassed by her lack of
Christmas spirit, she explained, “I’m usually not here for the holiday. We all
spend Christmas Eve at Heather’s on the farm and give the boys their gifts. On
Christmas Day we gather at my mom’s big house and I spend a week with her and
my sisters.”

He frowned. “When are you
leaving?”

“I’m not going this year. Not exactly
in the mood.” Darn, she couldn’t cope with the laughter and the fun. A shrug
summarized her feelings.

“Understandable. You’d have to
deal with too many questions if they notice your lack of enthusiasm.”

“Also seeing Heather’s family is
going to...” She lowered her head. “I love my little nephews, but this year...”
She sighed and shook her head. “I signed up to be on call. Someone else may
need the time off more than I do.”

“Great.” Nick beamed. “We’ll both
be on call and we’ll celebrate at the hospital. I never go anywhere at
Christmas since I started college.”

Amazing how he understood her.

And how she wanted to kiss him
and feel safe in his arms.

Careful, Dr. Ramsay. Don’t
push your luck
. She was in his apartment and would better not play with
fire. Thank God, the doorbell chimed announcing the pizza guy.

Nick put the large box in the
middle of the table and brought two plates and silver.

“Dinner is served, Dr. Ramsay.”

She joined him and sat facing the
ocean. “You’re all settled. As if you moved a month ago.”

“I brought over some of the boxes
myself last week and the movers carried the heavy stuff in yesterday.” He
opened the pizza box and served them. “Will you say grace please?”

Surprised, she recited the
blessing, and added, “Lord, bless Nick’s new apartment and make it a place of
happiness.”

“Amen. Thank you for good neighbors.”

After the pizza, he served grapes
and watermelon. Later he checked his watch. “Nine already. Tomorrow, we have a
scheduled c-section. I count on you,” he added with a knowing look.

“I’ll be there. With Sandra.”

“We’ll have two residents for you
to train as you do your procedures,” he announced with his calm professional
tone.

“Perfect. I don’t know how to
thank you.”

 “Take a guess.” She chuckled and
he sighed. “Why don’t I walk you home?”

“You’re really taking good care
of me. A healthy dinner with soft drinks and fruits. Now you’re sending me to
bed early.”

“Don’t tempt me, Madelyn. You
know I’d love to keep you here much later, even all night to inaugurate my new
apartment. But we decided to behave. So off we go.”

A blush warmed her face. “Thank
you, Nick, for a lovely dinner and for pampering me.” Yes, he was a keeper,
paying so much attention to her health and indulging her demands. She picked up
her plates and took them to the kitchen. He followed her with the rest.

“Hey, if you want to thank me, do
it with a kiss.” He didn’t wait for her to comply, and drew her in his arms for
a passionate kiss that singed her to the bones and left them breathless.

“Out of here. Right away,” he
said with a husky voice and pushed her to the door.

Silence hovered in the elevator
during the four-story ride to her condo. Her pulse racing, she stared at her
shoes, well-aware of his heavy breathing. How long could their strange
friendship last? Yet, she longed for him to kiss her again.

They exited the elevator and
strolled to her apartment. Behind them a door opened. “Hello Madelyn.” They
both spun at the male voice.

“Bert.” She’d forgotten he was
coming to see his aunt. Mrs. Fontana stood behind him. With tremendous effort,
Madelyn collected her thoughts. “Glad to see you. Welcome to Florida.” She’d
never lied so blatantly.

“I came last night. I want to
talk to you, Madelyn.”

“Uh. Now?”
Bad timing
,
Bert
.
The worst, when she wanted to be alone with Nick for another sweet moment.

“Hi, Dr. Preston, this is my
nephew, Bert Bollin,” the old lady said, pride oozing from her voice.

Reminded that she’d forgotten to
introduce the two men, Madelyn huffed. “Bert, Dr. Nick Preston is the director
of the Women’s Clinic where I practice.”

“Nice meeting you, doctor,” Bert
said with his kind voice.

Nick shook his outstretched hand
but didn’t relax his scowl. Drat, what should she do now? Invite Bert and his
aunt to her place?

“Madelyn, I have big news to
share. I’m getting married next June.”

“Really?” She almost exhaled in
relief. “Congratulations. Why don’t you both come in to celebrate with a drink?”

“It’s a bit late for me,” Mrs. Fontana
said. “But what the heck. It’s not every day that our Bert announces his
engagement. You waited long enough, dear boy. A man can’t stay without a wife
and children forever.”

Madelyn’s hand froze on her key.
Bert had given up waiting for her. Would Nick reach the same point soon and
turn his back?

“My fiancée is a friend of your
sister. I met her at Heather and Jeff’s house during a party.”

“What’s her name?” Madelyn
managed to open her door.

“Carol Smith. I don’t think you
know her. A very nice girl. She wants to start a family right away.”

“Wonderful. So glad for you.” She
was sincerely pleased that Bert had a young woman to love and marry, but she wished
they’d stop babbling about children, a subject too sensitive for her rattled
nerves. “Nick, please, can you open a bottle of champagne? There’s one in the
fridge. And the flutes are on the top shelf of this cabinet.”

Too late, she noticed Maria Fontana’s
scowl and pinched lips as she peered at Nick. Madelyn had given the old lady
the wrong impression by asking Nick to handle the drinks.

Close to her ear, Nick whispered,
“Relax. Who cares about her opinion?” He took the chilled bottle, poured the
bubbling liquid in the crystal flutes, and handed them around. Taking control
of the situation, he raised his glass. “To your happiness, Bert.” The way he
said it, one could swear the two men had been long-time friends.

Madelyn almost shrugged but added
her best wishes. “May you and Carol have many happy years together.”