Carole Mortimer - Men of Power

Soon Julie heard sounds behind her. When she turned, she discovered Lia had come in the room with a short, middle-aged woman carrying a doctor’s bag. She greeted Massimo warmly, then turned to Julie. After introductions were made, she took the baby from him. Immediately he started crying again.

Julie moved to the end of the crib to watch her take his vital signs. Her heart pounded in fear that something serious might be wrong. Massimo stood next to the doctor, his striking features taut with concern.

While the doctor listened to his lungs, Massimo flashed Julie a glance she didn’t dare examine too closely. He’d been angry earlier. Now this crisis.

“Several things could be responsible for his spike in temperature,” the doctor said, breaking in on Julie’s torturous thoughts. “He could be teething early or he could be coming down with a summer cold. There’s a third possibility.

“Because his fever came on so fast, he could be developing a condition called rosiola, which is very common with infants. They’re grumpy and off their food for a day or two. Watch for a rash.”

“He has one already,” Massimo said before Julie could.

“No, no. This one will cover his trunk and face. But whatever is wrong, it’s not serious.”

“Thank heaven,” Julie cried. Again Massimo eyed her; however, this time relief dominated his expression.

“In all three instances, the treatment is the same. Give him the liquid baby ibuprofen.”

“I brought what Pietra used for him.”

“Good. Follow the directions. Keep him hydrated. If he doesn’t want his formula, coax him first with a little sugar water. It’s an old trick, but it works better than a lot of the products on the market.”

She closed her bag. “Call me if you have any questions.”

“We will,” Massimo asserted.

Julie shook her hand. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“My pleasure. Pietra was a lovely woman. He’s a lovely baby. What a tragedy his parents are gone. He’s going to need all the love you can give him. That’ll get him better in a hurry.”

Tears glazed Julie’s eyes. “We know.”

While Massimo walked her out of the room, Julie reached for Nicky. “I’m going to give you some medicine, then warm you another bottle of formula. We’ll take it slowly until you’re all better.”

Three days later the rash came, signifying that the worst of the rosiola was over. Massimo had taken turns with her getting up with him in the night. During the daylight hours they’d continued to spell each other off.

She’d thought he might leave for Milan to start working, but he stayed home with her. If she hadn’t known better, she’d have thought he was the father.

Thankfully Nicky was taking his formula again. On the fifth day she walked in just as he was making noises to get attention.

“Good morning, you cute little thing.” Julie pulled the baby from his crib to give him a bath.

In a minute she’d filled the sink with warm water and had removed his sleeper and wet diaper. “You don’t have any idea how adorable you are. Your auntie loves you so much.” Before she picked him up, she couldn’t resist kissing his little cheek and neck.

“This looks fun. Can anyone join in?” sounded a familiar male voice full of life.

Massimo—His vital presence behind her set her pulse tripping. He must have just come from the shower. She could smell the soap he’d used. At a glance she saw he was casually dressed in shorts and a T-shirt like she was wearing.

“Wh-why don’t you bathe him,” she said on impulse. “He’d love it, wouldn’t you, Nicky?”

“If you trust me. This will be another of many firsts,” sounded the deep-timbred voice.

Their eyes met briefly before she looked away.

“Through trial and error I’ve discovered you really can’t do it wrong. This is his favorite part of the day. Just lower him gently into the water.”

With painstaking care Massimo followed her advice. Soon the bathroom rang with his rich laughter as Nicky kicked and splashed, soaking them both. He got so worked up, every inch of his body shook with excitement. The little noises he made sounded like he was trying to talk.

Julie poured a drop of baby shampoo on his head. Massimo rubbed it in, making a lather before carefully rinsing off the bubbles. They worked in harmony. After she dried Nicky off, he applied the baby powder and fastened a clean diaper. Then she put him in a little stretchy suit.

“That’s our big boy,” she said without thinking. Hopefully Massimo understood what she meant. “I-if you’ll hold him, I’ll clean his ears.” She reached for a cotton swab. “This is the only part he doesn’t like.”

While the baby fought her, she felt Massimo’s low chuckle to the marrow of her bones. “There!” She kissed the top of his head. “We’re all done.”

Massimo lifted him in the air. All the way to the bedroom he kissed his tummy the way Shawn used to do. The baby was all smiles. Julie could tell he loved his uncle’s attention.

She had to clear her throat to remove the lump. “I’ll get his bottle.”

“I already asked Gina to bring it along with our breakfast,” he explained.

He thought of everything, yet any more togetherness and it was going to feel as if they were a family, which they were in a sense. But they really weren’t!

This was borne out when the maid, who was probably in her early twenties, came in with a tray and a bottle. Julie noticed right away how the other woman’s curious gaze darted back and forth between her and Massimo before she left the nursery.

If you didn’t know better, you could misconstrue what was going on. A younger nanny in residence with a husband and wife was one thing, but this was a bachelor’s domicile.

Ages ago Pietra had made it clear that her brother would never marry. She hadn’t explained why, and Julie hadn’t pried because at that point in time she hadn’t met Massimo and wasn’t consumed by curiosity the way she was now.

A man like him would never marry a woman unless it was his choice, so whatever had put him off the institution, the reason went much deeper than his desire to thwart his uncle. And she mustn’t forget that getting involved with Massimo would be a mistake.

Not wanting to break up the happy twosome, Julie reached for the bottle. “You’d better be the one to feed him. Nicky’s so engrossed with you, I think I’m jealous again.” She’d said it with a smile.

But when she handed it to him, his startling black gaze pinned hers. “If this were a competition, I would have been dead in the water long before now. For someone who isn’t a mother, you could fool me.”

Coming from Massimo, it was the supreme compliment. “Nicky’s easy to love. Do you see a lot of Pietra in him?”

“Some. Oddly enough I see more of you.”

Her heart did a kick. “It’s the blond hair.”

“It’s something more. An expression he gets when he wants something. I’ve seen that same look on your face.”

“Hunger pains you mean?”

He burst into laughter, transforming him into the most handsome man she’d ever seen or known. Terrified of her feelings, which were growing more and more intense, she reached for the thermometer to take Nicky’s temperature.

“It’s still normal.”

“Better yet, his rash is gone. Mine took considerably longer to go away.”

Her head swung around in his direction. “I don’t understand.”

“At the time Nicky was born, I was bitten by a mosquito that gave me dengue fever.”

The breath froze in her lungs. It sounded hideous whatever it was. “Wh-what did it do to you?”

“Laid me up for months, gave me a rash. Luckily it wasn’t the hemorrhagic type.”