Kasey Michaels - Maitland Maternity - Triplets, Quads and Quints

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.”