Judy Duarte: His, Hers and...Theirs?

“It’s all in a day’s work,” she said, making light of what she’d just done.

“Then you deserve a raise,” he concluded.

She had the strongest urge to look his way, but kept her eyes fixed on the road—or rather on the parking space he was pulling into. She still found it hard to believe that she’d agreed to ride with him. She certainly wouldn’t have if his niece and nephew hadn’t been with him.

But earlier on the playground, when Kaylee had thrown her arms around Eva and held on tight, the most stunning sense of warmth and wonder had flooded her chest. And so had a sense of awe.

Eva liked the way her emotional side had kicked in, which didn’t happen all that often. But even more amazing was the realization that her own mother’s abandonment and her stepfather’s abusive nature hadn’t damaged her in a way that might hamper her ability to love and nurture her own children.

At least, it didn’t appear that way.

She reached up and fingered the side of her neck, where industrial-strength drain cleaner had splashed upon her skin, burning it all those years ago.

She kept the scar covered whenever she could by choosing turtlenecks and scarves to wear, but it wasn’t the ugliness she tried to hide. She’d learned to deal with her flaws a long time ago. It was just that people—particularly children—would sometimes ask what had happened to her, and she didn’t like to talk about it.

As an adolescent, she’d made up a wild story about an alien abduction, but who would believe a tale like that now? Certainly not the medical professionals with whom she worked.

Of course, she didn’t usually mix or mingle with many of her coworkers outside the medical facility. And it was fairly easy to keep to herself while bent over a microscope in the lab.

The irony struck her as odd, though. For someone who knew a lot of intimate details about people and their health, even before their doctors did, she kept her own secrets close to the vest. It was easier that way—and much safer.

“All right,” Dan said, as he shut off the ignition. “We’re here. Let’s hope we won’t have a long wait.”

It was Saturday afternoon, and Eva suspected the E.R. would be packed, but that wasn’t her main concern. She was more worried about what she’d say to Kaylee if Dr. Nielson, “the royal physician,” wasn’t working today and the little girl worried that she wasn’t getting the proper medical care.

So while Eva climbed from the vehicle and waited for Dan and the kids to get out, she tried to come up with a plan B, but wasn’t having much luck. After all, Betsy Nielson was great with children and would play along with the princess thing. Another doctor might, too, but Eva didn’t know the others as well.

As they headed toward the E.R. entrance, a breeze blew across Eva’s face and along her throat, causing the scar to tingle as if the years had rolled back and the wound was still in the healing stage, still pink and tender.

She knew it was just her imagination, but she turned up the collar of her blouse anyway, hoping to hide the scar, as well as the fear that she might not have healed completely—on the inside, where no one could see.

And that, in spite of how good she seemed to be doing with Kaylee this afternoon, that she might somehow fail her own children one day.

Upon entering the E.R., Eva led the way to a triage area, where a nurse was posted to determine the priority in which the incoming patients would be seen.

Kaylee’s condition certainly wasn’t critical, and since the E.R. appeared to be especially busy today, Dan figured they wouldn’t see a doctor until the cows came home. And if that were the case, he was going to owe Eva big-time for spending the afternoon at the medical center with them.

The triage nurse sent them to sign in with a clerk behind a desk who took Dan’s insurance card. Thank goodness he’d put the kids on his plan after Jenny’s death.

After providing all the pertinent information, he returned to the waiting area. There weren’t many chairs from which to choose, so they opted for a grouping near a TV monitor that was set to the Discovery channel.

The kids and Eva zeroed in on the television, while Dan snatched a magazine from a table. He wasn’t sure how long they’d had to wait before Kaylee’s name was called, but he’d just reached the last pages of a battered, two-month-old issue of Modern Horseman.

As they all headed to the doorway that led to the exam rooms, the nurse who’d called them, a tall, slender woman with black spiky hair, looked at Kaylee and smiled. “What happened, sweetheart?”

“I fell down, and the slide hurt me.”

“That’s too bad. But don’t you worry. We’ll get you fixed up as good as new.”

“Are you the princess doctor?” Kaylee asked.

The nurse furrowed her brow and cast a quizzical glance Eva’s way.

“She’s talking about Dr. Nielson,” Eva explained. “Is she on duty today?”

The nurse smiled. “Actually, she is working. And we usually assign the children to her whenever we can. So your odds of seeing her are good.”

Eva seemed to be relieved, although Dan wasn’t sure why. Apparently that particular doctor was good with kids. Was she also a plastic surgeon?

The nurse—Shannon O’Reilly, according to her ID card—took Kaylee’s temperature and checked her blood pressure, then she left them to wait for the doctor.

Kaylee nibbled at her bottom lip, and Eva eased closer. “Are you doing okay, honey?”

“I’m scared. I don’t want it to hurt again. It’s all better now, and I just want to go home.”

Dan didn’t know if she meant back to New York or the ranch, but he wouldn’t ask. The kids didn’t have any options about where they lived now.

Eva slipped an arm around Kaylee’s shoulder, and the girl leaned into her. It was nice to see her connecting with someone. She’d been a little standoffish with him since he’d brought her to Texas.

He supposed he couldn’t blame her for that. He didn’t know squat about kids, especially girls. And he had a feeling she wasn’t used to being around men, especially the rugged and outdoorsy type.

Moments later, an attractive redhead entered the room. She couldn’t have been much more than an inch or two over five feet tall, but she had a definite, take-charge presence.

She introduced herself to Dan and Kaylee as Dr. Nielson, then greeted Eva. “Is this your family?”

“No,” Eva said. “We’re just…friends.”

Dan would have corrected her if he could have figured out a better answer, but as it was, that would have to do.

As Dr. Nielson slipped on a pair of gloves, then examined the child’s wound, Eva said, “Kaylee’s a little concerned about getting stitches and looking like a pirate.”

“Don’t worry about that,” the doctor said. “I’ve got something much better than stitches for this cut. We’re going to use skin glue instead.”

Dan eased closer, wondering if he’d heard her right. Was she really going to close Kaylee’s wound with some kind of glue? Or was this all part of the magical princess-talk that Eva had been using on the child?

“Cool.” Kevin eased closer to the exam table on which his sister sat. “Can I watch?”

“You certainly can.” Dr. Nielson stepped aside, giving the boy a better view.

When the doctor was finished and Kaylee’s wound was thoroughly cleaned, then sealed, Kevin stepped back and grinned. “It’s too bad all the king’s men and all the king’s horses didn’t have that stuff when Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall.”

The doctor smiled at the boy. “You’ve got a point there. They might have been able to put him together again.”