M.J. Rodgers - Father By Choice

Emily was proud of her calm and cognizant answers. Especially when she considered how incredible it was meeting him this way. Or meeting him any way for that matter.

Another nurse interrupted the examination when she poked her head into the room. “Two victims of a construction accident en route. Scaffolding collapsed from beneath them when they were two stories up. They’re both critical. ETA is four minutes.”

“I’ll join you when I’m finished here,” Brad called over his shoulder before addressing the nurse beside him. “Why don’t you go help her prep. I’ll handle this.”

The nurse nodded and followed the other one out.

Brad’s hands circled to the back of Emily’s neck and felt their way into her scalp, his probing fingers firm but gentle.

“Do you feel any tenderness here?”

His expression was one of total concentration as he gazed at a blank wall to the right.

She realized she was staring at the slight cleft in his chin and averted her eyes. “Uh…no.”

“What about here?”

“No. I’m fine. Really.”

He ceased the exploration of her scalp, placed a finger on her pulse. His eyes focused on his wristwatch.

“People who are fine don’t suddenly lose consciousness for nearly thirty minutes. Have you had anything to eat or drink today?”

“Breakfast was light. Normally I have a full lunch at noon, but I had to attend to some business about that time. How did I get here?”

Brad glanced at the clipboard that the nurse had left lying on the bed table. “A Josh Smithson called the paramedics. Identified himself as your assistant.”

“Poor Josh. I must have scared him to death.”

“What is your business?”

“I take care of plants.”

“Have you been using any new pesticides or fertilizers in your duties?”

“No.”

He released her hand. “Your pulse is a little fast.”

With him taking it, she wasn’t surprised.

He picked up the chart to make a note. “Any chance you’re pregnant?”

Thank God he’d taken her pulse before asking that question. “No chance about it. I’m eight weeks pregnant.”

His eyes shot to hers. “Why didn’t you tell me that when I asked if you had any medical conditions?”

She sat up a bit straighter, annoyed at the insinuated censure of his question. “A medical condition implies something’s wrong. Nothing’s wrong with being pregnant. That’s why I fainted, isn’t it?”

“Fainting during early and middle pregnancy is a common experience. The hormone, progesterone, is at an all-time high, relaxing the walls of the blood vessels, making the blood pool in your hands and feet and away from your head. The medical term for it is postural hypotension.”

“So, it’s perfectly normal.”

“Remaining unconscious for nearly thirty minutes is not normal. Fainting is the way the body gets the head down so blood can immediately return to it. You should have come out of the faint in a minute or two. We need to find out why you didn’t.”

“The leaf blower.”

“Excuse me?”

“The exhaust from a leaf blower our maintenance man was using. The smell was bad enough out in the open air, but inside the greenhouse, the concentration was lethal. I’ve always been sensitive to fumes. When I was a kid, the buildup of carbon monoxide at the back of a school bus could put me out. And often did.”

“What’s the temperature in the greenhouse?”

“Ten to fifteen degrees warmer than the ambient outside air.”

He scribbled something on the chart. “The prolonged unconsciousness could have resulted from the combination of postural hypotension, exhaust fumes and exposure to sudden heat. Your vital signs are normal. I don’t see that you’ve suffered any ill effects. But there’s no point in taking chances. I’m going to order some blood work to make sure we’re not missing anything.”

If he ordered tests on her, there was a good chance that he’d discover her other records at this hospital. Emily couldn’t risk that.

“I appreciate the thoroughness, but that won’t be necessary. I feel fine.”

“Ms. Barrett, it’s important you have the tests. For you and your fetus.”

“I believe you. And your concern is appreciated. Really. But I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday, and I’d feel more comfortable talking things over with her, woman to woman. I’m sure you understand.”

It was the perfect out. No male doctor could argue with a woman about her preference in such a matter.

But Brad Winslow sure looked as if he wanted to. “Your doctor will want to talk to me. Give me her name so that I can note the chart. When she calls, the nurse will know to put her through.”

No way Emily was going to let her doctor call Brad Winslow—or let him know her doctor’s real name. He was waiting for an answer. She quickly searched her mind for a substitute and came up with her favorite grade-school teacher. “Landerman.”

He wrote down the name. “Is Dr. Landerman new to Courage Bay?”

“Her practice is in L.A.,” Emily lied, then realized the other questions that might raise. “She’s an old friend of the family, which is why I don’t mind driving so far to see her.”

“What’s her number?”

“I don’t have it memorized. Thanks for everything.”

Emily could see her shoes on the bottom shelf of the cart next to the bed. She scooted to the side of the examining table, intent on slipping off it and getting to them.

But before she could swing her legs over, Brad stepped forward, rested the hospital chart on the edge of the bed’s metal rim and effectively blocked her path.

“Your assistant wasn’t able to provide your home address, number and next of kin. Let’s take a moment to fill in the blanks, shall we?”

“No reason to take up your time with that,” Emily said quickly. “I’ll give my insurance information to the clerk in admissions. She’ll be able to get whatever she requires from it.”

“You sound like you know your way around this hospital.”

“I’ve visited friends here from time to time.”

She waited for him to move out of her way. He didn’t.

“All right, Ms. Barrett, how do you know about me?”

His authoritative tone had developed an even sharper edge and his eyes were chips of granite.

For a second Emily stared at him. Then it hit her. Dear heavens. Those things she’d been thinking about him before she came to. She must have said them aloud. Oh, hell.

Don’t panic, Emily. You can handle this. Remember, the best defense when cornered is to act innocent.

She squinted at him like someone who’d forgotten her glasses. “I’m sorry. I don’t seem to recognize you, Doctor. Do we know each other?”

His skeptical expression told her he wasn’t buying the act. The sound of a siren approached. Footsteps rushed past in the hallway. The injured men from the construction site were here. This was her chance to escape.

Second-best defense—run to the nearest exit.

“You have people who need you,” she said. “I’d better be on my way. Thank you for taking care of me, Dr…uh… I’m sorry. What was your name again?”

“Where did you find out those very personal things about me?” he demanded, not budging an inch.

She did her best to look confused. “What things?”

“My ethnic background, coloring, height, weight, age, favorite color, favorite—”

“I’m sorry,” she interrupted with a regretful shake of her head, “but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You expect me to believe you don’t remember what you said?”

“I have no memory of meeting you before today, Doctor. When am I supposed to have said these things?”