Kim Watters - And Father Makes Three

Elizabeth sank down into one of the plastic chairs. “So, where should I start?”

“How about at the part where Jordan doesn’t know she’s adopted? Who made that decision?”

“Tessa. She never told me why, but she was adamant. Even though she remained a part of Jordan’s life until the end, she was always Auntie Tessa. Even after she died, I kept my promise. Jordan can’t find out. I mean, how would you feel if you found out your whole life was a lie? That the mom raising you—” Elizabeth clenched her hands into fists. “I have to protect her. At any cost.”

Blake acknowledged her words but remained silent.

Elizabeth reached for his hand. His warmth permeated her skin and an unexplainable energy passed between them. “Please. If you have any feelings for your daughter, you won’t challenge me on this. I’ll find a way to tell her. Soon.”

Elizabeth was grateful Blake blinked, breaking the connection. He extracted his hand and rubbed it across his face. “I can’t believe I’m going along with this.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m not doing it for you. Now tell me about Jordan.”

Inhaling sharply, Elizabeth breathed in the clean scent of soap underneath Blake’s aftershave. She turned away from his probing eyes and ran her fingers up and down her stethoscope. “Why don’t you tell me what you know and I’ll fill in the blanks.”

“You adopted Jordan at birth. She doesn’t know that she’s adopted. Her birth mother was my ex-wife and she has leukemia. For someone who’s been alive for almost ten years, that’s not a lot.”

Elizabeth nodded. There was so much to tell, but they only had minutes because her break was almost over. “Her birthday is May 8. She loves animals, cats especially, and wants to be a vet when she grows up.” Elizabeth’s voice hitched. Would Jordan grow up? “She’s normally a fun-loving, active girl, who plays soccer and volleyball.”

“If she needs a bone marrow transplant, I want to be tested to see if I’m compatible.”

His generosity moved her and time stood still as her gaze traveled over Blake’s face, settling on his crystal blue eyes.

Sometimes family members were a match. Some of the time.

“But—”

“Don’t try to talk me out of it. You got tested, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did, but—”

“I have to do something.” At the desperate look in his eyes, Elizabeth kept her thoughts to herself. She’d tested because she wasn’t biologically related to her daughter. He’d find out soon enough the odds were against him, no matter that she would pray for a positive match.

“Then, thanks. I appreciate it, because this time around, she needs a bone marrow transplant.”

Elizabeth bit down on her lip. “When she got leukemia the first time when she was eight, we got it into remission. It came back right after the new year before Tessa died. She’s not responding to chemo this time. She needs to be healthy to get a bone marrow transplant but she’s already had three infections. Each one has made her weaker, which is why I can’t tell her about you. It would be detrimental to her precarious health. I can’t lose her. I won’t—not without a fight.”

Elizabeth fought hard to keep her tears at bay—losing it in the hospital wasn’t an option. But a tear slipped from her eye, and once that one managed to break free, another followed. Within seconds, Blake was by her side, pulling her from her seat, gathering her in his arms.

“We’ll get through this, Elizabeth. We’ll find a match,” Blake murmured as he held her gently. His shirt bunched under her fingers as she freed the emotions that had built up since she’d first gotten Jordan’s diagnosis. It felt good, as if she were purging herself. Hope flared deep inside her as he continued to hold her until she had no more tears to cry.

She needed his optimism.

Lifting her head, she stared at him as his thumbs brushed the moisture from her cheeks. She pulled away from him, reaching for a napkin to wipe the remaining tears. “Thanks, Blake. I—don’t normally break down like that.”

“Don’t worry, your reputation is safe with me.”

“As yours is, too.” She gave him a hesitant smile. His actions spoke of a caring person, one who could have a positive influence in Jordan’s life. Someone who could help her get through each day with support and companionship.

Yet Elizabeth stood there afraid, knowing she couldn’t postpone the inevitable. Blake would meet his child, with or without her, as she’d just seen earlier, but it would be better on her terms. “I’ll introduce you to Jordan as an old friend. Just until I can tell her the truth, okay?”

“Fine. After all this time, a few more days aren’t going to matter. I don’t want anything to affect her health either.” Blake stepped away, which helped the confusion lingering in the recesses of her brain.

“Thanks, Blake.” Hope and wonderment filled her expression as she reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. “Okay, let’s go.”

As they walked down the hall toward Jordan’s room, Blake prepared himself. Most fathers had months to adjust to the idea of fatherhood, not days. Still, he couldn’t wait to take a healthy Jordan to the zoo or the bowling alley, or even one of those girly-girl places. Even if they did something as simple as a picnic in the park, he could do the things he’d missed out after his mother died, but with his own child.

“Here we are.” Outside room 403 again, Elizabeth turned to face him.

“Here we are,” Blake whispered. With his free hand, he pulled at his shirt collar. He stared into her eyes—light blue with flecks of gray. Yet in their depths, he saw a blaze of hope.

Fighting for breath, Blake faced the stark reality of his lonely existence, a reality that could change when he stepped inside the room. She gave him an encouraging smile. “I’ll go inside first. Please wait out here.”

Before he could stop her, she stepped over the threshold of Jordan’s room.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Elizabeth was amazed her voice didn’t tremble as she approached Jordan’s bed. Her daughter greeted her with a smile that lit Elizabeth’s world.

“Hi, Mom. What are you doing here? Are you done with your shift already?”

“Well, not yet, but Dr. Jim told me you were feeling better, so I just had to come and see for myself.” Sitting on the edge of her daughter’s bed, Elizabeth placed her hand on Jordan’s forehead, relieved to find it cool and dry.

“Cool. How long can you stay? The Boston Brothers will be right back on. They’re singing a new song today.”

“The Boston Brothers? Hmm. Have I heard of them?” Teasing Jordan, Elizabeth tucked a thin strand of hair behind her daughter’s ear.

“Mom, they’re only the hugest, cutest band on the planet. They’re coming to Phoenix, you know. I just saw the commercial.” Wistfulness filled Jordan’s eyes.

Elizabeth knew her daughter wanted to go to the concert but going to a place with thousands of screaming fans wouldn’t be good. A normal immune system could fight off all the bacteria and viruses, but a compromised one only invited them to set up shop, which would delay Jordan’s treatment even more.

“We’ll see, sweetheart. I can’t make any promises, okay?” Elizabeth watched the light fade from Jordan’s eyes and wished there was something she could do. Even if her daughter were healthy, tickets had probably sold out months ago. “Maybe next time.” Elizabeth squeezed her daughter’s hand. “Jordan, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. Is that okay?”

“He’s not going to poke me or stick me with needles, is he?” Jordan’s bottom lip trembled and tears filled her eyes.

Her child had been through so much, and they had so much more to get through to beat the leukemia. Elizabeth forced a smile.