Читать книгу Bride for a Single Dad - Laura Iding - Страница 11

ALEC hated working weekends, not appreciating the way the job cut into his personal time with his daughter. He’d debated bringing Shelby along, but then Alaina had mentioned taking the kids to a water park and the excited glint in his daughter’s eye had convinced him it was better for her to go with his sister. Beth, Alaina’s daughter, was close to Shelby’s age and the two of them had become almost inseparable over the past eight months.

The knowledge should have made him feel less guilty about working the weekend, but didn’t.

He arrived at the restaurant early, having finished interviewing the neighbors around the area where the shooting had taken place sooner than he’d thought.

He stood in the shade of the building to wait for Jillian, seeking respite from the hot sun. The hours he’d spent gathering information hadn’t revealed much about why the two boys had begun to fight, but his John Doe number two did have a name.

Richard James Bordan. Known by his friends as Ricky.

The kid had celebrated his sixteenth birthday three weeks earlier. He’d played football and, according to his mother, had had dreams of qualifying for a college scholarship.

Ricky’s mother didn’t have any idea where he might have gotten the drugs. She claimed he’d been a good boy who hadn’t gotten into trouble with the law or skipped school as much as the other kids did. Football had been too important to him.

He could have pointed out that good boys didn’t usually carry guns and percocets but he hadn’t. Because deep down he believed her. Ricky probably was a good kid, who had made the stupid mistake of trying to settle an argument with a gun.

Where Ricky had gotten the gun and the drugs was a complete mystery. Although Ricky’s juvenile record did show he’d once run with a rough crowd.

He glanced up when a sedate blue Chevy Malibu pulled into the parking lot. When Jillian climbed out, his chest tightened and he nearly swallowed his tongue. She was dressed casually, in jeans that appeared to have been molded solely for her long legs and lean backside, paired with a tiny V-necked top that emphasized the high curve of her breasts. In the hospital her long white lab coat and conservative business clothes had given her a professional, hands-off image.

Now, with her hair falling in waves around her shoulders, Jillian looked young. Fresh. Beautiful. And close. Very close.

Well within reach.

“Hi!” Her breathless smile almost sent him to his knees. “I hope you weren’t waiting long?”

He shook his head, trying to convince his lame brain not to fail him, now. He pried his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “Not at all.” He pulled the door open for her, somewhat surprised she wasn’t driving something a little more fun and sporty. He could easily see her in a flashy convertible. “I finished up early.”

“I’m hungry,” she confided as they were seated at a cozy table for two. “I’m glad you suggested meeting for lunch.”

“Me, too.” He knew better than to think of a simple sharing of a meal as a date but it was a difficult fact to remember when he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. He pulled his gaze from the temptation of her mouth with an effort. Once seated, they pondered the menus and placed their orders. When they both chose the same Italian dish, she laughed.

He sucked in his breath. She went from beautiful to stunning when she laughed.

It didn’t take much to imagine her smiling and laughing with his family. He came from a loud, noisy clan and he knew his parents and five siblings would love her. He suspected his youngest sister, Abby, especially would get on with Jillian.

Maybe he should invite Jillian to Abby and Nick’s wedding next month?

Or not, as he already had a date. With his daughter.

“I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful about your case, Alec,” she said in a soft, apologetic tone. “But I promise as soon as Monday comes, I’ll make sure you get the list of staff members you requested.”

He shrugged, hiding his disappointment. He appreciated her need to go through proper channels, but it wasn’t easy to hold off on the investigation when kids’ lives were at stake. “That’s all right. I did want to ask you about something kind of related to the case.” He flashed a chagrined smile. “Percocets are pain pills, right?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Can you think of any reason why a sixteen-year-old would have them in his pocket?”

She sat back in her chair, tilted her head and drew her brows together in a small frown. He liked the way she carefully considered his questions, as if they were important. She didn’t just give an easy answer off the top of her head. “Not really, unless he’d recently had surgery, which could be verified on autopsy. If not, I can only assume he planned to sell them, but, from what I hear, percocets don’t have the same street value as other drugs, like oxycodone.”

He raised a brow at her perceptiveness. “You’re right about that. I’ve asked questions and heard the same thing. Still, it’s unusual for kids to have this kind of drug. Our narcotics division has seen more marijuana or crack cocaine or even heroin. Anything but percocets.”

Jillian shivered. “I don’t even like to think about any of those drugs ending up in kids’ hands.”

Yeah, he was totally in sync with her on that one. The image of Shelby’s innocent smile flashed in his mind as he added a heartfelt, “Me either.”

“I guess I lived a pretty sheltered life,” Jillian mused. “I didn’t know much about any of this stuff until I started working in the ED.”

Alec found himself wanting to know more about Jillian Davis. He leaned forward. “Did you grow up here in Milwaukee?”

“Yes.” She shrugged a graceful shoulder. “My parents were older when they had me, and they were a bit over-protective. As they were both college professors, I ended up spending a lot of time in classrooms. Not that I minded. I loved books.”

“So you were good in school.” He could easily see her, studying intently in the library.

“Good enough to be granted a college scholarship.” She paused when the waiter brought their food to the table. “This looks delicious.”

For a few minutes they concentrated on their respective meals. Alec glanced at her, his gaze drawn to her lovely face. She’d mentioned having a sheltered life and he could see how that might be the case. Heck, as far as he was concerned, Jillian shouldn’t have to take care of any victims of drug abuse. He took a bite of his chicken marinara, wishing the ugly side of his job hadn’t touched her. No one liked dealing with criminals at any level. Unfortunately, there was little he could do except continue his investigation and then hand over the details to his boss.

Which reminded him of one more thing. “At some point I’d like to see your medication dispensing machine.”

“Stop by while I’m working and I’ll show it to you,” Jillian offered. “The way the machines work isn’t a big secret and when you get the list from Administration, make sure you ask for the names of the staff members who accessed it during those time frames.”

“I will. Thanks for the tip.” The way Jillian dug into her pasta with gusto made him grin. He could appreciate a woman with a healthy appetite.

She was beautiful. Successful. Financially secure. He hid a grimace. She probably made at least twice as much money per year as he did. She was way out of his league.

So what was he doing here, watching her eat? What was the point of fantasizing about asking her out again? If he had the chance, he’d take her out to a fancy restaurant for a nice, quiet dinner. One where she might agree to invite him to her place afterwards.

The phone at his waist chirped loudly. He glanced at the display, and then flashed Jillian an apologetic smile.

“Excuse me, this is my daughter.” He opened his phone. “Hi, munchkin, what’s up?”

“Daddy!” Shelby shrieked in his ear. “I slid down a water slide and my whole head went underneath the water!”

A moment of panic made him tighten his grip on the phone. “Are you all right? Are you hurt? Did you cry?”

“No, silly.” To his relief she giggled. “I just held my breath. I didn’t like it when water went up my nose, though.”

Swimming lessons, he thought, relaxing one finger at a time from the death-like grip on his phone. Shelby needed swimming lessons, and fast. “You’re supposed to blow air out your nose, so water doesn’t come in.”

“Ew. Gross.” He chuckled, imagining the scrunched expression on her face. “Auntie Alaina is calling me so I have to go, Daddy. I love you.”

His throat tightened. He’d never, ever get tired of hearing her say that. “I love you, too, Shelby. See you later.” He cleared his throat as he snapped his phone shut.

Jillian stared at him, her eyes wide with shocked surprise. Then she pulled herself together, although he noticed her smile was strained. “Your daughter sounds adorable. How old is she?”

“Six. Almost seven.” He tried to think of a way to explain without going into the whole complicated story. “She’s only lived with me for the past year, since her mother died.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Jillian’s expression softened. “That must have been very difficult.”

“Kids are incredibly resilient. Shelby seems to have adjusted fairly well. So have I. We make a pretty good team.”

Jillian glanced away, making him realize he’d given the impression that he wasn’t interested in expanding that team.

A fact he hadn’t meant to state so boldly.

She reached for her water glass but as she lifted it, the stem slipped from her fingers and fell back onto the table. The glass didn’t break, but a little water sloshed over the edge. “I’m such a klutz!” Jillian exclaimed as she leaned over to mop up the mess, avoiding his gaze. “And, actually, Alec, I’m sorry but I need to get going. I have a number of things I need to do today.”

He couldn’t let her go, not like this. Reaching across the table, he caught her hand. “Jillian, wait.”

She froze, staring down at their joined hands. Then she looked up at him, her gaze uncertain. “For what?”

Stroking a thumb over the soft skin of her hand, he held her gaze. “You dropped the forceps in the ED and now this. Jillian, you’re not a klutz. But you certainly seem upset. I hope you don’t mind my asking, but is something wrong?”

There was a long pause, but then she tugged her hand from his. “I honestly don’t know. But, really, I do need to get going. Please, excuse me.” She picked up her purse. “Thanks for lunch, Alec. I hope you hear from the hospital administration soon so you can find the person you’re searching for.”

He watched her walk away, feeling bad about the abrupt way she’d pulled away from him. He also couldn’t help wondering what was wrong. She’d said she didn’t know but, as a physician, she must have an idea.

He signaled for the check, sternly reminding himself that Jillian’s medical problems weren’t any of his concern. His problem was to find the person stealing percocets from the hospital and putting them in the hands of children.

No way was he searching for anything on a personal level. Especially not a potential wife for himself or mother for Shelby.

* * *

Jillian spent the rest of her weekend trying to wrench the image of Alec talking to his daughter out of her head. She had thought him an attractive man before she’d known about his daughter. Yes, it had been a bit of a shock to find out he was a dad, but seeing him in his sensitive caring mode had made trying to pry him out of her mind even harder.

Reading professional medical journals helped to a certain extent, because there was always so much to learn. After a couple of hours, though, her mind drifted back to Alec. Disgusted, she considered calling the ED to see if they needed additional help. Anything was better than sitting around, dwelling on her lack of a personal life.

Especially when the void hadn’t bothered her until now.

When her phone rang early Saturday evening, she was surprised and just a little disappointed when the caller was one of her colleagues, Craig Bartlet.

“Hey, Jillian. Would you do me a favor?”

“Sure.” At the moment she would have agreed to almost anything. “What do you need? Someone to cover your shift?”

“Sort of. Trinity Medical Center and Children’s Memorial Hospital are sponsoring the Festival of the Arts down at the lakefront this weekend. I’m supposed to be volunteering in the first-aid station tomorrow, but my son is sick. Would you mind taking my shift from one to four in the afternoon?”

“Sure.” Helping out in the first-aid station didn’t sound too hard. And besides, she didn’t mind a little volunteer work.

“Thanks a lot, Jillian.” Greg sounded relieved. “I owe you.”

“No, you don’t. It’s not a big deal at all. Just take care of yourself and your son.”

“I will.”

The next day Jillian headed down to the lakefront early, so she could make sure to find a parking spot. The art museum was a beautiful modern white structure overlooking the shores of Lake Michigan. There were various art displays set up along the lakefront and she took a few minutes to browse through works by local artists before heading over to the small trailer with the universal red cross on the front.

There was a man and a woman inside. The guy looked somewhat familiar. He stepped forward. “Hi. Can I help you?”

“Yes. I’m Dr. Jillian Davis, I’m here to cover Craig’s shift.”

“Ah, that explains it. I didn’t think you were Craig.” His green eyes twinkled. “I’m Adam, and my shift is over.” He glanced at the woman. “Mary, would you mind giving Jillian the rundown of how we’re set up?”

“No problem.” The woman smiled at her. “I’m Mary Drover, the person who’s stuck here all day.” She rolled her eyes at Adam when he laughed. “Thanks for helping out. When I’m not here, you can get in touch with me on this two-way radio.”

“Nice meeting you, Jillian. See you later, Mary.” Adam gave them both a little wave as he left the trailer.

Mary spent a few minutes showing her around. The trailer was set up very much like a mini-emergency room.

“All right, I’m going to walk around outside for a while,” Mary told her. “Remember to call me if you need me.”

Jillian nodded. She hadn’t known what to expect from the first-aid station, but alone in the trailer, she looked around and thought maybe she should have brought something to read in order to keep busy.

It turned out her optimism was premature. Within ten minutes she heard a little boy crying and a young mother rushed in, her blouse smeared with blood. “My son Joey fell and hit the back of his head on the pavement.”

“All right, let’s take a look.” Jillian indicated the mother should set Joey, who looked to be about five, on the small exam table. They boy was still crying and she tried to soothe him while she examined the back of his head. “There, now, Joey, it’s all right. I know your head hurts, but you’re fine now.” Luckily the cut was pretty small, but there was some tissue swelling. “I don’t think it needs stitches,” she said to his mother. “But he does have a small lump here and I’d like to apply a cold pack.”

“No stitches? Are you sure? There was so much blood!” The woman held onto the boy, trying to ease his crying.

“Head wounds bleed a lot, but we’ll use the ice first and see how it goes.” Jillian smiled at the boy as his sobs quieted to smaller hiccups. She cracked a cold pack and mixed the chemical contents to activate it before placing it on his head. “There now, you’re so brave. How would you like a lollipop? If your mom says it’s OK,” she amended.

“Sure.” Joey’s mother appeared relieved when her son stopped crying and chose a grape sucker. “Thanks. I’m glad it’s not serious.”

“No, he should be fine.” Jillian wondered if most of the patients she’d see during the afternoon would be children. She didn’t really mind. Sometimes kids came into the Trinity Medical Center’s ED by mistake, instead of going to Children’s Memorial, which was right next door. She wasn’t a pediatrician by trade, but she could handle kids if needed.

Her next patient proved her theory wrong, when a frail elderly lady came in, after nearly fainting in the heat.

Jillian managed to get the woman to drink some Gatorade and assessed her to make sure she wasn’t having some sort of stroke or any other undiagnosed illness. However, after about thirty minutes, the woman seemed much better and Jillian allowed her to leave, although she cautioned her that if she became light-headed again to call 911.

“I will, dear. Thank you.”

The trailer was quiet for another fifteen minutes before her door opened again.

“Jillian!”

She was just as surprised to see Alec, holding a young girl whose heart-shaped face was streaked with tears. “Alec. What’s wrong?”

“Shelby’s arm swelled up from a bee sting.” He set his daughter on the exam table.

“Is she allergic?” Jillian asked, getting another cold pack ready.

“I don’t know.” Alec looked worried. “She’s never been stung by a bee before. I figured we needed to come here just in case she needed some epinephrine.”

Smart thinking on Alec’s part. “Hi, Shelby, my name is Dr. Jillian.” The girl’s sobs had quieted to small sniffles. Gently taking Shelby’s arm, she examined the large reddened area right above her elbow. “Do you remember what happened?”

“A bee kept flying near my soda.” Shelby’s tone indicated she despised the creatures. Jillian put the cold pack over the swollen area, trying to gauge if Shelby was showing other signs of an allergic reaction. Her breathing appeared good. “He wouldn’t go away, then the next thing I knew, my arm burned.”

“And you’re sure you’ve never been stung before?” Jillian asked.

“I’m sure.” Shelby’s head bobbed up and down. Her dark brown hair was the exact shade of Alec’s but the similarities stopped there. Shelby had big brown eyes, not sparkling green ones.

“Alec, the epi-sticks are in that right-hand drawer over there. Maybe grab one, just in case.” Jillian held the cold pack on Shelby’s arm, and Alec crossed over, to find the epi-sticks.

She wrapped a comforting arm around Shelby’s shoulders. The little girl sighed and leaned her head against Jillian, as if the whole traumatic experience had worn her out.

Jillian soothed a hand over Shelby’s hair, catching a whiff of baby shampoo. Alec’s daughter was a cutie.

“What do you think?” Alec asked, his brows pulled together in a frown as he brought over the epi-sticks. “Is she allergic?”

“So far, so good.” She flashed him a reassuring smile. Carefully, so as not to dislodge Shelby from resting against her, Jillian lifted the edge of the cold pack to assess the swelling. The reddened area didn’t look any worse. “I don’t think so, but we’d better keep an eye on it for a little while.” Jillian waved a hand at the lollipops. “Do you mind if she has one?”

“No, I don’t mind.” Alec gave his daughter a curious look. “Shel, what flavor would you like? Cherry or grape?”

Shelby lifted her head from Jillian and pursed her lips. “Cherry.”

“All right, then.” He peeled off the wrapper and handed it to her.

She popped it into her mouth. “Thank you,” she mumbled, her speech garbled from the sucker.

“You’re welcome.” Jillian watched Alec with his daughter and remembered he’d said something about Shelby only living with him for the past year, since her mother’s death. She could only imagine how terrible that must have been for such a young girl.

“Why does the cold make the swelling go down?” Shelby wanted to know.

“Ah, good question.” She tried to think of a non-complicated answer. “When you hurt yourself, your body tries to fix it by sending white blood cells to the area. Which is good, but too much swelling hurts, too.”

Shelby scrunched up her forehead. “Doesn’t the body know better than to send so many white blood cells?”

Jillian had to laugh. “No, not really.” She lifted the corner of the cold pack again, keeping an eye on the clock. “See how much better it looks? The cold makes your veins close up and helps the body stop sending white blood cells to the area that hurts.”

Shelby peered at the sting site in her arm. “It doesn’t hurt very much either.”

The cold pack had probably numbed the area. Jillian glanced at Alec. “You might want to give her some Benadryl tonight, before she goes to bed. The antihistamine will help counteract any bee serum left in her system.”

“Benadryl,” Alec repeated, his brows pulled together in a frown. “I’ll have to buy some.”

Jillian opened drawers to see if there were any samples. When she found a small packet of Benadryl, she handed it over. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” He stepped closer to take the medication and his unique musky scent surrounded her. Suddenly, the small trailer seemed even more cramped, as his broad shoulders took up more than a little space. Now that Shelby’s minor emergency was over, Jillian didn’t know what to say.

Small talk had never been easy for her. She was more comfortable with books.

“Do you think we should head home?” Alec asked.

“No!” Shelby protested. “We didn’t get to spend hardly any time in the children’s tent.”

“Children’s tent?” Jillian wasn’t sure what Shelby was talking about.

“I got the tickets to come here today from my brother Adam. He told me they have a children’s tent where the kids can do finger-painting and stuff.”

Adam? She made the connection. “Adam was here as one of the volunteers. I thought he looked familiar.”

“I missed him? Figures.” Alec glanced at Shelby. “Are you sure you want to stay?”

“Yes.” Shelby gave a vigorous nod.

Jillian removed the cold pack, and took one last look at Shelby’s arm. “The swelling has really come down. If you want to stay, it should be all right.”

“All right, then.” Alec glanced at her. “Thanks again, Jillian.” He paused, and then added, “How long are you working?”

“Another hour or so,” she said.

He nodded. “Maybe we’ll see you later.”

“Sure.” Jillian knew he was just being polite.

Shelby happily jumped down from the exam table. “Bye, Dr. Jillian.”

“Bye, Shelby. Have fun in the children’s tent.”

Alec took his daughter’s hand as they left. He was a good father. And why that had suddenly become an attractive trait in a man was beyond her. Alec obviously cherished his daughter and the feeling was mutual.

Her memories of her own father were mostly centered around doing homework. He’d always been willing to help, showing great patience when it had come to her studies. Jillian had been an only child, and her parents had been in their early forties by the time she’d been born. They had viewed education as being highly important. Most of the other kids had had younger, more active parents, but Jillian hadn’t really minded. She’d loved books and once she’d hit high school had fallen in love with science. She’d known then she was destined to become a doctor.

Her choices, sacrifices some would say, had never bothered her before. There was no reason for them to nag at her now. Her career was something she’d worked for. Having a family of her own just hadn’t been a priority. Especially once her mother had gotten sick and her attention had been focused on caring for her mother, rather than her personal life.

Now she couldn’t help but wonder what she’d missed. When Shelby had rested her head against her shoulder, she’d been struck by a flash of tenderness for the motherless girl. Never before had she been so tempted to gather a child into her arms for a big hug.

At the end of her shift, Jillian stepped from the trailer to find Alec and Shelby walking toward her. Alec’s gaze was warm as he acknowledged her with a nod.

“Are you hungry? We were thinking of having barbequed spare ribs for dinner.”

Pleased they’d thought of her, she nodded. “Sounds good.”

They wandered over to where the food vendors were lined up along the edge of the festival grounds. Eating while talking wasn’t easy, although Shelby didn’t seem to have nearly the same problem as she chatted about their activities in the children’s tent.

After they’d finished their impromptu meal, Alec insisted on walking her to her car. With Shelby right there between them, she understood when he didn’t reach for her hand.

“Goodnight, Shelby.’ She smiled at the tired little girl.

“Goodnight, Dr Jillian.” Shelby gave her a beautiful smile, before yawning and rubbing her eyes.

“And, Alec.” Jillian kept her tone light. “Thanks for dinner.”

“Goodnight, Jillian.” Alec’s gaze met hers directly, and a sizzling awareness flashed between them. The glimpse of desire in his eyes convinced her she wasn’t alone in feeling the attraction. “I may stop in to see you tomorrow.”

Really? For a moment hope flared, until he added, “To get the list.”

“Oh, yes. Of course.” He was referring to the list of staff members she’d promised him. Work-related, not pleasure. Jillian unlocked her car and opened the door. “I’m working day shift tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Was that disappointment clouding his eyes? “Then I won’t see you. I’m working second shift.”

It was tempting to promise to work a double shift, just so she could see him. As Alec and Shelby walked away, Jillian couldn’t hide a keen sense of disappointment.

She’d run into Alec today by chance. But once he had his list, her opportunities for seeing him again would dwindle to almost nothing.