NYC Angels: Unmasking Dr. Serious Page 13

  “Erica,” she said with a sob. “Erica Marie. After my husband, Eric. He’s stationed in Iraq. Are you sure we can’t wait for him? He’s on his way home, he promised to be here soon.”

  “I’m sorry, but we can’t wait. The minute Erica is born we’re going to start surgery. The quicker we get started, the better her outcome will be. I’ve had a lot of success, so you and your husband just need to be patient, okay?”

  She nodded, but tears continued to stream down her cheeks. “Okay.”

  He scrubbed while they prepped the pregnant mother’s belly. Jennifer Thompson wanted to be awake during the C-section so the anesthesiologist topped up her epidural. There was a sense of urgency in both O.R. suites because there wasn’t a moment to waste. Lives were on the line and as always the staff of Angel’s took the care of their young patients very seriously.

  He was gowned, gloved and masked when he heard the shout. “We have the baby out.”

  “We’re ready,” he called back. And seconds later the neonatal team rushed in, with Rebecca holding the baby in her hands.

  As they set the infant on the O.R. table, the anesthesiologist put a tiny breathing tube in place. As soon as the airway was secured, the circulating nurse quickly scrubbed the chest as Dan took the scalpel and cleared his mind, focusing entirely on baby Erica and the complicated heart surgery she needed in order to stay alive.

  * * *

  Ten and a half hours later he lifted his head and stretched his neck muscles with a heavy sigh. It was over and Erica had come through the entire ordeal like a trouper.

  He stared at the cardiac monitor, watching her heart rhythm flash across the screen in a fast but relatively steady beat. Her blood pressure was adequate, too, and there wouldn’t be a better time to transfer her upstairs. “Call the NNICU and let them know she’s coming up.”

  “Will do,” one of the circulating nurses said.

  He broke scrub, knowing the anesthesiologist would take care of the transfer. Erica would need to remain on the ventilator, not to mention on several different medications, as they waited for her body to heal from surgery. It was late now, not likely that Rebecca would still be around. No doubt she had someone else covering the evening shift.

  As much as he wanted to head home, he knew he couldn’t leave until he was certain little Erica was stable. The first few hours were the most critical, and if she started bleeding, he’d have to take her back to surgery.

  He changed his scrubs and then took a few minutes to call Josh, as it was just past dinnertime. “Hi, Gemma, is Josh there?”

  “Sure. I’ll get him.”

  He could hear her yelling for Josh and soon his son picked up the phone. “Daddy? Are you coming home now?”

  He closed his eyes and wished more than anything that he could go home just for a few minutes to give Josh a hug. “Not yet. But if everything goes well, I’ll be home before you go to bed.”

  “Promise?” Josh asked.

  He hesitated, hating to promise anything he couldn’t deliver. “Josh, I promise that I’ll try very hard to get home before you go to bed. A lot depends on how well my patient is doing. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Josh sounded distant, and Dan wished more than anything he could have had this last week at home. But at the same time tetralogy of Fallot, complicated by hypoplastic pulmonary arteries, was his specialty. Erica had the best chance with him as her surgeon.

  As always, the tug between doing what was best for his patients and what was best for his son was difficult to navigate. He didn’t want to let either of them down.

  But when he did, it was invariably his son who suffered the most.

  “How was therapy today?” he asked in an effort to prolong the conversation.

  “Good.”

  Another one-word answer. He strove for patience and tried again. “Let’s see if I can guess what flavor lollipop you chose for today. Hmm,” he murmured dragging out the suspense as he pretended to ponder. “Cherry? No, I bet it was root beer.”

  There was a gasp. “How did you know it was root beer?” Josh demanded with awe.

  Dan grinned. “I have superhuman powers,” he teased. Glancing at his watch, he realized baby Erica was already up in the NICU by now. “Look, Josh, I have to go and check on my patient. I’ll try to be home in a couple of hours, okay?”

  “Okay. Good night, Daddy.” At least this time he sounded as if he meant it.

  “Good night, Josh.” After Josh hung up, he stared at his phone for a moment, before slipping it into his pocket and heading over to the elevator. He always hoped and prayed his patients did well after surgery, especially since they were so small and vulnerable.

  But this time he hoped and prayed twice as hard because he didn’t want to disappoint his son.

  He had been wrong about Rebecca, who was still there, and he found her studying Erica’s lab results intently. “Hi, Dan,” she said, somewhat distractedly.

  “Rebecca. How’s she doing?”

  “Good so far. Her hemoglobin is stable for the moment.”

  “Glad to hear it.” If Erica’s hemoglobin stayed stable, he’d make it home in time to say good-night to Josh after all.

  “I can watch her, if you want to head home,” Rebecca offered. “I have to be here, anyway.”

  It was tempting, oh, so tempting to take her up on her offer but his rule was to wait for a least an hour. If patients were going to start bleeding it was generally within the first hour or two.

  “I’ll wait.” He settled in a chair next to Erica’s isolette.

  “Your choice.” She dropped next to him and they spent the next hour monitoring Erica’s vital signs and lab values.

  “This baby girl is a true star,” Rebecca said, pushing away from the isolette well over an hour later. “Go home, Dan. Your son needs you.”

  He didn’t have to be told twice. Erica did indeed look like a star. Or at least she was stable. And he didn’t live far from the hospital if something happened later.

  He crossed the threshold of his home fifteen minutes later, giving him thirty minutes before Josh usually went to bed. “Josh? Gemma? I’m home.”

  “Gemma’s not here, Daddy,” Josh said, wheeling into the living room.

  His jaw dropped and his heart squeezed in panic. “What do you mean, she’s not here?” he said in alarm. “Are you telling me she actually left you here all alone?”

  “No, she didn’t leave him alone.” A female voice from the doorway made him swing round in shocked surprise. Molly stood there, looking wonderful. And nervous. “I—um—agreed to come over as she had to leave. Something about her daughter needing to go to the hospital.”

  “You did?” He stared at her, tempted to rush over and haul her into his arms, to prove she was real. Because having Molly waiting for him was something he’d secretly coveted.

  “Yes. I hope you don’t mind.”

  God, no, of course he didn’t mind. In fact, this just might be the best news of his entire day. He reverently hoped Erica would remain stable back at the hospital as he flashed a grateful smile and gently closed the door behind him. “I don’t mind at all.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  MOLLY TRIED TO HIDE HER uncertainty about agreeing to come over to pinch-hit for Josh’s nanny. Deep down, she’d figured this was a bad idea, but she hadn’t been able to refuse Gemma, as the nanny’s daughter had been taken to the hospital with suspected appendicitis.

  S
he sat on the corner of Josh’s bed, listening as Dan read Josh a bedtime story. Dan was doing a pretty good job, changing his voice to match the characters.

  After the story, Josh wanted to hug and kiss both of them good-night. Dan went first, and then she stepped forward. As she bent over, giving him a hug and a kiss, and receiving the same in return, she couldn’t help remembering how she’d often done the same thing with James’s boys. She tried to tell herself this was different, but at the moment she had an undeniable sense of déjà vu.

  “Molly, I don’t know how to thank you for coming over on the spur of the moment like this,” Dan said huskily, after he’d closed the door for Josh’s room and led the way into the living room. “I owe you, big-time.”

  She forced herself to relax and smile. “It’s no problem. Gemma was so upset about her daughter needing emergency surgery, there was no way I could turn her down. Besides, you know I care about Josh.”

  “Something I’m very grateful for,” he said humbly.

  She was secretly relieved he didn’t seem to think she was chasing after him, considering the night they’d spent together. It had been her biggest fear in agreeing to cover for Gemma. Fortunately, the moment Dan had realized she was there, he’d looked happy to see her.

  Still, she couldn’t help wondering why Dan had left her name and number to use in case of an emergency in the first place. She didn’t want to think that he was taking advantage of her.

  She smiled, determined to leave on a friendly note. “Well, now that you’re here, I’ll head home. Good night, Dan.”

  “No, wait.” He stepped forward and took her arm. “I’m sorry, Molly, but I was planning on Gemma spending the night in the guest room, in case I’m called back to the hospital.”

  She tried to hide her dismay. Of course, Gemma hadn’t mentioned that small detail. “Even after working all day, you’re still on call?”

  “I have to be available in case Erica needs to be taken back to surgery,” he explained patiently. “She’s still in a very critical condition, after being taken to surgery mere moments after she was born.”

  Her eyes widened in shock. “Really? I had no idea that was even possible.”

  “It’s not something we have to do often, but her case was very complicated. Only a few pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons in the country do this particular procedure.”

  And Dan Morris was one of them, she thought with a tiny thrill of pride. But then reality sank in and she glanced around with a sigh. “I didn’t pack an overnight bag.”

  “There’s plenty of extra toiletries here.” he said gently. Before she could respond, he surprised her by coming forward to pull her into his arms. “I’ve missed you, Molly,” he murmured before taking possession of her mouth in a deep kiss.

  Her ability to think was severely hampered by the way he kissed her so thoroughly. She soon became lost in his embrace. He’d actually started tugging her toward the bedroom and, heaven help her, she wasn’t resisting when his phone rang.

  “Dammit,” he muttered, pulling away from her to fumble for his phone. “Yeah? Hi, Rebecca, what’s going on?”

  Molly took several deep breaths and smoothed her hair, trying to calm her erratic pulse, as she listened to the one-sided conversation. She’d managed to convince herself that a relationship between them was impossible, yet one kiss and she’d been ready to toss her fears and insecurities aside.

  She must be going crazy. Granted, he’d called her on Sunday, but by the time they’d talked, she’d already convinced herself she must get over him.

  Now she wasn’t sure what to do.

  “Okay, give her ten ccs of blood to run over an hour and I’ll be there in ten—fifteen minutes tops.”

  She tried to hide her dismay. “Has the baby taken a turn for the worse?” she asked when he’d hung up.

  “Not terrible, but she has been bleeding, so I really need to go in to see how she’s doing.” His dark brown eyes were full of regret. “I’m sorry, Molly.”

  “That’s okay, I understand,” she said lightly. And she truly did understand. Clearly a tiny life hung in the balance. She would do a lot for her patients, too.

  He came over and gave her another hard kiss, before turning back toward the door. But then he paused and glanced over his shoulder at her. “I don’t expect you to wait up for me, because I don’t know when I’ll be back.” He hesitated, and then added, “Make yourself at home, either in my bed or in the guest room. Wherever you’re most comfortable.” He said the last few words in a rush, and then left without waiting for a response.

  She stared at the door long after he’d gone. Did he really mean what she thought he’d meant? That if she wanted to pick up their relationship where they’d left off on the weekend, she could sleep in his bed? Or if she wanted privacy and or distance she could use the guest room?

  And what about Josh? He was old enough that he probably wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night and his inability to walk meant he wouldn’t wander into Dan’s room. Still, Josh could get up early and use the wheelchair to come in. Or would Dan expect her to sneak out in the morning before Josh was up?

  She collapsed on the sofa and stared at the ceiling, her thoughts in turmoil. What was the right answer? What should she do?

  No matter how badly she wanted to, she couldn’t come to terms with the idea of crawling into Dan’s bed. Not while Josh was so close.

  But she didn’t go into the guest room, either, worried that she might send the wrong message. Instead, she took her book and settled in the corner of the sofa, using a quilt for warmth. Soon the book slipped from her grasp, falling to the floor with a soft thud as she drifted into sleep.

  * * *

  “Daddy, shouldn’t we wake her up?” Josh asked in a loud whisper.

  Molly shifted and let out a low moan at the shaft of pain that shot through her neck from sleeping at an awkward angle. She prised her eyes open and found Josh’s face scant inches from hers.

  “Good morning,” she murmured as she tried to unwrap herself from the quilt cocoon. She lifted her gaze to Dan, who stared at her with an enigmatic expression that she couldn’t interpret. “Hi. How’s your patient?”

  A smile curved his mouth, softening his expression. “She’s a true champ. Thankfully, she stabilized enough that I didn’t have to take her back to the O.R.”

  “I’m so glad,” she said, truly happy that the tiny newborn was doing so well. “Um, what time is it?”

  “Six forty-five. I wasn’t sure how long to let you sleep, because I didn’t know if you had an eight o’clock patient or not.”

  “Six forty-five?” She shot up to her feet, having momentarily forgotten that today was Wednesday, a work day. “I don’t—you’re my first appointment of the day, but I still have to get ready.”

  “I’ll make breakfast while you shower,” Dan offered. She belatedly noticed that he must have already done that as his short hair gleamed with dampness.

  “Thanks.” She didn’t like the thought of putting her same clothes back on, but at least she had a spare set of scrubs at work for emergencies like when a patient threw up or bled all over the place. She would have to make do with what she had.

  But as she washed her hair in the shower, she couldn’t help wondering what time Dan had gotten home, and if he’d been disappointed when he’d noticed she hadn’t chosen the option of sleeping in his bed.

  And why she cared so much in wanting to know.

  * * *

>   Dan suppressed a yawn as he drank more coffee, trying to compensate for fewer than three hours of sleep. He couldn’t deny having been sorely disappointed to come home at two-thirty in the morning to find Molly asleep on the sofa. Fantasies of coming home to nuzzle her awake for some gentle lovemaking had instantly dissolved in a puff of smoke.

  He’d stared at her for several seconds, tempted to lift her up and carry her to the guest bedroom, but then worried he’d only wake her up. So he’d left her alone, the way she’d apparently preferred, and gone to bed.

  Where he’d wasted a precious thirty minutes he could have been sleeping, with tossing and turning and missing her.

  Josh had woken him up at six, which was good because he hadn’t been sure what time Molly needed to be at Angel’s. And he’d taken time to do a quick check on Erica.

  It wasn’t until he’d started making breakfast that he’d realized that if Molly had slept with him, Josh would have come in to see them together. Not exactly something that would make him a candidate for father of the year.

  The knot of tension between his shoulder blades eased, as he convinced himself that obviously that possibility had been what had caused Molly to avoid making herself comfortable in his room. Once again she’d proved she knew more than he did about kids, as he hadn’t even considered that possibility until now.

  And, worse, he suspected she might think less of him for even suggesting it.

  For a moment he braced his hands on the counter and stretched the kinks from his neck. Being a single father in a relationship was much harder than he’d anticipated. Thankfully, Molly seemed to roll with the punches.

  “I’ll give you a back rub if you return the favor,” she said from behind him. “My neck is killing me.”