Christmas Babies Read online

  Empty words wouldn’t fool Sandra. They’d attended high school and premed together. Sandra’s father’s sudden heart attack had killed him at a young age and smashed his daughter’s dream of medical school. Instead she’d worked at night to pay her way through nursing school.

  Madelyn needed a substantial reason to explain her new attitude. Some half-truth that Sandra wouldn’t be able to brush off with a cautious look and a meticulous questionnaire.

  “A phone call from Roxy and a thorough lecture about wasting my youth. I finally agreed that being a good doctor shouldn’t preclude enjoying my after-work hours. Shall we go?”

  “Yes.” Sandra frowned, not totally convinced. “Hmm. Anyway, the anesthesiologist is here and Greg should be arriving any minute.”

  Saved by a delivery. Madelyn adjusted her mask over her face to hide her smile and entered the OR. Already prepped by the nurses, the patient moaned when the anesthesiologist turned her to her side and injected her with the epidural anesthetic. Greg proceeded with the c-section and extracted a baby boy from the protruding belly.

  Comfortable in her own skills and reassured that her medicine should suppress her symptoms, Madelyn reached for the blue-tinged baby and performed the resuscitation.

  The morning flew at incredible speed with three more deliveries performed by Greg and two more procedures on the preemies for Madelyn. By noon, she threw her surgical paraphernalia in the waste basket and strolled toward the elevator. A huge sigh of relief escaped her. The morning deliveries had gone without difficulty. At least on her part. Blessed be her little pills. Maybe she could continue to practice without anyone noticing her problem.

  Eager to eat a bite and take her noon pill, she headed to the hallway leading to her office. Nick stormed out of a side corridor and ordered, “Madelyn, go scrub. Emergency delivery in OR1. Toxemic patient with twins. Stat.” He passed her and sprinted down to OR1.

  Rooted in place, Madelyn stared at his back. Good Lord, she had a pill to take. Stat. And she couldn’t swallow it on an empty stomach. “Nick,” she called. “Take Dr. Raynes.”

  He spun. “Kathy’s off until 4 pm. That’s why she indulged in so much drink last night.” A frown etched his forehead and his tone hardened. “Three lives are in the balance. Do I need to say more?”

  “I’m coming.” As if she had a choice. She backtracked along the corridor.

  Nick waited for her. “What’s wrong?” Adjusting his pace to hers, he marched beside her.

  “Nothing. I thought Kathy was here. I had a full morning of deliveries.”

  “So?” His eyebrows arched and then his eyes squinted. He looked at her as if she’d grown horns. “Since when had a full morning stopped you from working afternoon, evening and night?”

  To be honest, she’d have stared the same way two days ago if anybody had dared suggest she couldn’t work a twenty-four hour shift without a break.

  “Forget it, please. Part of my new plans. To have more breaks.”

  His scowl relaxed. “What a pity. Just when you finally decide to take it easy, I’m the one who stresses you out.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry. But what can we do? We’re doctors before all else.”

  “Of course. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” Easing out of his arm, she opened the prep room and readied herself. The staccato beats of her heart reminded her of her first day in surgery as a young intern. Eager but shaking at the thought she might fail. Why hadn’t she kept a pill in her scrubs’ pocket?

  Nick scrubbed at full speed and rushed to the OR1. Madelyn muttered a short prayer and followed him. The nurses gowned them.

  Standing next to the incubators, Madelyn watched Nick do his routine. Cut an incision. Move the skin away. Reach deep in the gaping belly. And...

  Her arm jerked. She clenched her jaws and grasped the sides of the incubator with both hands. Steady. Remain steady. Breathe slowly. In. Out. Were her hands shaking or was it just her imagination?

  Doctors and nurses huddled around the operating table. All observing Dr. Preston save the toxemic patient and her twins. I can’t afford to shake. I can’t fall down. Not now. Please Lord. Not now. Lowering her head, Madelyn bit the inside of her cheek, hoping the self-inflicted pain would counteract the onset of tremor.

  “Baby A is out. A girl. All yours, Dr. Ramsay.” Nick cut the umbilical cord.

  There was no way on earth she could reach for the baby. And risk dropping her. “Sandra, dry her and put her in the incubator.” Ignoring the astonished look of the nurse who’d been busy at the operating table, Madelyn slowly straightened and forced herself to observe the preemie.

  A well-trained nurse, Sandra didn’t voice her surprise at the change in their routine. She wrapped the baby in a towel and placed her in the radiant warmer.

  “No chest movement.” Madelyn bent over the incubator and suctioned the nose and mouth. “Heart rate?”

  The nurse pressed the stethoscope on the infant’s belly. “70, 80. Too slow.” Madelyn continued the suctioning. “90, 100, 120.”

  “We’re good.” A sigh of relief escaped her. One gone. Two to go. I hope I can hold on.

  Bracing herself, she pulled up a stool, sat on it, and waited for Nick. Baby B soon made an appearance. Sandra glanced at her. Madelyn motioned to bring the second preemie.

  Baby B lay limp and gray like a mud doll in the warmer. “Heart rate 70.” The nurse announced. Madelyn suctioned him. “Still 70.”

  “I’ll intubate.” She introduced a silicone tube down the infant’s throat.

  “Heart rate still 70.”

  Damn it. Why now? A cold sweat moistened her temple. I can’t collapse now. I can’t let her die. “Catheter.” The nurse swabbed an antiseptic solution on the preemie’s side. Madelyn inserted the catheter and pushed. Steady. Fast. There was no time to waste. For her sake and the baby’s sake. She hissed and prayed her hands remained stable. Press harder. Harder.

  A gurgling whooshed out of the newborn’s throat. Madelyn’s sigh echoed as the trapped air escaped from the collapsed lungs. Slowly the pallor receded and the cute cheeks pinked up. Thank God, it was over. “You can dress them now and take their vitals.” Sandra knew what to do next.

  Madelyn hardly cast a weary look at Nick as he concentrated on his patient. With a doctor of his caliber, the mother would be fine. Her job well-done, Madelyn slipped out of the OR and raced to her room.

  With trembling hands, she rummaged inside her lunch bag for her sandwich and salad box, and slumped onto her chair in front of her desk. Not really hungry, she forced herself to bite and chew. Good thing several bottles of water lined up on the side of her credenza. Her stock always replenished by a custodian whose baby she’d saved. She paid him at the end of the week and he made sure she never missed her cold water supply.

  Today could have turned tragic. Although nobody noticed anything was amiss. Except Sandra maybe. Her sandwich finished, Madelyn hastened to swallow her pill. There were no more deliveries scheduled for today. But one never knew if another emergency would fall out of the blue. Taking advantage of her break time, she lay down on her sofa-bed. Could she continue to practice in the Neonatology Intensive Care Unit? The NICU delicate procedures required stable hands and strong nerves.

  Good thing Nick had been too focused on his patient to notice her moment of weakness. But Sandra would probably grill her with questions at the first opportunity. A knock on the door had her jump to the chair in front of her desk and grab her bottle of pills to shove it in her scrubs pocket. Dear Sandra, here she was, straight from OR1. “Come in.”

  Nick stood in the doorway. Concern wrinkled his forehead. The man frowned way too often. “I came to apologize for pushing you so hard. I didn’t realize you were so tired until I saw you sitting on the stool.”

  So much for thinking he wouldn’t notice what happened at the other end of the OR. Like a good mother hen, Dr. Preston had an extra pair of eyes in the back of his head.

  “Don’t worry. The ba
bies are fine and I took my short break. Ready for more now.”

  He remained in the doorway and stared straight ahead. A muscle twitched in his neck. “Thank God the babies are doing well.”

  The shaking of his head and his somber expression speared her with guilt. He must have noticed her hands’ tremors. Time to confess the whole thing.

  “I’m sorry. I should have—”

  “It’s not your fault the mother didn’t make it. I’m glad you left before the drama.”

  “She didn’t?” Oh God he’d lost a patient. No wonder he looked so depressed. Goosebumps sprouted on her arms at the horrible news and his grim expression.

  “We did everything possible to save her.” He raked his hair. Irritation or annoyance?

  Dr. Preston had never lost a patient. At least in the last five years he’d worked at St. Lucy’s Hospital. Before Madelyn could say a word, he snorted. “Can you believe she never went to a doctor until this morning, didn’t know she was expecting twins?” Fury twitched his lips and he banged on her door. “The older woman dropped her at the ER, screaming with pain, and then she left right away. The ultra sound revealed the twin pregnancy and the blood tests showed the toxemia.”

  “Poor girl.” Pity stabbed Madelyn’s heart for the teenager left to deal on her own with such a difficult situation. “She should have seen a doctor months ago.”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Nick stepped inside her office. The tangs of antiseptic and deodorant permeated his scrubs.

  “Between sobs, she managed to give her name, address, phone number, and a little more information. Only sixteen, no money, no job. She and her boyfriend, same age, lived with his mother and her current lover.” His head thrown backward against the door, eyes closed, Nick mumbled. “Damn it, patients don’t die of toxemia nowadays.”

  “A shame in this time of advanced medicine.” Madelyn had never seen him so rattled. “Nick, have a seat. You’re so upset.”

  His Adam’s apple jumped up and down as he slumped onto her sofa. “I called the woman who brought her here to notify her. She said she didn’t want to have anything to do with Casey Willis who’d been trouble since she came to live with them a year ago. Even accused her of getting pregnant on purpose to trap her innocent son. Casey’s mother is in jail for drugs. There’s never been a father around. Child Protective Services will take care of the twins and maybe put them up for adoption.”

  Their work had often exposed them to heart-wrenching cases. Compassion and frustration warred in her mind. “What a pity.” Madelyn’s tongue froze on the words. She put an appeasing hand on Nick’s arm and felt the erratic thump of his pulse under her fingers.

  He gulped air as if trying to calm down. “I know we should distance ourselves from our patients and keep our objectivity.”

  Easy to say. Even Nick had finally shown a soft side.

  “I’m going to check on the preemies before going home. I hope they’ll find a good home and loving family.” She stiffened, the subject of motherhood now a forbidden topic for her, more like a prickly needle in her chest.

  “Or they could land with selfish parents who’ll neglect them.” His somber expression darkened even more.

  “Most adoptive parents are great. They’ve wanted a child for so long. Oftentimes, they’re better than natural ones.”

  “You’re right, but there’s always that one percent who may neglect their kids.”

  Today he bordered on negativity. Maybe it was up to her to comfort him. “Unfortunately, child neglect happens way too often. Mostly because the parents are too young, too poor or not ready. It has nothing to do with adoption.”

  She patted his hand and offered him a sympathetic smile. “You did your best for Casey Willis. Don’t torture yourself. She’s in a better place. Hopefully praying for her babies to have a good life. A more promising future than she could offer them.”

  “You’re right. We did everything to save her, but...” He shook his head. Anger and pain still churned in his blue eyes. “Enough depressing thoughts.” His gaze fell to her fingers covering his. She blushed and withdrew her hand.

  “Thank you for listening and for your understanding.” He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “This case made me so angry. I can’t believe I lost my temper.”

  She couldn’t believe it either but abstained from commenting. Was this man the charismatic Nick, the playboy rumored to enjoy life to its fullest and never let worry bother him?

  “This sofa is way too comfortable.” He hid a yawn behind his hand. “And tempting,” he added with a glance at the pillow. “Let’s not waste a free afternoon and evening. Kathy Raynes has just arrived and Greg is on-call. Can I treat you to a dinner?”

  She blinked. No kidding. He wasn’t wasting time all right.

  “Unless you’re tired. Or you don’t feel like going out.”

  “Hmm...” She really wanted to be with him. Not only as a good friend.

  Her gaze dropped to his hands—the efficient hands she’d often admired from a professional point of view now rubbed his knees with impatient strokes. How would they feel on her body? Strong and soft at the same time. Last night, he’d held her while dancing, and walking, and helping her in and out of his sports car. He’d taken every opportunity to touch her hands, her waist, her back. And she relished his touch. Unsettling feeling.

  “Madelyn, you’re gone again. I’ve never seen you so distracted. Are you sure you’re not coming down with a bug?” He straightened and leaned toward her with his doctor look.

  “No bugs. I was debating about going out or having dinner on my balcony.”

  “Really? You want to invite me...to your place?” His eyes widened so much she chuckled.

  “Yes. You mentioned you are looking for an apartment in my building. I can show you mine, and two neighbors’. Different layouts.” That should keep them pleasantly occupied until dinner, in a friendly way.

  “Wonderful idea.” He genuinely returned her smile. “You know, it’s the first time you’ve invited me to your lair.”

  They both burst out laughing. Nervous laughter that melted the tense moment. He could be such a good friend. Exactly what she needed. But she’d rather not elaborate on her difficult time in the OR, or confide in him. Nick had enough on his plate right now. Besides she had yet to ponder her future and examine all her options.

  “What time?” He stood, flexed his arms, and stretched his back.

  “Six o’clock?”

  “Perfect.” He looked at his scrubs. She also looked— a bit too long— and lowered her head to hide her blush. “I’ll change. And I’ll be there. Can I bring something?”

  “Just yourself. I’ll make the rounds in the NICU before I leave and check on the new twins.” She shoved a stethoscope in her pocket, felt her bottle of pills, and relaxed.

  No matter what happened in her life she’d always be a physician above all else. A quick glance at her hands reassured her that things were under control for the moment.

  “The babies are lucky to have you for doctor. You’re a darn good neonatologist, Dr. Ramsay.” Good God, could Nick read her mind and guess her new insecurities?

  Chapter Three

  “They’re so cute,” Sandra said while Madelyn examined one of the twin girls. “Not too small for preemies. Baby A weighs 5 pounds 8 ounces, and Baby B 4 pounds 2. And look at this blond duvet. ”

  Madelyn glanced at the small head of Baby A and immediately averted her eyes to the belly where she pressed her stethoscope. Nick’s explanations about the unfortunate Casey had affected her more than she cared to admit. In spite of all the theoretical jargon about doctors staying detached from their patients, she knew that many colleagues experienced what Nick, and now she were going through. Although... Madelyn frowned, the metallic disc forgotten on the newborn’s skin.

  Nick and she weren’t sharing the same feelings. His concern focused on Casey. An excellent OBGYN, he hated losing a patient, because of a stupid mistake—even when it wasn’t
his fault. Of course, Madelyn, too, felt sorry for the teenager who had lost her life so young, but now looking at these adorable babies...

  “Madelyn, are you done with Baby A? Is something wrong with her?” Sandra touched her arm.

  “Yes, I’m done. Doing great.” She stroked the tip of her finger along the baby’s chin and smiled. Baby A jerked her arms and feet as if she wanted to stand. “She’s adorable.”

  “Isn’t she? I hope I can have a baby as cute as Pretty One. That’s what I’m calling her,” Sandra added with a laugh.

  Madelyn straightened. “I’m sure you and Chuck will have gorgeous kids. Soon.” She patted her friend’s arm. Sandra and her husband had been trying to start a family for more than two years and had even discussed in vitro.

  “I hope so. We’re still trying. If nothing happen soon, maybe I’ll ask if I can adopt these two.” Sandra’s eyes filled with a longing Madelyn could well understand. “I called Baby B Little One. She’s small, but I’m sure she’ll catch up with her sister soon.”

  “Why don’t you call them, Liana and Celia?” Madelyn blurted.

  “Where on earth did you get these names from?”

  Embarrassed of her blushing, Madelyn bent over a warmer. “They are the ones I would have given my children if I ever—”

  “You, my dear friend, have been ignoring the whole wide world for your work. You could be married by now and have a Liana and a Celia to cuddle. Don’t wait too long. It gets more difficult with age.”

  Too late. Her heart heavy with pain, Madelyn cleared her throat. “Any news from Child Protective Services?”

  “The hospital called them. They have to contact the young dad. If he doesn’t want the babies, he’ll have to sign an official release. The hospital is also waiting for information about Casey’s mother and her location.”

  “I see you’re well informed.”

  “How could I not be? Everyone is talking about this latest case.” Sandra shrugged. “The Clinic gossip functions more swiftly than a wireless.”