Babies in the Bargain (9 page)

Dear Chris, always ready to lend a supportive shoulder. He couldn’t guess that the mere mention of Marc’s name put her on edge at the moment. And Jenna was the last drop.

She forced a weak smile. “Gosh, I didn’t realize I looked that lousy.” She straightened and combed her hair with her fingers.

Chris chuckled. “You’re as pretty as ever. But where’s your smile? Why the grim expression? You seem to be carrying the whole world on your shoulders. Tell you what? Tomorrow, I’ll take you out for a game of tennis. It’ll help you unwind. And then we’ll join the hospital gang on Friday at
Mango Bar
. Like you used to do a couple of months ago.”

Yeah, like before Marc was hired at WCH.

She grimaced. Where had her peaceful life gone?

“Really?” She shrugged. “And where am I going to find time for this social life? You forget I have to study for a board exam?”

“Make time. You can’t continue to be locked in the hospital.”

She nodded, appreciating Chris’s concern. She needed to forget the storm called Suarez and the emotions stirred in its wake.

* * *

Holly tossed in her bed. After four days at the hospital and sporadic catnaps here and there, exhaustion should have knocked her out. But sleep eluded her as Marc’s smiling face kept popping up behind her closed eyelids.

He’d been gone for a week now and hadn’t called. The sweet words he’d whispered in her ear before leaving must have been only a friendly and casual farewell. Nothing special.

But what about his kisses?

The hospital gossip nudged her one more time and disappointment clawed at her stomach.

Working almost non-stop hadn’t prevented her thoughts from wandering toward him. In the afternoon, she’d joined Chris and other fellows for a tennis game. Hitting the ball for an hour had helped her unwind, and she’d promised herself to do it more often.

Anything to prevent her from dwelling in the emotional pothole created by Marc.

Holly sighed. Marc’s double mourning, his grandmother’s health, and his large family were enough to keep any man on edge. Not to mention the search for a local mother for his new son, if the gossip was true. She snorted. It was no wonder Marc had forgotten about her.

In a way, it was better that she hadn’t heard from him. Life would slowly go back to normal, she mused as she drifted off.

The strident ring of the telephone woke Holly from a dreamless sleep. Dazed, she fumbled for the phone, assuming she’d have to dress in a blink and rush to the hospital for an emergency. “Dr. Collier.”

“Hi Holly. How are you doing?”

The baritone voice jerked her to a sitting position. “Marc?” Her heart drummed in her chest. He’d called, after all.

“Did I wake you? Sorry, it’s only nine. I thought you wouldn’t be asleep yet.”

“No problem.” She was wide-awake now. She took a deep breath to slow her heartbeat.

“How’s the baby?”

“He’s doing great. The jaundice is over, although his skin still has a yellow tinge. He eats well, sleeps well, and is gaining weight.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of him.”

“You’re welcome. How was the flight? And how’s the family?”

“The trip was fine, but the arrival was a nightmare. Everyone I know in San Juan was at the airport, my sisters and their husbands, my aunts and uncles, all the cousins and neighbors. The women, dressed and veiled in black, were crying nonstop.”

“Oh, my God. How about your grandmother?”

“Abuelita didn’t know yet. She’d been staying with the neighbors. The minute she saw me she knew something was wrong. She was so distraught I had to give her a sedative before telling her.”

“I’m sorry. Did she go to the funerals?”

“She did. It was sad. Now, she lays curled on a sofa, a rosary in her hand, and grieves all day. She keeps saying God made a mistake and should have taken her instead. She refuses to eat. I’m worried about her.”

So that’s why he hadn’t called earlier. “Does she ask about the baby?”

“Not really. I don’t think she realizes yet that Carlos’s son is alive and well. Holly, can you do me a favor? Take a picture of Paulito with a digital camera and e-mail it to me.”

“I’ll do that tomorrow,” Holly said, pleased to lend a helping hand across the miles.

“Thank you, sweetie. I miss you. Talk to you later.”

This time she didn’t resent the
sweetie
. On the contrary, it warmed her blood. She hugged her pillow with a happy feeling in her heart and a smile on her lips.

Then it hit her. He hadn’t mentioned he might be looking for a bride—or more precisely a mother for his son. What type of game was he playing? She banged on her pillow.

Marc Suarez, go to hell and stay there.

CHAPTER SEVEN

With Marc a thousand miles away, Holly should have forgotten all about the charming Dr. Suarez.

Except that Marc had the knack for not letting anyone forget about him.

After the first week, he’d called every day to ask about his nephew’s progress. He complained about his difficulties with his grandmother and his interviews with the bride candidates the old lady lined up for him. “I owe you big, sweetie. I know Paulito is in good hands. Can’t wait to get back.”

With a mother for the baby? Or happily unmarried?

Holly avoided the aggravating questions and seethed silently.

In order to take better care of Paulito, Holly elected to sleep at the hospital even when she wasn’t on call. She was doing her best for Paulito, but her conscience pricked her with a different priority.

I haven’t studied a single page in the last three weeks.
More precisely since the day Marc had entrusted her with his precious bundle and left. So far, she had swallowed her frustration with a Zantac and a big glass of water to calm her aching ulcer. Not that she regretted a minute of the time spent cradling Paulito in her arms. The baby was worth every ounce of maternal love she bestowed on him.

Holly entered the regular nursery and went straight to Paulito. Her lips curving in a happy smile, she bent and picked him up. “Look at you, sweetheart. You’ve grown so fast.”

“Dr. Collier,” the head nurse said, “Paul weighs six and a half pounds.”

“Wonderful.” Holly hugged him, like a proud mama. “You’re doing great, Paulito.”

“Well, Dr. Collier, seeing as how you are in charge of him, you’ll have to decide about where to send him next.”

“What’s wrong with keeping him here until Dr. Suarez comes back?”

“We can’t. He’s a healthy baby, over six pounds. The insurance has insisted we discharge him. We need the bed.”

“You can’t be serious? Where do you expect me to keep him until his uncle shows up?”

“I’m sorry, Dr. Collier. I have to enforce the nursery regulations. We need his crib tonight.”

Find a solution by tonight. Easy to say. As a doctor, she understood the head nurse’s position and wouldn’t argue to bend the rules. But how on earth was she going to take care of her little charge
and
her other duties? And where could she find a suitable babysitter on such short notice? Frustration hit her midsection.

The baby shrieked in her arms. Holly remembered her promise to take care of Lydia’s son until Marc came back. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” she cooed, adjusting the baby to a more comfortable position. “We’ll solve this problem together. We need a caring, loving person.”

Paulito stopped crying. Holly could swear he smiled at her. “Caring...and...loving...and available immediately.”

Yeah, but who?

She frowned, working her brain furiously. “I know. My mom. I’ll call her right away. I’m sure she’d love to take care of you. She’ll spoil you rotten. Be back in a minute, Paulito.”

She sat the baby in the middle of his crib and then rushed to the office to call her mom.

Her mother, a nurse working in Boston, had just retired. Holly was sure she wouldn’t mind staying for a week to care for a baby. The telephone rang and rang but nobody answered. The answering machine didn’t click on.

Where was her mother? And why didn’t she tell her she was going on vacation?

Maybe she called home
. But Holly had been at the hospital for the last four days and hadn’t checked her messages.

Right now, there were thirty babies waiting for their morning check-up in the nursery and five preemies in need of examination in the NICU. She couldn’t procrastinate another minute. Maybe inspiration would strike while she worked.

Three hours later, as she put the last preemie in his warmer, Holly hadn’t come up with a solution. Soon the head nurse would insist Paulito vacate his crib.

Holly scribbled a note with a request for a babysitter. “Stacey, do me a favor and post this at the door of the cafeteria on your way to lunch.”

“Why would you need a babysitter?” Stacey mumbled after reading the note.

Holly wasn’t ready to advertise her problems through the gossip network of the hospital, but she felt compelled to explain. “Baby Suarez has outstayed his welcome in the nursery. I have to find him a babysitter. Dr. Suarez won’t be here ‘til next week.”

“Can’t you ask him to come back earlier?”

“Unfortunately not. His grandmother’s heart has weakened.” Besides Holly would never admit to him she couldn’t manage on her own.

“Dr. Collier, how could you leave a person you don’t know, for thirty-six hours, alone in your house, with a newborn?” Stacey uttered every word with a disapproving look.

The woman had two kids and probably thought Holly out of her league dealing with a baby. And frankly, Holly felt more inadequate by the moment. She threw her arms up. “Come on, Stacey. I’m trying to do the right thing for the baby without neglecting my job. I can’t possibly keep him in my on-call room.”

“Why not?”

“I share it with other fellows. We alternate nights.”

“I know that, but we have enough rooms on the floor. I’m sure the fellow sharing it with you wouldn’t mind using another room. Of course, it would be a precedent, but if the baby stays here, we could help you, me and the other nurses. Many of them would go out of their way for Dr. Suarez’s adopted baby.”

“I’m sure they would,” Holly blurted. A smile from Marc would be payment enough for their generous help.

“In that case, first things first. Paul needs a crib and a stroller. I’ll go home right now and get the ones my kids used. Then we’ll need diapers, bottle, formula, and some clothes. I’ll ask Jenna and the other nurses to share the shopping. I better get you the car seat, too, just in case.”

Holly eyes rounded as Stacey enumerated the tasks and moved into action, paging three nurses to the NICU.

“Are you sure this will work? I mean the baby in my on-call room? What if he screams?”

“So what? Your room is on the nursery floor. Babies cry all the time here.”

Stacey had an answer for every question. Within minutes, Holly was convinced nothing could work better for both Baby Suarez and herself. With Paulito in her room, under a nurse’s supervision, Holly would be able to carry out her duties and check on him regularly, day and night. Besides, it was only for a week.

“Bless you, Stacey. I think it may work, at least until Dr. Suarez comes back.”

She had to hand it to Stacey. The nurse knew how to galvanize her colleagues into volunteering their services. Anything for Dr. Suarez. Holly suppressed a sarcastic smile. Marc’s popularity was useful at times.

By five in the evening, the fellows’ room had been rearranged to accommodate a bassinet, a stroller, and even a rocking chair borrowed from a hospital storage room. Stacey stowed Holly’s few clothes at the back of a shelf to make room in the closet for diapers and tiny overalls.

A flutter of white uniforms swarmed into the room. Paulito received a formal welcome to his new quarters by no less than seven women, cooing and melting in fond smiles.

Stacey distributed a schedule to each one. “I’ll take the first shift from now until eight. Then you’re on, Dr. Collier. If they page you for a delivery, Jenna will cover for you here.”

“Thank you all for your help. I’d like to invite you for lunch tomorrow,” Holly said, gratitude flooding her heart. They’d saved her from a difficult situation.

“Why don’t we wait until Dr. Suarez comes back, maybe he’d be able to join us?” Jenna suggested in her languorous voice.

“Good idea,” Holly muttered. He could pick up the bill and personally thank the nurses for their dedication to his charms.
Of course, anything for Dr. Suarez.

“I thought we were supposed to meet at five in the lobby?” Chris stood at the door of her room, frowning.

“I’m sorry.” She’d completely forgotten about him. “We were organizing a place for Paulito.”

“Here?”

“He can’t stay in the nursery because of the insurance.”

“So? It’s not your problem. Tell his uncle to get his ass back here and handle his responsibilities. We’ve covered enough for him.”