The Baby Discovery

It was better to let Julie take over in there. She was a natural flirt. If Mr. Broderick turned out to be single and available, the two ought to hit it off without problem.

As for the baby, Meg already felt an attachment to him that went way beyond the norm.

She’d always loved babies and had dreamed of a large family of her own one day. But since she’d learned she could never give birth, it seemed like her problem was all she ever thought about. Especially when her older brother and sister were both married and had children.

Her gynecologist had suggested she get a dog to love. Unfortunately there was a “no pets” rule at the apartment she shared with a dental hygienist, Debbie Lignell. But after her response to the baby, maybe she ought to start thinking about moving to a place where animals were allowed.

By the time she went off the shift at five-thirty a.m., Debbie would be getting ready for work. Meg could broach the subject, but her friend wouldn’t like it. Their apartment was a convenient half block away from the dentist’s office.

Perhaps the best thing to do was let Debbie advertise for a new roommate so Meg could find a place of her own.

Maybe now would be the best time to move back to Salt Lake. There were plenty of nursing jobs available. If she couldn’t get her old floor position back at Emigration Hospital, there were a lot of other hospitals in the Salt Lake Valley. As for apartments that accepted pets, it wouldn’t be a problem. What she needed was a new reason to get up in the morning…

Since her operation, she’d avoided dating. That way she didn’t have to explain that she could never bear a child and that the guy would be wasting his time with her.

The last man she’d been interested in was a pilot she’d met at an N.B.A. game featuring the Jazz and the Lakers. Once the two of them got talking, it appeared he liked some of the same outdoor activities she loved.

But they’d only been dating a couple of weeks when he was unexpectedly transferred to Atlanta. He’d wanted her to fly out there for a visit. But by then she had developed female problems.

Once she knew the prognosis, she was glad he’d moved away before their relationship had progressed any further. It spared her the anguish of confessing that she was no longer a whole woman.

Since then not even her hobbies interested her. Perhaps a little dog she could train from puppyhood would help bring her out of this depression. Much as she hated to admit, that’s what it was.

If she was really being honest with herself, she’d chosen to work in Tooele because it was only eight miles from Grantsville where her family lived. For someone who’d always been so cheerful and independent, she hated it that her inability to have children had changed her into some kind of emotional cripple.

She needed to go back to Salt Lake which was far enough away that she couldn’t just pop in on her parents when she felt down. If getting a dog didn’t help, then she would probably have to seek some counseling.

Her mother had urged her to look on the bright side. One day when she married, she could adopt. Intellectually Meg knew her mom was right. But most men wanted to father their own flesh and blood.

It took a special man to deal with a woman’s infertility. He had to love you so much he could look past the medical problem. If there was a man out there who could do that, she hadn’t met him yet.

As for the tiny infant in the ICU, she could steal him away tonight and love him forever.

The fact that she would even entertain the thought proved she needed to do something about her situation as soon as possible.

A half hour later Mrs. Pope’s IV had run out. “How’s the headache now?”

“It’s gone. My husband should be here any minute to take me home.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better. Your color has come back.” Meg removed the needle and bandaged the spot. “I’ll tell the doctor. While I’m at it, is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Nothing. But thank you for sitting with me and being so nice. My husband has a hard time when I get like this.”

“If he’s good to you otherwise, I forgive him.”

Her patient’s wan smile told Meg all she needed to know. “He is.”

Lucky you.

She went out to the desk. “Dr. Parker? Mrs. Pope’s waiting to be discharged.”

He nodded. “Get the lab over here, then join me in cubicle four. We’ve got a victim with a knife wound who’s about to go to surgery.”

“I’ll call them.”

Between that injury and a heart attack victim brought in by an ambulance, the doctors and staff were run off their feet for the next couple of hours. Around four it was Meg’s turn to check on the baby.

To her surprise, Mr. Broderick was still in the Infant ICU watching the baby.

“At last,” came the deep voice as soon as he saw her.

“Things got busy out there.”

He rose to his full height. “So I noticed.”

While she checked on the drip and various monitors, she felt his anxious gaze on her face. “What do you think?”

She knew what he wanted to hear, but she still couldn’t tell him. “H-he’s not any worse.”

“Damn,” he bit out, then threw his head back. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I was on the brink of saying something unprofessional myself. He’s so precious and so utterly helpless.” Her voice quavered.

Lines darkened his face. “I’m afraid to leave for fear he’ll—”

“I know,” she broke in before he could finish. “Why don’t I have a cot brought in so you can lie down next to him.”

By his expression she could tell her suggestion had shocked him. “You would do that?”

“If I had realized you were still here, I would have suggested it earlier. There’s no one else to keep the baby company. Finders, keepers,” she said with a smile. “In the meantime, wash your hands in the sink over there. Here’s a pair of sterile gloves for you. When you’ve dried off, put them on. Then you can reach inside the crib and touch him while you talk to him. I bet he’d like to hear how you sing, too.”

She leaned close to the holes. “You haven’t been on this earth very long, have you, sweetie. And every new little guy deserves all the love and attention he can get. I would say this big guy here who saved your life is the perfect person to do that. Now I’ll leave you two to get better acquainted.”

Meg didn’t know what had possessed her just now, but she’d sensed Mr. Broderick needed somewhere to go with his feelings. Giving him a job would help the agonizing hours pass faster.

Besides, she was a firm believer in touching babies as much and as often as possible. The ER didn’t have enough staff to lavish the kind of physical love normally extended by the adoring parents of a newborn.

“Hey, Meg?” Julie signaled to her from the desk. Things had quieted down for the moment. No doubt she was going to brag about the date she’d wangled out of Mr. Broderick. Meg didn’t want to hear it.

“Just a minute and let me call housekeeping first.” When she’d rung for a cot to be sent to the Infant ICU, she gave Julie her attention. “What were you going to say?”

“I was hoping you would tell me,” she whispered.

Meg frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I got nowhere with that guy. I mean nowhere. He only asked one question that didn’t have to do with the baby. When were you going to come back in the room.”

To Meg’s consternation her heart turned over.