Baby Love

  How long did it take to examine someone and decide what the hell was wrong, anyway? Had they forgotten he was out here? Hell, she had a baby out here, too. Or had they simply written her off as unimportant?

  Given Maggie’s unconsciousness, it had been left to Rafe to answer the admitting receptionist’s questions. He’d been able to provide no last name, and when he’d been asked Maggie’s address, he’d answered, “Homeless.” He suspected Maggie was from Prior, but recalling her secretiveness, he’d hesitated to reveal even that much information. As briefly as possible, he’d explained how he’d met Maggie and taken her to a motel when it became apparent she was ill.

  A few minutes later, he’d overheard the women at the front desk discussing Maggie, and one of them had said, “Some guy brought her in. I seriously doubt she has insurance. Collections will be so thrilled.”

  As if it mattered if she could pay? One human being was no less important than another. What did one’s financial situation have to do with it?

  He got up and began pacing again. Maggie lay just beyond those double doors. A suffocating sensation squeezed his chest when he remembered how white her face had been. If only he’d insisted she see a doctor.

  He wasn’t even certain there was a qualified doctor on duty in this place. This hospital was a small-town, rinky-dink facility. Had anyone examined Maggie yet? She’d better be receiving first-rate care, or heads were going to roll. He’d have their asses in court so fast they wouldn’t know what hit them.

  The thought made Rafe break stride. What did he plan to use for money to hire a lawyer? His irresistible charm? He wasn’t back home in Oregon where his last name meant something. This was Podunk, Idaho, and the people here had never even heard of the Kendrick family. He could threaten them all he liked, but he doubted he’d get any results. They’d figure he was just a vagrant with an attitude. Or a mental condition.

  Well, that could be rectified, he promised himself. And damned quick. It might be true that he hadn’t contacted his parents or brother in two years. But they would rally around him if he suddenly decided to call. Rafe could almost see his father bursting into this small hospital, voice booming and blue eyes flashing. Those holier-than-thou secretaries would quake on their caster chairs.

  “Mr. Kendrick?”

  Rafe whirled to see a slender redhead in a white lab coat walking toward him. The stethoscope in her pocket flashed in the fluorescent light. When she drew up, she tucked a clipboard under her arm, her kindly green eyes settling on his face as she extended her hand. “I’m Dr. Hammish. I understand you’re the gentleman who called the ambulance for our Maggie Doe?”

  Rafe shifted Jaimie to free his right arm. As he shook hands with the doctor, he took quick stock of her and liked what he saw, especially the worried frown that pleated her forehead. Seeing that, he felt a little better and a whole lot sheepish for imagining that Maggie might not be getting good care.

  “How is she? Is she going to be all right?”

  The doctor gestured for him to take a seat on the sofa and then followed suit, setting aside the clipboard and then turning so she could search his gaze. Rafe realized she was looking him over as carefully as he had her. “Our Maggie Doe has had a rough time of it,” she said softly. “She’s been badly beaten. I assume you’re aware of that?”

  “Yes.” Judging by the doctor’s expression, Rafe guessed he ranked high on her list of suspects. “I’ve been taking care of her for two days. Bruises like that are pretty hard to overlook.” He met her gaze. “I didn’t do it, if that’s what you’re thinking. I met her two nights ago, and she was already in that condition.”

  The doctor inclined her head, the gesture indicating that she found his explanation credible, but that she still wasn’t totally convinced he was innocent of any wrongdoing. She smiled slightly. “How did the two of you meet?”

  Rafe bit down hard on his back teeth in an effort to control his temper. After taking three deep breaths, he said, “Doctor, do you mind? I’m very worried about her, and you still haven’t told me how she is.”

  The physician gave a soft, humorless laugh. “I’m sorry. I’m rather one-track—minded when it comes to an abused woman.” She folded her hands on her lap. “Maggie has regained consciousness, and I’m hopeful she’ll recover nicely.”

  “Thank God.”

  “Nevertheless, she’s very ill. She’s postnatal, which can cause a host of problems if a woman receives no medical care, and I’d venture a guess she hasn’t seen a physician since she gave birth. She has a kidney infection that has gone untreated. I believe she has a condition called septicemia. I can’t be positive until I get the lab reports, of course, but that’s my preliminary diagnosis.”

  “Septicemia? That’s really dangerous, isn’t it?”

  “It’s serious, yes. Bacteria escape from the focal point of the infection into the bloodstream, multiply rapidly, and spread throughout the body. If left untreated, it can cause septic shock and be life-threatening.”

  Rafe realized he was shaking and cuddled Jaimie closer.

  “I’ve got her on an intravenous infusion of heavy-hitting antibiotic and a saline solution. We’ll continue that treatment and keep a close eye on her for at least three days. After that, I believe she will do well enough on oral medications to be released—if she has anywhere suitable to go and I can be assured she’ll get follow-up exams and complete bed rest for another seven to ten days. If not, despite her apparent concerns about the cost, I’ll have no alternative but to keep her in the hospital.”

  Rafe closed his eyes for a moment, so relieved he felt almost boneless. “But she’ll be all right?”

  The doctor sighed. “I can’t give you an absolute guarantee. Whether or not she’ll be all right will depend entirely upon how she responds to treatment. However, I can say that I see no reason at this point to anticipate problems.” She studied her folded hands for a moment. When she glanced back up, her gaze was direct and searching. “Maggie has been severely beaten, Mr. Kendrick. I believe the blows to her kidneys worsened her condition immeasurably, bruising the already inflamed organs and the surrounding tissue. To be quite honest, I’m not as concerned about her responding to the antibiotics as I am about what may happen to her when she leaves here. In my estimation, she’s very fortunate her spleen wasn’t ruptured and she sustained no other internal injuries.”

  “She won’t be beaten again.” Rafe nearly snarled the promise. “If the bastard comes anywhere near her, I’ll—” He broke off and swallowed. “He won’t lay a hand on her, guaranteed.”

  The doctor searched Rafe’s gaze, and then she nodded. “I don’t generally make snap judgments. But I tend to believe you. You truly aren’t the man who did it, are you?”

  “I’d like to beat the son of bitch to within an inch of his life. I’ve never seen bruises like that on anyone, including myself, and I’ve gotten pretty busted up a few times in rodeo competition.” He thrust a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe a man deserving of the name would do that to any woman, let alone a slip of a girl who just had a baby.”

  The doctor sighed again, obviously in complete agreement. Then, leaning toward him, she whispered, “If you get a chance to beat the hell out of him, don’t hog all the fun. If you’ll hold him, I’d dearly love to let him have it at least once myself.”

  Of all the things Rafe had expected her to say, that was the last. He gave a startled laugh. “Dr. Hammish, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  She chuckled. “I’ll hold you to it.” She craned her neck to peek at the baby. “This must be the little fellow I’ve been hearing about—the most wonderful, perfect, precious, and handsome baby in the whole world. Jaimie, if I remember right?”

  “She told you his name?” Rafe raised an eyebrow. “What did you do, twist her arm? It took some doing for me to worm that out of her.”

  “I cited doctor-patient confidentiality. And then I swore on threat of death not to repeat anything she told me. At that, it wa
s slim pickings as far as information went. She’s quite sick, of course, and doesn’t feel like talking, which may account for some of her reticence. But it’s still a bit odd that she refused to give us her last name or say where she’s from.”

  “I think she’s running,” Rafe told her.

  The doctor nodded. “And judging by those bruises, who can blame her? You never said how the two of you met.”

  “What’s the scoop on that doctor-patient confidentiality?” he asked.

  “I won’t break Maggie’s confidence, or yours,” she assured him. “My first responsibility is to my patient.”

  Rafe told her the story of how he met Maggie. “I tried to get her to see a doctor, but she refused. To be honest—” He searched the physician’s gaze again. “I want your word you won’t repeat any of this, Doc.”

  She nodded. “You have my word. I believe that young woman needs protection, and I won’t jeopardize her safety.”

  Rafe wasn’t certain why, but he believed her. He just hoped he wasn’t making a mistake. “I think maybe Maggie’s afraid the cops are looking for her.”

  The doctor lifted an eyebrow. “The cops? Why, I wonder?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. She doesn’t strike me as the criminal type.”

  “No,” the doctor agreed thoughtfully. “Do you think she may be fleeing from an abusive husband?” She glanced pointedly at Jaimie. “Perhaps she’s embroiled in a nasty divorce and child custody suit, and she’s made off with the baby.”

  “I don’t think so. She wears no ring, and there’s no sign she did recently. Not every woman wears a ring these days, of course. But she said other things that lead me to believe she’s unmarried.” He quickly recounted Maggie’s insistence that Jaimie had no father. “That doesn’t sound like something a married or recently divorced woman might say.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” The doctor sighed and settled her gaze on Jaimie again. “It would seem that you’ve bitten off a large chunk of responsibility, Mr. Kendrick. I imagine you’ll be relieved to get that little fellow off your hands.”

  Rafe’s heart caught. “Off my hands?”

  “Well, yes,” she said, smiling kindly. “Maggie and her baby aren’t your responsibility, after all. Until she can care for him herself again, Jaimie should be placed with the county. The temporary care is quite good, I assure you.”

  “No.” The refusal was out of Rafe’s mouth before he could even contemplate his reasons. He couldn’t hand Jaimie over to strangers.

  “As I already pointed out, Maggie and her baby aren’t your responsibility.”

  “Responsibility can be assumed.”

  “Well, yes, I suppose it can.”

  “Well, then? I’m assuming it.”

  The doctor tapped her chin, regarding Rafe with concern. “I know you mean well, Mr. Kendrick. And please, don’t be offended. But are you certain you’re in a position to assume that responsibility? It isn’t only Jaimie you must consider, but Maggie. She’ll need care when she leaves here, and I’m not—”

  “I’ll see that they’re both taken care of.”

  “How? When Maggie is released, she’ll be unable to look after the baby. She’ll need constant care herself for at least seven days, and she can’t receive the quality care she needs in an econo-rate motel room. How can you care for her if you have to get a job to foot the bills, which may be substantial? She’s going to need one or two rounds of very expensive medication, for starters. And nourishing, well-balanced meals, not fast food or the greasy fare available in our local restaurants.” She shook her head. “By your own admission, you’re presently unemployed, low on funds, and have no home where you might take her.” She held out her arms. “Jaimie will be better off in temporary foster care. Please, let me—”

  Rafe cut her short by pushing to his feet. A feeling of impending doom filled him as he gazed down at the infant in his arms and thought about handing him over. He met the doctor’s worried gaze.

  “Looks can be deceiving, Doc,” he informed her gruffly. “I own a home where I can take Maggie to convalesce. The place is damned near as big as this backwoods hospital, and there’s a full-time housekeeper to do the cooking. As for money, I guarantee I have a hell of a lot more in the bank than you do.”

  The doctor’s expression conveyed more clearly than words that she sympathized with his feelings, but that she didn’t believe a word he had said.

  Rafe glanced up the hall at a bank of pay phones. “By the time Maggie is released, I’ll have the Kendrick family Cessna flown in from Oregon and waiting here to pick her up.” He returned his gaze to hers. “Assuming, of course, that this one-horse Idaho town even has an airport where it can land.”

  Her expression reflecting startled amazement, she nodded. “Yes, we have a small municipal airport here.” She raked him with an incredulous look. “If you’re about to tell me you’re an eccentric millionaire, I’m not inclined to believe you without some kind of proof, and I won’t allow you to remove Maggie from this hospital until I get it.”

  “Multi, and I’m not eccentric. As for proof, what do you have in mind? Will verification from my bank convince you?”

  “I, um…well, yes, I suppose that would suffice.”

  He plucked her clipboard from the sofa and jotted the name and branch of his bank in the upper right-hand corner of Maggie’s chart. Below it, he underlined his Social Security number. “Go ahead and call. I can’t remember the account number, but they’ll know the name. Tell them I’m about to write you a check for whatever amount you like and that you want to verify funds before you accept it. They won’t tell you my exact balance, but they will tell you if I can cover the draft.”

  He handed her the clipboard. Then he headed for the pay phones, never looking back to see the stunned expression that crossed her face.

  Chapter Six

  Rafe stood in the hospital hall and stared at the phone for several long seconds before he lifted the receiver. Tucking it under his chin to use his free hand, he dialed the operator and placed a collect call to Oregon. While the phone rang, he fixed his gaze on Jaimie’s small face. Finally he heard his brother Ryan’s voice.

  In a voice gone stony and suspicious, he said, “Yeah, sure, I’ll accept the charges.”

  “Go ahead, sir,” the operator told Rafe.

  “Rye?” Rafe heard the quaver in his voice. He closed his eyes and swallowed, scarcely able to believe he was doing this. “It’s me, Rafe.”

  “My God, it really is you. I figured it was another crank call.”

  “Crank call?”

  “Long story. Rafe, where the hell are you? Are you all right?” His voice sounded the same but a little older, a little rough-edged.

  “I’m fine.” As Rafe said the words, he knew they were true. Since meeting up with Maggie, he actually was all right again. “I, um…don’t know exactly what to say. Hello, I guess.”

  “Hello?” Ryan swore, and the line crackled. “You rotten son of a bitch, we thought you were dead! Where the hell have you been?”

  Rafe was about to answer when he heard his brother sob—one of those dry, straight-from-the-gut sobs that come only from strong men who never break down. “Rye? Hey, bro. Don’t.”

  “Don’t? How could you do this? You’ve got a family who loves you, damn it. Have you any idea the heartache you’ve caused our mother?”

  Rafe leaned a shoulder against the metal phone partition. When he spoke, his voice grated. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I just—couldn’t call. I tried several times. I’m—sorry.”

  “You’re sorry? She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep! She lost over thirty pounds, for God’s sake. Where are you? When I get there, the first thing I’m going to do is hug you. Then I’m going to stomp the holy hell out of you.”

  Rafe smiled slightly, his eyes blurry with tears. “Right now you could probably do it with one hand tied behind your back.”

  “Oh, Christ! Are you sick?”

  Rafe made a fist around the m
etal-sheathed phone cord. “I’m okay now. It’s, um, sort of a long story.”

  “Like I can’t afford the phone bill?”

  Rafe chuckled, if a little wetly. “Damn, it’s so good to hear your voice. I’ve missed you, Ryan.” Slowly he filled his brother in on what he’d been doing since that fateful morning when he’d left a note on the kitchen table and walked out.

  “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. You’ve been bumming the rails?”

  “Yes.”

  “I haven’t heard of anyone doing that in years.”

  Rafe smiled slightly. “We have more homeless people in this country now than ever before. Do you think they all live in large cities?”

  “Of course not. I just—” Ryan made an exasperated sound. “My brother, a tramp? What do you mean, you have a drinking problem?”

  “Just that I do. I sobered up two days ago. I didn’t have much choice. I tied up with a lady who needed my help more than I needed another bottle.”

  “A lady? Where the hell does a bum meet a lady? In a boxcar?”

  “Yeah, as a matter of fact, it was in a boxcar.”

  “I don’t want to hear this. A boxcar? I’ve heard of men picking up women in bars. I thought that was bad. But a boxcar? Have you lost your mind?”

  “She’s beautiful, Rye. I know it sounds nuts, especially in just two days, but I think I’m falling in love with her. She’s one of those people you just can’t help but care about. You know?”

  “Oh, shit.” Long silence. “Rafe, where are you?”

  “At a hospital in Podunk, Idaho.”

  “You said you weren’t sick.”

  “I’m not sick. It’s Maggie. I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you fly over and pick us up, Rye? I need you to be here in three days. What is today, anyway?”

  “It’s Thursday, the twenty-eighth. And what do you mean, pick ‘us’ up? You’re bringing her home with you? Rafe, are you even thinking straight?”