Chapter THREE
Aidan reached out his hand to flag down a passing nurse, but the sound of singing stopped him cold in the middle of the hallway. Strains of Danny Boy floated back to him—his father’s favorite song. Only second generation Irish, Patrick had grown up with the songs of the old homeland like Danny Boy and The Fields of Athenry. Aidan couldn’t remember a time in his life when his father wasn’t humming one of them.
But it wasn’t his father singing. The sweet harmony of this voice cut through to Aidan’s soul, causing him to flinch.
It was Emma.
Her voice drew him nearer and nearer like a siren leading a man to his doom. His steps slowed to a crawl as his eyes honed in on the door down the hall from him. The last time he heard her sing was at her grandparent’s Barn Dance. The night before he realized he was truly and completely in love with her—before he had broken her heart.
Pausing in front of the doorway, Aidan tried to still the rapid acceleration of his heartbeat. His father reclined back with Emma perched beside him on the hospital bed. She held his hand that was tethered to an IV pole in both of hers. Although Patrick had oxygen tubes stuck in his nose, he appeared to be feeling fine and was enjoying his impromptu concert.
When the last notes of the song echoed off the drab walls, Patrick applauded. “Beautiful, Emma! Absolutely beautiful!”
Even though she ducked her head, Aidan could see her usual flush of embarrassment that tinged her cheeks. “You’re welcome.”
“Without a doubt, you have the voice of an angel, sweetheart.”
Emma leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You know there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, and that includes singing a song with impossibly high notes in the middle of the ER.” One hand flew to her abdomen while a smile spread across her face. “Noah must be a true Irish Fitzgerald. He’s going crazy dancing right now.” Taking Patrick’s hand, she brought it to her belly. “See?”
Aidan sucked in a breath and staggered back. What the hell? His son had a name, and he hadn’t even had a part in it. How could she do something as monumental as naming his child without asking him? He shouldn’t have cared that Emma had bestowed her late father’s name on their son, but he did. Anger pulsed through him. Stalking through the doorway, he blurted, “Excuse me? Noah?”
Patrick and Emma both turned to stare at him. Emma’s face reddened from her ivory cheeks all the way down to her neck while her frantic gaze darted around the room as if looking for an escape. Scrambling out of the bed, she backed as far away from him as she could.
Although his attention should have been on his ailing father, Aidan couldn’t take his eyes off of Emma. Any anger he felt for her quickly evaporated, and his heart constricted with love for her. God, he had missed her. He didn’t realize just how much until she was standing right in front of him like a vision. She could have been one of Patrick’s roses in bloom. Her breasts were fuller, her stomach was rounder, and her hips wider. He fought to catch his breath.
When Patrick cleared his throat, Aidan quickly gazed over at him. Patrick smiled. “Yes, Noah Patrick, after his grandfathers. Don’t you think that’s a fine name for your son?”
“Yes, it is,” Aidan murmured, glancing back at Emma. When she finally dared to look at him, he bobbed his head. “Noah Patrick Fitzgerald is a very fine name.”
Her eyes widened at the insinuation of his last name. Aidan braced himself for her to protest, but she started inching for the door instead. “Um, I’m going to go get something to drink.”
“I’ll get it for you,” Aidan offered.
“No, no, I’m fine. You need to be with your father.”
When she swept by him, Aidan fought to keep his arms pinned at his side so he wouldn’t reach out and grab her to him. Her perfume filled his nostrils and invaded his senses. He closed his eyes in agony. Once she was safely out the door, his shoulders sagged in defeat. “She really hates me,” he croaked.
“No, son, she doesn’t.” When Aidan snorted with self-contempt, Patrick shook his head. “As much as she would love to hate you, she can’t. She’s just gun-shy about you right now because of the dumbass move you pulled on her.”
“Actually, it’s me who should hate her.” He grimaced. “Acting like I was diseased and naming our son without me!”
Patrick grunted. “Whenever you’re done with your little tirade, might I remind you that I’ve been hospitalized?”
Aidan widened his eyes. “Shit, Pop, I’m so sorry. Seeing Em again knocked me on my ass.” He closed the gap between them. “You look okay, but are you? I mean, was it a heart attack?”
Patrick started to open his mouth when a knock came at the door. A tall, dark-headed doctor smiled at them. After his eyes made a quick sweep over the room, his smile faded a little. “Hello again, Mr. Fitzgerald. You’re looking much better now than when I first saw you today.”
“I believe I have you to thank for that, Dr. Nadeen.”
Dr. Nadeen strode into the room. “We have your test results back. It appears that you have two arteries that are eighty percent blocked. I’ve consulted with our head cardiologist, and just to be on the safe side, we feel it’s best to keep you overnight and schedule an angioplasty for the morning.”
Patrick grimaced. “Not one of those again?”
With a chuckle, Dr. Nadeen replied, “Yes, I noticed from your records you had the procedure before.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“You’re going to have to start taking better care of yourself and maintaining a heart-healthy diet, so you won’t be back here again.”
Aidan snorted. “Good luck with that one.”
Patrick chose to ignore him. “At least it’s not something major like open heart surgery.”
Dr. Nadeen nodded. “I’m sure this news will make your granddaughter feel better.”
Patrick’s brows furrowed. “My granddaughter?”
Dr. Nadeen ducked his head but not before Aidan caught a faint smile on his face and gleam in his dark eyes. “Emma—the beautiful redhead who almost passed out because she was so worried about you.”
“She almost fainted?” Aidan questioned at the same time Patrick replied, “Aw, bless her heart, I sure hate that I upset her so much.”
“It’s okay. I got her to lie down for a while, and I got her little guy—I mean, her, something to eat.”
Aidan’s chest clenched not only at Dr. Nadeen’s familiarity with Emma, but the mention of Noah. This dude was getting under his skin and fast. Even though Aidan was a guy, he knew competition when he saw it. It wasn’t just the fact that Dr. Nadeen had the looks that made women’s panties ignite, but the f*cker was kind and considerate. Throw in the fact he was a doctor, and he was a triple threat.
Finally, Aidan found his voice. “That was very kind of you. I appreciate you taking care of her,” he said, trying hard to speak without gritting his teeth.
A warm smile spread across Dr. Nadeen’s face. “I was happy to do it for her. Your sister is a kind young woman—her spirit shines from within.”
Aidan’s mouth gaped open. What the hell? He thought Emma was his…sister? “Did you just say…?” Aidan sputtered.
Patrick shook his head. “Emma isn’t my granddaughter, Doc.”
“Oh, my apologies. You have a very sweet daughter then.”
“No, no, she isn’t even related to me.”
“Ah, I see. Well, you’re very fortunate to have someone in your life who cares that much about you.”
Patrick glanced from Aidan to Dr. Nadeen. “Did I hear you call her beautiful?”
Pesh’s expression turned apologetic. “I’m sorry. That was entirely too forward of me.”
“It’s all right, Doc.” Rubbing his hands together, Patrick said, “Hmm, I can’t help but play matchmaker while I’m laid up here. Would you be interested in dating Emma? She’s single, you know.”
Aidan glared at his father, which only caused Patrick to widen his grin. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Aidan hissed.
“Forcing your hand.” A mischievous gleam burned in his eyes, and Aidan knew there was no stopping him. He didn’t know how after everything Patrick had been through that day he could still find the energy to goad his own son. He knew what a sore spot Emma was.
At the moment, she was more like a gaping hole in his chest. “You better be damn glad you’re in the ER right now,” he muttered under his breath.
Patrick ignored him and focused his attentions on Pesh who was staring strangely at the two of them. “Whatcha say, Doc?”
“Uh, well, I don’t normally pick up women in the emergency room, Mr. Fitzgerald,” Dr. Nadeen murmured, shifting uncomfortably on his feet.
“Oh please. This isn’t picking up. It’s a fix-up. That’s totally different,” Patrick argued.
“Pop,” Aidan growled.
With a hesitant smile, Dr. Nadeen said, “Maybe we’ll get a chance to talk again.”
“She’s six months pregnant!” Aidan countered.
Dr. Nadeen jerked back like he had been slapped. He cleared his throat before he spoke. “Yes, I’m well aware of that. It’s what concerned me most when I met her. I didn’t want her to get so upset in her condition.”
Aidan grunted but didn’t argue.
Dropping his gaze to the floor, Dr. Nadeen said, “After she assured me there was no husband or boyfriend to call, I thought I had surmised she wasn’t with anyone. I apologize if my assumptions were wrong.”
“Don’t worry about my son, Doc.” Patrick stared pointedly at Aidan. “He has no claims on Emma’s happiness. Anymore.”
A sense of understanding seemed to pass over Dr. Nadeen’s face. “Oh, well, when you see Emma again, tell her to call me.” He took a card out of his iPad case.
Aidan snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’ll never happen. Em’s not the kind of girl who calls a man. She’s very old-fashioned.” His blue eyes narrowed at Dr. Nadeen’s dark ones, silently taunting him to give the card to Patrick.
Dr. Nadeen smiled. He took a pen from his coat pocket. He then turned his attention to Patrick. “Mr. Fitzgerald, would you happen to have Emma’s number? I’ll be happy to call her myself.” He held up a hand. “But only on the pretense of inquiring about her health after today’s incident.”
Patrick chuckled. “Why yes I do.”
After Dr. Nadeen had scribbled the number down, he gave Aidan a fleeting glance before looking back at Patrick. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
With a sheepish, grin, Dr. Nadeen said, “Now I suppose we should get back to business.” He peered down at his iPad. “If you’ll hang tight for just a few minutes, we should be ready to transport you upstairs. Surgery is set for…” he scrolled through something on the screen before wrinkling his nose. “Bright and early at seven am.”
“I figured as much.”
Dr. Nadeen laughed. “Well, I’ll wish you the best of luck then, Mr. Fitzgerald.” He leaned over and shook Patrick’s hand.
With a wink, Patrick replied, “Same to you, Doc.”
Cutting his eyes over to Aidan, Dr. Nadeen gave a slight nod before walking to the door.
When he exited the room, Aidan turned a wrathful gaze on Patrick. “After the last three weeks of experiencing my pure and total hell, how could you do that to me, Pop?”
“I didn’t do anything to you.”
Aidan gripped the rails on the hospital bed and leaned in closer. “Giving him Emma’s number? Pawning her off on him?”
Patrick grinned. “I’m glad to see I got you fighting riled right now.”
“Oh, I’m far from riled. I’m f*cking livid!”
“Good. You need to be. It’s important that you keep up your fighting spirit.”
Aidan shook his head. “What will my spirit matter if she…” His heart shuddered at the thought of Emma being receptive to Dr. Nadeen’s charms. After all, he was a good-looking doctor who wasn’t even turned off by her being pregnant. That should be enough to make any woman swoon.
“There is not a doubt in my mind that Emma loves you, and while Dr. Nadeen’s interest might be flattering, it will only serve one purpose.”
“And what’s that?” Aidan croaked.
“To show her there’s no one else in the world for her but you.”
They were interrupted by Julia sweeping through the door with her husband, Tim. While Becky, Angie, and Aidan favored their mother, Julia and Liz both took after Patrick with their dark hair and eyes. She gave Aidan a quick hug before wagging her finger at Patrick. “Pop, I can’t believe it took a collapse at the VFW to finally get you checked out!”
Patrick rolled his eyes. “I was going to the doctor next week.”
“Always a stubborn ass,” Julia replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m just thankful you weren’t alone. Thank God Emma was there, and you were so close to the fire station.”
The mention of Emma’s name heightened Aidan’s senses. She had been gone an awfully long time to get a drink. “Speaking of Em, I better go find her.”
“You do that, son.”
“She was out in the hallway when we came in,” Julia replied.
As Aidan whirled around, he stumbled over his feet, almost knocking Tim over. Julia grabbed his arm to steady him. “Easy, Little Brother. I don’t think she’s running away. Yet.” She then winked at Aidan.
“Thanks, Jules,” he mumbled under his breath. When he stepped out into the hallway, he craned his neck left and right, but he didn’t see Emma. Walking briskly, he smacked the button for the Authorized Personnel Only entrance and walked into the waiting room. Slumped in one of the chairs, Emma’s fingers texted furiously on her phone.
“Em?”
She jumped at his voice. “I, uh, I thought you and your family needed some space.”
“That was sweet, but you could never be in the way,” he said.
Emma held his gaze until her cheeks tinged, and she dropped her head. “I was just seeing if Casey or Connor could take me to get my car.”
“I’ll will,” he offered.
Nibbling her bottom lip, he could tell Emma didn’t like his proposal at all. “Well, since it’s Saturday night, I can’t seem to get either of them to answer, so…”
“Good. Then it’s settled.” He held out his hand to her. She eyed it warily. “Let’s go tell Pop goodbye.”
Hesitantly, she put her hand in his. Crackling electricity surged from his fingers all the way up his arm. From her stunned expression, he wasn’t the only one to experience it. He refused to let go until she pried her grip from his. He didn’t argue with her. Instead, he pressed his hand into the small of her back, leading her to Patrick’s room.
When they got to the doorway, they found the room was empty. “Oh, they must’ve already taken him upstairs.”
The corners of Emma’s mouth turned down in a frown. “I didn’t get to tell him good-bye.”
“I’ll text Julia and get her to tell him I’m taking you home.”
Emma bobbed her head in agreement.
As they started back down the hall, he turned to her. “I could pick you up in the morning, so you could see him before the surgery.”
“Aidan, I—”
He grimaced. “Yeah, I guess I’m the last person on earth you want to spend time with, huh?”
She reached out and touched his arm. Once again, electricity pulsed through him, and he fought to catch his breath. “I just thought it would be better for me to drive myself, so you don’t have the burden of taking me home tomorrow after Patrick’s surgery.”
“Trust me. Pop’ll have my sisters fawning all over him.” He swept a lock of hair away out of her face and pinned it behind her ear. “Besides, you could never be a burden to me.” His fingertips feathered across her neck, causing Emma to shiver.
Her eyes widened, and she jerked away. “We should get going.” She spun around and started power-walking back into the waiting room. Aidan almost had to break into a jog to catch up with her.
When she started out the door, he grabbed her arm. “Wait here. I’ll go get the car.”
“Thank you,” she replied, ducking her head.
Aidan experienced a bounce in his step as he started into the parking lot. He had a chance to be with Emma again, and he was going to get her to see the truth if it was the last thing he did.