Jealous? The idea sent a swirl of something delicious through her tummy. She turned back around and rested her hips on the edge of the counter, determined to keep her composure. The baby’s cries had subsided to whimpers now. “Believe me, there’s nothing romantic between Todd and me.”
“Just so you know, I wouldn’t make a move on someone else’s girl,” he stated, and it made her want to smile. He sounded about sixteen years old. But she supposed it was a good thing. Honor and all that.
“Poor thing,” she murmured, taking the baby from his arms so she could offer the bottle. “Can we put a pin in this and talk about it later? Right now I just want to focus on one thing at a time.” She laughed a little as the baby began drinking lustily. “And getting this guy fed and comfortable is top priority, don’t you agree?”
Dave nodded, and let the matter drop. “I just can’t believe it,” he said quietly. “Who would leave a baby out in the elements like that? It’s barbaric.”
Charlie regarded him sadly. “Things like this happen more than you’d think. People can’t cope. They get to the end of their ropes, and they do uncharacteristic and terrible things. As a doctor, I can’t let myself judge.”
“You’ve seen something like this before?”
She felt her heart constrict. She tried not to dwell on past cases. Still there were always a few that she couldn’t forget. Ones that haunted her long after they were over. “Once,” she said quietly, “when I was working backshift in New York, the ambulance brought in a preemie. She’d been left in a garbage can. The mother just … didn’t know what else to do and she panicked. The baby only lived a few hours after coming in.”
One of the hardest things she’d ever done as a doctor was call that time of death.
But then she shook off the heavy feeling of failure. “There are reasons why I chose to be a family doctor in a small town.” She didn’t want to get into all the reasons why, or how she’d found herself struggling to deal with the traumatic cases she saw on a day-to-day basis. She’d chosen Jewell Cove because it seemed idyllic. Like an East Coast Mayberry, where bad things simply didn’t happen. A place where she might find the life she wanted rather than the one that was expected.
Of course bad things did happen, no matter where a person lived. Tonight was a prime example, though at least this one had the potential for a happy ending.
“Anyway,” she continued, smiling a little, “thanks to you, we got to this little boy in time. He looks to be full term and hungry as a horse. You saved him tonight, Dave.” She smiled up at him. “Let’s go to the reception area where it’s more comfortable.”
There was a beanbag chair in the kids’ area, and she held the baby against her shoulder while she lowered herself into it carefully. The form settled around her and she crossed her legs yoga-style. She took the opportunity to burp him and then reintroduced the bottle. The baby took it eagerly, little lips fastening about the tip with a ferocity that made her laugh. “Okay, okay,” she soothed, adjusting the angle of her arm for better comfort.
Dave sat in a chair across from the play area and watched her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but from the way his mouth was set and the troubled look in his eyes, she guessed it wasn’t good.
“You don’t have to stay, you know,” she said, letting out a breath. “Formula, diapers … I have all I need.”
“You’re going to stay here all night?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” she said easily. “Seriously, there are worse places to spend a night.”
He smiled tightly. “I know. I’ve stayed in a few myself. But why don’t you go home?”
She pulled the bottle away for a minute and wiped a dribble of milk off the baby’s chin before letting him have some more. “It’s just easier. My car’s still down on the waterfront, and I don’t have a car seat either. It’s really okay, Dave. It’s warm in here, there’s a fold-out cot in the back, and there’s even some food in the fridge if I get hungry.” She tried to stifle a yawn but failed. The truth was she was dead tired tonight, though she didn’t really know why. Maybe it was all the fresh air. Or maybe it was the brief surge of adrenaline from finding the baby. Now that she’d slowed down, relaxation was setting in. Not to mention how warm the baby felt in her arms. He really could throw some decent body heat for an infant.
“You’re sure? I could stay if you wanted. So you don’t have to stay alone.”
It was sweet of him to offer. Charlie was starting to think that despite surprises tonight, Dave was a really decent guy. But she was a big girl and she didn’t need to be rescued. Once more she removed the bottle from the baby’s mouth, and then put him on her shoulder and began patting his back, trying to relieve any gas that had built up from his gulping most of his supper.
“I spend every night alone,” she answered, blushing a little. “The only difference is I’m here and not at my house.”
“I suppose,” he answered, and she would have sworn he looked disappointed.