Chapter Ten

Gabby

Maple Street

A KNOCK CAME at the door.

Gabby looked up from where she was changing Carol’s diaper. The little girl had been irritable all day, or maybe it was because Gabby was short a week’s sleep. She’d never guessed a baby would have so much energy. Gabby tried to steal a few minutes to nap when the baby did, but Carol was running her ragged.

“Come in!” she called, not caring if an Avon lady or a serial killer were at the door. Maybe one of them would be willing to watch Carol while Gabby got her first hour of uninterrupted sleep since the baby’s arrival.

“Delivery in thirty minutes or less...” came Mike’s voice from the door. “Where are you?”

“In here. C’mon in,” Gabby called, then realized she’d invited him into her bedroom. Not just hers any longer. The crib and the changing table and the other supplies had taken over the room. Two boxes of diapers were set on the bed, and a plastic bathtub was upside down on her pillow.

Mr. Shepard had offered to help her set up a nursery in the tiny room she’d been using for storage. She’d turned down Mr. Shepard’s offer, not wanting to chance him hurting himself. She’d move the baby herself... next weekend. She should have done that before she needed to return to work tomorrow, but, somehow, she never got around to it. Just as she hadn’t gotten around to calling the college again today and withdrawing for the upcoming semester. She wasn’t a superwoman, able to juggle a job, a baby, and grad school. Something had to give, and that was her spring courses. Maybe once she got into the swing of things and didn’t jump at every peep the baby made during the night, she’d be able to do some independent study. But she’d decide that later. Today, she was just lucky to get through the day.

With an ease she hadn’t had a week ago, she redressed the baby and wrapped her in a blanket. The old house was charming and fun with its uneven floors and unexpected crannies, but a chill seeped around the windows. She found that Carol seemed most content when she was wrapped securely in a blanket.

“Pizza’s in the kitchen,” said Mike as he paused in the doorway. “Need a hand here?”

“What I really need is a nap.” She smiled and picked up the baby. “Thanks for bringing supper by tonight.”

“You’d starve if I didn’t.”

“There’s probably something covered with frost at the back of the freezer.”

“Sounds yummy.”

“If you’re hungry enough...”

He held out his hands. “Let me take her and give you a break for a few minutes.”

She moved toward him, then paused as she realized she wanted his arms around her, not just holding the baby. She eyed his strong shoulders and wondered what it’d be like to put her head against one, close her eyes, and draw in the scent of a man who wasn’t afraid to show that he understood she was exhausted.

“Gabby?” he asked, and she realized she’d played a statue for too long.

“Sorry. My brain’s only working at half capacity... or less. Not a good sign when I’m heading back to work tomorrow. I’m beginning to think I should have taken two weeks off instead of one.”

“You’re going to have go to back eventually.”

“And eventually some of this might make sense.”

He lifted Carol from her arms and cradled the baby in his own. Carol looked even smaller against his chest beneath the white lab coat. “I swear she’s grown two inches since yesterday.”

“She’s certainly eating enough.” She glanced at the diaper can. “And getting rid of enough.”

With a laugh, Mike led the way down the short hall toward the kitchen. “Did you hear from Mr. Jackett today?”

“Nothing. The last time I spoke with him was a couple of days ago. He confirmed then what you’d been told about a baby being born at Memorial Hospital and all the details that were on the hospital bracelet. I kind of got the feeling that he thinks we’re playing some sort of joke on him. If we were, it’d be a waste of time. The man doesn’t have an ounce of humor in his soul. I reminded him that it’s been a week since we first called him, and I’m still waiting for a social worker to come here. I don’t know why I’m in such a hurry. Carol and I are doing okay, and I’m not looking forward to...” Her voice broke, but she hurried on to say, “Being told that I don’t deserve to be nominated for Mother of the Year.”

“You’re doing fine.”

“You can say that because you’re too tired to notice anything.” She motioned for him to go into the living room. “You’ve worked all day. I’ll serve supper, and we can watch the news.”

“Don’t strain yourself opening the box.” His laugh lingered as he went to the rocking chair and sat.

She smiled while she took two plates out of the cupboard and found two bottles of beer among the bottles of formula in the refrigerator. If Mike hadn’t been here to help her this week and Mr. Shepard hadn’t checked in on her at least once a day, she wasn’t sure how she would have managed.

She pulled a tray from the back of the cupboard. She couldn’t remember the last time when she’d used the garish orange tray that one of her sisters had gotten as a wedding present before re-gifting it for Gabby’s “apartment-warming”. As her sister had told her, only half-joking, the last one out on her own got the stuff that nobody else had a use for.

But the tray was the perfect size for two plates, some napkins, a couple of glasses and the bottles of beer. Picking up one, she put it back in the fridge. If she drank a beer now, she’d fall dead asleep. Better to have something else. She pulled out a big bottle of soda. It was half-gone because she was increasingly dependent on caffeine to keep her awake. Coffee with breakfast, tea in the afternoon, and cola for supper and during the overnight hours.

She laughed softly. At least, one of them was on a regular schedule.

Gabby walked carefully into the living room, not wanting her sluggish feet to trip over the rug. She didn’t mind falling on her face, but she’d be upset about having the pizza get dirty on the rug that hadn’t been vacuumed in a week.

“Smells good,” Mike said as he shrugged off his lab coat and draped it over the rocker. “I hope you don’t mind onions and mushrooms. I text-messaged you, but when I didn’t get an answer, I just went ahead and ordered.”

“My cell is probably dead now. I keep forgetting to plug it in to recharge. I’m not fond of mushrooms, but it doesn’t matter. I’d eat the box about now.” She set the tray on the table in front of the sofa. Holding out her arms, she said, “Let me put Carol in her seat while we dine on this repast I took hours to prepare.”

He smiled as she took the baby and settled her in the small seat on the end table that she’d cleared of everything else. “It’s a good thing you could get vacation.”

“I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. Everyone needs time to recover after the holidays and the visitors, and to be honest, with so much snow on the ground, nobody’s interested in cutting out paper snowflakes to decorate their rooms.” She sat beside him and motioned. “Dig in.”

“Where’s your remote?”

“The batteries are dead.”

“Sounds like a pattern here.”

She smiled. “You’ll have to turn on the TV the old-fashioned way.”

“Not old-fashioned,” he said as he got up. “Paleolithic. Before that even. I’ve seen stone remotes in the comics.”

“Which means it must have been so.”

He laughed as he switched on the TV and turned it to the local news. “Channel 4 okay?”

“Fine.”

Sitting back beside her, he shook his head when the lead story was about a possible blizzard sweeping down on the city. “Last time we had a big snow storm, I ended up trying to sleep on a table at the lab for two nights.”

“I heard about the storm earlier and started out for some extra supplies. Mr. Shepard took pity on me and sent us back up here while he got enough formula and diapers for a month.” She smiled. “I never realized a baby was so expensive.”

“Carol’s a high maintenance gal.” He took a bite of the pizza and closed his eyes as he savored the taste. “But it seems like you’re learning. You put the diaper on the right end tonight.”

She giggled, then clapped her hand over her mouth.

“What’s wrong?”

“I sound like I’m ten years old.”

“You sound exhausted.” He gave her a grin before pouring his beer into a glass. “I’m pretty familiar with what that sounds like.”

“And now I’ve given you the obligation of bringing dinner every night on top of everything else.”

“You’re not a burden. I’m glad to do it.” He took another bite of pizza after saying, “I don’t know why we didn’t do this before.”

“Because you intimidate me.”

“Me?” He almost choked on the pizza. Taking a drink of his beer, he asked, “Why would you be intimidated by me?”

“You are a doctor, doing some sort of high-level research work.”

“And you’re almost done with your masters in social work. That’s pretty impressive, too.”

“C’mon. It’s not an MD.”

He shrugged. “You’re smart, Gabby. You could get an MD, too, if you wanted to.”

“I don’t think I want to.”

“See? It’s all a matter of what interests us. You’re interested in helping people in one way. I’m interested in helping them in another. Just two different routes to get to the same thing.”

“Now you see why you intimidate me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just tried to explain that—”

“You’re a nice guy.”

“And you’re intimidated by nice guys?”

She smiled. “Not exactly, but it’s hard to approach someone who’s smart and nice and...”

“Diabolically handsome?” He arched one eyebrow in a villainous leer.

“I didn’t say that.”

He put his hand over his heart and slanted against the back of the sofa. “I’m wounded.”

“It’s a good thing you’re a doctor instead of an actor.”

They continued laughing as they finished the pizza. When they were done, she took the dishes back into the kitchen while Mike carried Carol to the bedroom and settled her in her crib. The baby seemed more relaxed when he was there. He certainly was skillful at soothing her.

He came back and leaned his arms on the kitchen counter while she washed the dishes. He offered to dry, but she waved for him to stay where he was.

“There’s hardly enough room for one person in these kitchens,” Gabby said.

“Yours is bigger than mine. I don’t have a full-size stove.” He folded his arms on the counter. “And my fridge isn’t any bigger than the one I’ve got out at the lab.”

“Just don’t mix them up.”

He laughed quietly. “Not much chance. I wouldn’t want to eat what we store out there.”

“What do you store out there?” She folded the towel and draped it over the oven handle. “I mean, what are you researching?”

“How cells change as we age. The more we can learn about the aging process, the more likely it’ll be that we can find ways to delay or even stop age-onset diseases.”

“You could put me out of business.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got years of work ahead of me.”

She laughed. “I meant it as a joke. To be honest, it’d be great to have our elderly able to continue living in their homes with their minds as fully functional as when they were children. I’d gladly find another line of work.”

“Then I’ll double my efforts.” He bowed his head toward her as if she’d given him a royal command.

“Thanks.”

“So what would you do then?”

“Move to Paris and paint.” She came out of the kitchen.

When she sat on the sofa, she was surprised that he motioned for her to wait there. He went into the hall and came back with a small bag. He set it on the table.

“What’s that?” Gabby asked.

“The DNA testing supplies for the lab. Sam said he’d make them a priority when I bring the samples back. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get the testing kit, but I thought...”

“You thought someone would come to claim Carol by now, and we wouldn’t need to bother with this.” She stared at the brown bag, her happiness vanishing as if sucked down the drain with the dirty dishwater. While they’d been eating and chatting, she’d let herself forget the peculiar circumstances that had brought Carol—and Mike—into her life.

“I’m sorry to remind you,” he said.

“I don’t think I ever really forget, but I didn’t realize I was that obvious.”

“I know how I’d feel. If you want to delay...”

“No, getting the testing done is necessary, not just to find out the truth, but to remind me not to get too close to the baby.” She gave a short laugh. “It’s too late for that.”

“Are you looking for an excuse not to do the testing?”

“I don’t need to look for excuses. I’ve got plenty of them, but you’ve got to stop acting as if I’m trying to be an ostrich with my head in the sand. I want to know the truth, too. I wish I knew what the truth is going to mean.”

“I don’t have a crystal ball.”

She laughed. “You? With a crystal ball? You’re the least likely person I know to believe in anything psychic.”

“Just a manner of speaking.”

“I know, but you’ve been pouncing on every word I’ve said. I figured I’d give you a taste of your own medicine, Dr. Archer.”

Mike sat beside her on the sofa, his arm draping over the back as he turned to face her. “I know I was tough on you, Gabby, when Carol first arrived here, but, in the past few days, I’ve come around to thinking that you’re doing the right thing in keeping her here while children’s services look for her real parents.”

“You have?”

“Sure, and I’ll be glad to testify to that at your insanity trial.”

She slapped his arm. “Thanks!”

“Really,” he said, abruptly serious, “I think you’re doing the right thing. The baby is doing well here. There’s no reason to jerk her around until either Sam or Mr. Jackett get some answers for us.”

She looked at the DNA testing kit on the table. A simple unmarked box that was big enough to contain the directions, the swabs, and the containers to put the samples in. “I’ll get the sample from Carol next time she’s awake, and I’ll bring it to you.”

“Not at two a.m. please.”

“I’ll wait until the sun comes up.” She sighed. “I wish Carol would.”

“Most babies sleep through the night by the time they’re two to three months old.”

“I didn’t need to hear that.” She hesitated, then said, “I probably should try to get some sleep while she is.”

“That’s a good idea.” He stood. “Just follow the directions on the box, and we’ll have this mystery cleared up in no time.”

She nodded, but those blasted tired tears filled her eyes again. All the DNA test was going to prove was what she already knew was the truth: Carol couldn’t be her baby.

“Hey, I didn’t mean... That is...” He bent and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.” She tilted her head up to offer him the best smile she could.

In astonishment, she saw his face was still only inches away. His gaze swept over her face, seeking... what? She didn’t know. She desperately wanted to find out.

When his lips brushed hers, as lightly as they had her forehead, and withdrew, she didn’t move. She didn’t want to do anything to shatter the moment when everything was balanced as precariously as a high-wire walker. Then she knew she couldn’t deny both of them what she longed for with every breath.

“What are you waiting for?” she whispered when she was unable to stand the suspense any longer.

“I’m not sure.”

She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. Curving her hand along his cheek, she guided his mouth back toward hers as she said, “Don’t waste the time we’ve got before the baby wakes up again.”

His lips slanted across hers. There was nothing tentative or testing about this kiss. He deepened it until she gasped into his mouth. Drawing her up to her feet and into his arms, he pressed her to his chest. For a moment, she wondered when he had time to hit the gym; then she didn’t think of anything but the amazing magic his lips worked on her senses. His kiss was as heated as a summer storm and raged through her as fiercely.

She whispered a soft protest when he lifted his mouth from hers. He bent to kiss her again, but halted when whimpers came from the bedroom.

“The baby,” he said.

“The baby,” she repeated with a sigh as her hands swept up his back again.

“She’s just making sounds, not actually crying.” He kissed her left cheek.

“Yes.”

He kissed her right cheek. “You don’t want to spoil her.”

“No. I...” She gave a soft gasp when his mouth trailed along her neck, sending eager quivers down to her toes. Her fingers clenched on his shirt. She wanted to tear it from him and savor the texture of his skin against hers.

His tongue teased her earlobe, and she pressed even closer. He was, as Mr. Shepard had told her often, just what the doctor had ordered for her. And she wanted to enjoy every minute and every bit of him.

The baby let out a squall that tore them apart.

Mike stared at her as if shocked to find himself kissing her. Gabby wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t that she didn’t have something to say. She had too much to say.

Wait here while I calm Carol.

She’ll be fine.

I’ll get the baby, and you can help me get her back to sleep.

Ignore her and kiss me again and again... and again.

She didn’t say any of those things as he backed away and scooped up his lab coat off the chair.

“Do you want me to rock her?” he asked.

She almost said yes, but she knew once they’d gotten the baby back to bed, it could be their turn. She wasn’t ready for that. Not yet, no matter how much her body begged her to surrender to the seduction that had only begun. Until her emotions were on a more even keel, she shouldn’t make any life-changing decisions. And, she knew making love with Mike could change her life—and his—in more ways than she could deal with right now.

“No thanks,” she answered. “You’ve had a long day. I’ll take care of her.”

“Are you sure?”

She knew he wasn’t talking now about taking care of the baby. Edging away toward the bedroom, she said, “I’m sure. Thanks again for supper, Mike.”

“If you need anything...”

Or anyone? She shook her head. “We’ll be fine. I’ll bring over the samples in the morning before you leave for the lab.” She was about to add more when Carol let out a painful wail.

Rushing into the bedroom, she carefully lifted the baby out of the crib and tried to comfort her. She heard the front door open and close as Mike left. Even though she couldn’t hear it now, she had listened enough times in the past to know how his footsteps sounded on the creaking boards in the hall and how his door stuck slightly as he pulled it open... and then closed it behind him. The breadth of the hall, no wider than the breadth of her outstretched arms, was once again a chasm between them.

“Sweetie,” she said in a near whisper as the baby’s sobbing eased, “we’ve got to work on your timing. It’s pretty bad.”