The Doctor's Family

Arabella put her hands on her hips and gave Jonathan a challenging look. “If you’re willing to help them.”

Jonathan tried to hide his surprise, still not sure if she was being sincere or sarcastic. But before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Arabella said, her expression a tad too smug. “That is, provided you’ll stick around here for a while longer and get to know Jasmine and Cade, spend some time with them, let them tell you their plans. Get my drift?”

He got it all right. This woman wouldn’t let go without a fight. That, or she was trying to call his bluff about letting them come to Denver. Well, that situation would definitely change his single lifestyle. Obviously, Arabella had already thought about that.

But he wouldn’t be bullied into any type of commitment. “I can’t stay. I have responsibilities—”

She leaned down, her hand centered near his half-eaten piece of pie. “Right now you have a responsibility to your niece. You came here to find her. Well, now you have. You can’t just swoop in and grab her up and cart her off to Denver without talking about this and thinking things through. That’s asking a lot, from us and from yourself. We both need to see if you have sticking power.”

“Yes, we do,” Jasmine said, nodding her head. “But, thanks for the offer, Uncle Jonathan.”

Jonathan knew when he was outnumbered. “I guess I could take a few more days—”

The doorbell rang, followed by Arabella’s cell phone. Jasmine rushed to the door. “Cade!” She fell into the young man’s arms. “You won’t believe this.”

Jonathan studied the young man. Muscular with dark blond hair. A nice all-American look. The kid pulled Jasmine into a tight hug.

“Are you all right?” Cade asked, holding her while he looked across the hallway and into the dining room. “Come in and I’ll tell you all about it,” Jasmine said. Oh, great. Another strong ally in their corner. Jonathan stood to greet Cade, hoping to get a handle on the kid’s nature.

But before he could extend his hand, Arabella grabbed him, her phone in her other hand. “I need you.”

Shocked and wondering what she had planned for him now, he turned toward her. “Okay.”

“No, I mean I need a doctor. Julie fell out on the playground at church and busted her forehead. They think she needs stitches. Will you come with me to check on her?” “Of course.”

He turned and gave Jasmine and Cade a shrug. “Go,” Jasmine said. “I need to explain things to Cade anyway.”

Cade looked confused, gave Jonathan a scathing look and then asked, “What’s that man doing here?”

Jonathan gave Jasmine a reassuring glance as Arabella frantically dragged him out the back door and motioned toward her minivan. “Get in.”

“I’ll drive,” he offered, seeing her agitation. “I have my medical bag in my car.”

“I can drive. I’m fine.”

Jonathan took the keys out of her hand, noticing the slight tremor. “Let me help. I don’t mind.”

She looked less than pleased, but didn’t argue.

After he grabbed his doctor’s bag and they were in her vehicle and headed toward the church, she finally took a long breath. “Thank you.”

“I won’t let you down,” Jonathan promised.

She briefly locked eyes with him, then turned to gaze out the window.

He knew this temporary truce was the best he could get for now, all things considered. At least it was something.

“No sign of trauma to her head. She’s alert and focused—no signs of shock. She’ll be fine, but she might need stitches.”

Arabella glanced from Jonathan to the curly-haired little girl clinging to her. “How many? Will there be a scar?”

Jonathan wasn’t used to distraught mothers. He was a surgeon, and he mostly worked on adults. Children weren’t his specialty. “I can’t say how many but if you don’t get stitches, she might have a tiny scar right underneath her hairline. We should get her to the hospital just to be sure.”

Arabella got up, her hand pressing a wet towel against the still-sobbing child’s head. “That’s thirty miles away. Can’t you do it?”

“Uh … I could but—”

“Look, she’s bleeding all over this towel and I’ve got two more to worry about. Jasmine’s with Cade, explaining everything, and Mother’s Day Out is closing for the day. You’re a doctor and you’re here. You’ll do in a pinch, won’t you?”

He heard the frantic worry in her voice—and the doubt and fear. But she was right. “Yes … and yes.” He could break the rules. He’d given the little girl a thorough exam, and although her cut was minor, to her mother this still seemed like an emergency. Besides, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t broken a few rules before. “I guess this is a pinch.”

Jonathan turned to where Mrs. Black sat in the big, colorful nursery with Jessie and Jamie and another helper.

When he motioned, the tall blonde came toward him, her eyes on little Julie. “I’m so sorry, Arabella. I was cleaning up my classroom when the MDO worker came running over from the playground. She thought I could calm Julie down. Poor girl turned her head for one second and Julie fell off the climbing rope and hit her head against the wooden ladder next to it.”

Arabella heaved a sigh then kissed Julie’s damp head. “It happens. We can’t always protect them.” She shot Jonathan a long look. “No matter what age they are.”

“I can stitch her up but first I have to make sure she’s in a sterile setting,” he told the distraught teacher. “I need a room with a table. And a blanket to swaddle her. Arabella, I’ll need both you and Mrs. Black to help hold her down.”

Holding Julie tight, Arabella stood up. “Let’s do it, then.”

“Go on,” the teacher said, waving them toward the room next door. “Our lunch table gets sterilized every day before we leave. I’ll grab a clean sheet and blanket.” She turned to the other worker hovering nearby. “Stay with the girls, okay?”

The young woman nodded and immediately went over to where Jesse and Jamie sat playing inside a big plastic toy house.

“Thanks.” Arabella held the towel to Julie’s swollen forehead. Then she turned to Jonathan. “Let’s go.”

Jonathan could see the fear in her eyes. “You sure about this?”

“Yes. Are you?”

“As you said, I’m a doctor.” He’d taken an oath, so why was he so afraid? He didn’t want to abandon her with a hurt child. He didn’t abandon people. He just pushed them away. He wasn’t afraid to do his job. He was afraid of failing at that job. But stitches on a preschooler? He could do that procedure in his sleep. This time, however, things felt different, as if doing this would be a test. If it meant gaining Arabella’s trust, he knew he’d have to pass with flying colors.

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