Vital Signs Read online

  He hadn’t meant to blurt out the things he had, hadn’t planned to put her on the spot that way about her feelings. He’d taken one hell of a chance, laying it on the line. And she’d scared him half to death when she’d hesitated for that endless moment.

  The rational part of his mind demanded, What do you think you’re doing, Zedyck? But the part that had him on automatic pilot replied, Damned if I know, but it feels right.

  He pulled up in front of her house and got out of the car, but before he could make it halfway up her walk, she’d slipped out the door and was coming toward him.

  There was a streetlight nearby, and he could see she was wearing jeans and a yellow T-shirt. Her long arms and legs reminded him of the half-grown colts he’d played with as a boy on the farm. Her wild hair stood out all around her head, and all he could see of her face was the flash of white teeth when she smiled.

  “I’d ask you in, but my sister and her kids are staying with me.”

  “I didn’t expect to go in.” He waited until she was a single step away before he gathered her in his arms for what he intended to be a warm hug and ended up as a kiss that spiraled out of control. She felt pliant and soft in his arms, and he wanted to make love to her more than anything in the world.

  He sniffed in the unique fragrance of her hair and skin, a mix of shampoo and the antibacterial soap they used at St. Joe’s. It was more arousing than any fancy French perfume. Maybe he’d just kidnap her, take her to his apartment, strip her naked, explore that long body with his hands and tongue—

  “I can’t stay out long, Roy. I need some sleep, because I’m picking up David in the morning.”

  Timing, timing, timing. It was a lot like location, location, location.

  He’d have to put his raging hormones on hold until the timing was right.

  When he opened the car door for her, the overhead light brought her features into focus. He looked at her, and his breath caught. God, she was beautiful. Her beauty was in the strong lines of her face, the angle of her jaw, the way her ears lay flat against her skull. It was in her generous mouth, in her smile, in the way her body moved, in the endearing awkward folding of her long legs, the vulnerable slenderness of throat and waist.

  Shaken, he started the car and drove slowly along the deserted urban streets, aware that she was staring at him.

  “Bad day?”

  He was about to deny it, but instead, he told the truth, that this was one of those times when he doubted the job, himself, the system. He’d never been able to share the details of his days with anyone but his sister Nicole. Other women hadn’t wanted to know about pain and betrayal and, sometimes, death. But Hailey was a nurse; he instinctively knew she’d understand.

  “Some days I feel as if all I’m doing is putting a Band-Aid on a festering sore,” he admitted. “I feel like smashing something by the end of the day.”

  “I felt that way today, with David and his mother.” She reached over and put a hand on his arm and squeezed in sympathy and understanding. “I felt helpless and furious listening to him scream for her that way.”

  “How the hell do you deal with it?” He had his own techniques—running until he was exhausted, visiting his parents, reassuring himself that there was good as well as evil, in the world, and that the good outweighed the evil.

  “When battered kids come in, I used to get so worked up about it I felt physically sick,” she said. “An older nurse noticed and talked to me about it. She pointed out that all that anger wasn’t hurting the people I was aiming it at. They weren’t even aware of it and probably wouldn’t care if they were. It was only hurting me and draining my energy, and, in turn, diminishing the level of care I could give the poor little kid. It still makes me sick and angry when kids are deliberately hurt, but I’ve learned to get past it, to focus on the positive things I can give, instead of the negative stuff I can’t control.”

  “Makes sense. You’re a smart lady.” He wasn’t so sure he could succeed with the idea, but it gave him a new outlook.

  “Nope. I know the formula, but I can’t seem to apply it to Shannon Riggs, or Margaret, either. You saw how mad I was today.”

  “But you got past it.”

  “Not before I exploded at Margaret.”

  “How did it go with her? At the meeting.”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “When Karen called to tell me Shannon was there, I asked her to get in touch with you, and she said you were already at St. Joe’s, in a meeting. I surmised the rest.”

  “They dropped the complaint.”

  “Good. There shouldn’t have been one in the first place.”

  “Thank you for the letter you sent on my behalf.”

  “My pleasure.” Just being with her was pleasure, in so many different ways. “So what made you lose your temper?”

  “Margaret threatened to put a cover on David’s crib to keep him in there.”

  “Wow. I thought stuff like that went out with the Dark Ages. Understandable you’d be mad.”

  “Not smart, though. Losing your temper doesn’t get you anywhere. It feels good at the time, but it doesn’t win the war. And I’ve always had a bad temper.”

  They laughed and then were silent, and even that was comfortable. He pulled up in front of a late-night café and they went inside.

  Over coffee and servings of the mile-high coconut pie the place was famous for, they talked about books they’d read, movies they hadn’t seen—they’d both been too busy all summer to get to the theatre—and their work.

  Hailey told him about Brittany and the other kids on the ward she’d come to love, and he did the same. Their jobs were similar, and tragedy was sometimes the outcome with the kids they cared about.

  “If you’re at home next weekend, I’ll come over and work on the bathroom,” he offered.

  “My sister would be grateful,” she said. “For some strange reason, Laura wasn’t impressed with that tub tonight.”

  “Is she visiting from out of town?”

  “Nope.” Hailey took a bite of her pie, then added, “She lives on the west side. She and her husband are having some marital problems, and she and my niece and nephew are staying with me while they sort them out.”

  “I hope it works for them.” He saw too many broken homes, too many kids cast adrift as a result of divorce.

  She shot him a look. “I don’t. She’s married to a prize prick, and I hope she comes to her senses and divorces him. Trouble is, he’s got her intimidated because he’s a bully, as well as a lawyer.”

  “Does she have a lawyer?”

  Hailey shook her head. “Do you think Nicole would mind if I gave Laura her number? She needs to talk to somebody unbiased and knowledgeable who’ll tell her that what her husband says is a crock.”

  “Nicole wouldn’t mind at all. And if she’s too busy to take Laura’s case, my extended family is crawling with lawyers. Want me to give Nick a call tomorrow and tell her Laura might be coming?”

  “Please. Her last name’s Quiggly.”

  “Laura Quiggly.” He folded the napkin and put it in his pocket.

  “I can’t be sure Laura will even make an appointment, but thanks. Again.” She grinned. “You seem to be making a career out of helping me out. My bathroom, that letter and now this.”

  Roy couldn’t think of a better way of spending his time. He reached out and placed his hand over hers.

  It was long past midnight when they climbed back in the car and he drove her home. He walked her to the door. They hadn’t spoken of what he’d said to her on the phone, but it was there now, between them.

  “Thank you for coming out with me,” he said formally.

  “Anytime, anyplace.” Her grin flashed in the moonlight. “Although I’ll be cursing you in the morning when it’s time to get up. I want to bring David home as early as I can, before Margaret gets any more perverted ideas. Maybe you’d like to come by and see how he’s making out,” she suggested. “You could meet
my sister and my niece and nephew.”

  He’d rather have her alone, but he’d take whatever he could get.

  “I’ll come by in the evening, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Come for dinner. I’ll get Laura to cook.”

  “You really know the way to a man’s heart.”

  “Introducing you to all my relatives?”

  “It’s an age-old custom.”

  When he dipped his head to kiss her, there was no hesitation on her part. Her arms came around him, and her mouth was ripe and soft and eager, and he felt heat and suppressed passion in every line of her body. He wanted her then with a need that had him trembling before he reluctantly released her, pressing one last kiss to her swollen mouth before he let her go.

  Her breathing was as rapid as his. “Good night, Roy.”

  “‘Good night’ isn’t what I want at this moment, but it’s gonna have to get me through.” He kissed her again, softly, with regret, and watched as she went in the house.

  ALL THE LIGHTS were out, and Hailey slipped in the door, closing it quietly behind her.

  “Sneaking in, huh?”

  Hailey jumped and gasped when Laura’s voice came out of the darkness.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I couldn’t sleep, and then the phone rang. Your machine took the message. Where’d you go at this hour, anyway? And who was the guy?”

  “Just out for coffee.” For an insane moment, she felt like a teenager sneaking in after making out with her guy. “That was Roy Zedyck, the social worker handling David’s file.” She wondered whether Laura had seen them kissing and decided she must have. The front window looked out on where they’d been standing.

  “Good guy? Bad guy? Dangerous guy?” There was something wistful in Laura’s voice.

  “Good. Dangerous, too. For me, anyway. You’ll meet him. I asked him for supper tomorrow night. I thought maybe I could talk you into making something?”

  “Lasagna? I make great lasagna.”

  “Perfect.” Hailey pushed the button that would play back her messages, and her heart caught in her throat when she heard Mary, the nurse who was on the peds ward tonight.

  “Hailey, Karen said you wanted us to call you if there was any problem with David. His temperature spiked and he’s vomited three times in the last hour. I called the resident and he came and had a look at him, left an order for a suppository if the vomiting doesn’t slow down. We’re giving him a bath now to bring his temp down. We’re taking good care of him, so don’t feel you have to race over or anything, but I figured you’d want to know.”

  Of course she did. She had to go. David needed her.

  Laura had been standing beside her, listening.

  Hailey grabbed her purse from the table and her keys from the hook by the door. “You might as well crawl into my bed, Laura. I’ll probably be at St. Joe’s the rest of the night.”

  Laura tried to look regretful, but she couldn’t quite manage it. “I’m sorry about David, but I have to admit I’m glad about the bed. That floor is not exactly the softest thing I’ve ever tried to sleep on.”

  Hailey was thinking about David, but she had to grin at her sister. “You are one spoiled lady. Ever hear about the princess and the pea?”

  “Yeah, but didn’t she marry a prince? I missed out on that deal—I got the frog, instead.”

  At least Laura still had a sense of humor. Hailey remembered about Nicole and dug her business card out of her wallet. “If you decide you wanna dump the frog, this is someone to go see. She’s a friend of mine, and she’s also Roy’s sister. I’m pretty sure she’s really good at what she does.”

  It was encouraging that Laura even accepted the card.

  “See you in the morning,” Hailey said, and then felt warm and fuzzy all over when, for the first time in years, her sister grabbed her close and hugged her tight.

  AT ST. JOE’S, Mary was sitting beside the door holding David, wrapped in a big blue blanket. His hair was damp and his face flushed, and when he saw Hailey, he held out his arms and whimpered.

  “Hey, punkin, what’s up with you?” She scooped him into her arms and kissed his hot cheek.

  “Hailey, you shouldn’t have trekked out here in the middle of the night.” But Mary looked relieved. “Sick as he is, he won’t stay in his crib. He climbs out and comes to the door and lies down on the floor. It makes me want to cry.”

  Hailey had been thinking about it on the way in.

  “Why don’t we just move his crib out here for the time being? I’m taking him home first thing in the morning, as soon as Harry Larue signs the release. I’ll stay till then, anyway. No point in driving home and coming back. We can move the crib back before Margaret comes on shift.”

  Mary’s forehead wrinkled in thought and then she nodded. “Let’s do it. I’ll go get it now—that way at least he might sleep. Being held all the time isn’t very restful, for him or for us.”

  The crib made the difference. Hailey rocked David until he was sleepy and then laid him in it. He turned his head so he could see the door, clutched Bonzo to his cheek and finally fell asleep.

  Hailey spent what remained of the night on a cot in a room nearby. Drained and exhausted, she awoke with a start at seven, when the new shift of nurses arrived. Incredibly enough, David was still sleeping, bottom in the air, head facing the door.

  In the staff washroom, Hailey showered quickly, hoping the hot water would take away the muzziness in her head. She kept a change of clothes in her locker, and David was awake by the time she’d changed. He was cranky and restless, refusing fluids. Karen took his temperature.

  “It’s still way up,” she said.

  “Look at this.” Hailey was changing his diaper.

  A sprinkling of angry red spots peppered his round belly.

  “There’s more coming out on his neck, as well. What do you think, Karen? Chicken pox, measles?”

  “Nobody else seems to have symptoms,” Karen said. “We’re gonna have to move him into an isolation unit.”

  Although she knew it was necessary, Hailey felt totally defeated. Whatever this was, it was doubtful Harry Larue would sign any release for her to take David home today. And unless things had changed overnight, David was going to scream and fight when they moved him, and that was going to challenge his immune system even further.

  “We’d better get it done before Margaret arrives,” Karen suggested.

  The move went exactly the way Hailey had thought it would.

  As soon as he was away from the door, David started screaming and climbing out of his crib. Hailey held him and did everything she could think of to distract him, but ten minutes later, he was still screaming and she was beginning to panic. Margaret would be coming on shift soon and undoubtedly would insist on either restraints or a cover on the crib. And now David’s entire face and body were covered in red spots.

  Hailey fought the idea, but there was only one thing to do.

  She rang the call button, and Karen came.

  It hurt to say the words, and her voice was harsh. “Get hold of Roy and ask him to bring Shannon Riggs here. And have him tell her she has to stay right here with David until he’s better.”

  It took the better part of two hours. Harry Larue arrived, and his jovial face puckered into a frown when he saw David, who was still sobbing intermittently and refusing any liquids.

  Hailey held David down while Harry examined him. The rash was a mystery, neither measles nor chicken pox. Harry thought it was likely a food allergy, but that didn’t account for the fever or vomiting.

  “We’ll keep him here for another twenty-four hours,” he decided. “I know you were looking forward to taking him home, but I’d like to see him feeling really well again before he leaves.”

  When Harry left, David refused to eat and drank only a quarter of his bottle of juice, no matter how much Hailey coaxed.

  Margaret came by and looked in, but to Hailey’s relief she left without commenting.


  Hailey was rocking David and her back was to the door, but she knew by the sudden stiffening of his body the exact moment when Shannon arrived.

  “Mama.” There was a husky catch in his voice. He was hoarse from crying, but he managed to smile at Shannon. His arms went out to her, and for just an instant, Hailey wished with all her heart she’d never laid eyes on either of them.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  SHANNON LOOKED as if she hadn’t slept much. Her eyes had huge dark circles beneath them, and her hands were visibly trembling when she held them out to David, who almost leaped into her arms, snuggling his face into her shoulder. He strung together a series of words, indecipherable except for Mama.

  Hailey held out the bottle of apple juice and the tray with his uneaten cereal and fruit. “See if you can get him to eat and drink something,” she snapped. “He needs nourishment.”

  “What’s wrong with him? What are these red spots?”

  “The doctor thinks maybe an allergy.”

  “He’s never had any allergies.” Shannon offered the bottle to David and he took it and began to swallow in great gulps. His eyelids fluttered and closed, and he knotted one plump fist in Shannon’s T-shirt.

  Hailey went to the nurses’ lounge. She made toast and ate a slice, but her stomach was roiling. When she returned to David’s room, he was asleep in his crib and Shannon was sitting in a chair, one leg drawn up beneath her, a paperback novel in her hand.

  “He ate everything and then he went to sleep.” Shannon gave her a defiant look and gestured at the empty food containers and bottle.

  “I want to talk to you. Come outside for a minute.” Hailey led the way out into the ward and around a corner to a visitors’ waiting room, which was empty. She turned and faced Shannon.

  “I wonder if you have any idea what you’ve done to David, how seriously you’ve damaged him.” She kept her voice low and conversational, but the overwhelming emotion she felt made it quaver.