Jeremy was looking over an X-ray of a fractured scaphoid bone in a teenage boy’s hand, a break that had actually occurred years earlier.
Last night, the kid had fallen during a basketball game and twisted his wrist. And since he was still complaining of pain this morning, his mother had brought him into the clinic, suspecting that he might have a serious sprain or a break. But the fall had only aggravated an old injury. And it was a good thing that it had brought him in today. If the original break had continued to go untreated, the teenager might have eventually lost the full use of his hand.
As it was, he would need surgery and a bone graft to correct it.
“Dr. Fortune?”
Jeremy turned to see Millie, the receptionist, standing in the doorway.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Doctor, but Kirsten Allen is here again. You know, the woman you were asking me about yesterday?”
Jeremy’s pulse rate spiked at the news, but he maintained an unaffected facial expression. “Thanks, Millie. Where is she?”
“In the waiting room.”
As much as Jeremy would like to go out and talk to her, he had to discuss his findings with the teenage patient and his mother who were waiting for the results of the X-ray.
“Do me a favor,” Jeremy said. “Can you have Kirsten called into an exam room? And then let me know where I can find her? “
Millie’s brow twitched, as if she found the request a little unusual, but she didn’t ask his reason for it. Instead, she nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.” Jeremy didn’t usually ask for favors, like moving people up in line. But Kirsten had left yesterday without waiting to be seen, and he didn’t want that to happen again. Not before he had a chance to see her and talk to her again.
While Millie went to do as she was asked, Jeremy returned to the exam room to tell the teenager and his mother about the fracture and explain the surgery and healing process.
Ten minutes later, he made his way to room four, which had been assigned to Anthony Allen, Kirsten’s infant son.
He knocked lightly, then opened the door, eager to see the attractive woman again, to get a chance to talk to her. But when he spotted a man in the room with her, his heart slammed against his chest.
Damn. She was married—or at least involved with someone.
Well, of course she was. What made him even think that she might not be?
A striking resemblance to the dream woman, that was what. And an overactive imagination for another. See what happened when a man read too much into a random dream and followed a hunch?
Trying not to stammer or to reveal his surprise, Jeremy reached out his hand to introduce himself to the baby’s father. “Hello, I’m Dr. Fortune.”
“Max Allen. Are you here to examine Anthony?”
“No, I …” Jeremy glanced at Kirsten, wondering if she had any idea why he was actually here.
Hell, how could she? He was still struggling to make sense of the thoughtless blunder himself.
He returned his focus on her husband and tried to make light of it all. “Actually, I met Mrs. Allen in the parking lot yesterday. She’d spent a lot of time in the waiting room and hadn’t been seen, so I wanted to make sure she got in quickly today.”
Max stiffened. “Yeah, well, she shouldn’t have done that.”
Done what? Left without seeing a pediatrician? Talked to a man in the parking lot?
“Excuse me?” Jeremy pressed, picking up some negative vibes and hoping he hadn’t gotten her in trouble.
“Kirsten brought Anthony here yesterday without my permission.” Max tossed a frown her way.
Now it was Jeremy’s turn to tense and give out some negative vibes. What kind of man controlled his wife like that?
“Maybe I’d better explain,” Kirsten said. “First of all, I’m Max’s sister. And I was babysitting his son yesterday.” She turned to the young man beside her. “I shouldn’t have taken it upon myself to bring the baby for a checkup without getting Max’s okay.”
Jeremy was still struggling to understand what Max’s problem was, but that didn’t stop him from realizing that Kirsten wasn’t married to Max and being relieved at the news.
Just then, the door opened, and Jim Kragen, a pediatrician, stepped into the now crowded room. “Sorry. I was told to come to exam room four.”
“You’re in the right place,” Jeremy told his colleague. “I just stopped in here for a minute. I’ll leave you to your patient.”
As Dr. Kragen stepped inside, Jeremy made his way to the door.
“Excuse me a minute,” Kirsten said to her brother and to the pediatrician. “I’ll be right back.”
Was she following Jeremy out?
Apparently so. And he couldn’t help feeling a rush of pleasure. That was, until he glanced at Max, who seemed to be annoyed at her departure.
If Jeremy didn’t know better, he’d think that Max was sizing him up and finding him lacking. But maybe that was only his imagination.
When Kirsten and Jeremy left the small room and shut the door behind them, she said, “Thank you for coming to check on us.”
“No problem. I knew you were worried about the baby, so I wanted to make sure you finally got to see a doctor.”
“Actually, I kind of panicked yesterday, thinking Max wouldn’t get around to making an appointment for the baby himself. But Anthony is really sweet, and he’s eating well. So Dr. Kragen will probably say he’s doing fine.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a small diamond stud. “You probably think I’m a worrywart, but I’ve never really been around small children before. And up until a few days ago, Max didn’t even know he was a father. His ex-girlfriend just dumped the baby on him—well, on us, actually. Max is living with me for the time being. So we’ve had a crash course on child care and still have a lot to learn.”
“How long will your brother have Anthony? “
“Permanently, I guess.” Kirsten blew out a soft sigh. “And I’m sure that’s for the best. His girlfriend isn’t very maternal.”
Was Kirsten maternal? Was she the kind of woman who’d make a good partner for a man like him?
It was hard to say without knowing more about her.
“If I’d done more babysitting as a teenager,” she added, “I might not feel so out of my league. But I’m … well … my brother and I are both novices.”
“I’m sure you’re doing fine.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She flashed him a pretty smile. “You should have seen us shopping that first day. We had to buy just about everything other than a car seat, and we didn’t have a clue what we were going to need. It must have been comical to anyone watching us.”
“You’re a good sister,” he said.
Her smile faded some. “I try to be.”
Something told him that Max didn’t always make it easy for her, but that was only a hunch. And Jeremy rarely went with his gut feelings, even though that was exactly what he’d done when he had first spotted Kirsten in the parking lot.
They stood like that for a moment, studying each other in the narrow hallway.