LITMIR.BIZ

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won’t be ridiculous if you go into premature labor,” Ashleigh spit. “Trust me, it’s not an experience you ever want to have.”

      * * *

      RYAN LIMPED INTO the bedroom, right past Ashleigh. He headed directly to the side of the bed in front of Paula, who hadn’t lain back down but hadn’t rushed to Ryan’s side, either. His forehead was scraped and his jeans were torn at the knee, but more significantly, he cradled his left forearm with his right hand.

      Except for being two years older and crying, Ryan looked the same to Ashleigh as he had the last time she’d seen him. Spittin’ image of his dad, as well as his Uncle Kyle.

      The lump in her throat kept her from speaking.

      “I fell off my bike, Mommy,” he sobbed.

      “Tell me where you hurt.” Paula looked about to burst into tears herself.

      Ashleigh’s medical training kicked into high gear. She moved in closer and knelt next to Ryan.

      “Hi, Ryan.” Ashleigh kept her voice calm. “You might not remember me, but I’m your aunt Ashleigh.”

      “Mommy has pictures of you.” Ryan hiccupped, his deep blue eyes reminiscent of his uncle’s.

      “How are you feeling?” Ashleigh moved some hair back from his scraped forehead to look closer and felt around the rest of his skull.

      “My arm really hurts.” Ryan’s face scrunched as if in pain.

      “I’ll bet it does.” Ashleigh spoke gently, her attention now on his arm as she carefully probed the limb. Possibly a simple fracture, but an X-ray would tell for sure. “Do you hurt anywhere else, Ry? Like your neck or back? Your legs, belly?”

      Ryan shook his head.

      “Do you remember if you fell asleep after you fell?”

      “No. I was awake. Only babies take naps.”

      “Good.” Ashleigh grinned, then caught Paula’s eye while gathering supplies from her medical bag. “Do you have a scarf or maybe a receiving blanket I can use to immobilize his arm until I can get an X-ray?”

      Paula pointed to her dresser. “In the middle drawer are scarves.”

      “Hop up here on the bed next to Mommy,” Ashleigh told Ryan. While she cleaned and bandaged Ryan’s head and scraped knee, she spoke to Paula. “I’m going to take him into the hospital for an X-ray.” So much for avoiding her emergency-room-doctor ex-husband.

      “Kyle’s not at the hospital today,” Paula said, as if reading her mind. “He mentioned at dinner last night that he took today off to do some painting.”

      Ashleigh stiffened. Kyle had been able to maintain a relationship with both their nephews and her sister, but Ashleigh hadn’t even seen a picture of the boys in two years.

      She consciously relaxed her neck and shoulders. She shouldn’t be surprised at Kyle’s involvement. He was probably a big help while Scott was deployed.

      Retrieving a scarf from the drawer, she wove it under Ryan’s injured arm and tied it behind his neck. “Is Rich Miller still in the building down the street from my old office?”

      “As far as I know,” Paula said. “We’ve never needed an orthopedist before.”

      “Rich is the best, especially for kids,” Ashleigh said. “Are you okay with him if he’s needed?”

      “Yes,” Paula agreed.

      Ashleigh didn’t want to scare Ryan by mentioning his arm could be broken. The orthopedist would take over Ryan’s care if the X-ray showed a break.

      She turned to her nephew and effortlessly took on her pediatrician persona. “Ryan, you and I are going to go get a special picture taken of your arm so we can see what’s going on inside.”

      Ryan’s eyes widened. “Can I see the picture?”

      Ashleigh couldn’t contain her smile. “Of course. Now why don’t you use the bathroom while I make sure your mom has everything she needs. Can you manage without using your hurt arm?”

      He bobbed his head rapidly, hopped off the bed and skipped out of the room—definitely not the same sobbing child from a few minutes ago.

      Ashleigh turned her attention to Paula. “Does he normally play outside by himself?”

      Paula’s eyes grew wide at Ashleigh’s not-so-subtle implication. “He went bike riding with his friends, not that it’s any of your business.”

      “He’s still my nephew and I’m concerned about his welfare.”

      “You haven’t seen him in two years,” Paula whispered angrily.

      “That was your choice,” Ashleigh reminded her.

      Paula glared at her. “You left town.”

      There was so much Ashleigh could say in response, but now was not the time.

      “I want to take your blood pressure before I go.” Ashleigh pulled her blood pressure cuff from her bag and attached it to Paula’s arm. Having an injured child was bound to raise anyone’s blood pressure. “Where’s Mark?”

      “Playing at a friend’s house.” Paula stiffened, her words curt. “The mother is supposed to bring him back around six.”

      They were silent as Ashleigh listened to Paula’s rapidly pumping blood with her stethoscope.

      “Not bad, but higher than it should be,” she told Paula as she removed the cuff. “Just close your eyes and take some deep breaths. I’ve got everything else covered.”

      Ashleigh silently packed up her medical bag, afraid to say anything that would inflame Paula and raise her blood pressure.

      Like why couldn’t you have been loyal to me when my marriage was falling apart, instead of taking Kyle’s side?

      * * *

      ASHLEIGH HAD NEVER driven a minivan, but Ryan was too young to ride in the front seat of her two-seater sports car, so she’d taken Paula’s vehicle. One more reminder that Paula had been blessed with a growing family while Ashleigh had been denied a single offspring.

      The mile drive to the hospital provided an abundance of memories. From the quaint shop where she and Kyle had shared a bowl of bubble gum ice cream on their first date in high school, to the tiny apartment they lived in before they bought the historic home that still housed Ashleigh’s pediatric practice.

      The office where she no longer worked.

      Knowing that Kyle wouldn’t be at the hospital was a relief. Though it only prolonged the inevitable no more than a day or two.

      She’d deal with Kyle and her myriad of emotions when the time came.

      Meanwhile, Ryan kept up a constant dialogue during the short drive, forcing Ashleigh’s mind away from the memories that haunted her.

      “And my friend Jarrod can do a wheelie,” Ryan was telling her.

      “Wow! That’s impressive. Is he the same age as you?”

      “He’s a year older and doesn’t have training wheels anymore.”

      “Were you trying to do a wheelie when you fell?” Ashleigh’s suspicion was confirmed by Ryan’s sheepish nod reflected in the rearview mirror.

      Rekindling her relationship with her nephew wasn’t the time to lecture him on his foolishness. She’d leave that to his mother.

      “Here we are,” she told Ryan after she maneuvered the minivan into a parking space in the hospital visitor lot. Back in the days when she had privileges here, she’d been able to park in the staff lot, which was closer to the entrance.

      Once again, she shoved

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