LITMIR.BIZ

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had divorced when she’d still been in high school, a traumatic event when she’d discovered her father had been cheating on her mother. When his young lover had become pregnant, he’d filed for divorce.

      She’d made peace with her past, except for rare moments like this, when resentment still burned. How ironic that by marrying Tom she’d made the same mistake her mother had.

      Tom had seemed to want the same things she did, a loving home and family. Children in particular were important to her, she hadn’t wanted to put her kids through a painful divorce like she’d experienced.

      After Kayla was stillborn, Holly had known there wasn’t anything left of her marriage to save. Wisely, Tom hadn’t bothered to put up a fight. To his credit, he’d made the divorce proceedings as painless as possible.

      Pushing the memory aside, she pulled into her mother’s driveway and brought the car to a halt. After getting sick, her mother had finally given up her mausoleum of a house to move into the much smaller, more practical home located closer to the hospital. So close she could easily take a care-van to her dialysis appointments. Holly hurried around to open the car door. “Here, let me help you.”

      Her mother leaned heavily on her arm as Holly guided her inside. After she’d got her mother settled on the sofa, covered in a warm, wool blanket, she went into the kitchen and threw together a light meal of scrambled eggs and toast, carrying everything out on a tray.

      “Thanks, Holly.” Her mother’s grateful tone made her feel guilty for leaving during those years she’d been married to Tom. It was good that she’d come back home. Obviously her mother needed her.

      “You’re welcome.” She leaned over to give her mother a gentle hug. “Is there anything else you need before I go?”

      “No, thanks, dear.”

      “All right, then. Call my cell if you need me.” Holly let herself out of the house, wondering if the time would come that her mother might need more full-time care. If so, she’d do her best to take care of her.

      Family was important, even if her father and Tom hadn’t thought so.

      Her pager went off and she paused in the driveway to glance at the display. The message wasn’t from work, as she’d expected, but rather from Gabe.

      Please, call me when you have a minute, Gabe. He’d left his number on the text message too.

      Was he still at work? Had something happened to Mark? With a frown, she flipped open her cellphone and dialed his number.

      “Hello?”

      “Gabe? It’s Holly. What’s wrong?”

      “I picked up JT from his pre-school and something just doesn’t seem right. He’s running a low-grade fever and has chills.” Gabe sounded uncertain, not at all like his usual self. “I don’t think it’s serious, but I could use a second, unbiased opinion.” He paused and then added, “If you’re not too busy.”

      She hesitated for the barest fraction of a second before she realized she was allowing her personal need to stay away from him to interfere with taking care of a sick child.

      How could she turn him down? After all, she’d offered her help. “Of course I’m not too busy. I’ll be right there.”

      CHAPTER THREE

      HOLLY wasn’t sure what to expect when she arrived at Gabe’s house. Luckily, his directions had been easy to follow, but when he opened the door before she had a chance to knock, it was clear his usual calm composure had deserted him. He wore a haggard expression and his brown hair stood on end, as if he’d raked his fingers through it non-stop for the past few hours.

      “Thanks for coming over.” Gabe stepped back to allow her to come in. “I’m pretty sure JT just has a virus, but I want to make sure I’m not missing something, like strep. I’ve peered down his throat so many times I’m starting to doubt myself.”

      “That’s because you’re thinking like a parent, not like a doctor.” She’d seen plenty of stressed parents and those with medical backgrounds weren’t any different.

      “Yeah, maybe.” He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “I know I’m probably overreacting, but this is the first time JT’s been sick.”

      “The first time, ever?” She was taken aback by the news, considering the boy was five years old. Most kids at least had the occasional ear infection or bout of flu before the age of five. “I’m surprised.”

      She barely had time to notice the warm, welcoming earth tones of his living room before he dragged her down the hall to his son’s room. “I’d like you to take a look at him. My first instinct was to treat him with a pain med and wait to see how he does overnight, but he’s been so listless I’ve started to doubt my objectivity. Be honest. Tell me if you think I should take him into the clinic.”

      “All right.” Odd, it wasn’t at all like Gabe to doubt himself. He was after all board certified in emergency medicine. Taking care of sick kids was his specialty.

      But, then again, she’d made similar mistakes with horrible consequences. Assuming her cramping pains during her pregnancy had been from stress and not from placenta previa, a condition where the placenta broke away from the wall of the uterus prematurely. She’d down-played her situation and had lost her daughter as a result.

      Even if she had gone to seek help earlier, there really hadn’t been a chance of saving the baby, not at only twenty-five weeks gestation. Still, her medical knowledge hadn’t helped her then.

      Gabe’s might not be helping him now either.

      He pushed open the door to a small, cozy bedroom. “JT? Hey, buddy, this is Dr. Holly. I’ve asked her to take a look at you.”

      “Hi, JT.” She approached the boy, who was curled up on the bed.

      “Hi.” His dark blue eyes, so much like Gabe’s, stared up at her. “I don’t feel so good.”

      “So I hear.” She sat on the edge of his bed, noticing his face was flushed. She offered a reassuring smile. “Does anything hurt you?”

      “My head hurts.”

      “Hmm. How about your throat?” She felt his forehead, noting he was indeed running a slight fever but not one that was dangerously high. She trailed her fingers down to his throat. No swollen glands from what she could tell. “Can you open wide for me?”

      Obediently he opened his mouth. “Ah-h-h.”

      Using her penlight, she peered down his throat. No sign of any infection at all, from what she could see. Although maybe it was too early to tell. “Great job. How about your tummy? Does that hurt?” She gently palpated JT’s abdomen, and he didn’t wince, neither did she find any enlargement of his liver.

      “No, just my head. The lights are too bright.”

      Hmm. Strange that he would have photosensitivity. She spent another minute or so examining him, but didn’t find anything seriously wrong. His pupils were equal and reactive. Yet, like Gabe, she sensed something just wasn’t quite right. She glanced back at Gabe, who hovered over her shoulder. “You treated his fever?”

      “Yeah, I gave him a dose of pediatric pain med right before you came over.”

      “Good.” JT closed his eyes, either because the light was too bright or he was simply tired and falling asleep.

      “He was fine at noon when I came home for lunch,” Gabe muttered. “Suddenly I pick him up from his preschool class and he’s running a fever and not acting at all like his usual self.”

      “I’m sure it’s just a virus,” she assured him.

      “So you don’t think I need to take him in?” Gabe asked.

      She hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head. “No, I think I’d wait and watch him. If

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