Chapter Three

T he acrid smells of nicotine and sweat hit Reynolds’s nose two seconds after Susan’s warning.

A quick move to the left put Reynolds out of the strike zone and encouraged his wild-eyed attacker to follow.

Stumbling, the man sloppily threw punches like a great dumb beast. “Quit movinnnnnnng! I’m… kick your assth.”

“Words slurred. Probably concussed.” Reynolds avoided each clumsy swing, leading them in the opposite direction of Susan and Bernie. “Probably won’t remember any of this later.”

“Kick his ass… Dr. June.” Bernie grabbed her phone.

“I don’t want to hit him in the head.” He ducked as Carl’s arm swung wide. “Cause brain damage.”

“Carl’s already… a dumbass. No one… would know… the difference.”

“Get out of there, Reynolds!” Susan gasped. “Bernie, why are you filming this?”

The bright blue of Ben’s magnified eyes peeked over the magazine rack on aisle one before disappearing and then popping up again farther down the row.

The kid bounced around more than a jackrabbit. A cold, hard wall slammed against his back, stopping Reynolds in his tracks.

Susan picked up a can and Reynolds’s heart skipped a beat at her concern, but things were under control despite appearances.

“Don’t worry… he’s… got this.” Bernie grabbed Susan’s arm.

“I’m gonna kill you.” Carl cocked his hand back and let loose, but Reynolds stepped sideways, and Carl’s hand crunched against the sheetrock.

Everyone flinched as he howled like a wounded animal.

Reynolds pinned Carl’s arm behind his back and shoved his face against the now-damaged wall. “Calm down.”

Carl screamed, “My hand! Fucking hurts!”

“It’s over. We’re done. Got it?”

“I hate you.” Carl slid to the floor like a boneless chicken and immediately farted.

“Is he out?” Susan craned her lovely neck.

A loud snore interrupted the cautious quiet before Reynolds checked and then dragged the unconscious gunman to the front of the store. “Yep. He’s out. Ben! Tape!”

From aisle two, a roll of duct tape shot across the room and Reynolds caught it one-handed. With the quickness of a calf roper, Reynolds bound Carl’s hands behind his back and his legs together before securing him to a large wire display of chips and crackers.

He added a couple of the dented cans and a twelve-pack of drinks for weight before throwing his hands up. “Done. Now if he moves, we’ll hear him. Getting your order.”

Susan opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Guess I made a good impression.

Bernie used one of her many shirts to wipe her face. “Wonder Nurse is speechless. Good work, Dr. June.”

If a wash of crimson hadn’t colored Susan’s cheeks, Reynolds wouldn’t have believed it.

Clearing her throat, Susan gently lifted her patient’s skirt. “Ready, Bernie?”

The first bits of daylight faded the darkness of night. The waves of snow continued, making the outside world look like a very shaken snow globe.

From the drink machines, Reynolds eyeballed the shaggy attacker. The sooner the cops took him away, the better. If I could get away with it, I’d dump his ass outside in the snow.

After getting her coffee, he settled next to her, eyeing the water bottle and paper towels nearby. “The storm’s gonna slow EMS down.”

Susan happily accepted the caffeine in a cup. “I’m not worried. With you and me here… we’ve got this.”

“Damn straight.” Reynolds wet the towels and positioned himself next to the patient.

“Bernie, I don’t see a cord or a foot. I see a hint of the top of the baby’s head. Starting off with all good things.”

Only after she mentioned the word cord , did that horrible scenario process. If the child’s lifeline were compromised, there would be little they could do to save it. “Very good things.”

Susan took a long drink of her coffee and moaned happily, making him extremely jealous of that cup. “Good?”

“Amazing.”

“You two are perfect for each other.” A tired smile spread across Bernie’s face as she turned her phone over. “This… this is like the opening of a real-life rom-com. You two… meet-cute over… baby being born. You get together. Fall in love. Become a family. Drink, please.”

If it were only that easy. Reynolds filled the cap with Gatorade and held it to her cracked lips. “Just a sip.”

“That would be wild, huh? But I can see it,” Ben answered from somewhere near the magazines.

“Very wild.” And ridiculous. Still, Reynolds didn’t hate the idea. Although his medical school marriage hadn’t worked out, becoming a father was a top priority since his teens. Pursuing that latter title was what brought him to this moment, meeting Susan Davidson far sooner than he expected in a situation he never could have imagined.

As he watched her work, that want of happily ever after pinched his heart. I’d sure like to be a husband again, too.

“Rom-coms are fun movie and book escapes, but they aren’t reality.” Susan sounded like a Hallmark heroine who’d all but given up on the idea of love.

After sipping, Bernie licked her lips. “Rom-com meet-cutes aren’t supposed to be a reality, Susan. They’re about hope. Hope in forever love and good people and sweet babies and cute dogs.”

“And towns that always look like Christmas,” Ben added.

“And Christmas! Valentines. Holiday baking.”

“And always finding a great parking spot.”

“And bookstores.” Susan momentarily closed her eyes. “I love the smell of books.”

“Take note. She loves books.” Bernie winked at Reynolds.

“Don’t worry. I’ll remember.” He had to give it to her. Despite her pain, the kid had incredible skills of observation. And matchmaking.

“Bernie was my co-valedictorian,” Ben proudly announced. “She’s super smart. Always has a book in her hand.”

Bernie rolled her eyes. “Right, I’m so brilliant I’m not married and having my baby on the floor of a convenience store. Genius-level dumbass more like it.”

The corner of Susan’s mouth twitched. “No one’s perfect, sweetie. Maybe we all need a bit more hope in the world.”

“You two give me hope.” Bernie nodded. “A lot of it.”

After obtaining Bernie’s blood pressure, Susan put her purple stethoscope back in her purse before removing her hair tie from her wrist. She pulled her long, dark locks back as she set her jaw with that confidence that says shit was about to get real and she had it well under control.

Labor and delivery were never Reynolds’s strong suits, but he loved watching midwives and obstetricians work their magic.

Reynolds delivered plenty of babies in his emergency room residency and at work. Yet, he didn’t have the finesse of those who practiced regularly, like Susan and his OB/GYN brother, Nate. With such a tenuous situation like this, Reynolds happily left it to the experts.

Susan’s elegant fingers organized her work area with a routine she probably perfected long ago and could do blindfolded.

Blindfolded. That could be fun. His gut clenched and he hoped his stupid, Susan Davidson–focused libido hadn’t spoken for him.

Reynolds dabbed Bernie’s forehead with a wet towel and dried one of her tears with his thumb before giving her a comforting wink. His heart worried for her because he understood childbirth hurt like a bitch. “We’re here for you.”

“That means the world to me.” Closing her eyes, Bernie placed one hand on her belly. The other stabilized her phone.

With a tender touch, Susan moved a sweaty lock out of the girl’s face. “Your blood pressure is perfect. No signs of eclampsia. No issues I can see.”

“Another good sign,” Reynolds agreed.

As the girl rested, he and Susan turned at the same time and locked eyes. His entire mouth went dry as his heart thumped against his ribs.

Months ago, his boss and her sister, Lucy Davidson, introduced Susan to the ER staff over a FaceTime call. A few days later when he answered the work phone, it was Susan. Her strained voice concerned him, and he asked if he could check on her later. A simple conversation opened a constant texting and phone dialogue between them, which led to thoughts about Susan multiple times a day. So much so, he worried he would make a total idiot out of himself upon her arrival. Then fate allowed him to take out a gunman and assist her in delivering a baby.

Now, as neither of them looked away, he fought with his better nature not to lean in and kiss her senseless. “Susan, I—”

The clunk of Bernie’s hard case hitting the floor broke their eye-sex foreplay.

“Meet-cute over. Oh. Oh! Here comes another one. I hope my screen didn’t crack.” Bernie checked her phone as her body tightened. “No crack. Is it out yet?”

Immediately, Susan blinked herself back to the present, and Reynolds relaxed, since his lizard brain hadn’t erased common sense. “What do you need me to do?”

“Get these off me.” Sitting up, Bernie peeled off all her button-down shirts, then slid back down to her side and handed Reynolds her phone.

He laid it within her reach before making a pillow out of her shirts and placed it where she requested. Her oversized cartoon-themed tank top caught his attention. “You like Dino the Dinosaur?”

Bernie patted it. “It’s the father’s. Loves Dino. The Flintstones is his favorite cartoon, which makes sense since he’s a total caveman.”

“He’s not as smart as a caveman.” Ben rolled his eyes.

“Dino was my sister’s favorite character, too.” Reynolds hoped no sadness laced his response speaking of his sweet Audrey. There was already enough worry in the air.

“Then I guess we were destined to meet, Dr. June.”

Reynolds appreciated the girl’s upbeat mood despite her trauma. He gave Bernie’s hand a tender squeeze as he hoped to offer good comfort and decent distraction. “I’m surprised he knows the cartoon. How old is he?”

“He’s our age.” She motioned to her and Ben. “He’s even got a tattoo of it on his arm. Loves that stupid dinosaur. Said anyone who likes Dino is good by him.”

“Dino’s fun.” In honor of their late sister, Reynolds and his brother, Nate, were each inked with Dino tattoos. “Keep breathing, kiddo. You’re doing great.”

Despite her fatigue, she smiled at him. “You have nice eyes. Really handsome. Labor hurts so fucking bad.”

“I’m sorry. More towel?” When she nodded, he pressed the cool compress to her forehead, and hoped his nurturing response offered comfort. “Labor pain sucks.”

He failed spectacularly.

“How the fuck would you know what it feels like?” Bernie snapped, then apologized, followed by more cursing. And then an apology as she yanked on her skirt. “I get you’re trying to help me, but I’m in pain. I’m tired. I haven’t seen my bikini line in, like, five months. I pride myself on a nice bikini line. It’s gotta be insane down there, right?”

Panic punched him in the gut, but he kept his eyes laser-focused on her face. “I haven’t looked. Sip of water? Towel?”

Amazing what patients worried about in situations like this, but he understood it. In complicated times, the simplest things were the easiest to grab on to.

“Drugs. I need drugs.” She gasped as her belly tensed.

“It’s too late for drugs, Bernie. You can have a beer when we’re done.” After a long drink of her coffee, Susan placed it on the counter and out of the way.

Ben poked Carl’s foot with the broom handle. “She likes fruity beers.”

“I’d rather have a shot of tequila.” The girl’s face distorted in dread as her body pummeled itself.

Susan agreed, “We’ll make it so.”

“Did you just quote Picard?” Reynolds’s eyebrows hit his hairline.

“Indeed.” Her voice dropped an octave, sounding like a popular character from a long-running sci-fi series.

I’m gonna marry this woman and wife her so hard.

Susan cleared her throat. “This time, I need to check your cervix, and see how far along you are.”

“Then we’re close?” Sadness washed across Bernie’s face.

“Yes.”

“Contact my social worker, Lori Ramon, please,”

The mention of his friend sent Reynolds mentally sideways. “Lori? I can text her.”

“She’s helping me find the perfect family for the baby.”

Reynolds’s mouth went dry. “What about your family?”

“They’re terrible people. I don’t want my baby near them.” Bernie’s chest bobbed as tears ran freely.

“That’s true.” With a broom in hand, Ben stood guard next to an unconscious Carl.

She covered her eyes with her hand. “Parents kicked me out when I started to show. The dad’s parents told me to get lost. That passed-out idiot promised to take care of me. Now look at where I am. Yeah, I’m such a genius.”

Anger grated around Reynolds’s brain. Why do irresponsible pricks get the privilege of fathering a baby and I don’t?

Yesterday, Reynolds came to meet a prospective birth mother who never showed. He stayed for hours with Lori at her office, hoping the mother would arrive. But the longer he waited, the dimmer his last opportunity to be a father became.

The early arrival of this winter storm derailed his plans to drive back to Marietta. He grabbed a hotel room to wait it out, but his annoyance at a paperwork-heavy system that made it damned near impossible for a good, single man to adopt robbed him from decent sleep.

Frustrated, he arrogantly decided to drive home anyway. It took about a mile before the stupidity of his decision kicked in.

As soon as the familiar sign came into view, he pulled into the convenience store and planned to wait out the worst of the storm. He came in the back door only to end up thwarting a robbery and finally meeting a long-distance friend, Susan Davidson.

At least his first two impressions were good.

“Bernie, after the baby’s born, we’ll call her.” Reynolds patted the girl’s shoulder.

“How long will that be?” She sniffed.

Placing a large glob of lubricant on her gloved fingers, Susan rubbed them together before examining her patient. “Very, very soon.”

Reynolds hated he could do little to nothing to help.

As if Susan could read his mind, she said, “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Thanks. Trying to help where I can.”

“You two better get together after this or there’s something very wrong in the world.” Bernie held on to Reynolds’s hand as if his presence prevented her from falling into a million pieces. “It hurts. So bad. How do you know Lori?”

“She’s been my friend since high school.” Reynolds didn’t plan to confess anything, especially not in front of the woman who occupied his mind twenty-four-seven. Yet, his frustration came out anyway. “She’s helping me with the adoption process.”

“You’re planning to adopt?” Susan’s eyes went wide with curiosity.

Nausea twisted his gut. He and Susan had never discussed his desire to become a dad. After a year of great conversations, was he about to ruin everything? “Yes, but there’s been issues.”

“Issues? Why?”

His eyes darted between the two women before answering. “I’m not married.”

Bernie’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t seem… fair.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Susan chewed on her bottom lip. “So, if you were married—”

Bernie gasped. “A single dad? Lori said…” Her body tensed as she panted, “Was I supposed to… meet you… yesterday?”