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“What baby?”
“Exactly. On the credenza behind you, there was a picture of a baby who died from SIDS. I caught Mona holding the picture once, and I could tell the child was special to her—maybe because she was the baby’s godmother, or because she felt so bad for Keith. They worked together a long time.”
“I just knew Keith as my pediatrician and Mona as his nurse,” Beth said. “I don’t remember that he, his wife or Mona ever came to our family’s New Year’s Eve parties, though I’m sure they were invited. Everyone at the clinic is. I missed the party last year, being in New York, but I was there the year before. I don’t remember seeing you. Did I miss meeting you then?”
“I wasn’t there.”
“Not a party person?”
“My wife was the party person, not me,” he said quietly. “She died the preceding October.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. That was two years ago. My daughter and I are doing fine.” But his eyes said he remembered the pain.
She’d seen him look that way.
It all came back to her—things she remembered and the one thing she hadn’t. “I just remembered when we met.”
He looked at her, his eyes as intense as they’d been that terrible day.
“Isn’t the mind amazing? I remembered how proud Grandpa was, introducing me as the seventh Brennan to join the clinic. I’ve relived Mom’s mental meltdown many, many times. But I forgot you.”
“That’s understandable,” he said solemnly.
“But I felt so grateful when you came to my rescue. I was too upset to tell you that or what a comfort you were.”
“You had a lot going on that day.”
“The worst day of my life.” Tears weren’t far away. They hadn’t been that day either.
“Are you okay?” he asked, as he had that day.
She remembered. It was in the hallway after Grandpa told her he didn’t want her around for a while. “You asked the same thing then.”
“And you said you were, but I knew you weren’t.”
“You could tell?”
He nodded, a rueful smile on his lips. “For months after Merrilee died, I told people I was okay when I wasn’t. Sometimes we can’t talk about what hurts.”
“Does it still hurt, Noah?”
“Well, I’m talking about it, so it must be better,” he said with a smile that lifted one corner of his mouth. “When Kendi seemed to miss her mother less, that helped me.”
“Does your family help with your daughter?”
“Neither Merrilee or I had family.”
“None?”
Noah dreaded the full-blown sympathy that was sure to come if Beth asked many questions about his background. He would try the short version first and hope it would be enough for today.
“No family,” he confirmed. “It’s just my daughter and me. Kendi’s babysitter, Harlene, lives next door, and she’s like family.”
For a second, Beth studied him as if she were trying to diagnose a major disease. She was an intelligent woman or she wouldn’t have an M.D. As any bright person would, she would figure the odds of both of Kendi’s parents having no family and wonder about it.
“Noah…”
Here it came. A question he wouldn’t want to answer.
“Would you care to adopt Trey?”
He laughed, just a little, then a lot. The unexpected offer, delivered so seriously, was great. He was going to love working with Beth. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
“Let me know if you change your mind. But if you take him, you’ve got to keep him.”
What a cool sense of humor. He was still smiling. “Who are your flowers from?”
She took the card from the vase of orchids and palm foliage. “This one is from my brother Ry.”
She handed the card to him and he read out loud, “‘Be strong. Be courageous. Don’t be afraid of them for the Lord your God will be with you.’ Afraid of who? The patients…or Mona?”
She grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. “Mona did scare all of us kids, but Ry’s scripture probably includes the BMC staff. I’ve known a lot of these people since I was a kid, and I’ve even babysat for some of their kids. Don’t be surprised if you hear somebody call me Bethie.”
“Will you mind?”
“Not unless it’s Mona.”
That made him smile. He was already having more fun than he’d ever had working for Keith.
He watched her read the card from the arrangement of yellow roses. It must have been more sentimental because she dabbed a tear from her eye.
“This one is from Ry’s wife. Meg was my best friend all the years we were growing up. Her family was closer to Ry and me than our own. The people we choose to love often mean more to us than the family we’re born into, especially the people who share our faith.”
So, Beth Brennan was a religious person. That would make Vanessa happy. She went to church all the time.
“I’ve only been a Christian a couple of years, but I know there’s power in prayer,” she said with conviction.
Faith? Prayer? This would be a good time to go back up front. He slid off the desk.
“Noah, do you believe in prayer?”
He’d stayed too long.
“You don’t have to answer that,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have asked, not in a place of business.”
“No, it’s okay.” It wasn’t in him to discourage another’s faith, even if he no longer shared it.
“I’m praying for a way to be friends with Mona.”
“Knee pads,” he said without thinking.
“What?” She looked startled.
“You’re gonna need ’em if you’re praying for that.”
The corners of Beth’s mouth tilted upward in the cutest smile. “You’re probably right. It could take a while.”
He hadn’t noticed that particular smile before. The patients were going to love that smile.
She opened her closet and retrieved one of several crisp white lab coats embroidered with Beth Brennan, M.D. Slipping into one, she hooked her stethoscope around her neck and eyed the flowers from her brother and his wife.
“I hate to leave all these beautiful flowers back here. What do you think? Should we share these with our patients in the lobby? Or would Mona’s allergy flare up?”
“There’s a big vase of red roses there now, and they’re not bothering Mona at all.”
“Let me guess. They’re from my grandfather.”
He nodded, grinning at her quick assessment. “I believe the card did say that. Mona read the card and put the flowers on the counter for everyone to see.”
“Good for her.”
That comment knocked him out. As hateful as Mona had been, it said a lot that Beth wasn’t nursing a grudge. She was better than he was, to move on that fast. The gossips around here were going to be so disappointed, with nothing to complain about Beth.
“Bad news,” Mona said as Beth and Noah reached the front office. “Our computers are down.”
Vanessa looked worried. “I’m sorry, Dr. Beth. I’ve called technical support, but they can’t get here until this afternoon.”
“I’m sure we’ll survive,” Beth said. Her laptop was loaded with data they needed for the day.
“Why don’t you call your grandfather,” Mona said. “He could pull rank and get tech support here quicker.”
If that were true—and it might be—didn’t Mona realize that one call could leave her unemployed? The only thing saving Mona’s job was Beth and her need to show God’s love.
“Not having the computers won’t be a big inconvenience this morning,” she said pleasantly. “We won’t be seeing patients right away.”
Mona snorted. “Your first patient is scheduled minutes from now. This office sees patients from nine to five, and it’s almost nine. Too bad we won’t have time for your little tour, Dr. Beth.”
Beth looked at Noah to check his reaction. His arms were folded, and his steady gaze asked if he should jump in and set Mona straight.
That he waited, instead of doing it, made Beth like him even more. “Actually, Mona, it was Dr. Crabtree’s suggestion that we take time for staff orientation. Our morning patients have been rescheduled. He was wonderfully cooperative in the transition.”
Mona sniffed, somewhat mollified. “Dr. Crabtree is the consummate professional.”
“He certainly is,” Beth agreed, going for a conciliatory tone. “Now, let’s begin by going over the procedures we’ll use as a team.”
Noah wheeled his office chair around to face her and whipped out a notepad and pen. Vanessa also prepared to take notes. Mona drummed her nails on her desk and glanced nervously at the lobby window as if a patient might show up and catch them unprepared.
“When I talked to Dr. Crabtree,” Beth began, “he was very happy with the way you three worked together. I see no need to change the procedures you’re familiar with. If we need to make adjustments along the way, we will. For now, I’ll do most of the adjusting.”
Mona looked surprised. She stared at Beth as if she had to replay the words to make sure she’d heard right.
“Vanessa, in addition to your regular tasks, I want you to take pictures of each patient.” Beth pulled a camera from her pocket and handed it to the young woman.
“I have one almost like this! I love to take pictures. This will be so cool, Dr. Beth! Do the pictures go in the patients’ folders or up on a wall?”
“The folders. It will help all of us put a face to the name if we need to later.”
“How do you want to handle call-ins during office hours?” Mona asked, as if she hoped to put Beth on the spot.
It might be Beth’s first day at BMC, but she’d grown up with her family talking shop. She knew her job here.
“It depends,” she answered, adopting the no-nonsense manner she used when treating seriously ill patients. Maybe that would put Mona at ease. “If Vanessa takes the call, and it’s about more than scheduling, she turns the phone over to you or Noah. The two of you will determine whether I need to get on the phone, return the call or head for the hospital.”
“In other words, just the way we did with Dr. Crabtree,” Noah said dryly.
“How are you going to handle your after-hours’ calls?” Mona asked, ignoring him, but again as if she hoped to catch Beth off guard.
“You three can call me anytime.” She handed them a card, listing her phone numbers. “For the patients, again, it depends on the situation. The service will refer some calls to my group, and page me on others.”
“Wow, that’s just the way Dr. Crabtree did it, too,” Vanessa teased.
“We still should verify the procedures,” Mona said defensively.
“Yes, we should,” Beth agreed, partly because it was true, but also in an effort to get on Mona’s good side, if there was one. “If we’re all on the same page, our patients can receive the highest standard of care.”
“Once they get past the lobby,” Mona sniped.
Enough was enough. Lord, help me get this right.
“Mona, you don’t like the lobby. We’ve heard that, and we don’t need to hear it again. The lobby stays like it is. Let’s move on.”
Mona’s nostrils flared, and she looked about as angry as a person could be, but she seemed to get the message and didn’t respond.
Good. That had gone well. “Now, are we ready for our tour?”
Chapter Four
When Beth opened the door to Exam Room One, the group’s reaction was as expected. Vanessa just adored the monkeys. Mona was just appalled. Noah folded his arms and seemed to enjoy the show.
After they’d visited Rooms Two and Three, Vanessa couldn’t stop smiling, Mona’s mouth had that now-familiar lemon-sucking pucker and Noah leaned against the examining table, looking great in his blue scrubs.
Worried and disapproving, Mona said, “Some of our patients are very ill, Beth. How do you expect to handle them in this environment?”
“It doesn’t hurt a child to smile.” Beth wondered when Mona had last attended a continuing-education class. “Laughter is good for everyone. Our patients are kids, even the older ones. The sicker they are, the more they need a pleasant distraction.” To drive home her point, she opened the hat cabinet.
Mona gasped, and Vanessa laughed out loud.
