Detective Daddy

Megan would, he was sure. A memento. But that was what their time together would become, after all.

Dan reached a gentle finger to brush a strand of hair from her cheek, his touch lingering on the smoothness of her skin for a moment. “Yes,” he said. “Something to remember.”

He already suspected the hard part would be forgetting.

Chapter Four

By noon the next day, the bridge had been shored up enough for Dan’s pickup to cross over safely. With the baby in the car bed fastened into the back of the extended cab, he and Fay set off for Evergreen Bluffs.

He’d helped her pack all her belongings and, along with the baby’s, they were stored inside the truck’s cabin. As he drove toward town, Dan pushed away the thought of having to say goodbye.

“I can’t believe I got off on the wrong highway in the storm,” Fay said. “And to make it worse, wandered so far off the highway onto a private road.”

“Easy to get disoriented when there’s a whiteout,” he told her.

“Believe me, I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“I sure hope so.”

“I will. Your attitude changes when you have someone as helpless as Marie depending on you. I can’t afford to be as much of a risk-taker.”

“Tell me.”

“I know we’re going to see Dr. Bruce. Will I be meeting Megan as well?”

“She’d kill me if I didn’t bring you over to the house. She’s a high school teacher, so she’ll be home later in the afternoon.”

“You mentioned another brother—Will? Where does he live?”

“In town, but he’s in Lansing at the moment at some kind of legal conference.”

“Will’s a lawyer?”

“Yeah.” After that he couldn’t find anything more to say. They were nearing town before he asked, “You doing okay?”

“If you mean am I going to collapse when I get out of the truck, no. But I may have to lean on you, as usual.”

“Be my guest.”

She glanced at him. “I’ve already been your guest for the better part of a week. I imagine you’ll breathe a long sigh of relief when we’re gone.”

The words were there, waiting to be said. I’ll miss you. He held them back. Not because they weren’t true, but because he didn’t want to admit it. To her. Or to himself.

He had to say something. “You’ve been good company.” Also true.

“But certainly troublesome company.”

What was he supposed to say to that? Her arrival sure as hell had been a far-from-welcome complication in his life, but he didn’t regret anything that had happened once he’d rescued her. And he certainly didn’t regret the rescue. He couldn’t bear the thought that Fay and her still unborn baby might have frozen to death in the storm.

When they reached his brother’s home/office, Dan retrieved Marie from the back seat, cradling her against him as he helped Fay down from the truck’s high seat. She held his arm as they made their way into the building.

Bruce’s receptionist, red-haired Wendy, made a big fuss over the baby. “What a little darling,” she cooed. Giving Dan a sideways look, she added, “Never thought I’d see the day you’d be carrying a little one around.” Shifting her attention to Fay, she said, “Come right in through that door. Doctor’s with a patient, but we’ll get you nice and comfortable in an examining room while you wait.”

Dan followed Fay to the room Wendy indicated. “Want me to stay with you ’til Bruce comes in?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“You can bring the baby into the back office,” Wendy told Dan. “Doctor’ll want to examine Ms. Merriweather before he looks at her daughter.” Turning again to Fay, she said, “I’m going to bring you some forms to fill out while you wait.” Shooing Dan ahead of her, Wendy bustled out.

One of the forms, Fay discovered after Wendy returned with them, was the information needed for the baby’s birth certificate. She smiled as she wrote down the name she’d chosen: Danielle Marie Merriweather. Perhaps Dan wouldn’t mind that she’d named her daughter after him, but she’d decided not to take the chance, so hadn’t told him. And wouldn’t.

By the time all the forms were filled in, a fortyish woman entered and set a small tray down on the top of a cabinet. “I’m Ellen, the office nurse,” she said. “I’m here to weigh you and take your blood pressure.” When she finished, she added, “Doctor Sorenson wants me to get a blood sample, too.”

With practiced efficiency, she drew the blood. Eyeing Fay assessingly, she said, “Are you okay? You look kind of pale.”

“Just tired,” Fay said.

“You’ll have to do it sooner or later anyway, so why don’t you undress, slip into a gown and get up on the table where you can stretch out?” Ellen indicated a corner with a curtain pull. “The gowns and a sheet to cover yourself are in there.” She gathered up the tray and the filled-out papers before leaving the room.

Fay did as the nurse suggested, breathing a sigh of relief when she was flat on the table. Damn this lethargy. She fought to stay awake, but her eyelids were drooping shut when she heard the knock at the door before it opened. The doctor. He looked enough like Dan so she thought she could have picked him in a crowd as Dan’s brother, even though he had a slimmer build and his eyes were a lighter shade of blue.

“Hello, Fay,” he said. “I’m Bruce Sorenson, Dan’s brother.” He held out a hand to her and she shook it.

“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice,” she said.

He didn’t release her hand, but turned it over, peering down at her fingers as he said, “No problem. Dan filled me in a little about what happened after you got lost in that storm and found your way to the lodge. I’ll examine your daughter later. First we’ll see about you.”

Letting go of her hand, he leaned toward her, saying, “I’m just going to pull your lower lid down for a moment.” He checked one eye, then the other.

“Dan mentioned that you bled quite a bit before delivering the placenta. Any marked bleeding since then?”

“No, not really.”

“From the looks of things, you may have anemia. I can’t tell for sure until I take a look at your blood under the microscope, but I strongly suspect that’s the reason for the persistent fatigue Dan mentioned to me.”

Fay swallowed. “You did say anemia, not leukemia?”

“I did. It’s not uncommon and is easily treated with medication and diet. Anemia is an entirely different condition than leukemia. There’s no connection. You should be feeling your old self in a few weeks, give or take a day here and there.”

“That long?”

“Don’t look so alarmed. You need rest, a good diet and medication to bring your count back up and that takes time. I strongly suggest you stay at a place where someone can help you with the baby.”

“My aunt lives in Duluth. I can call her.” But how was she going to get there alone? Just being a passenger on the short drive here had worn her out.

Someone tapped on the door and Ellen stuck her head in.

“I’m ready to do the exam,” Bruce said to the nurse, who then entered the room.