but she was about to touch her forehead to make sure when he finally spoke.
“I’m going to wait outside to give you some privacy while you talk with the doctor. I’ll be glad to find Zach and take you home when you’re ready.”
She nodded, uncertain of what she could say to make this all not sound so . . . awful.
Dr. Travis turned to him. “You’re welcome to stay, Mr. Mercado. We’re just going to sew up her arm.”
Leland pinned the man with a frosty glare. “I’m not Mr. Mercado. I’m a neighbor who brought Zach here to the hospital.”
“Ah,” said the doctor, belatedly realizing he’d treaded into areas she didn’t want to visit in front of her son and a neighbor. “I’m sorry, my mistake. I assumed.”
“No problem,” said Leland, his voice clipped. “I’ll go find Zach.”
She stared at him a moment, again at a loss for words. He’d had a perfect opportunity to bail on her and he hadn’t, or at least not yet. “Thank you. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be here when you’re done.” His tone toward her was considerably warmer than the one he’d used with the doctor. He closed the door softly as he left.
Anna took another glance at Dr. Travis and decided to lay her cards on the table. “I had sex with my estranged husband this morning. This evening he tried to kill me. That’s how I got the cut on my arm. I’d rather have a lobotomy than a baby.”
Obviously this ER doctor had heard everything but that particular story. His eyes widened and his bedside manner finally appeared. “I understand. Let’s see what we can do to put your mind at ease about . . . things.” He marked something on her chart. “And I’ll take a look at that arm now as well.”
T HINKING HIS ANKLE was marginally better thanks to the painkiller, Leland was drinking bad coffee and ignoring a Jerry Springer episode on the lounge TV when Zach showed up in the waiting area. The boy sat across from him and put his head in his hands, looking like a kid who has just been told the truth about Santa Claus.
Leland knew when he took a seat here instead of heading to the parking lot that he was making a conscious decision to get involved. He still wasn’t sure why he wasn’t in his Jeep headed back to the hotel. He blamed the Vicodin he’d taken earlier for his lethargy. He’d had the chance to leave when he’d walked out of that exam room, yet he hadn’t exited the building.
Something about Anna Mercado and her son resonated within him. He’d fought it, but this was becoming a losing battle. He’d recognized the expression in Zach’s eyes when the doctor had asked his bombshell question.
“A baby?” Zach mumbled. “I can’t freakin’ believe this. Things are so complicated right now with their separation. How come she’d do that?”
Leland read the boy’s face and recognized the wordless last question: Aren’t I enough to love?
He stared at his feet and took a deep breath. Jesus. He was in so far over his head he was drowning, and there were no life ropes to be had.
He didn’t possess the skill set or proper parental experience to deal with this, not to mention his own issues with similar baggage. What experience he did have made him more of a terrible warning than a shining example, but no one else was available, so he had to try something. For starters Zach’s mother was nothing like his. He’d seen enough already to know the kid had a leg up on life with someone who cared as much as Anna did.
“Zach, you need to chill. The doctor thinks it’s highly unlikely your mom is pregnant. That’s just a question they have to ask every woman before they do certain tests. Besides she wouldn’t love you any less, even if she did have a baby. So get that through your head. She’d do anything for you. Hell, she has from what I’ve seen.”
The boy was silent and Leland filled the uncomfortable void with words. “Sometimes people get caught up in a situation
“I’m going to wait outside to give you some privacy while you talk with the doctor. I’ll be glad to find Zach and take you home when you’re ready.”
She nodded, uncertain of what she could say to make this all not sound so . . . awful.
Dr. Travis turned to him. “You’re welcome to stay, Mr. Mercado. We’re just going to sew up her arm.”
Leland pinned the man with a frosty glare. “I’m not Mr. Mercado. I’m a neighbor who brought Zach here to the hospital.”
“Ah,” said the doctor, belatedly realizing he’d treaded into areas she didn’t want to visit in front of her son and a neighbor. “I’m sorry, my mistake. I assumed.”
“No problem,” said Leland, his voice clipped. “I’ll go find Zach.”
She stared at him a moment, again at a loss for words. He’d had a perfect opportunity to bail on her and he hadn’t, or at least not yet. “Thank you. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be here when you’re done.” His tone toward her was considerably warmer than the one he’d used with the doctor. He closed the door softly as he left.
Anna took another glance at Dr. Travis and decided to lay her cards on the table. “I had sex with my estranged husband this morning. This evening he tried to kill me. That’s how I got the cut on my arm. I’d rather have a lobotomy than a baby.”
Obviously this ER doctor had heard everything but that particular story. His eyes widened and his bedside manner finally appeared. “I understand. Let’s see what we can do to put your mind at ease about . . . things.” He marked something on her chart. “And I’ll take a look at that arm now as well.”
T HINKING HIS ANKLE was marginally better thanks to the painkiller, Leland was drinking bad coffee and ignoring a Jerry Springer episode on the lounge TV when Zach showed up in the waiting area. The boy sat across from him and put his head in his hands, looking like a kid who has just been told the truth about Santa Claus.
Leland knew when he took a seat here instead of heading to the parking lot that he was making a conscious decision to get involved. He still wasn’t sure why he wasn’t in his Jeep headed back to the hotel. He blamed the Vicodin he’d taken earlier for his lethargy. He’d had the chance to leave when he’d walked out of that exam room, yet he hadn’t exited the building.
Something about Anna Mercado and her son resonated within him. He’d fought it, but this was becoming a losing battle. He’d recognized the expression in Zach’s eyes when the doctor had asked his bombshell question.
“A baby?” Zach mumbled. “I can’t freakin’ believe this. Things are so complicated right now with their separation. How come she’d do that?”
Leland read the boy’s face and recognized the wordless last question: Aren’t I enough to love?
He stared at his feet and took a deep breath. Jesus. He was in so far over his head he was drowning, and there were no life ropes to be had.
He didn’t possess the skill set or proper parental experience to deal with this, not to mention his own issues with similar baggage. What experience he did have made him more of a terrible warning than a shining example, but no one else was available, so he had to try something. For starters Zach’s mother was nothing like his. He’d seen enough already to know the kid had a leg up on life with someone who cared as much as Anna did.
“Zach, you need to chill. The doctor thinks it’s highly unlikely your mom is pregnant. That’s just a question they have to ask every woman before they do certain tests. Besides she wouldn’t love you any less, even if she did have a baby. So get that through your head. She’d do anything for you. Hell, she has from what I’ve seen.”
The boy was silent and Leland filled the uncomfortable void with words. “Sometimes people get caught up in a situation
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