The Diaper Diaries. Abby Gaines

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ took the infant from her, held him at arm’s length, like a puppy that had rolled in something nasty and needed a good hose-down.

      “He won’t bite,” she said.

      “It’s more the barfing I’m worried about.” He glanced down at the fine wool of his jacket, which fitted his shoulders snugly enough to reveal their breadth, while still allowing fluidity of movement.

      “That’s why I don’t buy custom-made suits,” she sympathized. “I don’t mind dropping a thousand dollars on a new suit, it’s the twenty bucks for the dry cleaning that kills me.”

      He gave her a hard look, but he took the hint, held the baby closer. The little boy’s head flopped against Tyler’s chest, a tiny thumb went into his mouth. Then a fist curled around Tyler’s lapel. Tyler looked less than thrilled.

      Bethany tore open a plastic pack and pulled out a sterile mat. “I hope you’ve baby-proofed your house, because these critters get into everything.” The baby was several months away from that stage, but why not give Tyler a scare?

      “Luckily I had that done last year, on the off chance someone abandoned a baby on me.”

      She frowned so she wouldn’t smile.

      “But even if I hadn’t,” he continued, “this guy looks too young for me to worry about him digging out the magazines from under my bed.”

      Her head jerked up.

      “Car magazines,” he said blandly. “I only buy them for the pictures.”

      From her bag, Bethany took out the items she’d need for her examination. She rescued the baby from Tyler, laid him on the mat. Instantly wide-awake, he gurgled up at her. “Can you imagine how desperate his mom must have been,” she mused aloud, “to abandon a cutie like this?”

      “Why do you think she did it?” Tyler perked up.

      “It’s more common to abandon babies at birth if the pregnancy was a secret or if the mom had no support. At this age…possibly if he had a birth defect or a serious illness she couldn’t handle…” She unsnapped the yellow sleeper and began to remove the garment. “But there’s nothing obviously wrong with this guy.” She appreciated the healthy pink tone of the baby’s skin. Too often the youngsters she saw in the E.R. were either pale or flushed from illness. “I’m wondering if there’ll be some clue to his name, maybe a wristband or ankle band under these clothes.”

      “Uh-huh.” Tyler was looking at the baby, but the tapping of one black loafer on the carpet told her his thoughts were elsewhere.

      A thought struck Bethany. “You don’t know his name, do you?”

      That brought his gaze back to her. “It wasn’t in the note, so how could I?”

      She waited before she replied, listening through her stethoscope to the baby’s heart. He’d flinched when the cold metal touched his chest, but he didn’t cry. Heart rate of one-fifty, perfectly normal.

      “It occurs to me,” she said carefully as she coiled her stethoscope, “that this might be your son.”

      He jerked backward. “Mine?”

      “I mean—” she put a thermometer to the baby’s ear, relieved she didn’t have to meet Tyler’s gaze as she elaborated “—your…love child.”

      She didn’t expect the silence. It was unnerving, so much so that even after the thermometer beeped a normal reading, she kept looking at the display.

      “Tell me that’s a joke,” he said.

      She swallowed. “I have to ask. I’m a doctor, I have my patient’s best interests in mind.”

      “You’re not just a gossip with a juicy story to spread?” he asked silkily.

      “Certainly not.” She put the thermometer away.

      “Because if a rumor like that got around, it could do me a lot of damage.”

      Bewildered, she said, “Tyler, according to the newspapers, you’ve dated half the women in Atlanta and the other half are eagerly awaiting their turn. Miss Georgia must know she’s the latest in a long line.”

      “Professional damage,” he elaborated. “And for your information, dating a lot of women doesn’t mean I’m siring love children—” he embellished her euphemism with sarcasm “—all over town, then neglecting them until their mothers abandon them.”

      “Only one love child,” she corrected reasonably. Then, when his face darkened, “If you say he’s not yours, I believe you. But like you said, you’re Atlanta’s favorite son, you could get away with—”

      “Forget it,” he said with flat finality.

      Bethany pressed her lips together and conducted the rest of her checks on the baby in silence. She put a finger in his mouth, ran it over his gums. Next, she pulled a brightly colored rattle from her bag, held it above and in front of the baby. His eyes focused on the toy, and when she moved it to her left and then her right, his gaze followed. When she put the rattle down on the table, the little boy turned his head to see it. His hand reached out, found only air, and he gave a squirm of frustration.

      Bethany picked up the toy, held it to the tips of his fingers. He curled his fingers around it, held it for a moment, then dropped it. “Hmm, I’d say he’s hit three months.”

      “How do you know that?”

      She’d forgotten momentarily that she wasn’t talking to Tyler after he’d accused her of being a gossip. Nonetheless, she magnanimously decided to share her conclusions with him. “He’s able to follow an object with his eyes and grasp it, but he’s not rolling over, though he’s in good health, with plenty of fat, plus good muscle development. And there’s no sign of teething.”

      There was a knock, then Olivia stuck her head around the door. “I have diapers. And something called baby wipes.”

      “Perfect timing.” Bethany pulled the tapes on the diaper the baby wore. “Bring them in.”

      She tugged the wet diaper out from under the baby. She gave his private parts a quick check, then Olivia handed her a fresh diaper and a wipe. The secretary left the room double quick.

      “On all the obvious measures he’s fine, a healthy little guy,” Bethany said as she fastened the clean diaper. She glanced at Tyler. “I still think it’s best if I call social services and have them pick him up.” She began to dress the baby again.

      Tyler shook his head. “I can’t throw him into the welfare system when his mom asked me to take him. Who knows what might happen to him.”

      “I know.” She gathered the baby in her arms. “Social services will send someone to get him. They might be satisfied with my medical assessment, or they might take him to another doctor. While they try to find his mom, they’ll place him with a foster parent who knows how to look after a baby,” she said with heavy emphasis. “Someone who’ll care about him.”

      He looked at her for a long moment, then his gaze flicked down СКАЧАТЬ