Daddy On Call. Judy Duarte

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СКАЧАТЬ opened her mouth to decline, but at the same time she was eager to learn more about Carrie, to hear the E.R. doctor’s opinion.

      “In fact,” Luke added, “you could probably use some breakfast.”

      She was torn. She hated to leave her friend’s side, yet was desperate for Luke’s prognosis for both mother and child. “All right. But I’m afraid I look a mess.”

      “No, you don’t. You look like a concerned friend.” He stepped aside, allowing her to exit first, then escorted her down the hall and to the elevator.

      It felt weird walking with him again and was reminiscent of the times they’d strode the halls when they were seniors in high school. As much as she dreaded being alone with a man she’d loved once upon a time, she struggled with the same attraction, the same excitement his rebellious smile provoked.

      The fact that they had a son together only heightened her discomfort.

      Her heels clicked on the linoleum as they strode through the corridor, and inadvertently, her shoulder brushed against his, warming her from the inside out. Funny how, after all this time, his touch could still do that to her.

      The various medical personnel they passed along the way—lab techs, nurses’ aides, RNs—either greeted Luke with a smile or nodded in respect. Leilani couldn’t help noting that several of them eyed her with curiosity.

      When they reached the cafeteria, he led her to the buffet, then grabbed a couple of trays, one for each of them. He started by taking an extra-large glass of orange juice for himself and offering her one.

      “No thanks.”

      “By the way,” he said, “the breakfast burritos are really good. And filling.”

      “That’s nice to know, but I’m just going to have tea and a bagel.”

      As if she’d never said a word, he picked up a bowl of fruit and placed it on her tray. “If you’re going to hang out here, sleeping on chairs, you’ll need something more substantial than that to eat.”

      In the past, Luke had always been assertive with his friends, but he’d seemed to tiptoe around her, letting her call the shots. Apparently, that wasn’t the case any longer.

      He poured himself a large coffee and waited while she chose an herbal tea bag and filled a cup with hot water. And when they reached the breakfast food that had been placed under warm lights, he took a burrito. “Are you sure I can’t tempt you with this?”

      He’d always tempted her—in more ways than one. But they were adults now, older and wiser. And with a past that separated them rather than bonded them together.

      “I’m sure,” she said.

      When they reached the cashier, he tried to pay, but she refused to let him do so. For some reason, it had seemed too much like a date, too reminiscent of days gone by. And quite frankly, she preferred they keep a respectful distance.

      Luke led her to a corner table in the rear of the room where they took a seat. So much had changed, yet the past hung over them like a black storm cloud that threatened to burst in an angry downpour.

      Her brother, Kami, had only been fourteen when he’d died, run down in the middle of the street by drug dealers. Had Luke not broken his promise, Kami would have been home and safely tucked in bed.

      And Leilani still would have him.

      But she’d be darned if she’d mention anything that would open up a conversation about the tragedy that tore them apart. Or the fact that Luke had not only led her brother astray, but led him to his death.

      Instead, she broached the subject of Carrie’s baby boy. “Dr. Gray is trying to ward off contractions until the medication that assists lung development kicks in.”

      “At this point, each day in the womb makes a big difference,” Luke said.

      “Do they know whether he suffered any brain damage during the beating?”

      “The initial ultrasound looks good,” he said, as though unwilling to discuss the possibility.

      She watched as he opened his burrito, spooned in a load of salsa, then rewrapped it and took a hearty bite.

      “And what about Carrie?” she asked.

      “It’s still touch and go right now.”

      They ate quietly for a while, which should have been comforting. But for some reason, the silence was unsettling, and she felt compelled to fill the void.

      “They arrested Joel Graves,” she said. “The perp.”

      “Good.” Luke took a thirsty swig of juice. “It was a brutal beating, and he was obviously out of control. Why did he tear into her like that?”

      “Jealousy,” she said.

      “Sounds like she made a bad choice of boyfriends.”

      “Carrie grew up in a dysfunctional home,” Leilani explained. “And her parents abused her. She ran away when she was sixteen and married a guy who ended up beating her, too. She entered a battered womens’shelter in Los Angeles a few years back, got counseling, took some college courses, and relocated to Phoenix. But while she was there, she got involved with Joel and soon learned that he was prone to violence.”

      “Sounds like she’d be better off remaining single,” Luke said.

      “She recently came to that conclusion, too.”

      He took another drink of orange juice, nearly finishing the glass. “If Carrie was living in Phoenix, what was she doing in San Diego?”

      “She works for an advertising agency and had a chance to transfer. She’d broken up with Joel, but suspected that he wasn’t happy about the split. So she used the opportunity to put some distance between them. For a while it appeared that he’d accepted that the relationship was over. But apparently, he got wind of her pregnancy and that really set him off.”

      “Is the baby his?” Luke asked.

      “No. And she wasn’t cheating on him, either. She went to a sperm bank.”

      When Luke didn’t comment, she let the subject drop.

      “How’d you meet her?” he asked.

      “I’m a social worker and counseled her at the shelter in L.A.”

      In fact, Carrie had been her first project. No, that’s not true. Luke had been her first project.

      At one time, and for the past twelve years, she’d thought she’d failed with him. But maybe not. It’s possible that he’d taken to heart some of the things she’d told him.

      “It’s a good profession for you to pursue,” he said. “You always did have a thing for strays and underdogs.”

      She supposed that was a result of growing up in the home of a minister and his wife. But Luke’s turnaround hadn’t been as easy to see coming.

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