A Baby For The Doctor. Stephanie Dees

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СКАЧАТЬ style="font-size:15px;">      “Thanks, Lanna.”

      Jordan leaned forward to take the first bite and nearly choked as someone popped into the seat across from her. A pretty blonde she recognized—from church, maybe?

      “Hey, Jordan, I’m Darla. We met at the potluck after church a few weeks ago. I heard last night that you were picking this little one up and I called around. We’ve got meals planned for you for the next couple of weeks and Suzette Sloan pulled some baby supplies together for you. It’s not much but would it be okay if she drops it off on your porch?”

      Jordan’s throat was full of unshed tears. She swallowed hard, focusing on the solid weight of little Levi in her arms. Meeting Darla’s sparkling dark brown eyes, she smiled, willing her lips not to tremble. “I don’t even know what to say. Y’all are so generous.”

      “You don’t have to say anything—just say yes!” Darla laughed and pulled her cell phone out of her purse. “And give me your phone number in case we need to get in touch with you.”

      Jordan rattled it off as Darla typed it in. “What made you guys think about doing this?”

      Darla tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “Well, to be honest, I think we all wish that we had the nerve to do what you guys are doing out there on the farm. Maybe someday.” Darla’s phone buzzed and she glanced at it before jumping to her feet. “I’m supposed to be at Clara’s school right now. Okay, meals will start tonight and we’ll just leave everything on your porch. I’ll text you so you have my number.”

      As quick as she had arrived, Darla was gone. Jordan patted Levi on the back and decided to take her pancakes to go. She and Levi had to be at the WIC office in twenty minutes.

      She glanced across the street at Ash’s tidy office—with bright white paint and shiny black shutters. She wasn’t really sure what to make of their newfound friendship, if it was friendship. They’d forged a kind of bond, by caring for Levi.

      But maybe it was just that, a mutual concern for a sweet, sad baby boy.

      Whatever. She had more important things on her mind than Ash Sheehan. Things like building her therapy practice and making sure Levi healed. She didn’t have time to worry about Ash and their maybe-friendship. In fact, she was sure it wasn’t anything at all.

      And just to make sure she remembered that, she was going to stay as far away from the handsome doctor as possible.

      * * *

      When Jordan got home, Levi’s caseworker was sitting on the porch steps with a file spread around her and a pencil between her teeth. Jordan had just spent three hours in the WIC office with a toddler who refused—understandably—to be strapped into a stroller. She was absolutely exhausted, and unlike her small charge, she couldn’t take a nap on the drive home.

      Bartlet nickered at her over the fence. The horses were waiting for her. And so, apparently, was Reesa. Jordan hitched Levi higher on her hip and took a deep breath. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming this afternoon.”

      Reesa gathered the papers and pulled them into a stack. “I had to visit with the twins, Jamie and John, and Claire today, so I thought I’d drop in to see Levi, too. Save me a trip another day. How’s he doing?”

      Pushing open the door to the cottage, Jordan let the dog out and tried to remember if she’d left anything embarrassing on the floor. “Come on in.”

      She placed sleeping Levi on the crib mattress on the floor and went to the kitchen to pour two glasses of sweet tea, kicking a loose pair of socks under the couch as she went. “He hates the crib. We’re working on it.”

      Reesa, in one of the chairs, waved a hand, dismissing it. “No worries. It takes time, sometimes more than you’d think, for them to adjust.”

      “Are we going to have a lot of time? Wait. Don’t answer that. I know you don’t have any way to really know.” She held one of the glasses out to Reesa, with a napkin.

      Reesa stuck a pencil into the pile of riotous curls on top of her head and leaned forward to take the glass. “Neither Mom nor Dad bonded out, so they’re still in jail. I’m going to see them later this week to get some names of family from them. If they still won’t give us anyone, we’ll try to get the judge to compel them to, but we don’t have a whole lot to hold over their heads. They’re already facing significant time with the drug charges and the child endangerment.”

      “So we’re probably looking at six months with Levi.”

      Reesa nodded, the colorful curls on her head bouncing wildly. “At least. Levi will be classified medically fragile and I have no idea what we’ll find when we start looking at family.” She paused and, with her customary directness, added, “Do we need to find him another placement?”

      “No.” Jordan didn’t hesitate. In just a couple of days, Levi’s journey had become inextricably entwined with hers and she had to see it through with him. “He’s just starting to trust me. I’m not going to do that to him. He has enough to deal with without me adding to it.”

      “Okay, good. Obviously, I think you’re the perfect person for him since you can help him with any kind of physical or occupational therapy that he might need at home.” Reesa wrote something in her notes and looked up again. “Now, let’s talk about him. You said he hates the crib. He will sleep out here, though?”

      “Yes. I think it’s the thing about being enclosed. He freaks out in the car seat and high chair, too.”

      “Poor guy. How are his burns?”

      “Better. I’ve been putting the cream on them and they look less angry.”

      “If you can snap some pics and send them to me, that would be good. I have the ones from the hospital, but I’d like photos of his progress. Is he eating okay?”

      “He won’t eat solid food. I had a huge fight with WIC today trying to get them to pay for formula for a three-year-old. I’m going to have to get some documentation from the pediatrician that it’s okay for Levi to take a bottle, at least for now.”

      Reesa looked up. “That really cute pediatrician who came with you to the hospital?”

      “He didn’t come with me.” Jordan scowled. “He met me there.”

      “Mmm-hmm. And what’s going on with you two?”

      “What? Nothing.” Oh, man, she hoped that it wasn’t that obvious that she was so unbelievably awkward around him. She twirled the end of one of her braids around her finger, let it go and then picked it up, wrapping it around her finger again. Then again, maybe she was just awkward in general. “Ash and I—we’re just friends. His brother is married to my sister, that’s all.”

      “He’s really good-looking. Maybe you should start something.” Reesa raised one perfectly manicured, pierced eyebrow.

      Jordan sputtered out a laugh. “That’s entirely inappropriate! And seriously, I’m not his type.”

      “Okay, I hear you.” Reesa closed her notebook. “One last thing. I know Levi just got out of the hospital, but you’ll need to make an appointment and get his intake form filled out by the superhot, there’s-nothing-going-on-there Dr. Sheehan this СКАЧАТЬ