She studied him. “I can see you as a rancher.”
His mouth twitched. “There’s the big difference, darlin’. I never did,” he drawled as he carried her through the automatic doors.
On the drive over, Mia had phoned her doctor and been told to go to the nearest emergency room, then she’d given Nola a quick call so her friends wouldn’t worry if they noticed she was gone.
Winchester Ridge Medical Center was the closest. Once inside, they were met by a nurse who led them into an exam room. Jarrett set Mia down on the bed and stepped back out of the way. Nurses immediately took her blood pressure, asking questions about due dates and the timing of the contractions. All the while, she kept looking at him.
Jarrett tried to give her some reassurance, but he didn’t know what to say.
“Excuse me,” a nurse said, getting his attention. “Are you the father?”
He shook his head, but hesitated with the answer. “No.” Mia didn’t have any family.
“Then you’ll have to leave while we examine her.”
“I’ll be right outside,” he told Mia. “Just holler if you need me.”
Jarrett stepped back behind the curtain and found a row of chairs against the wall. That was as far as he was going.
For the next few hours, Jarrett watched medical personal go in and out of Mia’s cubicle.
But no one told him a thing.
Finally they moved her down the hall to a room so they could keep monitoring her. Recalling the frightened look on her face, he knew he couldn’t leave her alone. So he followed her and camped outside her room.
He glanced up from the newspaper someone else had left and saw Nola.
He stood as the older woman walked toward him. “Mr. McKane.” She gripped his hand with both of hers. “How is Mia?”
“I don’t know any more than what I told you when I phoned. And the doctor won’t tell me anything because I’m not a relative.”
Nola nodded. “I know, I fibbed and said I was her grandmother so I could come back here.”
He walked Nola to the sofa and sat down. “How did you get here?”
“One of the parishioners from the church,” she said. “Joe can’t drive at night, and Ralph doesn’t have his license any more.” She shook her head. “Mia always takes us places we need to go.” The older woman blinked. “Oh, Mr. McKane, what if something is wrong with the baby?” Those watery hazel eyes turned to him. “She wants this baby so much.”
He already knew that. He’d never felt so helpless and he hated that. “Nola, the doctors here are good and her specialist is here, too. So try not to worry.” He put on a smile. “And will you do me another favor? Please call me Jarrett.”
She beamed at him.
He’d broken one of his cardinal rules. Not to get personally involved when it came to business. A week ago if someone told him he’d be sitting here worried about a pregnant woman and a couple of dozen retirees, he’d have told them they were crazy.
An attractive blond woman in a white coat came down the hall toward them. “Are you waiting to hear about Mia Saunders?”
They both stood. “Yes, we are,” Jarrett said. “I’m Jarrett McKane, I brought Mia in. This is Nola Madison, her…grandmother. How is she?”
The doctor smiled. “Nice to meet you both. I’m Lauren Drake, Mia’s doctor. She’s fine for now. We managed to stop the contractions, but I want her to stay overnight as a precaution.”
“What about the baby?” Nola asked.
“The fetus is thirty-four weeks, so if Mia does go into labor, she could deliver a healthy baby. Of course the longer she carries it, the better.”
“Well, we’ll do everything we can to make sure of that,” Nola said.
The doctor nodded. “I’m glad, because when she goes home, I want her to stay in bed for the next few weeks. She needs to avoid all stress and just rest.”
No stress, Jarrett thought. Great. He’d dumped a truck-load on her. “Is that what caused the contractions?”
“We all have to agree that a lot has happened to Mia in the past few months,” the doctor echoed. “Losing her brother and sister-in-law was traumatic for her.”
Nola spoke up. “We’ve all been trying to help her through it.”
Dr. Drake nodded. “I hope that can continue, because she’s going to need someone to be around more, or at least within shouting distance to check on her.”
“We can be there as much as she needs us,” Nola said and turned to him. “Right, Jarrett?”
Great, he was the last person Mia wanted around. “Of course. I live across the hall. I guess I could keep an eye on her.”
Thanks to the medication, Mia was feeling groggy. She didn’t like that. For years, she’d avoided any and all drugs. But if it kept the baby safe, she’d do whatever it took.
Closing her eyes, she wondered how she was going to manage over the next few weeks. She had deadlines to make, and she needed the money.
Stop! Worrying wasn’t good for the baby. She rubbed her stomach, knowing how close she’d come to delivering early. She wasn’t ready for the baby. She didn’t even have any diapers and very few clothes. The baby bed wasn’t set up, either. She sighed. How was she going to do everything? How could she do everything and be a good mother, too? A tear slid down her cheek.
She thought back to her childhood. She’d always messed up. How many times had her father told her that? She couldn’t please him no matter how hard she tried. He’d been too busy for her, but the one way she got his attention was being bad. Until he finally gave up on her altogether. No she couldn’t let Brad down. She was going to be a good mother to his baby.
Mia glanced toward the door and saw Nola and Jarrett standing there. She quickly wiped away any more tears and put on a smile.
“Hi.”
Nola rushed in. “Oh, sweetheart,” she cried. “How are you?” Nola hugged her.
Mia relished the feeling, the love and compassion. “I’m doing better now.”
The older woman pulled back. “We were so worried about you.”
Mia looked at Jarrett. “I didn’t want you to worry.”
Nola frowned. “Of course we’d worry. You are special to us. We love you.” She fussed with the blanket, smoothing out the wrinkles. “And we’re going to take good care of you. Aren’t we, Jarrett?”
“Looks that way,” he said, feeling awkward standing in the room.
“I
