be faster to tell them to you directly, if that’s okay. It can be a voicemail, if you’re too busy to take my call.”
He was never too busy to discuss Ivy. “I’ll make time. But if you want to pass on information directly, why don’t we set up our own face-to-face meeting of sorts? You tell me the time that works best for you.”
“Okay, that’s easy. The end of my official work day. Six o’clock or so?” She sat up, so the ends of her hair no longer brushed along the top of her desk. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t stop the image of that hair sliding across his skin—skin in an area that was suddenly shifting upward at an alarming rate.
She tossed the offending locks behind her shoulder, going back to that professional demeanor he’d come to recognize, while he struggled to regain control of thoughts that were anything but professional.
“That works for me. I was just getting ready to head down and see Ivy. Do you want to go with me?”
He shouldn’t. He should put some distance between them for a while—at least until his strange reaction to her had a chance to power down.
Then his gaze went to the right-hand side of her desk, where that little notebook had sat. Was she taking that with her?
That made his decision. “I haven’t checked on her in a couple of hours, so I think I’ll join you.”
A buzzing came from the other side of the desk and she lifted a finger, asking him to wait. Lifting her cellphone, she looked at the readout and then put the device to her ear. “Dr. Archer here.”
She listened to whoever was on the other end of the line, frowning slightly. “And the others?”
Her chest lifted and she expelled an audible sigh. He could fairly see the tension that had gathered in her shoulders. “Okay, thank you for letting me know.”
Setting the phone on the desk, she pressed her fingertips against the surface for several seconds.
“Was that something about Ivy?”
“The test results came back from her Lyme panel.”
“And?” He waited, his heart in his chest. Was this the answer they’d been looking for?
“I’m sorry, Theo, but they’re negative. All of them. Ivy doesn’t have Lyme disease.”
* * *
Sitting on the side of the bed a half-hour later, listening to her little patient talk about what she’d had for lunch, caused a lump to form in Madison’s throat. It looked like Santa was going to have a hard time delivering the first wish on Ivy’s list.
Had Theo peeked inside that book before she’d come into the office? She should have written the list somewhere besides the first page, but she’d had no idea at the time that the girl’s first request would be something of such a personal nature.
Looking at the stiff way he stood in the corner, watching them, it was hard to imagine him ever liking the holiday, especially since the news they’d been waiting for hadn’t materialized. She had pinned her hopes on Lyme disease being the culprit, especially since the symptoms of it were often vague and could appear like those that Ivy had. They were back where they’d started yet again. She should be used to it. And she was. The challenging nature of her work had always energized her.
But not today.
For each terrible disease that was ruled out, another waited in the wings.
And right now Theo looked pretty exhausted, the smile lines around his eyes now tinged with white.
She ached for him. Wished there was something she could say or do that would make this easier.
She’d been surprised to find him in her office earlier. Surprised at the way her heart had jumped to attention.
Was that why she’d agreed to meet him personally to review the details of the case?
Not smart, Madison.
There was something about the man that touched a spark within her, though. Maybe it was the brave front he was putting on for his daughter’s sake. Or the fact that he’d walked through some hard years, something to which she could relate. She’d struggled through some heartache of her own as a kid. Since reaching adulthood and graduating from medical school, though, things had been smooth sailing.
Sure they had. Because she was on a roll as far as the dating scene went.
Actually, things were pretty dry. Men weren’t exactly lining up to go out with a diagnostician. Then again, she wasn’t scrambling to go out with them either. Her days had been too full of work and...work. She was busy. Which made the lonely nights a little easier to bear. Right?
Her glance tracked back to Theo, and she swallowed.
“Did you get to see Doodle?” she asked, forcing her thoughts back to Ivy.
Doodle, the labradoodle, had been a regular visitor around the hospital, thanks to Evie, the ICU receptionist who was slated to return to nursing school after the holidays. She’d come up with the idea of bringing in a Pets as Therapy dog. He’d been such a hit with the children that the dog and his handler, Alana, came by most days to visit the different pediatric areas. The family suites were probably some of the last on the list today. But Evie had said the pair would be by soon.
“Yes, this morning. He was so sweet and nice. I really would love...” Ivy’s eyes went to Theo, and then her shoulders slumped. “Oh, well.”
Madison’s heart cramped. The little girl had almost blurted out that she wanted a dog. Maybe she should have. It was better for Theo to give her a definite answer than for Ivy to pine after something she might never have.
Like the love of a mother?
Madison’s breath stalled for a few painful seconds.
Ivy’s mom had died, but surely she’d loved her daughter.
That didn’t make the loss any easier. But at least she hadn’t simply wandered in and out of Ivy’s life, until one day she hadn’t been there at all—leaving a heartbroken child to wonder what she’d done to make her mother go away.
Was she thinking of Ivy? Or herself?
Madison had done the rounds in various foster homes after her mom had disappeared. Finally, she’d been sent to a group home when she’d been a teenager, where she’d stayed until she’d graduated from high school.
The chaos of moving from place to place had made it hard to develop long-term friendships. Maybe that was why she preferred working on her own. And why colleagues saw her as aloof and unfriendly. She’d relied on herself for so long that she didn’t know how to ask for help. Or to trust that someone would catch her if she fell.
“I didn’t realize they brought the dog in here.” Theo’s low voice was neutral. A little too neutral.
“They did, and I loved him so much. He even fell asleep on my bed while I was stroking him.” She pulled her covers up to her thin chest. “Do you think Doodle can come and see me again?”
Theo
