The Neurosurgeon's Unexpected Family Read online

  “Poor baby.” Hannah checked the baby’s diaper.

  “I know, it’s so sad, isn’t it?” Shelley said as she grabbed her book bag from the side of a chair.

  “Sad?” Hannah asked as she lay Avery down on a nearby couch and peeled off her diaper. She took the clean one Lindsey handed her, along with wipes and a tube of diaper rash cream laid out on a side table. This really wasn’t any of her business. Wasn’t she involved enough, already?

  “I mean, losing both her parents that way. My momma said it was a shock for Dr. Cooper, too. Losing his dad and stepmom like that and then finding out they’d named him as guardian of their baby if something happened to them. Major life change, right?”

  “What?” Hannah paused for a moment. How had she not known that Dr. Cooper had recently lost his father and stepmother? Of course, the man had always been a bit quiet about his personal life. But still, he should have known that his coworkers would be there to support him.

  And again, she reminded herself, this wasn’t any of her business. If he didn’t want anyone to know he had lost his father, she needed to respect his privacy.

  She picked Avery up and hugged her close. This poor baby had lost her mother and father. The pain of her estrangement from her own parents still clung to Hannah after twelve years. Except, Avery’s parents hadn’t turned their backs on her like Hannah’s had done the first time she’d gone against their wishes. They’d been taken away. Luckily for this child, she had a stepbrother who was there for her.

  “Yeah, he went from Avery’s half brother to pretty much her daddy in just a few days.” Shelley glanced down at the phone in her hand then swore. “I’ve really got to go. I’m going to be so late.” She started for the door then stopped and turned back. “I really appreciate this. I was feeling really bad because I knew Dr. Cooper didn’t have anybody else to help with Avery.”

  “I’m sure there are a lot of people at work who would’ve been happy to help out if they’d known about Avery. The staff on my unit are always there to support each other. We just didn’t know.”

  “That’s good, because I was really dreading telling him that I couldn’t help out anymore. He’s a really nice guy and my mother loves working for him, but I have to put my classes first. I’m sure he’ll understand. I feel so much better now that I know you’ll be here,” Shelley said.

  Hannah watched as the girl hurried out, trying to understand what Shelley had meant. Surely she couldn’t have thought that Hannah was going to...

  “Shelley, wait!” Hannah called out as she heard the front door slam.

  She set the baby inside the playpen and turned to Lindsey. “Stay here with Avery,” she said as she ran from the room.

  “Shelley,” Hannah called again, rushing out the door. Stopping in the driveway, she watched the bright red Mini Cooper drive away.

  That girl was as fast as a Texas jackrabbit.

  So many things had just happened that it took a few minutes for Hannah’s brain to catch up. Dr. Cooper had recently lost his father and stepmother. Little Avery, who was Dr. Cooper’s half sister, was now his responsibility. That had certainly been a surprise, though it helped to explain a lot of the man’s behavior earlier that day. And then last, but in no way the least important, Dr. Cooper’s babysitter, the only one he had been able to find, had somehow gotten it into her head that she wouldn’t be needed any longer.

  Walking back into the house, baby giggles and the laughter of her daughter echoed throughout the great room and soothed away the stress that had filled Hannah just moments earlier. It was going to be all right. In a city as big as Houston, there had to be someone Dr. Cooper could hire to take care of his little sister.

  Looking around the rooms, she noticed the pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and the trash can overflowing with diapers.

  “Come on, you two, let’s go explore this house and find this little one’s room so we can get her cleaned up. We have a lot to do before Dr. Cooper gets home.”

  And she would have a lot of explaining to do if Shelley had really meant she wasn’t coming back.

  CHAPTER TWO

  THE GARAGE DOOR slowly opened as William ran his hand through his hair. It had been a long day that had started with Avery waking him up before five in the morning, had continued through hospital rounds and office exams, ending with an emergent surgery that had proved he was clearly not prepared for all the changes Avery was bringing into his life.

  He pulled the car into the garage, put it in Park and shut the engine off. Resting his head on the steering wheel, he took a minute to collect himself. Closing his eyes, he dragged in a deep breath and let it out slowly on a sigh derived from all the challenges of his day and the comfort he felt now that he was home.

  A twinge of guilt worked its way into his subconscious as he tried to clear his mind. He’d been overwhelmed when Hannah had offered to rescue him. It was because of her that he had been able to save Mrs. Nabors from permanent neuro damage. He should get out of the car, go inside and thank her. Then she could get back to whatever she had planned for the night. But instead, he sat there, enjoying the first moment of peace he’d had all day. He needed this one moment before he could deal with whatever would be waiting for him in what had once been his quiet refuge.

  It had only been a week since he’d received the call that both his father and his father’s latest wife had been killed in a car accident. Three days since he’d learned that his father and stepmother had named him guardian of his half sister. Three days since his whole life had turned into a disorganized nightmare. What could his father have been thinking? Maybe, like him, he’d thought he would live forever?

  William had no idea what it was he was supposed to do with the little girl. His only thought had been to call his housekeeper, who had six children and several grandchildren. Luckily, Angela’s daughter had been happy to help him out for a few days while he looked for some permanent care. But Shelley was a busy premed student who was simply doing him a favor, not a professional nanny. Thank goodness, Angela would be here tomorrow to clean and do the laundry—and hopefully help him sort out the mess Avery’s sudden arrival had brought into his life.

  He glanced down at the crushed banana stain on his shirt. Avery had left it that morning when he’d tried to hand her over to Shelley. For some reason, the child had become attached to him the moment the former nanny had put her in his arms. It was like somehow, instinctively, she knew the two of them were in this together. Sink or swim, they were all each of them had now.

  Of course, William had done more sinking than swimming in the last three days. And today, having Shelley say she couldn’t stay while the OR was calling on the other line telling him his patient was ready for surgery, he’d almost gone under for the last time. He’d been afraid of just losing it in the middle of the lounge—something he had never done before—only to be saved when Hannah had offered a helping hand.

  What would he have done if she hadn’t been there? He couldn’t depend on others for last-minute help. He needed a better plan. He’d call all the agencies in the morning to at least assign him someone for emergency coverage until they found him some full-time help. It was impossible for him to believe that the top agencies in town couldn’t recommend someone. Or maybe he should consider hiring a live-in caregiver. That would be the smart thing to do. That was what his own father had done when he’d found himself alone and responsible for a nine-year-old.

  And look how well that turned out for you.

  He pushed the gibe at his lonely childhood away.

  This wasn’t about him. It was about his half sister. He had to do the right thing for Avery. Only, he found himself floundering with every decision he needed to make. And the call he’d received from his lawyer today regarding Avery’s great-aunt’s inquiry wasn’t making things any easier. What if, as the woman had claimed, the best place for Avery was with her mother’
s aunt? How was he supposed to know?

  William had to come out from under the fog he’d been in since his father’s funeral. It had been a week and it still didn’t seem real to him. While he and his father had not been close, it was still hard to believe that the man he had grown up thinking was larger than life...was gone. Maybe it was the fact that his father’s death had been just as sudden as William’s mother’s. It didn’t seem fair, but he knew from experience that life never was.

  What William really needed was to take some time off, but with one of the neurosurgeons out on maternity leave, that was not an option. Somehow, some way, he would make it through another night. Eventually he’d find the right person to care for Avery. He couldn’t give up now. It had been what his father and stepmother had wanted. He had to make this work.

  * * *

  Hannah stood in the kitchen of her dreams as she browned the meat to add to the sauce she eyed as it bubbled on the chef-quality stove. She also kept trying to glance at the open pharmacy book she’d laid off to the side, trying to review classes of antibiotics. If she was lucky, she’d make it home in time to give the subject a good hour of study before she went to bed. Of course, given the day she’d put in, she’d probably fall asleep at her kitchen table again.

  After taking care of Avery, she’d called everyone she could think of who might be able to help with Dr. Cooper’s childcare issue. Not one person had been available for tomorrow. Stopping the search, she’d started dinner. Now, with Lindsey doing her homework at the marble-topped island that spanned almost the length of the large kitchen, she found herself worrying about what the doctor would do if Shelley didn’t show up the next day.

  Maybe if he called Shelley’s mom, he could arrange things. That voice in her head had been right. She should have stayed out of Dr. Cooper’s business. She had enough on her plate without worrying about other people’s problems. But still, Hannah had been where he was and the only thing that had saved her from losing her job or missing a class was someone giving up their time to help her. She might even have missed being with her daughter for her transplant surgery if it hadn’t been for Sarah, the nurse practitioner on the floor, coming to get her.

  The sound of the garage door opening sent her thoughts back to the meal she was preparing. Somehow, she didn’t think that her offering of pasta and sauce was going to help when he learned there wouldn’t be anyone arriving to take care of Avery in the morning.

  Hannah tried to make herself smile before the door that led to the garage opened, but it was impossible. There was no way this could go well. She’d be lucky if he ever talked to her again. And she’d miss that. He was one of the few doctors happy to let her pick his brain—pun intended—when something new came up at work.

  He walked in and any bravado she had managed to collect disappeared. He stood a head taller than Hannah and what had earlier felt like a spacious room now seemed to shrink with his presence. She hadn’t ever noticed how tall he was or the width of his shoulders. It was one thing to see him at work where he blended in with all the other staff members, it was another to be standing in his kitchen. His kitchen, which she had pretty much taken over.

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Cooper. I hope you don’t mind that I went ahead and started something for dinner. I wasn’t sure how long you’d be in surgery,” she said, busying herself stirring the sauce while fighting the awkward feeling of being somewhere she didn’t belong.

  “You’re standing barefoot in my kitchen, cooking something that smells delicious, and you saved my life by coming here to take care of Avery. I think you can call me William,” he said as he looked over her shoulder, his nearness setting off warning bells. Whether it was the heat from the stove or the heat of his body, she wasn’t sure, but something had sent the temperature rising in the room.

  “I wouldn’t say I saved your life,” Hannah said. The man saved lives daily with his surgery skills. All she had done was help out a coworker.

  “You did me a big favor. Thank you,” he said. “I owe you one.”

  “You don’t owe me anything. I was glad to do it,” Hannah said, though she did let the idea of the neurosurgeon owing her a favor roll around in her head. She really did need to find a good doctor to precept with. Maybe later, when he didn’t have so much to deal with, she would ask him to be her teacher.

  “Avery?” he asked as he bent over the pan of sauce.

  “Fed, bathed, and down for the night. Her bottom’s a little red, but I covered it with some salve,” she said. Standing close to him, she couldn’t help but notice his body relax. It must be hard for him to go through all the changes in his life all alone. Now, she was going to make it harder when she reported that his babysitter likely wasn’t coming back.

  “You got her into bed?” he asked.

  “Yes. She was worn out, poor thing. Shelley said she’d been fussy all day. I found some teething medication for her gums in her room and it seemed to help,” Hannah told him.

  “I owe you again, then. I haven’t been able to get her to sleep unless I hold her. As soon as I put her down, her eyes pop open and I have to pick her up. I’d finally given up on putting her in her own bed. I just started sleeping in the recliner with her,” William said.

  “Hey, Dr. Cooper. So your real name is William?” Lindsey asked, looking up from her book.

  “Good evening, Lindsey. And yes, my name is William. Why?” he said as he stepped away from Hannah.

  “Does anyone ever call you Bill or Billy?”

  Though they had met at several of the department gatherings, Hannah had noticed that Lindsey had seemed very interested in the doctor today. She had been full of questions about him during Avery’s bath time.

  “No. Just William. Why?” He moved to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

  “I just think Billy the Brain Surgeon has a great sound to it. Don’t you?” Lindsey quipped before returning her eyes to her book.

  “How much to keep that moniker quiet around the hospital?” he asked Hannah, pinning her with a stare before a smile broke over his face.

  He really was a handsome man with those startling pale blue eyes and thick brown hair curling at his neck. Put him in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and he’d look like one of those California surfers.

  “I think we can work something out,” she said. “I do need to talk to you after I get supper finished.”

  “My momma was going to be a brain surgeon, too,” Lindsey said, never looking up. “But then I was born with a bad heart and she had to quit college to take care of me. Now she has to be a nurse instead.”

  “Lindsey, why would you say that? I’m very proud to be a nurse.” Hannah was shocked that her daughter would think such a thing.

  Lindsay shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal, but they would definitely be having a conversation later.

  No matter how the birth of her daughter had changed her life, Hannah would never let her child bear that burden. Interestingly enough, it sounded exactly like something her parents would tell their granddaughter. Perhaps it was also time for Hannah to have another talk with them.

  Hannah had finally allowed her parents contact with Lindsey after years of their ignoring their daughter and granddaughter. At the time, their insistence that Hannah go to medical school had almost separated her from her daughter when Lindsey was born. She wouldn’t allow them to put that type of pressure or guilt on Lindsey. She certainly wasn’t about to let them start playing games with her daughter’s mind. She would have no problem cutting them out of her life, just as they’d had no problem cutting a nineteen-year-old single mom and a newborn baby out of theirs.

  “Well, I’m sure your mother would have made a great brain surgeon, but being a nurse is just as important as being a doctor. Just this afternoon, she noted a change in one of our patients that was a sign something really bad was happening inside her head. If she hadn’t obser
ved the patient as well as she did, the woman might have had a very disastrous outcome,” William said.

  “That’s awesome, Mom.” Lindsey smiled at Hannah over her schoolbook.

  “You are still young enough to go back to school, you know,” William said, returning his attention to Hannah. “I had a professor who didn’t finish college till he was in his late fifties. You’re definitely smart enough and you have excellent instincts.”

  Hannah felt her face flush with his praise. She didn’t know what to say. Being a nurse practitioner in a neurosurgeon’s practice might not be the dream she’d had when she was younger, but it was close. And whether her parents agreed with her choices or not, she’d rather be a nurse and have her daughter than be the most sought-after neurosurgeon in the world.

  “Maybe someday,” Hannah said, not wanting to go into all the reasons why she couldn’t make full-time schooling a reality right now. With a mountain of hospital bills from Lindsey’s transplant operation and the student loans she had taken out for nursing school, it would be years before she could drag herself out of debt.

  “But she’s going to become a nurse practitioner instead,” Lindsey said. “Grandmother doesn’t think that’s as good, but I do.”

  Hannah had known it was her mother who’d been filling her daughter’s ears with rubbish. Definitely time for that talk.

  “A nurse practitioner sounds like a great job for your mother,” William said before turning back to Hannah. “Are you going to continue on the neuro unit at the hospital?”

  Could she tell him that her biggest dream was to assist the best neurosurgeon in Houston? Him.

  The Star Wars theme suddenly filled the kitchen and William reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Excuse me,” he said as he pushed the talk button and moved toward the stairs.