In the Doctor's Arms Read online

  “You’re the only person I’ve told.”

  “You didn’t tell Tag?”

  “Nope.”

  Hazel smiled triumphantly, and then scooped up her last bite of potato salad.

  Flynn emerged from the house along with her parents. Grin in place, Flynn caught her eye and winked.

  He walked straight toward her and then leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Permission granted.”

  “What a relief,” she said sarcastically. “I’m so glad we don’t have to secretly run off to Vegas now.”

  Flynn chuckled. “No, we can make arrangements and fly like normal people. Do you want to do it or should I?”

  “You, please.”

  Iris untangled herself from the picnic table to stand beside him.

  “How do we get everyone quiet?” Flynn asked.

  Hazel looked up at them over her shoulder. “May I?”

  “That would be great,” Iris answered and plugged her ears.

  Hazel’s whistle was loud enough to stop traffic. Every head turned their way.

  “That was for us,” Flynn said with a wave to the crowd. “Nicely done, thank you, Hazel.”

  Iris heard Flynn’s phone chime inside his pocket. He ignored it. “So this will surprise some of you more than others, I’m sure.” He grinned at Tag and Ally. Tag’s gaze narrowed. Ally smiled knowingly. “Iris and I are getting married.”

  A chorus of congratulations erupted around them followed by roughly three thousand questions.

  “When? Do Emily and I get to help plan another wedding?” Shay asked.

  “Where?” This from Janie. “Because I think someone needs to get married at Bering and Emily’s. We could—”

  “Um,” Iris interrupted. This was the part that wasn’t going to go over well. “It’s sort of tentatively planned for two weeks from now. In Vegas and you’re all invited. But don’t feel obligated. If you can make it, that’s great. If not, that’s fine, too. We just want to be married, we don’t care so much about the getting-married part.”

  * * *

  “I THINK THAT went well,” Flynn said a short while later, scooping up a spoonful of dessert. “Your aunt makes the best huckleberry pie in the world.”

  “It did. And I know, she does.” Iris stole a bite. “The Vegas thing went over better than I thought it would. You know how my family likes a gathering.”

  “A gathering in Vegas will be fun, too. Especially for me.”

  Playful smile dancing on her lips, she leaned toward him. “Me, too,” she said just before pressing her mouth to his for what should have been a quick kiss.

  Flynn slipped a hand around the back of her neck to hold her in place. Joy pulsed fast and hard through her veins. They were going to do this. Love really did conquer all.

  “Remind me why we’re waiting two weeks?” he whispered.

  “Airfare prices, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah...” He sighed dramatically. “I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

  A voice sounded nearby. “Hey, lovebirds.”

  Flynn gave her another quick kiss and they both looked up to find Ally standing before them.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Doc is leaving.”

  “Emergency?” Flynn asked.

  “Yeah, I’m afraid so.” Ally looked from Flynn to Iris and back again. “Flynn, he said your ex-wife is in labor.”

  A bolt of concern shot through Iris. “But she’s not due for another three weeks. Flynn, we need to go and be with her. She doesn’t have anyone...except us.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “FLYNN, I DON’T UNDERSTAND...” Tears clouded Iris’s vision, and why did her fingers ache? Glancing down, she realized how tightly she was gripping Flynn’s hand. She loosened her grasp. “How could this have happened?” She inhaled a breath, but the pungent smell of hospital seemed stronger than usual and only heightened her helplessness and despair.

  Flynn’s head was shaking, signaling he, too, couldn’t believe what had just transpired.

  They’d arrived at the hospital and found out that Sonya was in the middle of a cesarean-section surgery. The baby survived, but Sonya had suffered a seizure and died.

  The nurse appeared at the door of the hospital room where Iris and Flynn were waiting, a tiny bundle held in her arms. “Do you want to hold her?”

  Iris nodded. “Yes, Nicki. I do.”

  Nicki passed the baby to Iris. Concern jolted through her. The infant felt too light. Iris thought of a flannel-wrapped pack of feathers. She studied the tiny, perfect, adorably scrunched face and could barely breathe. The baby opened and closed her lips and shifted, and something inside of Iris shifted, too. With a staggering force, Sonya’s fate and the baby’s plight landed hard on Iris’s heart. Tiny and completely defenseless with no mom to protect the baby, it felt unfair, and this moment utterly surreal.

  “What a pretty girl you are,” Iris whispered, swallowing a sob. Remaining calm and positive for the baby’s sake, Iris suddenly felt like it was the most important thing in the entire world. She lowered herself into the hospital room’s rocking chair. After brushing a kiss to one velvety soft cheek, she looked up at Flynn.

  Keeping her tone gentle, she asked, “Sonya never mentioned having preeclampsia?”

  Flynn seemed to be in a similar stupor as he kneeled beside the chair. “No. But I’ve been in touch with her doctor in Anchorage. She was diagnosed and had medication. She’s lucky she even carried the baby this long.”

  Iris felt fresh tears spring to her eyes and quickly blinked them away. “I knew something was wrong. I wrote it off because she freely admitted the pregnancy was stirring up her emotions. Maybe if I hadn’t been so preoccupied with my own life, with my job, with us. I wish—”

  “Shh, Iris,” Flynn interrupted softly. “I wish, too. But this isn’t your fault. Or mine. I don’t understand what she was still doing here. She should have been back in Anchorage in the hospital. We... I don’t know what she was thinking.”

  “What’s going to happen to this beautiful little girl, Flynn? I know Sonya’s relationship with her parents was strained, but should we call them? She doesn’t have siblings... Who should we call?”

  “I don’t know... I’m going to get ahold of Trent and see where he is and why he’s not here and find Sonya’s parents. When I asked Sonya about them last week she said they were traveling. I think she said they were in Europe.”

  Iris gave him an encouraging smile. “That sounds like a good place to start.”

  “I’ll go do it now. Will you be okay? Do you want me to get Nicki or one of the nurses?”

  “We’ll be fine. I just... She needs someone to hold her, I think. I’m going to text Mom, Hazel and Shay. Hannah is in Juneau for that campaign event. You know how my family loves babies and I don’t want this one to be alone, not even for a second. Maybe we can take shifts.”

  * * *

  FLYNN FELT A combination of sorrow and pride so intense he could only nod. The woman he loved was showering affection on his ex-wife’s child. He pressed a kiss to Iris’s temple before caressing the baby’s soft cheek.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “That would be exactly the right thing for her. Doc and Dr. Grant are conferring about whether to send her to Anchorage. She’s a little small but her lungs sound good and vital signs are excellent. We just need to figure out where she belongs.”

  Iris smiled up at him with so much trust and sympathy in her eyes Flynn felt his knees go a little weak. She was the most incredible woman he’d ever known, and he hadn’t thought it was possible to love her any more than he did.

  Flynn pulled out his phone and stepped into the hallway. Allowing himself one deep, fortifying breath, he then texted a mutual friend of his and Trent’s to ask for his number, which he’d deleted after he’d found out about him and Sonya. Minutes la
ter, he had the number and made the call.

  Trent picked up on the third ring with a tentative “Hello?” that suggested to Flynn that he hadn’t deleted the contact on his end.

  “Trent, hi. It’s Flynn.”

  “I know. It’s great to hear your voice, buddy. How’re you doing?”

  “Not great. I, uh, I have bad news.”

  Trent listened silently while Flynn did his best to gently deliver the shattering news. When he finished, Trent said, “I can’t believe it... It’s hard to understand. That’s so sad.”

  Seconds ticked by as he waited for Trent to tell him he was on his way. When that didn’t happen, he asked, “Trent, is the baby yours?”

  Silence echoed from the line before he answered, “Mine? No, Flynn. No, it’s not. Sonya and I broke up too long ago for the baby to be mine. We... I don’t think she really loved me. Or, maybe she did, I don’t know. But she wanted a baby so much it...scared me.”

  “Yes, she did. I’m just... I don’t know. This is a weird situation.”

  “How is the baby doing?”

  “Remarkably well. She’s small but otherwise healthy.”

  “Good. That’s good.”

  “Do you have any idea who the father might be?”

  “Maybe.” There was a long pause, and then he said, “Not precisely, but...”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Flynn, this situation might be even weirder than you know. Listen, last fall there was a break-in at the lab. Laptops were stolen, electronics, a few pieces of medical equipment and you’re going to think I’m making this up, but... You know Saul and his photographic memory?”

  “Sure.” He and Trent had been amicably jealous of Saul DeMarco in med school.

  “A couple of the coolers were unlocked and he noticed...” Trent trailed off with a pained sigh.

  Flynn broke out in a cold sweat. A sound like a freight train roared inside his head because he knew what Trent was going to say.

  “Saul noticed that several sperm samples were missing. We couldn’t prove it, because the records that go with them were gone, as well as the computer where all the info was stored and the flash drive. The backup drive, too.”

  “Nothing stored in a cloud somewhere?”

  “Nope. That was part of the confidentiality agreement, that there would be no outside storage of donor names or DNA or anything else. None of the samples were ever supposed to be used to fertilize anything. In fact, these samples were all slated to be destroyed in a few weeks.”

  “Unbelievable.” Flynn didn’t mention just how much he wished he didn’t believe it. A painful stab of fear sliced through him. “Are you saying that you think Sonya used one of these samples to get pregnant?”

  “I’m not saying that for certain. But you knew her, Flynn. You were married to her and you know how badly she wanted a baby. All I’m saying is that the timing works. She quit three weeks after the break-in and I haven’t seen her since.”

  After talking it over for a while, they ended the call.

  The adrenaline rush had left him shaky. He needed to get his bearings. He walked over to the window that looked down on the bay and tried to calm himself. There was no evidence that Sonya had done what Trent suggested. Except for the fact that she’d quit her job and disappeared after the break-in. As Trent pointed out, Flynn knew her. He absolutely believed her capable of this. If she had gotten pregnant this way, would she have used his sample?

  “Flynn?” a voice interrupted his reverie.

  Inhaling a breath, he turned and faced his grandfather. “Hey, Doc. Baby okay?”

  “Yep, baby is fantastic at this point. Marcie and I agree that we don’t need to transport her. Unless, you want her sent to Anchorage for a second opinion.” Marcie was Dr. Grant, Rankins’s new OB-GYN.

  “Me? No, I trust the assessment completely. You’ve delivered a lot more babies than I have. I’m glad Marcie was here to do the C-section.”

  Doc nodded. “Me, too. She sure is a welcome addition around here.”

  “I just got off the phone with Sonya’s ex-boyfriend. He claims he’s not the father. I’m going to call her parents and see what they know.”

  Doc was staring at him in a way that had Flynn’s anxiety churning all over again. “You don’t know, do you?” he asked.

  “Know what?”

  Doc reached up and absently scratched the back of his neck. “I thought this was all very odd.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “When Sonya got here to the hospital she knew she was in medical distress. Dr. Grant’s exam confirmed it. Sonya asked for a pen and paper, so she could write down the baby’s name and the father for the birth certificate in case she didn’t make it.”

  Flynn felt an instant shot of dread solidify in his gut even as he silently praised Sonya for having the presence of mind to do so.

  “And?” he prompted his grandfather.

  “She named you, Flynn, as Lily’s father.”

  * * *

  IRIS FELT THE blood rush from her head as Flynn told her that his name was on the birth certificate. She tightened her hold on the baby because she felt a little light-headed.

  “She’s yours?” Iris forced air into her lungs.

  “No. I mean... I don’t know.”

  “Flynn, you told me that you hadn’t been together in over two years. You said—”

  One hand went up, effectively interrupting her. “That’s the truth, Iris, I swear. But you need to listen to me carefully, okay? This is a strange story.”

  She nodded for him to continue.

  Taking a second to gather his thoughts, he scrubbed his hands over his jaw before linking them together around the back of his neck for a few seconds. Releasing his grip, he blew out a breath and said, “When Sonya and I were first married, she was working at a research clinic.”

  “Yes, she mentioned that.” Iris urged him on. The baby squirmed. Iris looked down in time to watch her yawn. Baby yawns equaled unparalleled cuteness.

  Flynn moved so that he was facing her and then waited until he’d captured her focus again. “A fertility clinic.”

  “Oh.” Iris’s brain quickly shuffled through the possibilities. “Flynn, did you donate your sperm?”

  “I did. They needed test subjects. We were told the samples would be destroyed. But Trent said there was a break-in at the lab and some samples appeared to have been stolen.” Flynn recited the rest of the details.

  “You think she used yours?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “What? Who, Sonya?”

  “You said she wrote down the baby’s name, too. What is it?”

  “Oh. Of course. Lily, Lily Justine. Justine was Sonya’s grandmother’s name. I don’t know where Lily came from.”

  The words washed over Iris, bringing a million tiny needles that prickled every inch of her skin.

  “I do,” she said. “Or at least I think I do.” She told him the story of meeting Sonya in the park and introducing her to Violet. “She loved how we were both named for flowers.”

  “You don’t think that’s a coincidence?”

  “I don’t. Oh, Flynn, don’t you see? I think she knew she was going to die... Maybe that’s too dramatic, but she was afraid of that at the very least. That’s what she was doing here in Rankins. You told her we were getting married and this was her way of telling me...” A fresh sob gathered and stole the rest of her words. Swallowing it down, she continued, “I think this was her way of telling me that she wanted me to be Lily’s...”

  She couldn’t bring herself to say the word because Sonya had made a terrible mistake. Iris couldn’t be any child’s mother, not even for this perfect, precious little one who was likely Flynn’s. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn’t bother tr
ying to stop them this time.

  Flynn deflated right before her eyes as the weight of the truth bore down on him. The blood seemed to have drained from his face and he looked so pale she feared he’d collapse.

  “Flynn, you need to...”

  Before she could get the “sit” out he slumped in the chair opposite her. His gaze narrowed in on the baby like he was seeing her for the first time.

  “What do I do?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.” For Iris, this explained so much of Sonya’s behavior. Flynn, she suspected, needed a little more time. And possibly a nudge toward the truth. “Right now, I think you should hold your daughter.”

  “We don’t know yet if she is my daughter. I know you like her, liked her, Iris. I mean Sonya. But the woman I knew could be devious and manipulative. This is—”

  Iris scooted forward and passed him the baby. Lily kicked her little legs and then settled in his arms like she belonged there. Iris couldn’t stop the stabbing pain in her heart as he gazed down at the little pink bundle. Wonder, curiosity, admiration and affection were written all over his face.

  Of course, as a doctor, he had experience with newborns. But this was different. It was like she could see the possibilities flashing through his mind.

  But when he looked at her, she could see there was still doubt there, too. “Let’s keep this between us for now, okay? I’ll get a DNA test and then we’ll go from there.” His eyes searched her face and Iris knew he was trying to see her feelings, read her thoughts.

  “Okay,” she agreed. She tried to smile but her face felt paralyzed, her happiness was paralyzed. Because she didn’t have doubts. Inside, it felt like her soul was being torn apart because at that moment she knew that she and Flynn were being torn apart, too.

  Iris was bombarded with emotions. Sorrow, sadness, anger, guilt, happiness, joy. Sonya was dead, and Lily had no mother.

  But Flynn now had a daughter.

  She was a horrible person for even thinking what came next because who was she to wish that Sonya had never come here? That she’d never sought out the father of her child? What she’d done to Flynn was so wrong. Yet, it wasn’t Lily’s fault. And Iris reminded herself that Sonya had undoubtedly been hoping for some kind of shared custody or visitation between Flynn and his child. And then, after meeting Iris, she’d planned for that, too.