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“She’s my responsibility, too,” he reminded her. “I’m just as much at fault if something happens to her. You know, one of these days you should stop blaming yourself for every little thing that goes wrong.”
With a shock, Hadley realized that Liam was right. She’d taken responsibility for other people’s decisions, believing if she’d been a better friend, Anna wouldn’t have gotten hurt, and if she’d been more affectionate with Noah or acted more like a parent to his children instead of their nanny, he might not have gone back to his ex-wife.
“It’s a habit I should break,” she said, her annoyance diminished. “It’s really not anyone’s fault she’s sick. Like the doctor said, her birth wasn’t routine. The infection could have been caused by any number of things.”
Neither spoke again, but the silence was no longer charged by antagonism. Hadley cast several glances in Liam’s direction, wishing she hadn’t overreacted last night after finding out Liam intended to seek custody of Maggie. But she’d gone home and filled two sheets of paper with a list of everything that made her happy. It had taken her half a page before she’d begun to break free of the mental patterns she’d fallen into. But it was the last two items that told the real story.
Horses.
Liam.
That it had taken her so long to admit what she needed in her life to be truly happy was telling.
Liam dropped her and Maggie off at the emergency entrance and went to park. Hadley checked in at reception and was directed to the waiting room. She was told someone would come down from pediatrics to get them soon.
To Hadley’s relief they only had to wait ten minutes. Liam never even had a chance to sit down before they were on their way to a private room in Royal Memorial’s brand-new west wing.
A nurse entered the room while Hadley lifted Maggie from her carrier. “Hello, my name is Agnes and I’ll be taking care of Maggie while she’s here.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Hadley followed Agnes’s directions and placed Maggie in the bassinet. It was hard to step away from the baby and let the nurse take over, but Hadley forced herself to join Liam by the window.
Liam gave her a tight smile. “She’s in good hands.”
“I know.” Hadley was consumed by the need for Liam’s arms around her. But she’d relinquished all rights to his reassurances last night when she’d given back his engagement ring.
The nurse took Maggie’s vitals and hooked her up to an IV.
“Because she’s not yet four weeks,” Agnes began, “we’re going to start her on antibiotics right away. It may take twenty-four to forty-eight hours to get the lab results back, so we’d like to take this precaution. The good news is that it hasn’t seemed to affect her lungs. That’s always a concern with a premature baby.” Agnes offered a reassuring smile before continuing. “Dr. Davison will be by in a little while to talk to you.”
“Thank you,” Liam said while Hadley crossed to Maggie.
“She looks even tinier hooked up to the IV.”
Liam came to stand beside her and stared down at Maggie. A muscle jumped in his jaw. His eyes had developed a haunted look. Suddenly it was Hadley’s turn to offer comfort.
“She’s going to be fine.”
“Thank you for being here,” he said. “It’s...”
She’d never know what he intended to say because a man in a white lab coat entered the room with Agnes at his heels.
“Good morning, I’m Dr. Davison. I’ve spoken with Dr. Stringer and he filled me in on what’s been going on. I’m sure you’re anxious to hear about the tests we ran on Maggie,” The doctor met each of their gazes in turn before shifting his attention to the infant. “What we’re looking at is a blood infection. That’s what’s causing the fever, her jaundice and her listlessness.”
A knot formed in Hadley’s chest. She gripped Liam’s forearm for stability. “Is it serious?”
“It can be. But Maggie is in good hands with us here at Royal Memorial. I’m sure she’ll make a full recovery. The sooner she gets treatment the better the outcome. We’ve already started her on antibiotics, and we’re going to monitor her for the next couple days while we run a battery of tests to determine what’s causing the infection.”
“How long will she be here?” Liam gave Hadley’s fingers a gentle squeeze.
“Probably not more than three days. If there’s bacteria in her blood, she’ll be on antibiotics for three weeks and you’ll be bringing her in for periodic checkups.”
“Thank you, Dr. Davison.” Liam extended his hand to the pediatrician and appeared less overwhelmed than he had before the doctor’s arrival.
“Yes, thank you.” Hadley summoned a smile.
Dr. Davison turned to the nurse. “Agnes, would you prepare Maggie for a lumbar puncture?”
“Certainly, Dr. Davison.” She smiled at Liam and Hadley. “We have some paperwor
