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Jim popped his head in and smiled at Liam. “Well, hello there young man,” he said with his warm southern drawl. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine,” Liam said, eyeing his comic as if he wanted to get back.
“My spies tell me that your mom is coming back up with something from the cafeteria. I thought I’d pop in before she gets back and see how you’re doing so I don’t keep you from your treats.”
I took that as my cue to leave and so I turned to Liam and felt his forehead, brushed his hair, which was now a few inches long and dark like mine.
“Glad to see you’re feeling better,” I said to him. “Have a good sleep tonight.”
He nodded, very solemn as if it was doctor’s orders instead of me trying to find something else to say to him.
I turned, my throat choked, and placed my hand on Jim’s shoulder. “Really, really appreciate it, doctor,” I said softly.
“My pleasure,” he said, nodding knowingly.
I opened the door and checked the hallway, but it was empty, so I slipped down the hallway to the stairs back to my office, my heart in my throat. Just as I was opening the door, Maureen called out to me.
“Drake!”
She rushed down the hallway towards me and so I stopped at the door and braced myself for her wrath.
“What the hell, Drake? Here I try to be nice and let you read his file and you disobey my orders and go in and see him anyway?”
I clenched my fists without thinking and then tried to relax, taking in a deep breath. “I’m not into obedience, Maureen.”
“Obviously,” she said. “Do I have to get another restraining order?”
My blood pressure was sure to have spiked at that, adrenaline flooding through me. “Of course not.”
“What did you say to him?”
At that precise moment, Jim left Liam’s room. Maureen saw him and her face was one of shock.
“You!” she said and glanced between the two of us. “Here I thought you understood my reasons for not wanting Drake to get involved.”
Jim straightened up to full height, his blue eyes hard. He took hold of his lapels like an old southern gentleman and held his chin up.
“Drake’s the boy’s biological father and saved his damn life. I saw that as a good enough reason for him to pop in. He was there for only five minutes and never said anything about who he was.”
Maureen looked at me and then at Jim. “If you even dare try to see him again, I will get a restraining order.” Then, she pushed past Jim and into Liam’s room.
I shook my head. “Jesus Christ.” I stood with my hands on my hips and stared at the ground, trying to control my emotions. “Sorry about that, Jim. Hate to get you in trouble.”
“She doesn’t have a restraining order against you. You’re a consulting doctor. And his damn father. It’s no trouble at all.”
“I better run,” I said and opened the door to the stairwell. “Don’t want to hang around and risk further wrath of the mother.”
“You take care, now.”
I left Jim standing in the hallway, his pride still bristling, and went back to my office. By the time I arrived, my adrenaline was burned off and I was left weak, my heart pounding.
Damn her! The boy was my son. He had more than my DNA. He had my bone marrow. I saved his life and she wouldn’t even let me see him. At that moment, my emotions overwhelmed me, and I sat with my head in my hands.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kate
Drake arrived home later than usual, and drunk, Ken having dropped him off sometime before midnight. That wasn’t like Drake – he rarely drank too much, and was always in control over himself. Ken looked at me sheepishly while I grabbed Drake by the shoulder and helped him in.
