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“I’ll talk to the nurse but stay quiet?”
“Okay.”
He glanced at the nurse typing on her tablet, and read her nametag when she straightened. “Nicole, this little girl has had a hell of a day. She got lost in a restaurant, watched her mother vomit, get taken to the hospital by ambulance, and then undergo surgery. That’s a lot of trauma for such a little one. Would it be possible for her to lay down on a stretcher?”
“Where?” The nurse narrowed her eyes.
“We can put it parallel to her mother’s for a couple of hours.”
“Dr. Kent, this is highly irregular.”
“Don’t you have kids who go through surgery and recover in this room?”
“Yes of course, but...”
“Just for an hour or two?” he pleaded. “No one will notice. It’ll be our good deed for the day.” He grinned, hoping to convince her.
The nurse, a woman in her forties, exhaled, shook her head, and smiled. “Fine, but just for an hour...”
“You’ve got it.”
“But she can’t stay in her street clothes.”
“You’re right. I’m sure you can find her a child’s hospital gown, socks, and a cap.” He looked down at Dalia. “Go with Nurse Nicole. If you want to sleep near Mommy, you need a nightgown.”
“What about you?” Dalia grabbed his hand.
“I’ll go get my pjs, and then I’ll come back and stay with you and your mom.”
“Don’t take long,” she pleaded, her tiny voice filled with worry.
“I won’t.” He flashed the nurse another smile. “Just the time it takes to grab spare scrubs from the car.”
He jogged to his vehicle and collected his bag. Keeping up the same pace, he hurried to the third floor Pediatric Department, changed in the on-call room, and hung up his suit and coat. More comfortable in scrubs, a white coat and tennis shoes, he strode to the recovery room and stopped at the door.
In a hospital gown and long yellow socks, her pigtails tucked under a surgical cap, Dalia sat on a stretcher, all smiles, her pink teddy on her lap.
“I look like Mommy now,” she said when she saw him.
“Yes. Thank you, Nicole. You’re the best.”
“I hope I don’t get into trouble because of this.”
“As long as nobody gossips about this...” He sent her a meaningful glance.
“It’s too good a story not to tell—but I’ll give it a few weeks.”
He burst out laughing.
“Dalia, if you want to be near Mommy, you have to lie down and go to sleep.”
The little girl obeyed and pulled the sheet up to her chin. The nurse rolled the stretcher next to Sienna’s bed. Dalia blew her mom a kiss.
“Night-night. Thank you, Doctor Kent and Nurse Nicole.” With her teddy cuddled against her, she shut her eyes.
Tyler brought over a chair and set it at the foot of Dalia’s stretcher.
“Nicole, I don’t want you to worry about Dalia. I’ll stay with her until you take her mother to her room.”
The nurse nodded and left them.
Settling into a comfortable position, he stretched his legs, his gaze flitting from daughter to mother and back. His phone vibrated once more.
Another call from Beverly.
Determined to protect his new responsibilities, he switched off the phone. If it hadn’t been for his late lunch, he would’ve never stumbled over Dalia and met Sienna. By now, he would have beenhappily, or ratherunhappily,married to Beverly. Contentment filled him, something he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
