Because of the Baby(15)
With a last squeeze of Skye’s hand, Lark left the ICU. She waved to her coworkers as she walked by the nurses’ station, but only Jessa gave her a smile and it was quickly gone. As Lark rode the elevator to the pediatric floor, she wasn’t surprised how relieved she felt to have a weeklong break from the ICU nurses.
From the beginning they’d mistaken her shyness for superiority and now did everything in their power to shun her. Lark had a hard enough time opening up to people without having to overcome hostility.
As she stepped out of the elevator, it occurred to her that she’d never felt the least bit shy or uneasy with Keaton. The feud between their families should have made her anxious around him, yet from the moment she’d run into him in the hospital, she felt as if they’d known each other for years. Weird when he was the son of her parents’ enemy. Or maybe she felt the connection more closely because of the bad blood between their families. Heaven knew she’d thought about him often enough. Him and Jake. Especially after Skye ran off with Jake and Lark spent a lot of time wondering what was so special about a Holt that would cause her sister to choose him over her family.
Her pulse kicked up a notch as she approached the NICU, but she didn’t see Keaton. A glance at the clock showed it was fifteen minutes before their agreed-on meeting time. She’d caught a ride to the hospital with Julie. Since she was taking Grace home after her shift, Keaton was giving her and the baby a ride home. When Lark assured him she would be fine on her own, he’d insisted on being there. His steely determination had left her torn between relief and annoyance.
Lark approached Grace’s basinet. She was wearing a pink dress one of the NICU nurses had crocheted. A matching pink headband encircled her head. This wasn’t a normal practice, but nothing about Grace’s situation had been normal thus far and Lark was one of their own.
“Thank you all so much,” Lark said to her colleagues as she blinked back a rush of tears that flooded her eyes. “You’ve taken such great care of Grace.”
“If you need anything or have any questions,” Amy, the senior NICU nurse said, “just call.”
“Thanks.” She’d grown accustomed to leaning on each of these women for support and guidance. It was terrifying to be heading out on her own.
Except she wasn’t alone. Keaton would be there to help her. Her skin prickled. She hadn’t quite gotten used to the idea that he would be spending time in her private space. Buying a house and living alone for the first time in her life had been blissful. No more worrying about saying the wrong thing to her roommate’s friends or hearing their whispers and knowing they were talking about the weird girl who rarely came out of the second bedroom.
“You’re going to do great,” said Nancy. The nurse with the most experience in the NICU, she’d been the one Lark had turned to about her anxiety.
“I don’t know why I’m so emotional.” Lark laughed self-consciously. At the hospital she worked hard to appear confident. Letting anyone glimpse her shy awkwardness might make them question her ability to do her job. “I guess I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.”
“Oh, honey.” Nancy wrapped her arm around Lark’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “With your sister in a coma and this precious baby still so delicate, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Frankly, we’d be surprised if you weren’t feeling that way.”
Through the NICU’s large window, Lark spotted Keaton. Her pulse gave a little leap as their eyes met. He nodded in acknowledgement, his grave expression and compelling gaze easing her turmoil a little. His presence reminded her that she wasn’t alone.
Amy spoke up. “And it looks like Keaton Holt is going to be a big help.” Her tone was sly, matching her wicked grin. “It’s nice to see you two could put aside your families’ differences.”
Had they? Lark wasn’t sure. A lifetime of hostility and accusations stood between them. Just because she and Keaton weren’t at war with each other didn’t mean they were going to get along. He was determined to the point of obstinacy and laser-focused when he decided he wanted something. While it might make him a successful rancher, it made fighting with him an exhausting enterprise. Lark tore her attention away from the tall, imposing ranch owner and redirected her thoughts to the five-pound bundle she held. For Grace’s sake she and Keaton were just going to have to play nice.
Telling her pulse to settle down, Lark cradled Grace in her arms and gazed around the NICU for the last time. Burdened with a well-stocked diaper bag and the responsibility of her delicate charge, she threw back her shoulders and walked the gantlet of smiling nurses who’d gathered to wish her and Grace well.