The Doctor's Baby(9)

July froze. Her heart slammed against her ribs. She opened her mouth but shut it without speaking.

To her surprise, Lexi chuckled. “I like someone who gets right to the heart of the matter.”

The social worker’s graciousness made July feel even worse.

“I stopped to see if you needed any help with your post-hospital plans.” Lexi glanced down at the chart in her hand. “I noticed you listed your home address as Chicago. Will you be returning there once your baby is discharged?”

Before July could answer, a loud buzzing sounded from the pager clipped to the waistband of Lexi’s skirt. The social worker dropped her gaze to the readout then her brows furrowed. “I apologize. The family of a patient in our ICU has arrived. I really need to speak with them. Would it be okay if I came back in say…a half hour?”

July wished she could tell her she didn’t need to bother returning, that she had it all under control. But that would be a lie. She needed to find a place to live and someone to watch Adam. The social worker appeared to be her best resource.

“Will that work for you?” Lexi asked again, glancing toward the door.

“Absolutely.” July injected some enthusiasm into her voice. Lexi had been so gracious. She deserved the same consideration in return. “Dr. Fisher still needs to stop by before I can be released. The nurses don’t expect him for another hour or so.”

“Thanks for being so understanding.” Lexi had almost reached the door by the time she finished speaking. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

After the social worker left, July snagged her purse from the bedside stand. She’d showered this morning but hadn’t done much else. Lexi was so pretty, so put together that July couldn’t help but feel dowdy beside her.

Pulling a tube of mascara from her bag, July added some length to her lashes then shifted her attention to her mouth. With a quick flick she dipped her finger into a pot of gloss and pressed some color to her lips. Once that was applied to her satisfaction, she found a tiny tube of travel gel and took a couple minutes to tame a few wayward stands of hair. She smiled at herself in the compact. Much, much better.

“Looking good.” A deep voice filled with pure masculine appreciation sounded from the doorway.

July groaned. She’d hoped to be gone before David’s shift ended. No such luck. She snapped the compact closed, dropped it into her bag and shifted to face him. “I thought you’d be working.”

Or home with your wife. Bitterness rose inside her at his duplicity. What made her the angriest was that she’d asked about his marital status shortly after he’d began flirting with her in the hotel bar. Only after she found out she was pregnant with his baby and tried to track him down did she discover that he’d lied. According to a former colleague, the handsome young doctor who’d swept her off her feet wasn’t single. Apparently Dr. David Wahl had a “gorgeous” wife at home.#p#分页标题#e#

“I don’t go in today until three.” He pulled the door closed. Instead of a white jacket he wore khakis and a royal blue polo that made his eyes look bluer than the sky outside her window. “I came to see if you’d like to have lunch with me in the hospital cafeteria. The food is edible and it’ll give us a chance to catch up.”

Catch up? What was there to catch up on? Unless he meant to confess he had a wife he’d forgotten to mention, which she highly doubted. “With that ringing endorsement, it’d be hard to say no.”

“You’ll join me?”

His delighted smile was almost her undoing. The same electricity that had been there eight months ago sizzled in the room. But this time she ignored it. She didn’t want anything to do with a cheater.

“I’m being dismissed.” She glanced at her watch. “Once Dr. Fisher stops by, I’ll be on my way.”

“What about your boyfriend, er, I mean your friend?” he asked, his gaze watchful. “Did you ever reach him?”

“I did. He’d been out celebrating. He landed a role in a Broadway touring company.” July kept her tone even. “He’d just gotten off the phone with his agent finalizing the details when we connected.”

“Was he excited about the baby?”

“Very excited.” July forced some enthusiasm into her voice. A.J. had actually been more jazzed about his new role than her new son. But that was understandable. The theater was his life now. And he’d been around too many kids growing up to be excited about one more, even if that one was hers.

“When is he coming?”