Page 32 of Daddy's Double Surprise

Maybe then the news that I’d kept this secret of my true identity from her wouldn’t come as such a horrible shock.

21

SUNNY

The entire day had been so busy, I’d barely sat down except for at the foot of an exam table while speaking with patients. The clinic was packed with people experiencing the flu or flu-like symptoms. I’d managed to keep my personal protective equipment in place, but there was a chance I was going home with a bug in incubation period. More reasons to vomit—just what I needed.

When a lull in sick people streaming into the clinic struck around one in the afternoon, I leaned on the wall outside the break room and closed my eyes. My feet hurt; my back screamed at me, and I knew I’d never make it until 5 p.m. closing time without a caffeinated beverage of some sort, but I was trying to limit my caffeine now that I knew I was pregnant.

Jackson ushered his last patient out of the hall and into the reception area then strolled up to me with a knowing smirk on his face. “First hard day, huh? Don’t worry,” he said, slugging me softly on the shoulder the way he always did to Carter, “you’ll get used to it.” He jerked his chin upward toward the break room and said, “Come on. I’ll buy you a soda.”

Glancing one more time through the window to the waiting area to make sure we didn’t have any more patients, I followed behind him and collapsed in a heap on one of the plastic and metal chairs around the break table. I folded my arms and rested my head on them while he opened the fridge and rifled through it. When I heard the fridge door shut and a chair’s feet scrape over the linoleum, I lifted my head.

“Here, drink,” he ordered, pushing a water in front of me. He had a soda, but I knew it was the last one there. I’d checked earlier when I was sorely tempted to caffeinate, but I’d managed to dissuade myself. Had he given it to me now, I’d have taken it without hesitation.

“Sure, you get the caffeine. I get hydrated.” My complaint drew a chuckle and he offered me the can, but I shook my head and opened the water. It was better for me and the baby.

“So now that things have slowed down, I’m happy to get a chance to talk to you.” Jackson cracked open the soda and smiled at me like he hadn’t just worked six hours of the most stressful day of his life.

“Yeah? Am I in trouble?” I chuckled again, bringing the water bottle to my lips to sip.

“No, actually the opposite.” He leaned forward and set his soda down but kept his hands wrapped around it. “Carter told me he’s upping your responsibility around here. He’s offering you a ten percent raise in pay, and he wants you to start opening now and then. That’s pretty impressive. I’ve been here for four years with no raise.”

A warm feeling filled my chest, and I sighed happily. I knew Carter had gone out on a limb with my dad, standing up for us, and after telling him I was sticking around he probably felt responsible for me. I knew I’d have Dad’s help if I needed it, even if we were at odds right now, but it was kind of Carter to helpme out so I could be independent. I’d have to thank him for that later.

“Yeah, wow. He hadn’t told me. Thank you.” Leave it to Carter to be the sweet man who allowed Jackson to give me the good news and share in the credit.

“I guess he thinks you’re doing a great job around here. I think so too.” Jackson wasn’t that verbal about his likes or dislikes, so to me this was a compliment in the highest regard. It energized me more than the caffeine would have, so when the volunteer receptionist called, indicating we had a patient, I got up.

“You rest. I’ll take this one.”

Leaving my water sitting on the table, I walked down the hallway to where the receptionist stood with a clipboard in hand and a frown on her face. “This one’s a mess. I’m afraid it’s not the flu.”

“Thanks,” I told her, taking the clipboard. I looked down at the sheet filled out by my new patient and noticed the diagram of the human body where patients check boxes to indicate where their symptoms were. It was the easiest way to get to the root of things when patients didn’t speak English. This one had the stomach and chest ticked off and also the face, and the severe frowning face was circled.

The chart wasn’t that concerning. I’d seen dozens of these before today, but I understood the volunteer’s facial expression of shock when I rounded the corner and saw the bruises on the woman seated on the exam table. They were dark purple things, marring her arms and face, so bad I almost didn’t recognize her.

“Freya?” I gasped, walking deeper into the room. I dropped the paper on the stool and stood right in front of her trembling form, pulling out my penlight instantly. The bruises on her head were bad enough that I feared she might have a concussion. “What happened?” I asked, but I already knew. She didn’t haveto tell me she’d been beaten to a pulp; I could see it with my own eyes.

“I, uh…I fell down the steps and?—”

“No,” I said with a little more emphasis than I intended. I never meant to make her jolt with fear or shock, but that was what happened. “Don’t you lie to me. We’re friends, Freya. Please tell me what happened.”

While my fingers searched her arms and face gently, searching for signs of a fracture anywhere, Freya’s head hung in shame. She let me manipulate her joints, palpate her neck and spine. And when my physical exam was done, she let me hold her hands and look her in the eye.

“Brad, he…” She swallowed and let her head droop again. “He was just drinking, and we got into a tiff. He got out of control.”

The fact that she was confessing this made me feel relief that was quickly consumed by the mounting rage. I wanted to march over to her apartment and tear that man to shreds for doing this. He had no right to lay his hand on anyone like this, let alone a woman half his size that he was supposed to be loving and caring for.

“Jackson,” I called, certain we needed an X-ray or two.

“What? No,” Freya breathed, but I was following protocol.

“Babe, I know you’re nervous but he’s just going to come with the X-ray machine, okay?” I put my hand along her jawline and felt the worst of the bruises there. She winced, pulling away and shaking her head.

“Sunny, I …”

“I know you’re scared. Let me just treat these things first, and we’ll talk. Okay? My job right now is to be your doctor. When we know if you have anything broken, I’ll be your friend.” I had to push aside the rush of adrenaline and anger. Jackson popped his head in and I grunted, “X-rays,” which he seemed to understand.

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