Page 3 of Holiday Haven

With new respect for mothers who lugged their babies around on a regular basis, he secured the infant seat in the back. It took him several tries to figure out how to get the carrier buckled in. After closing the back door, he quickly slid behind the wheel. His office wasn't far from Children's Memorial Hospital And he let the car run for a few minutes to warm up the engine.

Joy’s cries echoed throughout the interior of the car. He gripped the steering wheel, unable to do anything to stop her crying. He hadn't felt this helpless since the accident last year. His son would have been almost five months old if he'd lived. “Hang in there, Joy, we're almost there.” Adam glanced at the car seat in the rearview mirror but couldn't see the baby's face. Infant carriers had to be placed backwards to protect the baby from harm. He continued to talk to her, hoping the sound of his voice would help let her know she wasn't alone.

His attempts to calm her were in vain. She was still crying when he eased into traffic, using his hands free phone to call Alec.

“Hey, Alec,” Adam greeted his brother when he answered the phone. “I have a small problem.”

“What's up?” Alec paused and then added, “Is that a baby?”

“Yeah. That's my problem.” Adam sighed. “She was left in my clinic, as a safe haven baby I assume. I'm taking her to Children's Memorial. Would you be able to meet me there? I don’t want to mess this up.”

“Sure.” Alec didn't hesitate. “I need to arrange for someone to watch Shannon. Jillian's at work. I don't expect her for another hour or so.”

A flash of guilt nagged at him. He hated dragging his brother from his family. Alec and Jillian were doing their best to make their opposite schedules work. “Don't rush, you can wait until Jillian gets home. See you later.” He disconnected the call and pulled into the parking lot of Children's Memorial Hospital.

“We’re here, Joy.” Unbuckling the car seat was almost as complicated as getting it put together. “Don't cry, everything's going to be fine.”

Adam was relieved he could admit the baby to the hospital where he and the nursing staff could keep a close eye on her. And it would only be a matter of time before social services and the department of child protective services got involved. In a safe haven situation, there was usually not an attempt to track the mother. But in this case, because the mother made it sound like the issue was financial, he wondered if they could make an exception. The public health department had a variety of programs, as did Children's Memorial Hospital. Maybe Joy's mother didn't realize the resources that were available to her.

He wanted to reunite Joy with her mother. Unless of course her mother was unfit related to drug or alcohol abuse.

Either way, his first job was to identify the source of Joy’s fever.

* * *

“Admitting just calledwith a new patient. This one is yours, Krista.”

“No problem.” Krista glanced up from the computer and the chart she was reviewing. Emily, charge nurse for Six South, had taken the last admission, so indeed this new patient was hers. She didn't mind. She liked this unit, where patients were newborn infants up to the age of about two years. She was relatively new in her role, but learned something every day. “Where is the admission coming from? The emergency department?”

“Nope, Dr. Monroe is bringing this one over as a direct admission. The patient is a six-week-old baby girl with a fever of unknown origin. Put her in bed 618, as it's directly across from the nurse’s station.”

Krista momentarily froze. Dr. Monroe? As in Adam Monroe?

“Krista?” She glanced up to see Emily frowning at her. “Is something wrong?”

“No, of course not,” she lied. Logging off the computer she stood. “I'll make sure the room is set up.”

Ducking into the empty patient room, she leaned against the wall, trying to calm her racing heart. Over the past six months, since she'd started this job, she'd never had to take any of Adam's patients. She'd seen him on the unit now and then, but so far he hadn't recognized her. He’d simply nodded or said hello before going on his way.

She'd known this day would come but fell woefully unprepared for it now. Talking to him after a full year, would be awkward.

Why on earth was he bringing a direct admission in himself? She swallowed hard. Maybe he wouldn't stay long, simply drop the patient off and leave.

Pushing away from the wall, she managed to pull herself together. She went to the supply room to fetch an LP tray, knowing that babies with fevers usually needed a lumbar puncture procedure. When she returned, she set the equipment near a small procedure table.

She sighed, forcing herself to admit that dropping the baby off wouldn't be Adam Monroe's style. He had a reputation for being extremely thorough. Everyone liked him. Nurses had been known to seek his attention.

She couldn't blame them—if circumstances were different, she might have sought his attention, too.

After making sure there were enough sterile drapes in the drawer of the procedure table, she stepped back and tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen from the from her ponytail behind her ear. There was no reason to worry. If Adam Monroe hadn't recognized her by now, he wasn't likely to. She had grown out her badly bleached short hair and let her natural dark brown color shine through. She'd also had laser surgery for her near sightedness as her eyes hadn't been able to get accustomed to contact lenses. The laser surgery had been something of a necessity. On her second day of orientation, an eight-month-old boy had grabbed her glasses and tossed them to the floor, forcing her to wear the broken glasses for the remainder of her shift.

Regardless of why she'd slightly altered her appearance Krista knew she looked different compared to a year and a half ago, when she first met Adam. He had dated her older sister Danielle, the two of them becoming engaged after a short period of time. She hadn't seen him since last Christmas, after Danielle had broken off their engagement and moved overseas.

She'd only spoken with Adam a couple of times, having been away at college for much of the time he and Danielle had dated. Did he even remember she'd been enrolled in a nursing program? Her most vivid memory was of the night he'd picked up Danielle while her Aunt Beatrice had been there. Krista had been concerned when the woman had lost her balance, twice. She'd asked Adam to take a look and between them they'd examined Bea, quickly coming to the conclusion that she had a minor stroke.

Those moments they'd worked together had proved she'd made the right choice in becoming a nurse. A good thing, as she’d only had one more semester to go before graduating.

She crossed over to smooth the sheet over the crib mattress. She pulled out an extra blanket and set it at the foot of the crib. Glancing around, she noted everything was ready. There wasn't anything more for her to do.

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