Page 8 of Holiday Haven

She assessed the baby again after Joy had spent a solid thirty minutes in the croup tent. Joy’s respiratory rate came down to 42 breaths per minute and her pulse ox reading went up to a whopping 94 percent.

Progress, but not enough to consider Joy out of the danger zone. A noise outside the door made her jump in surprise. Her elbow jerked, clinging into the side of the crib with a loud clatter. She winced and glanced at Joy sleeping on her back in the tent. Thankfully the baby hadn't woken up.

“Sorry, didn't mean to scare you.” Adam stepped into the room, stealing her breath in his well worn pale blue jeans and navy sweatshirt instead of his usual shirt tie and white lab coat.

“I'm fine.” At least she would be once her heart got over its momentary lack of oxygen. As she glanced back at the baby, she frowned. Why hadn't Joy woken up when she'd rattled the crib? Worried, she leaned over and touched the baby, feeling for a pulse.

Joy responded to her touch, her tiny fists waving in startled surprise when she woke up. She let out her breath in a silent whoosh. The baby's lethargy didn't seem as bad as before.

“How is she?” Adam crossed the room to stand beside her, gazing down at the crib.

“Better.” She quickly logged on to the computer and brought up the graph of Joy's vital signs. “See? Her vitals are responding to the croup tent.”

“I'm pretty sure she has RSV so I'm not surprised.” He leaned closer to review the information on the computer screen. Then he took a step back and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “If we can get her through the night, I'm sure she'll be better by tomorrow.”

She nodded, shooting him a sidelong glance. “I thought you trusted me?”

The corner of his mouth kicked up in a half smile. “I do. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. Figured I was better off here, helping you.”

She smiled, even though the last thing she needed was to spend the next few hours in close contact with Adam.

She liked him far too much already.

CHAPTERTHREE

An awkward silence fell as they both watched baby Joy sleep. Krista bit her lip and tried to think of something to say. It seemed as if they were both avoiding any mention of her sister. She was more than a little curious as to how he felt about their broken engagement.

“Krista?” Jenny one of the night shift nurses called loudly into the room. “We're getting something to eat from the cafeteria. Did you want something?”

“No, I'm fine.” She swung toward Adam grateful for something inane to talk about. “What about you? Are you hungry?”

“No, thanks.” He smiled and she found herself staring at the way his eyes crinkled at the corners.

Stop it, she admonished herself. This was ridiculous. He was being nice, courteous as they took care of a very sick baby.

Her gaze dropped the monitor where are the babies pulse ox and heart rate readings flashed on the screen. Joy had fallen back asleep. Gazing at the baby, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Joy hadn't moved a bit when Jenny had called her name or when she dropped her stethoscope earlier that evening. Thinking back through her shift, Krista realized Joy only responded to being touched or held.

Grabbing the stethoscope from around her neck, she threw it loudly to the floor without taking her eyes off Joy.

“What are you doing?” Adam jumped at the loud clatter reverberated through the room. “Trying to give me a heart attack?”

Krista swung around to face him, her eyes wide. “She didn’t move, Adam. Not a single bit. I think Joy is deaf.”

* * *

Adam stared at Krista,wondering how she'd figured out something he—as the pediatrician had missed. “Deaf,” he repeated. “That would explain a lot. No wonder she always quieted down when someone held her. She couldn't hear voices to know someone was near.”

“The poor thing,” Krista murmured. “I wonder if her mother figured it out?” Her gaze collided with his. “Do you think it's the reason she abandoned her?”

“No.” Adam didn't want to think the worst. He knew there were some horrible parents out there, he'd reported a couple child abuse cases over the past few years. But he hadn't seen any unexplained bruises or injuries when he'd examined Joy. The mother's note led him to believe she would have mentioned the deafness if she had known. She had after all mentioned Joy’s fever. “I'll order more testing so we can discover the extent of Joy’s hearing loss. Maybe it's not as bad as we're thinking.”

“Maybe,” Krista agreed, but her tone was full of doubt. “Guess my talking and singing was all for naught.”

He had to laugh, remembering how he talked to Joy in the car on the ride over. “Mine, too.”

Krista’s expression turned troubled. “Adam, if her mother doesn't come back, Joy’s deafness could affect the likelihood of her being adopted.”

His smile faded. “Yes, I know. She could qualify for a cochlear transplant, but they won't do the surgery until she's at least twelve months old.” Even then he doubted Joy’s mother could afford the procedure. Despite financial help from government-based programs, there were potential ongoing costs which may not be covered. Anything from specialist care to simple battery replacements.

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