Page 36 of Holiday Haven

“Monday?” Krista echoed in dismay. “That long?”

“We'll find her, Alec repeated. She may not live here anymore but we know where she works. Unfortunately, the store manager indicated she doesn’t work on Sundays.”

“Monday is fine.” He jammed his fists in his coat pockets, knowing his brother was right. There was no rush, other than his own anxiety and needing to meet the woman who'd peeked into the windows of his clinic as if to get a glimpse of her baby. He still wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing in tracking her down. Leaving Joy as a safe haven baby, might be better than whatever waited for her in that house.

Krista was quiet as they trooped back to the car. He wished he could say something to make her feel better. Given the way she'd grown up, being sent from one relative’s house to the next, he understood her reservations about Joy’s mother.

He could tell Krista was a kindhearted soul, a woman who cared deeply for others. He'd caught a glimpse of her compassion when she'd cared for her Aunt Bea. And he also watched her become far too attached to baby Joy—to the point where she hadn't been able to start an IV the infant.

Everything he knew about Krista convinced him she longed for a family. Hadn’t she admitted as much when explaining how she'd applied to become a foster parent? Joy wasn't the only baby Krista had fallen for—there had been at least one other, as well. And even if by some miracle from God Joy was successfully reunited with her mother, there was always the possibility of another abandoned baby or orphaned child needing help.

Krista would always make room in her heart for children. Especially children in need. She was the kind of woman who deserved the whole package—a ring, marriage, and a family.

He’d almost had a family once, and still hadn't quite recovered from the loss.

And he wasn't at all sure he was ready to try again.

* * *

The next day,Krista was scheduled to work second shift. She didn't start until three o’clock in the afternoon but left her apartment complex early so she could spend some time with Joy.

She walked into Joy's room, half expecting to find Joy's mother had arrived, but the baby was alone in her crib. Staring down at Joy’s happy face, she thought about how desolate the house had seemed yesterday with the crooked for sale sign out front. All night she tortured herself with the thought that Joy's mother was living on the street. Curled up somewhere in the freezing cold a week before Christmas.

She hoped and prayed that wasn’t the case.

When Joy saw her, she waved her arms excitedly. Krista tried not to put too much stock in thinking Joy could actually recognize her, but still grinned and leaned over to pick up the baby. “Hi there,” she crooned, pressing a kiss to Joy’s temple. “Are you feeling lonely? I have almost a full hour to spend with you before I start my shift.”

She settled into the rocker with Joy on her lap. She turned the baby so that they were facing each other, the way that book on deafness had recommended. She chatted with the baby loving the myriad of expressions that crossed the infants’ features. She wished there was more she could do to help Joy begin dealing with her deafness. Had Joy's mother realized the baby was deaf? Despite Adam's assurances otherwise, she wasn't so sure.

It was obvious Joy was feeling better. The baby scrunched her face, making Krista laugh when a fountain of bubbles gathered around her mouth. She was eating better, too. Krista hadn’t dared enter the baby’s electronic medical record since she wasn’t assigned to care for the infant any longer but had overheard the nurses talking about how Joy had actually gained two pounds since she'd first been admitted.

Had it only been two-and-a-half weeks since the night she had Adam had worked together to care for Joy? It hardly seemed possible. Thinking of Adam caused her smile to fade.

She'd bared her soul about her past but she still didn't know very much about him. It was easy to admire his work as a pediatrician, yet at the same time it bothered her the way he held himself aloof. Was he that way just with her, or with everyone? All she knew for sure that was that even when it came to Joy, he managed to keep us safe, professional distance from the baby, never getting too close. He'd even gone so far as to warn her about getting too emotionally attached.

Adam came from a noisy, fun, family, yet she thought it was odd how he hadn't once mentioned ever having children of his own.

He had asked if she trusted him, and she did. But it was clear to her he didn't reciprocate in trusting her. At least not enough to share his hopes, his dreams, or his emotions.

The knowledge rubbed like salt in a wound.

It was time to stop kidding herself. To stop daydreaming about some fantasy future with Adam. He might be attracted to her and had kissed her twice. But he didn't care for her the way she cared about him.

The hour she spent with Joy passed far too quickly. Realizing that it was a few minutes past three, she quickly stood and carried the baby to her crib. “I'll stop back to see you soon, sweetheart,” she promised.

She turned away, certain that today was probably the last time she'd see Joy. Even if Joy's mother didn't return, or wasn't capable of taking care of the baby, Adam would likely discharge the baby the following morning. It was obvious Joy no longer needed medical care.

“There you are.” Amy glanced up in surprise when she walked into the nurses’ station. “We've been worried about you. You’re rarely late.”

“I'm here.” She forced a smile. “Have you already assigned me a few patients?” She fully expected they had. It was her fault she was late, having dawdled in Joy's room.

“Yes, you have a new admission being sent out from the emergency department.” Amy handed her a slip of paper. “Megan took report for you. The four-month-old baby was treated with antibiotics for an ear infection and had some sort of allergic response.” Amy turned back toward the assignment board. “In addition to that, we gave you the Simmons baby, he's only four weeks old and has a low-grade fever. And your third patient is little Olivia who is having tests for early kidney failure.”

All of her patients were babies, but that was fine with her. She preferred them, while many of the others liked caring for toddlers. “Sounds good. When is the new admission due to arrive?”

There was a commotion in the hallway as a crib rolled onto the unit. Amy gestured to it. “I think that's her now.”

“Cynthia Downer has a rash covering most of her body, after receiving two doses of penicillin,” the emergency department physician, Dr. Luis Garcia informed her. There was a tiny woman, obviously Cynthia 's mother, walking alongside the crib. “I think the main reason Dr. Monroe wanted her admitted was to watch for signs of respiratory failure.”

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