Practice Makes Perfect (18 page)

That had been an hour ago.

Paige turned as Ian came through the delivery-room door. His face was etched with worry. “Mary Ellen’s being prepped for a C-section.”

“I’m sure that’s the right decision.” Fifty percent of all twin births were cesarean.

“I want you in there, Paige. I’m worried about twin B, the boy.”

“Could the cords be tangled?”

“No, the babies aren’t monoamniotic. There are two sacs. But a decelerated heartbeat can mean a thin umbilical cord. That’s always dangerous.” He didn’t point out that when there were complications, the second twin often didn’t make it. Paige prayed with all her heart both babies would be all right.

Twenty minutes later Paige watched Ian deliver two squalling infants. The sight caused her eyes to mist. Twin A, the girl, was nearly five pounds. The boy, who indeed had a pencil-thin umbilical cord, was only three pounds. He was whisked away into the neonatal intensive-care unit.

Nora had remained with Mary Ellen throughout the whole delivery. Just as she had for Paige all those years ago.

o0o

PAIGE AWOKE the next morning in Ian’s bed. Rolling over, she saw him sprawled out on his stomach, wearing only a pair of black boxers. The morning sun played on his back, and she watched the steady rise and fall of his breathing. Just beyond him, the red dials of his clock winked out 7 a.m. She wanted to wake him, but he was exhausted, and obviously in a deep sleep.

They’d stayed at the hospital until after one. Ian had wanted to keep an eye on Mary Ellen, who was experiencing headaches and back pain from the anesthesia, and had freaked out that twin B—now called Sammy—was in intensive care.

Paige had spent time with the neonatologist who’d been called. She was able to report that Sammy was in an isolette, which would regulate his temperature, and he was on a respirator, which would help him breathe. Overall, he was doing okay, but it took a while to convince his mother.

Paige slid out of bed, smiling at the T-shirt she wore. “At least sleep in my shirt,” he’d said last night, yawning from a day that had started at six and had ended more than nineteen hours later. “I’ll take it back first thing in the morning.”

The room was so much Ian that she took a moment to study it. It was about twenty feet square, with two huge windows, framed in light-colored wood, flanking the bed. The view from them was of the rapidly flowing river. The bed itself had a spindled, curved headboard; its covers consisted of navy checked sheets and pillowcases, and a blue-striped comforter. Very masculine. Very Ian.

Grabbing her shorts, she slipped out of the room to find Scalpel on the porch, staring out of the securely locked screen doors. He barked when he saw her. “Shh, boy, Ian’s still asleep.” She tugged on her shorts. “Come on, I’ll take you out. You seem to be managing your cast very well.”

The walk by the river was calm and peaceful. Despite their hellish night, Paige felt serene. “He’s good for me, Scalpel. You know that, don’t you?”

Scalpel barked, then nuzzled her hand.

“Even though he is a bully.” She glanced down at the dog. “How do you put up with it?”

Damned if the dog didn’t toss its head, the canine equivalent of a shrug.

“Yeah, ‘cause you love him, huh?”

Well, Paige didn’t love Ian, but she’d come to like him and respect him immensely. He’d been a savior last night with Mary Ellen, and he’d been a patient, sexy suitor with her. She couldn’t wait to get back to him. This morning was going to be...sumptuous.

I intend to feast, Paige. Soon.

It was nearly eight by the time they returned to Ian’s condo. Despite the cast on his leg, Scalpel had pulled at the leash and led her around front to fetch the Sunday paper from the porch. She laughed at his antics. All was right with the world.

Inside, Ian hadn’t stirred. She decided to make coffee, have one cup, then wake him up with another. He could sleep more afterward. As she sipped coffee, she sat at his butcher-block table and unfolded the newspaper. Leafing through, she came to the Living section.

Still smiling, she read the title of the feature article, “One Big Happy Family.” The
Herald
often did human-interest articles on Sunday morning. Mildly curious, she skimmed the second line. Open adoption—nightmare or lifesaver?

Underneath the quote was a picture. Paige froze. She recognized Elsa first, trim and fit, holding Lynne Chandler’s hand. Behind them stood Ian. He dwarfed both women, and the resemblance to Lynne was clear. Next to them were Ian’s brother Derek, and his father, Tom. In a separate photo was a woman named Abby Shane.

Paige gripped the paper, crushing its outer edges. She forced herself to read the text.

“The Internet organization, Right to Know, is nearing its one-thousandth match. Its founders are shown above. Theirs is a very open, very happy success story. Lynne Chandler and her birth son, Ian, president and vice president of the organization respectively, spoke candidly with us.”

Paige swallowed hard. Scalpel came over and nudged her, but she ignored him and read further. Ian was quoted frequently. “My personal opinion is that all adoptions should be open. Birth mothers suffer their whole lives unnecessarily, haunted by what might have happened to their children...so unnecessary. If I had my way, all adoptees and birth mothers would unite....”

Typical of Ian. No middle ground. So sure he was right. Did he have any idea of the arrogance of that statement? Could he possibly fathom the psyche of the birth mother who had chosen a different path?

For a moment anger welled up inside her. His views were so glib. So presumptuous. She scanned the kitchen. God, she’d had such plans for today. It was supposed to be a whole new beginning. Now she felt cheated. Her insides were a jumbled mass of emotions. She couldn’t stay, couldn’t climb back in that bed with him!

She got to her feet. As she headed for the door, Scalpel barked.

“Shh, boy, don’t.”

He limped over to her and gently grabbed her wrist in his mouth. She smiled sadly. He was trying to keep her here. “No boy, I have to go. I can’t...” Her throat closed up. She tugged her arm free, opened the door and left Ian’s house.

o0o

IAN ROLLED OVER in bed, groping for Paige. In his half-awake state, he remembered she was here. Besides, he could smell her subtle perfume. But his hand came up empty. He opened his eyes. She was not in bed.

Groaning, he flipped onto his back and searched for the time. Eleven o’clock. Damn, why had she let him sleep so long? By now they should be... The thought propelled him out of bed. His body told him to go find her, and he left the room. The smell of coffee hit him as he entered the kitchen.

Scalpel, asleep in a patch of sunlight on the porch floor, heard him, leaped up and barked. “Where is she, boy?” he asked when Scalpel came over and nuzzled him. The dog whimpered. Ian checked his cast. It seemed okay.

“Where’s Paige, buddy?”

Scalpel limped to the front door and barked. She was out front? Why? He opened the door. What the hell? Her car was gone.

Slowly shutting the door, Ian faced the dog. Scalpel trotted into the kitchen and barked again. Following him, Ian saw that the paper was open and a cup of coffee sat next to it. He put his hand on the cup. It was stone cold. He glanced down at the paper. Facing up was the article about his family and RTK. Was there something in the report that could have upset Paige? He skimmed it, remembering the day the photo had been taken. He’d just finished his residency, and they were all celebrating. Gently he circled the picture of his mother with his finger. Then the one of his dad. God, sometimes he missed them so much!

Okay, Paige had seen the article. No big deal. True, he hadn’t told her about his work in RTK, but there were a lot of things they didn’t know about each other.

He grabbed for the phone and punched out her home number. “This is Paige Kendrick. Leave a message.” Was she there and not answering? Where was Jade? “Paige, honey, it’s Ian. Pick up if you’re there.” Still no answer.

He decided to try her cell phone. Then he realized he didn’t have her number. Damn it, they were going to make love today and he didn’t even have her cell-phone number. Anger warred with concern. He stood. He’d shower, stop in at the hospital to see Mary Ellen, then go over to her house. She’d have to go home sooner or later.

Twenty minutes later he reached the hospital. Mary Ellen greeted him with a weak smile. “Hi, Dr. Chandler.”

“Hello, Mom.” He smiled. “I saw Sammy. He looks good.”

“He has to stay here in that little bed.” Her eyes teared. “I went down to see him. He’s got all those wires on him and a tube in his nose.”

“The heart monitor, the feeding tube and the respirator. To help him eat and breathe better.”

“They said he’s got apnea. You know, where he stops breathing sometimes. Dr. Kendrick explained it to me.”

Ian stilled, staring down at the chart. “Oh, really. She was here?” Now his temper collided with his worry.

“Yes.”

“Sorry I missed her.” Mary Ellen didn’t know
how
sorry. “Did she make you feel better about all this?”

“Yeah. But I get to breast-feed Suzy and not him. It’s not right.”

“Maybe it won’t last long.”

“I hope not.”

After some more convincing, Ian casually asked, “How long ago was Dr. Kendrick here?”

“A couple of hours ago, I think.” Mary Ellen frowned. “She looked, I
don’t
know...upset. Said she’d be back later.”

Ian spent some more time with Mary Ellen, made notes on her chart, checked the baby in NICU just for his own peace of mind and was in his car, headed toward Paige’s house by noon. On the way there, he was once again torn—angry about her leaving him but hoping she was all right. What on earth could have driven her away when he knew damned well she’d wanted to make love with him? And why had she looked upset when she went to see Mary Ellen?

Jade’s snazzy Lexus was in the driveway, but not Paige’s car, though it could be in the garage. He pulled in behind the vehicle and took the stairs two at a time. Jade opened the door dressed in church clothes.

“Ian?” Her pretty green eyes widened. “What are you doing here?” Her face became terror-stricken. “Oh, no, something’s happened to Paige.”

“No, no, Jade. Paige left my house early this morning while I was still asleep. I’m sure she’s all right. I just can’t find her.”

The woman sagged like a rag doll. Ian wondered about the reaction. “Come on in.” She led him through the foyer into the kitchen. He realized he’d never been in the front part of Paige’s house. Its foyer entrance and the soaring ceilings were impressive. Wood and glass were everywhere.

In the kitchen Jade turned to him. “That explains the message she left here.”

“Message?” A lump the size of a fist formed in his throat.

She nodded at the phone.

“May I hear it?” he asked through gritted teeth. She’d left her sister a message, but not him.

“Sure.” She hit the playback button.

Paige’s somewhat husky voice came on. “Jade, it’s me. I won’t be home for a while. Something’s come up. I’ll be checking in with my service, but if there’s an emergency, call me on my cell. Otherwise, I need some space.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“I thought it odd. I knew she was with you.”

“Yeah, well, she played the disappearing act this morning.”

Folding her arms over her chest, Jade cocked her head. “I don’t mean to pry, but did something go wrong last night? I know she was dying to...um, looking forward to...being with you.”

Ian ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, I thought so, too.” He filled her in on Mary Ellen’s emergency. “We were exhausted by the time we got home at three. We, um...” Jeez, he was embarrassed. “We decided to get some sleep. When I woke up, she was gone.”

Jade shook her head. “Paige is a complicated woman. I worry about her.”

“Can you tell me why?”

“Come and sit outside with me. Jewel just went down for her nap.” She led him through the kitchen to the patio, stopping to pour them both some coffee. It was another beautiful day with hot sunshine and a pristine sky. He should have been in bed with Paige. Where was she?

Once they were seated, Jade didn’t mince words. “We had a very hard childhood, Ian.”

“I know she raised you.”

“From the time I was born.”

Ian scowled. “I thought you were fourteen when your parents died.”

“I was. But they were more like kids than we were. Paige was always the mother.” Jade frowned. “I remember once when I was seven and she was ten, I had a doctor’s appointment at the clinic. My parents were off somewhere. Paige took me on the bus.”

“Damn. That’s why she’s so responsible.”

“That’s why she’s so everything. Serious. Diligent. Ambitious. I can’t tell you how hard she worked to make her way through college and med school.”

Ian stared out over the pool. The water was still and very blue. He remembered their late-night swims, the promises they’d made.

“Did anything happen between you two to send her running?”

He shook his head. “Far as I can tell, she woke up early, took Scalpel out for a walk and made coffee when she came back.” He scowled. “The newspaper was open to an article about me and my family, but I can’t fathom what could be in there that would spook her.”

Jade sipped her coffee. “What was the article about?”

He told her about RTK and his mother and birth mother.

As she listened, Jade’s rosy complexion drained of color.

“What is it?”

“I...” She sighed deeply. “I can’t tell you, Ian. Paige will have to do that.”

“Jade, I’m
worried
about her. I need to know what drove her away.”

“Still, it’s not my place to tell. I just can’t.”

Frustrated by both Kendrick women, he stood. “Fine.” He scanned the pool area. “If she comes home, ask her to call me—if it’s not too much trouble—and let me know she’s okay.” He shook his head disgustedly. “She can leave me a message.”

Jade rose, too. “Don’t be too hard on her, Ian. You don’t know the kind of life she’s led.”

“That’s just the problem. I don’t know.” He was halfway to the pool gate when the doors to the kitchen slid open.