Fated Bliss (Bliss #2) (11 page)

Chapter 10

Ben

I knocked on
the door, giving my patient’s mom a heads up, though I was sure the screams coming from the baby in the room overpowered all other sounds. I’d already checked Bella Vincent’s file, getting an idea of what awaited me. The baby had a series of ear infections recently, but it wasn’t too concerning.

My nurse, Lily, suspected that Bella might have a mild concussion. If not, the poor thing had a pretty nasty bump on the head. Sadly, these things frequently happened when babies began to walk. I should know – Lincoln gave me plenty of scares when he was little.

I pasted on a fake smile (smiling and I didn’t mix well these days) and pushed the door open. I was surprised to find a stunning blonde woman with the most shocking Caribbean-blue eyes cradling a baby in her arms, bouncing Bella slightly to soothe her.

I put that out of my head, needing to focus on the task at hand, and shut the door. “Hello, Miss Vincent.”

Clarabelle Vincent, the frightened mother, turned to me with tears brimming in her eyes, but they widened slightly in shock. I’d gotten this response from most of my patients since starting at the clinic earlier in the week, so I was able to brush it off easily.

I took a few steps closer, explaining, “My name is Dr. Rhodes. I’ve taken over for Dr. Melbourne.”

Clarabelle shook her head, shouting, “I’m sorry. I can’t hear you.”

I smiled at her and motioned at the exam table. “Can you lay her down?” I hollered back.

I could tell Clarabelle didn’t hear me, but she understood my meaning. She ambled to the table and laid the eleven-month-old down. Even the noise of the paper crinkling couldn’t be heard over the wails coming from the poor thing.

“Where’s Dr. Melbourne?” Clarabelle asked, raising her voice again.

“He retired,” I informed her and slipped on some plastic gloves.

A knowing light dawned in her eyes, and she let it go with a nod.

“May I?” I motioned at Bella, wanting to make sure it was okay to touch her. Some mothers were fickle about that.

Clarabelle didn’t have a problem and gave me a gesture that clearly meant
have at it.

I went through my usual routine, asking Clarabelle questions. Apparently, the child fell outside while playing in the grass and hit the stairs leading to the deck. When I checked Bella’s eyes for dilation, I wasn’t surprised to find the child’s eyes the same as her mother’s. They weren’t as beautiful as Samantha’s, but they were close.

Don’t think about her again, Ben. You fucked that up already. Just get through your day.

Refocusing, I inhaled deeply and finished Bella’s exam, making a few notations in her file. Bella had calmed down and was watching me too keenly for a child with a concussion. Her mother’s response probably caused her to react dramatically – they sensed these things – but I was going to keep that to myself.

“I believe it’s just a bump,” I assured Clarabelle. “Her pupils are great, she’s responding well, and her reflexes are perfect. You don’t have anything to worry about, Miss Vincent.”

Clarabelle lifted Bella from the table and guided her daughter’s head to her bosom, her worry still evident. “Are you sure? Shouldn’t we do a CAT scan or something?”

As I took Bella’s little hand in mine, she wrapped her small fingers around one of mine and displayed her new teeth with a grin. She was a beautiful child, like her mother.

“What do you think, Bella? Do you need one of those?” I joked, hoping to ease her mama. The little angel let out a string of gibberish, giving me a long unintelligible rant of some sort.

I chuckled and addressed her mother. “If you’d feel more comfortable, I can. However, you’d be exposing her to unnecessary radiation. In my opinion, she’s perfectly fine. Like any other bump or bruise, it will be tender for a few days, so be careful.”

Clarabelle puffed out her cheeks and exhaled in relief. “Thank God. No, no CAT scan. Sorry, this isn’t the first time she’s fallen, but it’s the first time she’s bumped her head. I freaked.”

“Naturally,” I commented. “Is she your first?” I dipped my chin down at Bella.

Clarabelle blushed a pretty pink. “Is it that obvious?”

I shrugged. “It happens. When my son was born, every cry scared me to death.”

“You’re Dr. Melbourne’s grandson, right?”

“Yes,” I answered, not for the first time. It seemed as if everyone here knew of me, but I wasn’t surprised – Pop’s was proud to have me here with him.

She glanced at my ring finger, smiling. “You mentioned a son. Are you married?”

Not again.

“No. Sorry, but I’m not looking for a relationship or any involvement at this time,” I replied, letting her down softly.

After my epic screw up with Samantha, I didn’t think I’d be in the market for quite some time.

Clarabelle’s eyes bugged out. “No! Not me!” She giggled nervously and flashed me a ring. “I’m engaged. I was trying to be friendly. I’m sorry.”

My collar felt tight around my neck, so I pulled on it, embarrassed that I assumed. “My apologies.”

“That’s a very practiced response, Doctor.”

I shifted nervously. “Well…”

“You’ve got all the single gals chasing you, don’t you?”

I pressed my lips together in a thin line to keep from laughing or saying something sarcastic. Instead, I said, “Yes. It’s been an interesting week.”

“I bet,” she replied, highly amused. “My fiancé, Grey, used to be the town’s unattainable bachelor, so I feel your pain. He and his sister told me some crazy stories when it comes to the single ladies in Bliss.”

“You’re not from here, are you, Miss Vincent?”

“Clara, please,” she corrected me. Clara studied me for a moment, something working behind her eyes. “It’s refreshing to find someone in Bliss that doesn’t know my life story already.”

My brows shot up in surprise. “I’m sorry?”

“You’ll find out soon enough, so I should probably tell you,” she continued, sighing. “I came here from Chicago last year after my brother and his wife passed away.”

Feeling like even more of a schmuck, I rushed to apologize. “Oh, Miss Vincent-”

She waved me off. “It’s fine. There’s no need for all that. It’s over and done with.” She rested against the exam table and continued. “Bella is my niece, which is why I moved to Bliss. I had to stay if I wanted to raise her – a stipulation in their will. Anyway, I fell in love with this town and Bella and then met and fell in love with Grey. I adopted Bella a few months ago, and now I’m engaged.”

I was uncomfortable with the amount of information I’d just received.

Seeing this, Clara enlightened me further. “It’s nice to be able to say that to someone who doesn’t know already. Being from Chicago, it takes some getting used to when everyone knows everything about you.”

Instead of commenting on that, I stated, “I’m shocked to learn Bella isn’t your biological daughter. She takes after you.”

A radiant smile lit Clara’s face. “You think? People say that, but sometimes I look at her and wonder.”

“Definitely. It was my first thought when I walked in…especially your eyes.”

Bella was done being ignored and let out a grunt. She held her hands out to me, pouting at her mother.

“I think someone likes you,” Clara stated.

“Do you mind?” I asked, holding out my hands.

I miss Linc being this little.

Clara offered Bella to me without objecting. The little thing didn’t weigh much, so I put her bottom on top of my forearm and hoisted her high, bringing us face to face. “Hey, there. Are you feeling better, munchkin?” I tickled her belly to add to the effect.

Bella squealed and wiggled in my arms, saying, “Uph, uph!”

I looked at her mother for translation.

“She wants you to throw her in the air. She’s trying to say up.”

“She’s got a good vocabulary,” I remarked and peered down at Bella. “No, sweet girl. You’ve got a big booboo on your head. No up for a few more days, okay?”

Bella whined, but then she noticed my stethoscope. Her eyes rounded with glee right before she dove for it.

I laughed and glanced at Clara again. She was smiling fondly at her daughter. “Bella’s very smart for her age,” she explained. “She’s already saying mama and dada, knows things like baba, up, down, toy, play, and believe it or not, she’s already calling out her aunt’s name. That’s obvious, though – Grey’s sister spoils her rotten.”

When Bella tried to stick my stethoscope in her mouth, I had to pull her away and reluctantly hand her over to her mother. “That’s a good sign.”

“Yeah.” Clara sighed happily. She glanced at the clock above the door, and her eyes bugged out. “Oh, shit…I mean shoot.” She flashed me a
yikes
look. “Still working on that.” She laughed at herself. “Well, I have to go. I have someone to pick up, and it looks like I’m going to be late.”

“No problem,” I assured her. “It was nice to meet you, Miss…I mean, Clara. Keep a close watch on Bella for me. If you notice any strange behavior or she seems more tired than usual, call me. When it comes to the little ones, you can’t be too careful.”

“Thank you,” she replied appreciatively and lugged a large diaper bag onto her shoulder. “I’m happy to know someone as nice as you is taking over for Dr. Melbourne. He’s such a sweet man.”

“He is that,” I agreed, opening the door for her. I followed her into the foyer, stopping at the receptionist’s desk.

“I hope to see you around, Doctor.”

I brushed my thumb along Bella’s cheek and smiled at Clara. “Me too, Clara.”

∞

I crossed off one more name from the long list and dialed the next number, wanting to get a few more in between patients. Who knew there were so many damn bed and breakfasts in the area?

A lady answered, “Mornin’, Carrington Bed & Breakfast. How may I help you?”

I cleared my voice, knowing this would sound creepy – I’d already had a few of them hang up on me because of it. “This might seem a little odd, but I’m looking for the owner of a bed and breakfast that goes by the name Sam. I don’t have a last name, just the first. It is short for Samantha.”

Suspicious and straight to the point, the lady asked, “Are you stalkin’ her?”

I rubbed my temple in frustration. “It sounds like it, doesn’t it? But no, I’m not stalking her. Just trying to find her. It’s a long story.”

“Well, son,” the lady replied in a no nonsense type of way, “if I were you, I would a’ asked for the owner and seen if their voices matched. Most would identify themselves once they picked up, too. It would save you the trouble of lookin’ like a crazy man.”

I chuckled softly. “I find that when it comes to Samantha, I don’t think too clearly.”

I didn’t add the fact that Samantha was on vacation, which was the reason I was using this line of questioning. I was hoping I’d find her before she returned, which could be any day.

“That doesn’t make it sound any better, son.”

I laughed outright. “No it doesn’t, does it?” I calmed a little and explained, “Let’s just say that Samantha thinks I wronged her, which I have, but I have a good explanation and I need to apologize.”

“Hmm, one of those. Well, I’m sorry to tell you there’s no Sam or Samantha here. Good luck, though. And remember what I said – stop soundin’ so creepy.”

The lady hung up before I could come up with a retort. I threw my phone down on the desk and reclined into my chair, staring up at the ceiling.

This was going to take forever.

Before I could move on to the next, my cell rang. I sighed and glanced at it. Seeing Lyric’s name, I answered, “Hey, you.”

“Hey, yourself. How are you holding up?”

I sighed again, this one longer and more ragged.

Lyric chuckled and asked, “That bad, huh?”

Bad didn’t begin to cover it. I felt like I had aged ten years since I left Samantha’s hotel room.

“Linc’s acting out, doing crazy shit, or brooding. Pops is trying to talk to him, but he won’t listen to either of us. Oh, and since Linc’s birthday was last weekend, my mother had a brand new Jeep with a big bow on it delivered to our door.”

“She did not!” Lyric exclaimed, horrified.

“Oh, yeah. She says it’s her right spoil him.”

“More like buy his love,” Lyric muttered.

“Exactly. It’s another thing that makes me the bad guy, too.” I laughed darkly. “He doesn’t have his license yet, but he doesn’t understand why I won’t let him drive the damn thing.”

“I hate your parents,” Lyric growled.

“Mom’s only trying to be nice, but-”

“Stop defending that woman, Ben. I know you love her, and yes, I know she doesn’t do these things maliciously, but how many times have you told her to stop? How many times has she crossed the line?”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Lyric,” I barked, more aggravated and frustrated than I was before. “I told her that if she does it one more time, that’s it. I’m done.”