Having His Baby (3 page)

"This conversation is getting entirely too personal," Donna told them, then cried out when another labor pain struck.

"How far is the damn hospital?" Jake ran a comforting hand over Donna's stomach.

"We'll be there any minute," Hank said.

Donna clutched Jake's strong hand and held on to it tightly as the pain worsened and then subsided. Her cry transformed into a whimper and then a sigh of relief.

"Is it bad, sugar?" Jake asked, sincere concern evident in his dark eyes as he stared at her face.

"You have no idea." For a split second Donna was glad her baby's father was with her, holding her, comforting her, trying his best to reassure her. But the moment ended quickly and reality set in. She didn't know this man—Jake Bishop—and had no idea what his presence in her life would mean to her and her child.

"We're here," Hank said as he pulled the van up in front of the emergency room entrance.

Caleb jumped out, opened the back door and moved out of the way as Jake emerged with Donna in his arms. Jake stormed into the ER, past the protesting receptionist and straight toward the nearest person in a nurse's attire.

"She's in labor and we need help immediately," Jake said.

"Sir, if your wife is in labor, you need to take her to the admission's office," the nurse explained. "After she's admitted, they'll take her up to her suite and her doctor will see her."

"I'll take her wherever she needs to go right now," Jake said, his deep voice a vicious growl. "Somebody can fill out the papers later!"

The ER nurse backed away from Jake, and Donna covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. The poor woman's face had gone deathly white and her brown eyes bulged.

Tallie, Peyton and Sheila flew into the ER behind Jake and Donna. Tallie grabbed Jake's arm and the nurse gasped as if she thought the big cowboy might strike the woman who had dared touch him.

"What's going on?" Tallie asked.

"Hank brought us to the wrong entrance," Sheila explained. "We need to go around to Admitting and fill out the paperwork so they can admit Donna."

The nurse sighed heavily, then smiled weakly at Sheila. "That's what I've been trying to tell this, er, gentleman. But he doesn't seem to want to cooperate."

"Cooperate be damned!" Jake roared the exclamation. "Donna's in labor!"

Cringing, the nurse backed farther away from Jake. Tallie shook her finger in her brother's face. "You're scaring the daylights out of—" Tallie examined the nurse's name badge "—Ms. Rivers. There are rules and regulations that she must—"

Donna moaned loudly as yet another pain ripped through her. Jake's mouth tightened, his jaw clenched. His dark gaze zipped around the room in a search mode. He spotted someone he assumed was a doctor.

"Hey, Doc! I've got a woman in labor here—" he hoisted Donna a few inches higher to dramatize the situation "—and we need some help for her now, not later."

"Dr. Keifer, I tried to explain to this man—" Nurse Rivers said.

"First-time father?" the slender, bespectacled, young doctor asked as he approached Jake.

"Yes," three feminine voices replied—Sheila, Tallie and Donna.

Dr. Keifer grinned. Jake grunted. The doctor placed his hand on Jake's shoulder.

"I'm Stan Keifer, Mr. …?"

"Bishop. Jake Bishop."

"Mr. Bishop, we're going to get a wheelchair for Mrs. Bishop—" The doctor motioned to the stunned nurse, who nodded and raced off to follow his instructions. "—And they'll take her on up to her suite while you go around to Admitting and fill out the paperwork."

"I'll have to fill out the paperwork," Donna said. "The insurance is in my name and—"

"Just give your husband your insurance card—" Dr. Keifer said.

"He's not my husband!" Donna turned to Jake, glaring at him. "You can put me down now! I'm perfectly capable of handling this myself."

Jake eased her onto her feet, but kept one arm around her.

The nurse returned with a wheelchair. Donna pulled away from Jake and sat immediately. "Let's go to admissions and get this show on the road."

Jake stood in the doorway, big, brooding and mouth agape.

Tallie grabbed the wheelchair handlebars and looked over her shoulder at her brother. "Let's go get Donna admitted before she has this baby in the hallway."

Jake felt like a fool. He was in unknown waters here, sailing an uncharted course. All he wanted was help for Donna—for the woman who was about to give birth to his child. The very thought of fatherhood overwhelmed him. The last thing on earth he had expected when he showed up for Hank's wedding was to find his weekend lover on the verge of childbirth.

Tallie tapped her foot. "Well? Are you coming with us or not?"

Without saying a word, Jake fell into line beside Peyton and Sheila and followed his sister as she wheeled Donna down the hall.

Fifteen minutes later the Bishop clan took up residence in Donna's suite in the hospital's separate maternity division. Jake stood in the corner, silent and sullen, refusing to answer any questions from his two younger brothers—and grateful that Tallie was too absorbed in Donna to harass him. Nobody could harass and needle better than his little sister. She'd been a hellcat even as a child. Maturity had mellowed her only slightly.

He watched with curiosity and concern as the nurses followed what was obviously standard procedure as they prepared Donna for childbirth. Before the family had been allowed into the suite, Donna had changed into a blue-and-white-striped cotton gown. She was now hooked up to a bag containing some kind of intravenous fluids—and to an electronic fetal monitor. That's what the nurse had called it when he'd asked.

"Dr. Farr!" Donna held out her hand toward the middle-aged man who entered the room.

The doctor took Donna's hand, patted it in a reassuring manner and smiled broadly. "Looks like we won't have to induce labor, after all. I'm glad this young lady decided to make her entrance into the world before she grows any larger. We wouldn't want you delivering an eleven pound baby, would we?"

"Eleven pounds?" Susan asked.

"When they're full-term, Bishop babies tend to be large," Sheila said. "Danny weighed almost ten pounds." She patted her belly. "Lord only knows how big this one will be."

"Yes, mine came in at over nine pounds," Tallie said, then glanced accusingly at Jake. "Since this little girl's daddy is six-three and a pretty big guy, she'll be lucky to weigh less than ten pounds."

While Jake's mind whirled with the news that his child would be a girl, the nurse shooed him and the Bishop clan out of the room while Dr. Farr examined Donna.

He'd never thought much about fatherhood, had never actually considered having children. But the few times the notion had crossed his mind, he'd imagined his child being a boy. After all, boys ran in the Bishop family. Caleb had a son. Tallie had two boys. Now Hank had a son.

Even though Jake had a difficult time picturing himself as a father, he supposed he'd figured that helping raise a little boy was something he could handle. But a little girl? God help him, a little girl was a different matter altogether. A baby girl would need gentleness and tenderness, probably more than a boy. And any daughter of Donna's would be a little lady. Jake would be the first to admit that he didn't know a damn thing about ladies, little or otherwise.

Dr. Farr stepped out into the hallway and glanced at the seven adults waiting there. "Donna's labor is progressing quickly. I don't think we'll have a very long wait. Sheila, since you're Donna's coach, you should go on in and be with her now."

Sheila glanced over at Jake, who stared back at her in bewilderment. "I think the baby's father should be with her for the delivery."

"The baby's father?" Dr. Farr questioned. "I didn't realize that Donna had any contact with the father."

"She does now," Tallie said. "The father is here—" she pointed to her eldest brother "—and he's the type who likes to take charge of situations."

"I'm Dr. Farr, Mr. …?"

"Jake Bishop."

"Hank and Caleb's brother?" the doctor asked.

"That's right."

"And you're the father of Donna's baby?"

"Looks that way."

"Do you want to be with Donna during the remainder of her labor and the delivery of your child?"

Did he? Could he?
"Yeah, I want to be with her," he answered finally. No woman should go through childbirth without the baby's father, Jake thought. And no kid should grow up without a dad, the way he and his brothers and Tallie had.

Jake followed Dr. Farr back into Donna's room. The attendants turned and stared at him.

"This is Jake Bishop." The doctor introduced him. "He's the baby's father."

All the women smiled warmly and moved aside to allow him space next to the bed.

"What are you doing here?" Donna glared at him. "Where's Sheila?"

"Everybody thought I should be present for our daughter's birth," Jake replied.

"She's my daughter!"

"She's our daughter, sugar." Jake took Donna's hand in his and lifted it to his lips.

She narrowed her eyes and glowered at him. "You didn't even know she existed until a few hours ago! You have no right to make claims on my baby. You weren't supposed to be a part of her life. You're totally unsuitable to be Louisa Christine's father."

Jake kissed Donna's hand, then sat in a chair one of the attendants scooted over to him. "Louisa Christine sure is a mouthful for a little baby. Maybe we should call her Christy or Lou."

Donna jerked her hand away. "We will do no such thing. I'm naming her in honor of my grandmothers and I'm going to call her Louisa!"

"Sure thing. You call her whatever you want to call her."

"Don't you patronize me, J.B.! Dammit, I mean Jake."

"I don't mind you calling me J.B."

"That's not your name, is it? If you'd told me you were Jake Bishop the night we met, I wouldn't be in this situation now."

Jake leaned over, lifted his hand to Donna's face and caressed her moist cheek. "Are you sure about that, sugar? As I recall, nothing short of an act of God would have prevented what happened between us."

"Why you … you … you …" Donna spluttered furiously.

"Calm down," Jake said. "What will these fine folks here think if we keep fussing with each other?"

Donna glanced around the room at the attendants, who tried to pretend they weren't listening to every word of the not-so-private conversation. "Right this minute, I don't give a damn what anyone thinks."

Dr. Farr motioned to Jake. "Are you ready to be a father, Mr. Bishop?"

Was he ready to be a father? Hell, no! He'd been a renegade and a black sheep all his life. A hell-raiser, who had avoided responsibility and commitment for as long as he could remember. The last thing on earth he was ready for was fatherhood.

But prepared for the awesome task or not, he was about to have fatherhood thrust upon him. Without prior warning. With no preparation.

Jake stood, leaned over and kissed Donna's forehead. "I'm here for the duration, whether you want me or not."

Donna grabbed Jake's hand. He grasped tightly. They gazed into each other's eyes for a brief moment.

"I want you here," Donna admitted, doing a sudden about-face in attitude. "Don't leave me, Jake."

Following the last of Dr. Farr's instructions, Jake cut the umbilical cord. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as an exhilaration he'd never known rushed through his body.

"How about a good look at your daughter, Donna?" Dr. Farr indicated for the nurse to lay the newborn on Donna's abdomen. "She seems to be perfect in every way."

Jake stepped back, took a deep breath and gazed at the woman who had just given birth to his child. Despite the time in labor and with her makeup melted away, Donna was still beautiful. So beautiful that at that precise moment the sight of her and his infant daughter hit him like a sledgehammer to the gut.

Tears trickled down Donna's cheeks as she smiled. "Oh, my, isn't she beautiful?"

"Looks just like her daddy," one of the attendants said. "All that black hair and those big brown eyes. It's unusual for a baby to be born with such dark eyes."

A lump formed in Jake's throat and his heart skipped a beat. That tiny, wet, pink bundle that the nurse lifted from Donna's belly and held up for his inspection did look like him. This little girl was a Bishop, through and through.

The nurse cleaned Louisa Christine and dried her off, rubbing her briskly, then weighed and measured her. "Nine pounds, five ounces! And twenty-one inches long. She's a big girl."

The nurse quickly wrapped the baby in a warm, pink blanket and placed a cotton cap on her head. Jake watched in amazement as his daughter opened her little mouth and let out a piercing wail.

"Nothing wrong with her lungs, huh, Doc?" Jake said.

Dr. Farr nodded. The attendants laughed softly. Donna turned her head so that she could see her child while the doctor finished his work. Then she gazed up at Jake. "Will you go out and tell everyone that I'm all right and that Louisa is just perfect?"

"Sure thing."

"Will you come back after you've told them?"

Jake paused, walked over to the bed and wiped several damp strands of cinnamon hair from Donna's forehead. "I'm not going to leave you, sugar. I'll be around for as long as you need me."

Her smile was faint and the look in her eyes questioned his sincerity. He supposed she had no reason to trust him. After all, they barely knew each other. He was scarcely more than a stranger to the mother of his child.

"I'll let the folks know that there's a gorgeous new addition to the Bishop family." Jake headed for the door, stopped abruptly after he opened it, and glanced back over his shoulder. "I think maybe we should get married."

Before Donna had a chance to reply, he walked into the hall and closed the door behind him. Within seconds the Bishop clan surrounded him, bombarding him with questions.

Warding them off with hand motions, Jake laughed. "Hey, cool it, y'all. Mother and daughter are fine. Donna came through like a trooper. And our daughter is one hundred percent Bishop. She weighs nine pounds and five ounces and she's twenty-one inches long. And she's got a mouth as loud as her aunt Tallie's."

Tallie punched his shoulder. "Smart aleck," she teased.

"When can we see them?" Sheila asked.

"As soon as they get through in there with Donna, I guess," Jake replied.

"Then you've got time to do some explaining," Tallie said. "Just how is it that our friend Donna wound up pregnant with your baby and nobody knew you were the father?"

Hank and Caleb laughed. Their wives gave them warning glances, which sobered them immediately.

Peyton Rand put his arm around his wife's shoulder and said, "Tallie, honey, I think it's fairly obvious that nine months ago Jake and Donna were together. And if I understand correctly what Susan has told us, Donna and Jake didn't bother to exchange last names or past histories at the time."

"Is that right?" Tallie tapped her foot on the shiny, wood-look tile floor.

"Yep," Jake said sheepishly. "Donna and I spent one weekend together and parted company. We didn't plan on ever seeing each other again. Believe me, I was startled when I saw her at Hank's wedding reception and shocked when I noticed she was very pregnant."

"Well, what do you plan to do about this situation?" Tallie crossed her arms over her ample chest and continued tapping her foot.

"What do you think I should do, little sister?"

"I think you should ask Donna to marry you—today!" Tallie pointed her finger up at Jake's face. "You may have been an irresponsible renegade all your life, but you're thirty-six years old. It's high time you settled down. You're a father now and that means you'll have to—"

"Let him have a breather," Caleb said. "Something tells me that Jake is going to do the right thing on his own, without your preaching him a sermon."

"Jake shouldn't marry Donna in order to do the right thing," Sheila said. "Marriage is about love and wanting to share the rest of your life with someone."

"We have to think of little Louisa Christine," Susan said. "The baby is the most important person in all this."

While his family made their feelings known—in no uncertain terms—Jake felt the heavy weight of reality fall on his shoulders. He had fathered a child. Nothing could change that fact. Just a few yards away, inside the Magnolia Suite, was a baby girl he had helped create one hot summer night in New Mexico. And there was a lady, whose reputation, when the whole truth came out, would, no doubt, be ruined in Marshall County.

The trouble was, he didn't know a damn thing about Donna. Hell, he still didn't know her last name. But if she was friends with his sister and sisters-in-law, then that meant she was probably a fine woman. His instincts told him that she was a thoroughbred, a true lady, which meant she probably wouldn't be interested in hitching up with a beat-up, uneducated cowboy whose greatest ambition in life was to own a quarter horse ranch.

But Tallie was right. He was thirty-six. He'd been an irresponsible drifter and hell-raiser most of his life. Maybe it was past time he settled down. Wasn't that one of the reasons he'd come home to Tennessee, why he'd made Old Man Henry an offer on his ranch? He was tired of roaming. Tired of not having a home of his own. Tired of being alone.

Dr. Farr emerged from Donna's suite. "Y'all can go in and see the new mother and baby now." He placed his hand on Jake's shoulder. "I'm glad you were here for Donna during the delivery."

The Bishop clan descended upon Donna en masse, Hank, Caleb and Peyton standing back and observing as Susan, Sheila and Tallie circled the bed. Jake stood in the doorway, a hard ball of uncertainty lying heavily in the pit of his stomach.

Tallie eased over beside her newborn niece. "Oh, she is a beauty. Look at that mane of black hair and those big brown eyes. She's the spitting image of Jake!"

A numbing sensation spread quickly through Jake's body. He wanted to turn around and walk away, but his legs wouldn't cooperate.
You're not ready for this!
an inner voice warned.
What kind of father would you be? You don't know the first thing about babies, especially baby girls. Do that little girl and her mother a favor and get out of their lives.

"Have you held her yet, Jake?" Tallie asked as she lifted the infant in her arms. "Come here and take your daughter."

Jake hesitated momentarily. All eyes were on him. He forced himself to move, to cross the room and accept the bundle that his sister offered him. His hands trembled. His arms stiffened. The tiny newborn felt weightless. What the hell was he doing? His gut tightened painfully.

Holding the infant as if she were made of glass, Jake gazed down at his daughter.
His daughter!
She wriggled. He tensed, then quickly offered her to Tallie.

"Here, do something with her before I drop her."

Tallie laughed, took the child from him and carried her over so that her other two aunts could coo over her adoringly. Jake watched while the women made a fuss over Louisa. Louisa Christine. He still thought the name was too much for a baby. He liked the idea of calling her Christy, but figured Donna wouldn't approve.

What difference does it make anyway?
That inner voice asked.
You probably won't be a major part of her life. Unless you marry Donna.

He glanced over at the bed just in time to see Donna take the baby in her arms. The picture was perfect. Madonna and child. Mother and daughter.

"You've got yourself a peach of a mother, kiddo," Jake said to himself. "A beautiful, classy lady. But I'm afraid your old man isn't much of a prize."

Susan lowered her infant son close to the newborn. "Lowell, I'd like to introduce you to your cousin, Louisa. You two are going to be really good friends."

"I think we should all leave and let the mama and papa have some time alone," Hank suggested. "We can come back tomorrow for another visit."

"I'll be going home tomorrow afternoon," Donna said. "Dr. Farr told me that there's no reason to keep me and Louisa more than twenty-four hours. That's pretty much hospital procedure these days."

"We'll come over to your house tomorrow night," Sheila said. "I'll bring supper and Susan and I can help you adjust to being home."

"Thanks. I'd appreciate that." Donna caressed little Louisa's rosy cheek. "I've hired a nanny, but she won't start work until next week."

Had he heard her correctly? Jake wondered. A nanny? If
Donna could afford a nanny, that had
to
mean she had a
job and money of her own. She wouldn't need him to help support their child.

But fathers are needed for more than financial support, he reminded himself. A kid needs a father around all the time, even a little girl.

Jake waited until his family had left before he approached Donna's bed. She seemed totally absorbed in her inspection of their child. He cleared his throat. She ignored him. He cleared his throat again—louder. She glanced up, a frown marring her pleasant features.

"I think maybe we should talk, don't you?" he said.

"What's there to talk about?"

"About you and me and—" he nodded toward the infant "—our child."

"She's my child, Jake. I've never thought of her any other way. I don't expect you to take any responsibility for her, if that's what you're worried about."

Heat rose up Jake's neck and spread across his face. Donna's comment pushed all the wrong buttons, bringing his temper to the boiling point.

"Dammit, woman! Did you ever stop to think I might want to take responsibility? That I might want to play a part in
my
daughter's life?"

That's what she'd been afraid of—that Jake Bishop might want to be a real father to her baby girl. Donna didn't want this big, roughneck cowboy to be a part of Louisa's life in any way. After their weekend in Plain City, she'd thought she would never see him again. Having a brief affair with the man was one thing, but having him become a permanent part of her life was another thing altogether!

"Yes, I did consider the possibility that you might want to be a part of Louisa's life, but I dismissed the notion," Donna said. "After all, you're hardly the type of man who'd want to be tied down to a woman and child. And there is the fact that you and I hardly know each other."

"We spent two days and two nights together!" Jake's voice bellowed.

Louisa stirred in her mother's arms, then she whimpered. "Hush! You're scaring her." Donna glared menacingly at him. "During that two days and two nights, we didn't have one meaningful conversation."

"Sugar, you weren't any more interested in conversation than I was. I gave you what you wanted. I gave it to you over and over again."

Donna's amber eyes flashed golden fire. Her cheeks flared crimson. "You egotistical, macho jerk!"

Jake moved closer to her bedside, leaned over so that their faces were at the same level and smiled wickedly at her. "We should get married as soon as possible."

"What!" Donna screamed the word.

Louisa whimpered, then cried. Donna cuddled the child close to her bosom and crooned comforting nonsensical words to her. She glared at Jake.

"Go away! I don't need you and I don't want you. And neither does Louisa."

Jake cupped the back of his daughter's tiny head. It filled his huge palm. "Do you think it's that easy to get rid of me? I'm not going anywhere until we set up some ground rules concerning my daughter. And you're dead wrong if you think she doesn't need me or want me." He took the infant away from Donna and up into his arms. Trembling inside as if his body had been hit by an earthquake, Jake lifted the whimpering baby up against his chest, patted her back and said, "It's all right, Sugar Baby. Daddy's got you now."

Donna looked up at the big man cradling Louisa against
his chest and, for just a moment, couldn't breathe. The sight
of father and child overwhelmed her senses. There was something so essentially right about the two of them together. Strength protecting helplessness. A powerful man guarding what was his.

The awareness of Jake as her child's father surprised Donna. She had tried not to think about J.B. during the months she was carrying Louisa, though memories of that weekend had often invaded her thoughts. And in the hours since she'd learned her weekend lover was actually Jake Bishop, she had refused to acknowledge the possibility that he would play a significant part in her daughter's life.