The Surgeon's Christmas Baby. Marin Thomas

      Man, the kid was nosy. The doctors and nurses at the hospital tiptoed around the subject and pretended he’d spent time on an exotic island, not in a war-ravaged country. “Three of my friends were killed over there.”

      And the hell of it was Alonso had just saved their lives after a roadside bomb had taken out their Humvee. No one expected them to get blown to pieces in the recovery room when an Afghan medic-in-training detonated a bomb strapped to his chest.

      “I thought the war was over.”

      “It is, but there are still crazies running loose in the country.” Alonso didn’t want to talk about his military experience. “You almost done with that stall?”

      “Yeah.”

      “Grab another bale and finish this one.”

      Luke did as he was told. “You got a girlfriend?”

      “Don’t have time for one.” That was what he told his coworkers, but after everything he’d been through, he decided nothing good lasts, so it made no sense wasting his energy on a serious relationship.

      “Don’t you like girls?”

      “I like girls fine.” He chuckled. “You always so nosy?”

      “I guess. It’s just that this place is boring.”

      “What do you do to keep busy?”

      “Not much. My sister doesn’t like my friends.”

      Alonso’s mother hadn’t approved of his school friends but she hadn’t understood that a brainiac kid didn’t stand a chance in hell of surviving in the barrio if he didn’t have buddies to defend him. Alonso’s best friends had made sure he hadn’t been picked on or targeted by gangs.

      In the end it had been Cruz’s rebellious behavior that had got all three kicked out of school and enrolled in a special program to earn their GED. To this day Alonso believed he’d never have become a doctor if he hadn’t had the support of their teacher, Maria Alvarez—now Fitzgerald. Things had worked out for him and Vic. Not so much for Cruz—he’d landed in jail. “Maybe you should make new friends.”

      Luke ignored Alonso’s suggestion and asked, “If you’re a doctor, why are you hitchhiking? Don’t you have a car?”

      “I have a pickup back at my apartment in Albuquerque.” He pushed the wheelbarrow past Luke. “I guess I didn’t feel like driving.”

      “You’re crazy.”

      Luke wasn’t the only one who thought Alonso was an idiot. When he’d told his coworkers he’d needed a break from the ER they hadn’t expected him to hitchhike across New Mexico. “Exercise is good for the brain.”

      “Then, run on a treadmill.”

      Running in place didn’t work. After Alonso left Afghanistan and returned to the States, he’d believed he’d put all the death and destruction behind him. But more of the same had awaited him in the hospital. “You have any hobbies, kid?”

      “My dad taught me how to use a shotgun. I like shooting at targets.”

      Alonso caught Luke staring into space. “It’s tough losing both parents.”

      “It’s not that hard. My dad was a drunk.”

      Alonso had only just met the teen but he felt a special kinship with Luke. Alonso’s father had taken off before he’d entered kindergarten, and he wasn’t even sure if his old man was still alive. Once in a while he wondered what his life would have been like if his father had stuck around.

      Luke leaned against the side of the stall. “What about you? What did you do with your dad?”

      “My father wasn’t involved in my life.”

      “Did you do stuff with your mom?”

      “Not really. My mom worked two jobs. It was mostly just me and my sisters.”

      “Did you guys fight all the time?”

      “No.”

      Luke laughed. “Yeah, right. You were best friends.”

      “There were times when my sisters drove me nuts and I wanted to pick fights with them, but I didn’t.”

      “Why not?”

      “One of them has asthma and if she gets upset she can’t breathe.” Alonso lost count of the times he or his mother had dialed 911 when Lea had trouble breathing. If they’d had health insurance his sister might have gotten the medicine and inhalers she’d needed to stay healthy, but too often her prescriptions went unfilled because there wasn’t any money to pay for them.

      “That must have sucked,” Luke said.

      What had sucked was being forced to stay home from school and take care of Lea, because his mother couldn’t miss work. After a while the school refused to excuse his absences and had expelled him.

      “How old is your sister?” Alonso asked.

      “Twenty-six. She thinks she can tell me what to do all the time.”

      “Are you talking about me?”

      Alonso glanced over his shoulder, surprised Hannah had sneaked up on them. He hadn’t heard her footsteps on the gravel drive.

      “It’s true,” Luke said. “You bully me all the time.”

      “Hey, I’m your guardian. I have to ride herd on you, or you’ll end up in a heap of trouble one day.”

      Hoping to prevent an argument, Alonso said, “We’re finished with the stalls. What other chores need to be done?”

      “Can you drive a tractor?” she asked.

      Luke rolled his eyes. “She wants you to cut the hay.”

      “If it doesn’t get cut soon, the cooler night temperatures will cause mold to grow and ruin the crop.”

      “I can handle a tractor,” Alonso said. He’d had the opportunity to drive different military vehicles while stationed in Afghanistan—how hard could a tractor be?

      “We’ve got a couple hours of daylight left. Enough time to cut half the field.”

      “Sure.”

      “I’ll hook the side rake up to the tractor. I can follow you in the baler.” She glanced at her brother. “I need you to stack the bales as they exit the baler.”

      “Whatever.” Luke marched off.

      “I can put up with your gnarly attitude any day as long as you’re willing to help.” Hannah followed her brother out of the barn. Fifteen minutes later, the three of them stood in the driveway next to the equipment.

      “I’ll ride with Alonso in the tractor,” Hannah said. “Luke, you drive the baler out to the field. After I show Alonso which direction to cut the hay, I’ll take over driving the baler while Luke stacks the hay.”

      An hour later, Alonso was making his third turn around the perimeter of the field. Hannah followed at a distance, Luke stacking the square bales in neat sections on the flatbed.

      The work was monotonous but peaceful. Out here he didn’t have to worry about someone blowing himself up or a young gangbanger staggering into the ER with a bullet in his chest. Alonso checked the side mirrors and saw Luke signaling him. When the baler caught up, Hannah got out from behind the wheel and approached the tractor.

      “We’re losing daylight, so we’ll stop here. Thanks again for helping us out this afternoon.”

      “I enjoyed it.”

      “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”

      “Why would I lie?”

      Hannah shouted over her shoulder, “Hey, Luke!