The Doctor's Accidental Family. Jacqueline Diamond

in the area were too expensive for her to live alone. And although the nurse who rented a room in Karen’s house had offered to move out so Zady could join her family, she’d declined. Living there would bring too much intimacy between the sisters. Way too much.

      “I’m sure he plans to rent a place, as well,” Karen said. “Once that happens, I doubt you’ll run into him much.”

      “I guess not. But Safe Harbor’s a small town.” Even smaller than Costa Mesa, just down the freeway, where Zady had grown up.

      “If it’s meant to be...” Lucky let the words trail off.

      “Don’t stop there. Keep having fun at my expense.”

      “I’m trying.” He sighed.

      Zady checked her watch. Although she hadn’t been out of the office for an hour, she’d finished eating. She could see that Marshall wasn’t done his meal, but she wanted to prep his next patients so he’d waste no time on his return.

      “Gotta go.” She finished her milk with a gulp. “Later, guys.” They chorused their farewells.

      In the corridor, she was surprised to see Nick. How had he finished eating so quickly? Perhaps he hadn’t stayed for lunch, she reflected.

      “You weren’t waiting for me, were you?” She braced for a flip response.

      “Actually, yes.” Nick showed no trace of his usual humor. “You didn’t tell me you work for my cousin.”

      “I didn’t even know you had a cousin.”

      He moved aside to let an orderly push a gurney past them. “That was last night. During our conversation earlier today, you did.” With a wave of his hand, he dismissed his own comment. “Not your fault. As I’m sure you’ve gathered, Marshall and I aren’t on good terms. It would be unfair to put you in a position of conflicting loyalties.”

      “Is that what I’m in?”

      He ignored the question. “The two of us should keep our distance.”

      But you’re the most interesting thing that’s happened since I got here. Now, where had that thought sprung from? True, Zady had lain awake last night reviewing their interaction in light of her sister’s revelation, and, a short while ago, she’d relished their verbal sparring. The guy had a quick wit and delightfully teasing manner, although until this moment, she’d considered Nick simply an attractive nuisance.

      But if he took this divided-loyalties business seriously, there was no sense arguing. “Agreed.”

      Despite the flat overhead lighting, shadows touched his eyes. He couldn’t have grabbed more than a few hours of sleep since his overnight shift. “It isn’t personal. I just prefer that we lay our cards on the table.”

      “And give them the royal flush,” she finished.

      “Apt image,” he said. “Well, see you around. Or not.” As he departed, Zady waited a few beats to avoid the awkwardness of exiting together.

      That was that. No more Nick Davis to bump into, trip over and match wits with.

      As she walked toward the staff entrance, she reluctantly acknowledged the unpleasant emotion stirring inside her.

      Disappointment.

       Chapter Three

      “You don’t have to allow relatives in the delivery room if you’d rather be alone.” Nick regarded young Mr. and Mrs. Wang sympathetically.

      The wife, seven months pregnant, sat on the examining table in a skimpy hospital gown, while her husband shifted uneasily from foot to foot. Nick would have preferred to have this discussion in a less sterile setting, but he could hardly invite them into his office, which was a former storage closet.

      In the week since he’d arrived at Safe Harbor, he’d adjusted fairly well to the overnight schedule. It was harder to double as counselor and lifestyle coach during his two hours of evening consultations, but these appointments brought in extra income and helped him build a patient roster for the future.

      “Do we have to let them into the waiting room, either?” asked the husband. “Her mother drives me crazy.”

      “And his mother drives me crazy,” added his wife.

      “I can issue orders to keep family members in the main lobby,” Nick suggested. “It would be simpler if you talked to them honestly, though.”

      “They’d be horrified.” Mrs. Wang shook her head, brown hair tumbling around her shoulders. “I have a PhD in business administration, but around my mother and mother-in-law, I feel about five years old.”

      “They always cite Chinese traditions,” said her husband. “I think they make them up just to torment us.”

      “Outline your reasons for desiring privacy during the birth,” he said. “Then share them in writing so your parents have a chance to think them over before reacting. And don’t forget that family can be an important source of love and support for new parents.”

      The couple thanked Nick for his advice, and he urged them to contact him with any further questions.

      Although he struggled to look wise and fatherly, he felt like a phony.

      When Bethany had delivered Caleb, she and her parents hadn’t allowed Nick anywhere near her. As for his mother, under the circumstances, there’d been no question of inviting her to the hospital, but he wouldn’t have done so, anyway. His mom could be charming, but also self-centered and unpredictable. Still, she’d adored her grandson, although she’d died of lung cancer a year after Caleb’s birth.

      For all her flaws, at least his mom had stuck around during Nick’s childhood. His father, who experienced severe mood swings, had kept the household in turmoil until he left for good when Nick was ten. His later, sporadic attempts at reconciliation had ended in disappointment when he failed to appear as promised or talked nonstop, rambling from one topic to another. Yet he’d refused to accept treatment for bipolar disorder.

      By the time the Wangs departed, it was nearly eight, and he had to report to the hospital next door. Nick checked the text messages in his phone. According to the charge nurse in L&D, three women had been admitted. All had been seen by obstetricians and labor was progressing normally, with none close to delivering.

      He could afford a few minutes to relax. With the Wangs receiving follow-up instructions from evening nurse Lori Sellers, Nick finished entering his notes in the computer and went to drink what would be the first of many cups of coffee tonight. Caffeine kept him alert, but he’d become inured enough to it that he could fall asleep instantly whenever he had a chance to lie down.

      In the break room, he found one of his suitemates, Dr. Jack Ryder, eating a slice of cake left by the daytime staff. “Surprised to see you here this late,” Nick said, eyeing the last piece set out on the counter.

      “I had to perform emergency surgery this afternoon. It put me behind. I offered to let patients return this evening rather than reschedule for a later date, and some of them did.” Jack, a handsome fellow oblivious to his impact on the hospital’s female staff, indicated the remaining slice. “Help yourself. There’s no one else here. Adrienne hightailed it home to relieve her babysitter.”

      Dr. Adrienne Cavill-Hunter, who’d formerly held down the overnight shift and still maintained evening hours, was married, with a six-year-old son. Nick appreciated sharing an office with fellow parents; Jack had a four-month-old daughter with his wife, a surgical nurse.

      As he dug into the cake, Nick considered asking his colleague’s advice about his uneasy feelings regarding the Carrigans. The puppet show on Saturday had been fun, and Caleb had snuggled happily with his father at the ice-cream parlor they’d visited afterward. Elaine’s nephew and his wife,