Harlequin American Romance September 2015 Box Set by Cathy Gillen Thacker

Author:Cathy Gillen Thacker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Harlequin American Romance
Publisher: Harlequin

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

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