Return to Love (Book 2-Endless Love series) by Kathleen Shoop

Author:Kathleen Shoop [Shoop, Kathleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kathleen Shoop
Published: 2014-11-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Hale wanted answers. He crossed his arms and leaned against the Ford he’d rented. Roy had ferried him from the Outer Banks across the Albermarle Sound to the docks where the marina owner offered old beaters for rent. Hale was not ready to go inside yet. He studied the façade of the doctor’s office from across Main Street. The office had once been a grand single family home. The gingerbread detail decorated each section of the porch, highlighted every plane and slope like lace on a party dress. In recent years, the home had been divided into offices and storefronts below with apartments above.

As though he could see a ghost in broad daylight, Hale imagined April walking up and down the street, her blond hair lifting in the wind with each step. He was sure her spirit must have soared at each visit. She had written as much, and now that he was standing at the doctor’s office where so much joy was had by April, he could feel what it must have been like for her.

Hale crossed the street and watched as a pregnant woman, so large that she had to lean back in order to lift her foot and take the stairs. She grabbed her mother’s arm and started upward. When Hale reached them, he offered his arm to support her other side.

“Thank you.” Her fingers latched around his arm, pinching his skin. She breathed heavily. “These babies are really doing a number on me.” She chuckled as her grip on Hale’s arm tightened.

“Babies. Wow.” Hale couldn’t help but smile and imagine how wonderful it would be when April was pregnant again, when they had the first of many healthy children.

“Dr. Mann thinks there are three heartbeats. Can you believe it? Said he’d only delivered one other set of triplets in his thirty years of practicing.”

“That is amazing,” Hale said. “Three.” Three heartbeats. He tried to imagine what that sounded like.

They reached the top of the stairs. She drew deep breaths. “Thank you,” her mother said to Hale.

“You’re welcome,” he said, holding the door open.

“What about you?” the pregnant woman said.

“Me?”

“Well, your wife, I mean.”

“Oh.” Hale ran his hand through his hair. This was the first time he’d been asked this question stateside. His mind tripped over itself as Hale tried to call up an image of what his baby looked like. He didn’t know how to answer this simple question. “One.” Just one.

“Well, good luck,” the woman said.

I’ll need it, he thought as he went up to the receptionist’s desk in the office. “You, too.”

Hale waited for the receptionist to stop typing and turn to him. “My name is Hale Abercrombie. My wife is April. I need to see Dr. Mann.”

The receptionist grimaced and paged through the calendar on her desk.

“He has appointments all day long.” Her voice quivered. Hale could see by her expression that she knew this was not a friendly visit.

Hale could read the calendar upside down and saw that Dr. Mann had an hour-long lunch scheduled.

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