Free Professor and the Nanny (Silhouette Romance) by Phyllis Halldorson

reached their destination. Brittany more or less dumped him into the front passenger seat, making sure his arm and leg were clear, then buckled him in and closed the door.
    By this time Ethan had just pulled up behind her and got out of his car. “Is it Dad?” he asked as he sprinted around to the passenger side and reopened the door.
    “Yes,” she said. “He’s exhausted and upset but—”
    “Have you called 911?” Ethan interrupted.
    “No, not yet,” she told him. “I will if you want me to, but I’m pretty sure I can take care of him. We’ll have to get him home quickly, though. I’m afraid a trip to the emergency room would just be more upsetting and cause his blood sugar to go down even further.”
    “Well, if you’re certain…” His voice trailed off.
    “No, I’m not certain,” she confessed, “but this has already been an extremely stressful experience. I don’t want to put him through more if we can help it. If he were my father I’d wait awhile and see how he does. However, this is your decision and I’ll go along with whatever you decide.”
    Ethan paused and Brittany remembered another option she had. “I almost forgot, I can call the twenty-four-hour information hot line my medical service provides. You can trust them. They’re doctors and RNs. They’ll tell us what to do.”
    “Brittany, it’s not that I don’t trust you—”
    “I know,” she assured him, “but let’s do it this way, then we’ll both be reassured.”
    Ethan hunkered down and started talking softly to his father while Brittany put in a call to her hot line. After she’d talkedto the RN on duty, explaining the situation and giving them all the vitals she had available, the nurse agreed with Brittany’s proposed course of action. Brittany then handed the phone to Ethan so he could speak to the nurse.
    “Okay, that’s good enough for me,” he said, then handed Brittany back the phone. “I’ll stop at the Whitesides and pick up Danny then meet you at home.” He headed back to his car and she slid under the steering wheel of hers.
    When they got home, Danny was asleep so Ethan put the child’s pajamas on him and laid him in his crib while Brittany tended to Nate. It was almost an hour later before everything was taken care of and they could ask Nate a few simple questions. He was ready for bed and lying on the couch in the family room where they could watch him for any negative reactions that hadn’t shown up yet when Ethan asked, “Dad, why did you leave the meeting? I remember telling you to come and get me if you got tired or…”
    “I was just looking for the men’s room,” Nate said. “It seemed silly for me to bother you and interrupt your meeting when I could just as well find it on my own—”
    “But that’s the problem,” Ethan countered. “You couldn’t.”
    “Oh, I found it okay,” Nate insisted, “but when I came out I must have taken a wrong turn because I kept walking and walking but I couldn’t find the meeting room. Then I started to panic and I got more and more confused….”
    Brittany could see that he was becoming distraught and shook her head lightly at Ethan as she spoke. “It’s all right. The way those old buildings are laid out it’s a wonder anybody can find the classroom they’re looking for. Now, I think it’s time for you to go to bed. It’s very late, so try to sleep a long time in the morning. Okay?”
    Ethan got up and helped his dad to stand. “Take my arm,Dad,” he said, and linked Nate’s arm to his own. “I’ll tuck you in. You’re still a little shaky.”
    Nate’s grin was somewhat tremulous but Brittany saw the familiar mischief in his eyes. “I’d rather she did it.” He nodded toward Brittany.
    “No way,” Ethan said. “Get your own girl, this one’s mine.”
    They all laughed and the two men started up the stairs, but Brittany was too surprised to move. She knew they were just kidding each other, but was it possible there could