Free The Wish List by Myrna Mackenzie Page B

already proven that he knew how to make a woman miserable?
    Nathan let the pain rip through his gut. He welcomed it. “All right,” he said wearily. “You win, but don’t send anyone else. Just stay put. If you won’t let me wait, I’ll come to you this time. And we’ll take as long as necessary. You can tend to your son whenever you need to.”
    “Mommy...” He heard it then, closing his eyes against everything that word meant and all the feelings it evoked.
    Nathan could sense Faith’s concern and the fact that she wanted to go to her son. But she wasn’t too happy with the way this conversation was going.
    “I’ll call you back,” she promised.
    “No, don’t bother. I’ll be there. And don’t worry about how. I’m a doctor, remember? I’m used to dealing with sticky situations.”
    “No, Nathan. I’ll call you.”
    “I won’t be here. And don’t worry. Tend to your boy. He needs you now.” With that, Nathan hung up.
    He looked at the phone, knowing she’d call back. With a jabbing motion, he turned the phone off.
    The door seemed ominously large and threatening. He hadn’t gone anywhere in forever. He hadn’t really done anything in forever. And he definitely couldn’t remember doing anything for anyone in a long, long time.
    Maybe he shouldn’t be doing anything now. Going to Faith was damn stupid and risky. Hell it was insane, far too much involvement, something he would regret tomorrow. But tomorrow wasn’t here yet.
     
    ~ ~ ~
     
    Faith looked down at her son, listlessly pushing his truck around and around the table leg. The seat of his superhero pajamas drooped, and she automatically reached to snug the stretchy material up around his waist. He was small, her little superhero. And when he was sick, he seemed even smaller. The urge to shield him from life was stronger than ever at such times. All her protective instincts bubbled up.
    But today she was feeling even more protective than usual, and she was also feeling incredibly tense. Nathan was coming here. In spite of the fact that he had once ordered her not to bring her child around, or that his eyes filled with desolation at the very thought of facing a four-year-old, he had volunteered to come, knowing that Cory was home.
    And Cory, who’d decided his “daddy” shouldn’t be a doctor because Nathan kept his mother away from him at night was going to have to share his space with the doctor he so resented.
    This couldn’t be a good idea.
    “Cory?”
    The little boy looked up from his truck and turned dark, listless eyes to her own.
    “Cory, in a little while, Dr. Murphy will be coming over. You know who that is?”
    His solemn nod was answer enough. Faith lowered herself to the floor, cross-legged, and pulled her son onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around him and began to rock. Dropping a light kiss on the top of his head, she felt the slight heat in him. It was almost time for another dose of acetaminophen.
    Cory sighed and snuggled closer. “Big boys do not get rocked,” he announced, even as he settled his head into the curve of her arm.
    Faith kissed him again. “You know that’s not true. When they’re sick, even big boys get rocked. It’s part of what helps you get better and makes the sick part not quite so bad.”
    “Is that what you do with the people who are sick? Like that doctor guy that’s coming over?”
    Faith smiled against Cory’s hair. He was so transparent in his jealousy, so much the wistful little man.
    “No, silly,” she whispered into his scalp. “You know that you’re the only one who gets this super extra special treatment. But...I did want to talk to you about Dr. Murphy before he gets here.”
    “What about?”
    “Well...” Faith draped her arms more closely about him. “You know how you’re scared of things sometimes?”
    Cory tilted his head back, considering the question. “Like monsters...the ones that hide under the bed?”
    “Cory...you know there aren’t any