Free To Have the Doctor's Baby by Teresa Southwick Page B

nights to achieve the objective for which he’d been recruited. Apparently Ryleigh didn’t agree. Or she had other reasons for working late every other evening, which was probably for the best. As much as he felt in control, reminders that this was only an arrangement were a good thing. And he tried not to think about what would happen if she got pregnant.
    Or if she didn’t.
    Would she go to someone else to get the job done? The thought pissed him off.
    â€œNick?”
    â€œWhat?” He glanced over at her in the passenger seat.
    â€œIs something wrong?”
    â€œNo. Why?”
    She was clutching the overhead handle on her side of the car. “You’re going a little fast.”
    The speedometer told him she was right, and he eased off the accelerator. “Sorry. Things on my mind.”
    His rational side kicked in and he figured if she didn’t get pregnant she’d probably get checked out to make sure there wasn’t a physical problem preventing conception. He would do the same. And if he was the problem, he’d… There was no point in borrowing trouble, although it was hard for him not to. After losing Todd sooner than anyone expected, he’d learned to brace himself for the worst so when it happened he was prepared.
    Ryleigh glanced over at him as he pulled onto the 215Beltway. “So how many kids usually show up at these clinics?”
    â€œIt varies. A few to standing room only. Sometimes parents come alone, just for information.” He merged into traffic, then briefly met her gaze. “I’ve adjusted things since we first started doing it.”
    â€œWho’s ‘we’?”
    â€œMyself. The respiratory therapy staff from Mercy Medical.”
    â€œAre they volunteering their time?” She was jotting things down on a notepad in her lap.
    â€œThe director is. Tom’s a salaried employee, but he shows up to help the women’s group set up the equipment and make sure a respiratory staff member is there to do the lung-volume screenings on the kids. The therapist is paid an hourly rate for the time.”
    â€œWhat’s a lung volume?” She tapped her pen on the pad.
    â€œWe have the kids blow into a peak flow meter to register the fastest flow rate of air on exhalation. If they don’t reach target, it means airways are starting to shut down and intervention is needed, usually a rescue inhaler. If that doesn’t work, the kid probably needs to go to the E.R.”
    And speaking of air, the inside of this car hadn’t smelled so good since… Come to think of it, probably not since the last time Ryleigh had ridden in it. Long after her fragrance had faded, he’d sworn he could still smell her. In the house, too. Eventually he’d gotten the message that he was alone.
    But not lately. Having her around had been too nice, along with knowing he wasn’t going home to an empty house. But when she left—and she would—he’d go through the alone process again and be fine. There was no doubt in his mind, because he’d gotten very good at keeping hisfeelings under control. He never let himself stray past the point of no return.
    â€œSo what adjustments have you made?” Her voice, a low husky sound that was firmly in the sexy range, snapped him to attention.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œYou mentioned adjustments to the asthma clinic presentation. What are they?”
    â€œOh.” He needed to focus. “Now I make general remarks about what asthma is, things that trigger an episode and what to do if there is one.”
    â€œAll good information.”
    â€œI think this clinic is in the McDonald meeting room.” He looked over and she nodded. “So there should be handouts and bullet points projected onto a screen so anyone who wants to can follow along. Then I see the kids and their parents individually, to answer one-on-one questions.”
    â€œOkay.” She flipped the