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Darkness Series
Part 16: Glowing With Happiness


Jarod opened the door of Nicole’s room, going over to the bed and sitting on the edge of it. With a tender smile, he gazed at the features that were so similar to those of the baby he had unwillingly left in the nurse’s care. Gently, Jarod brushed the backs of his fingers down her cheek, watching as her eyelids lifted and she looked up at him.


”I didn’t mean to wake you,” he murmured apologetically.

“It’s okay.” She reached up and took his hand. “Where’s Charlotte?”

“In the nursery.” He grinned. “They wouldn’t let me stay with her.”

“I’ll let you stay with me.” She glanced at the empty half of the double bed in the large room. “I wasn’t asleep when you came in. It felt a bit weird being alone.”

He slipped off his shoes and lay beside her, taking her in his arms. With a loving hand, he stroked her hair and felt Nicole relax against him, sighing softly as she fell asleep. Kissing the back of her head, Jarod felt the tension of the past few hours start to slip away as he finally allowed himself to relax.

* * *


They both awoke as the door opened and a nurse came in carrying a jug of water, which she put on a table before wheeling it into position next to the bed. Jarod rolled his eyes as he raised the head of the bed and helped Nicole to sit up, filling the glass and handing it to her.

“This brings back some bad memories.”

“Oh, come on,” she teased. “What’s wrong with a six o’clock wake up call?”

He sat down beside her. “It’s okay for you. I don’t know what time you got up yesterday, but I’ll bet it was after eight.”

She smiled, sipping the water. “And I had such a peaceful, relaxing evening.”

“Okay.” He kissed her. “You win. But I still don’t like getting woken this early.”

“If it was any later, you’d have less time to spend with your baby,” remarked the obstetrician as he walked into the room. Jarod stood up and moved aside so his colleague could examine his wife.

“Isn’t it a bit early for you to be doing your rounds, John? Particularly after still being here at nine.”

“I was back here at two.” The man laughed. “I’m beginning to forget what sleep feels like. I don’t think I’ve had more than five hours one night this week.”

Jarod rolled his eyes. “I know the feeling.” He looked up as a nurse wheeled in the small bed and took the baby as it was given to him, cradling it gently against his chest.

“Well, look who’s an expert already.”

He looked up with a smile. “You want that raise or not, John?”

“He gets a raise just by delivering your daughter? Now that’s unfair,” a new voice protested.

Jarod laughed, turning to the newcomer. “According to something Sydney told me, Dr. Stevens, you were just happy not to have to take care of me when I was a patient. How could that possibly earn you a raise?”

“And besides, Ann, you’ve got a baby named after you. What else do you want?” John grinned as he walked over to the door. “I’ll come back in a few hours, Nic, but I’m not overly concerned about either you or your daughter.”


”Thanks, John.” Jarod clasped the man’s hand for a moment and then turned to his wife, placing the baby in her arms, where it lay with an expression akin to wonder on its face. Nicole put out a finger, a similar look on her face, and tentatively reached out to touch its cheek. The girl stared up at her mother for several seconds before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

“You know what your biggest problem’s going to be?” Ann remarked.

Jarod sat on the bed beside his wife, slipping an arm around her shoulders, and then looked up at Ann. Seeing the teasing expression on her face, he waited for her comment with resignation. “It’d serve you right if I didn’t ask, but what?”

The blond woman giggled as she opened the door, preparing to flee. “You’ll never know whether she’s got her mother’s eyes or her father’s.”

* * *


Jarod took the well-fed, sleepy baby from its mother as the nurse wheeled the tray across the bed and uncovered the plate.

“Now this you definitely do better,” Nicole stated in mild disgust, eyeing the plates.

He grinned and sat down on the end of the bed. “If you wanted to continue enjoying my cooking, you shouldn’t have decided to give birth prematurely.”

“Somehow I doubt that was Nicole’s choice, Jarod,” Sydney commented as he entered the room, walking over and bending down to kiss the woman before sitting in the chair beside the bed.

“Considering how often she accused me of being impatient, I think it’s only fair that I get the same chance. I’ve had two wonderful opportunities given to me in the last twelve months and I intend to get every benefit out of this one that I was able to get from the other.” Jarod laughed and gave his daughter to the man who sat opposite, slipping his feet into his shoes and looking at his watch.

“You have a patient?”


”At eight.” He rolled his eyes. “I should have taken paternity leave.”

Nicole laughed. “Will you come back?”

Jarod bent down to kiss his wife. “It’ll be a struggle to stay away. I’ve got surgery at nine, but that shouldn’t last too long and I’ll come up right after.”

She smiled. “So you’ll neglect your patients for me?”

“Neglect?” Jarod tried to look indignant. “Never! But they may not receive my full concentration in the way they normally would.” He grinned. “I’ll also go home at some point today to bring in some clothes.”


”Actually,” Sydney put in, “I already did that for you.” He nodded towards the two small cases that stood on the floor near the door. “I also brought some things for Nicole and the things you bought for Charlotte.”

“Oh, so you found the website?”

He smiled at the horrified look on his wife’s face at his words. “Jarod, you didn’t!”


”Why not? It’s much better than an announcement in the paper. Cheaper too.”

“And we have so much worry about money,” she told him sarcastically as he did up his tie and, without responding, he laughed, kissed her once more and left the room.

* * *


Whistling softly, Jarod entered the cafeteria, stopping short as every staff member present rose to their feet and started to applaud. Laughing, he gave a mock-bow before walking over to collect a tray.

“Congratulations, Dr. Crawford.” A catering woman pushed over a plate of hot toast and he took it with a smile.

“Thank you, Rosie.”

“Congratulate your wife for me, too.”


”I’ll do that.” He took the tray to the cash register, grinning when the woman waved him through.

“We can’t charge the new father.”


Jarod laughed. “How long does this benefit last?”

“Until you stop turning up for three meals a day and we’ll know you’re at home with your wife and daughter.”

“I might eat in the room with them,” he suggested.


”Place your orders, Dr. Crawford, and we’ll arrange special deliveries up there for the two of you.”

“We really should have done this before,” he grinned. “Thanks. I’ll definitely consider it. And that, of course,” he added, narrowing his eyes, “will give whoever brings the food up a chance to see the baby.”

“Wow.” The woman stared at him, wide-eyed. “I never thought of that.”


”Not much,” he told her, laughing again. “Well, when it comes to drawing straws, try not to rig it too often, won’t you?”

Jarod was about to sit down when Ann looked up with a grin.


”Hey, we left the head of the table free for the boss and new father.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And I suppose you arranged all this too, Stevens?”

“Well,” she admitted with a grin as he sat down. “I might have planned it a bit.”


”You were lucky that I didn’t eat with Nicole.”

“You’d have to come out of that room eventually. And I happen to know that you have surgery in less than two hours.”


”Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “Been studying my schedule?”


”Only as much as you study mine,” she laughed. “Nic accidentally told me the day I drove Sydney home that you do it.”

“I’m sure it was very accidental,” he assured her, eating one of the slices of toast, his expression serious but his eyes dancing with suppressed laughter. “Should I accidentally mention to her that you told me, so that she can get as upset about it as when you ‘accidentally’ told everybody in the entire hospital that I’d moved in with her?”


”Are you kidding? After that, I’m styling myself as a psychic,” Ann laughed and stood up. “Mind if I go up and see her before I head home?”


”Of course not.” He smiled. “Tell her I said hello.”

* * *


Scrubbing his hands at the sink, Jarod found himself automatically inserting barriers between his emotions and the rest of his mind, the way Sydney had taught him, so many years earlier. With a faint grin, he turned off the tap and allowed a nurse to slip the gloves onto his hands.

“Are we ready?”


”Yes, Dr. Crawford.”

“Good.”

Looking at the other sink, he saw his colleague talking quietly with a young man who, the surgeon assumed, was one of the interns training at that time, and turned back to the nurse.

“Will he be assisting?”

The other doctor heard the question and stepped over, urging the younger man with him. “Jarod, this is Mark Lyneham. Mark, this is Dr. Crawford. He’s head of St Luke’s.”

Jarod looked at his hands. “I’d be polite, but it might hold things up, so maybe later.” He grinned at his colleague. “Have you been nice and told him my rule about assisting?”

“I thought I’d leave it as a pleasant surprise.”

Nodding, Jarod followed the nurse through the swinging doors to the operating theatre. The patient already lay, unconscious, on the table, the anesthetist sitting by the woman’s head. As Jarod took his place, the woman looked up.

“Congratulations, Dr. Crawford.”


”Thank you, Marnie.” He nodded his head slightly. “Is the patient ready?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Good.” He glanced at his assistant. “Let’s do this then, shall we?”

* * *


Pulling down his mask, he looked at the neat row of sutures and then at the man who was putting the needle down.

“Good work, James. When you start specializing in a couple of weeks, you might want to consider working in a field where that sort of thing’s even more appreciated, like cosmetic surgery.”

“Thanks, Jarod.” The man looked up. “That was a field I was considering looking in to.”


”Well, if you ever want some advice, I have a few contacts.” He took another step back, looking at the intern who stood to one side. “As with all the others who train here, I’d like to see you finish it.”

“Yes, sir,” the man muttered, and Jarod, hiding a grin, could see the tension that immediately rose in him.

“Relax, Mark. If you let yourself get too uptight, the patient will feel it.”

The assistant surgeon glanced at him, trying to suppress his laughter. “Like the operation Phil did, Jarod, when you were so tense that the I.V. slipped out afterwards?”

The head of the hospital laughed. “Yes, James, just like that. Who told you?”


”Phil himself. It was something that went around after you got the top job.”

“I bet it did.” Rolling his eyes, Jarod laughed again. “I might have to have words…”

“Oh, God, no!” The man’s voice became full of mock-terror. “Please, sir, anything but that!”

“I never said I’d have them with you.” He watched as the trainee applied the last of the bandages, seeing the other surgeon pretend to wilt with relief at the news, before turning to the intern. “Mark, tell me why you used that process.”

The student looked up and Jarod could see himself being scrutinized by the young man, his eyes displaying his increasing tension, as he sought the correct answer in the face of the tall surgeon opposite. Jarod deliberately kept his face expressionless and repressed a desire to smile. After a few moments of silence, he raised one eyebrow. “Well?”

“W… well, sir, the site will need to be cleaned and examined on a regular basis. If this process is used, it will result in the least disturbance to the patient whenever an examination is required.”

“And why is that a consideration?”

Mark straightened, his expression almost indignant. “It’s the most important part of medical care, sir.”

Jarod smiled. “Good.” He glanced at the anesthetist. “Good job, Marnie.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He peeled off his gloves and dropped them in a bin as he passed, leading the way into the other room to rescrub his hands.

“Going back up to your wife, Jarod?”

“I’ve got to do my rounds first. I was a little – distracted this morning.”


”I’ll bet.” James turned to Mark with a grin and an explanation. “Jarod's wife gave birth to their first child last night.”

“Congratulations, sir.”


”Thanks.” He smiled. “You two want to join me?”

“Seeing Nic or doing the rounds?”

“Both,” Jarod assured James with a smile. “One follows the other.”

As the three made their way through the halls, the two doctors discussing the condition of one of the patients, Jarod glimpsed the expression on the young man’s face, turning to him. “Was there a question you wanted to ask?”

“Well, I… I was wondering why you get the students involved.”


”Good hands-on experience.” Jarod grinned briefly.

“Is that what was done to you when you learned medicine?”


”No, not exactly.” Fighting to keep the excessive amusement out of his voice, the doctor glanced at the folder he held before looking up again. “But I was taught that jumping into something right away makes it easier later.”

“And it’s something that you’ve definitely gone on doing,” stated an amused voice at his side.

“I had a good teacher, Sydney,” Jarod smiled as he turned. “How’s Nicole?”


”They’re both doing well. John said that he had no concerns whatever.”


”I’m glad to hear it. Were you planning to stay or…?”


”I thought I’d go and visit Michelle and Nicholas for a few days until both Nicole and Charlotte are ready to come home, and then we can give you a hand.”

“Say hello to them for me.”


”I will.” Sydney smiled. “Let me know how things are going.”


”I’ll put it up on the website if you like,” Jarod laughed. “You’ll find out somehow, I promise.”

“Give me a call when she’s coming home.”


”Or you can get Broots to log into the hospital records.” He grinned. “I’m sure that he won’t have lost his touch just by being slightly out of practice.”


”Should I tell Parker if she calls?”

“For some reason,” Jarod commented, hearing familiar footsteps behind him, “I don’t think that’s going to be necessary.” He turned to see two people approaching and grinned. “What were you doing, Broots, hunting for me again? I’d begun to get an idea that that game finished more than two years ago.”

“It was just luck,” the former technician assured him with a grin.

“Luck called Angelo,” Miss Parker put in. “He had the website open when we came into the living room this morning.” She hugged the doctor. “Congratulations, Jarod.”

“Thanks.” He grinned. “If I wasn’t right in the middle of rounds, I’d take you to see Nicole myself, but…”


”I’ll take them,” Sydney put in. “And then I’ll get going.”

“See you in a few days.” Still smiling, Jarod continued down the hallway, leaving the other three to make their way to the elevator.

* * *


Letting himself quietly into the room, Jarod turned to see Nicole looking at him with a smile, their baby curled up in her arms.

“I think I’ve seen everybody in the world today except you.”

Smiling, Jarod sat on the bed beside her, kissing her. “Just shows your popularity, doesn’t it?” He glanced around the room at the numerous bunches of flowers. “Do they have any vases left in the entire hospital?”


”Probably not.” She held out the baby. “Does the new father want a hold?”


”He’s wanted one all day.” Jarod maneuvered so he could put an arm around her shoulders and have his daughter held in the crook of his other arm. “Was it all okay today, Nicole, or was it too much? We can always limit visitor numbers, you know.”

“Well, let’s just say that I’m glad visiting hours are over.” She leaned her head on his arm, gazing down at their daughter. “But as long as I can get a decent night’s sleep tonight…”

“With a newborn baby?”


Nicole smiled. “She’s one of the most placid babies John said he’s ever seen. She’s been passed from hand to hand all day and I haven’t heard a sound from her.”

“Hmm,” he mused in amusement. “She couldn’t possibly have inherited that from her mother so it must have been me.”


His wife snorted quietly. “And I suppose you’ll say the same thing if she turns out to be patient, as well.”

“Well, of course.” He gazed down into the baby’s face and the large brown eyes that looked up at him. “You know, as much as I hate to admit this, I think Ann might have been right. We will never know for sure.”

“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” Nicole looked at him. “As long as she can see out of them, who cares which parent they came from?”

* * *


Jarod glanced up from his laptop to see that Nicole had fallen asleep, and he got out of the chair, picking up the small baby who lay in her cot, staring at the ceiling. Silently, he opened the door of their room and carried her out into the hall, smiling down into the small face.

“Shall we go and show you off, Charlotte? Would you like that? We’ll leave your Mommy to sleep and show you the hospital while your Daddy gets some things he needs.”

He told the nurse in charge of the nursery what he was doing before taking his daughter up to his office and collecting the papers that he needed for the report he had been writing. A quick glance at the appointment book on his secretary’s desk showed that he had the following morning free of appointments, and Jarod made a mental note to get his rounds done early so that he could spend time making sure her visitors didn’t exhaust his wife. He was about to scribble a quick note to that effect when he heard a soft sound from behind and turned.

“Showing your daughter around, Dr. Crawford?”


Jarod smiled. “Something like that.” He handed the baby to his secretary. “Am I right in assuming that you organized for me to have tomorrow morning free?”

“Yes, sir.” She smiled into the small face before looking up at her boss. “I assumed you’d want time with your wife. I would have done it today, but that was too short notice.”

He raised an eyebrow, leaning against the desk. “This seems rather late for you to be still at work, Julia.”


”I was just about to leave, Dr. Crawford. I had a few last-minute things to do.”

“When’s your next vacation scheduled?”

“Four weeks, sir.”


”And for how long?”

“One week.”

“Do I have a replacement for that time?”


”Your wife’s secretary volunteered to work for you at that time. If you’ll recall, your wife was meant to go on leave one week before your daughter was due and then take a few weeks off.”

“Well, she’ll be off from now until the time she was due back.” Jarod smiled at the woman. “So I’d suggest you plan on starting your vacation sooner than expected and going for longer.” He turned as his wife’s secretary came into the office. “Just the person I want.”

“Can I do something for you, Dr. Crawford?”


”Indeed you can, Helen.” He smiled. “As my wife won’t be returning to work for a couple of weeks, we’ve already arranged a temp to fill in for her, starting Monday week. That doctor will bring his own secretary and I’d like you to fill in for Julia from the time he starts until Nicole’s back at work. Is that a problem for you in any way?”

“Not at all, sir. I’m quite happy to do so.”

“Good.” He took back his daughter. “I’ll get you both written confirmation of all the relevant details before Friday.”

“Thank you, Dr. Crawford.”

“And, Helen, we’ll allot you some time off after Nicole comes back, so you should begin planning for that.”

He saw the grateful smiles that the two women gave him as he left his office and headed towards the elevator.

* * *


“Good evening, Dr. Crawford.”

“Hello, Tania.” Jarod smiled, holding out the baby. “While I examine my patient, would you mind babysitting?”

“Well, if we’re not here when you get back…”

He laughed, walking behind the desk to pick up the medical folder, and looked at the notes made that day about the patient’s condition. Glancing toward the room, he saw the door softly open and a young man come out, pulling it almost closed behind him. Jarod intercepted the intern before he could reach the elevator.

“This really goes beyond the call of duty, Mark. The nurses are trained to take care of the patients so that the doctors don’t have to spend all their time here on the wards with them.”

The man looked up at him, an expression of well-concealed panic in his eyes, as he eyed the tall surgeon. “I… I had no idea that you’d be coming, sir.”

Jarod leaned against the wall, his arms folded on his chest. “Does James Shirer know you stayed here after he left?”

“N… no, Dr. Crawford.”

“So why are you here?”

“I wanted to… check how the patient was doing.”

“’The patient,’ huh?” Jarod looked down at the folder he still carried before eyeing the man in front of him. “Assume for the moment that I’ve forgotten your surname and tell me it again, if you don’t mind.”

“Lyneham, sir,” Mark muttered, discomfited.

“Amazing coincidence that it also happens to be the surname of ‘the patient’, isn’t it?” He glanced sharply at the younger man. “Is she your mother?”

“Y… yes, sir.”

“Are you really studying medicine, Mark, or is this just an attempt to be here while your mother’s a patient at my hospital?”

“No, sir. I am studying medicine.” He refused to meet the doctor’s gaze. “But I’ve still got a year of study before I’d actually be an intern.”

Jarod nodded slowly. “Did your mother know you were planning this?”

“No, Dr. Crawford. She wouldn’t have allowed me to do it if she’d known.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That I had classes this morning but I’d come and visit her this afternoon. That’s sort of what I did. As soon as Dr. Shirer said I was finished for the day, I came up here to sit with her.”


”And you were going home now?”

“Sort of.” Mark shuffled his feet slightly and Jarod’s expression softened.

“In other words, you told her that you were going home, but instead you planned to sit out here in the hallway all night to make sure she was okay. Correct?”

The young man looked up, startled. “How did you know, Dr. Crawford?”

“Because I would have done the same.” Jarod smiled. “How about your father?”

“Dad died four years ago.”

Jarod nodded slowly. “Mark, you know that I should, by rights, report you.”

“For impersonating a doctor?”


”It is illegal,” the older man remarked, hiding his amusement.

“I know that, sir.”

Jarod raised an eyebrow. “So despite knowing that, you were willing to face time in jail, just to be sure that your mother was okay?”

“Yes, Dr. Crawford.” A pleading expression crossed the young man’s face. “She’s all I’ve got left. If anything had happened to her, I just wanted to be nearby, to be able to say…”


”I understand,” Jarod interrupted softly before the hard word had to be said. “Why don’t you come in with me to see your mother now, and then we’ll go down to the cafeteria for dinner? I haven’t eaten yet, and I doubt you will have either.”

Mark looked up at him in amazement. “S… so you won’t…?”

Jarod smiled. “I think that sometimes there can be extenuating circumstances for people’s actions and this seems to be one of them.” He put a hand on the young man’s arm and steered him in the direction of the room. Jarod tapped gently before pushing open the door, directing Mark in front of him.

“Good evening, Mrs. Lyneham.”

“Hello Dr. Crawford.” The woman looked up at him with a sleepy smile, before she caught sight of her son. “Mark, I thought you were going home.”

“We got talking by the elevators,” Jarod put in as he picked up the folder from the end of the bed. “I didn’t think you’d mind if he stayed for the moment.”

“As long as you don’t.”

“Not at all. I always like seeing signs of affection in families.” Jarod glanced at his watch before pulling on a pair of latex gloves. “I realize that it’s rather late, Mrs. Lyneham, and I can wait until tomorrow if you’d rather I didn’t disturb you now.”

“It’s fine. I don’t think I’ll have much trouble sleeping.”


”No, I wouldn’t expect you to.” Jarod gently peeled back the white dressing and eyed the neat row of stitches. “It looks good. I’ll give you a thorough examination some time tomorrow morning, just to be sure that everything’s fine, but it’s all looking very good at this point.” He stepped away from the bed and tore off the gloves before taking a pen from his shirt pocket. “If you need anything for pain in the night, let one of the nurses know. I’ve authorized it.”

“Thank you, Dr. Crawford.” The woman squeezed her son’s hand. “I’d really like you to go home, Mark.”

Jarod eyed the empty bed in the two-bed room for a few seconds. “I’ll see what I can arrange for your son in terms of a place for him to sleep that’s closer than ‘home’, Mrs. Lyneham. I don’t think you really want Mark driving all that way, do you?”

“That’s very good of you, Dr. Crawford.”

She smiled gratefully at the doctor before returning her son’s hug and watching as he walked to the door. Jarod wrote the last directions in the folder before hanging it back on the end of the bed and following the young man out of the room.

“Is she all right, Dr. Crawford?”

The doctor spoke calmly. “Mark, your mother is as well as I can expect her to be after the surgery today. You obviously know a lot about the type of cancer she has, or you wouldn’t have been able to converse so knowledgably during the operation. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t hide anything from you, not that I would do so anyway.”

Mark turned away, trying to hide the expression on his face, but Jarod caught his arm.

“Let’s go get that food I mentioned before. You’ll feel a lot better after a meal, and I know I need something.”

“Y… yes, sir.”

“Good.”

Jarod went over to the nurses’ station and gave directions before taking his daughter and carrying her back over to where the young man waited. Despite his anxiety, Mark couldn’t help smiling at the sight of the baby clutching the stethoscope that Jarod wore around his neck.

“I think she’s picked her career already.”

Jarod laughed as they got into the elevator, releasing the small fingers and handing the wrapped bundle to the young man, who took it somewhat nervously. “Neither her mother nor I would have a problem with that.”

Mark looked at him curiously as the baby girl clutched his finger. “Your wife’s a doctor too?”


”She works here as well. This is where we first met.”

He led the way out of the elevator. As they went into the cafeteria, Jarod heard footsteps hurrying behind them and, with a resigned expression on his face, turned. “How fortunate that you should happen to have a break right at this point in time, Dr. Stevens.”


”It was rather, wasn’t it?” Ann grinned. “You couldn’t possibly eat and hold Charlotte at the same time.”

“And I suppose you’ll offer to take my daughter while I have dinner?” Jarod rolled his eyes. “Your generosity is overwhelming.”

“I know, I know.”

She took the baby as Jarod picked up a tray, followed by Mark, and selected his meal. Jarod paid for the two dinners and then carried his tray over to where the blond woman sat, making faces at his daughter.

“You never looked better, Ann,” Jarod remarked, opening a bottle of orange juice. “Except maybe for the first year of our acquaintance.”

“Gee, thanks, Jarod,” she retorted in mock-seriousness. “Obviously you’re just as good at insults as ever, despite not having much opportunity to practice.”

“Opportunity?” Jarod laughed. “Ann, I see you every day. Don’t you think it gives me more than enough practice?”

The woman saw the curiosity in the eyes of the young man sitting across the table from her and smiled. “Jarod was blind for the first thirteen months that we knew each other, Mark.”

The older man looked up sharply as Mark fought to suppress a grin. “How do you two know each other?”

“We met when Mark’s mother was brought into Emergency yesterday afternoon. I saw him again when James Shirer brought him down this morning.”

The man glanced warily around to ensure that nobody else was in earshot before turning to Ann again. “Have you told anyone else about that?”

“I was going to mention it to you and let you deal with it.” She hid a smile. “After all, you should be able to understand if anyone does.”

“I think you’re right. Thanks, Ann.”

Jarod took back his daughter, watching as Dr. Stevens left the cafeteria. Then he turned to the young man who sat at the table next to him. “Mark, I’ve asked the nurses to set up a bed in your mother’s room for you. I’ll be coming up with Dr. Shirer to give your mother an examination in the morning, and after that we can talk about this.”

He eyed the young man with a degree of severity.

“While I do understand your motives, what you’ve done had the potential to be quite dangerous.”

“I know, Dr. Crawford.” Mark studied his hands for a moment before looking up. “I honestly didn’t expect you to ask me to take an active part in the surgery, sir.”

“I can believe it.” Jarod got to his feet. “I’m going up to my wife now. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

“Yes, Dr. Crawford.”

He could hear the tension in Mark’s voice and smiled. “I meant what I said to you earlier. I’m not calling in the authorities. Only a few people will ever know about this, and I don’t expect your mother to be one of them, unless you tell her, okay?”

“Thank you, sir.”

* * *


“Finally! I thought you’d run away with her!”


Jarod laughed as Nicole glared up at him. “I can’t show our new baby off to my staff? How fair is that?! You’ve had the whole day to do it. When’s my turn?”

She smiled, taking the baby and returning his kiss. “I didn’t expect you to be gone all night.”

“It’s only nine thirty.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “Something came up or I’d have been back a long time before this.”

Nicole looked up curiously. “Anything you can tell me?”


”Not now.” He pulled the folded papers from his pocket and tossed them on to the table. “Besides, I really only left to get that and to check on the condition of the patient I operated on this morning. Everything went on from there.”

Nicole nodded, stroking the hair of their sleeping daughter. “Your dad called just after you left.”

He looked at her sharply. “I’m assuming they got home okay.”

“He said everything was fine. He just wanted to check how we were.”

Jarod glanced at his watch and rolled his eyes. “They only left three hours ago. I’d be interested to know what they think would happen in that time. Besides, didn’t they think I’d call if anything did?”

“Aren’t they allowed to be a bit overprotective of their first grandchild? Not to mention the son they thought was dead.”

“Okay, good point.” He kissed the top of his wife’s head and then lifted the baby out of her arms, laying her gently in the cot and covering her. Going back to the bed, he lowered the head so that it was flat before easing out the extra pillows. Nicole smiled up at him.

“Is that a subtle hint, Jarod?”

“Hey, you were the one who said you wanted a decent night’s sleep, and we will be woken up at six, remember.”

“Will you stay here?” she asked, stifling a yawn.


”I planned to.” He bent over the bed and kissed her. “Sweet dreams, Nicole.”

* * *


Jarod opened the door of his office and waved the young man inside, closing the door behind him and sitting down behind the desk.

“Take a seat, Mark.”

For a moment there was silence while the younger man intently studied the floor of the room and Jarod eyed him. Eventually the doctor spoke. “Mark, you discussed other patients than just your mother with Dr. Shirer. Correct?”


”Yes, sir.”

“How do you think those other patients would feel if they found out that their treatment had been administered on suggestion of somebody unqualified?”

“I… I don’t really know, Dr. Crawford, but I did think about it last night.” He looked up. “If this ever became public, the hospital could be sued, couldn’t it?”

Jarod raised an eyebrow. “Been studying law too?”

“N… no, sir.”

“Well, you’re right. We could be. But that isn’t the reason I’m not reporting you. I’d hate to think a person as capable and intelligent as you could have his entire future ruined because of one small incident.” He eyed the younger man. “Not one hospital would hire you with an offence of that sort on your criminal record.”

“I know, sir.”

Jarod briefly eyed him again in silence. “What field are you going to specialize in, Mark?”

“Yours, Dr. Crawford.”

“I thought so.” Jarod paused. “I had to tell James Shirer why you won’t be interning under him for the rest of this year. He isn’t going oversee your internship when it legitimately comes up in twelve months. I’m sure you’ll be able to understand his reasons.”

Mark nodded silently.

“I’d like to offer you a place interning under me.”

The young man’s head shot up and he stared at the surgeon in disbelief. “B… but sir…”

Jarod raised an eyebrow. “Well?”


”When I was talking to the others who were interning here, they said that nobody had ever…”

“It’s true that until now I’ve never had anybody interning under me.” The doctor smiled. “But there has to be a first time for everything, right?”

“And… why me?”

“As I said before, you’re both intelligent and capable.” Jarod grinned. “There’s also several things about you that remind me a lot of myself, and I’ll be very interested to see how you go from now on.” Turning, Jarod took out a folder from a filing cabinet behind him and extracted a form, filling in several details and signing it before pushing it over the desk. “If you hand that in to the relevant office at your med school, they’ll contact me when you’re ready to officially begin your internship.”

Mark stared at the form for several moments, finally picking it up as gingerly as if the paper would explode in his hand. Eventually he looked up at the man who sat opposite, silently watching him.

“I… I told Mom what I did.”


Jarod raised an eyebrow. “And what did she say?”

“She was angry,” the younger man admitted softly. “But she could understand.”

“Did she expect me to report you?”

“Yes.” Mark swallowed hard. “She was worried that I’d be arrested.”

“You know, don’t you, that stress and anxiety can hinder a patient’s recovery.”

“Yes, Dr. Crawford.”

Jarod nodded at the piece of paper. “Although that isn’t the reason I’ve given you this opportunity, it will also help your mother to better understand that I’m not going to take any action against you. But I’d still expect her recovery to be slower than it may otherwise have been.” He met the young man’s eye, an expression of severity in his own. “I think that’ll probably be sufficient ‘punishment’ for this, don’t you, Mark?”

“Yes, sir.” He straightened in his chair. “Thank you, Dr. Crawford.”

“I hope you’ll justify my belief in you, Mark.”

“I certainly intend to do my best, Dr. Crawford.”

“No more pretending to be something you’re not?” Jarod's lips, despite his effort to prevent them, twitched as he asked the question. “You hardly need to. You’ve got enough intelligence to get you wherever you want to go without it.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Well,” Jarod smiled, “you’ll probably want to tell your mother about it and I want to go back to my wife, so we’ll end this interview.” He picked up one of his cards and handed it to the younger man. “Keep in touch, Mark. Let me know how it’s going. I’d expect to see you sometimes, when I see your mother, but I’d also like to hear from you between the time she’s released and this time next year as well.”

“Of course, Dr. Crawford.” He took the card and slipped it into his pocket. “I really appreciate this, sir.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Jarod smiled, watching the young man leave the office, before he glanced at Sydney, who sat in a corner, having been hidden from Mark’s sight by the curtain around the examination bed.

“Did I do the right thing?”


”Do you really need my opinion?” Sydney stood up and walked over to sit in the chair on the other side of the desk. “You already know whether what you did was right or not. If it hadn’t been, you wouldn’t have done it.”

“Old insecurities,” Jarod grinned, seeing the amusement in the older man’s eyes. “It’s always nice to get a second opinion.”

“But it have would been a bit hypocritical if you had reported him,” the older man continued. “After all, you were glad enough when nobody who knew your secret reported you.”

“I came close, a few times,” Jarod reminisced thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair. “But luckily I was always able to either talk them around or vanish before they did anything about it.”

“He’d find it impossible to do that. He wouldn’t want to leave his mother, not while she’s a patient of yours.” Sydney became serious. “What chance has she got?”


”It’s better now than it was before the surgery.” Jarod rested his elbows on the desk and pressed the tips of his fingers together thoughtfully. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if he was motherless by the time he turned up here next year.”

“So it gives him something else to aim for.” The psychiatrist smiled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you admitted that it was just another reason for you taking him on.”

Jarod laughed. “Nothing I do ever surprises you, does it?”

Sydney nodded slowly, his face sober. “Dying did.”

“We all have to go sometime.” Jarod stood up. “Do you want to come up and see my girls, or will you go back to Michelle right away?”

Sydney stood up with another smile. “Maybe you’re not the only person who has ulterior motives for the things he does.”









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