Blackout After Dark (Gansett Island #21) - Marie Force Page 0,30
at the fine layer of stubble on his jaw. “I really like the idea a lot.”
“Yeah?”
“Hell yeah. How about we run it by the family and see what they think?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“I love your vision for what’s possible and how much thought you put into it. Reminds me of myself when I first saw the marina. I didn’t see the sagging roof or the broken windows. I just saw potential.”
“I hear I’m a chip off the old block,” Mac said.
“That you are, my friend. I couldn’t be prouder of the man, father, son and businessman you are.”
“Learned everything I know about all those things from you, Pop.”
“You learned good, son.”
“So tell me the truth about having five kids…”
Big Mac let out a big laugh. “That one you’re gonna have to learn for yourself.”
Chapter 10
“Give me another big push,” Victoria Stevens said to Jessie, the young woman laboring to bring her baby into the world. Though the clinic’s generator had kicked on to provide low-level lighting and monitors, the AC wasn’t much to speak of, and it was hot as hell in there.
“I can’t,” Jessie said, sobbing as tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m so tired.”
Vic bathed Jessie’s face with a cool cloth. “You’ve got this, Jessie. A few more pushes, and you’ll be a mom.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Are you sure there’s no one I can call to come be with you?”
“There’s no one.”
Victoria rarely had a mom deliver alone, but it had happened before. Who, she wondered, would support the young mom and baby when they went home from the clinic?
Jessie began to moan as another contraction started to peak.
“Come on, Jessie. Let’s get this baby out. On my count, give me the biggest push yet, and don’t let up.”
The young woman summoned the last of her strength and determination to give birth to a baby girl, who came out red-faced and squalling.
“You’ve got yourself a daughter,” Victoria said as she wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed her over to her mother. “Congratulations.”
“Is she… Is she healthy?”
“I counted ten fingers and ten toes, and she has a healthy set of lungs.” Victoria delivered the placenta, placed a couple of stitches and got Jessie cleaned up. “What’s her name?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“I’ll give you a minute to get acquainted while I get Dr. David to come in and check her out.” Victoria left the birthing room and went to find David, who was in his office, wolfing down a sandwich as he worked on charts and other paperwork that never ended. “Jessie Morgan had a baby girl.”
“Everything went well?”
“Textbook, except for the fact that she seems to be completely alone. I asked if she had anyone she wanted to call, and she said there isn’t anyone.”
“Huh. What do we know about her?”
“Not much. She arrived on the island about a month ago and came to me once for a prenatal check. I don’t think she’d had any care before then. I’m a little concerned about sending her home with a newborn and no support.”
“Let’s go take a look at the baby and see what we can find out.”
Victoria followed David back to the exam room. Before she went in, she caught a glimpse of her partner, Shannon O’Grady, coming in the clinic’s main doors. “I need a few minutes.”
“I’ll wait for you out front.”
“Thanks.” Shannon was so good about rolling with her crazy schedule and the way babies arrived at the most inconvenient of times, such as when she had a lunch date with her love.
Victoria joined David in the delivery room, where he was talking to Jessie about the baby. “We’re just going to take a quick look to make sure she’s nice and healthy. Is that all right?”
“Sure.” She handed the baby over to him, and he took her to a nearby table with a warming light and the items he needed to fully assess her. “She’s okay, right?”
“She seems perfect,” David said. “We’re just making sure. So how long have you lived on Gansett?”
“Just about a month or so. I came to work at the Beachcomber this summer.”
“Are you planning to stay for the off-season?” Victoria asked, making an effort to keep the questions casual and friendly.
“I… I’m not sure yet.”
“Is the baby’s father here with you?”
Jessie shook her head and looked away, sending the message that the subject was off-limits.
“I have to be honest that I’m concerned about you going home with a newborn if you don’t have any support,” Vic said.