Emma was lying sick in his bed, and a son he hadn’t wanted was under his direct care. His life had been turned upside down. But, strange as it seemed, he wouldn’t have it any other way. At least when they were both under his roof he could look after them.
He tiptoed into his room to get a clean shirt from the closet. Emma was asleep, her cheeks flushed but the rest of her skin pale against the vivid red of her hair. A lock had fallen over her eye. Softly he smoothed it away and felt the unnatural heat coming off her skin. The niggle of worry he carried for her intensified. Her lips were slightly parted and each breath she took in through her mouth rasped softly.
He went out and closed the door quietly. Next door, Sienna had Billy dressed in another one-piece sleeper of mint-green. When he saw Darcy his arms pumped up and down. Without hesitation, Darcy reached for him. “Let’s go into the living room.”
The window looked out over the soccer field, empty today. How long ago that day seemed when he watched the boys playing and felt the pain of his decision not to be a participating father. Funny how things worked out.
He and Sienna settled opposite each other on the red leather couches. “How bad is she?”
“She has viral pneumonia with a secondary bacterial infection,” Sienna said. “The sputum and blood samples I collected at my first visit confirm that diagnosis. Make sure she takes the full course of antibiotics. She needs complete bed rest for at least a week, though knowing Emma I suspect she’ll be up and about earlier. She should have sought treatment sooner.”
“I thought so,” Darcy said. “From what I gather she’s been working too hard and not taking care of herself.”
“From what you gather?” Sienna repeated delicately. “I know you and Emma aren’t married anymore, and you have your own lives. But surely through your contact with Billy you would have seen her condition deteriorate.”
“It slipped past me.” To his relief, Billy began to cry, derailing the conversation. He was ashamed of not being a father to his son, even though Emma had wanted to raise the child on her own. He’d been glad she’d pushed him out of the baby’s life. But no way did he feel comfortable confessing that to Sienna.
Billy continued to cry. What was wrong with this kid? He’d been fed and changed. Darcy jiggled Billy on his knee, hoping to distract him from whatever was bugging him. The baby only cried harder. Great, now what? Jiggling was his only strategy. He glanced at Sienna who was discreetly looking at her watch, probably thinking about getting to the clinic. In a minute she would go, leaving him all alone with a crying baby.
Darcy got to his feet and began to pace. “Do you have any idea what’s wrong with him?”
“He probably needs to burp.”
“Ah, of course.” Darcy eyed her desperately. “And what do I do for that?”
“Put him against your shoulder and pat his back. Or lay him across your knee—” She broke off at his awkward movements. “You haven’t cared for him much, have you?”
Darcy fumbled the howling baby into place against his shoulder. “I—I’m busy with the pub.”
“If you’re that busy, then I strongly recommend Emma go into the hospital where she’ll get total rest and proper care.”
“What about Billy?”
“He would go in with her. The nurses would look after him.”
Here was his out if he wanted it, with no shame involved. Darcy walked the floor, patting Billy lightly on the back while he cried. He knew and trusted Emma’s nursing friends, but he didn’t like the idea of his son being in the hands of strangers with Emma not able to keep an eye on him. “Which nurses?”
Sienna shrugged. “Whoever’s on duty. All are more than capable. You don’t need to worry.”
Billy continued to fuss. No doubt any one of those nurses was more capable than he was. “Would Emma recover if she stays here or does she require hospitalization?”
“The hospital isn’t essential. I only suggested it to make it easier to care for Billy. Providing Emma’s comfortable and is allowed to rest, she’ll be fine.”
Darcy paced some more while the baby cried in his ear. No one would blame him if he followed the doctor’s recommendation and let Emma and the baby get professional care. Or, he could send Emma to the hospital and keep Billy. However, he knew she