Diagnosis: Daddy (Doctors in Training 1)

“Your dad’s pretty cool,” McKenzie told Alexis around a mouthful of cake. “He’s good at video games, isn’t he?”

Alexis nodded. “He knows everything about it.”

“My daddy’s awful at video games,” Kayla grumbled with a roll of her eyes. “My big brother Patrick says our daddy is technally challenged.”

Technally? Mia had to think about that for just a moment before translating it to technologically challenged.

“I’m technally challenged, myself,” she said with a slight laugh. “Alexis and her dad beat me every time I play with them.”

“Daddy always wins,” Alexis said, preening a little for her friends. “He’s probably the best video game player ever.”

“Patrick could beat him,” Kayla mused. “My mom says Patrick’s obsessed with video games. She always says she’s going to throw the games in the street, but she never does.”

Stifling a smile, Mia took a sip of her tea.

“My daddy could beat him, I bet,” Alexis argued. “He’s going to be a doctor.”

Mia quickly changed the subject before it turned into a who’s-better debate, but she was a little surprised by Alexis’s behavior that evening. She was acting…well, like a six-year-old. Fussing with her friends and bragging about her father; typical behavior for other children, but rather new coming from Alexis.

Although she made a mental note not to let her push the boundaries too much, Mia was just a tiny bit relieved to see Alexis acting more like a regular child than someone who’d experienced far too much in her few, short years.

She was also pleased that Alexis spoke so proudly of Connor to her friends. Mia would have to tell him later that his daughter considered him one of the all-time great video gamers. He’d probably get a kick out of that.

Remembering the way he’d looked in the living room, laughing and surrounded by admiring little girls, she resisted a sudden, exasperating urge to fan her overly warm cheeks.

An ice storm during the first Sunday of February brought life to a full stop in the Little Rock area. The roads were slick and hazardous and local police begged motorists to stay off the streets.

Having stocked up on groceries because of the weather forecasts, Mia made a big pot of vegetable soup and some healthy oatmeal-raisin cookies. Connor was glad he had a gas stove. If the power went out, as he worried it might, they wouldn’t go hungry and they could heat water, if necessary.

Housebound because of the road conditions and because he didn’t want to risk leaving Mia and Alexis alone in case of problems, he spread his papers on the kitchen table and bent over them for the afternoon. At least he could catch up on lecture notes during this unexpected day at home. Mia set Alexis down with colored paper, crayons, scissors, glue and stickers, spreading an old sheet so the child could make as big a mess as she liked with her crafting. And then Mia sat on the couch with a book she’d been wanting to read.

It was a quiet afternoon, broken only by the sound of ice hitting the windows, the occasional crack of a breaking tree branch outside, Alexis humming to herself as she played. Connor’s phone rang a few times as Anne and then Ron called in with study questions, but he handled those calls quickly and went back to work.

Realizing he hadn’t heard sounds from Alexis in a while, he looked up later that afternoon to see that she’d fallen asleep curled on the rug in front of the fire. Her crafts and toys were spread around her, and Mia had covered her with a brightly striped throw.

“She’s out, huh?” he asked quietly, stretching kinks out of his muscles.

Her voice as soft as his, Mia replied, “She nodded off about twenty minutes ago. You were so wrapped up in your notes I figured you didn’t notice.”

“I didn’t,” he admitted. “Is there any more coffee?”

She set her book aside and stood. “No, but I’ll make some.”

He was already on his feet. “You don’t have to get up. I can make it.”

“I need to move around a little, anyway. I’m not used to sitting in one place that long.”

He opened a cabinet to take out the coffee while Mia rinsed the pot. “How’s your book?”

“It’s good. Very suspenseful.”

“Glad you’re enjoying it.”

“Yes. I don’t find enough time to read just for pleasure.”

They had started the coffeemaker when the lights flickered.

Mia glanced around nervously. “I hope the power doesn’t go out.”