The Heart Surgeon's Secret Son

“It’s okay for him to know you’re hurting,” Daniel soothed. “Actually, he might be more confused if he doesn’t see you upset.”

“Oh, he’s seen me upset plenty,” the woman admitted. “I’ve cried all night.”

“Don’t try to hide your emotions away from him. Let Peyton comfort you.” Kimberly gave a comforting squeeze and felt such compassion for the woman she was compelled to open her heart. “I have a son near Peyton’s age.”

She could feel Daniel’s gaze on her as if blue velvet brushed against her skin.

“He sees right through me,” she continued, her insides shaking, “when I try to hide things from him.” Except for the biggest deception of all, and she’d started that one before he’d made his first appearance into the world. “I’ve found that being honest with him about my emotions and what’s going on is the best route.” Except she hadn’t been honest with Ryan. Not about his father. “In many ways, he’s my best friend.”

How was he going to feel when he found out she had kept him away from Daniel all these years?

“Your son must be a very special young man.” Cathy hiccuped.

“He is,” she admitted. No child Daniel made could be otherwise. “So is Peyton. Make sure that through all this he knows that. You need each other right now.”

She needed Ryan, to hug him and tell him how much she loved him. How sorry she was for her mistakes.

Cathy nodded.

When Peyton sat back down in the waiting room, the boy had a stern look on his face. He didn’t speak, just stared into space. Daniel placed his hand on his shoulder, they exchanged a look of understanding, and Peyton mumbled, “Thanks.”

“Kimberly and I need to make rounds on my other patients,” Daniel said. “Then I’m due in the cardiac lab. I’ll be back later to check on Aaron. If there’s any change, the nurse will page me, but if you need anything, ask the nurses to call Trina at my office. She’ll know where to find me.”

Cathy nodded. Peyton gave a curt bob of his head in acknowledgment, but still didn’t speak. He fought to keep his emotions inside, but they spilled forth like a tense veil.

Part of Kimberly hated to leave them, but Daniel was right. The boy needed time alone with his mother. Peyton wouldn’t allow himself the luxury of crying in front of strangers. Hopefully he and his mother would be able to offer each other comfort and come out of this stronger.

She could only hope for the same between her and Ryan.

The moment they were away from the waiting area, Kimberly turned pleading, mascara-smudged eyes to Daniel. He almost winced at the raw emotions in her gaze and even before she spoke he knew what she was going to ask.

“Is he going to make it?”

“You’re a nurse,” Daniel reminded her. “You know as well as I do that there’s no way for me to answer that question.” He sighed, ran his fingers through his hair, and knew his current frustration came from a night of no sleep. “I never thought he’d make it through the surgery, much less the night.”

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I shouldn’t have asked. It’s just…” She stopped, her face pale except for the black marks beneath her eyes.

“Just what?” he gently prodded, wondering what was with her that morning. Had he pushed her too far when he’d pointed out what he’d seen in her eyes the night before?

He’d seen lust.

And more.

He’d seen longing and that bond they’d shared so long ago. A bond time had failed to break.

The bond that said they belonged together.

For the week, at any rate. He wouldn’t think beyond that.

“Peyton makes me think of Ryan so much,” she whispered in a hoarse voice. “I hate to see him hurting.”

Ryan. It was so easy to forget she had a child.

Most of his heart patients were older, so he rarely dealt with children of any age, but he liked the ones he did deal with. Peyton Clark was no exception. He reminded Kimberly of her son?

“I’d like to hear more about Ryan someday.” His comment surprised him. He hadn’t meant to say anything about Kimberly’s son, but it was true. Everything about her intrigued him, including the child she’d given birth to. Still, the thought of her bearing another man’s child stung in ways he had no business feeling.

“You’d like him.” A wobbly smile played on her lips and he’d swear she was about to start crying again.