His Secret Child (Slade Security Team 2)

He gave a groan. When she was right, she was right.

Slade barely had time to grab a cup of coffee before the driver arrived to take them to the hospital. While Bethany slipped into Jason’s room—where he seemed to be charming the nurses, Slade noticed—he tracked down Dr. Baxter. “Well?”

Baxter glanced up from a chart. “Good morning. Was that you out for a run? I thought I saw you when I was driving in. Ever run any marathons?”

Slade shook his head. Bethany came out of Jason’s room, looking relieved. She came up to Baxter and said, “Well?” Slade smothered a smile.

Baxter glanced from Slade to Bethany, and got down to business. “Jason’s test results were actually very good. His pituitary gland is functioning normally. What I’d recommend is looking to stimulate the growth plates at the end of his shorter leg. I will caution you that we have to watch for side effects of the treatment. It’s possible to kick up so much growth that we’ll have to go in with radiation and kill the growth cells.”

Slade frowned. “How often does that happen?”

“I haven’t seen it, but there have been a number of cases where it occurred. Jason, however, is a good candidate. He’s healthy in all respects, and we’ll monitor treatment until his late teens. But I have to tell you, the initial procedure is quite painful for most patients. The good news is that the pain is short term.”

“And the cost?” Bethany asked.

Slade put a hand on her arm. “That doesn’t matter.”

She pulled back. “Yes, it does. Jason has insurance, and I can afford the best, but I want to know what we’re getting into.”

Stepping closer to her, Slade nodded at the doctor. “Don’t worry, Baxter. We’ll talk this over with Jason. If we decide on this, when can you start?” He wasn’t ignoring Bethany—he saw her fist clench—but right now Jason was the priority.

Baxter glanced from Slade to Bethany and focused on Slade. Good choice, Slade thought. “How does next Wednesday sound?” Baxter asked. “He’ll need to spend one night in the hospital for monitoring and pain control, but then he should be able to go home. Most children only need the injections once. To monitor results, we’ll need weekly x-rays and blood work for the first three months, and then we can start spreading out the sessions.”

Bethany stepped around Slade. “What’s your success rate with this treatment, doctor?”

Dr. Baxter smiled. “I haven’t had anyone not respond to this treatment, and I don’t intend to spoil my record.”

Bethany glanced at Slade. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. I want to do some research.”

He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “We need to talk to Jason about it.”

Her mouth flattened. He knew that look—she was going to push this. She was going to force a fight. Glancing at Dr. Baxter, he took Bethany’s arm. “Thanks, Dr. Baxter. We’ll give you a call about setting up treatments.” He pulled Bethany aside. “Just what is your problem? This guy is the best, and you don’t trust him?”

She waved a hand at Baxter’s retreating back. “You heard him. It could go wrong, end up with Jason needing chemo. Chemo, of all things! Like he had cancer. Like his mom. I’m not going into this blindly.”

“What about Jason?”

“He’s just a kid.”

“He has the right to know his options, and to make up his own mind.”

She lifted her chin. “No, that’s not what you’re planning. You’re going to make up Jason’s mind for him. I know that look now, Slade. This is about what you want—we’re all going to fall in with Slade’s plans just because Slade says so. You like easy answers and tidy endings. You want this to work because it’ll be your solution to everything. You get to be the big hero.”

Slade dropped his hand. “You’re damn right I want a solution.”

She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have let you bring us down here. It was a good thing to do, Slade, but you’re also doing it all wrong. You’re pushing too hard and too fast and I’m not just talking about Jason. Hell, I shouldn’t even have let you in the front door that first day I saw you. But I did, and now it’s my fault that I gave you an inch and you’re taking over everything.”

“The hell I am.”

She stiffened. “You don’t see it, do you? You’re a strong person, Slade, with an even stronger drive to do right, but you should wait until you’re asked or invited. Now back off.” Turning, she started to stalk away.

“Where are you going?” Slade called out.

“To do my research.”

Chapter 14

Bethany grabbed her laptop and headed to the library. She kept muttering about Slade’s interference, trying not to slam doors as she went. She’d called a taxi to get back to the B&B. She kept it waiting and had the driver take her to the nearest Starbucks. She threw her credit card at him to pay for the fare. That’s what she should have done from the start—paid her own way and not let Slade take over by inches. In her defense, she’d been reeling from Tayra’s illness and her sister’s death—she had neglected too many things over the last few months. Well, she could focus now and she wasn’t letting Slade push Jason into something that could be very bad.