The Brooding Surgeon's Baby Bombshell

Zoe woke again and blinked as the lights were so bright. Where was she?

“Honey, stay still.”

There was Gabe again. He sounded worried. Why? “Gabe?”

“Right here.” His hand squeezed hers as his face came into view.

“You’re here.” He was here.

“I am, and I’m never leaving you again.” He kissed her forehead.

All the pain of the last few weeks washed away. Gabe was next to her. Touching her. Calling her honey. What had happened? Why did he look so scared?

A nurse moved around her bed, checking the IV lines and doing vitals. “Ms. Avery, we’re getting ready to move you to your room.”

When the nurse left, Zoe searched Gabe’s face. “What happened?”

“You were in a car accident.”

The haze started to clear. She’d been driving home and had been hit from behind. The next thing she’d known, she was being slammed into the car in front of her. Tears filled her eyes. Zoe reached for her middle with her uninjured hand. “Will?”

“Shh, honey. Our baby is just fine.” Gabe’s hand came to rest over hers.

Zoe drifted off again.

When she woke next, it was dark outside and she was in a hospital room. She looked around. Her eyes focused on Gabe, who was sitting in a chair facing her. His hand held hers as if it was a lifeline. “Gabe.”

He straightened quickly. “Right here. Is something wrong? How are you feeling?”

“I ache all over.”

Gabe stood, but didn’t let go of her hand. “I’m not surprised. You’re lucky it wasn’t worse. I saw pictures of the accident.” His voice hitched with emotion. “I could have lost you both.”

She squeezed his fingers. “We’re right here. My leg hurts.”

Gabe’s doctor persona returned. “You have a broken arm and had a deep laceration on your thigh. Both were taken care of in surgery.”

Zoe looked at her arm, which was in a cast. Tears threatened to spill over. “I won’t be able to take care of Will when he comes.”

“With any luck, it’ll be off before then. Either way, I’ll be there to help.”

“You will?” She watched him closely. Did he really mean it? But he’d never lied to her, only to himself.

“I can’t wait any longer to say this. I’m sorry for how I treated you. You were right. I was just afraid. Still am. I know nothing more about being a husband or a father than I did before, but what I do know is that I can’t live without you. I promise to put you and our family above anything else in my life. If you’ll just have me. I love you, Zoe.”

Gabe’s plea squeezed her heart. “Of course I will have you. I love you.”

His lips found hers. The kiss was tender but held a promise of many to come.

They were interrupted by a nurse entering the room. While she was seeing about Zoe, Gabe stepped out into the hallway. As soon as the nurse was finished, Gabe reentered the room.

“Why’re you wearing a surgical gown?” Zoe asked.

Gabe gave her a sheepish grin. “When they called me about you, I was in surgery. I left in the middle of the procedure and didn’t stop to change.”

He had? “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Yes, I should. I’ll always be there whenever you need me somehow or some way. I won’t leave you again.”

“Gabe, your work is important. It saves lives. I understand that.” Zoe could only imagine the drama he’d caused.

“I left the patient in good hands. He’s doing fine. I just checked in.”

“I love you,” Zoe mumbled.

“I love you more,” she heard as she slipped off into sleep once more.

She had no idea how much time had passed when she woke again, but Gabe was still there beside her. He was leaning back in the chair with his eyes closed. His long legs were stretched out in front of him and his ankles crossed. Zoe couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was such an amazing man with such a large capacity to love. And he’d chosen her. She was blessed.

“You’re staring at me.” Gabe opened his eyes and smiled at her. “How’re you feeling?”

“Pain meds are a good thing.”

“Yes, they can be.” He stood.

Zoe didn’t miss his professional habit of checking all the monitors and lines before his attention returned to her. “Gabe, you know you don’t have to stay here with me. You need to go home and get some rest.”

“My home is right here. You are it.”

Her heart melted. If he hadn’t already owned her heart, he would have after that statement.

“What made you change your mind about us?” She had to know. Believe that it wasn’t just because of the accident.

“Honey, I’ve been miserable without you. Nothing has been right. It was even starting to be noticed at work. No hospital needs a lovesick surgeon heading a transplant program. And I spoke to my mother. When I was a kid I overheard her say something about me not having a role model for fatherhood. She didn’t even remember saying it. That seed grew in my mind to the point I believed it.”

“You have so many qualities that’ll make you a great father.”

“I think with you at my side I can be.” He kissed her. “Zoe, I know this isn’t the best time to ask this but I need to know—will you marry me?”

Gabe was everything she’d ever wanted in a husband but she didn’t need marriage to prove they loved each other. “You don’t want to get married. I understand that. Accept it.”

“Yes, I do. I want people to know you belong to me. I want my son and any more children we have to carry my name. I love you.”

“My mother had a lucid moment and we had a conversation about Daddy. It seems he never wanted a family, felt strangled by one. I don’t want you to ever feel that way. If not being married is what works for you, then I’ll be satisfied just to be in your life.”

Gabe leaned over until his face was near hers. “I love you and want to marry you. Now, will you please answer my question? I’ll beg if I have to.”

With effort and some discomfort, Zoe circled his neck with her good arm. “Yes, I will marry you. I love you.” Her lips found his.

EPILOGUE

GABE LEFT HIS mother in his kitchen, fussing with dinner, and went to find Zoe. He stopped in the nursery doorway and looked at the picture Zoe and their baby made as they slowly rocked in the sunshine. A glow that could only be love radiated from Zoe as she looked down at the perfect baby boy in her arms. His family.

She must have heard him because she looked up with an angelic smile and met his gaze. The love he’d just seen for Will was now transferred to Gabe. It didn’t waver. What he’d done to earn it, he had no idea. The thing he did know was he would spend the rest of his life honoring it.

“Hey, honey.” Zoe’s smile grew, just as it always did at his endearment.

“Come in and join us. Your son would like to say hi.”

Gabe walked to them and gently kissed Zoe on the forehead. “You did well, Mrs. Marks.”

“Thank you, Dr. Marks. I think we both did well.” Gabe carefully took Will from her, cradling him against his chest. Zoe’s cast had only been removed a few days earlier.

Gabe looked at the peachy chubby face and he worried his heart might burst from the amount of love filling it. “Hello, William Gabriel Marks.”

Zoe rose to stand beside him.

He looked at her, at the tears filling her eyes. His lips found hers. “I love you.”

“And I love you.”

“Just think, in my stupidity I almost missed out on this.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder. “But you didn’t and that’s what matters.”

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