Up in Smoke (Hotshots 4)

“Yeah. Let’s do the clinic.” Brandt didn’t have to think too hard about the choice. If he and Shane couldn’t fix the baby, then they needed someone who could. His back was already tense from hearing her cry. Not knowing what was wrong made his temples pound.

“Agreed. For myself, I’d tough it out with a virus, but she’s so tiny...” Shane trailed off as he headed to the kitchen and started gathering supplies. “I’ll get a diaper bag and some bottles together in case it’s a long wait.”

Working fast, they got ready in record time. Shane climbed in the backseat next to Jewel. “I’ll ride back here, see if I can distract her from too much crying while you drive.”

Despite the tense circumstances, Brandt appreciated how effortlessly they divided and conquered tasks, no arguing over who was driving or whose fault it was that the baby was sick. No, they had a common purpose, and that made it easier for Brandt to focus on the drive into Bend while Shane sang silly songs and kept Jewel’s fussing from growing too loud.

The clinic was near the big regional hospital, a low, modern building with a big waiting room. About half the chairs were filled with more people than Brandt would have hoped for. And indeed, the line for the receptionist slowly crept forward, several minutes until it was their turn to explain why they were there. Shane was holding Jewel, so Brandt explained her symptoms to the receptionist, who wore pink scrubs and a pinched expression.

“She’s not in the system.” The woman frowned but didn’t look up from her typing. “Do you have a list of what vaccines she’s already had?”

“No.” And great, now he got to worry about those viruses too. He made a mental note to bump finding a pediatrician up his to-do list. “I’ve got her birth certificate though.”

Brandt handed it over along with his license.

“So where’s the mom? Or do you two have adoption paperwork too?” She gestured between him and Shane, who made a gurgling noise as he went even paler.

“Uh...” Shane made a gurgling noise. Nice to know how he felt about being mistaken for a couple again.

Like earlier, Brandt honestly didn’t care. He wanted Jewel to see a doctor and if that meant Nurse Nosy here learned something about his personal life, so be it. He might not understand all the emotions Shane inspired, but he also wasn’t ashamed of what they had going.

“The mom’s not around. I’m the dad.” Trying to keep his voice level, Brandt tapped on his ID. “My attorney has custody paperwork ready, but no court order yet. The baby will be on my insurance, but I don’t have a card yet.”

“Does Mom have insurance?”

“Probably not.” Shane sounded as frustrated as Brandt felt. This shouldn’t be so hard. And this was undoubtedly why Cameron had pushed them doing the court paperwork. Brandt knew full well how hard the system could make getting help.

“Is there any way to check?” The receptionist didn’t seem any closer to being done with the questions, and Brandt had to grit his teeth as Shane answered that one.

“Not easily. I’ve got a phone number, but good luck getting her to pick up.”

“All right.” The woman sounded like she too was on the verge of losing patience. “Give me that number at least for the records.”

“Are you going to be able to treat my daughter or what?” Brandt demanded after Shane supplied Shelby’s number. His daughter. He hadn’t really thought of the baby quite like that before. But she was his. And he was the dad, not simply in the legalistic sense of the word, but because of how much she mattered to him. “I’ll pay cash if my insurance doesn’t go through. And I’ll get my attorney on the phone if you need documentation for the court stuff.”

“No need to involve your attorney.” The woman typed faster. Brandt must have said the magic word, because her voice sped up too. “Let’s all take a deep breath. The insurance card for yourself should work if she was added recently. And yes, a nurse should call you back shortly.”

“Good.” Brandt managed to stay polite as they finally finished the paperwork and headed for the waiting area. Jewel was fussing again, and he held out his arms. “Here. Let me take her again.”

“Thanks.” Shane took the seat next to him before pulling out his phone. “Do you want me to try to reach Shelby? I’d be shocked if she had insurance, but I guess we should try to find out.”

“Yeah. Send her another message, I guess.” Funny how Brandt had gone from praying she reappeared soon to not wanting to deal with the hassle of involving her. But letting her know was also the right thing do, much as it made his neck tense.