Halfway through the morning, he wondered if Alistair had told Rose to do a complete check of stock. He expected a very cold winter by the looks of things and he wanted to be fully prepared in the event of influenza or worse.
Richard caught him between patients to let him know that the nursery furniture had arrived. Daniel thanked him and wondered how Richard managed a cheerful smile most of the time. Did he not have the average problems that most people had? It didn’t seem so, but if he did, he certainly knew how to push it into the background.
“Send the furniture to the far room on the top floor. Rose should have cleaned it by now.”
Richard gave a quick nod and left to direct the movers with Ruth’s oversight.
***
Later, Daniel found Ruth and Matthew on the second floor enjoying the nursery furniture. Rose played with Matthew, who was determined to climb on the new rocking chair.
“Thank you, Rose, for watching Matthew so Ruth could sort out the arrangement of the nursery furniture.”
“You’re welcome, Dr. Grant. The nursery is a wonderful idea. I’m so glad you thought of this,” Rose complimented him as she left to resume her regular duties.
Ruth bestowed a large, dimpled smile on him. “This is wonderful! I never dreamed you would furnish the nursery so beautifully,” her dark coffee-colored eyes glowed with happiness.
Heavy footsteps sounded on the staircase and Alistair appeared, his face set in a scowl and his lips pursed in a thin flat line. Matthew pointed and chortled as Alistair's mustache twitched, which only deepened his scowl.
“What is this noise?” he demanded as Matthew’s amusement grew. “This room is not a child’s play center!” he thundered in outrage.
“Ruth is my son’s nursemaid, and she will also be filling the role as the clinic’s nurse temporarily, as we agreed.” Daniel’s voice was firm as he met Alistair’s expression of affront. “She will be in the clinic on a regular basis, as will Matthew, who will be in the new, albeit temporary, nursery here.”
“How am I supposed to concentrate on the preparation of medicine with all this noise? It is important work and imagine what could happen if a mistake were made?” he said, taking umbrage.
“I do apologize,” Daniel said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “But as you should have noticed, the noise has stopped; the delivery and furniture setup is over.”
Alistair looked at Ruth, the root cause of his annoyance. His glare didn’t escape Daniel’s notice, which further widened the hostility between them.
“Will that be all, Alistair?” Daniel asked dismissively. “Make sure you don’t forget to check our supply status,” he added, his tone condescending. “Perhaps check with Rose before you place orders.”
“How you manage to work with him I don’t know,” Alistair muttered to Ruth. “I never disrespect others the way he does.”
“I don’t mind working for Daniel,” Ruth told him sweetly, her gaze boldly holding his.
Daniel saw her eyes spark with anger, but her voice was well-modulated, and he admired her self-control.
Alistair looked at Matthew, who watched him curiously and babbled baby talk in his direction.
“Your son is unusual,” Alistair declared in exasperation. “I’ve never seen a child laugh at people like that.”
Before Daniel could reply, Ruth interjected calmly. “Dr. Nagle, a child who laughs is a well-adjusted, much-loved child.”
Daniel realized she had noticed his anger and he appreciated her words, marveling at her ability to stop Alistair in his tracks with her honeyed logic. He knew that he himself would be halfway to putting his hands around Nagle’s neck, and realized it was best to be quiet and let Ruth handle the matter.
“Matthew is a normal, cheerful one-year-old,” she said, sweetly smiling at Alistair. “I promise you will not even know he’s in the clinic.”
Alistair looked between the both of them and sniffed. “Fine but remember this is a highly respected clinic and not a child’s play center.” He turned in a huff, stopping at the stairs to give Ruth an angry stare. “You may prove yourself competent, I’m sure. I’ll be in my laboratory if anyone needs me for anything.”
Ruth looked disgusted, while Daniel pursed his lips. He had never seen Ruth this angry before and found it quite becoming. However, Alistair's behavior was unacceptable, and Daniel would speak to him about it later.
“I’m sorry, Ruth,” he sighed. “I never expected such a reaction from Alistair. I thought he would just keep to himself like he usually does.”
“I know you said to say nothing to him, Daniel,” Ruth told him him, “but if he speaks like that again, I cannot promise to keep quiet. He should know better than to insult a baby.”
Daniel smiled, feeling a wave of tenderness toward her at the devotion and compassion she showed toward his son.
“Thank you, Ruth. I appreciate your feelings. Alistair has excellent medical skills the clinic needs, and sometimes I think he is difficult for that very reason.”
