Page 26 of Her Tempting Protector

“I need to go to Shada, are you good with him?”

He nodded again, obviously not wanting to do or say anything that might upset her fragile composure.

She pulled herself up off the lumpy makeshift bed and went in to see how Shada was doing. When she went behind the curtain, she found the woman half on, half off the bed. “Where are my children?” Carys gave a wan grin. God please the woman, she was trying to be demanding and Carys was so proud of her show of strength even though she had to be weak as a kitten. But she needed to get her back into the bed so she didn’t rip her stitches.

“They’re getting help. Your daughter Farida needed medical care in Khartoum, she and your other daughters went with Faizah to get some. Your new baby is here. You still need a day or two to rest before we can take you into Khartoum to be with the rest of your family.”

“No! My husband is there, he will find me and kill me.” She grabbed at the sweat-stained sheet. Carys made a note to switch out the sheet with the other one she had drying on the line. “Give me my baby. You must get my other children. We will go to Egypt. My mother’s uncle lives in Cairo.”

“Does he know you?” Carys asked calmly as she helped Shada back into the bed.

“No, but he will do the right thing.” It broke Carys’ heart to see the look of frantic hope on Shada’s face. The woman knew as well as Carys did how many refugees ended up stranded in refugee camps when they sought asylum in other countries. Carys had worked in too many of them—even this life here, that Shada had, was better.

“Right now, you need to focus on getting well,” she said to the weak woman. “Let me bring in your son.”

“My baby is a boy?” she asked in awe.

“He’s a healthy, beautiful boy,” Carys confirmed. She stroked her fingers down Shada’s wrist, subtly checking the IV insertion point, then she placed her fingers on her wrist and looked at her watch so that she could take her pulse.

“When can I hold my son?”

“In just a moment,” Carys assured her. She loved the look of love and wonder on Shada’s face. She tugged the stethoscope from around her neck and listened to her heart and lungs.

“Now can you get my baby?” Shada pleaded.

Carys took off the blood pressure monitoring cuff. She was disturbed by how low her BP was. It was not good at all, and it wasn’t because of the painkillers. “Shada, I’m going to need to press on your abdomen again, okay?”

Shada looked at her with trepidation. Finally, she nodded. Carys pushed firmly, doing what she needed to do to help the woman’s uterus contract. Shada was crying by the time she was finished.

“All done. Now I can bring him in for a visit.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Wait!” Shada held out her hand. She reluctantly pulled down the sheet. Then she also unbuttoned the nightshirt that Faizah had dressed her in. “I don’t think my milk has come in.” Her expression was anguished.

“Ah, Honey. It’s all right. Sometimes it takes a while. I’ve already been feeding him formula, he’s doing fine. Trust me, everything will be fine. Let me go get your son.”

Carys went around the blanket and almost ran right into Cullen. After her nightmare, it was disconcerting to have to look upwards into the face of such a large man. Normally she would be a little bit fearful. But really, how could she be when confronted with a man who was humming a lullaby to a tiny baby?

“I heard,” he whispered. “Here you go,” he deftly placed the little boy into Carys’ arms. “Is she good to feed him? A bottle I mean. I warmed up some boiled water, mixed in the formula and then let it cool.”

Carys shook her head and smiled. She was impressed. “You did? Yes, she’s fine.”

He went and plucked the bottle off the rickety table. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” she grabbed the glass bottle from him and ducked behind the blanket to where Shada was in bed waiting for her son. When she handed the newborn to his mother and saw the two of them together, tears welled up. She was stunned. That wasn’t like her. Normally she kept it together far better than this. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to cope with some of the things she had been forced to see over the seven years she’d been with Doctors Without Borders, but that dream had really messed with her head.

“Thank you, Doctor. You saved us.”

“You did all the work,” Carys said as she watched the beautiful sight of Shada feeding her child.

“I have decided on a name. I shall call him Adam.”

Carys sucked in another shaky breath.

Again, with the tears?

“I am honored.”