Their Divine Doctor, a Holiday Ménage (15 page)

* * * *

Thanksgiving Day, the Rivers home in San Angelo, Texas…

Duke couldn’t help the undoubtedly sappy smile on his face when Emma crowed proudly as she removed the sweet potato pie from the oven. “See? There is one thing I can cook!”

Dressed in her clingy russet-colored sweater and snug, shin-length black skirt, Emma was flushed and beautiful and more precious to Duke each day. She had progressed well in her recovery, balking at times when they’d made her rest.

He sat on one of the barstools pretending to watch the football game when most of his time was actually spent watching her. They’d come so close to losing her, and at times he found himself wondering what his life would’ve been like if she were no longer in it. The thought always brought a painful burning to his chest.

The turkey sat in its roasting pan on the stove, waiting to be sliced. The scent of baked sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and freshly baked rolls filled the air, reminiscent of all the past Thanksgivings they’d enjoyed in this house he’d grown up in.

His mom exclaimed over the pie’s flaky, golden crust and applauded Emma’s efforts. She glanced at her son and winked, merriment in her eyes as Emma placed the pie on the rack to cool.

She came over to give her son a hug and whispered, “We love her, Duke. You did good.”

Emma joined them at the bar and said, “Mary, everything smells so good. Is anyone else feeling a little warm or is it just me?”

Mom patted Emma’s shoulder and said, “Call me Mom, sweetie. It is a little warm in here and you have on a turtleneck. Why don’t you and the boys take a walk outside? That should cool you down before we have dinner.”

Emma looked to Duke, and he heard Gage rise from the sofa and say, “Dad, I think I’m going to take a walk with Emma and Duke.”

“You’re sure that you don’t need any more help in the kitchen?” Emma asked.

Mom shook her head and gestured to the turkey. “The bird is resting right now. We’ll slice it when you get back. Go get some fresh air.”

After putting on their coats, Duke, Gage, and Emma headed out the door and down the front steps. The sun was bright, but the afternoon temperatures were still frigid. She hooked her arms through both of theirs and allowed them to lead her down the walk. There were people here and there, arriving or departing, loading sleepy kids for the drive home or letting them loose from their car seats to run after long drives. Christmas decorations were being put up at a couple of the neighboring houses.

Gesturing to the homes up and down the street, Emma said, “It’s like a scene from a Rockwell painting.”

Duke smiled and nodded, seeing it with new appreciation. “This is the neighborhood we grew up in.”

Emma replied, “Really? So your friends lived in these houses?”

Gage said, “Oh, yeah.” He pointed to a brown house next door to theirs. “Adam Rankin lived right next door. He was our best friend from kindergarten on. He’s in the Army and expected back from Iraq sometime hopefully before Christmas. That,” he said, smirking as he pointed to the blue house directly across the street. “That is where Jessica Silverman lived. And
she
—”

Crap.

Duke put a hand out to stop Gage and said, “—was my first girlfriend in sixth grade.”

“Really?” Emma said then chuckled. “Do tell.”

Duke nodded. “She broke my heart. Our relationship lasted two days. She left me.”

“She left you? For
who
?” Emma said with a disbelieving scoff as though the girl must have had no sense whatsoever.

“For
him
!” Duke chuckled and pointed at Gage. “It seems she had a thing for brooding men with green eyes.”

Emma laughed gaily, and Duke loved the sound of it and wanted to make her laugh more.

Gage said, “Yep. And we lasted for three days. She broke my heart, too. She said neither me nor Duke understood women.” Gage threw his hand in the air in a surrendering gesture.

With a giggling snort, she asked, “So, what happened? Did she just work her way down the block?”

Duke shook his head. “No. She gave Adam a go. Turns out she had a thing for blue-eyed men, too. They stuck together and got married after college. She’s expecting their second baby around Christmas,” he said, pointing to a very pregnant blonde helping a little blond-haired boy from a minivan parked at the house next door. “Hey, Jess!”

The blonde looked up and grinned widely when she saw them and waved. “Hey, guys! Happy Thanksgiving!” Her little boy was talking a mile a minute, tugging on her hand, and she shrugged apologetically as she was dragged inside. “Take care!”

“She’s lovely.”

Gage replied, “We were better off as friends. It was doomed to failure.”

“Oh?”

Gage said, “Yeah. It turns out we have a thing for a beautiful, green-eyed brunette who loves to play doctor.”

Emma nodded and clutched their arms close to her. Duke brushed his nose against her cheekbone, kissed her temple, and murmured, “And has a pervy streak a mile wide.”

Emma gave him a crooked little grin and replied, “Which you
love
about me.” Duke agreed enthusiastically because it was the truth. Emma turned to Gage and asked, “You slept through the night last night, didn’t you?”

Gage sighed softly and replied, “I did. No nightmares.” Gage seemed hesitant but smiled reassuringly at her, and she paused for a step to give him a soft kiss. Gage’s fingertips feathered against her jaw with great tenderness, and Duke wished they were alone in her bedroom so they could kiss her the way he and Gage really wanted to.

Emma wrapped an arm around his waist and said, “It just takes time, doesn’t it?” Gage nodded silently. “I’m glad that talking to my friend helped.”

Emma had suggested that Gage talk with a friend of hers who happened to be a psychologist. Gage had privately told Duke that he did indeed feel responsible for Emma being shot. He’d confided that being in such close proximity to Amy when she’d shot herself had been very disturbing for him and the main cause of his nightmares.

Gage seemed lost in his own thoughts as they strolled along. Finally, he said, “I know I was not responsible for what Amy did, or what she intended to do to you. What matters most to me is that you survived. That’s my bottom line. I love you, angel.”

“I love you, too. You know, it’s been a long time since my pervy side got any attention at all,” she said as she stroked her chest over the spot where her incision had healed. They’d slept with her every night but had held off from sex because she’d been cautioned by her doctor about strenuous activity. The wait was becoming a bit of a strain for all of them. “I am recovered well enough for sex. Give me another month on the threesome but I could really do with getting laid sometime soon.”

Gage groaned, and Duke’s cock reacted to this stellar news, rising to the challenge. Unfortunately they still had Thanksgiving dinner to sit through. “That’s good news, Em, but your timing sucks.” He didn’t think his mom and dad would appreciate having to eat a cold Thanksgiving dinner because he needed to make love to Emma.

Emma burst into giggles as they continued down the block before making their way back. They returned to find his mom and dad in the kitchen, laughing and teasing over some joke as Dad sliced the meat off the turkey. It was just the five of them for the meal, which was uneventful—until dessert.

His mom served pieces of Emma’s sweet potato pie topped with real whipped cream. They waited until everyone had a piece and then dug in enthusiastically.

Over her first mouthful, Emma said with a groan, “Don’t eat it.”

His dad took a bite and suddenly sat up straight in his chair but kept chewing.

“What’s the matter, Emma?” Duke noticed his dad shudder.

Emma’s flushed bright pink. “I did something wrong. This is
awful
.”

Everyone kept chewing, so Duke said, “I’m sure it’s just fine,” and took a big bite. His taste buds revolted, and his eyes watered copiously, but he wouldn’t hurt her feelings for the world. He kept on chewing.

Emma struggled to swallow and took a big gulp from her water glass. “Please. You don’t have to spare my feelings. I did something wrong when I was putting the ingredients together.”

His mom swallowed and prepared to take another bite, soldiering on as Duke and Gage kept eating. At the last second, his mom wiped a tear from her eye as her shoulders shook with restrained laughter.

Emma put her face in her hands and said, “I’m so embarrassed! All I was responsible for was dessert and I
ruined
it!”

Duke’s mom put a hand on her arm. “Let’s see what happened.” She held up fingers as she ticked off the ingredients one by one. “…and you added sugar, right?”

“Right.”

Mom shook her head. “There was no sugar in
this
pie. Something else took its place. Where did you get the sugar from?”

Emma pointed toward the kitchen at the canisters lined up on the counter. “The little ceramic house sugar bowl.”

“Oh, Lord have mercy!” his mom said and began laughing. “That’s not sugar, sweetie. That’s a
salt
cellar.”

Emma held her napkin to her face and groaned miserably. “How stupid! I’m so sorry!” Duke stroked her shoulder, hating to see her upset over something so small, but he could see why this would be a big deal to her. She was trying to make a good impression. She needn’t have worried because she’d already accomplished that. “I’ve ruined Thanksgiving. I wanted you both to like me—”

Gage took her hand and said, “You didn’t ruin anything, angel.”

Duke’s mom said, “Sweetie, we already loved you. One little pie isn’t going to change that.”

Emma took another gulp of her water and grimaced as she swallowed then said, “Really?”

“Really.”

“Is it too late to make something else?”

“Nope. Let’s see what we can put together. We didn’t need to eat dessert so soon anyway.” Emma teared up a little when his mom added, “Welcome to the family, Emma.”

Duke and Gage smiled at each other when Emma rose from her chair and hugged his mom. “Thank you. Let’s try this again.”

The men gathered the plates, utensils, and the offending pie and carried everything back to the kitchen.

Duke heard Emma chuckle softly to his mom and ask, “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”

Mom snickered and said, “Oh, no. Not for a million years. If I’m presented with
the opportunity
,” she said, looking pointedly at Gage and him, “I’ll teach you how to cook all their favorite foods.”

“Subtle, Mom.
Real
subtle,” Duke said as he kissed both their heads, made himself a mug of coffee, and left them to their efforts.

Duke’s parents had known Ace and Kemp’s parents, who lived just a few blocks over, for many years. His mom and dad knew about Ace and Kemp’s relationship with their fiancée, Summer. When Duke and Gage had sat down and explained to his parents that they had a similar situation, his mom and dad had taken it fairly well.

* * * *

A few days later, in late November…

Emma stretched after stepping onto the hospital elevator. The metal doors swooshed closed silently, and she folded her arms over her head one at a time as she stretched from side to side. The incision had healed nicely, but she felt the ache in her sternum as she moved. She smiled, thinking that her tight, achy muscles might be a good excuse for a rubdown that night.

As she rode down in the elevator she got her mind on the task at hand. This would be her second delivery of the morning. Her mind automatically ticked through procedure and protocol for early labor. She smiled as she recalled the conversation she’d just had with one of the nurses in the labor and delivery department.

“Registration said the husband is an EMT. Mrs. Wolf has been in early labor since last night. The contractions are four minutes apart since they arrived. They said they’re checking her in and asked if we could come down and get her
right now
.” The nurse’s eyebrows had been raised speculatively, and Emma volunteered to go down there since she was friends with Eli and Rachel.

The elevator slowed, settled, and then the metal doors reopened with a soft swoosh. Emma was greeted by the sound of a familiar, angry-sounding voice.

“—flirting with my husband? I don’t
think
so! If I wasn’t in labor, I’d kick—
Ooooh!
” Rachel Wolf let out a long, low moan and then took several slow, shaky breaths. Emma followed the sound to the registration desk near the waiting room where several people sat listening with round eyes.

A pretty nurse with long blonde hair sped past, red faced, toward the emergency department. The recently hired nurse, whose name was unfortunately Barbie, had a reputation for being flirtatious. Emma imagined that she must’ve been paying attention to Eli and had come into contact with Rachel who had a reputation for being possessive.

“Did I arrive in time for the smackdown?” Emma asked as she located Rachel and Eli in registration. Eli was talking softly to Rachel as he attached the hospital bracelet around her wrist.

Rachel looked ready to spit nails. Between deep breaths, she said, “That woman…was flirting with Eli! Right…
under my nose
.”

“Angel, she saw me dressed in my uniform and probably thought I was here working. I’ve never seen her before. I don’t think she made the connection until it was too late.”

The administrator behind the computer caught Emma’s eye and made a face like she was glad she wasn’t the one getting an earful. Emma chuckled as she squatted down to look at Rachel. It was obvious she was in pain as another contraction started and Rachel said, “I know that, but I’m not in the mood for bullsh—
Oooh!
”

Rising, Emma nodded at Eli, who appeared concerned as he stood and looked at Emma. “We thought they were Braxton-Hicks contractions, then during the night they started getting more regular and more painful.” Emma walked with them as Eli pushed Rachel’s wheelchair toward the elevator.

“Don’t worry, Eli. We’re ready for her upstairs. We’ll monitor her and see if the contractions stop. If not, at thirty-seven to thirty-eight weeks, she’s far enough along.”

Rachel breathed deep as the contraction passed and softly said, “I want my epidural.”

Eli squatted down next to her once they were on the elevator and tipped his head toward his wife’s. He spoke comfortingly to her as Emma watched the floor numbers change on the panel.

Rachel’s contractions stayed regular, and as she progressed, Emma had the anesthesiologist notified. Once she was given her epidural, Rachel was much more tolerant of the surreptitious but appreciative glances cast Eli’s way by the nurses who came and went from her birthing room. Two hours later, Levi Elias Wolf made his way into the world with a little help from his father.

Impressing Emma with his relatively cool head, Eli caught his son and placed him gently on his wife’s belly. Eli followed Emma’s instructions in clamping the cord, and then cut it. Emma completed the task at hand, and Eli moved so the nurses could do their work assessing the slightly preterm baby. He sat at Rachel’s shoulder, and they both stared in awe at the tiny, bright-red, raven-haired infant.

“He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Rachel said in a trembling voice as she stroked his head lovingly. Eli looked from his wife to his son with such love it brought a lump to Emma’s throat. The nurses cleaned the baby up, wrapped him in a receiving blanket, and laid him in Eli’s arms.

Technically, Emma was off duty once she was done with Rachel’s medical care, but she hung around for a few minutes and took pictures of the baby with both parents so they’d have them to enjoy later. At one point, Emma caught Eli standing at the window looking out as he held his tiny son in his big, powerful arms.

To Emma, Eli seemed to be a genetic combination of Native American Indian and Northern European, like a Viking with Native American facial features. That would account for his extreme height and body type as well as his high cheekbones and angular features. He was extremely easy to look at. The light caught his pale-gray eyes, and Emma snapped his picture at the precise moment a small, satisfied smile crossed his full lips.

Emma smiled with triumph that she’d captured the moment. She glanced at Rachel and saw that she was entranced watching her husband hold their son, and Emma captured Rachel’s beautiful image on the camera as well.

Eli had brought Rachel’s laptop computer with them, and at that moment, it began beeping and chiming with the familiar ringtone of a Skype video call. A beautiful woman with long black hair and a pale ivory complexion appeared on the screen.

“Hello? Hello? Can you hear me—I mean see me? Is this thing on?”

Rachel chuckled softly and said, “Hi, Nell. How are you?”

“I’m fine, sweetie. I’m dying to know how you are. Did everything go okay?”

Emma recalled her visit to Grace a couple of months before. This was the same Nell who gave Rose Marie tiny Birkenstocks and was concerned about offsetting Rose Marie’s methane output.

“Perfect, Nell. How’s Henry?”

“He’s fine. Mel came over a little while ago, convinced that aliens had landed in the wooded area near our house. He had the new alien detector Stef designed for him, and Henry was going to help him patrol the area.” Nell made it sound as if alien hunting was an everyday occurrence in Bliss, Colorado.

From where she sat, Emma squinted at the screen to get a look at the face that she could’ve sworn belonged to one of the Disney princesses. Eli shifted by the window and grinned at Emma as he moved across the room toward Rachel’s bedside.

“Where is the baby? How is little Levi Elias Wo-Woo-
Wolf
.” There was a trace of a tremor in Nell’s voice as Eli perched next to Rachel on the bed.

“Hi, Nell.”

“Nell, this is Eli,” Rachel said, obviously struggling with amusement as Nell’s mouth opened and closed several times without making a sound.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face…sort of,” Eli added.

“Um—um. It’s a pleasure to meet to—you—to—too, Eli! Oh,
drat
. I’m so embarrassed!” The little, nymphlike woman was charming in her stammering disconcertion. “
Shoot
! It’s nice to meet you, too.
Oh
, and is that little Levi? Show me,
show me!
” Nell balled up her little hands under her chin and cooed as Eli handed the baby off to Rachel and she held him closer so Nell could see. “He’s so beautiful!”

Eli rose and said, “I’m going to step out and give you two a few minutes to talk. Need anything, angel?”

“Another pillow, if they have any.”

“Another pillow, it is. It’s nice to meet you, Nell.”

Nell waved. “It’s so nice to meet you, too, Eli. I’m so sorry about my reaction. I’m appalled that I may have objectified you. I’m sure your soul is every bit as beautiful as your—um.
Shoot
! I just objectified you again!” Nell put her palms to her cheeks, which even Emma could see were beet red. Considering her coloring, it made her look even more like Snow White. The only thing missing were little woodland creatures frolicking around her. “Take care, Eli.”

Eli smiled and exited the room with a chuckle.

“Shoot me now, Rachel. I’m so sorry I objectified your husband! Oh, and don’t tell Henry. He’s been so possessive lately. I think my last topless protest on Rachel and Paige’s behalf might have unleashed the
Neanderthal
in him.”

Rachel chuckled softly and caressed Levi’s fuzzy little head as she replied, “Trust me, Nell. A little Neanderthal in your man isn’t necessarily a bad thing. My doctor is in the room, and I’d like to introduce you.”

Emma shook her head and pointed vehemently toward the door. Rachel grinned knowingly and crooked her finger at her, not taking cowardice for an answer. Emma moved from her chair and came to the bedside. “Nell, this is Doctor Emma Guthrie.”

“Oh! What a pleasure to meet you, Emma! I hope you were able to save the placenta for Rachel. It’s very good for nourishing a tree and will help to displace Levi’s impact on the environment…”

Emma nodded in agreement whenever Rachel did, following her lead for the next five minutes. Nell finally signed off when Henry and Mel returned empty handed except for what looked like an old part to an abandoned vehicle. Mel said he was certain that it was an alien anal probe. Emma thought he was quite a character. Nell extended the invitation for Rachel and her family to come to Bliss for a visit, and Mel even offered to scan little Levi for alien DNA when they came.

After the computer screen went blank, Emma voiced the question that had been burning in her mind since she’d gotten her first look at Mel. “Was that what I think it was, sticking out from under Mel’s hat?”

Rachel nodded, biting her lip. “Aluminum foil. Yes. It blocks the alien rays. If I could live anywhere else besides Divine, Texas, it would have to be Bliss, Colorado. They have the best nudist colony in the world. Not that anyone is
ever
going to see Eli nude but me. Nell said they have more recorded sightings of Sasquatch there than anywhere else in North America.”

Eli returned just then and, thinking that they needed some time alone, Emma asked, “Are you hungry, Rachel?”

“I’m starving.” She also looked really tired.

“Get some rest. I’ll arrange for a light lunch, and then you can eat supper when it comes in a little while.”

“Thank you, Emma,” Rachel said with true affection brimming in her eyes. Eli echoed her words, and Emma nodded happily and left the room.

An hour later, after eating a very late lunch, Emma was at the clinic, sorting through a stack of mail when she heard a tap at her office door.

She looked up and smiled at Maya Warner, who stood there in her cute red-and-white Santa’s elf hat and peppermint-candy-striped scrubs. “Doctor Guthrie, two patients are waiting for you in Exam Room Three. They asked to be seen together because they’re presenting the same symptoms.” Maya put her hand to her mouth, and Emma thought she detected a snicker in Maya’s tone, which was unlike her.

“What are the symptoms?”

“Chest pains and lower abdominal aches, but they didn’t look like they were in pain to me,” she added as she walked with Emma down the hall. “It’s a little after five and I’m headed home, if that’s all right with you. The guys want to go Christmas shopping tonight.”

“Your guys want to go Christmas shopping? How did you manage that?”

“They want to shop for Rachel and Eli’s new baby. The goofballs want to buy him a little motorized Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, the kind built for toddlers.”

Emma laughed. “Eli will love that! Yeah, you can head out if this is the last one. Is Felicia still at the front?”

“Yes, I’ll have her lock up behind me. Sorry about this. They showed up right before we locked the front and…looked desperate.”

There was no file left in the box outside the exam room door and Maya said, “Oh, I must have left it in the room on the counter. I think it’s a pretty simple case.”

Emma hated entering a room without looking at the patient’s paperwork first but wanted to get home to Duke and Gage so didn’t belabor the point. They’d told her earlier in the day they had a surprise for her, and she was anxious to find out what it was.

Duke and Gage had been seen by their doctors recently, and Emma had seen no reason to continue using the condoms when they were monogamous with each other. They were just waiting on final test results. Maybe that was the good news they had for her, so they could finally throw caution to the wind.

“That’s fine, Maya. Have fun tonight.” She tapped on the door then stepped into the room. The door closed behind her, and a sexy voice whispered in her ear from behind, “Surprise, doctor.” Duke. His voice had that smooth, velvety quality to it when he whispered, and it never failed to shoot a delicious thrill up her spine.

Another voice closed in behind her on the other side and said, “Doctor, I have an ache. I hope you can fix it.” Gage’s West Texas drawl made a happy shudder ripple down her spine.

“What in the world are you two doing here?” Gentle hands slid her doctor’s coat from her shoulders and removed her stethoscope from around her neck.