Read Online McCallum Quintuplets by Kasey Michaels - Free Book Online Page B

she’d handle a small problem…how she’d deal with a much larger one.
    â€œHow bad is this for the McCallums?” Ian asked,neatly maneuvering his car through a yellow caution light before it could turn red.
    Sighing, Madeline folded her hands in her lap, at last aware that she’d been fidgeting. “There’s a lot of schools of thought on it, Ian, and a lot of studies, statistics, that sort of thing.”
    â€œHow so?”
    â€œYou really want to know?”
    â€œBelieve it or not, yes, I do. As a matter of fact, I’ve recently developed this whole new interest in intricacies of women and pregnancy.”
    â€œReally,” Madeline said, sniffing. “Okay. Spotting in the first trimester isn’t that unusual and often goes away on its own. Many believe that bed rest, and enough carefully administered drugs, will handle this sort of complication nine times out of ten. Then there’s my nature’s-way mother, who says that a pregnant woman can stand on her head for nine months, but if the pregnancy isn’t to be, it isn’t to be. Those are the two ends of the spectrum, and probably always will be. The main thing, right now, is to reassure Maggie that nothing she did caused the spotting.”
    â€œAnd that would be your job, right?”
    â€œIt would,” Madeline said, sighing once more. “The job doesn’t stop when the couple gets pregnant. We’re working as a real team effort in the unit. Once the pregnancy is confirmed, mine becomes the role of cheerleader, confidante, hand-holder, you name it. Oh, I hope she’s all right.”
    â€œYou trust Zachary Beaumont?”
    â€œHe’s the best,” Madeline told him, realizing that Ian was trying to keep her talking, helping her to convince herself that there were high chances for a good outcome for Maggie’s quints. “Cool in a crisis, reassuring and oneof the top obstetricians in the country. If anyone can get Maggie and her babies to a safe delivery, it’s Zach.”
    â€œThe McCallums can’t ask for more than that, can they? So you and the rest of the team do everything you can, and then you hope for the best. What else can you do?”
    â€œNothing. And worrying won’t change that, will it?” Madeline turned her head, looked at him. “You’re right. We do our best, then hope for the best. Okay, I’m calmer now, thanks. It’s just that, although every set of hopeful parents are special, Maggie and Adam really have gotten to me. And not just because Adam’s father donated the new unit. They’re special people, that’s all. They deserve a break.” She put a hand on the buckle of her seat belt. “Oh, good, we’re here.”
    Ian pulled right up to the front doors. “I’ll let you out here, go park the car. Do you mind if I come up to the unit, wait for you?”
    Madeline felt a sudden stinging behind her eyes, threatening tears she hadn’t expected. She put her hand on Ian’s arm. “I’d really like that, Ian. I’d like that very much.”
    He covered her hand with his, gave hers a squeeze. “Maddie? About earlier tonight. I know that’s never happened before, and I—”
    She cut off his words with her mouth, a quick kiss that was all she had time for, when she wanted the rest of their lives. “I’ll see you upstairs,” she said, then quickly exited the car, trotted toward the main doors, not even noticing that the boots pinched her toes.
    Adam McCallum was waiting for her just outside the elevator doors, his short dark hair spiking on his head, his hazel eyes clouded with worry. “Doctor! I’m so glad you’re here. Maggie’s down there…just down the hall. Dr. Beaumont is still with her.”
    Madeline nodded, and the two of them set off down the hallway together. “Would you please tell me what happened tonight? When did the spotting