Read Online The Doctors' Baby by Marion Lennox - Free Book Online Page B

Bernard’s snoring’s getting out of hand and, frankly, Jonas Lunn doesn’t look bad in comparison.’
    â€˜In comparison to a moth-eaten mongrel who does nothing but sleep and whose only party trick is to trip people over when they least expect it? Wow, that’s saying something.’ Lori watched as Em’s deft fingers gently massaged Robby’s legs. ‘Robby’s doing really well.’
    â€˜He is.’ Em smiled down at baby Robby, who smiled just as happily up at her. Even when she hurt him he smiled at her, she thought, and her heart twisted again. Damn. Robby and now Jonas were twisting their way into her heart. Bernard was facing some pretty stiff competition these days.
    â€˜Robby’ll have two brothers and a sister as of tomorrow,’ Lori told her, and watched her face change.
    â€˜You mean Anna’s kids are coming here while she has the operation?’
    â€˜Yep. Anna and Jonas were here two hours back, collecting the kids but organising a longer-term stay for them. Apparently the surgeon wants to operate as soon as possible and, now she’s made up her mind, Anna can’t see any reason for putting it off. So it’s tomorrow. In fact, I think she would have liked to get it over with this afternoon.’
    â€˜I don’t blame her.’ Em nodded as she thought it through. ‘So Jonas is dumping the kids on you.’
    â€˜That’s hardly fair,’ Lori said mildly. ‘He’ll be back and forth, visiting Anna, he’s offered to work for you—which I think is a really good idea—and he’s hopeless with kids. He hardly knows them.’ She shrugged. ‘And we’re lucky. For once, the homes aren’t full. Kate and Anna—the twins who’ve been with me while their parentssorted themselves out—left me yesterday, no one’s been sent down from Sydney and Robby is all I have left.’
    Then, as Em finished Robby’s dressing, Lori scooped the baby up and hugged him tight. ‘That leaves just me and Robby tonight, doesn’t it, scamp?’
    But not quite. Robby pursed his lips and his little mouth puckered. He held himself rigid against Lori, twisted his tiny body and held out his arms to Em. It was absolutely transparent where his affections lay.
    Damn.
    Lori handed him over, but her pucker of concern remained. ‘He’s still attached to you, Em.’
    â€˜Maybe it’d be best if I didn’t see him any more,’ Em said, but her heart flinched at the thought. She had to harden it. Long-term commitment to a baby wasn’t an option. ‘Now Jonas will be here every day—at least I assume he’ll be here, checking on his niece and nephews—he could do the dressing changes.’
    â€˜Which leaves Robby with no one.’
    â€˜It leaves him with you. He has to reattach some time, and it mustn’t be to me.’
    â€˜I don’t know to who, then,’ Lori said. ‘It’s a disaster if he attaches long-term to me. I’m just an interim home mother. I must get his aunt to agree to long-term foster care.’
    â€˜She still won’t?’
    â€˜No. She has the attitude that the town will think she’s uncaring—that it’s a betrayal of her sister to put Robby into foster-care.’
    â€˜So she’ll leave him in an orphanage instead!’
    â€˜When in doubt, do nothing,’ Lori said, and there was a trace of weariness in her voice which Em caught.
    â€˜Maybe we could have Jonas talk to her,’ she suggested. ‘He can charm blood out of a stone, that one.’
    â€˜He can at that.’ Lori looked at her friend, and her attention focused. ‘Are you sure you’re not interested in him?’
    â€˜I’m not interested in him.’
    â€˜You know…’ Lori looked her up and down, noting how tightly her hands were holding the little boy in her arms, and noting also the signs of strain