Anytime Darlin' Read Online Free

would have attempted to roll off the table and crawl away.
    Devlin tried to concentrate, but her brain felt slow, and her thoughts were fuzzy. Was Jake still holding her hand? She cracked open her eyes, catching a glimpse of the ceiling as it swam by. Nausea threatened to overwhelm her. Then she felt a gentle squeeze on her right hand. She knew Jake was still there. She squeezed back, grateful for the pressure of his strong hand around hers. Devlin assumed they were taking her to a room. She vaguely remembered Dr. Workman mentioning intensive care. That was good, she thought as she let herself drift off to sleep. She’d be safe from him in Intensive Care.
* * * *
    Janice paced in the ICU waiting room. She was irritated and exhausted after having spent a sleepless night in the ER. She felt the same nausea she’d felt every morning for a month. Her anger with Jake was growing exponentially. He was still in there with the girl, he, Dr. Workman, Mike Jones, and that annoying Social Services officer. She’d arrived as Janice was reporting off to the ICU manager. When Janice approached the room and tried to get Jake’s attention, the Social Services officer slid the glass door closed in her face.
    “Oh,” she said, “Excuse me,” but she closed it all the same and turned her back on Janice. Why did they need Jake, she wondered, her irritability increasing.
    More than anything, Janice just wanted to go home and sleep, but she couldn’t keep putting off this conversation. If there was any chance, any chance at all that he’d come back to her, she had to do this now. She didn’t care that the father of the baby she carried was Jim Peters. Janice didn’t want Jim Peters. She wanted Jake. And if she waited too much longer, she’d start to show, and there would be no way to pretend the baby was Jake’s. All she needed was one more time in bed with him, without a condom between them.
    With a little luck, she could convince him he was the father. He knew her family. He knew what she’d face. He’d do the right thing, because that was Jake. He always did the right thing. And when the baby arrived early? Well, babies arrived early all the time, didn’t they? Jake was too responsible to abandon a baby. Janice was counting on that.
    Janice snuck a glance into the unit. Dr. Workman was deep in conversation with the nurse assigned, while Mike and the other officer stood off to the side, listening but keeping out of the way. Jake leaned over the girl protectively. It looked like he might be talking to her, Janice couldn’t tell. Since the girl seemed to trust Jake, maybe they wanted him to ask the questions.
    Janice sighed. Suddenly, hanging around the door to the ICU, as ancillary staff came and went, didn’t seem like the best idea. Janice was starting to feel not only conspicuous but pathetic. Besides, she needed a Coke, and her bladder was growing distinctly uncomfortable. It didn’t appear as if anyone would be leaving the room soon, so Janice decided to risk a trip to the bathroom and then to the cafeteria. She could always wait for Jake by the ER.
    His crew had gone home long ago. Chances were Mike was giving him a lift back to the station. Mike’s patrol car sat in the ER parking lot. She could steal Jake away, offer him a ride to his car, and maybe get him to stop for some breakfast on the way.
    He knew they needed to talk. If nothing else, he’d want to clear the air. That’s how she’d handle it—they needed to clear the air. After all, they were going to have to see each other at the hospital. If she was lucky and one thing led to another, they’d be in bed together before Jake knew what hit him.
    A little luck, Janice thought, and this would work out just fine.
    * * * *
    Jake watched the girl sleep. Despite her worrisome pallor and the dark circles beneath her eyes, she appeared relaxed. Her hands lay loosely at her sides, IVs flowing into veins showing very blue through her delicate skin. Mike was right, she