SH Medical 07 - The Detective's Accidental Baby Read Online Free Page A

middle of the afternoon? I recently retired from my job as a receptionist at an insurance company,” the woman explained. “I’m a widow, so my time is my own. How about you?”
    Uh-oh. It was a familiar pattern: I’ll tell you my story and now you tell me yours.
    Erica was spared having to deflect the question because Renée was no longer watching her. The woman’s face lit up as she gazed toward the cafeteria entrance. “Look who’s here! Aren’t they adorable?”
    “They almost make me want to have kids,” Ned agreed.
    For once, Erica didn’t mind when she spotted the twins in their double stroller. She was more than willing to let them monopolize this conversation.
    Besides, they were awfully cute. The little boy had bright red hair that would likely darken to match his father’s, while Julie, who was wriggling around in her seat, had curly brown hair with a hint of red, like her mother’s. Behind the stroller, Bailey beamed with pride. Her handsome husband radiated high spirits as he followed her into view carrying a sheet cake blazing with candles.
    Erica barely stifled a groan.
    “Happy birthday!” cried Ned and Renée.
    They’d come here because of her? So, apparently, had many of the other cafeteria visitors, who burst into a chorus of “Happy Birthday,” led by Dr. T’s baritone.
    A lump formed in Erica’s throat as she took in the genial faces of her colleagues. Along with several fellow nurses, she spotted nursing director Betsy Raditch, hospital administrator Dr. Mark Rayburn, embryologist Alec Denny and public relations director Jennifer Serra Martin. They’d all gathered to wish her well.
    And none of them had the slightest idea how very unwell this day made her feel.
    Erica forced a pleasant expression onto her face. “Thank you, everybody,” she said when the singing stopped. “This is a treat.”
    “It’s spice cake—your favorite. I have that on good authority,” Bailey said as her husband set down the cake. “I’m going to let the surgeon do the cutting. He’s better at it than I am.”
    Owen flexed his hands. “Anybody want a slice?”
    They all did. The cake was delicious, and to Erica’s amazement, some of her coworkers had brought her presents. Owen and Bailey gave her a generous gift certificate to A Memorable Décor, her favorite local store, which specialized in antique-style furnishings. Alec presented her with a couple of velvet cushions in shades of pink, hand-embroidered with butterflies, from him and his wife, Patty. It surprised her that he remembered how much she liked butterflies.
    “You shop at A Memorable Décor?” Renée’s eyes sparkled. “I love that place!”
    “Yes, although they’re a little pricey,” Erica admitted. “Mostly I haunt thrift shops. But I’ll enjoy spending this.”
    “I’m sorry I didn’t bring you a gift,” Renée said.
    “Don’t be silly. I’m amazed that anyone went to all this trouble,” she assured her.
    Soon the gathering broke up. Unlike Erica, most of the attendees still had an hour or so left in their workday. She went out alone, carrying the cushions in their pretty shopping bag and balancing the leftover cake in a catering box. Along the walkway that led to the parking garage, rays of late-afternoon sunshine brought out the vibrant purples and yellows in a bed of pansies. It hadn’t been such a bad birthday, after all.
    The screech of brakes and the furious blare of a horn sent her heart thundering into her throat. A short distance away, a laundry service van had pulled out in front of a flower delivery truck, which missed it by inches. The drivers glared at each other and then the van backed out of the way.
    Erica felt her heart pumping hard as she headed to her car. She was shaking so badly she could barely balance the cake on the bumper as she opened the trunk to put everything inside.
    The near collision had banished her sense of well-being, leaving a void quickly filled by a rush of guilt. How could I