Promise Of Forever

She glanced at Stevie, caught his quick look of disappointment and said, “Would you mind bringing a couple of pieces of cake in here?”

“No problem.”

“Stevie, I want you to talk to our social worker for a few minutes, and then we’ll have cake together. Okay?”

“No way! I ain’t seeing no social worker.” Stevie scooted off the table, fast as a wink. She grabbed for him as he bolted for the door, but he was gone.

It was the end of the day before Beth made it to the staff lounge to sit down. She didn’t mind that she was alone or that cake crumbs were all that was left of her party. It was good to have a quiet spot to check her voice mail before heading home.

She plopped down on the secondhand sofa, put her feet on the rickety coffee table and found the message she’d hoped for. Grandpa had called.

She called him back, and he answered quickly, as if he’d been waiting. “Happy birthday, darling.”

“Thank you, Grandpa. What are you doing this fine autumn day?”

“Looking at flight schedules. If you’re not ever going to come home, I’m coming to see you.”

Beth’s heart skipped a beat. She would love that.

“I thought I’d like to see the fall colors along the Hudson River. I haven’t been to New York in decades.”

She couldn’t believe it. “This is great, Grandpa! We’ll have to see the sights and do all the tourist things.”

“Maybe not all,” he said chuckling. “I’m not much of a walker anymore.”

Despite the age-related quaver in his voice, he sounded so vital and strong that she forgot his body wasn’t.

“I miss you, Beth. I’ll never forgive myself for the decision that made you go so far away.”

They had talked this to death, but once again she said, “If you were wrong, I was just as wrong to get offended. I’ve been at such peace here, that it must have been the right thing. Maybe I wasn’t ready to work at BMC; maybe I needed this time away to learn what makes me happy. For sure, I tried too hard to please Mom, Dad, you, the whole family.”

“Trying to please is part of life, but it can’t be your life. Now that you know what makes you happy, can you be happy back here?”

“At the clinic?”

“You don’t have to work at BMC. There are free clinics in the L.A. area if that’s your passion or if it’s too much for you to work with the family.”

Too much for her? Running a peds office at Brennan Medical would be a piece of cake compared to her work at a free clinic.

“What would it take to get you back, Beth?”

If she hadn’t found a new dream in all this time, was it God’s plan for her to go back? Could she work there?

“You belong here, darling.”

She didn’t believe that anymore. How could she convince him? “Grandpa, you’ve brought together some of the brightest, most experienced doctors in L.A. They’ve earned the right to practice in an exclusive group, and they value BMC’s prestigious address. My chief credential is that I’m your granddaughter, and I could care less that our patients are rich or famous. I don’t belong there!”

“You’re the future, Beth. Of course you belong.”

“I would only be a disappointment to you, or, worse, an embarrassment.”

“Never!”

“Not even if I wore a frog on my head?”

A loud guffaw had her pulling the phone from her ear. “I believe that’s my traditional New Year’s Eve hat.”

It was. “But I wear funny hats in the office any time I want to, not just like the family does on New Year’s Eve. I collect yellow sneakers in different styles and wear a pair every day. I’m rather eccentric, Grandpa, and I love it. In New York, nobody notices, but, if gossip about the family was an issue for you a year and a half ago, think what it would be like if I were there now.”

There was such silence that Beth thought they’d lost their phone connection.

“Grandpa…?”

“I’m here. I’m thinking.”

Maybe she’d finally made her point. Shouldn’t that make her feel better than she did? She hated arguing with Grandpa.

“Beth, the last time we talked, I said I’d like to fly you home, first class, and I would have a brand-new car waiting for you. Do you remember what you said?”

“I said if material things mattered, I wouldn’t be working as a volunteer at a free clinic.” She felt almost as insulted now, repeating the words, as she had, saying them the first time. She was above taking a bribe.

“Well, what if I said the car that would be waiting for you could be one of those new VW convertibles?”

“A Beetle?” She loved those fun little cars.

“It could be yellow to match your shoes. Imagine it, Beth. Your yellow VW parked in the physicians’ lot, surrounded by every luxury car on the market. It would stand out like a dandelion in an arrangement of roses and announce to the world that the clinic’s new pediatrician was a person who thought for herself and knew what she wanted. What do you think?”

She thought she needed a tissue. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She had just one thing left to say.

“I’m coming home, Grandpa.”

Noah McKnight admired his daughter’s drawing of Brennan Medical Clinic one last time before taking it to work. At the top was her trademark rainbow and Welcome Dr. Brennan, printed in crayon. For a second-grader who’d just turned seven, Kendi had produced a masterpiece, or at least he thought so.

“Daddy, do you think Dr. Brennan will like my welcome sign?”

“Like it? Kendi, she’ll love it!” He lifted her high and kissed her forehead, loving the feel of her long blond hair swishing against his face.

He lowered her to the counter stool so she could supervise. Carefully, he rolled her drawing into a cylinder, making sure it would travel unwrinkled. If he didn’t do the job right, she would tell him about it.

She sat on her knees, leaning over the counter, keeping a watchful eye. Her beautiful hair swung down, covering part of her face.

“You did a nice job of brushing your hair,” he said. A compliment might soften his daughter’s strong will.

“I know,” she said, matter-of-factly. She took being beautiful for granted, just as she took being tall for her age and right-handed.

“How about wearing one of those new barrettes?”

“No,” she said, shaking that blond mane.

“They’re yellow.”

“I love yellow!” she said with a sunny smile.

Like he didn’t know that? “I could French braid your hair.” He was getting better at it.

But she just shook her head, closing the discussion as only she could. Kendi never sassed or was hateful, but she had decided opinions on how most things should be, and there wasn’t a wishy-washy bone in her body. If her mother had been that strong, they might still be a family of three.

“Do you think Dr. Brennan will like the rainbow?”

“She’ll love the rainbow.”

“How do you know that, Daddy?”

“Dr. Brennan is a pediatrician, just like your pediatrician, Dr. Marsha. You know how much Dr. Marsha likes the things you make for her.”

“Yep, she does. And Dr. Crabtree liked his goodbye picture.”

“Yep,” he agreed, though he wasn’t that sure. In the two years Noah had worked as Keith Crabtree’s office nurse, the man had rarely shown enthusiasm or genuine interest in others. It was his reputation for thoroughness, not his personality, that kept his patient roster full.

“Is Dr. Brennan pretty, Daddy?”

“Does that matter?”

“Nope, but is she?”

“I only met her once, and it was a long time ago.” A year and a half was a long time, measured by Kendi’s standards. They’d buried her mother six months before that.

He remembered Beth Brennan better than he admitted, though. When she was introduced as Dr. Crabtree’s replacement, she’d been radiant, happy and so attractive that he’d wondered what it was going to be like working in the close quarters of their office.

Later, when he’d walked with her to her grandfather’s office, and, later still, to her car, he hadn’t been thinking how she looked, just how she must feel. Ragged emotion showed on her face, and he’d wished he could help.

“Does Dr. Brennan like little girls?”

“Sure. And little boys, too.”

“Is Dr. Brennan married?”

“I don’t know.” She hadn’t been when she’d first planned to take Crabtree’s place, but she could be now.

“Well, if she’s not, maybe Dr. Brennan could be your girlfriend.”

Whoa! Where did that come from? He hadn’t had a girlfriend since he’d met Kendi’s mother, and he didn’t want one now. “No, Kendra, Dr. Brennan can’t be my girlfriend.”

“You called me Kendra.”

“That’s your name.”

“Yeah, but you never call me Kendra unless you’re kind of mad at me.”

Did he really do that? “But I love your name. Mommy gave it to you.”

“Why can’t Dr. Brennan be your girlfriend?”

“Because she’s my boss.”

“Why can’t she be your girlfriend and your boss?”

“It’s not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

Okay, he was thirty; she was seven. He should be able to end a conversation. Before Merrilee died, he could have. As the only one left to love Kendi, it was difficult to be hard on her, even a little bit.

He leaned across the counter and tweaked her nose playfully. “Remember when Justin was your boyfriend?”

“Dad-dee! William is my boyfriend!”

“I know. Was Justin mad when you started liking William?”

Kendi giggled. “Yep. He wouldn’t talk to me for a whole day.”

“That’s the way it is with grown-ups, too. If Dr. Beth was my girlfriend, and I got a new girlfriend, she might get mad, and I would have to find a new job.”

“I like new jobs.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t always like new jobs when you’re a grown-up.”

“Why?” Her big blue-violet eyes were glued to his.

Usually, he tried to break things down so she could understand, but this lesson could wait. He knew just the thing to make those eyes glaze with indifference.

“Kendi, when you have to find a new job, you lose your seniority, your retirement benefits, the relationship you’ve developed with colleagues and the opportunity to continue working in an environment you initially chose. You have to begin the job search all over again—networking with former coworkers about openings, interviewing potential employers, assessing whether this work is a good fit for your skills and temperament. You might never find a position you like as well.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Kendra?”

“Can we have hot dogs for dinner?”

Chapter Two

Beverly Hills, California—October, one month later

There it was, the ultimate trophy: a parking space of her own. The flat piece of metal read Dr. E. Brennan, which meant the sign maker didn’t know she was Beth, not Elizabeth, but that didn’t matter—not when she’d spent a year and a half depending on the New York subway system, taxis and her own two feet to get around.

Beth wheeled her new yellow Beetle convertible into the space between two luxury cars. Grandpa had been right. Compared to the other vehicles in the BMC physicians’ parking area, her VW stood out like a happy child at a convention of bankers. It didn’t fit in any more than she did, but they were both here to stay.

It had been humbling to see how willingly Grandpa had agreed to the changes she’d wanted in her office, and he hadn’t been exaggerating about Keith Crabtree wanting to leave without fanfare.

She’d met with Keith after hours in his office and worked out the transition, but she hadn’t greeted the staff she would inherit. The receptionist—a young woman in her early twenties—was new to her. One of Keith’s nurses had been there when Beth was a child and a patient herself. Her other nurse was a widower who’d begun working at BMC when he’d needed better hours to raise his daughter alone.

When Keith mentioned his name, Noah McKnight, Beth couldn’t put a face with the name, but she sincerely hoped the man had a good sense of humor. She hadn’t realized there was anyone named Noah on her staff when she chose the theme of her new office decor. It was such an odd coincidence that she’d considered changing the theme, but it was exactly what she wanted, and her decorator had already placed custom orders.

Grandpa said if Noah had a problem with it, they would transfer him to another doctor’s office. Beth hoped it didn’t come to that. No one should lose his job or have his life rearranged because she was here.

High overhead, huge palm fronds swished in the warm fall breeze. The sky was California-blue without a cloud in sight. Beth raised her face to the sun and told herself this was the beginning of a great new life.

The people inside that classy glass-and-stucco building might scoff at the latest Brennan grandchild coming aboard, but she was well-trained, hard-working, resourceful and unafraid. Nothing could ruffle her composure. Nothing could make her doubt herself.

Or could it?

She must be more nervous than she wanted to admit, but was it any wonder? The Brennan family reputation was a heavy load to bear. There were people inside who would love to see her fall on her face, and that was not just paranoia talking.

She tossed her car keys into her tote bag and slung the tote over her shoulder. From the car’s back seat, she gathered up a floral arrangement, two big gift bags and a smaller one. Arriving this early, she hoped to have her gifts on the desks of her staff when they arrived.

Stepping briskly, she headed toward the front entrance, as nervous as an intern on her first day. Today she would be working without a net, with no attending physician to consult and no colleague close by. In her office, she was on her own as never before.

On her own? That was old Beth thinking. She knew better than that. She could pray anytime.

Lord, I need you today.

It wasn’t much of a prayer, but a flood of confidence swept over her, surprising her with its immediacy and power. Before she was a Christian, she might have called it mind over matter or something equally indefinable, but she knew better now. The effect of faith on the human body was real.

Noah McKnight jogged from the employee parking lot toward the BMC staff entrance and took the back stairs, two at a time, hurrying to reach the office and get his daughter’s sign pinned to the bulletin board before Beth Brennan arrived. This time his daughter’s artwork would get the appreciation it deserved.

He rounded the landing and started up the next flight, grateful for this chance to stretch his legs. He’d been a nurse before Kendi was born, but he’d only been a health nut since Merrilee had died and he’d realized he was all Kendi had. If something happened to him, what would become of her?

When he thought of his baby being raised in a foster home, it felt like there was a giant claw in his stomach. He knew there were good people who raised kids for the state, and he’d known some, but he’d taken off on his own as soon as he could. Merrilee’s foster situation hadn’t been much better.

If there was a God, he would get to raise Kendi himself, but he hadn’t seen much reason to count on help from above. Merrilee had, and look where it got her.

Sometimes he missed the feeling that God was in control. If he were still a praying man, he would pray that things would go better today than he feared they would. Keith Crabtree’s sudden departure had been a shock to the staff, but a terrible blow to Mona Fitz, the senior nurse in the office. The doc and Mona worked together for over thirty years.

They’d all known Keith would be gone, but not for good. A couple of weeks before, he’d said he was taking the first week in October to go fishing. That wasn’t unusual. Keith often went fishing.

When Keith gave them all the same week off—with pay—Noah should have realized something was up. Keith had called it an early Christmas gift, but he’d never made such a generous gesture.

On that last day, Keith’s face had been void of emotion when he told them he’d just seen his last patient…ever. Beth Brennan was back in town and would be his replacement. He shook their hands and was gone.

Mona fell apart, sobbing and threatening retribution against the Brennans and their “spoiled princess” for forcing Keith out of a job. She wouldn’t be consoled by Vanessa, their young receptionist, or listen to reason from himself. The Brennans weren’t to blame because Keith wanted to retire. Anyone could see he’d lost his zest for the job.

This past week, Noah had spent a lot of time worrying about Mona’s attitude and whether Beth Brennan would know her stuff. Had she gotten her position because of her name? Would she be a powder puff and let Mona run the show, or would the two of them lock horns and he’d have to referee?

In all this time, would Beth have changed as much as he had? He’d worked through the stages of grieving, and it seemed like he had his sense of humor back.

Thinking, worrying, wondering what Mona would do today, Noah opened the stairwell door and stopped in his tracks. Stepping out of the elevator was Dr. Beth Brennan. Would she remember him?

The new doc smiled as if seeing him just made her day. It was no doubt mere friendliness, but Noah’s heart rate picked up as if it were more. Of course, he had also just run up a double flight of stairs.

“You’re Noah, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t think you would remember me.” He was unreasonably pleased that she had.

“Remember you?” A frown crossed her pretty face.

“We met…” If she didn’t remember, maybe he shouldn’t remind her of that bad day. “It was a while ago.”

“But I usually have a very good memory for names and faces.” She studied his face intently.

“Don’t worry about it. We barely met. But how did you know my name?” He sounded like a single guy talking to a single woman. That wasn’t like him. He never thought of himself as single.

“The scrubs,” she answered, glancing at his work attire. “Since you’re in scrubs, and I’ve learned that BMC only has one male nurse, you must be Noah.”

That was him all right. Around here, he was one of a kind. Some men might have liked that, but not him. If the regular hours of this job weren’t better for Kendi, he would be back, doing the job he loved in a hospital ER.

“I’ve lived in scrubs for so long,” she said, “that it seems strange to show up for work in street clothes.”

Just then he noticed what she was wearing, right down to the yellow sneakers that matched her yellow shirt. Her khaki pants fit just right, and her only jewelry was a practical watch. There was nothing about the doc that shouted “spoiled princess.”

If Mona had anything to complain about, it would be how young Beth Brennan looked. Without her long lab coat, no one would believe she was the doctor.

“I’m Beth Brennan, in case you’re as bad at remembering names as I am,” she said, setting down a couple of gift bags and extending her hand. “We’ll be working together.”

“I know,” he said, surprised at how his shortness of breath lingered on. He hadn’t realized he was this out of shape. “Can I carry those bags for you, Dr. Brennan?” he asked, trying to sound natural.

“Thank you, but, please, call me Beth.”

Walking side by side toward the office, he noticed that the top of her head was level with his chin, though the length of her stride matched his. Just guessing, he would say she ran or jogged regularly. Whatever she did to workout was working just fine. She was in great shape.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re part of my staff, Noah,” she said with a secretive smile. “Without you, our office just wouldn’t be complete.”

Oh, no. Here he was, ready to like and respect Beth Brennan, and she had to come on to him? That stuff started soon after Merrilee’s death, and it still turned him off.

They rounded a corner, and their lobby came into sight. Noah stopped dead. A week ago the lobby had looked as impersonal as every other waiting area in the clinic. The only way a person would have known it was a pediatrician’s office was the presence of a little table-and-chair set and some kiddy magazines.

This morning, sunshine poured in on a child-friendly play area with pairs of elephants, tigers and zebras as chairs for the kids. Bright-colored fish darted about in a big aquarium, and on the wall was a really cute mural of Noah’s ark and a big rainbow.

Okay, he got it, and he owed the doc an apology for jumping to the wrong conclusion. Grinning, he said, “I take it I’m to play the part of Noah.”

“For the record,” she said, looking anxious, “the decorator had placed custom orders before I realized I had a Noah on my staff. I hope you don’t mind.”

Her earnest explanation said a lot. Only a really good person would care about such a little thing. “How can I mind? It’s not like I had to build the ark. How did you get all this done so fast?”

“Obviously, I had a lot of help. Do you like it?”

She shouldn’t have had to ask. “Of course I like it! It’s great!” Kendi would love it, especially that rainbow.

“There’s more,” Beth said, her face happy with anticipation as she unlocked the door to the office.

Noah braced himself for disaster. If she’d changed Mona’s kingdom as much as she’d changed the lobby, Mona would have a fit.

But the front office was exactly as they’d left it. He almost sighed in relief.

Her soft laugh said she’d caught that. “I thought I’d better leave the front office alone.”

“Good call.” That was twice that she’d shown she cared about how others felt. How could Mona find fault with that?

“There are other changes, though.” Beth set the flowers on the counter. He set the bags there, too, and followed her down the hall.

Opening the doors of the three exam rooms, she flipped on the lights for him to see that each room had received a quick facelift. Caricatures of a pair of happy monkeys covered the back wall of Exam Room One. Room Two hosted a pair of silly zebras, and Three had a pair of giraffes with such goofy expressions he had to laugh.

“Good! You’re laughing,” she said, sounding relieved.

“This is just…great!” He couldn’t help being impressed. Beth Brennan had known what she wanted in her new practice and wasted no time putting it into motion.

She walked over to a brand-new stand-alone cabinet and opened it, the better for him to see inside.

The shelves were stocked with an assortment of the silliest hats and headgear he’d ever seen. They looked adult size. “Are these for Mona and me to wear?” he asked, knowing Mona Fitz would burn the place down before she learned how to have fun.

“Actually, the hats are for me, but I might share. I got the idea from our family’s New Year’s Eve parties where everyone wears a crazy hat.”

He’d heard about those hats, and he’d been invited to the Brennans’ New Year’s Eve party the last two years. If Merrilee had been alive, they would have gone.

Beth chose a shiny red beret with a coiled wire toy attached to the top. “What do you think?” she asked, moving her head so the toy sprang wildly from side to side. “Do you think this will distract a little kid?”

It would certainly distract him, and she wouldn’t even have to wear the hat. Man, the doc was cute. She didn’t seem to be wearing any makeup, but she was so naturally pretty with those caramel-colored eyes, straight little nose and truly terrific smile, that makeup sure wasn’t necessary.

“You know how difficult it is to examine kids when they’re frightened,” she said. “If we’re having fun, I’ll get to do my job and they won’t dread coming here. At least that’s the plan.”

“It ought to work.” If anyone could pull that off, she would be the one, and if Beth knew medicine as well as she knew kids, she was going to be great.

She took the hat off and ran her hand through her sun-streaked hair as if it didn’t particularly matter how it fell. He couldn’t imagine many women—or men—risking a hair style that casual, but on her, it looked great.