A Family for the Children's Doctor

“So what brings you out here?” Adrian asked, taking a seat across from Caprice and Isabella in a little sweet shop in downtown San José. Already Isabella had chocolate smeared on her face, and instinctively he handed her his napkin. “Other than the surgeries you do, why Costa Rica?”

“This was the first place I ever came with Operation Smiling Faces and I fell in love with it.”

She had a little speck of chocolate above her lip and he handed her a napkin, too. Caprice Bonaventura…everything he’d expected in a good surgeon, and so much more. He’d known she was beautiful, even though he’d only seen her from afar. Then when he’d read the article about her, he’d been amazed by the scope of her work. Plastic surgery got such a bad rap. Vanity medicine was what most people thought. A new nose, eyelid readjustment, breast implants. That came to mind right off when you thought of a plastic surgeon. But she didn’t do vanity work. It was all corrective—birth defects, accidents, severe illness. She was an amazing doctor in the field. Noted internationally for her work. And up close, even the word “beautiful” seemed lacking. Caprice was exquisite. Shoulder-length black hair pulled back to the nape of her neck in a no-nonsense style, which made her look sexy as hell. Dark brown eyes surrounded by thick, black eyelashes. Sexy as hell again. And her body… No man should be having those kinds of thoughts about a woman with the woman’s daughter sitting next to her. But, damn it, Caprice was enough to rob a man of his breath, then hold it for ransom.

And that wasn’t just his long stretch of abstinence talking.

Sexy aside, though, she was a little tight where her daughter was concerned. Over-protective didn’t go far enough in describing what he was seeing right here. Isabella was a bright, outgoing child, beautiful like her mother, but Caprice seemed to stifle all that in her, and if there was one thing he did not want in his life, it was a woman with issues. Mother issues, professional issues, relationship issues. Issues of any kind. He’d had one, and Sylvie’s had been just the opposite of Caprice’s… She didn’t want to mother her child at all… Issues were issues. He steered clear. And that was going to include the over-stressed mother sitting across from him now. Which, admittedly, took away from some of that sexy-as-hell aura she’d been exuding.

No, he didn’t go anywhere near a woman like her. Burned once, and he wasn’t going back to the flame. Not even anywhere near it. That was his motto as well as his sworn oath.

“So you’ve kept coming back?” he asked, deliberately staring at his ice cream rather than at Caprice lest his motto wanted to slip a little.

“I know the area, the people. And as far as I’m concerned, Costa Rica is the most beautiful place on earth. As long as the children here need my help, this is where I’ll keep coming back.”

“And you’ve done how many surgeries?”

“Just over one hundred fifty now.”

“All free of charge?”

Caprice nodded. “It’s not about the money. We have sources who fund us, especially after they see the smiles.” She herself smiled, talking about her work. “And, like you, our staff is all volunteers.”

“It’s worthy,” Adrian commented, just as his cellphone jingled.

“You’ll have to go outside to get reception,” Caprice said. “And once we’re out in the jungle, you won’t get any at all. It’s back to the old-fashioned land lines.”

He glanced down at the number. His mother’s. Probably Sean wanting to talk to him, and as this might be the last time for a while, he was glad to step outside to say his temporary goodbyes to his son.

“Sylvie took him,” were his mother’s first words, after Adrian answered.

“What do you mean, Sylvie took him?” he said, not yet alarmed. “She came by earlier, and demanded to take Sean out for ice cream.”

“You let her?”

“She has shared custody, Adrian. I couldn’t stop her, could I?”

Damn, he hated shared custody. He’d fought for more at the original hearing and lost as the judge had believed a mother had rights, too. Under most circumstances Adrian would have agreed. But not in this case. Not with Sean. “So she hasn’t brought him back?” The warning hairs on the back of his neck were beginning to stand up.

“Not yet.”

“How long?” he asked, trying hard not to sound irritated with his mother. It wasn’t her fault after all. It was Sylvie’s.

“Five hours, Adrian.” Emma McCallan began to sniffle. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to let him go with her, but she had papers…court papers.”

The infamous custody agreement. She always used it when she wanted something from him…money, mostly. “Did she tell you which ice-cream parlor?”

“Yes, and I called them. Sylvie and Sean haven’t been there.”

“And you tried calling her house?”

“Phone’s been disconnected.”

Now the warning hairs on his neck were rioting.

“Have you called Ben?” Benjamin Rafferty, his attorney.

“Yes, and he’s reported it to the police, but the police said that since Sylvie does have partial custody there’s nothing they can do about it if the child’s not in danger.”

“She runs off with my son and there’s nothing they can do?” He glanced back in the window at Caprice, who was staring at him, then turned his back to her. “Have him call a private investigator.”

“What if she hurts Sean?”

“She won’t. This is just for effect.” Sylvie was a lot of things, most of them not so nice, but she would never hurt her son. She wasn’t cruel like that at all, and as much as he wanted to throttle her for doing this, he truly didn’t fear for Sean’s safety. Not physical safety, anyway. But his emotional well-being…that was something entirely different. “She asked me to up her child support payments last week. Up them permanently. Enough to nearly wipe me out, and I turned her down.” He’d given in every single time before when she’d come at him, each time against his attorney’s advice. After all, Sylvie didn’t have custodial care of Sean, just occasional visitation rights, which legally entitled her to no financial support. But he’d done it merely to make things easier, to avoid arguments. To protect Sean.

In fact, if anything, she was legally obligated to pay Adrian child support. Which she didn’t, and he wouldn’t have accepted had she offered. But what she did was demand it from him in large amounts, always with the threat of dragging their whole custody issue into court one more time, which would pull Sean right into the middle of it. And Sean didn’t need to be part of the ugliness between his parents.

Adrian would not allow that. Not under any circumstances. It had already happened at the initial hearings after they’d separated, and Sean had suffered. So, not again. It was easier to meet the woman’s demands and leave his son out of it altogether. Except the last demand had been unreasonable. She’d wanted practically every penny he had, and in one lump sum at that!

That’s where he’d drawn the line and, for the first time in their rocky relationship, said no! Now Sylvie was having her say in the matter. “Tell Ben to get me the best he can find, and that I’ll be on the first plane back to Miami.”

“What about your obligations there in Costa Rica?” his mother asked.

What about them? He turned back around and saw Caprice still staring at him. “I’ll find someone else to take my place.” Though he knew that was easier said than done. He was the replacement. Replacing the replacement wasn’t going to be easy. Not on such short notice. He’d had to move heaven and earth to set his schedule aside for this, and getting someone else to do the same… “I’ll be home as soon as I can. And if Sylvie does bring Sean back, don’t let her near him again, Mom, no matter what kind of papers she shows you. Promise me you won’t let her near him until I’m there and can deal with her face to face.”

As he clicked off the phone and jammed it back in his pocket, he hesitated for a moment, trying to gather his wits before going back into the ice-cream parlor and walking over to the table where mother and daughter were finishing off their ice creams. It wasn’t fair to leave them in the lurch here, but he needed to be back home for Sean. His son came first. That’s all there was to it. “Dr Bonaventura,” he said before he’d even stopped in front of them, “I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news for you.”

CHAPTER TWO

BAD news. Why wasn’t she surprised? Judging from his body language throughout his phone call, she’d been pretty sure the news wasn’t good. Then, when he’d caught her eye and deliberately turned his back, she’d gotten the distinct impression that his bad news, in some way, affected her. Which could only mean he was backing out of his promise. The expression on his face right now confirmed it.

Caprice braced herself for the actual words, still hoping she was wrong. “Why do I get the feeling your bad news has direct bearing on me and Operation Smiling Faces?”

“Because it does. I have to return to Miami as soon as I can catch a plane out of here. Family emergency.”

“Someone died?” she gasped.

Adrian shook his head.

“Injured, ill?”

He shook his head again.

Now she was beginning to wonder. “Disaster?”

“No. Just something personal I need to take care of.”

Personal? The man had a personal problem and he was about to dump them? She shook her head in disbelief. It truly hadn’t crossed her mind that someone with such a sterling reputation as Adrian McCallan’s would back out on her. But he was doing just that, and he wasn’t giving her a good reason. There were many things she could and would accept, but a vague personal reason? “And what about your obligation here?” she asked, trying to delay her anger in case there really was a valid reason for him leaving.

“I don’t have a choice. I’ve been called back because of…” He frowned. “It’s complicated. Let’s just say that some finished business back home wasn’t as finished as I’d thought it was.”

“Unfinished business.” Initial shock over with now, it was all beginning to sink in and the anger was starting to bubble. He was leaving for nothing that seemed all that pressing, which meant there would be a shortage in her medical teams. They were geared up for four teams, and Adrian’s departure would reduce their workforce by one-fourth, because without the anesthesiologist the surgeon could not operate. As simple as that. Children expecting follow-up surgeries, or even the beginning surgeries in a long series of procedures, wouldn’t get what they expected because of Adrian’s unfinished business. In his two weeks here, that could mean as many as fifteen or twenty surgeries not getting done, fifteen or twenty children expecting a miracle and a smile being turned away. More tears over more ridicule.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to tell me what this unfinished business is, would you? I have numerous contacts back in the States, and maybe I can find someone to take care of your problems so you won’t have to leave.” Nice try, but from the dead hard set to his face, she knew she’d failed. He wasn’t about to tell her any more than he already had.

“Nothing you can help with,” he said gruffly. “And I’m sorry it worked out this way. I really intended to fulfill my part of the obligation. Unfortunately, it’s simply not meant to be this time.”

“Not meant to be?” she exploded, unable to keep it in any longer. “You’re pushing this off like it’s a casual trip to the grocery store. Can’t go this time but maybe next time. I resent that, Doctor, since so many people are depending on you as part of the surgical team.” Caprice glanced at Isabella, who’d stopped eating and was staring up wide-eyed at her, then she took a deep breath to steady herself. “We had an agreement, Dr McCallan,” she said stiffly, aware that there was no way, legal or otherwise, she could keep him there if he chose to leave. “I counted on you keeping your word.”

“So did I, Dr Bonaventura, but, like I said, something came up.”

“So, what am I supposed to do? Tell my patients that they’ll have to go away because something came up? Try to schedule them for another time, even though my next three trips down here are already booked solid with former patients? Tell them, tough luck, that a hemangioma doesn’t matter, or that Goldenhar syndrome can be fixed by heavy cosmetics, low-brimmed hats and lots of scarves? Because that’s not good enough. These people expect that when I promise them a procedure I’ll deliver it, and part of that delivery is you, Dr McCallan. Some of these children have waited for years and it’s not fair to tell them I’ll have to put them back on the list, that they might have to wait another few months or years.” She slapped her napkin down on the table, scooted her chair back across the floor so hard it hit the empty chair behind her, and stood. “That’s not good enough. And it’s not fair.”

“I’ll find a replacement,” he offered. “As soon as I return I’ll make some calls.”

“And have someone here when? By tomorrow morning? Because that’s when we open the clinic and start evaluating patients, looking at new cases coming in—and there will be dozens of them—and doing physicals for the children already scheduled for surgery. Will you have me that replacement by then, Doctor?”

“Who’s next on the list?” he asked. “I’ll call them right now, and I’ll assume the financially responsibility to get them here. I mean, it’s really not my intention to cause you any problems here. So, I’ll be glad to—”

“You’re next on the list, Doctor,” Caprice interrupted. “My other replacement wasn’t available, and the one after that is out with another of the Operation Smiling Face units right now. Meaning you were last on the list.”

“Last on the list?” he sputtered.

“Last. Very last. People are good to send money, but finding time to volunteer is another thing.”

“He’s not coming back to Dulce with us?” Isabella piped up.

Caprice turned to her daughter, fighting hard to erase the angry expression from her face. “No, sweetie, he’s not. He’s got to go back home as soon as he can.”

Isabella scrunched her face into a sulky little frown, then crossed her arms angrily across her chest. “I don’t want him to. I want Adrian to stay.”

Great, just great! One fleeing doctor, one pouting child. Could this day get any worse? “So do I, but it’s not my decision to make.”

“But you’re the boss,” she cried. “Can’t you make him?”

Caprice turned back to Adrian. “What would it take to convince you to stay?” she asked, the anger returning the instant she looked at him. This man was really leaving her in a lurch, and all she could think about were the disappointments and heartbreak she would have to cause. She hated that. Hated him for being the cause of it. “If it’s money—”

“Not money,” he interrupted. “Like I said, it’s just some matters that need my attention.”

“Can’t they wait for two weeks?”

He shook his head. “Look, I feel bad about this. I really wanted to come out here and do the work. And I’ll be willing to come back at another time…”

“Once is all you get, Doctor. I can’t afford second chances when somebody stands me up on the first chance. Not with the workload we carry here. It would be foolish of me to trust you again. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Then maybe one of the other units will have me in the future because I really want to do this. But right now I’ve got to get home. Sorry about that.”

Sorry? He was sorry? “Not half as sorry as the children will be,” she said, taking Isabella by the hand and leading her away from the table. As Caprice swished by Adrian, she shoved the check for the ice cream at him, then marched on out the door. Wasn’t much of a last word, and ever since her marriage to Tony had ended, she tried always to get the last word. No, a check for ice cream wasn’t much of a last word, but under the circumstances it was the best she could do.

Damn it, this wasn’t the way it should have worked out. Not only had Sylvie’s little ploy upset his mother, it had disrupted an important medical operation. All things considered, Dr Bonaventura had been very good about it. Much better than he would have been. She was actually pretty sexy when riled, he thought. Not that he’d intended to rile her. But he sure couldn’t help but see the obvious.

Sexy aside, though, he felt sick about what he had to do. Thinking about all those children who wouldn’t have their surgeries because of him…because of Sylvie…literally made him sick to his stomach. Suppose Sean had been one of those children? Suppose he’d been on a waiting list for a medical procedure only to be turned away because some selfish idiot of a woman had pulled a stupid stunt for money? Or some idiot of a man had never seen it coming?

Damn, he cursed himself for this as much as he did Sylvie. And in the meantime, a whole lot of innocent people were going to suffer. That was inexcusable. Absolutely inexcusable!

Adrian paid the bill then stepped out onto the street and spotted Caprice and Isabella fairly flying down the sidewalk. They were trying to get away from him, and he couldn’t blame them. What he’d just done wasn’t a very noble thing. In fact, it was downright despicable and he was embarrassed. “Ben,” he said, cellphone to his ear, as he followed them. “Suppose something detained me here and I couldn’t get home right away?”

“What do you mean?” his attorney asked.

“Realistically, how much help can I be if I come back to Miami today? Is there anything I can do to help find Sylvie and get Sean back?”

“Not much. I’ve got my best investigator on it, and the truth is, unless Sylvie wants to be found, there’s a good chance she won’t be until she’s damn good and ready. She wants to take you good this time, and you know what I’ve got to say about that.”

“Same thing you always say. Take it to court. Try and get all her parental privileges revoked. But you know what I’ve got to say about that.”

“I know. You want to protect Sean from all the ugliness, and I do understand that, Adrian. But until you can legally put Sylvie in her place, this is going to happen over and over. Also, if you think that having her take Sean with her is going to traumatize him any less than what he’s going through, being torn in half by the two of you, you’re sadly mistaken. Sylvie wants it all, and if she doesn’t succeed this time, next time’s only going to be worse. And Sean will be the one to suffer then, too. Bottom line is, you can’t protect him any more. He’s old enough to understand what this is about, and while you’ve fought a hard battle and done a good job taking care of him and protecting him, it’s out of your control now. Sylvie’s seen to that.”

That much was true. Ben was right. “I’ll give it some thought, and we’ll talk about it when I’m back in the States. For now, I don’t want the police involved, if there’s any way we can get around it.”

“They’re not particularly interested, so I don’t see any reason to drag them in. Like I said, I’ve got the best investigator on it money can buy. If Sylvie’s anywhere to be found, Paul Radke will find her. And going back to your first question about how much you’re needed here—my advice is to stay where you are. You’re too hot-headed when it comes to Sylvie. I don’t want you dealing with her yet. Especially if we’re going to position ourselves to get her into court at some time in the future.”

True again. He did tend to lose his temper where his ex-wife was concerned. Every time he did, she benefitted. From his bank account to her pocketbook.

“Communications aren’t good where I’m going. At least not by cellphone.”

“They have land lines and computers, don’t they?”

Grudgingly, Adrian conceded that they did. He really did want to go home, to be there for Sean when Sylvie brought him back, to take Sylvie to task one more time. But there was Caprice Bonaventure and Operation Smiling Faces to consider, too, and she didn’t deserve the fallout from this war between Sylvie and him. Neither did the children.

Steadying himself with a deep breath, Adrian doubled his pace to catch up to Caprice. “I’ll give you all my contact numbers and references as soon as I get to the hospital,” he told Ben.

“Good decision.”

“Then why the hell am I not feeling good about it?” he grunted.

“I’ll handle it, Adrian. Don’t worry. You know Sean’s safe with her. And if I need you here for any reason, I’ll let you know.”

That was the way they left it, and as Adrian tucked his cellphone back in his pocket, he wasn’t sure what he felt. He was sick over leaving Sean behind. Caprice had Isabelle here, and if Sylvie hadn’t interfered so much he’d have had Sean here, too. He was also worried. What father wouldn’t be? His son was missing. Safe or not with Sylvie, Sean wasn’t where he was supposed to be. That’s the only thing that counted here. So maybe Ben was right. Maybe it was time to bring an end to Sylvie’s involvement.

Or bring an end to his own if Sylvie had a mind to do it, as, after all, he really wasn’t Sean’s father.

“I thought he was nice,” Isabella said, as Caprice slowed down a little once they were away from the ice-cream shop.

“Nice, maybe, but when you make a promise you’re supposed to keep it.” Like Tony had promised to be a father to Isabella, even after the divorce. Like Adrian had promised to be her anesthesiologist. Other things always got in the way, didn’t they? And it was so easy to drop the really important matters when they did. Tony did without a flinch, and Adrian had without even the batting of an eyelash. So had her father, in so many ways.

Which was why she didn’t get involved with men on any level. She just didn’t trust them. Simple as that. Keep them at an arm’s length personally, let them stand in their professional place with her, but nothing else. That kept Isabella safe. Kept her safe, too.

Fighting the urge to look back to see if Adrian was watching them, and she knew he was from the feel of the prickly goose-bumps popping out on her arms, Caprice turned the corner and spotted the little landing strip at the private airport. Grant Makela was there, leaning casually against the airplane, eating a mango. Baggy khaki shorts hanging down to his knees, red and yellow Hawaiian print cotton shirt, sandals… Nice guy, Grant. He worked in a clinic on Oahu. Born and raised there, he was good for a couple weeks away from the islands before he got homesick and went back. But she could count on him for two trips during the year. Being a pilot helped, too. One of the local ranchers donated the plane, and Grant flew it when necessary.

He was truly one of the few men she did trust. Not her type, in his overly casual ways. But she liked him. Like a brother. And right now she couldn’t get to the plane fast enough. All she wanted was to leave San José and put the whole, ugly scene with Adrian McCallan miles behind her. Of course, what she was about to face wasn’t good—so many people to let down. But there was nothing she could do about that.

“Caprice!”

She heard the shout from behind her. Recognized the voice. Ignored it.

“Slow down. I want to talk to you.”

She didn’t want to talk to him, though. Not any more. What was there to talk about?

“Adrian wants us to stop, Mommy,” Isabella said, trying to tug her mother to a stop. “Mommy! We have to stop!” she cried, when Caprice only quickened her pace.

“If he wants to talk to me, he’ll have to catch up,” she replied stiffly, upping her pace even more, even though Isabella was trying to slow her down.

“Why don’t you l-like him?”

“I don’t know him well enough to like or dislike him,” she lied. Truth was, from that first tug of attraction until now, she simply didn’t know what she felt about Adrian. If he did have problems at home, and she certainly did understand problems at home as she’d had her fair share, she was being much too harsh about this. And as for the way Isabella acted toward him…well, the child liked him, and she was old enough to have her own opinions. Although Isabella’s quick reaction to Adrian did worry her some.

Still, what was it that had her nearly running away from a man she’d only just met?