“Any changes in the household? Wet diapers? Bowel movements?” I fire off a round of questions. Ridge answers them all and just as we finish, Knox starts to fuss. I watch as Ridge carefully lifts him from his seat and lays him against his chest. He’s patting his back and bouncing him a little in his arms to try to soothe him. His efforts are wasted as Knox starts to cry. I can see that Ridge is exhausted, so I step in. “Can I hold him? You look like you could use a break.”
He gives me a small smile. “Is that in your job description?”
Shit. “I—”
Ridge chuckles softly. “I’m kidding, Kendall. Are you sure you won’t get in trouble?”
“Never, gimme.” I hold my arms out. He transfers him to me, not before his hand rubs across my boob. I don’t dare look up, just keep my eyes trained on Knox. “Hey, handsome.” I keep my voice low and even. “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.” Knox whimpers but his cries have quieted down.
“He hates me,” Ridge says, his voice defeated.
“He doesn’t hate you. Babies can sense your emotions. He knows that you’re exhausted. He doesn’t know how to handle that. It makes him irritable. Besides, you said that he was fussy with your mom as well,” I point out.
He doesn’t say anything, so neither do I, at least not to him. I speak softly to Knox, letting my voice help soothe him.
“You’re good with him,” Ridge finally says.
“So are you. Don’t forget I’ve seen you in full force dad mode. We all have good days and bad days, Ridge. Especially since this little guy can’t tell you what’s wrong.”
“Yeah,” he agrees.
“Knock, Knock,” Dr. Harris says, entering the room. He eyes me holding Knox.
“Sorry, I’ll just—”
“No, stay.” Ridge’s request leaves no room for negotiation.
“You two know each other?” Dr. Harris asks.
“Yes. I graduated with his sister, Reagan.”
He nods. “All right, well what seems to be going on with Mr. Knox these days?” he asks, washing his hands.
Ridge tells him how Knox has been fussy, and basically every detail of the last week. And he thinks he’s bad at this dad gig. I tune them out as I hum softly to Knox, rubbing his back.
“Kendall,” Dr. Harris says.
I turn to face him. He’s wearing an odd expression, but Ridge is wearing a smile. He’s so damn sexy. Focus, Kendall. “Yeah,” I answer him.
“Can I examine my patient now?” Dr. Harris smirks.
Shit. I nod and hand Knox over to him. I decide that I should leave them to it and reach for the door handle. Ridge, who is sitting in the chair next to the door, reaches out and grabs my arm. He doesn’t say a word, but the look in his eyes is pleading. He’s been telling his mom and Reagan that he can do this on his own and he can, but I can see it plain as day that he doesn’t want to be alone. I smile, letting him know we are on the same page. Instead of taking the seat next to him, I lean against the counter and watch as Dr. Harris examines Knox and asks Ridge a few more questions.
“So, I think we should switch his formula. I hear some bubbles in there.” He gently pats Knox’s belly. “It’s common in infants. Let’s try this sensitive formula.” He pulls a pad of paper out of his pocket. “Here’s the name. All major retailers should carry it. Kendall, why don’t you check the supply closet to see if we have a sample we can give him until he can get to the store.”
I nod my agreement and quietly leave the room. I hear Ridge ask, “So he’s okay?” just as I close the door. He’s a good man. A man who is dealing with being a father for the first time all on his own, and he loves his son. If I wasn’t already over-the-top attracted to him, that would have sent me over the edge.
I meet Dr. Harris coming out of the room. “He’s all set once you give him the sample. I’m off to lunch with Helen. See you in an hour.”
I knock lightly and then push open the door. “Here you go. I brought two cans. We have a ton of it back there. That will also give you some time to see if this helps his issue before you invest a lot of money into buying formula that doesn’t quite work with his system. If this one doesn’t work, don’t get discouraged. There are many more we can try.”
“Thank you.” He finishes strapping Knox into his seat before looking up at me. “Lunch time?” he asks.
I look at my watch. Why, I have no clue. Of course I know it’s lunch time. “Yeah, days almost over.”
He picks Knox’s seat up from the exam table. “Can you join us?” he asks, motioning with his head down to his slumbering son.
Do I? Is spending more time with him a good idea? I already think about him way more than I should. “Yes,” falls from my lips before I can contemplate it even further. I guess that settles that. “How about a drive-thru? I’ve got a few things I’ll need to finish up before we start with afternoon patients. I have about thirty minutes.” I spent my morning thinking about the two of you and got behind.
“Anything you want. We can take my truck since I have the car seat.”
“Okay. Just let me grab my purse.”
“You don’t need it.”
“Uh, yeah I do.” I laugh. “I mean, unless you’ve changed your mind.”
“No. I didn’t and you won’t. I asked you to lunch. It’s on me. So unless there is something else in your purse that you have to have in the next thirty minutes, we’re good to go.” With one arm bent to carry Knox, the other presses on the small of my back. “Time’s wasting, sweet girl,” he says next to my ear.