brought him her famous angel food cakeevery time she came to the clinic. He was in the hallway making notes in her chart when Maggie rejoined him.
Her eyes seemed a little less shadowed but she still looked tired, he thought.
He set the chart on the counter. “You didn’t have to take me so literally about that ten minutes. You can have longer if you need.”
“I don’t,” she assured him coolly, her flashing eyes daring him to contradict her.
“Fine. I’ll have Jan send in the next patient. Exam room three is open. Go ahead and wait for us.”
She turned and headed down the hall, conveying her stubbornness in every proud line of her body.
Chapter Seven
M aggie belonged in this world.
As he listened to her translate final instructions to his last patient of the day—Carmela Sanchez, twenty-one years old and at thirty-five weeks gestation with her first baby—Jake didn’t miss the way Maggie’s eyes softened as she looked at Carmela, how her exhaustion and pain seemed to slip away while she helped someone else.
He had seen Carmela several times for prenatal visits over the past three months, but in those other visits she had always only listened solemnly as he mentioned a few things that would be going on with her pregnancy.
She had never asked him a single question, had always seemed eager simply to take whatever printed information he had about her stage of pregnancy and leave.
But she and Maggie had been jabbering nonstop. He picked up only about half of it.
“I wish I could speak better English,” he thought she might have said at one point. “I’m afraid I will not understand the doctors and nurses when I am in labor.”
“You will be fine,” Maggie assured her. “What about the baby’s father? Does he know English?”
Carmela looked nervous suddenly and slanted a cautious look to Jake. “He won’t be there.”
She said something else too fast for him to understand but he thought he picked out the word deporte and deduced that the baby’s father was in the country illegally and either had been deported or was in danger of it.
Maggie squeezed her hand, sympathy in her dark eyes. “Well, do you have a friend who could go with you? A mother or a sister?”
Carmela shook her head. “Ninguna.” No one.
She looked down at the floor, then back at Maggie. “I am frightened,” she whispered. “So frightened. Would you come with me? The doctor could tell you when I am delivering and you could help me so I’m not alone.”
Jake listened to the fear in her voice and wanted to kick himself. He should have thought to ask Carmela if she had someone to help her during labor and delivery.
It was a basic question he asked all his pregnant patients, but he had always been so busy trying to get past the language barrier with Carmela—to get her to even talk to him, it had never occurred to him she was heading into all this alone.
“Please.” Carmela begged. “I am afraid I will not know what to do and I will hurt my baby.”
“You won’t. You’ll be just fine. The hospital in Idaho Falls should have translators available.”
“They do,” Jake interjected. “I promise, I will make sure we have someone there to translate.”
Maggie conveyed his words to Carmela, but the girl still looked distressed, as if she would burst into tears at any moment. “I will not know those people. They will be strangers to me. I will not know anyone but Dr. Jake. Please say you will help me.”
Maggie studied her for a long moment, then sighed heavily. “Yes. All right. Dr. Dalton can contact me when you begin to go into labor and I will try to come. I can’t make any promises that I’ll definitely be there, but I will do my best.”
The young woman beamed, her shoulders slumping as if a huge weight had just been lifted from them. She rushed to Maggie, nearly knocking her off balance as she embraced her and kissed her cheeks with effusive, genuine gratitude.
Maggie returned the embrace, he
Her eyes seemed a little less shadowed but she still looked tired, he thought.
He set the chart on the counter. “You didn’t have to take me so literally about that ten minutes. You can have longer if you need.”
“I don’t,” she assured him coolly, her flashing eyes daring him to contradict her.
“Fine. I’ll have Jan send in the next patient. Exam room three is open. Go ahead and wait for us.”
She turned and headed down the hall, conveying her stubbornness in every proud line of her body.
Chapter Seven
M aggie belonged in this world.
As he listened to her translate final instructions to his last patient of the day—Carmela Sanchez, twenty-one years old and at thirty-five weeks gestation with her first baby—Jake didn’t miss the way Maggie’s eyes softened as she looked at Carmela, how her exhaustion and pain seemed to slip away while she helped someone else.
He had seen Carmela several times for prenatal visits over the past three months, but in those other visits she had always only listened solemnly as he mentioned a few things that would be going on with her pregnancy.
She had never asked him a single question, had always seemed eager simply to take whatever printed information he had about her stage of pregnancy and leave.
But she and Maggie had been jabbering nonstop. He picked up only about half of it.
“I wish I could speak better English,” he thought she might have said at one point. “I’m afraid I will not understand the doctors and nurses when I am in labor.”
“You will be fine,” Maggie assured her. “What about the baby’s father? Does he know English?”
Carmela looked nervous suddenly and slanted a cautious look to Jake. “He won’t be there.”
She said something else too fast for him to understand but he thought he picked out the word deporte and deduced that the baby’s father was in the country illegally and either had been deported or was in danger of it.
Maggie squeezed her hand, sympathy in her dark eyes. “Well, do you have a friend who could go with you? A mother or a sister?”
Carmela shook her head. “Ninguna.” No one.
She looked down at the floor, then back at Maggie. “I am frightened,” she whispered. “So frightened. Would you come with me? The doctor could tell you when I am delivering and you could help me so I’m not alone.”
Jake listened to the fear in her voice and wanted to kick himself. He should have thought to ask Carmela if she had someone to help her during labor and delivery.
It was a basic question he asked all his pregnant patients, but he had always been so busy trying to get past the language barrier with Carmela—to get her to even talk to him, it had never occurred to him she was heading into all this alone.
“Please.” Carmela begged. “I am afraid I will not know what to do and I will hurt my baby.”
“You won’t. You’ll be just fine. The hospital in Idaho Falls should have translators available.”
“They do,” Jake interjected. “I promise, I will make sure we have someone there to translate.”
Maggie conveyed his words to Carmela, but the girl still looked distressed, as if she would burst into tears at any moment. “I will not know those people. They will be strangers to me. I will not know anyone but Dr. Jake. Please say you will help me.”
Maggie studied her for a long moment, then sighed heavily. “Yes. All right. Dr. Dalton can contact me when you begin to go into labor and I will try to come. I can’t make any promises that I’ll definitely be there, but I will do my best.”
The young woman beamed, her shoulders slumping as if a huge weight had just been lifted from them. She rushed to Maggie, nearly knocking her off balance as she embraced her and kissed her cheeks with effusive, genuine gratitude.
Maggie returned the embrace, he
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