The Army Doctor's Wedding by Helen Scott Taylor Page A

was okay.
    "We don't allow doctors to
operate on members of their own family."
    "I'll be with you,
love." Cameron's gaze was steady and reassuring. He believed Sami would be
fine. Some of Alice's tension faded, but she wouldn't be able to relax
completely until her baby boy woke up after his surgery and was well.
    ***
    "I know this is lousy timing." Olivia shuffled
through papers on the kitchen table as she spoke. "The last thing you want
the day before Sami's surgery is to be grilled by the people from Adoption
Services, but you were lucky to get a date so quickly. Couples usually wait
months for their first interview."
    Alice nodded, her mind only
half-engaged in the conversation. She had tried to prepare for this interview,
dressed nicely, and even put on some makeup. Adopting Sami was the most
important thing in the world, but how could she concentrate when thoughts of
Sami's operation filled her head?
    Cameron seemed equally
distracted. He finished rolling up the sleeves of his shirt to the elbow, only
to immediately roll them down again.
    The doorbell rang, jolting
through Alice like a clap of thunder. Cameron's gaze jumped to hers. They
stared at each other, fear and uncertainty bouncing between them.
    Then he smiled, breaking the
downward spiral of her emotions. "Come here, sweetheart." He wrapped
her in his arms and rocked them both soothingly. "We need to stay
positive. We have the foreign adoption papers. We love Sami, and you've been
caring for him since he was born. Nobody will look after him better than us.
He's our son. This interview is a formality."
    Alice pressed her face against
his chest, breathing in the herbal fragrance of him that had become so
reassuring. "I'm fine," she lied.
    She turned to where Sami slept in
his stroller and kissed her baby on his forehead for luck. Cameron followed
suit. Then they headed to the hall where Olivia's voice sounded as she invited
the social workers from the adoption agency inside.
    A middle-aged woman with wavy
brown hair and glasses and a similarly unremarkable man in a gray suit stepped
into the house. "I'm Olivia Knight," she said, shaking their hands.
"This is my brother-in-law, Cameron Knight, and his wife, Alice."
    Even in her fashionable dress
with her hair up, Alice felt gauche beside Olivia in her cream pants and pink
cashmere sweater with her glossy dark hair in a chignon. She had the same air
of quiet confidence that her husband did.
    "I'm Mrs. Sugden." The
woman shook Alice's hand and then Cameron's, a warm smile on her face. Some of
Alice's tension faded. "This is Mr. Warne, my assistant." The man
gave a perfunctory smile and also shook their hands.
    Cameron placed a palm on Alice's
back. "If you'd like to follow me," he said to their guests. They
headed to the dining room as they had planned and seated themselves at the
table.
    Mrs. Sugden retrieved a file from
her briefcase and placed it on the table while Olivia lingered in the doorway.
    "Would you like tea or coffee?"
Olivia asked. When everyone had answered, she slipped away, leaving the door
ajar.
    Cameron cleared his throat.
"Thank you for coming. We really appreciate how quickly you were able to
see us."
    "That's no problem, Mr.
Knight." Mrs. Sugden flicked through her notes. "I gather this baby
is a foreign national you brought into the country. We normally don't condone
this without prior approval, but there's a note on the file that the child was
in peril."
    "Sami needs surgery on his
lip. He's going into the hospital tomorrow," Alice said, vocalizing what
was uppermost in her mind.
    "He'll be fine, love."
Cameron's hand covered hers on the polished walnut table. He turned back to the
officials. "It's a routine procedure. We have arranged for an eminent
surgeon to operate. There's very little risk."
    "I'm glad to hear it. Now if
we can start by taking down your basic details."
    They answered a string of
questions until they reached occupation. Olivia brought in a tray of cups and
they paused