The Darkest Joy Read Online Free PDF Page B

in pink whose face was crumpled with tears ready to erupt. Oh no! Bliss thought as she instantly felt tears prick the back of her eyes. She loved children, and this was her curse every time one came into the ER. She couldn’t bear the thought of children suffering or being in pain.
     
    The doctor looked up at Bliss and Caim standing there. Bliss abhorred having to work with Dr. Maynard. He was cocky and treated the staff like his own personal slave bank. He had asked her out once, and she said no. From then on, he really took an interest in picking on her every chance he got. His eyes met hers, and his lips curled into a nasty sneer. He wanted to say something about Caim , she just knew it, but because the patient was there, he wouldn’t.
     
    “I need a full panel on the baby. I need the results as soon as possible,” Dr. Maynard ordered. Bliss nodded as he walked past. He stopped for one moment and said under his breath, just enough for her to hear, “Oh, Ms. Tadeo , stop bringing your boy toys to work. We don’t need to see who’s sharing your bed.”
     
    Bliss rolled her eyes and said nothing. She put her case down on the edge of the gurney and smiled brightly at the worried mother.
     
    “Excuse me for one moment.” Caim’s polite request made her look at him. His eyes were centered on Dr. Maynard as he walked away.
     
    “ Caim , it’s okay, please,” Bliss pleaded softly. The mother was already scared to death, and she didn’t need to see a scene between Caim and Dr. Jerk. He nodded his assent, and Bliss breathed a small sigh of relief.
     
    Bliss focused on the job at hand. “Hi, I’m Bliss Tadeo . I’ll be taking her blood today.”
     
    The woman gave a jerky nod before asking, “Will it hurt her?”
     
    “I’ll be as gentle as possible,” Bliss assured the mother. She let her fingers roam over the chubby little hand as she spoke. “What’s her name?”
     
    “Her name is Katie.” Tears were in her voice. Fear for her daughter’s health marred the young mother’s face. “I just want her to be better.”
     
    “We’ll make sure she is,” Bliss promised. “Please hold her as still as possible for me, okay?”
     
    The young woman tried, but as all children do when they are sick and hurting, Katie cried and twisted, and Bliss could not keep her hand still enough to get the needle into the soft skin safely. From the corner of her eye, she saw Caim move close, and his hand touched the baby’s cheek.
     
    “Be still, little one,” he murmured.
     
    Bliss watched in amazement as the baby quieted down almost instantly and her big brown doe eyes stared up at Caim . She was able to get the twenty-one gauge butterfly needle into Katie’s small vein easily. All present watched as the baby’s blood flowed along the tiny blue tube and into the sample vials. Bliss had to collect four samples for testing, and each had a different colored top so the lab technician would know exactly what to look for. They would look at the white blood cell count and hemoglobin checks to ensure no internal bleeding. Tests for infection to any vital organs would be run as well. They would pay special attention to the liver and screen for blood clots. It was a very slim chance that the baby would have these things, but they still had to be ruled out. They finally had all they needed, and by that time, under Caim’s touch, the baby had fallen asleep as if she had not a care in the world.
     
    “All done,” Bliss whispered, not wanting to wake the now-sleeping infant. “I’ll check back later.”
     
    “Thank you,” the mother whispered. Her eyes settled gratefully on Caim’s face and then Bliss. “Thank you.”
     
    As they passed the nurses’ station, Bliss asked one of the nurses to get the woman something to eat. It would take a few hours for the tests to come back, and the tired young mother already looked dead to her feet. A hot sandwich and maybe some coffee or soda would give her a little more