The Surgeon's Fatherhood Surprise Read Online Free PDF Page A

in for a checkup. He was running a temperature last night and although I couldn’t find anything obviously wrong with him, I wanted to make sure there was nothing nasty brewing.’
    ‘Bring him over here.’
    Nick’s expression was difficult to read as he got up and walked around the desk. Jack couldn’t tell if his father was pleased to see him or totally in different as he made his way to the couch. He placed his son on the bed and stood beside him. ‘There’s no need to be scared, Freddie,’ he said softly, when the little boy began to whimper.
    ‘Hello, Freddie.’ Nick bent down and smiled at the child. ‘I’m just going to feel your tummy and then listen to your chest. Do you think you can do me a really big favour and hold this for me?’
    Nick offered the child his stethoscope, and to Jack’s amazement Freddie accepted it. He shook his head as he watched his son clutching it in his chubby little hands.
    ‘He’s usually terrified of strangers. I’ve never known him accept anything before.’
    ‘I’m not exactly a stranger, though, am I?’ Nick said flatly, bending over the child.
    Jack bit back his sharp retort. This was neither the time nor the place to start one of their infamous arguments. He watched as his father examined Freddie, reluctantly admiring the fact that Nick was able to perform the task without causing the child any distress. He mentally ticked off the procedures as his father performed them: a visual examination of Freddie’s ears, eyes, nose and throat; a careful inspection of his skin to check for a rash; palpating his abdomen; and feeling his armpits for any signs of tenderness or swelling.
    ‘Has he had a cold recently?’ Nick asked, glancing up.
    ‘No, nothing at all. Physically, he’s been quite well.’
    Nick’s gaze sharpened. ‘How is he mentally? Lucy said that he has stopped talking—is that right?’
    ‘Yes. That’s why it was so difficult to work out what was wrong with him last night—he wouldn’t tell me.’ Jack sighed. ‘I’ve tried everything I can think of to encourage him to speak, but he still won’t talk to me or anyone else.’
    ‘He needs time to get over the trauma,’ Nick said bluntly. ‘It’s not going to happen over night and you need to be patient.’
    He turned and smiled at the little boy, not giving Jack a chance to explain that he already knew that. ‘Can I have that back now, Freddie? Thank you. That’s a good boy.’
    Jack gritted his teeth while Nick listened to Freddie’s chest. He wasn’t going to snap back, and certainly wasn’t going to appear as though he was on the defensive. ‘So what do you think?’ he asked mildly after his father had finished.
    ‘I’d say it was his teeth. The second molar on the right of his lower jaw has recently erupted, and I’d lay good money on that being what has been causing the problem. A lot of children feel very out of sorts when they’re teething.’
    ‘A new tooth? I never thought of that!’ Jack exclaimed, feeling incredibly foolish for having over looked something so simple.
    Nick shrugged. ‘It’s an easy mistake to make. After all, Freddie is three and you probably assumed he was past the teething stage by now.’
    ‘I did.’
    Jack grimaced as he lifted his son down from the couch. Although he was relieved that Freddie wasn’t sickening for something serious, it was galling to wonder if his father now believed he was incompetent.
    He pushed the thought aside, because he wasn’t goingdown that route again. He had spent far too much of his life trying to gain Nick’s approval, and he had made up his mind a long time ago that he wasn’t going to carry on beating his head against the proverbial brick wall. Nick could think whatever he liked. He knew that he was a damned good surgeon and he didn’t need anyone’s approbation to prove that to him.
    ‘Well, thanks for that,’ Jack said stiffly, taking hold of Freddie’s hand.
    ‘It’s what I’m here for.’ Nick sat