The Nurse's Newborn Gift. Wendy S. Marcus

“A little boy,” she said, with a small smile. “Not to jinx anything, but I’ve already decided to name him Jarrod Junior and call him J.J.”

      J.J. Spencer liked it. Jarrod would have liked it too.

      He imagined a little boy with Jarrod’s mischievous smile and dimples running around and getting into trouble. Between that little bit of imagery and the baby’s heart beating loudly through the monitor, reality gave Spencer a second punch to the gut. Like it or not, Jarrod’s baby would soon be coming into the world. And he’d need a good man in his life.

      Spencer glanced at the bed, at Krissy’s hands in particular. No wedding or engagement ring. Did she already have a man in her life? If so, she didn’t call him to tell him she was in the hospital. And she’d put Kira down as her emergency contact.

      Not that it mattered. Spencer would be there too. To tell little J.J. all about his dad, to introduce him to the banana splits with chocolate sprinkles his dad had loved, to take him to baseball games and introduce him to rock music and teach him all the things he knew Jarrod would want his son to know.

      “This is Jarrod’s baby?” Kira asked.

      Surprising that Krissy hadn’t shared that bit of information with her sister.

      “Wait a minute,” Kira added. “Your artificial insemination was done with Jarrod’s sperm? He had his sperm frozen before he died? And you...”

      Krissy nodded.

      Spencer had been cruel to insinuate Krissy would try to pass off another man’s baby as Jarrod’s. Deep down, he didn’t believe she’d do such a thing. But Kira mentioning Krissy’s artificial insemination put an immediate halt to any lingering question he may have had.

      Krissy yawned, a big, totally exhausted looking yawn. “I’ll tell you everything. Later. I promise.” She repositioned herself in the bed. “Right now, I really need to close my eyes for a few minutes.” She found the bed controller and lowered the head of the bed.

      “I’m going to go track down her doctor,” Derrick said as he left the room.

      “I’m going to go grab a cup of coffee,” Spencer said, knowing Kira would be in the room if Krissy should need anything. But when he left the room, he didn’t go to grab a cup of coffee. He followed Derrick, hoping to listen in on his conversation with Krissy’s doctor.