Page 88 of Tumbleweed Temptation
“I should have studied harder. I tried to find out everything I could about high-risk pregnancies, but there are so many factors. I should have tried harder to get a sonogram, maybe then I could have seen what was going on. She’s hurting so much.”
“And you couldn't stop that, Austin.”
“I don't want to stay. I don't want to face her. I’m going to go to your dad, to the council, and see if there’s some way to buy my way out of this. I could use the money from when I sold Mom’s house, pay the town back.”
“And we would be without a doctor again.”
“You’d have a practice. The building is set up. Ginny can—”
Ginny. The only reason he wanted to stay.
Lacey put her hand on his wrist. “You’ll get through this. We all will. Don't go. You worked so hard, and we don't want to start over looking for a new doctor. We need you here. We’ll do what we can to help you.”
He shook his head. “I’ve lost patients before. But no one I knew. No one I saw afterwards. I don't know if I can face her, Lace.”
“Are you going to the funeral?”
He’d gone back and forth over that in his head. “I don't know if I can make myself go.”
“Go. Go with us. If there’s something—if she doesn’t want to see you, we’ll go. But I can’t imagine she’d blame you, Austin. What could you have done differently?”
“Every night I’ve been reading. I could have ordered more blood tests. I could have made her come in more often. I should have known.” He shook his head. He shouldn’t be going over this with her, when she had infants of her own to worry about. “Let’s take a look at your crew here.” He reached for her daughter and cradled her against his chest, looking into that perfect little face. “They’re just beautiful, Lace. Well done.”
“They’re a bit of a challenge, yes, but I barely even remember life before they were born.” She kissed her son’s forehead as Austin placed her daughter on the table and unwrapped her from her blanket for the exam.
Chapter Twenty
Austin was gratefulthat he didn't have any patients on Tuesday, because he couldn't deal with judgment after judgment.
He would just have to deal with one judgment today—Vic McKay. They were riding together to San Angelo for further tests. Honest to God, he would have been more worried about the trip if not for the loss of Mrs. Bryant’s baby.
But now he waited in front of the office for the older man to pick him up.
Mr. McKay arrived in an enormous diesel truck, the name of the ranch emblazoned on each door. Austin already felt intimidated. Now he had to heave himself into the passenger seat.
“You sure you don't want me to drive?” he asked, trying not to sound breathless.
