Baby Makes Three: A Return to Spencer City Novel

By Breanna Cone

Escaping from a bad personal experience in Charleston, S.C., Dr Joshua Johnson joins the clinic in the small town of Spencer City. All is going well until the OB/GYN gets involved with one of the clinic nurses who is being persecuted by a stalker. Josh offers to be her bodyguard but the after hours duty presents more temptation than the two professionals can resist. The sudden change in the relationship provides the stalker with the incentive to confront the couple.

Will the dilemma end happily or will it end tragically for one of them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491745748

Breanna Cone

Breanna Cone has been writing since 2001. Her Spencer City Series characters are portrayed as small town citizens who live life to the fullest and truly care about the rest of the townspeople.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

D r. Joshua Johnson gazed around his new office in the Fox and Associates Specialty Clinic. It was a bit utilitarian with bare cream-colored walls. The space had the usual office furnishings. A credenza, file cabinet, desk with computer, monitor, ergonomic chair, and office phone occupied the floor space, but he could add his own personality as soon as his things arrived from Charleston. The only thing he brought with him today was his framed medical degree. He propped it on the credenza so the patients would see it and know he was legit. The new outdoor sign listed him as the clinic’s OB/GYN but women liked more proof before they allowed personal examinations by an unknown physician. Walking to the inner door to the left of his desk, he opened it to inspect the exam room.

The standard table with stirrups was located cattycornered to allow for nurse and doctor to observe examination protocols. The cabinet and counter held an assortment of medical items: standard speculums, curettes, specimen jars, an assortment of sterile swabs, latex gloves and the ever fashionable cotton gowns for the patients. Adjustable rolling stool and patient chair completed the furnishing. Now all he needed was patients.

The phone buzzed and he returned to his office to answer it.

Dr. Johnson.

Doctor, you have a patient, Marjorie Sellers, the office manager announced.

I do? He was astonished that his wish for patients was answered so quickly.

Yes. Should I bring her to your office?

Of course. Give me a minute to grab my lab coat.

Joshua was a bit surprised to see Max Fox’s lady friend walk through the door followed by the office manager with a chart. He offered a hand in his most professional greeting.

Good morning, I’m Dr. Joshua Johnson. Please have a seat while I review your chart.

I’ll prepare the exam room, Doctor, Marj advised and shut the office door behind her.

Dr. Johnson closed the chart and glanced at the woman across his desk.

Any particular reason for today’s visit?

I promised one Dr. Fox that I would get a complete physical to prove my eating habits have not affected my health in any area.

Josh allowed a small smile to curve one side of his mouth. Max preaching three squares a day?

Yes. And it is most irritating.

Alright. You don one of those lovely gowns next door and knock when you are ready. Josh opened the inner door to let his patient enter the exam room.

While he waited, Josh went to find Dr. Maxwell Fox. He found him pouring a cup of coffee in the breakroom.

What gives with sending Ms. Smith for an exam? You concerned with STD?

No. A frown of annoyance creased Max’s brow for a moment. Every woman in Spencer City visits her hair salon regularly, J.J. What better reference for the new OB/GYN than word of mouth from the proprietor.

Excellent plan. I promise not to look more than twice, Josh said with a grin and hurried out before Max could reply to that barbed comment.

The exam was completed without incident and Josh left his patient to redress. He took the curettage specimen to the lab and placed it under the microscope. Satisfied with the cursory diagnosis, Josh returned to his office to find Ms. Smith patiently waiting.

I didn’t see any negative results with your specimen and you are in excellent physical condition. You’ll have to relay that to Max if you feel compelled to because your medical records are confidential. Not even the nurses are privy to my personal files.

Thank you, Dr. Johnson. I appreciate your professionalism.

Josh heaved a sigh of envy at his friend’s good fortune in finding a companion of such stellar personality. He was still contemplating his own solitary state when a knock sounded on his door.

Come in.

Dr. Johnson, I wanted to let you know I can process insurance submits for patient billing if you will provide a list of charges for the various services you perform, Marj informed him.

Okay. Thanks, Marj.

You’re welcome.

The nurse turned to go but paused when he spoke again.

Marj?

The office manager turned to face the new clinic doctor. Yes.

I’d like to take you and the other nurses to dinner tonight. Pick your brains about Spencer City and prospective patients.

I’ll check with Toni and Connie and get back to you, she told him as she closed the door behind her.

Marj’s return to the hallway outside Josh’s office coincided with the arrival of the building foreman, who carried brass plaques for the new office areas. The manager examined each plate to make sure they were etched properly.

Dr. Lisa Plummer, M.D., Pediatrician

Dr Joshua Johnson, M.D., Obstetrics and Gynecology

Christopher Connors, M.D., Pharm.D.

The office manager walked across the hallway to the pharmacy area.

Dr. Connors’ plate goes next to this intake window and you can put the others on the doctor’s office doors. Dr. Johnson is across the hall and Dr. Plummer is at the other end of the hallway.

Leaving the foreman to his mounting task, Marj went in search of her fellow nurses. Luck was with her when she entered the breakroom. Antoinette Hardin was reading an article in the latest issue of Rural Medicine while Conchita Alvarez was putting water and coffee grind in the drip machine.

Hi, girls. Do you have dinner plans this evening?

Not me, Toni replied.

Me, either, Connie answered. A new shipment of artwork is expected at the gallery this afternoon and it is all hands on deck for security reasons.

Excellent. Josh Johnson wants to take us out.

Us or you? Toni exchanged a secret smile with the other nurse.

Don’t be ridiculous. The doctor is merely being sociable so he can get to know his office staff.

If you say so, but I saw him checking you out at the Thanksgiving dinner, Connie told her friend. "Didn’t look merely social to me."

You’re mistaken. I’ve known Josh for a long time and he has never made advances of any kind toward me, Marj said. I was never his type. Besides, I married Phillip soon after I met J.J.

Who knows, maybe his taste has matured through the years. In which case, Connie and I will come along as chaperones.

Are you trying to say I qualify as an older woman now?

No. Just nicely aged, like fine wine, Toni clarified.

Both of you are certifiable idiots. I’ll confirm his invitation and I expect you to be on your best behavior.

Marj started back to Josh’s office but had to stop to answer the phone.

Fox and Associates Specialty Clinic. This is Marj. How may I help you?

Hello, Marj. It’s Claire Jones. Is the new OB/GYN available?

Sorry, Claire. Dr Johnson won’t be seeing patients until after the grand opening in January? Would you like to make an appointment?

No. No. I’ll call back next week.

The office manager shook her head. The gall of some women always amazed her. Now that Max was off the market, the overactive libidos had begun to circle Josh. She chuckled as she knocked on his door.

Come in.

Marj stuck her head around the wood panel. The nurses are happy to accept your kind invitation, sir.

It was Josh’s turn to laugh. Your Southern accent needs some work.

I’m afraid my Yankee tongue is too old to retrain it to roll my ‘R’s.

Josh’s eyes gleamed at her unintended double entendre. Is eight o’clock at the Oasis okay?

It is fine. We’ll see you there.

Should I make a reservation?

I don’t think so. The B&B shouldn’t be too crowded in the middle of the week.

CHAPTER TWO

W hile the three nurses drove home after work to relax a bit before dressing for dinner at the Oasis, their host was changing his loafers for running shoes, his scrubs for sweats and a hooded jacket. Josh only lived three blocks from the clinic, which gave him the perfect opportunity to get in his daily exercise. After putting his wallet, cellphone, and house keys in the zippered side pocket of his sweatshirt, he stepped into the hall and was locking his office when Max appeared at the reception desk.

Are you still running marathons?

Not often anymore. Babies don’t respect your extra curricular activities, he answered. But I try to run daily to keep the body in shape and the old heart pumping.

When I get back from the honeymoon, I may join you. I need to improve my vascular functions, as well.

I look forward to the company but right now, I’ve got to run. I have a dinner date tonight.

With who? You haven’t been here long enough to meet eligible women.

I’m taking the nurses out to get their input on the kinds of female patients I can expect.

Take a pad and pen. You’ll need to make notes.

The smirk his old friend gave Josh made him wonder what it was exactly he had gotten himself into by accepting this job. But for now, he would take a page from Miss Scarlett’s book. The OB/GYN would live one day at a time and take care of problems tomorrow.

At the edge of the parking lot, Josh paused to stretch out his leg muscles then began with a slow trot that changed into a jogging pace when he reached the cross street. The blare of an automobile horn made him glance toward the car idling at the corner. He recognized one of the women he had seen at the Thanksgiving event. Josh raised a hand in greeting but continued his jogging unaware that the female watched him in the rearview mirror until he rounded the next corner.

* * *

The doctor was the first to arrive at the Oasis Bed and Breakfast restaurant. He quickly commandeered a table facing the doorway. He wanted to know the minute his guests arrived. Josh ordered a beer to nurse…no pun intended…while he waited. The bottle was half empty when the three clinic nurses walked in. They had changed from scrubs to casual clothes for the occasion. Toni wore a red silk trouser suit that emphasized her long legs while Connie had opted for a cashmere sweater dress in a powder blue that hinted at the curves it concealed. But it was Marj’s outfit that got his full attention. Her classic little black dress was anything but ordinary. Spaghetti straps and smooth shoulders were revealed by the crocheted shrug she wore over a chiffon skirt that swirled around her knees when she walked. A silver chain belt drew his attention to the slenderness of her waist. He recognized the rush of attraction he felt in his stomach muscles but chose to ignore it. Not a good practice to get involved with a staff member. If it didn’t workout well, the work place would be awkward.

Josh stood up and raised his hand in greeting. When they approached the table, he pulled out each chair and gallantly seated them in the grand fashion of a Southern gentleman.

Good evening, ladies. Thank you for joining me for this tête-à-tête.

Given your specialty, I would think ménage a trois would be the better term, Toni told him.

I apologize for my colleague’s manners, Marj told him with a glare at the other nurse.

Josh laughed softly and smiled.

As tempting as that idea is, I must decline. Mostly because of the size of your current boyfriend’s muscles. Plus, at my advanced age, I’d need a nap between romps.

The dimple that appeared as he smiled at them made the ladies shake their heads in disbelief of this disclaimer.

Careful, Josh. This restaurant doesn’t allow BS, Marj told him.

They were treated to another smile and a chuckle from their host.

What would you ladies like to drink? I hear they have a very mellow Perrier choice.

I’ll take a Perrier with lime. And thank you for remembering my weakness. The office manager gave him a warm look. But please enjoy your beverage of choice.

Still fighting that battle?

Alcoholism is an ongoing condition. But I have to warn you that Toni and Connie lose all their inhibitions when their tongues are plied with liquor.

Does that mean they say whatever comes to mind?

Absolutely, Connie told him.

I tell it like it is anytime I’m asked, sober or inebriated, Toni remarked.

Good. I need honest reports on the good women of Spencer City.

What Josh means is that he needs to know who is likely to proposition him during cavity searches, Marj told her fellow nurses.

Please call them pelvic exams, Marj. Otherwise I’ll have to enlist a second nurse for my safety.

When the waitress arrived to take their drink and entrée orders, this topic of conversation was paused while each of them scanned the menu.

How Irish is the Irish Stew? Josh asked the server.

"Good enough to make you shout ‘top of the mornin’ to you darlin’ at midnight," she replied.

Then I’ll have a bowl with lots of soda bread, Josh ordered as he picked up his bottle. And another one of these.

Shall we live dangerously? Marj asked Toni and Connie.

Might as well. Sweet and refined is overrated in my book.

Three orders of Shepherd’s pie for me and my friends.

And your drinks?

Three Perrier’s with lime, Toni told her.

The server made note of this. I’ll bring your beer and sparkling water in just a minute.

Conversation resumed as the waitress went to the kitchen to place the orders. She returned soon with their meals and the group of medical professionals talked general health issues of the community while they ate. It wasn’t until coffee and tiramisu was placed in front of them that Marj made a suggestion.

The proclivities of your patients are too numerous to list in public. How about we use X’s on patient’s charts to indicate their levels of hormonal activity?

Good idea. That way they won’t know we are conspiring behind their backs, Josh said.

If you see triple X, run for the hills, Toni told him with a wink.

Or we can supply you with a whip and chair, Connie said.

That won’t work. Those old girls will think it is kinky and jump his bones, Marj said.

I sincerely hope you ladies are kidding, the doctor said. If not, I will get cross-eyed trying to examine their private parts and watch for obvious offers of bootie calls.

After finishing the dessert, the nurses declared that they needed to go home since it would be a busy day at the clinic the next day. People who worked the weekdays usually dropped in on Saturdays.

Josh wished them a good night but delayed his own leaving to sit on the front porch of the B&B. Inhaling the fresh air, he could almost imagine he was back in South Carolina where the people knew how to relax and enjoy the moment.

He had learned a lot about the nurses and their part in the clinic hierarchy. Toni and Connie deferred to Marj’s judgment since she was the lone RN on staff. But she didn’t run rough shod over the other nurses. They worked together in complete unity which made for smooth clinic life. That suited the doctor since his marriage had been one drama after the other until Charlotte had decided she preferred an attorney to an OB/GYN. He could never convince her that he was not tempted to forget his wedding vows.

The good food and beer had mellowed him out and his eyelids were starting to droop.

Time to take yourself home, Josh.

Obeying this order, he strolled to his Jeep and headed down the street.

CHAPTER THREE

J osh spent the next few days organizing his sparse furnishings that had arrived from Charleston in the house he shared with Christopher Connors, the new pharmacist for the clinic. Mostly, the big screen television and stereo system. Since the house was leased furnished with everything from sofas to beds, he only had to put his clothes away and fill the kitchen cupboards with his meager supply of pots and pans. He planned on buying china and silverware from the local shops.

His divorce had forced him back into bachelorhood, which meant he had to learn to cook a few things for self preservation. His mother even put together a few simple recipe cards. He was no cordon bleu chef but he wouldn’t starve eating his own cooking, if he was desperate. But he planned on stopping by Joe’s Diner two or three times a week for Charlie’s daily special. He was sure to enjoy the food and the company of the ex-boxer. That thought brought on a hunger pang so strong that he stopped his unpacking to head down the street for a late breakfast.

Soon the doctor was sitting at the diner’s counter listening to Charlie extol the life he led as a prizefighter, which included the decision he made to stop boxing.

Have you noticed any adverse side effects through the years from this last concussion you suffered? There can be significant neurological damage for athletics who sustain head trauma.

A few mild headaches, but nothing serious. I have an MRI twice a year to keep a check on my brain activity.

Is the possibility of those complications the reason you haven’t married and started a family?

Charlie cocked his head to one