Two Weeks (The Baxter Family #5)(39)

“I’ll tell her.” The man hesitated, like he couldn’t say it enough. “Thank you. Again.”

“You’re welcome.” Brooke waved as the man headed for the elevators. She breathed deep and continued toward the pediatric unit. Her rounds that day were less eventful than some. A twelve-year-old with a broken leg from a skateboarding accident. A severe case of strep throat, and a teenager with appendicitis.

Brooke took the chair in her office and grabbed a stack of patient charts. In addition to volunteering at the crisis pregnancy center, she and her husband, Peter, ran a very successful pediatric office, a practice they’d been building for years. Long ago, after Hayley’s drowning though, everyone thought Brooke and Peter were finished working together.

That wasn’t all. Most thought Brooke and Peter’s marriage was finished, too.

Faith wasn’t a part of Peter and Brooke’s life in the beginning. Brooke’s family had been strong Christians, especially their doctor father—a legend at Bloomington Hospital—Dr. John Baxter. Not Brooke. She and Peter were agnostic. They had figured they would decide about God later, if they had to decide at all.

Then Hayley drowned. And that changed everything.

They were all devastated, of course. Brooke and Peter and Maddie, their older daughter. But when Peter couldn’t take the pain another day he got a bottle of pills from the pharmacy. Almost overnight he was an addict—as if a prescription could deaden the ache of all they had lost when Hayley fell into that swimming pool.

But over time Brooke and Peter realized as gut-wrenching as their suffering was, letting their marriage fall apart would only make the situation worse. Maddie and Hayley needed them. Both of them. Together.

So Peter got help with his addiction, and the two of them went to counseling at Clear Creek Community Church. And there—like Paul on the road to Damascus—Brooke and Peter felt the scales fall from their eyes. They ran to Jesus and nothing had been the same since.

That was only the beginning. Their newfound faith made them hungry for more, and in recent years both Brooke and Peter were intentional about taking Jesus with them to work.

Every single day.

No one had to tell Brooke West about the power of God’s redemption. She and her family were living proof. Even Hayley, who had her eyes on a college degree. Something none of them had thought possible after her drowning injury.

Brooke smiled to herself. Every day was a challenge, an adventure. And she and Peter had never been more in love. As she helped their girls figure out their way in life, Peter was at her side.

He would be as long as he drew breath. That’s what he told her.

She finished her paperwork and was on her way to the maternity ward when she spotted Aaron Williams walking toward her. The entire hospital staff loved the new young administrator and his wife. They were the kind of people the medical team needed. Dedicated, qualified, and ready to take health care at Bloomington Hospital to the next level. That wasn’t all. Brooke and Peter had become very good friends with Aaron and his wife, Lucy. A friendship Brooke appreciated more all the time.

Normally Aaron was one of the brightest lights in the hospital. He stood tall with a faith and commitment that made everyone want to work harder.

But that wasn’t the case today.

He approached her and slid his hands into the pockets of his suit coat. “Hey, Brooke. Is Peter here today?”

“No.” She and her husband took turns doing rounds at Bloomington Hospital. “He’s at the office this morning.”

“Okay.” Aaron nodded. He hesitated and for a few seconds he looked down. When he lifted his head and his eyes met hers, it was clear something was wrong. “Maybe you can help me.” He took a quick breath. “Lucy’s talked to you about our situation, right? How we’ve been wanting a baby. For a decade.” His voice caught. “I hate talking about this.”

Brooke set her clipboard on the closest counter and turned her full attention to Aaron. “Yes. We’ve talked about it.” She focused on her friend. This was clearly a day of divine appointments. If there was a way she could help this couple, she would. Prayer. A referral. Or just being a listening ear, like now.

“She said you two were taking a break. I get the feeling she’s exhausted.”

“She is.” Aaron put his hand to his forehead and massaged his temples. “It’s scaring me, Brooke. I think . . . she’s given up.”

The poor guy looked nothing like the confident administrator the hospital staff knew him to be. Brooke wished Peter were here. She could only offer so much encouragement. Maybe a man-to-man conversation with Peter would be more of a help. “You’re not ready to move on from the idea.” She searched his eyes. “Is that it?”

“Right.” He breathed in sharply and shook his head. “The nursery in our house . . . I pray there every morning. I read my Bible there. I believe.” The muscles in his jaw flexed. “God’s going to give us a baby. I can’t stop believing that.”

Brooke tended to be more matter-of-fact. Part of the job, working in medicine. At least for her. Everyone in her family knew she was pragmatic. Nowhere near as emotional as her sisters, Kari and Ashley. But in this moment her heart was filled with empathy.

“Tell you what.” She offered a slight smile. “I’ll have Peter call you later. You two need to get together. You can tell him about all this, and . . . I don’t know, maybe think about whether you and Lucy need another conversation. Or maybe the four of us could meet.”