Page 2 of Guarding Colton’s Witness

Dr. Palmer gave her a cold, accusing glare, and she glared back. What the hell was his problem?

“I rode on a fire truck once,” Dr. Palmer said, smiling at Sam’s wide eyes on hearing that. “You won’t even need stitches, buddy. We just need to clean this little wound up and put a new bandage on you.”

He explained to Sam each step of what he was doing in a way that made the whole experience seem less intimidating, and although Matti had taken a dislike to the man, she couldn’t deny that he was a good doctor, especially with children. As he worked, he kept giving her dirty looks. As if that wasn’t enough to make her feel twitchy, Sam had apparently forgotten all about her as he hung on Dr. Palmer’s every word. It was as if he had a magical touch with the boy, able to turn fear into trust with just a few words, a warm smile, and a shared love of fire trucks.

Dr. Palmer left the room without a word, and she stared at the space he’d been standing in. Was that it? Should she just gather up Sam and leave? Shouldn’t there be instructions of some sort for caring for Sam’s wound? Before she could decide what to do, the doctor returned, holding a teddy bear.

“Got a buddy for you, Sam.” Dr. Palmer handed Sam the bear.

“For me?” Sam said, his eyes so lit up, you’d think it was Christmas.

Matti was conflicted. She wanted to cry because it was obvious that Sam wasn’t used to that kind of thoughtfulness. She wanted to rail at the doctor for his meanness toward her for no reason, wanted to ask just what he expected from her.

Wasn’t it enough that she’d gotten up in the middle of the night, that she was tired but still had to find Sam a place to stay tonight? Then there was the simmering resentment that the good doctor just breezed in and turned Sam into his best bud without even trying.

“Ma’am, please step out with me for a minute,” Dr. Palmer said. He put his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Be right back, buddy.”

Ma’am? Ice dripped from his voice when talking to her. Again, what had she done to make him not like her? It felt beyond not liking her, actually, more like she disgusted him. She followed him out of the room, and he stopped far enough away to where Sam wouldn’t be able to hear them. She stayed silent as he turned to face her, but she was ready to ask him what his problem was.

“That boy in there has a gunshot wound,” he said. “I can have you charged with child neglect, and I will unless you can give me an acceptable reason why you let your son anywhere near a weapon.”

Ah, she got it now. She almost smiled, but he’d assumed the worst of her before getting his facts straight. Instead of setting him straight, she’d let him dig his hole deeper than it already was before telling him who she was. She stayed silent.

“Guns must be kept in a locked safe when there are children in the home. Well?” he said when she didn’t respond. “Nothing to say for yourself?”

She agreed with him wholeheartedly about guns being kept away from children, so if she was Sam’s mother, she’d deserve everything he was saying. But she wasn’t, and it was time to enlighten him.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Matilda Colton, Sam’s social worker.”

Chapter 2

She was a Colton? Ryan was rarely at a loss for words, but as he stood there, feeling about two feet tall, heat crept up his neck. “Tell me you’re not related to Dr. Jonathon Colton.” The smirk on her pretty face gave him the answer before she confirmed it.

“Jonathon’s my father.”

Ryan groaned. Of course he was. Jonathon was his mentor, a man Ryan respected above all others. He’d made an assumption where Miss Colton was concerned, a very wrong one, and now it was time to eat crow. “I’m truly sorry, Matilda. I was wrong to assume anything before getting the facts. Can we forget the last thirty minutes and give me a redo?” He pressed his hands together, as if in prayer. “Please?”

She chuckled. “Since you ask so prettily, sure.”

“I’m Ryan Palmer, emergency room doctor.” He held out his hand, and when she gave him hers, a strange tingle shot up his arm, and even stranger words popped into his head. Here she is. He hadn’t the faintest idea what that meant, and from the puzzled expression on her face as she looked at their joined hands, she must have felt something, too. Disconcerted, he released her hand and stepped back.

“Um…” She gave a little shake of her head as she pushed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Palmer. I—”

“Ryan.” What was wrong with him? He never asked a patient or their family—or a social worker—to call him by his first name. He was very proud to have made it through medical school, proud of the Dr. in front of his name. This woman had him off-balance. It had to be because he was embarrassed by the way he’d wrongly treated her.

His gaze roamed over her. She was very pretty, especially those deep ocean-blue eyes. Her chin-length dark brown hair was curly and kind of messy, like she’d just gotten out of bed. That put thoughts in his head he had no business thinking.

“Ryan, then. So, Sam. His leg is going to be okay?”

Back to business, then. “Yes, fortunately, the bullet only grazed him. But he appears a bit malnourished, and his immune system probably isn’t what it should be. I’d like to keep him overnight, make sure he doesn’t start running a fever.”

“Oh, I was hoping to place him with a foster family tonight.” She brushed her bangs away from her eyes. “Although, that’s probably better considering how late it is. I’ll stay with him, of course.”

“I’m sure you being with him will help keep him calm. Can you tell me what happened?”

“All I know is that his parents are missing, so he was brought to the police station. I was there to pick him up and take him to a foster family. Before I could leave with him, there was a shootout. I don’t really know the facts, but Sam was shot. So, here we are.”

“Sounds like he’s a lucky boy that he wasn’t hurt worse. The chart only has his name as Sam. Do you know his last name?”