Ever So Humble

*** Based on Christian Morals--Christian Romance ***

Book 3 in the Three Cross Faith 2: Health and Faith Series: When Dr. Debra Humble sees others allowed to marry and have children, it saddens her, because she'll never settle down, herself.

Widower and single father, Alex McKenzie, brings his two-year-old son, Charlie, to Texas for a brain tumor as a last-ditch effort to save his life. He has to go against his very controlling atheist in-laws and bring Charlie to a place that can help.

Alex and Debra are perfect for each other--except in their current beliefs. Can they forge a friendship that'll be allowed to thrive in this Christian community?

Excerpt

No parent should have to watch their young child die, but that was happening to widower Alex McKenzie, with his two-year-old son, Charlie.

As Alex sat in one of the emergency rooms in the Cole-Hart Neuro Center that Monday morning, he could only stare at the sleeping child in his arms. If anything happened to Charlie, he was completely alone.

A nurse and a well-dressed woman walked into the room. Both of them carried computer tablets. The woman had long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, and blueish-green eyes. She was striking because she seemed to have it all together. Alex could tell she was tough, which might be difficult to handle if things didn't go well. He had to fight for his child to live and beg for these people to help him.

The woman shook his hand. "I'm Dr. Debra Humble. Call me Debra. I've been assigned Charlie's case. We've been sent what your doctor surmised, from back home."

Alex nodded at the woman, but his gaze returned to see his son, resting in his arms.

The doctor continued. "We'll have a team of people working for Charlie, but I'm his primary doctor while he's here. I'm a pediatric neurosurgeon."

He stared up at her. She barely seemed old enough to be a doctor, let alone have the sad job of watching a child die of a brain tumor.

The doctor glanced at the tablet in her hands. "I'm glad the admitting nurse gave him a sedative," she said. "We're going to start with a battery of tests…"

Alex zoned out. He'd heard the same speech from the doctor back home in Alexandria, Virginia. The guy saw the tumor and gave up, telling Alex to expect the worst. Alex couldn't accept that diagnosis and found the best place in the United States for help. At least he had his wife's life insurance policy to help pay for whatever his own medical insurance wouldn't cover.

Having to fly poor Charlie to Texas was almost overwhelming. The kid was active, even though he was off balance and in pain. Keeping him in the car seat in the airplane was a full-time job.

The doctor had a short conversation with the nurse, saying words that Alex had heard before. "scan, blood test…the works." He just hoped Charlie's condition hadn't degraded anymore in the week it'd taken him to get an appointment, schedule a flight, finalize things at home, and fly to Texas. His dead wife's parents had been the worst to deal with, thinking he couldn't get any help in a hick state like Texas. It was irritating, but he'd brought his son here for one last chance at life.

As the nurse left, another man walked into the room, joining the woman doctor, and shook Alex's hand. "I'm Austin Cole, one of the neurosurgeons here. We all checked Charlie's scans from your old doctor. I have to admit, things don't look good, but we're gonna do the best we can to make sure Charlie makes it. We're just gonna need your help."

Alex watched the man speak. It was as if this was old hat for him, telling someone their loved one was dying. How could he deal with that on a daily basis? And for a child to die? That was horrible, but it seemed to be status quo from this guy.