by Ann Mcintosh
Was the entire hospital talking about it—about her and Mateo?
Like they had about her and Kevin?
Knowing Welk, he was probably spreading his poison far and wide, but it wouldn’t hurt her, because she’d soon be gone.
Okay, that was a lie. It did hurt, and she had to admit it was because he’d brought up the age difference, and it, with all its implications, bothered her terribly. Not because there was anything wrong with a woman being ten years older than the man she dated. Hell, it could be a thirty-year gap, and still be all right. Men had been dating and marrying much younger women for centuries, and hardly anyone batted an eye.
And if Mateo had been married before and already had kids, she’d feel different.
But he hadn’t. And he didn’t.
So she couldn’t be sanguine about any of it.
Mateo deserved the chance to be a father to his own children, not just his siblings.
Damn Morgan Welk and his nasty insinuations. He’d made her lose her temper, and it would probably earn her another one of his complaints.
They still hadn’t got Kaitlyn Mignon’s genetic test results back, and that was another annoyance to add on top of all the others.
Telling herself she had the offer of the Deputy Chief of Medicine job back in California should have made her feel better, but it had somehow refused to fully sink in. Intellectually, she knew it was hers for the taking, but whenever she thought about it, it didn’t seem...real.
Maybe because she hadn’t immediately jumped at the chance, the way she was sure she would have just five weeks ago. Instead, she’d been turning it all over in her mind, and had told the board she would speak with them when she returned home.
According to her sources, Evan Logan simply hadn’t wanted the job. He was older, having gone to medical school after serving in the army, and had mentioned to more than one person that his main concerns at this stage were his grandchildren. If he took the job, he’d be spending even less time with his family, at a time when he wanted to spend more.
It was a sound decision, and cleared the way for Regina’s advancement.
If she could just talk herself into being happy about it all, rather than wishy-washy.
Thinking about it allowed her temper to cool, and Regina shook her head. She washed her hands, her mind back under control.
This trip to Miami had stirred up nothing but trouble, and she should be glad it was almost over.
Of course, she was anything but.
Pulling open the bathroom door, she marched to Room 436, determined to hang over Welk’s shoulder while he examined the patient.
She knew how much he hated that, and right now, she hated him just as much.
As petty as it may be, it was retribution time.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MATEO SPENT THE rest of the day assembling the transplant team, acting as transplant coordinator, supervising everything going on. He made sure all the instruments and equipment the surgeon would need were available. Then there were the surgical transplant nurses, dietician and social worker to be booked, provisional, of course, on whether the transplant actually took place.
There couldn’t be anything overlooked or forgotten, not in such a specialized operation, and the aftercare of the patient was almost as important as the surgery itself. Rexford Knowles would have to learn a new way to live, to ensure the success of the transplant.
Luckily, Mateo had the ability and know-how to get things moving, but this was the first time he’d actually coordinated a transplant himself, so his tension built with each passing hour.
When Tim Janowitz arrived in the late afternoon, Mateo felt he had everything under control.
They shook hands, and the surgeon grinned at Mateo.
“Don’t you age?” he asked in mock anger. “You look exactly the same as when I last saw you eight years ago, at that conference in Las Vegas.”
Mateo laughed. “You don’t look much different, either.”
Tim pointed to his head and replied, “Except I don’t have much left on top. How on earth can you still have all your hair?”
“Genetics.”
“Yeah, that’s the only thing that really works, isn’t it?”
They went up to the surgical floor so Tim could approve the room they’d been assigned and look over the preparations Mateo had made. Then they went down to meet Rex and his wife.
When they got to the room, Regina was there, along with a nurse. Tim paused, then said, “I’m getting a flashback. It’s like homecoming in here today.”
“Good grief,” Regina gave him a smile and held out her hand. “How are you, Dr. Janowitz? I haven’t seen you since you finished your surgical residency at Charthouse.”
“I’m well, thank you. I didn’t realize you worked here.”
Mateo shook his head, déjà vu rushing at him. Regina and he had had a similar conversation when she’d just arrived, but suddenly it struck him, harder than ever, that she would soon be gone, forever.
The conversation swirled around him as Tim introduced himself to Rex and Pat Knowles, and then set about explaining the procedure for the following day. Regina slipped out of the room, after telling the patient she’d be back later.
“I’m sure Dr. Herrera has warned you that there’s no guarantee that the kidney will be viable,” Tim said, and Rex nodded. “Unfortunately, I can’t make that determination until it gets here and I examine it, but I’m going to act as though the surgery is going forward, so as to make sure you’re fully informed about what to expect.”
Then he went through the procedure and the aftereffects. “You’re going to be kept here in the hospital for a few days after surgery so we can keep an eye on you and make sure there are no complications. Until the new kidney starts producing urine, you might need to continue dialysis.”
Pat Knowles looked concerned to hear that, but Mateo gave her a little smile, trying to be reassuring.
“Dr. Herrera has lined up all the specialists you’ll need, including a couple of transplant nurses, who’ll be here to look after you before you go home.”
Mateo had gone through most of this with them before, but in his estimation, there was no harm in hearing it again. It was a major surgery, with potentially life-threatening effects. It was better for them to hear it twice and absorb it, than once and not remember.
On leaving the room, Tim said, “Regina Montgomery, eh? Remember how all us residents thought she was hot?” He glanced down the corridor, as though looking for her. “She’s still damned gorgeous, isn’t she?”
Mateo bit his tongue, not allowing the heated words building there to come out, knowing he was being ridiculous.
Tim sighed and grinned. “But now I’m a happily married man, with two-point-five kids. All I can do is look, nowadays.”
“Two-point-five?” That was a safe subject. “Your wife is expecting?”
“Yep. Another little boy due in about four months. That’ll make two boys and a girl.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” They started walking to the elevator. “What about you? You have any kids yet?”
“No.” He’d done his time, raising the youngsters, and didn’t relish the thought of going through it all again. But he didn’t elaborate. While he’d known Tim for more than a decade, they weren’t close friends.
Thankfully, Tim didn’t pursue it, instead saying, “I want to tell you, I like the way you put this whole transplant together. I know this isn’t something you do here very often.”
Mateo shrugged. “It’s a special interest of mine, and I knew this particular patient was high on the transplant list. I’ve been preparing for a while, networking to make sure I had the contacts, in case the surgeon wanted to do the operation here—like you did.”
“It makes for a better recovery, in my experience,
if the patient is familiar with his or her surroundings. He’s comfortable with you as his nephrologist, and I trust you to keep an eye on him, once my stint with him is over.”
“I’ve been treating him for about eighteen months, so, yes, we’re pretty comfortable with each other, and maybe even more important, his wife is comfortable with me, too. She’s the one who works hard to keep him on track.”
Tim chuckled, “Well, everything looks to be in order, and the patient seems to be in good hands. Let’s just hope the kidney is in acceptable condition when it arrives. Do you know the circumstances of the donor?”
“From the records that the support network sent over, it was an industrial accident that caused a traumatic brain injury. The donor is on life support until his parents arrive tomorrow morning.”
The corners of Tim’s mouth turned down, and he nodded soberly. “Well, thank goodness he’d signed up to be a donor. There are far too few people who do.” His elevator came, and they shook hands before he stepped in. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Mateo’s phone chimed, and he took it out to see there was a message from Regina, saying she’d gone to get something to eat, but would be leaving to go home at about six.
Without a pause, he messaged back.
See you at seven.
If ever he was in need of her company, tonight was the night.
With the surgery set for the following day, he was on edge, but there was nothing else he could do to improve Rex’s odds, so he’d rather spend the evening losing himself in Regina.
* * *
Regina walked through the door into her apartment and dropped her bag on the console table in the hallway, before going to the couch and flopping down on it.
What a day.
The residual effect of her run-in with Welk was still a bad taste in her mouth and had left her with the urge to punch something. Or someone. Preferably Welk himself.
Thank goodness she only had a short time more to deal with him.
Luckily, the rest of the afternoon had been mostly uneventful, and she’d had a chance to check in on Rexford Knowles before she left. He’d looked apprehensive, but still optimistic about the operation the following day.
“I know they said it wouldn’t be a surety until they got the kidney here and took a look at it,” he said. “But I’m staying positive and believing it’s going to happen.”
“Good for you.” Regina discreetly checked his temperature and BP, and was relieved when they were both within normal parameters. The last thing they needed was for him to show signs of an infection. “Try to get some sleep tonight, although I know being here in the hospital makes that difficult.”
“I’m used to it,” he replied with a little shrug. His wife nodded, patting his hand.
“Well, hopefully, after tomorrow you can get unused to it again.”
That made them both smile, as she intended.
She really hoped the transplant would go ahead the following day, and be successful. Rex Knowles had been living on borrowed time.
And, she thought, how strange was it that the surgeon who would be operating was another of the Charthouse alumni? She’d seen the name on the chart but hadn’t recognized it. Thinking back to how she’d easily remembered Mateo, after not seeing him for over ten years, she shook her head.
That alone should have been a red flag.
Glancing at her watch, she realized it was too late to think about showering before he got there. She’d left the hospital a little later than she’d planned, and he was invariably punctual.
Her mind circled back to Welk, and what he’d said.
Should she tell Mateo?
She chewed on her lip, considering it, then decided it wouldn’t be a good idea. The two men already disliked each other, and this would just make Mateo despise the older man. When she was off in California and out of the situation, Mateo would be left to deal with the cardiologist here in Miami. There was no need to make a bad situation worse over her hurt feelings.
She’d just got up to get a drink of water when the buzzer went off, and she crossed instead to the door to let Mateo in. With just one glance, she could see the stress rolling off him in waves, and she walked right into his arms to hold him tight.
He buried his face in her hair and sighed.
“What a day.”
“No doubt,” she said, rubbing his back. “Have you eaten?”
“I had something at the hospital, late in the afternoon. I’m not hungry.”
“I know what you need,” she said. The idea had popped into her head, and seemed a great one. “A bubble bath.”
He leaned back to look at her, eyebrows up in his hairline.
“A what?”
She grinned at his bewildered expression. “A bubble bath. Nice and hot.”
He wrinkled his nose. “But won’t I smell like a flower garden?”
“You can shower after, with some manly soap, and we’ll never speak of the flowery scent again.”
That had him chuckling as she led him through to the bathroom and set the bath. One thing she’d enjoyed immensely about the apartment was the deep, long bathtub, and they put it to good use.
They started out facing each other, legs entwined, and Mateo talked about the preparations for the surgery the following day, as though obsessively trying to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.
To divert him, she said, “How crazy is it that another of my Charthouse residents is doing the operation? You’re all coming out of the woodwork.”
He smiled, resting his head back against the wall, his eyes half-closed. “I was surprised when I saw his name on the surgeons’ list. The last I heard he was in Illinois.”
“Do you know what brought him here?”
“No clue. Maybe he got tired of the winters, although I think he was originally from Maine or some other northern state.” He sat up a little straighter and said, “You know what I don’t like about this bubble bath?”
“What?”
“The bubbles.” He waved his hand through the froth. “They hide your body.”
She laughed and carefully shifted around, so as not to cause a tsunami onto the bathroom floor. Settling back against his chest, with his legs on either side of her hips, she asked, “Is this better?”
“Mmm-hmm,” came his reply, as he stroked along her arms. “Much better. Your skin is so soft I can’t stop touching you.”
There was a note in his voice that made her glad she couldn’t see his expression, which she knew would be tender. Loving.
Having her back to him made it easy to joke.
“Yours will be, too, with all the flowery moisturizer in the bubbles.”
He chuckled, as she meant him to, but his hands shifted to her breasts, and suddenly she wasn’t laughing anymore.
No fear. No regrets.
Those words drifted through her mind as she sank into the delicious sensations Mateo created with those talented hands and fingers.
But soon they were in danger of trying something silly, like making love in the slippery bathtub, so they quickly showered off the bubbles and retired to the bed.
There was an urgency to the way Mateo touched her, and she forced him to slow down, wanting to savor each moment, each kiss, every caress. She wanted the chance to love him, so he’d always remember her and the nights they’d shared.
It was made more magical by the bitter knowledge that there would only be a few more nights like this, and she stretched out their pleasure, taking control in a way she rarely did.
And when he groaned her name, it was one of the sweetest sounds she’d ever heard.
Afterward, she curled up against his side, in the position she’d learned was her favorite. When they slept together, they’d end up spooning, but before they fell asleep, she lay listening to his heartbeat, content an
d replete.
“There’s something I want to tell you.”
His voice was soft, and something about the timbre of it made her pulse go haywire. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she didn’t want to know—that whatever it was, was best left unsaid—but before either of them could say anything more, his phone rang.
Mateo cursed, and she rolled out of his way, relief at the interruption making her feel a little weak as she turned on the bedside lamp.
“Yes, Mateo Herrera here.”
His face tightened as he listened to whatever was being said on the other end of the line, and fear suddenly gripped her.
Was there something wrong with Rex Knowles? With the donor?
Or was it something to do with one of his siblings?
“Yes, I’ll be there as soon as possible. Let me know when you get in touch with Dr. Janowitz.”
He was out of bed, heading for the bathroom, as he said over his shoulder, “The donor’s family got there early and said their goodbyes. The kidney should be here in about four hours.”
As she heard the shower start up, Regina sat on the edge of her bed, clutching the sheet in both hands. She didn’t know where the fear had come from, when he’d said he had something to tell her, but it had rendered her ice-cold, terror-struck.
And she knew why.
She didn’t want him to tell her how he felt. What would happen if she were too weak to resist admitting how much she loved him, too?
Call it cowardly, but she couldn’t face that. Not now, with all her resolutions to walk away made shaky by the force and beauty of his lovemaking.
“Saved by the transplant,” she whispered to herself, knowing she had time to get herself together before such a moment may arise again.
Hoping she had the strength to stick to her plan to leave, and not falter.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE TEXT CAME at two in the morning, and Regina was half-asleep, having tossed and turned, unable to fully surrender consciousness, worried about what was going on.