Surrender

by Elizabeth Lennox

  He shook his head. “From what I suspect, she’s in surgery. But Doctor Whitwell is with her and if anyone can pull her through, he can. He’s a great surgeon. One of the best trauma surgeons in the country. We were shocked when he accepted the job here in Louisville. With his skills, he could be in New York or LA or anywhere he wants to be.” He was writing something down on the clipboard, so the man was unaware of the shock in Jane’s eyes.

  Caleb was here.

  Caleb? Her Caleb? She hadn’t just imagined Caleb’s strong arms around her? He’d always been the man who had invaded her dreams, the man that no other could measure up to. He was the reason she couldn’t date any others. How could she date someone else when…when she was still in love with Caleb?!

  This wasn’t good. But was it bad? Jane wasn’t really sure. She wasn’t even sure that they were talking about the same man. With her current headache, she might have simply dreamed him up.

  Several more nurses came in over the next hour but none of them had any information on her mother. “Still in surgery,” they continued to say.

  Jane told herself that “still in surgery” meant that she was still alive and took comfort in that. But it was a miserable afternoon. Around five o’clock, someone brought her food and some pain killers, but she didn’t take the pain killers, not wanting to fall asleep. She needed to hear something about her mother before she could relax. And she couldn’t eat. The thought of food made her sick. Her mind kept flashing through images of her mother, hurt and unconscious, and then Caleb striding through the emergency room towards her, oozing confidence and power.

  She felt guilty whenever she thought about Caleb, thinking she should be focused only on her mother, but…goodness he’d looked good!

  “Ms. Miller?”

  Jane turned her head, then cringed as the pain hit her, sharp and violent. She took a long moment to just…relax the muscles in her neck and shoulders, easing the pain enough so she could open her eyes again.

  “Yes. I’m Jane Miller,” she said softly.

  The nurse smiled gently, obviously understanding that Jane was waiting for the pain to subside. “You didn’t take the pain medication, did you?” she asked.

  “No. I need to hear about my mother.” Tears formed in her eyes and she felt her muscles tense up…then the pain crept back into her head.

  “That’s what I’m here for. Your mother is out of surgery and doing well. Doctor Whitwell will be in to give you more information.” She turned to look at the cold meal and the small cup with the pain medication. “In the meantime, how about if you take these pills so that you’ll feel better when your mother needs you tomorrow?”

  Jane nodded, feeling enormously better. She took the pills and sipped the water the nurse held up for her. “Thank you,” she said, and meant it.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied, patting Jane’s arm softly. “Relax. Doctor Whitwell is amazing! He might be a horrible bear, but the hospital staff in the operating rooms fight to be on his surgical team. He’s just that good. I’ve seen him operate and he seems to be able to anticipate problems before they happen with his patients.”

  Jane smiled, but it was a weak effort. She knew a different Caleb, a man who was sweet and funny, a tender lover, a forceful lover. A man who could make her laugh just with a goofy joke. A man who would stand up on stage with a fake sword and get an audience clapping for a horribly written play, then walk away feeling like they’d just witnessed a Broadway production.”

  “A tyrant, huh?” she muttered. Leaning back against the pillows, she sighed with an intense relief now that she knew that her mother had at least come out of surgery.

  “He’s gorgeous and brilliant, so we all forgive him for his grumpy moods.” The nurse moved about the room, fixing the sheets, adding another blanket, checking her monitors…generally just being a reassuring presence as she talked about some of the doctor’s past surgical skills. Her voice was soft and lilting, soothing away Jane’s worries until her eyes could no longer stay open. Jane wanted to hear more, wanted every piece of information about Caleb, but the medicine…she’d been right to avoid it. Now she wasn’t going to hear about Caleb. She was going to miss the stories and she missed him so much already!

  Chapter 6

  Caleb stood at the end of Jane’s bed, exhausted and furious, wanting to punch the person who had done this to his Jane. She looked so small in the hospital bed, her pale cheeks looking sallow against the crisp, white of the sheets.

  His gut tightened when he thought about the pictures of the accident. She’d gone through so much and…Damn! Why hadn’t he gone back to her that night? Or the morning after when he’d sobered up!

  Because he’d been angry. Angry that she would believe he could cheat on her. Angry that the woman had kissed him and angry that he’d gotten so drunk at the idea of Jane breaking up with him that he hadn’t been capable of going after her to explain.

  And he hadn’t gone back later because he was still angry that she had believed that he could do that to her. Then his classes had gotten in the way. More anger because she hadn’t come back to him to talk things out. More and more anger, resentment…and then he’d convinced himself to get on with his life. He’s finished medical school and his internship had been brutal. The three years of residency had just about done him in.

  So why hadn’t he gone back to her after that? Once he’d gotten through all of the misery, he should have come back to Jane. He should have…

  No more! Looking at her now, he knew that he still loved here. He had no idea how she felt about him, but he was going to find out. If nothing else, they could talk and have closure. Best case scenario, he convinced her to give them another chance. Worst case…

  He couldn’t think about that. It had been too long since he’d held her in his arms, felt the brightness of her smile.

  Pulling one of the chairs closer to the bed, he took her hand through the hospital bed side protections and watched her. His eyes moved from the monitors to her face, taking in all of the changes. She’d lost weight, he realized. Her hair was softer. Her lashes rested against her pale skin so he couldn’t see her pretty, green eyes, but the rest of her…she’d matured and softened in some ways. But in others, she was still the same Jane he’d fallen in love with while prancing around on the stage so many years ago.

  A nurse walked in and stopped short when she realized that Caleb was in the room.

  “Doctor Whitwell!” she gasped. Looking between him and her patient, Caleb understood that she didn’t know what was going on. “Um…is there anything I can get you?” she asked tentatively.

  Caleb looked back at Jane. “She’s okay, right?” he asked softly, not wanting to wake her up even though he knew that she’d probably been given pain killers for the headache caused by her concussion.

  The nurse hesitated and Caleb would have chuckled at her surprised reaction if he weren’t so concerned for Jane’s health. He knew he was one of those asshole doctors that terrified the rest of the staff. He wondered what Jane would say if she knew that he was such a jerk. He almost chuckled because he knew exactly what she’d say. She’d tell him to get over himself and she was right.

  Rubbing his face, he sighed with exhaustion. He’d heard that Jane’s mother was coming into the emergency room and, even though he’d been scheduled to leave, he’d told everyone that he’d take care of the emergency. No way would he let anyone else operate on Loretta. If anything happened to Jane’s mother, Jane would be devastated. And yeah, he was just that good. He’d heard about her condition and knew that he was the only one who could have pulled her through the delicate surgery to save her life. The other trauma surgeon on staff was good, but Caleb knew that he was better. He never would have forgiven himself if Loretta had died if he’d just clocked out and gone home.

  He was finished with regrets. Done! No more regrets, starting with Jane. Starting this moment.

  Tightening his fingers around her hand, he leaned back, laying his head
against the high back of the chair. He knew that this type of chair actually reclined, allowing family members to sleep with their loved one, but Caleb didn’t want to recline. He needed to touch Jane, have that small connection even if it was just her hand. He wanted to crawl into her bed, but knew that she needed sleep and he didn’t want to disturb her.

  He’d just rest his eyes for a moment. Just a few minutes, he promised. Then he’d go home and shower, change into fresh clothes and be back here before she woke up. He’d check on her mother, make his rounds and….

  That was the last thing he remembered before falling into an exhausted sleep.

  Chapter 7

  Jane woke up and looked around, not sure where she was. This definitely wasn’t her apartment. And it wasn’t her mother’s small house. She was…

  Then things came back to her. The accident! Her mother in surgery and…her hand was caught! She couldn’t move her arm!

  Lifting her head, she ignored the ache in the back of her head as her eyes focused on the man holding her hand. When she tried to pull away, his fingers tightened on her hand.

  Caleb!

  He looked like he hadn’t shaved in several days, his hair was a mess, he was still in surgical scrubs and he looked more amazing than she remembered!

  She thought back to the day before. He came to her when she needed him. He’d been there, reassuring her yesterday, telling her that he would take care of her mother.

  For a long moment, she just watched him, savoring his touch, his hand holding hers. She didn’t want to wake him up and break that connection. Goodness, he looked handsome! So powerful and virile and just breath-takingly sexy!

  “Oh good, you’re awake!” the nurse whispered. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine,” she whispered back. “How long has he been here?” she asked, referring to Caleb.

  “All night,” the nurse replied, smiling as she pressed a button that took Jane’s blood pressure. “He finished with your mother’s surgery and came here. Hasn’t left your side since then.” Jane opened her mouth to speak, but the nurse smiled. “Your mother woke up and is doing great,” she said.

  Jane’s whole body relaxed and, unknowingly, tightened her fingers around Caleb’s hand.

  “I’ll check on her for you,” his gruff, husky voice said.

  Jane and the nurse both looked over at Caleb and Jane felt the nurse’s sigh at the same time she did the same. The man was just…sinfully handsome.

  That was before he stood up. He was tall and his broad shoulders barely fit in the cotton scrubs. Because they were short sleeved, Jane and the nurse both noticed the strong arms that were cut with muscles. Another sigh and Jane had to force her eyes to pull away.

  “What’s wrong?” Caleb demanded, obviously hearing Jane’s sigh and bending over, his eyes looking into hers and she couldn’t stop the blush that stained her cheeks.

  “Nothing is wrong, Caleb,” she told him, wanting to reach up and touch the scruff on his hard jawline. He looked so yummy, she had to curl her fingers into a fist to stop herself from reaching up and touching him. There was a time when she’d had that right. Not any longer. She’d messed that up completely.

  “You look better,” he said, his experienced eyes looking at her carefully. “What are you feeling? How is your head? Any double vision?”

  She laughed. “I feel better. Ready to visit my mom. How soon can I get out of here?”

  He chuckled. “Still trying to move fast, aren’t you?”

  She blushed again, completely understanding his reference. “Umm…well, maybe a little.”

  He laughed again. “I suspect more than a little.” Standing up, he looked over at all of the monitors. “I’ll check with Doctor Astrov and see if he’ll release you.”

  Her lips pressed together. “Do I really have to wait for someone to tell me that I’m okay when I know that I’m okay?”

  He smiled, but rubbed a hand over his jawline, obviously trying to hide his amusement. “Yeah. You really do.”

  She glared up at him. “Why do I not believe you?”

  “Give me your house keys. I need to run home to shower. I’ll get you some clean clothes. The hospital will have brought you breakfast by then and I’ll make sure your attending physician sees you first on his rounds, okay? Is that enough of a compromise to keep you here for a couple more hours?”

  Jane thought about it, wanting to argue, to see her mother. But maybe he was right. She still had a minor headache.

  “Just relax, Jane. I’m taking care of your mother. I’ll even stop by her room before I leave to check on her.”

  She had to give in when he promised things like that. “Fine. And…” her fingers fiddled with the blanket. “Thank you. For everything.”

  His fingers squeezed her hand once more. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back soon.” He opened the “closet” in the corner of the room and grabbed her keys out of her purse. How that had gotten here, Jane had no idea. All she remembered was getting on the ambulance yesterday with her mother. Thoughts of her purse and keys, her wallet and cell phone hadn’t even come to her mind.

  Jane watched him leave, her eyes noticing the tight butt that was visible since he was so tall, the scrubs top didn’t come down low enough. Nice, she thought. Very nice!

  The nurse laughed softly, bringing Jane back to the present.

  “I know. And I agree.”

  Jane pretended not to know what she meant. “You know what?”

  The nurse chuckled again, writing something down on Jane’s chart. “That man’s ass is the best in the hospital, bar none! So don’t even try and convince me you weren’t looking there. I saw you!” She slipped the chart back into the slot at the end of Jane’s bed. “We’re all looking.” She headed towards the door. “Seems that we’ve discovered why the handsome doctor hasn’t dated any of the hospital staff since his arrival.” And she was gone before Jane could question that statement.

  Jane wanted to shower, but she didn’t have any clean clothes. She supposed she could dress back in the clothes she’d been wearing yesterday, but…no. Those had her mother’s blood on them. She couldn’t wear those again.

  “Good morning!”

  Jane’s eyes popped open when she spotted Daisy, Marilee and Julia walking into the hospital room.

  “How…how did you guys know where I was?” she asked.

  Marilee snorted. “Please! You didn’t show up after your day off with your mother yesterday. The team working at the bakery notified Emerson,” she said, referring to her husband who is the sheriff of LowPoint, Kentucky and a hottie as well. “He called around and discovered that you’d been in an accident yesterday and where you were. He’s already had your car towed and informed the insurance company. I went and picked up a rental car and left it at your apartment. We would have driven it here, but I figured you wouldn’t be in any shape to drive.”

  Daisy dumped a duffel bag on the end of the bed. “Marilee’s guess was right. You look like hell!”

  Julia laughed and set a bag with the “Desire” label onto the rolling table. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen black eyes quite that black before,” she teased.

  Jane’s hands immediately jerked up to her face. “I forgot about my black eyes! Are they really that bad?”

  Daisy pulled out a compact and handed it over. “Yeah. They are impressive!”

  Jane flipped open the compact and stared at her image in the mirror. “Caleb saw me like this!” she gasped.

  “Who is Caleb?” Marilee asked while Julia pulled freshly squeezed orange juice out of the bag, setting it on the table, then handing coffee to Daisy and Marilee, putting another next to the juice for Jane.

  Jane shook her head slightly. “Um…”

  Julia laughed softly. “I suspect that Caleb is the reason Jane has given up on dating for the past two years.”

  “You have?” this from a deep voice.

  Everyone turned to stare as Caleb stepped into the room. He nodded towards
the others, but turned his focus back to Jane. “I realized that I didn’t know what you needed from your house.” He looked at the duffel bag on the end of the bed. “But it looks like someone already took care of that for you.”

  His face looked grim with that realization but he walked over to Jane, his big hands cupping her head. “I’m running back to my place to shower and change. I’ll drive you home today, okay?”

  Jane nodded, not sure what else to say. Daisy, Julia and Marilee could drive her home. And that would make a whole lot more sense than him doing it. But Jane wanted Caleb. She wanted to talk to him, apologize for messing up so badly and…well, she couldn’t ask him for another chance, but she at least owed him an explanation.

  “I’ll be here. I’ll wait for you.”

  “Good,” and he gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb. Turning away, he nodded briefly to the other ladies before walking out of the room.

  Jane watched once again as he walked away, noticing his great butt and sighing just a little. Then she noticed that her friends were all doing the same thing. “Hey!” she snapped.

  The three of them turned back to Jane, none repentant.

  “Hey, it’s okay to look. As long as we don’t touch.”

  Jane huffed a bit. “You have your own men to look at. That one’s mine.”

  Julia laughed. “Interesting comment. Here’s some breakfast. We heard that you didn’t eat your dinner and were heading to lunch when you got hit. So I’m guessing your starving.”

  Jane looked warily at the package. “Did you cook? Or did Tony?”

  Julia rolled her eyes. “Hey! I can cook!”

  The three women laughed. “No. You microwave. And besides, we all know that Tony cooks your meals.”

  Julia opened her mouth to argue, but then snapped it closed because…well, it was true. Tony was a master in the kitchen and, why bother to cook when he was always doing it for her? “I should learn to cook,” she muttered.

  “No, you shouldn’t,” both Marilee and Daisy replied, both of them opening up their own meals and grabbing one of the forks. “Tony loves cooking for you and you’ll hurt his feelings if you don’t let him.”