by Kimberly Fox
I turn my head, looking at her curiously. “I haven’t done anything differently.”
She laughs. “Risking the wrath of Dr. Cialdini,” she says with her eyebrows raised. “You wouldn’t have fought so hard to get him into surgery if you weren’t so close.”
I’d like to think that I would have done that for any of my other patients, but I know that I would have probably followed the standard procedure.
“I think you’re right,” I say. “I don’t like it, but I think you’re right.”
Shondra laughs. “Try opening yourself up to some of your other patients. You might start to like it. Your job will be much more rewarding, I know that much for sure.”
I thank her for the talk and head out into the hall. I should stop punishing my current patients for the actions of my old ones. Not everyone will be as cruel as Gavin and his family. It’s time to put that incident behind me and hit each ramp in front of me without fear of the consequences.
“Hi, Walter,” I say as I step into my patient’s room. He jerks his head back, looking at me in shock since I called him by his first name instead of his usual Mr. Thatcher.
“Hello, Dr. Mendes,” he says in a stuttering voice. His skin has a yellowish-brown tint to it, and his hands are shaking more than they were before.
“Call me Madison,” I say as I sit on the side of his bed. I’ve tried every medical test that I can think of to diagnose this man, but I’ve come up blank on every one. It’s time to take Shondra’s advice and open up a little. It can’t hurt to try.
I take the picture frame off the table beside him and look at the picture of the beautiful girl inside. I’ve seen her around, but I’ve avoided talking to her about anything but updates on her father’s condition.
“Your daughter is getting married?” I ask, smiling at the photo.
He nods as his face breaks into a wide grin. “Bella,” he says, his eyes lighting up. “She’s getting married next Saturday. It’s going to be a beautiful wedding. We even have some family flying in from Scotland to attend.”
He won’t be able to attend unless I can get him out of this bed. His spleen is enlarged, and unless I can get it back down to its normal size, he’s going to have to have surgery to remove it. I still don’t know what’s causing it though.
Walter tells me all about the wedding and how much he loves the guy who Bella is marrying. I find out that Walter is divorced, and his daughter seems to be the real light in his life. He’s so sweet the way he talks about her. The reception is taking place in his backyard, and he tells me all about the huge archway that he’s building for them with the same special stain that was used on the arch that his parents were married under.
“The stain is fifty years old,” he says proudly. “I found it in my parents’ garage after they died.”
“And it still works?”
“Oh, yeah,” he says. “They made things to last back then. Bella is going to love it when she sees it… if I get out of here in time to finish it.”
The old me would have closed up and walked away, not wanting the added pressure and guilt in case he does miss the wedding.
Instead, I stay for him. I take his shaky hand in mine and stay a little longer, listening to all of the wedding plans for next weekend.
And it makes us both feel a little better.
Dr. Cialdini held up his end of the bargain when he operated on Shane, and now it’s my turn.
I gulp as the phone rings. I know my friend, and she’s not going to like this.
“Oh, my God,” she says when she answers. Anabelle has never once answered a phone call from me with a hello. “Why did I get into public relations when I hate people?”
“Because of the money?” I ask.
She laughs. “No amount of money is worth taking shit from rich spoiled babies.”
“You should marry rich,” I say, trying to warm her up to the idea of going on another date with a doctor.
“That would be nice,” she says. “But all of the rich people I know are rich spoiled babies. Haven’t you been listening?”
I sit down on the stack of folded sheets in my usual supply closet where I come to make phone calls.
“You need a responsible rich guy,” I say, cringing at how fabricated this sounds. “I know just the one.”
“Mm-hm,” she grunts. “No way. I’ve seen what you have to offer, and I’m going to pass.”
“Mitchell was a mistake,” I say, starting to panic.
“You got that right. He sent me two dozen Frangipanis.”
“Frangi-what now?”
“It’s a flower from Thailand. He flew over flowers all the way from Thailand,” she says.
“That’s romantic,” I say with a cringe.
“That’s psychotic. I’m done with any guys that you have.”
I close my eyes and just spit it out. “I got you a date.”
She laughs so hard that I have to pull the phone away from my ear.
“It’s with a well-renowned surgeon,” I say quickly. “He’s hot and rich.” I leave the part of him being a bit of an asshole out. “You wanted a George Clooney type doctor, and your friend Madison delivered.”
“George Clooney?” she mutters. I grin. I got her now!
“Oh, yeah,” I say, nodding even though she can’t see me. “Big time. He’s gorgeous.”
There’s silence on the other end.
“And he’s on TV,” I say, laying it on thicker. “He’s been on a bunch of magazine covers too. He’s a real catch.”
“Send me a picture of him, and I’ll think about it.”
Yes! She’ll definitely say yes once she sees how hot Dr. Cialdini is.
We say our goodbyes, and I’m about to send her a photo when the door swings open and Dr. Mitchell Clark’s stern face is staring down at me.
Damn.
“Is that Anabelle?” he asks, looking at my phone.
“No—”
“Anabelle!” he shouts. “Hi, Anabelle, it’s me! Mitchell!”
“It’s not Anabelle,” I say, showing him the homepage of my iPhone. “Geez.”
He frowns when he sees it. “My office,” he barks. “Now.”
I sigh as he turns and charges away, leaving the door to close in my face.
“What can I do for you, Dr. Clark?” I ask when I’m seated in his office a few minutes later.
“Mr. Winters,” he says, folding his hands on his desk as he glares at me. “You had him walking around, gallivanting around the hospital before he was ready, and as a result, a blood clot formed.”
“That is not what happened,” I say, narrowing my eyes on him. “And you know it.”
“What I know is that this hospital can’t afford another lawsuit,” he says, staring me down through his thick glasses. “And it appears like you are determined to give us one.”
I roll my eyes as I turn away from him. My mouth drops open when I see an open bottle of oxycodone on the table behind him next to his old cup of coffee.
“Are you taking those?” I ask, pointing to the bottle. It has another person’s name on it, and surprise, surprise, it’s prescribed by Dr. Mitchell Clark.
His eyes widen as he turns. “No, I’m most certainly not,” he says, snatching the bottle off the table and throwing it into a drawer in his desk.
“And might I remind you,” he says as he looks everywhere but at my eyes, “that accusing your superior of drug abuse is highly inappropriate.”
“Not as inappropriate as having an open bottle of opiates in your office,” I say, staring him down. He’s even more broken up about Anabelle than I thought. I didn’t think he was so hurt that he had to take oxycodone to dull the pain.
Last week, I would have doubled the dose to get him off my back, but Shondra’s words are still fresh in my mind, and I start to wonder if I can help him another way.
“Mitchell,” I say, softening my voice. “Are you okay?”
His eyes finally meet mine, and they’re heavy with
pain and sadness. He just shakes his head as his lip quivers.
“What’s the matter,” I ask him, keeping my voice low and steady. “Is it Anabelle?”
He nods. “It was my only chance at love, and I blew it,” he says, starting to get choked up. “I’m going to spend the last half of my life like the first half: sad and alone.”
“Just because it didn’t work with Anabelle, doesn’t mean it’s over for you,” I say. “There’s a ton of women out there.” Not too many with a love of Alf and a fetish for comb-overs, but I don’t have to tell him that part.
“Women don’t like me,” he says, looking so heartbroken that he’s going to crumple in on himself. “I’m not even upset over Anabelle. I didn’t even know her. I just haven’t met anyone in so long, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever meet anyone again. I’m just so sick of being lonely all of the time.”
He drops his head and makes a sniveling noise that sounds like a dying yak.
“I have no one,” he says as tears start streaming down his cheeks. “I have no love in my life. Nobody to love and nobody to love me.”
I reach out and touch his hairy hand. He squeezes my hand back as he sobs.
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell him, offering what comfort I can give him. “But taking pills is just going to make it worse. Give them to me.”
I hold my open hand out and take a sigh of relief when he pulls the bottle out of his desk and puts it into my hand.
He starts to look a lot better as we talk through his feelings and worries. Sometimes a little warmth and care can do more to mend a broken heart than pills.
He’s not so mean and scary anymore after our talk. The poor guy is just lonely and is afraid of growing old without having anyone to share it with.
“I’m sorry that I’ve been so hard on you,” he says as he wipes his eyes. “You’re a good doctor, Madison. And a good friend. I was just hurting so much, and I didn’t know how to deal with it.”
“It’s okay,” I say, feeling better too. “Let’s just try to start over.”
He smiles at me. “I’d like that.”
I take a breath of relief when I finally leave the office and toss the oxycodone pills into the garbage. Dr. Clark will be off my back, and Anabelle will be happy to know that he’ll be off hers too.
A smile hits my lips when I think of something that will really make him feel better. Something that will give him some of the love he so desperately needs.
I just have to find my resident-in-training Ralph.
Chapter 14
Madison
It’s after midnight when I creep into Shane’s room with a surprise. It’s my night off, and out of all the places in the city I could be, my first choice is with Shane.
His room is dark, and he’s lying in the reclined bed watching a movie on an iPad. The warm glow of the screen is lighting up his gorgeous face, making me breathe a little quicker.
He takes the buds out of his ears when he notices me walking in, and a big smile widens across his face when he sees what’s floating over my head.
“Wow,” he says, nodding his head in approval when he sees the dozen helium balloons that I’m holding. They all have superheroes on them.
“I felt bad for popping your other ones,” I say as I place them at the foot of his bed.
He laughs as he looks up at them. Batman is floating by my head and holding his fist in the air like he wants revenge on me for popping him the last time we met.
“I should be the one getting you balloons,” he says, watching me as I sit down on his bed. “I never thanked you for saving my life.”
I just shrug. “It’s just part of my job.”
He takes my hand in his and locks his eyes on mine. “Thank you, Madison.”
Is it getting warmer in here?
“Shondra told me that you were helping in the surgery,” he says, looking impressed.
“I was,” I say. “Your organs are lovely. A little banged up from all of those crashes, but lovely.”
He laughs. “I’ve never had someone compliment my organs before. Well, just one of them…”
My cheeks get hot as I think about the organ he’s referring to. And that one is definitely worth complimenting as well.
“So, when you were performing my surgery,” he says, looking at me with a mischievous smile. “Did you have your hands inside of my body?”
“I did,” I answer with a nod.
He grins. “One day I’ll have to repay the favor.”
My cheeks get really hot now when I realize what he’s saying. He just laughs as I give him a look.
“You know, I slipped the surgeon twenty-dollars to remove your tongue,” I say with a grin, “but he refused to do it.”
“You’re going to love my tongue one day,” he says with his sexy eyes sparkling. “It will be your best friend.”
“Not as long as it’s attached to your filthy mouth, I won’t.”
We both laugh, and I can’t help but feel really glad that I came.
“How is your back feeling?” I ask. “Any pain?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he says with a shrug.
“Did Dr. Cooper give you any painkillers?” I ask, reaching for the clipboard at the foot of his bed.
He reaches over and grabs my hand, stopping me. “Let’s not be doctor/patient tonight,” he says in his deep gravelly voice. “And no, I’m not on anything. I want you to know that what I say is what I really feel. There are no drugs making me loopy, nothing that will give you an excuse to disregard my words and run away.”
I gulp as he watches me with an intensity in his eyes that makes me shiver.
“Do you know that feeling you get when you meet someone and they’re so incredible that your heart just can’t take it?” he asks. “You know they’re the one for you and your heart skips a beat?”
“That’s called arrhythmia,” I answer. “And it’s fatal.”
He laughs. “It’s the best thing in the world is what it is. I had that when I first saw you.”
“You were bleeding internally when you first saw me. Your heart was barely beating at all.”
God, that smile. It does it for me every time.
“Be my girlfriend, Madison,” he says. “We’d be so good together.”
“You just want a free doctor to mend all of your broken bones for you,” I say, grinning at him.
He narrows his eyes on me playfully. “Stop avoiding the topic.”
“Stop talking crazy, and I’ll stop avoiding.”
“Why is that crazy?” he asks. “I’m attracted to you, and you’re attracted to me.”
I thrust my chin into the air and laugh. “I’m not attracted to you,” I lie.
He huffs out a laugh and then leans up, pulling his gown off his broad shoulders.
“What are you doing?” I ask, feeling my body tense up.
“Nothing,” he says with a shrug as he pulls his gown down his naked torso and bunches it up over his lap. His wide tattooed chest, hard abs, round arms, and sculpted V in his pelvis are all visible as he lays back down on the reclined bed.
My eyes refuse to blink as I hold my breath and take in the beautiful view.
“You’re not attracted to me?” he asks, watching me with a grin. His abs are rock hard, and they’re not even flexed. How does he do that?
I just shake my head as a whimper eeps out of me.
But this guy is not done. He’s playing dirty, and he goes in for the kill.
Shane takes my wrist and places my hand on his hard abs. I try not to keep swallowing so hard, but it’s tough with the majority of my focus on the beautifully sculpted abs under my palm and fingertips.
“I don’t need a stethoscope to know that your heart is pounding right now,” he says, staring at me with knowing eyes. “I can see it thumping through your shirt. You’re attracted to me. Stop denying it.”
If I stop denying it will he let me keep my hand here for the rest of the night?
“Maybe a little,” I say, barely able to get the words out with the thick frog in my throat.
“So then be my girlfriend,” he says, squeezing my wrist as he pulls me closer. I don’t resist at all as my body goes to his like a moth to the flame. My lips are tingling with need as they get closer to his mouth.
I desperately want to give in. It would feel so good.
Our lips stop a breath away from each other. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” I whisper as my heart pounds in my chest.
His arms wrap possessively around me, and he pulls me into his warm shirtless body. “It’s the best idea,” he whispers before pulling me into a deep kiss. I moan as our lips connect and our bodies melt into each other.
A strong hand slides to the back of my neck, holding me against his lips like he’s never going to let me go. It’s a desperate and intense kiss that shakes me to my core.
When Shane finally releases my mouth, I have his bottom lip in my teeth, tugging it as we separate.
“All right,” I say, licking his delicious taste off my lips. “I’ll be your girlfriend.”
The wide smile he gives me is so sexy that I just can’t resist putting my lips on his again.
Our kiss is wild and shameless and being so close to the man I’ve been crushing over for the last week is making me crazy. Arousal is coursing through me, making me warm and heated as it settles between my legs.
I’m gliding my tongue over his when my hand decides to have a mind of its own and starts sliding down Shane’s hard abs. My pussy throbs and aches as my fingertips slide under the gown and finds his hard cock.
“Oh, fuck,” he groans on my lips when my fingers wrap around his thick shaft. My pussy is so wet and ready as I stroke his big dick.
It’s all happening so fast. His hands move to my breasts, and I moan into his mouth as he massages them with his big powerful hands. My nipples are so hard under his touch and they’re aching with the need to be released.
“Oh, Shane,” I moan when I feel a drop of pre-cum ooze out of his cock. I rub it over his head with my thumb as my pussy clenches when I wonder what it tastes like.
My breaths are coming out rough and ragged. I can barely think as the intense lust clouds my brain, shutting down any rational thoughts. I don’t know who pulls down his hospital gown, but suddenly Shane’s hard cock is out, and my wet open lips are moving toward it.