by Tina Beckett
“I will. See you tomorrow.”
Ted’s brows went up. “I think you mean today.”
The man was right. It was almost four in the morning. “Right. Go home and try to get some sleep.”
“You, as well. See you.”
With that, they parted ways, both stripping off their PPE and heading out the doors.
Nate turned toward the nurses’ desk to ask if they’d seen Sasha, passing the waiting room as he did. He glanced over there just as he went by, then backtracked when he saw a familiar profile. She had her arm draped over the back of the chair next to her and her head rested in the crook of her elbow. He thought at first she was asleep, but she lifted her head and looked at him.
“How is he?”
“He woke up. Seems conscious. We won’t know fully about his leg for a couple of days, but it pinkened up once the blood flow was restored to it.”
“That’s good. I wondered.”
“Ted asked me to thank you. I’ll add my thanks to his. The repairs to his arm went okay?”
“Yes. The damage looked worse than it actually was once I started working.”
Her feet were out of her shoes again.
“How are they?”
She looked up at him. “Sorry?”
“Your feet. They were hurting before, and that was before you stood on them for six more hours.”
“They’ll survive.” Her teeth came down on her lower lip. “I hate to ask, but would it be okay if I stayed in the hotel? The thought of getting up and walking on them again isn’t thrilling, and I hate to ask you to drive forty-five minutes one way.”
“Of course. Do you have to be at the hospital this morning?”
“No, not until the afternoon.”
“Okay, let’s get you checked in and you can get some sleep. And I’ll take you home sometime after lunch.”
She sighed. “Thank you.”
“No, Sasha. Thank you. We’ll discuss the other...stuff after we’ve both gotten some rest.”
Her glance met his before skipping away. “I appreciate that.”
She put her shoes on yet again, wincing this time as she did so before getting to her feet. “I’m ready. Can I just ask one thing?”
“Sure.”
“Can you ask for a room other than 201?”
Room 201? Oh, hell, it was where they’d stood on the balcony. The first time he realized he wanted to kiss her. That time he’d been able to take a step back.
He wasn’t going to acknowledge he knew what she was talking about though. Instead, he simply said, “Sure. That won’t be a problem.”
Then without another word he turned and led the way to the elevator, which would take them to the ground floor. And the hotel.
CHAPTER FIVE
HE WAS SUPPOSED to meet with Tessi James and Sasha today and talk about the possibility of catering it locally. He glanced at the shelf where Marie’s doll was and was tempted to take it down and stuff it in a drawer. It was probably what had led to that ill-fated kiss. Something that never should have happened. But to do so felt sacrilegious, almost—as if protecting his own comfort was more important than the reality of what had happened to that little girl.
And why hadn’t he shared its meaning with Sasha? Maybe it was just embarrassment that he hadn’t been able to recognize what was wrong with the child. But it truly had been too late, even if he’d figured it out. Her liver had failed and there was no bringing her back from it.
So he left the doll where it was, and waited for the knock on his door that would signal Tessi’s arrival. Five minutes after the appointed meeting time, he glanced at his phone with a frown. They were late. Had Tessi decided it was too big a project to take on? Had Sasha told her what had happened between them and talked her into backing out? Hell, why hadn’t he talked to her about what had happened?
Because he hadn’t had the chance. She’d disappeared before he’d even gotten back to the hospital. The hotel said she’d left at nine that morning, taking the shuttle back on one of its regularly scheduled trips.
So maybe neither Tessi nor Sasha was coming. Thankfully, he hadn’t yet responded to any of the prospective caterers from the States.
As he was looking at his text messages, the phone in his hand rang, and he almost dropped the thing.
Dammit! What is wrong with you? Shaking his head and sighing, he pressed the button to answer. “Nate Edwards here.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Edwards, but I think your appointment is here.”
“Good. Send them up, please.”
“Um...there are like twenty people here. Do you want them all in your office?”
He blinked. Glanced at his office. He could hold ten people easily in here, but twenty? He had no idea anyone other than Tessi and Sasha were coming. “Can you direct them to the conference room at the hotel, if nothing is scheduled there?”
A few seconds went by. “I don’t see anything. Okay, I’ll send them over.”
Marie’s doll wouldn’t be an issue after all. Nor would meeting Sasha in a place he’d made such a huge mistake. He had never kissed a colleague here or anywhere else. And he was going to make sure his little lapse of judgement never happened again. Still, he couldn’t help but ask. “Is Sasha James with them?”
“I’m not sure who that is—”
“It’s okay—I’ll just meet them over there.”
After shutting the door to his office, he made his way over to the hotel wing and sure enough, there was a small crowd of people walking in that direction. And Sasha was with them. A weird sense of relief washed over him.
He unlocked the door and let them through, wrapping his fingers around Sasha’s wrist to hold her back for a second. He realized that was a mistake when his fingers tingled from the contact. Hell, he’d thought the kiss might somehow satisfy whatever strange curiosity he’d had toward her. Evidently that wasn’t so.
He forced out, “What’s going on?”
“I’m as surprised as you are. But my mom thought you should meet the people who would be working with her on this project—if you decide to go that route. They’re from small businesses all over Williamtown.”
Not the time to have things out, though, so all he could do was make the best of it.
“I’m officially impressed. Can you make introductions?”
“Sure.”
Her voice was stilted and formal, and he let go of her, his fingers curling in an effort to remove the sensation. But it was still there, along with a pressure in the center of his chest. The last thing he needed to deal with was his unusual reaction to her.
With her hair pulled back and small diamonds in her earlobes, she looked cool and chic and not at all affected by his touch.
Sasha led him over to a woman he immediately recognized as her mother. Tall and slender, the similarities between them were uncanny. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say this was Sasha’s sister rather than her mom. It gave him a glimpse of what she would look like in the future.
Not that it was something he needed to know.
“Mom, this is Dr. Edwards. Dr. Edwards, this is Tessi James.”
“Call me Nate, please. Sasha does. Normally, that is.” He wondered if their kiss had somehow set them back a few steps. Or maybe because of how abrupt he’d been in his answer over Marie’s doll. Whatever it was, he missed hearing his name on her lips.
“Okay, Nate. Everyone calls me Tessi, so you might as well too.”
He forced his attention away from the woman’s daughter. “Great. So who have you brought with you today, Tessi?”
As the woman introduced each member of her entourage, Nate found his attention kept returning to Sasha, who was fidgeting next to him. Okay, maybe she wasn’t as unaffected as he’d thought. Or worse, maybe that kiss had made things unbearably awkward for her. He could tal
k to her after this, and see if he could fix things. Or maybe take her out to lunch, depending on how long the meeting took. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to make things right, but the thought of things staying like they were... Well, he didn’t like it. And he had no idea why.
“Nice to meet all of you. Let’s pull some chairs into a circle, and you can tell me what you have in mind for the fund-raiser.”
There were two florists, ten people from various food industries in Williamtown, a couple of people from janitorial services and the rest were a jumble of party planners, organizers and a company that provided plating and cutlery.
He hadn’t been lying when he’d said he was impressed. When Sasha had said her mom cooked and made wedding cakes and the like, he’d had his doubts over whether she could handle an event of this size...but with all of these people? He could see it unfolding before his eyes. And they would probably save quite a bit of money by having everything sourced locally.
Tessi and her group had pictures on their phones of what they envisioned doing with the event.
“Wow. You pulled all of this together in this short a period of time?”
Tessi nodded. “Between us, we have decades of experience to draw from.”
“Can you send these to me?” He gave the group his cell phone number. “With your permission I’ll print some of these off and present them at the meeting tonight. If you’re sure you’re all available. Tessi, if you could come and represent your group and answer any questions...?”
“Yes, of course.” She gave him a grin. “We’ve also drawn up a budget of expenses for you to look over.”
“Yes, I’ll be happy to.”
They talked a bit more about the particulars. An hour later, he was convinced. And satisfied. He sent Sasha a smile and mouthed, “Thank you.”
She smiled back and nodded.
They stood and Sasha hugged her mom and thanked the rest of the crew, telling her mom that she wanted to stay behind and talk to Dr. Edwards for a few minutes but would see her at home later this evening. Then they were gone.
Nate turned to her. “So we’re back to Dr. Edwards and Dr. James, are we?”
Her mouth quirked to the side. “No, I just don’t want my mom to get any funny ideas.”
“Does she get ideas about all the men you’re on a first-name basis with?”
“No, of course not, but we’re not simply on first name...”
Her voice trailed away, reminding him that, like him, she probably didn’t kiss every person she worked with. For some reason, that sent a burst of warmth through him. Although he remembered her talking to a male nurse at Saint Victoria Hospital, and at the time had wondered if there was something between the pair. But she wouldn’t have kissed him the way she had, if that was the case. Right?
He decided maybe it was better if they didn’t go back to his office after all. Especially after what had happened there. He could think of somewhere a whole lot safer.
Glancing down at her feet and seeing casual sandals that went with her long gauzy skirt, he asked. “Are your feet all recovered?”
She wiggled her toes. “Yep, as good as new.”
“How do you feel about a walk on the beach then? We can talk as we go.”
“Sure.”
Was it his imagination, or did she seem relieved that he hadn’t suggested his office?
Nate pushed through a nearby exit, guiding her over to the long boardwalk that led away from the hotel. Strolling along it, she glanced at him. “So did you really like what they had to say?”
“Are you kidding? It’s fantastic, better than I’d even hoped.”
She smiled. “There’s even a DJ here in town who can probably do the music, if that’s something you’d be interested in.”
“Yes. I’d love to talk with him or her.” He looked out over the sea. “Your mom has quite a bit of influence here.”
“I don’t know that it’s influence as much as having grown up with most of those people. It’s a little different here than in Boston or New York or any of the big cities in the States. There are fewer people moving in and out, so friends and neighbors spend a lifetime getting to know each other.”
He liked the thought of knowing a group of people that well. At least the idea of it. How well could you really know anyone? He’d grown up with his parents, only to discover how little he understood them. And how little they understood him.
Shaking away that thought, he came to the end of the boardwalk and stepped out onto the sand.
“You’re going to ruin your shoes,” she murmured.
He glanced down at his shiny black dress shoes. “They’ve been out here more than once. As long as you don’t throw me into the water, we should be good.”
“Throw you into the water? Really?” A lightness came into her voice that made him relax. Maybe they’d get through that incident in his office unscathed after all. She was really the most surprising woman. Some of the women he’d been with had been quick to try to get a second date, but Sasha hadn’t done anything to indicate she wanted anything from him. Not a kiss. Not anything else.
Their eyes met. Got hung up. And he wondered if he was somehow wrong.
Then she stepped onto the beach and moved away from him. He stopped to strip his shoes and socks off, carrying them in one hand.
“You come out here often,” she said.
“Why do you say that?”
“Your feet are as tanned as the rest of you.”
Her assessment was right on target as far as him liking to be out here.
“I do sit and watch the ocean sometimes, but not here.”
“Where? Another beach?”
“No, I’ll show you. It’s about a fifteen-minute trek, though, do you have time?”
“I do, actually.”
They walked until they arrived at a sheltered cove that none of the hospital staff knew about. As far as Nate knew, he was the only person who ever came out here. It was around a curve and well hidden from anyone walking along the beach. “This is the spot.”
Sasha moved closer to the water. “It’s beautiful. I can see why you like to come out here.” Lowering herself onto the sand, she kicked off her sandals and stretched her legs out in front of her, tossing her skirt over them. She’d polished her toes this time and the bright fuchsia drew his eyes toward the high arch of her foot—the smooth, silky-looking legs below the white fabric. She was gorgeous. And he was beginning to think her beauty really was more than skin deep. Working with her on the accident victim had shown him that she was skilled and caring, jumping in to help even when she could have left to go home.
The discovery made him uneasy. Because it put that kiss in a completely different light. And Nate liked categorizing things so that they fit neatly into the box he’d made for himself. Of things he did and didn’t allow himself to think or do.
He was glad he’d suggested coming here rather than inviting her out to lunch like he’d planned to. The sound of the water lapping at the beach was soothing. And he didn’t really want anyone to hear what he had to say.
“I think I owe you an apology.”
“You do? About what?” Her head turned toward him, face registering her surprise. “And please don’t say it was about the kiss. It was a mistake. I think we both realize that.”
He pulled up short. Okay, she’d beat him to it. He should be elated. But instead, something made him change tack and pretend the kiss wasn’t even important enough to discuss. “No, not about that. I was kind of short with you that night.”
“You were? I don’t remember you being short.”
Was it possible he was mistaken? Or was she just saying that? Well, either way, he’d started down this path and he was going to see it through to the bitter end. And he realized it was true. He did want to explain why he’d acted the way he did.
“You asked about that doll on my shelf, and I cut you off.”
“Ah. That. You had every right to. I was prying, even though I didn’t mean to.” She blinked, then a frown puckered her brow. “Oh! Do you have a daughter?”
Her glance went to his hand. Damn. “No. I’m not married. I certainly wouldn’t have kissed you if I was. And I don’t have any children, here or in the States.” Did she really think he was someone who would cheat on someone? That stung and he wasn’t sure why.
“And... I’m prying again.”
“No, you’re not. Really.” He just hadn’t expected her to jump to that conclusion. “The doll belonged to a patient.”
“And she gave it to you? How sweet. Those dolls are normally treasured possessions.”
Yes. They were. This was going to be harder than he’d thought. “No. She didn’t give it to me. Her parents did. Afterward.”
She looked at him, head tilting. Then the softness of her face changed in an instant. “Oh, Nate, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“She was one of my patients when I was here with Medicine Around the World. It was after Hurricane Regan and was my first time on the island.”
“That was a terrible time for Saint Victoria. So many businesses and lives wiped out. Parts of the island still haven’t fully recovered. Was your patient injured in the hurricane?”
“No. At least that wasn’t why her parents brought her to me. She had a persistent fever, was jaundiced and was very ill. Saint Victoria Hospital was in shambles at the time, and we only had rudimentary medical supplies with us. I treated her for hepatitis, but she just got worse. And the blood work I sent off didn’t get back before she...”
Sasha’s hand reached over and gripped his. “How awful. Did you find out what it was?”
“Yes. And that was the kicker. She had schistosomiasis.”
She blinked, and there was a long pause while she stared at him. “God, Nate. That was you.”
Confusion ran through him before a sense of horror kicked him in the gut. Were people talking about the foreign doctor who let a young child die?
Her hand squeezed his. “Not long after the hurricane, there was a campaign to test the water and try to find out where there were concentrations of the parasite. And doctors looked carefully at any case of swimmers’ rash or symptoms of hepatitis or unexplained infections. They actually found a couple of children in a family with the chronic gastrointestinal form of schistosomiasis and were able to treat them with praziquantel. Both children lived. It’s not as common in Saint Victoria as it is in some of the other tropical climates, but obviously it can kill. Even here.” She leaned closer, and bumped his shoulder with hers. “You may not know it, but you’re probably the reason those two kids are still alive.”