“May I come in, Sophie?”
Direct and straight to the point — it was what she’d admired about him the night they’d met and in the resus room. His confidence was unwavering.
She stepped back and he accepted the silent invitation. As he walked past, his aftershave assailed her senses and she was immediately transported back to the magical night she hadn’t forgotten. The scent was spicy and truly masculine. She breathed deeply to keep the memories alive for a moment longer. Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all. She closed the door and leaned against it.
“Are you planning to stand there all night?” he asked.
“I’m debating whether letting you in was a good idea or not.”
“It’s a bit late now and if you didn’t want me to come in, you wouldn’t have allowed the doorman to let me up.”
Sophie couldn’t argue with his logic. She had allowed Cliff to send him up. Sophie folded her arms across her chest, the fabric of her blouse pulling tightly against her sensitized breasts. She wanted to immediately unfold them but didn’t.
“So why are you here, Dr. Scavoni?” she asked, with a formality to show him she was treating this as a professional visit, not a personal one.
“It’s Alex, and we’re beyond such formalities, don’t you think?”
She silently fumed at his words and watched as he looked around the room, taking in her furniture, the view, and the music playing in the background. Her expansive sitting room seemed to shrink before her eyes.
“I’ve come to talk to you about what happened in our office this afternoon,” Alex said.
She sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was rehash their earlier conversation. “I told you I needed time to sort everything out — on my own.”
“Well, I think that’s a mistake. We need to work out our differences now.”
“I don’t care what you think, Dr. Scavoni. I haven’t showered, I’m tired, and hungry. I really just want to be alone.” Sophie tried to keep the pleading tone out of her voice but it was to no avail.
She stood still as he moved toward her with a surefooted grace that was usually equated with wild animals. She shivered and gooseflesh broke out over her skin as he reached out and swept a hand over her head.
“I think I can probably solve a couple of those problems.”
Her heart leapt at the possible ways he could make her problems miraculously disappear.
She took a deep breath before she spoke. “Really? And how do you plan on doing that? By leaving?”
He laughed softly at her challenge. “No, by taking you to dinner.”
She pulled away from his touch. “Look, Alex, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Then don’t think, just act.” She withstood his assessing glance and waited for what he was about to say next. “Come on, Sophie, just a casual dinner between work colleagues is all I’m suggesting. We don’t even have to go far. We can go downstairs and eat at the restaurant. Have a glass of wine, relax, and discuss our issues like two responsible adults.”
The thought was so tempting. To spend a few more hours in his company … but it was also dangerous. She was still attracted to him. Memories of their one night played through her mind at a constant pace. It would be so easy to say yes.
“Say it, Sophie. Please say yes.” It was as if he could read what was going on behind her eyes.
She thought about the meal of leftovers sitting in her fridge. Quick but unappetizing. If she went to dinner she could have a nice meal and not have to worry about any clean up duties.
“Fine,” she said and looked away at the gleam of triumph lighting Alex’s eyes. “Give me twenty minutes to shower and change. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“Sounds perfect, I’ll arrange for a table.”
He brushed past her and then stopped. Was he reconsidering his offer?
Her breath hitched as he took two backward steps, which brought him in front of her. He turned and caught her by the chin. Her eyes closed involuntary as he leaned in and laid a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. It was over before it started, promising so much and leaving her craving. She swayed slightly as he let her go.
“Don’t be too long,” he whispered. He then made his way to the door and let himself out. All the while, she stood in the middle of the room in a stupor of emotions.
Sophie didn’t know how long she stood there. All she knew was she had to steel her heart against Alex and his charms.
As she pulled herself out of her trance and made her way to her bathroom, she considered all the reasons why she wasn’t in the market for a new relationship, especially not a work colleague. She’d traveled that road once and wasn’t going to do it again.
She’d just started as NUM again, and at this moment in her life, her career was extremely important to her. She’d let her insecurities, and her family’s disappointment in her career choice, overshadow her previous appointment as NUM. It was embarrassing when she’d been demoted, but she’d survived and had grown and learned from her past.
She would also learn from her previous relationship with Neil and make it clear to Alex that a personal relationship was out of the question. She’d been down that road. She knew nothing good ever came from a relationship between work colleagues.
She showered and dressed in a casual silk sheath — the pale blue complemented her blonde hair and aquamarine eyes. With a swift application of makeup, a twist of the wrist and some pins for her hair, she was ready to meet Alex.
As Sophie rode the elevator down to the ground floor, she told herself the fluttering in her stomach was from hunger, and not from nerves of spending the evening with Alex.
She smiled as she walked past the doorman, pausing when he called her name.
“Miss Franklyn?”
“Yes, Cliff, what can I do for you?”
“Dr. Scavoni told me to tell you he has secured a table at Bridges and will be waiting for you there, not at the bar.”
“Thanks, Cliff. Have a good evening.”
She didn’t think Alex would’ve had a problem securing a table — Monday night was not a big social evening — but she had hoped they could’ve shared a relaxing drink first before going into the romantic atmosphere of a restaurant.
Sophie placed her hand on her quivering stomach before turning the handle of the restaurant’s door. She was a grown woman having a pleasant dinner with a work colleague.
Nothing more and nothing less.
She spied Alex the moment she walked into the restaurant. He was seated at a table by the window, the river sparkling and twinkling in the background. The dining room wasn’t crowded and Sophie was grateful for that. She didn’t want prying eyes observing her and Alex as they ate, especially not the press.
Alex stood as she approached the table and held out her chair for her. She smiled at his gallantry, murmuring her thanks.
“I took the liberty of ordering us some Turkish bread and dips to start off with.” He handed her the menu. “The waiter will be here shortly to take our orders.”
She took the menu from him and opened it up to peruse the contents. Even though she lived a few floors above the restaurant, she hadn’t visited it too often, so she took her time to read through the contents.
“Dips sound perfect. I think I might have the fish of the day with a fresh garden salad,” she said as she closed the menu with a snap. She didn’t think her stomach could take anything heavier.
“Would you like to share a bottle of wine?”
“Yes, wine would be lovely. Thank you.”
“White or red?”
“White.”
Sophie had to stop the laughter bubbling up inside of her. Their conversation was so polite it was bordering on the ridiculous.
She and Alex had spent a wonderful nig
ht together in each other’s arms. Today they’d worked as a team to save a patient’s life. He’d kissed her before coming to the restaurant and yet the mundane task of making small talk seemed all but unachievable.
Enough was enough. She leaned forward. “Alex?”
Her smile widened as she saw him take a moment before lifting his eyes from the wine list.
“Yes?”
“Do you think we can stop acting like polite strangers? I think we’re a bit past that. Considering all we’ve shared.”
Alex shook his head and started to laugh. It was deep and carefree and it had her joining in.
“You’re right, we’re acting like strangers. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s not like this is a first date or anything.”
“Well, if you want to be technical about these things, it kind of is. The night we met, we were surrounded by people. Now it’s just the two of us sharing a dinner.”
Before Alex could reply, a commotion erupted in the kitchen. The sound of yelling and pots and pans clanging and crashing to the ground, followed by a bellow of pain and a cry for help had both her and Alex jumping from their seats.
It was instinct that had them both reacting — something told Sophie it wasn’t just a minor kitchen spill. Something major had happened.
“I’ll grab my bag from the car, you assess the situation,” Alex said. His tone was authoritarian, but not rude like some doctors she had worked with.
“No problem, it’s likely they’ll have a first aid kit in the kitchen, but I have a comprehensive one in my apartment. I can get Cliff to fetch it, if we need it.”
He nodded in acknowledgement and strode out the restaurant, while she made her way into the kitchen.
Sophie opened the door and what greeted her could only be described as chaotic. There were pans upturned, their contents splattered across the floor. A faint trace of smoke wafted toward her. The kitchen staff seemed to be standing in shock, unsure of what they should do. The maître d tried to stop her from entering.
“There’s no need to concern yourself, madam. It’s just a slight accident. We have everything under control.” His imperious tone grated on her nerves. She could see two seriously injured men and he was telling her it was a slight accident and they had it all under control. She didn’t think so.
Sophie flicked a quick look at his name badge. “Simon, I’m a nurse, so let me be the judge of whether it’s a slight accident or not. A doctor is on the way also. So please move.”
He hesitated briefly and she shoved passed him. People needed help and he was being a dithering idiot. She surveyed the scene again and tried to ascertain what had occurred. She rushed over to the man lying unconscious on the floor, blood oozing out from beneath his head. The arm of his white chef’s uniform showed signs of a burn, his fingers and lower arm red raw. A pot lay beside him, spilling its contents of boiling oil on the ground.
She needed to move the pot before more of him got scalded by the hot liquid. She pulled the tea towel that was under his arm, noticing it too had burn marks. Using the non-damaged portion, Sophie grabbed the handle. With careful movements, she righted the pot.
She threw the towel on to the floor to soak up the excess liquid. Now that she was sure her patient wouldn’t suffer any more burns, she checked his pulse. The beat beneath her fingers was erratic and thready.
Where was Alex?
“I’m a doctor, can’t you see my bag, you idiot?”
Sophie looked up and relief flooded her veins as she saw Alex pushing his way past the maître d like she’d had to. The man really was an imbecile.
“Alex, I need you here now.”
“What have we got?”
“Well, I’ve only managed to see to this man, there’s another injured person by the sink.”
“Okay, I’ll go see to him.”
“No,” she cried out and laid her hand on his arm. Even in an emergency situation, one touch was all it took for heat to suffuse its way through her body. “I need you here. He appears to be suffering third-degree burns from boiling oil. He might also have a head trauma from the fall. His pulse is thready and weak. He needs to be covered before his body starts to lose more heat and he goes into shock.”
She stood and lost her footing on the residual oil. Alex grabbed her by the waist. “Steady, I don’t need you injuring yourself as well.”
She shook herself free, not wanting Alex to know how much his touch affected her.
“I’m fine, but thanks. I’ll go see to the other victim and establish the extent of his injury.” She glanced over to the pale face of the other chef. It wasn’t burn marks that stained his uniform but blood and lots of it. She looked around the room and asked. “Is there a first aid kit here?”
“We’ve got this one,” another staff member replied, holding a very basic kit for her to see.
Sophie realized that kit wasn’t going to have the necessary pressure packs to stop the bleeding. “Looks like we’re going to need my kit, too,” she muttered to herself.
“I can arrange for someone to get it for you.”
Sophie turned and looked over her left shoulder where the owner of the voice stood. It seemed the maître d had realized it wasn’t a slight accident.
“Thanks, Simon. They can go next door and see Cliff the doorman. Tell him that Sophie Franklyn from apartment six-twelve B needs her first aid kit. He’ll know where it is.”
She trusted Simon to follow her instructions. She had briefed Cliff on the location of her kit just in case something like this in the building ever occurred.
With careful steps, she made her way to the sink and her other patient. She squatted down and saw fear in the man’s eyes. “Hi, I’m Sophie and I’m a nurse. What’s your name and can you tell me what happened?”
Compassion filled her as she watched him struggle to try to form the words. She touched his shoulders. “It’s okay, take your time.”
“Josh. It’s all a blur. I cut my arm. Then I heard a whoosh sound. Next I knew, Tim started to scream and fall to the floor with the pot following him down.” He looked up at with a blank stare — shock was setting in, too. “We were joking around and then … I don’t know what happened.”
“Josh, shh, it’s going to be okay. Let’s take a look at that cut, shall we?” She gently reached out and took hold of his injured arm. Sophie bit her lip as she lifted the cloth he’d placed over the gash.
The wound was deep, she could see clear through to the bone. Fortunately, he hadn’t cut a major artery. Still, his blood loss would be significant if other help didn’t arrive soon.
“Has someone called an ambulance yet?” she asked, looking around at the rest of the kitchen staff.
“Yes, I did.” Simon had arrived back with her bag. She smiled gratefully at him.
“Thanks. Did the operator say how long the ambulance would be?”
Sophie had to stand quickly and take the bag off him as he swayed at the sight of the blood seeping from Josh’s arm.
She gave him a shake and he looked up with dazed eyes. “Simon,” she said, her voice soft and soothing. “You’ve been a big help, now can you wait out front for the ambulance?”
He nodded and she let him go. She knelt back down, opened her bag, and took out a pressure bandage. She quickly wrapped it around Josh’s arm. She could hear Alex talking to his patient, his tone getting louder and louder and louder. He needed her help.
“That should stem the flow of blood until the paramedics arrive and can deal with you. Now I need to go help Alex with Tim. Will you be okay?”
She waited for a few seconds before Josh nodded his head. “Yeah, thanks, Sophie. Help Tim please, he’s a good … friend.”
Sophie realized then there was more between the two than just a work relationship.
“Sophie, I need
you now.” Alex’s voice thundered over to her. She gave Josh a quick smile, collected her bag, and rushed over to Alex’s side.
Sophie assessed the situation and knew exactly what needed to be done. She quickly pulled out a pack of saline to set up a drip. Fortunately, his left arm was uninjured and she was able to establish a vein to administer the IV.
“I’m in. How’s his hand looking?”
When silence greeted her, she looked up. Her heart plummeted at what she saw in Alex’s eyes. The prognosis didn’t look good.
She thought about the look of pain in Josh’s eyes — not from his injury but from concern for Tim.
“We have to do all we can to save that hand,” she whispered. By the way Alex nodded his head, it was clear he’d heard the determination in her voice.
Tim moaned and he started to thrash his head from side to side. Sophie quickly grabbed the neck collar from her bag to stabilize his head. She still didn’t know what injury he had suffered to his head from the fall.
His moans were getting louder as the pain from his burns became stronger.
“Tim. Tim, can you hear me?” Sophie spoke firmly and loudly. His eyes flicked open, then fluttered shut with a grimace. “Tim, I’m Sophie and I’m a nurse. You’ve had an accident, but Dr. Scavoni and I are doing everything we can to help you. We need you to stay still. Can you do that for me, Tim?”
“Yes.” The word came out on a long, guttural cry.
“Good, Tim, that’s great.” Sophie flicked her gaze up to Alex, about to ask if she should administer some pain relief when Alex spoke.
“Sophie, until we know the extent of his head injury, give him five milligrams of morphine, please.”
“Did you hear that, Tim? I’m going to give you something for the pain. You’ve burned your hand and hit your head.” She quickly measured out the dose and showed it to Alex. On his nod, she inserted it into the IV she’d established earlier.
The wail of the siren was a welcome sound. Within moments, two teams of paramedics came rushing in.
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