Doctor's Orders Box Set (Babies in the Bargain, Right Name, Wrong Man, No More Lies)

by Risk, Mona

  “Bienvenue en France.” The nurse approached Mary-Beth, her arms opened wide for a hug and three kisses. “This is our official greeting. You will get used to it.” Josephine chuckled while Yves raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh, thank you.” Mary-Beth swallowed hard. Yves had already fogged her mind with his French greeting. Her cheeks still burning, she returned the hug of the affable woman.

  “Are you attending any surgeries today, Dr. Drake?” Josephine’s voice sliced through the tension in the room.

  Yves answered for her. “Josephine, please show Dr. Drake the prep room. She’ll attend Ariane’s tonsillectomy.” His mobile phone chimed. “I will see you soon, Mary-Beth. We have a lot of business to discuss.” His gaze sharpened on her, brimming with questions.

  “See you soon, Dr. Malroux.” Her emotions under control, she nodded and followed the head nurse out of his office.

  “This way.” The nurse guided her through a maze of corridors to the elevator. On the third floor, they strode through more hallways. Josephine indicated the various departments and babbled about the hospital and doctors. “Our hospital, L’ Hôpital de la Santé, is very big, one of the largest in France and Dr. Malroux is the best surgeon in our country.” The woman lifted her head with pride.

  “Yes, I know,” Mary-Beth conceded. “The Department of Surgery at Harvard invited him three summers in a row as visiting physician. He’s an excellent doctor, no doubt about it.”

  “He is a workaholic. Totally dedicated to his patients. Every one loves him.”

  “I can believe that.” She suppressed a chuckle but sobered immediately. I did too.

  “Dr. Malroux is so busy he does not have a minute for himself.” Josephine let out a long sigh. “We all wish he could finally have a family and an heir.”

  “Maybe he’s not interested in settling down.” Mary-Beth shrugged.

  “I think he has not found the right woman yet,” Josephine said, defending her boss with a maternal smile.

  The right woman? Or the right harem? Mary-Beth snorted and sent a mental kiss to Steve for choosing her as his right woman.

  Josephine led her to a spacious residents’ room furnished with two beds set against opposite walls with night tables on each side. A desk and a couple of chairs occupied the space opposite to the beds. “Voilà.” The nurse grabbed a plastic bag from one the cabinets that completed the furnishing, and handed it to Mary-Beth. “You can change in one of the locker rooms or shower in the bathroom if you want to freshen up.”

  Her adrenaline on the rise, Mary-Beth pulled a set of scrubs from the bag and walked toward the door, impatient to start her assignment. “I’ll be ready in a minute. Where do I go when I’m changed?”

  “The salle d’op is at the end of the corridor. It is marked with a green sign and the prep room is adjacent.”

  “Thank you.”

  Mary-Beth showered and changed, and then tucked her hair under a cap and sprinted to the prep room. Her pulse racing with excitement at the prospect of her new challenge, she scrubbed at the sink and walked to the OR where Yves already waited with a brunette nurse.

  “Julie, Dr. Drake est une nouvelle résidente d’Amérique, a new resident from America,” he explained, as the nurse gowned and gloved him.

  “Bienvenue en France, Dr. Drake.” Julie repeated the process for Mary-Beth while casting adoring eyes on Yves, who seemed oblivious to her.

  “Thank you.” Mary-Beth almost rolled her eyes. Of course, everyone loved him, as Josephine had mentioned. Or more precisely every woman did.

  A moment later, another nurse wheeled in a gurney bearing a little girl with a pink bear clutched to her heart. A woman in a surgical gown held the patient’s hand and wiped tears from her face.

  “Bonjour, Brigitte.” Yves nodded to the young mother. “I can see your little Ariane is already sleeping.”

  “A doctor gave her some drugs.”

  “Perfect. This is Dr. Drake. She will take care of your daughter.”

  Mary-Beth nodded to the mother.

  “You have to go now, Brigitte. Ariane will be fine, I promise. We will come to you as soon as we are finished,” he said with a gentle tone—the same gentle tone he’d used with her in the Harvard library. Back then, Mary-Beth would have moved heaven and earth to find him any article in any medical journal.

  “Thank you for everything.” The young woman kissed her daughter’s forehead and left the OR.

  “Ariane is five years old,” Yves explained. “She has been sick repeatedly this past year. I fear that her numerous throat infections may lead to rheumatic fever. Removing her tonsils is the best solution and an easy procedure. Do you want to handle it?”

  “I’d love to.” Her heart thrummed with anticipation as it always did before surgery. She stepped up to the operating table. Yves introduced the nurse anesthetist and got down to business. “Let’s start.” His baritone rang calm and professional.

  As a student Mary-Beth wasn’t allowed to attend his surgeries in Boston, so she’d watched him operate from the observation balcony and had accumulated enough images in her mind to play her own surgical scenario. Now, she was finally assisting him in the OR. Pleased that the mask covered her mouth, she allowed herself a hint of a smile and followed his instructions.

  “Done,” she announced an hour later.

  “Good job.” He peeled off his gloves, lowered his mask and motioned to a nurse to wheel the patient’s bed to Recovery. “Swift and clean.”

  A satisfied smile escaped her. “Thank you.” Delighted with his compliment, Mary-Beth met his gaze and stared in awe, unable to break contact with the eyes she had loved so much in the past. Her heart wrenched. Why had he left suddenly and never written or sent an email?

  “I am not surprised at Dr. Galt’s wonderful recommendation.”

  She blinked. “Huh?” Steve’s name broke the magic of the moment and jolted her to the present. How could she have forgotten her fiancé in the past hour?

  A punch of guilt spoiled her pleasure at acing her first surgery in France. She spun to the door that had swung closed behind the patient’s gurney. “Do you want me to follow up on the child?” she said over her shoulder.

  “She is now your patient. Take good care of her.” He glanced at the wall clock and hurried to the door as he gave her more instructions. “I am scheduled for an appendectomy. Brief the child’s mother and wait for me in the lobby at six o’clock. I will take you home.”

  “Home?” She choked on the word and her cheeks warmed.

  He paused at the door. “Yes, we are going home to my chateau after work.”

  Every muscle in her body stiffened. She opened her mouth and closed it. Golden sparks danced in the green pools of his eyes as he trapped her gaze, lifted a curious eyebrow and then turned his back to leave. She yanked off her cap and mask, and tossed them in a waste basket.

  Going home with Yves to his chateau. Good God, Steve would have a heart attack if she repeated that phrase to him.

  Her lips pinched to suppress a curse. She stomped to the residents’ room, snatched her purse from the cabinet and fumbled inside for her mobile phone. She needed to hear Steve’s voice, to hear him say that he loved her, to tell him that she missed him.

  “Hi, Steve.” She managed to infuse a happy note in her voice.

  “Good evening, sweetheart. How was your trip?”

  “Excellent.”

  “Did you enjoy your first-class ticket?” he said with a satisfied voice.

  “I was a little awed by all the fuss.” She sighed, sooner or later she’d have to adjust to her fiancé high-standard of living. “Then I had a glass of wine as you suggested and slept like a baby after dinner. You spoil me too much.”

  “Not enough, my darling. I’m going to be lonely without you.”

  Pleased with his tender assurance, she chuckled. “I’m sure you will have many dinners and social affairs to keep you entertained.”

  “It’s not the same without you. Tell
me, Mary-Beth, have you already met Malroux?”

  “Yes, yes I did. As soon as I arrived.”

  “Is everything okay?” His sober tone warned her he’d detected an odd note in her voice.

  She rushed to calm his intuitive worries. “Everything is great. Not only did I meet Dr. Malroux, I attended one of his surgeries.”

  “Glad you’re already enjoying your training.”

  “I’m told that he keeps his residents quite busy.”

  “Great. I knew you’d get a lot of hands-on experience with him. I won’t keep you long. You must be very tired and eager to go back to your hotel.”

  Hotel? She winced. “All the foreign trainees are lodged at the chateau and carpool to the hospital. So I couldn’t insist on different accommodations. There are five of us, right now.”

  Silence drifted over the wire while Steve digested this information. A big sigh followed. “Well in that case, make the best of it. Although I’m sure you’d have preferred to be more independent.”

  “You bet. We’ll see how things go. There’s another female resident but I haven’t met her yet.” That bit of news should calm his apprehension. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning. Bye now.”

  “Goodnight, sweetheart. Take care of yourself.”

  “I will.” By tomorrow she’d have adjusted to her new place of work and her new boss, and she would be herself again.

  “I love you,” Steve added in his paternal voice.

  “I love you too,” she responded automatically and then shut her cell phone, her mouth puckered.

  Why was that I love you suddenly annoying her so much? She had hoped Steve would say it. And he did, with the same tone he used every night. The same mechanical tone lacking passion. It had never bothered her before.

  Right now, she’d better get ready to go home with Yves. Rubbing the back of her neck with nervous fingers didn’t erase her uneasiness. These next three months promised to be a challenge. Mary-Beth crossed her fingers and muttered a prayer to survive her training program without losing her sanity. Or more.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Her mobile phone still in her hand, Mary-Beth debated whether she should get dressed or take a short nap before meeting Yves in the lobby. The door barged open. Two young men in scrubs stopped at the entrance, gaping at her.

  “Pardon,” one of them said in oddly accented French. “Vous êtes une nouvelle résidente?”

  “Yes, I’m the newest exchange resident. I just arrived a few hours ago,” she answered in English.

  “Oh, you’re American. No need to practice our French with you.” They burst out laughing and stepped inside the room, followed by a young woman.

  “Hello. Jennifer MacLawn from Edinburgh.” The young woman with blonde hair and light blue eyes smiled and plopped on the bed next to Mary-Beth. “I’ve studied at Oxford.”

  “Mary-Beth Drake from Boston.” She scooted aside to make room for Jennifer.

  The tall resident who had spoken before shook her hand. “Roberto Marcoli from Milano.” He took Mary-Beth’s hand and kissed her fingers with a deep bow. “Welcome, bella mia.”

  “Pay no attention to Roberto,” Jennifer said. “He flirts with every woman without discrimination.”

  “Ah, my heart belongs to you, cara Jennifer. If only you would accept it.”

  “Carlos de Lopez, I come from Spain, from the University of Madrid,” said the young man with olive skin and narrow shoulders. “Welcome to the historical Loire Valley.” Without hesitation, he kissed her three times. “Unlike Roberto, my heart is available.”

  “Mine is not. I’m engaged.” Mary-Beth chuckled, delighted to meet her new colleagues.

  “Too bad.” Carlos shook his head and almost pouted. “The Vallée de la Loire is so romantic one cannot help but fall in love in this area.”

  God help her. She hadn’t visited the famous valley and already her senses were playing dirty tricks.

  “How was your day?” Jennifer asked her friends.

  “Long but good,” Carlos said. “We had to debulk several malignant tumors. It’s a pleasure to work with Malroux. He let us do the actual surgery while he supervised. He’s a good teacher and a great surgeon.”

  “And such a gorgeous man,” Jennifer added, fanning her face with her hand.

  “Hey, cara, you are destroying my ego,” Roberto touched his heart with flourish. “Do I stand a chance against this man?”

  “Roberto, you better turn off the charm button. I leave in a month.” Jennifer shrugged. “Besides, I’m not comparing. Just stating a fact.”

  “Dr. Malroux is already taken.” Carlos waved a hand to dismiss the subject, but Mary-Beth was interested now.

  “By who?” she blurted.

  “Too many women. The guy changes women like I change shirts.”

  “He is thirty-six. I wonder why he never married,” Jennifer mused, and Mary-Beth held her breath and waited for the answer.

  Roberto rubbed his chin. “I heard his butler say that the old countess has given up introducing her son to eligible women. Malroux has refused his mother’s protégées one after the other.”

  “Why?” Mary-Beth asked.

  “Who knows? Maybe a woman broke his heart in the past,” Carlos suggested.

  “Really?” Mary-Beth had always thought of Yves as the one breaking women’s hearts, not the other way around. The new concept made him human and vulnerable.

  “Who cares anyway?” Roberto stood and stretched. “Mamma mia, what a long day. We are leaving now. Mary-Beth, I would have offered you a ride to Marancourt but we are already five in my car.”

  “Thank you. Dr. Malroux said he’ll take me. So you are staying at the chateau?”

  “Of course. We couldn’t ask for better accommodations. The place is superb. Aren’t you staying there?”

  “Yes, but I came directly to the hospital when I arrived.”

  “Enjoy the ride. He has a terrific car. Mamma mia, you will see.” Roberto shook his hand in awe.

  Jennifer gathered her clothes and went to the adjacent bathroom to change. One by one they took turns getting dressed.

  A half an hour later, Mary-Beth found Yves in the lobby. His elbows on the counter, he chatted with the receptionist and chuckled. The pretty redheaded woman threw her head back with a throaty laugh at something he said and covered his hand with her well-manicured fingers.

  Mary-Beth froze at the sight as the pictures from the past melded with the present. A beautiful woman flirting with him, first a nurse, and now the receptionist. Right after he had been hitting on her in his office when he’d discovered her identity. Irritation nipped at her heart and she cursed her fickle organ. She was here to close an old chapter not to add a messy new scene.

  “Dr. Drake, how was your first day?” The receptionist called.

  “Great. Quite interesting.”

  Yves straightened and spun toward her, a breathtaking smile on his lips. Intended for her or the receptionist?

  “Mary-Beth, have you met Jeanine Meunier? A pillar of our hospital. She knows everyone and everything about this place.”

  Jeanine giggled. “Thank you, Dr. Malroux.” Her floral perfume increased Mary-Beth’s headache.

  “Are you ready to leave, Mary-Beth?”

  “Yes.” Tingles fluttered in her stomach at the thought she was going home with Yves.

  “Au revoir, Jeanine. Hold the fort down.” Yves winked at Jeanine who giggled.

  “Bye. See you tomorrow,” Mary-Beth repeated in English without smiling. God, she was so tired.

  “This way. My car is not too far.” Yves held the glass entrance door open for her. They crossed the parking lot and he paused in front of a shiny red sports car.

  “A Ferrari? Is this yours?”

  Roberto was right. Mamma mia. What a car. A perfect match for the driver. Attractive, dashing and daring.

  Yves’s beamed like a little boy proud of his favorite toy. “Yes. She is comfortable, fast and reliable.” He unlocked t
he doors with the remote control. After helping her in, he circled around the car to slide in the driver’s seat and took off. He accelerated along the main road, passing the town hall and an imposing cathedral with a Byzantine dome.

  “Tours is an old city. This is the Cathedral St. Gatien built in the fifteenth century.” He slowed down to point out the landmarks and allow her to notice the architecture of the historical town. “Now we are crossing the Place du Châteauneuf. Here is the Basilique St. Martin built more than a century ago.”

  Acutely aware of his close proximity in the narrow sports car, she sat stiffly while Yves kept his eyes on the road and an amiable smile on his lips.

  Her heart pounding, she listened to his enthusiastic description of his country’s national heritage. “There are so many chateaux along the Cher River. I am sure you will enjoy visiting them, Sweet-Mary.”

  She didn’t correct the nickname he used. Disquiet tickled her as they slipped back into the easy camaraderie of their Boston days when they’d discussed medical cases and laughed at university anecdotes.

  They left the outskirts of the town. Soon, the car meandered through a narrow country road. “On your left, you can see the open fields of irises. Here the flowers are blue. Further down the Vallée, they grow yellow and orange.”

  She admired the blue expanse stretching to the horizon. “It’s beautiful and so serene.” A perfect view that should help her relax.

  The breeze ruffled his dark curls and his spicy cologne wafted over the balmy fragrance of the flowers. When his head swiveled toward her, his eyes glittered with a sexy starburst of green and gold, and the afternoon sun cast shadows from his long lashes on his chiseled cheeks. Instead of relaxing, her heart sank to her stomach.

  “As soon as we have a free moment, I will give you a tour of our Vallée de la Loire.”

  Forget the romantic valley where one couldn’t avoid falling in love, according to Carlos. Yves had ignored her for so long. Why the sudden interest now when she needed to prove to herself that she wasn’t interested in him anymore? She had a fiancé and she was here to work.

  “We are almost home.” Yves angled the car along a driveway lined with poplar trees. “Here is the chateau.” He hitched his chin forward. She’d been so engrossed in their conversation she hadn’t noticed the change of scenery and the majestic gray stone edifice.