by Gina Wilkins
“Can I bring you something to drink?” Ron asked as he stood to go fetch his own dessert, having finally decided on the funnel cake.
“No, thanks, I still have part of my bottled water.”
He nodded. “Okay, be right back. Don’t run off with any hot ballplayers while I’m gone.”
“Well, darn, take all the fun out of the evening, why don’t you?” she joked in return.
The two teenage girls on Haley’s right had giggled and ogled the ballplayers throughout the game, more interested in posing and performing than in hits and runs. The parents of one of the girls sat at the other end of the row, and had mostly ignored the teens during the game. Still, the teens hadn’t been particularly annoying and Haley had been amused by their artless chattering, though she’d had no real interaction with them to that point.
Just as Ron walked away, the girl next to Haley dropped the cell phone she’d spent a significant amount of time texting on. The phone landed near Haley’s foot, so she bent to scoop it up with her free hand and return it.
“Doesn’t look like it was damaged,” she said reassuringly.
The fresh-faced redhead clutched the phone as though it were encrusted with priceless gems. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Great game, isn’t it?”
Responding to the girl’s earnest attempt at polite chitchat, Haley nodded with a smile. “Yes, it is.”
“I think the Travs are going to win.”
“I hope you’re right.” The home team was still ahead by two runs, but the opposing team was giving them strong competition.
The girl leaned a little closer, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial murmur barely audible above the surrounding noise. “My friend and I think your boyfriend is really cute. Is he a ballplayer?”
“He’s not—” Haley stopped her automatic correction, deciding it was more trouble than it was worth. “No, he’s a medical student.”
The girl’s eyes widened. “He’s a doctor? Cool. Are you a nurse?”
“I’m also a medical student.”
“Oh. Cool.”
“He’s really funny.” The blonde on the redhead’s other side leaned forward to make the comment, not wanting to be left out of the conversation. “He’s been making us laugh with some of his comments about the game.”
Before Haley could reply, Ron returned, carrying a funnel cake and a soda. Seeing the teens looking at him, he nodded affably. “Evening, ladies.”
They dissolved into giggles.
Ron and Haley shared a quizzical look as he took his seat beside her. “Want a bite?” he asked, offering the warm, fragrant treat.
She shook her head and plucked a puff of cotton candy from the paper cone in her hand. “I’m still working on this, thanks.”
He watched as she popped the candy into her mouth, letting it dissolve on her tongue. His gaze lingered for a moment on her lips, then lifted slowly to meet her eyes. “Is it good, sugar?”
She blinked. “Um—?”
“Your cotton candy,” he said, all innocence. “Good sugar?”
Shaking her head a little, she replied, “Yes, it’s very good. Oh, look. Why is that guy yelling at the umpire?”
Chuckling at the obvious change of subject, he obligingly talked about the game.
The seventh inning had just begun when the woman sitting in front of them started to scream. “Dylan? Dylan? Someone help me, he’s choking!”
The child’s father had left his seat only moments before, perhaps headed for the restrooms. The mother bent over her son in her lap, frantically patting his back. The boy was suspiciously still.
Both Ron and Haley sprang forward instinctively to help, even as the people in surrounding seats leaned forward to gawk. Her heart in her throat, Haley noted that the child’s lips were already turning blue.
“Would you let me take him, ma’am?” Ron asked, leaning over the seat.
The woman looked up at him with panicky wet eyes. “Can you help?”
“They’re doctors,” the redheaded teenager said avidly. “Both of them,” she added, waving a hand toward Ron and Haley.
“We’re medical students.” Ron was already reaching for the child, and Haley reached out to help him.
“What was he eating?” she asked the mother.
“I gave him a bite of my hot dog. I thought he’d chewed it up, but then he stopped breathing. Oh, my God, Dylan!”
Ron swept a finger into the boy’s throat while Haley tried to calm the boy’s mother. Other people were already running toward them, including a police officer and the boy’s frantic father.
Haley’s knees went weak with relief when the child suddenly gagged, coughed and burst into tears. “He’ll be all right now,” she assured the mother.
Ron handed the boy to his father. Another man approached from another box. “I’m a doctor. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Haley let Ron confer with the doctor while she continued to reassure the weeping mother that the child would be okay.
“It was just a little bite,” the woman wailed, obviously berating herself.
“These things happen often,” Haley assured her. “Hot dogs are one of the more dangerous foods for children because of their round shape. Fortunately, Ron was able to dislodge it fairly easily.”
“I’ll never let him eat a hot dog again.”
Smiling a little, Haley shook her head. “Just make sure the pieces are very small while he’s so young. He’ll be fine.”
A blast of organ music announced the seventh inning stretch. “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” played while Dylan’s parents effusively thanked Ron and Haley and then carried their sleepy boy away.
“You know, we both have to be at work early in the morning,” Ron murmured to Haley. “Whenever you’re ready to go, I’m okay with it.”
Relieved, she nodded. As much as she’d enjoyed the outing, she was getting a little tired, especially now that the adrenaline rush of the crisis was receding. Smiling a goodbye at the thoroughly impressed teenagers, she accompanied Ron toward the exit.
The quiet in Ron’s car was rather a relief after the commotion at the ballpark. Haley sat back in the comfortable passenger seat of the aging sedan, drawing a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
“Tired?” he asked as he guided the car from the parking lot, merging carefully with the traffic on Broadway headed toward I-30.
“A little. I had a very good time, though. Until that child started choking, anyway. That scared the socks off me.”
Ron grimaced. “I know what you mean. My hands were shaking so hard I had a tough time sweeping his throat. I can’t tell you how glad I was that the food was lodged within fairly easy reach.”
She half turned beneath her fastened seat belt to study his face. “You looked so calm. I was really impressed with how well you handled that. Especially since we’ve been on peds for such a short time.”
“Thanks. It was actually my second time to stop a kid from choking that way. My sister’s kid choked on a candy at a family gathering when I was in college. Everyone started screaming and yelling and pounding on his back, and I was the only one who thought to reach in and dislodge the candy.”
The rare glimpse into his past intrigued her. “You’ve never mentioned you have a nephew.”
“I’ve got a couple of them. Haven’t seen them in a while. My sister moved to Florida a couple of years ago. She’s not one to stay in touch.”
“You have two brothers, don’t you? Do you stay in contact with them?”
He shrugged. “One’s on the carnie circuit, so I rarely see him. The other’s in prison in Mississippi. Long story, and one I’m not fond of discussing.”
She couldn’t blame him for that. “Was that when you decided you wanted to be a doctor? When you saved your nephew?”
He hesitated only a moment before replying. “Maybe it got me thinking along those lines. That, and a science professor I was pretty close to. H
e thought I’d make a good doctor, and he sort of pushed me into taking the MCAT. I was so sure I’d blow it that I was as surprised as anyone when I scored high enough to actually be considered for med school.”
She shook her head in response to his expressed self-doubt. “You’ve never given yourself enough credit. You belong in medical school as much as any of us, Ron.”
He chuckled lightly. “I was just lucky that enough accepted applicants changed their mind so I got in as an alternate that year. I didn’t think I’d make it in.”
“Well, you did. And you’ve done very well. You’ll make a great doctor. You proved that yet again at the ballpark tonight.”
The smile he slanted her way had a wry edge to it. “I always appreciate your pep talks.”
She frowned. Was he making fun of her again?
After a moment, she tried again to keep the conversation moving. “Your parents must be very proud of you.”
“Hmm.”
Her frown deepened. “What does that mean?”
Keeping his eyes on the road, he answered lightly, “You’d think they would be. Let’s just say, my parents aren’t exactly the encouraging types. My dad’s always out in his auto repair shop, and when he’s not he sits in his chair staring at the TV and drinking too much beer. My mom’s obsessed with keeping a clean house, raising African violets and doing various handcrafts. She criticizes everything anyone else does. Nothing satisfies her. Not everyone is as lucky as you are to be so close with your parents.”
She’d talked quite a bit about her family during the past two years, so Ron knew all about her happy childhood, the financial crisis during her teens, the restaurant venture of which she was so proud. He had even met her parents when the whole study group had celebrated the end of the first school year at their restaurant in Russellville. Haley had wanted to introduce her parents to all her study friends, who’d been so important to her during that first stressful year.
Though his words about his family were rather bitter, his tone had been more resigned. As if he’d long ago accepted the reality of his situation and had chosen not to dwell on it.
“Maybe you and your family will be able to repair your relationship eventually. I’m sure if you keep trying, you’ll find some common ground with your parents and your siblings. And I’d bet they’re more proud of you than you realize.”
He flipped on his turn signal to prepare to exit the freeway toward her apartment. “Not every bad situation can be repaired, Haley. Sometimes it really is best to accept reality.”
“You can’t just give up on having a good relationship with your family.”
He sighed gustily. “What is it with you and never giving up? There are times when that’s the best choice for all involved.”
She wasn’t going to concede that, especially when it came to family. But she knew there was no need to argue further now. Ron would only turn it into an excuse to mock her about being an incurable cheerleader, as he always did.
In a characteristically teasing show of chivalry, he walked her to her door a short while later. “I’ll protect you against any ninja bad guys who could be lurking behind the bushes,” he assured her when she told him there was no need for him to accompany her.
She glanced ironically around the well-lit, neatly landscaped, comfortably harmless parking lot before looking up at him again. “And who’s going to protect you?”
He put a hand to his heart and staggered comically. “Zing. Right to the male ego. You wound me, Haley.”
She punched his arm. “You are so full of it, Gibson.”
He laughed and rubbed the spot she’d barely tapped. “I’m going to have permanent scars from all those punches by the time I graduate—if I ever do, of course.”
Was he trying to taunt her into another “cheerleader” speech? If so, she resisted, merely giving him a look when she stuck her key into her door. “Good. You’ll have something to remember me by.”
He reached out to brush a strand of hair off her cheek. “I won’t need scars to help me remember you, Haley.”
His fingertips lingered for a moment against her suddenly warm skin. Her hand going still on the doorknob, she gazed up at him, trying to recover enough breath to bid him a casual good night.
What breath remained escaped in a soft whoosh when he ran his thumb across her lower lip, a slow, undeniably seductive gesture that made her fingers tighten convulsively on the doorknob. To stop them from reaching for him, perhaps?
His gaze on her mouth, he murmured, “You know, if this had been a date, I’d be making a move to kiss you good-night right now.”
She managed to speak with some semblance of her usual voice. “Then I guess it’s a good thing it wasn’t a date, huh?”
His eyes lifting to hers, he asked, “And if it had been? Would you be making a smooth move to evade that kiss?”
She couldn’t help glancing at his upturned lips. Imagining them pressed to hers. Silently, she cleared her throat before attempting a jokingly flirtatious smile. “That’s for me to know.”
His left eyebrow quirked as if in recognition of a challenge. But he merely stroked his thumb across her lip again, then dropped his hand and turned away. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow, Haley. Thanks for going to the ball game with me.”
She slipped inside her door and closed it behind her before leaning back against the wood with a long, shaky exhale. If Ron had tried to kiss her?
Something told her that she wouldn’t have tried to evade him at all.
Which meant she probably wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight. She’d be lying awake wondering when her feelings for Ron had undergone such a transformation—or had she been this intrigued by him all along without admitting it even to herself?
Chapter Five
The class tailgate party was held on the third Saturday in September. Haley and the other officers had worked hard putting it together; maybe she’d worked just a little harder than the others, she acknowledged privately, but she hadn’t really minded the extra duties. She thought it would be fun to have the whole class together again after they’d been separated in rotations for almost three months now, half the class on one semester schedule, the remaining half on the other.
She didn’t want to admit she’d deliberately stayed so busy to avoid spending time with anyone in particular—or to put off analyzing her feelings about that particular someone.
The class had reserved a grassy area outside the stadium, where they’d set up an awning. Charcoal grills donated by class members were already smoking, the fragrant aromas of charcoal and roasting meat mingling with the scents of beer and lingering summer heat. Wearing jeans and the requisite red-and-white shirt of the home football team, Haley had arrived early, zipping from spot to spot to make sure the tables were ready for the potluck dishes steadily arriving, that the disposable plates and utensils and napkins were conveniently arranged, that the red-and-white decorations fluttered invitingly from every available surface.
Other tailgate parties were going on all through the parking lot and spilling onto the golf course that abutted the stadium. A red-and-white circus was taking place around them; at this point, the upcoming game was only a secondary consideration to the fun. The med-school class had staked out a good-sized patch of grass for their festivities, and already it was filling with classmates in lawn chairs and children dashing frantically underfoot.
As more people arrived, she had help with her chores. Connor brought Mia and his daughter, Alexis, each bearing plates of food to contribute. Alexis was soon romping with the other kids, playing with the Frisbees and foam footballs and other toys that had been provided for them. At eight, she was older than most of the other classmates’ children, but she seemed happy to play patiently with the littler ones, who adored having the attention of a “big kid.”
Visibly pleased that Liam was in town to join them, Anne accompanied her husband from the parking lot. She carried a potluck dish; Liam bore a couple of stadium cushions for
the game that followed. James arrived soon afterward, bringing cookies probably made by his housekeeper. The study group was fully represented when Ron arrived just barely on time, ruefully contributing bakery brownies to the spread.
Haley was delighted with the turnout. Almost two-thirds of the class had shown up, which was a very good showing compared to some past events. Considering that there were quite a few who weren’t able to get away from their hospital chores, and a few others who just weren’t interested in socializing with their classmates, it was a great success.
She’d already been by the hospital that morning and gotten her responsibilities out of the way, so she was able to concentrate on her class officer duties. She mingled among the crowd, chatting, catching up, finding out how everyone was doing in their rotations. It was especially nice to see the ones on the opposite semester schedule. She ran into the ones on her semester schedule during lectures, but rarely crossed paths with the other classmates anymore, and she missed them. She’d spent two years sitting for hours a day in the same classroom with all these people, and that experience created a bond even among the ones who didn’t know each other well.
Stacks of food were consumed; beer, water and soft drinks downed thirstily. Adults laughed and chattered and mingled; children played and squealed and cried. One little boy fell and scraped his knees. Fifty aspiring doctors gathered to proclaim him okay, to Haley’s amusement.
An impromptu game of touch football for the adults began after everyone had eaten all they could hold. They were somewhat limited in the grassy area provided for them, but they made the most of the space they had. Only twenty or so were interested in playing; the others gathered around to corral the children and cheer on the players.