Breaking the Ice (Men of the Ice, #7)

by Michele Shriver

  “No. You need to rest,” she said. “You’re in the hospital.”

  “Mama, I’m fine,” he insisted. He nodded in Riley’s direction. “Doc, will you tell her I’m fine, and it’s okay for me to watch the game?”

  Riley hesitated, weighing how to respond. With Luis’ initial test results inconclusive, she didn’t want to mislead his mother with a too-rosy view of his health. They didn’t know the cause of his seizures. At the same time, her patient obviously felt okay at the moment. She saw little harm in him watching a hockey game. “I think you’re both right,” she said. “Rest is important, but there’s no reason you can’t watch TV.” She smiled at Luis. “Just don’t get too worked up about the game, okay?”

  “That’s what worries me,” his mom said. “He gets too excited.”

  “You’re a hockey fan, huh?” Riley asked her young patient.

  “Sure am.” Luis grinned. “I love the Generals. It’s so awesome the All-Star game is here. I just wish I could be there.”

  Yeah, me too. “Who’s your favorite player on the Generals?” Riley asked.

  “Tremblay, of course. He’s the best,” Luis said. “I can’t believe he’s not playing in the All-Star game this year.”

  Riley didn’t live under a rock, so she at least recognized the name of San Antonio’s captain and star player, but she didn’t know why Colton Tremblay wasn’t playing. “Maybe they wanted to give some of the other guys a chance,” she said. “What about Becker Lawson or Noah Mann. Do you like them?”

  Luis nodded. “Sure. I like them all. Noah had some sweet moves last night.”

  “Yeah. I liked when he put the cape on,” Riley said.

  “You saw it?” The boy’s eyes widened, and Riley wondered if she’d just become the cool doctor, if there was such a thing.

  “I was there in person,” she said.

  “Noah and Beck are friends of hers,” Lauren announced from the doorway.

  “Whoa, seriously?” Luis asked.

  Yep. Cool doc. “I guess you could say that, yeah.” Riley stepped out of the way. “Okay, let’s let Lauren get your vitals, then we’ll leave you alone to watch the game. No screaming at the TV, though, okay? The All-Star game is supposed to be fun.”

  “You got it, doc.”

  Riley stayed while Lauren took Luis’ blood pressure and temperature, then left the room with the nurse.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Lauren asked.

  “That it’s probably time for an MRI?” Luis’ case troubled her, and Riley was anxious to discuss it with both the chief resident and their supervising physician.

  “Good call,” the nurse said. “His temperature is elevated. That’s not what I meant, though.”

  “Then what?”

  “That maybe our young hockey fan might like to meet some of the players on his favorite team, and that you might be able to make it happen.”

  “That’s a good idea.” And one Riley couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of. “I’ll call Kendall, see if Beck can come by.” She knew the players were off tomorrow.

  “You can do that, yes,” Lauren said. “Or you can ask Noah yourself when he calls you.”

  “If he calls me.”

  Lauren rolled her eyes. “Oh, he’ll call. That’s a given. And now you’ll have a reason to see him again, even if you insist on lying to yourself and saying you don’t want to.”

  Chapter Four

  The All-Star game was a typically high-scoring affair, won by the Western Conference by a score of 8-6. Noah didn’t find the back of the net on any of his shots, but he notched two assists, so he was happy with the performance. His first NHL All-Star weekend was a success, and he hoped there would be more in his future.

  After the game, he went out with some of the other players for dinner and drinks, including Preston King, his old buddy from junior hockey. It was great to see Preston again and reminisce about their time with Swift Current and the paths their NHL career had taken. Preston was enjoying unquestioned success as one of the best goalies in the league, and he was also married with a baby on the way. Yep. Everyone was pairing up. Everyone except Noah.

  With a day off on Monday before resuming practice on Tuesday in anticipation of their next game, Noah planned to get in the mini golf that he couldn’t on Sunday He had a couple of things to take care of before heading there, though. The first was a work out. Instead of going into the team facility, Noah opted for a quick thirty minutes on the elliptical at home. Unlike some of the guys on the team, he’d played a game over the weekend.

  Afterward, he found Riley’s business card, intending to make good on his promise to Beck that he’d call her. Noah assumed she was working, and therefore might not even answer. If so, he’d just leave a message. That way the next move would be hers, but at least he could say he’d tried.

  Instead of voice mail, the call was answered on the second ring. “Dr. Marks.”

  Very professional. Noah didn’t expect anything different. “Hi, Riley. It’s Noah.” He just gave his first name, figuring it would be enough. If she’d forgotten him already, in less than two days, then it wasn’t an auspicious beginning and he should forget about things progressing any further.

  “Yes, hi Noah. How are you? How’d the game go yesterday?’

  She remembered him. That was a start. “Good. Well.” Suddenly, he found himself concerned with proper grammar. What the heck? “My side won.”

  “I heard that. Congratulations.”

  “You didn’t see any of the game, then?”

  “Only a few minutes, right at the start,” Riley said. “Then I got too busy with rounds and such. One of my patients is a fan, though, so he was watching.”

  “That’s good. I hope he enjoyed it.” Noah cleared his throat. “Is it safe to assume you’re working today?’

  A chuckle came over the line. “That’s always a safe assumption. The rare day would be when I’m not.”

  “I figured. Do you have any sort of break at all? Like for lunch?”

  “Most of the time, lunch consists of something from the cafeteria, eaten at my desk, while I’m working on charts. Just ask the nurses.” Riley paused. “I am glad you called, though. I’d like to ask a favor.”

  “Okay. What’s that?”

  “Well, my paient... the one that’s a fan. He’s pretty sick. Anyway, his nurse had this idea to try to cheer him up,” Riley said. “I’m asking if you can maybe come by later today? If not, it’s fine, and I’ll call Kendall and have her ask Beck.”

  Noah was shaking his head before she finished the last sentence, even though she couldn’t see him. “No. I mean, no, you don’t have to ask Beck. I can do that. In fact, I’d be happy to.”

  “Really? That’s great.”

  “I do have one condition,” Noah said. He had an opening. No way was he going to let it pass by.

  “What’s that?”

  “You have to give me a little of your time, even if it’s only ten minutes while I walk with you to the cafeteria to get the food you’ll eat at your desk. If I’m coming to the hospital to try to cheer up your patient, I want to see you, too.”

  There was a pause, and Noah wondered if that was a deal breaker, and she was about to blow him off. Then Riley said, “Fair enough. We’re on the fifth floor.”

  “I’ll be there soon.” Noah ended the call, and pumped a fist in the air. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

  ***

  Noah promised he’d come to the hospital to visit Luis, and Riley sort of promised she’d spend some time with Noah, too. Fortunately, she hadn’t made any sort of promise about how much time. Maybe she could find a way to get out of it. At the moment, she had a much bigger concern. The results of Luis Ochoa’s MRI.

  It was quite remarkable, really. Something Riley had seen only in classroom examples, never in practice. And it caught her a little by surprise. She left her desk and walked to the nurse’s station. “Lauren, you were on duty two nights ago when Luis wa
s admitted, right?”

  The nurse nodded. “Yes, why?”

  Maybe it was a shot in the dark. Or maybe Riley was on to something. “Was there anything that stood out in his history, either that the ER crew would’ve asked about, or you when they brought him up to the floor?”

  Lauren’s eyes narrowed behind her glasses. “Hmm. I’m trying to think. It seemed pretty typical. He’s been a healthy eight-year-old boy. No major health issues, which is why the seizures were such a surprise.” She frowned. “His mother did say that were visiting family down in Honduras over the summer.”

  Honduras. Bingo. Could she be right?

  “What are you thinking, doctor?” Lauren asked.

  Before she could reply, the elevator opened, and out stepped Noah. He wore jeans, a black T-shirt with the Generals logo, and his Hyperion cape. Riley couldn’t help but smile, and check him out a little, too. He was cute. It was impossible to deny that.

  “Hi,” she said.

  Lauren moved out from behind her station. “You must be Mr. Mann,” she said, extending her hand. “I’m Lauren Chase, one of the RN’s here. I work with Dr. Marks quite a bit.”

  Noah nodded, and shook her head. “It’s nice to meet you, and you can call me Noah.”

  Before Lauren could get too starstruck, Riley stepped forward. “Thanks for coming by, Noah,” she said. “And in your cape, even.”

  He let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah, I figured why not. Might get a smile out of your young patient.”

  “For sure,” Riley agreed. “Superheroes and hockey heroes. How can that miss?”

  “Exactly.” Noah moved closer to her, examining her attire. “Is that why you’re wearing superheroes on your shirt?”

  “Oh, this.” Riley glanced down at her scrub top, which did, indeed, feature Spiderman, Captain America, Iron Man and a few other popular comic book characters. No Hyperion, though. “Wearing solid colors gets boring,” she said. “I have Winnie the Pooh, too, and Hello Kitty. The little girls usually like that one.”

  “And Tweety Bird,” Lauren said. “That’s popular, too.”

  Noah nodded, smiling. “You’re creative here.”

  “We have to be. We’re dealing with sick kids. Some of them very sick.” And if she was right in her assessment, Luis Ochoa fit into that category. “Let’s go. I’ll introduce you to your big fan.” Riley declined to say ‘biggest fan,’ since Luis said that was Colton Tremblay.

  “I’d like that,” Noah said, following Riley down the hall.

  She pushed the door open, finding Luis alone and watching TV. Riley had plenty of questions for his mother about that trip to Honduras, but she wanted to discuss the MRI with her supervisor first, so it was just as well Mrs. Ochoa wasn’t there at the moment. “Hi, Luis. How are you feeling?”

  “The same,” the little boy answered. “My head hurts.”

  Riley nodded, not surprised. “We’re hoping to have some answers soon, and then we can start making you better,” she said. “In the meantime, I brought a friend I thought you might like to meet.”

  She turned back to the doorway, where Noah stood, and gestured for him to come in. “Noah, this is Luis. Luis, this is Noah.”

  The boy’s eyes grew wide. “Noah Mann? From the Generals? Is that really you?”

  ***

  Judging from the expression on the boy’s face, Riley was right. Her patient was a hockey fan. “Yep. I’m Noah,” he said, moving closer to the hospital bed. Although Noah didn’t relish fame, and didn’t thrive on it the way some professional athletes did, he still got a bit of a thrill when he met people who were obvious fans. It was hard not to enjoy that. “It’s nice to meet you, Luis. Dr. Marks says you enjoy hockey.”

  “Yeah. Nobody understands. They think I should like soccer better, because I’m Latino, but I like hockey.” The boy smiled, revealing a missing tooth in the front. “It’s fast, and it’s on ice.”

  Noah couldn’t argue with those reasons. “Have you ever ice-skated before, Luis?” he asked.

  “No. I want to, though.”

  “Well, you can take lessons right here in town,” Noah explained. “And some of my teammates and I coach a kid’s hockey camp in the summer. We’d love to have you join us.”

  “Really? That would be so cool. I doubt my mom would let me, though. She didn’t even want me to watch the game last night,” Luis said. “I did, anyway, because Dr. Marks told her it was all right if I did. You played great.”

  “Thanks, buddy. It was fun.” Noah turned his head to face Riley, giving her a wink. “And it was nice of your doc to persuade your mom. I’m sure she’s just worried because you’re sick, but when you’re better, maybe we can talk her into the skating lessons.”

  He hoped he hadn’t gotten ahead of himself. After all, Noah knew nothing of Luis’ medical condition or what kind of future he faced. Still, he wanted to give the kid some encouragement.

  Noah talked to him for a few more minutes, answering his questions about the game as well as the other guys on the team and in the league. Before leaving, Noah signed a Generals hockey puck for Luis, setting it on the tray beside his bed.

  “Wow. Thanks!”

  “Anytime, kiddo,” Noah said as got up and walked to the door. “I’m going to be out of town for a few days while we go play Colorado and Arizona, but I’ll be thinking about you. Hopefully you’ll be out by the time I get back, and can come to our next home game in person.”

  Back outside in the hallway, he turned to Riley. “I don’t expect you to answer this, but I have a feeling he’s still going to be here when I get back from the road trip.”

  “You’re right. I can’t answer that,” Riley answered, her expression revealing nothing. “Thank you for coming, though. I think it did cheer him up.”

  Noah nodded. “I think so, too. And I’m happy to do it.” He untied the Hyperion cape and pulled it off. “Can I leave this up here while we go to the cafeteria and get something to eat?”

  He worried Riley might try to make an excuse for joining him, but instead, she smiled. “What? You don’t want to walk all around the hospital wearing a cape?”

  “Not really, no.”

  “In that case, yes. You can leave it at the nurse’s station. Lauren can keep an eye on it.” Riley took the cape from him and handed it to the nurse. “We’re going to go grab some food downstairs. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes, okay?”

  “It’s fine, doctor. Take your time.”

  Twenty minutes? It wasn’t much, but it was more than Noah expected. “She seems nice,” he said as they got on the elevator.

  Riley pressed the button for the second floor. “Yes, she’s very nice, and an excellent nurse. I enjoy working with her.”

  They rode in silence the rest of the way, then got off and walked to the cafeteria. “Is the food any good here?”

  Riley laughed. “It’s food. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  “Okay.” Noah got a hamburger, and Riley a ham and cheese sandwich, and they made their way to a table. “Thanks for joining me.”

  “You’re welcome. I did sort of promise, anyway.”

  “Yes, you did.” Noah took a bite of the burger, finding it edible and not much more. “You’re right. Food. And barely that.”

  Riley chuckled. “Told you.”

  “Do you eat here every day?”

  “No. Sometimes we’ll order in from one of the restaurants nearby.”

  That sounded like a better option to Noah. “I’m glad I came here today, not just to meet Luis, but to see you in your element a little bit,” he said. Especially since she’d already seen him in his. “I can tell you enjoy what you do, and care about your patients.”

  “I do, definitely. That’s my goal, to be the best doctor I can.

  “It seems to me you already are,” Noah said.

  “I’m a resident physician,” Riley said, “and hopefully a good one, but I’m nowhere close to achieving all of my goals.” She took a bite of her sandwich bef
ore continuing, “Which is why I speak the truth when I say I don’t have time to date you.”

  Ah, there it was. The big kiss off. Noah figured she’d get around to it soon enough. “You say that, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to get to know you better, and I can be pretty persistent and charming.”

  Riley’s lips curled in a half-smile. “I don’t doubt that, and it’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Noah took her words as an indication that Riley was at least a little bit interested in him, even if she had a hard time admitting it. “I’ll tell you what. I leave tomorrow on a two-game road trip, anyway, so you’ll get a little break from me, but I’d like to call you when I get back,” he said. “Do you know what you’re doing next weekend?”

  “Working, probably.”

  It was a curious answer, considering the schedule was most likely already set, and Noah wondered if she was hedging. “I’m still going to call you when I get back, just in case you do have some time off. There’s a comic book convention going on next weekend that I think might be fun.” Most women would probably roll their eyes that the very idea, but Noah already knew Riley wasn’t most women, and not only because she had comic book characters on her shirt. “No pressure now,” he said. “Think about it, though, and I’ll call you in a few days.”

  Chapter Five

  Riley left Luis’ room with her Dr. Sanford, her supervising physician, and the head of Neurology at the hospital. Their patient was comfortable, for now, and ready to get the doctors and nurses out of his room so he could watch the hockey game in peace. The little boy had no clue how sick he truly was.

  Riley’s suspected diagnosis proved to be correct. Dr. Sanford confirmed it as soon as he reviewed Luis’s MRI. Neurocysticercosis, most likely contracted from eating under cooked pork contaminated with the Taenia solium parasite, in larval form. It was a condition Riley had studied in medical school, but never run across in practice, and never expected to.

  Dr. Sanford made Riley realize that she still had a lot to learn about practicing medicine, especially if she intended to do so in a city with a large Latino population such as San Antonio. Neurocysticercosis was endemic in Latin American countries, such as Honduras, where Luis had visited, and probably consumed the contaminated pork. Dr. Sanford explained imported cases were becoming increasingly common in Latino populations in the United States because of travel to Latin America.