First Impressions: A Modern Retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (Meryton Medical Romances Book 1)

by Ruby Cruz

  Jane sighed, her face flushing while Chloe bounced contentedly in her lap, as if her mother’s happiness were contagious. “Yes. He wants to take me out to this new bistro on 22. But don’t tell anyone. I couldn’t stand it if everyone at work started gossiping about us.”

  Unfortunately, the next day at work, somehow the news got out and, despite Jane’s wanting to keep things quiet, the news of her date with Bingley traveled quickly through the unit. By lunchtime, it was the only topic people wanted to talk about. Jane was too embarrassed to want to talk to anybody about the situation so many people came to me for details. Out of loyalty to my sister, I only confirmed that, yes, they had a date, but nothing else.

  In the middle of my shift, Lydia grabbed my arm and pulled me into the dictation room, which was currently empty. “Is it true? Did Jane snag Dr. McHottie?”

  “Lydia, you should really just ask Jane yourself.”

  “God, Lizzy, we’re sisters. I think you can tell me. You know I’m excellent at keeping secrets.”

  “It’s Jane’s news to tell.”

  “So it is true. Jane’s dating McHottie.”

  “Lydia…”

  “Oh, my God. She is the luckiest girl on the planet. Wait until the others hear about this.”

  “Please, you can’t tell anyone. Jane wanted to keep this quiet.”

  “I don’t see why. If I were dating McHottie, then I wouldn’t keep it secret, I’d be announcing it to the whole unit.”

  “Yes, and maybe that’s why Dr. Bingley chose Jane, because she knows how to be discreet.”

  “No, he chose Jane because she’s ultra-nice and super-gorgeous, even though she has a kid. He’s such a do-gooder, he probably thinks having a kid makes her even hotter or something stupid like that. What a waste of good man-flesh.”

  “Lydia!”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t be such a prude. You and I both know Jane’s done the dirty deed. I’m just saying she’s probably going to be super-careful and conservative with Dr. Bingley.”

  The door to the dictation room opened and Dr. Darcy entered the room with, to my surprise, Caroline Bingley in tow. They appeared to be in a heated discussion. “William, Meryton Cardiology Associates would be one of our key clients in this region. All you would have to do is talk about your case studies. My office will arrange everything else.”

  “Fine. Call the office and schedule it. I’ll give Janice a heads up.” He laid a stack of patient charts on the counter. “Is that all?”

  Caroline nodded triumphantly. “Yes. My assistant will contact you to make the arrangements. William, you won’t be disappointed.” She flashed a smile and left, leaving a waft of perfume in her wake as her heels clicked away.

  Lydia and I stood silently for a moment before Darcy snapped, “Did I interrupt something? If so, by all means, don’t let me stop you from continuing.”

  Lydia made a face and I cut her off before she said anything rude. “We were just leaving.”

  “God, what an asshole,” she said just loudly enough I was sure Darcy heard her through the closed door of the dictation room.

  Even though I was thinking the exact same thing, I replied, “He had a point. We should be working.”

  “So? Doesn’t mean he can lord over us. Anyways, I’ll call you later. Give me all the deets.”

  “Like I said before, just talk to Jane yourself.”

  After I checked on a patient complaining of palpitations, I approached Dr. Darcy, who was still in the dictation room updating his patient charts. I explained the situation, the symptoms and vital signs to him. “Get an EKG and I’ll review it,” he said, his eyes returning to the chart in front of him.

  Wordlessly and a bit triumphantly, I handed him a printout of the EKG. He paused in his notation, his eyes glancing at the printout. He took the sheet of paper from me, his eyes still not meeting mine. “This is the most current one?”

  “Yes. It’s a new onset a-fib. He doesn’t have a previous history as far as I can glean from him and his chart.”

  “Aside from the palpitations, any chest pain or shortness of breath?”

  “No complaints, but he is tachy-ing away at 150.”

  “He’s not on any beta blockers or calcium channel blockers?”

  “No. No history of hypertension, though his current blood pressure is 150/85.”

  He grabbed a blank order sheet and began scribbling. “Bolus him with diltiazem 10 milligrams IV, and start the drip at 5 milligrams per hour. I’ll be in to see him in a moment.” He handed the EKG and order sheet back to me, his eyes finally meeting mine. I noticed they were a very dark brown and seemed to see right through me. “Is that all?”

  Slightly taken aback by his brusque tone, I stepped away. “Yes. I’ll send the order to pharmacy.”

  Without another word, he went back to his charts.

  “What did you have to talk to Dr. Grumpy-pants about?” Kate asked me as I exited the room.

  “The patient in 540 was complaining of palpitations, looks like a new onset a-fib.”

  “Bummer. Did he actually give you orders? When I asked him about the patient in Room 536, he flipped out at me, told me to get a set of vital signs and assess the patient before I paged him again.”

  “I’ve got the order for diltiazem in my hand.”

  “Sounds like you got off scot-free. Nobody around here likes him; he’s so rude if you don’t do things exactly when he wants them done.”

  “He practically threw me out of the room after he gave me the order, dismissed me like a servant.”

  “His problem is he’s probably not getting laid. Maybe you should jump on that, Lizzy, since you seem to be the only one he tolerates.”

  “Ugh, no way.” When I spied Dr. Darcy leaving the dictation room, I quickly ended my conversation with Kate and scanned the diltiazem order to pharmacy. Without acknowledging me, he picked up the patient chart I had been using and walked away with it in hand.

  I prepared the medication as ordered, and was on the way to the patient’s room when Darcy exited the room. “Nurse Bennett?”

  “Lizzy,” I corrected automatically. I hated being called Nurse Bennett, it made me feel like a crotchety nurse from an old fifties movie. “I have the diltiazem right here.”

  He glanced briefly at my hands before saying, “I see that. I just wanted to inform you that I’m also writing an order for a heparin drip.”

  I merely nodded before brushing past him to administer the medication. “Hello, Mr. Ford. I have your medicine.”

  “There she is,” the patient greeted me. “I was just telling Dr. Darcy what a wonderful job you are doing, how you knew right away what was wrong with me and you knew exactly what to do. How come you’re not a doctor?”

  I shrugged. “My mother was never supportive of me getting a college degree in the first place, and the idea of trying to finance an additional four years of school, well, let’s just say I chose secure employment. Granted it’s not as financially lucrative as being a doctor, but I find it rewarding in other ways.” I attached the syringe to Mr. Ford’s IV site. “For example, I get to take care of wonderful patients like you.”

  Mr. Ford waved a dismissive hand at me. “You’re a smart girl. You should go back to school. Once you become a doctor, you can pay off those loans, no problem.”

  I had no intention of becoming a medical doctor, but I wasn’t about to argue about my career plans with a patient whom I’d known all of five minutes. I finished administering the bolus, connected the IV tubing, and programed the pump. “There you go. Hopefully your heart rate will begin to slow down. If you start to feel short of breath or any chest pain, anything out of the ordinary, let me know.”

  “Believe me, I will.”

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Dr. Darcy wants to start you on another medication to help prevent blood clots.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I was gathering up my
discarded supplies when Mr. Ford said, “Dr. Darcy was right. You do have a pair of fine eyes.”

  I stopped and approached the bed. “What?”

  “The doctor. When I was describing you to him, he said you had fine eyes in a pretty face.”

  I think my mouth dropped open. Dr. Darcy actually complimented me? Yeah, right. I thought I was merely “tolerable.” Unsure of how to respond, I just said, “Thanks, I guess. I’ll be right back.”

  ~

  After the shift, a bunch of us from work decided to get a drink at Riley’s. I convinced Luke to join us even though he said he’d rather not be subjected to another evening with Lydia and crew.

  “I can’t stay long,” he said as we approached the bar. “I have to be back at work in the morning.”

  “So do I, but after today, I could use a beer.”

  “My, my. Lizzy Bennett is actually going to consume a beer. You must be feeling stressed. Did the dour Dr. Darcy give you a hard time also?”

  “What is his problem? I mean, I’m sort of used to some doctors treating the nurses like we’re scum but I haven’t talked to anyone who actually likes working with him. He’s rude and arrogant and…”

  “And your patient in 540 told me that he likes you?”

  “Mr. Ford? Of course he likes me. He practically wanted to marry me when I told him why he was having palpitations.”

  “No, I’m talking about Darcy. He told your patient you had a pair of nice eyes in a pretty face, something like that.”

  “How did you hear about that?”

  “Your patient told me. He had his call light on when you were taking care of 541 and I went in to help him and he couldn’t stop gushing about you and Dr. Darcy. Apparently you made quite the impression on both of them.”

  I wanted to smack the smirk right off of Luke’s face. “God, just because I’ve had a dry spell doesn’t mean you can start pairing me up with the first available guy to come along. I mean, really, Darcy? He’s so narcissistic he was probably buttering the guy up so he would follow his prescribed treatment. You heard him at the bar the other night, about how the patients around here are all rich and spoiled and entitled.” Because Luke’s smug expression was beginning to irritate me, I grabbed his hand. “Come on, didn’t we come here for a drink?” I started making my way towards the bar.

  “Don’t change the subject.” He followed me and bought us a round of Corona. “Maybe you and Darcy should double date with Bingley and Jane? They can whisk you away to their formidable estates and you’ll be treated to a life of luxury surrounded by people who cook and clean for you and cater to your every whim.”

  “Sounds like you’re a little jealous.”

  “Me? Of course I’m jealous. The closest I’ve ever come to being whisked away is when Mom and Dad sent me to Boy Scout camp and Elijah Curtis invited me to go canoeing with him in the moonlight.”

  “Sounds romantic to me.”

  “I was 12 and so was he. We were both so nervous about being caught the closest we ever got to doing anything was when he held my hand.” Our beers came up and Luke took a long pull from his. “I so need to get out of here, Lizzy. This town is killing me.”

  “Did you hear back about any of your applications?”

  He sighed. “The recruiter at St. Vincent’s said she was looking for someone with experience in critical care. I don’t understand how we’re supposed to get experience in critical care if no one will hire you for a job in critical care unless you have critical care experience. It’s ridiculous. Nurses aren’t born fully formed and trained in specialty areas.”

  “Hey, you’re preaching to the choir.”

  “I’m half tempted to just take a job at a nursing home out in the city. They pay decently.”

  “But you said yourself you’d get totally bored just handing out meds and changing adult diapers.”

  “But what other options do I have right now? I’m a gay man living more than fifty miles from the nearest city and being forced to live in the closet so I don’t ‘embarrass’ any friends and relatives who don’t believe my sexual orientation is a valid lifestyle.” Luke’s family was from the Philippines and devoutly Catholic. His mother, like mine, regularly lamented his lack of significant other; however, I suspected she was living in a state of denial as to her son’s sexual preference.

  “Just keep applying. Someone is bound to give you a chance.”

  He didn’t respond, just took another quiet pull from his beer. When he set down the bottle, he asked, “Where’s Lydia? Not that I’m missing her but she is the one who set up this shindig.”

  “She said she’d be here, though if she’s much later, I’m not waiting around for her. She spends so much time chatting during her shift she’s always working overtime. I’ll bet she doesn’t show up for another half hour.”

  “That’s a sucker bet because you’re probably right.”

  I’d about finished my beer when Lydia walked into the bar with Mary and Kate in tow. “Took you guys long enough,” I commented.

  “Ugh, don’t start,” Lydia said as she sat down. She grabbed Luke’s beer glass and drained it.

  “Hey,” he complained indignantly. “Get your own.”

  “I intend to, and then some. I’m off tomorrow.” She ordered a round, then exclaimed, “So who hates Dr. Darcy already?” She, Mary and Kate raised their hands. “God, he needs to get over himself. He’s got zero personality and he’s so damned serious I want to strangle him just to get a reaction. Do you know he actually told me I was being inappropriate? I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to write me up.”

  Despite myself, my curiosity got the best of me. “What happened?”

  “I was just joking around with a patient complaining of lower back pain, spinal stenosis. The guy had been on prescription pain killers for years and I asked Darcy for a dose of Dilaudid for breakthrough pain. Do you know what Dr. Doomsday said to me?” Without waiting for an answer she continued, “He said to start him on round the clock oxycontin, at which point I joked that if it were up to me I’d just put him on a morphine drip and increase the rate until he stopped complaining or was dead. Dr. Doomsday then told me talk like that could get my license suspended. I mean, come on, it was just a joke.”

  “Not a very good one,” Luke muttered.

  “It’s not like I’d do a Charles Cullen and actually start playing the Angel of Death or something. You guys know me better than that.”

  “Yes, but Dr. Darcy doesn’t. I would’ve been more careful with my choice of words,” Mary piped in.

  Lydia rolled her eyes at Mary. “Well, he needs to grow a sense of humor.” She paused to take another slug of beer before continuing, “Maybe Lizzy should put a good word in for me. She seems to be Dr. Doomsday’s favorite.”

  “Not you also,” I admonished as Luke’s eyes began to twinkle again.

  “You didn’t see the way he was staring at you after he interrupted our conversation in the dictation room. I’m surprised he didn’t burn a hole in your scrubs.”

  “He was probably just annoyed we were talking about Bingley and Jane. Bingley is, after all, his good friend.”

  “He was totally staring at you and just you, barely even gave me a glance.”

  “And so what if he was,” I snapped. “It’s not like I’m interested in getting together with that arrogant prick of a doctor. I’d rather go without sex for a year than date someone like him.”

  Luke let out a derisive snort. “Lizzy, sorry to break it to you, but I think it has been over a year for you.”

  “Not true,” I declared defensively. “You’re forgetting about Tony from security. Not that I’m proud of that.”

  Lydia grinned. “I would be. Tony is totally built. Too bad he didn’t have too much in the brains department.”

  “Thus the reason our relationship didn’t go beyond the one-night stand variety. Anyway, I’m not so desperate I’d even consider a date with Dr. Doomsd
ay. Besides, if he wanted to get his jollies on I’m sure Caroline Bingley would be more than willing to oblige.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  All You Need to Know

  “Do you really think I should go?” Jane stepped out of her bedroom, dressed only in her bathrobe. “Chloe still has her cold and she’s running a fever.”

  “It’s not really a fever unless her temp’s over 101,” I corrected her. “Last I checked it was 99.8.”

  “Yes, but that was after giving her Tylenol. And she’s been so fussy lately.”

  She had a point but I really wanted her to go out and let herself relax for a couple hours. She’d been playing the mom role with no real break ever since Chloe had been born. “Jane, I’m a nurse. I think I can handle taking care of your daughter - my niece - for a couple hours so you can have dinner with a nice man.”

  “But maybe I should just postpone until Chloe is feeling better.”

  “Do you really think that poorly of my nursing skills?” I feigned offense.

  “Oh, Lizzy, I didn’t mean…”

  “You know I’m kidding. Come on, I have the pediatrician’s number on speed dial if anything happens. You’ll be less than five miles away.”

  She still looked concerned but she didn’t argue her point any longer. Instead, she turned and went back into her bedroom. After a few moments, she called out, “What should I wear? Everything I own looks like mom clothes.”

  Picking up Chloe, who had been playing on the floor but had started to tug at my legs, I scrutinized the outfits she’d strewn over her bed. After surveying the choices, I had to admit she had a point.

  “God, Lizzy, I haven’t been on a date since, well, since Bobby. The last time I bought new clothes was over two years ago.”

  I would have offered to lend Jane one of my outfits but she was significantly shorter than me and any one of my outfits would have made her look like she was wearing maternity clothes again. “Hey, why don’t you wear that black dress Mom gave you for Christmas? Since he’s taking you out to dinner, you can get dressed up a bit.”