Taking a moment, Sophie stared at him. His chiseled face, darkened by another day’s growth of whiskers, appeared relaxed and soft. Her gaze traveled over his powerful arms, crossed over an equally impressive chest. The man really was quite attractive.
She moistened her lips and then whispered loudly, “Jack. Wake up. Mario needs your help.”
Nothing. He still slept on, his chest rising and falling evenly. Not sure what to do next, Sophie scooted on her knees a little further into the tent. Just as she reached out to jostle his arm, her gaze connected with his.
“Need something, Sophie?” he asked, sitting up and stretching.
Her mouth went dry. He wore a white T-shirt that molded to his muscles. “Uh, yes.” She just couldn’t remember what it was.
His mouth edged up into a smug smile, and Sophie felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Um, Mario is awake. His grandma isn’t here, and I wondered if you could come in and translate for me?”
“Sure.” He pushed back the sleeping bag. “Is he doing better?”
“Yes. His fever broke, and he is much more alert than before.”
“That’s great.” Jack held her gaze and slowly moved toward her. The tent seemed to shrink and Sophie couldn’t move—couldn’t breathe. She sat perched on her knees, remaining frozen in place with Jack now only inches away. Her heart thrummed rapidly inside her chest and her head felt dizzy, as if she’d spun around and around in a circle. Time stood still, and heat completely infused her body. Kiss me. She thought recklessly.
His eyes skimmed over her face, reflecting the same longing she felt inside. Then he leaned in close, and Sophie braced herself for the rollercoaster ride that was sure to come with his kiss. She lowered her lashes and waited.
“Sophie,” Jack said, instead of kissing her.
She opened her eyes to find him only a breath away.
“Yes,” she barely managed to whisper.
“You’re in my way.”
Her spinning head came to a screeching halt. She was in his way? Blinking, she sat back on her heels and stared at him. The teasing light in his eyes masked the desire she’d seen only seconds ago. She was so addled she didn’t know if she should slap him or grasp the front of his shirt, pull him to her and kiss him anyway.
He couldn’t have read her mind, but for a moment the mask slipped and a flame of desire flickered in his eyes again. The rat! He deserved a slap, but since she wasn’t the violent type, she quickly turned around and exited his tent.
Without waiting to see if he would follow her, she slipped back inside the hut. Mario looked like he was about to cry and his abuela was still missing. Sophie felt horrible and wanted to blame Jack. But the culpability was all hers. Well, at least it was her wacky brain’s fault. What was it about this man that made her act so crazy?
Jack entered the hut and went over to Mario. He crouched down and spoke to him. The boy answered in rapid Spanish. Jack said something else and gave the child a reassuring pat on the head. Rising, he looked over at Sophie. “The poor kid needs to use the bathroom.” He lifted one brow. “Any ideas how he can do that?”
“He can either use a urinal or you could help him outside and hold the IV bag.”
Jack looked at her incredulously. “What am I? Your nurse?”
“No. You’re a man.”
He grinned. “I’m glad we got that straight.”
Like there had ever been a question. “Jack, he’s a boy and so are you. I don’t have a problem helping him, but he might be uncomfortable since I’m a woman.”
Just then Guadalupe returned. Mario started speaking frantically to her, gesturing to his IV bag. Jack spoke again, and Guadalupe nodded and then went over to some shelves that held a variety of things, including a half gallon sized glass bottle that probably had once contained milk.
Jack spoke to Mario, showing him the bottle. Sophie could see Jack trying not to laugh out loud when the boy pointed to the container. His grandmother handed it to him and, without blinking an eye, the seven year old filled it in front of everyone present. Apparently, modesty wasn’t an issue.
* * *
While Guadalupe took the bottle outside to empty it, Jack hovered behind Sophie as she removed Mario’s bandage. The putrid smell was gone, but from what Jack could see, the wound still looked nasty. He wondered how long Sophie would insist on staying.
“It looks a little better,” he said, amazed at the bravery Mario showed as Sophie cleaned the wound. The child had his eyes closed, his teeth clenched tight together. It was much better than yesterday when he hadn’t even flinched from Sophie’s ministrations.
“Mmm-hmm,” Sophie murmured, without looking over at him.
But that didn’t stop Jack from watching her. Her forehead was creased in concentration as she quietly and quickly worked on the damaged tissue. A beam of sunlight shot through the window, and Jack noticed a hint of deep reddish brown highlights in her dark hair. She was beautiful, and he found himself regretting not kissing her when he’d had the chance.
His gut tightened at the thought, knowing as difficult as it had been, he’d made the right choice. After retiring to his tent the night before, Jack had thought long and hard about Sophie. In the end, he had decided he couldn’t do what Adam had done to him—steal another man’s girlfriend behind his back.
But then Sophie had come inside his tent to awaken him and all of his reasoning from the night before didn’t seem so reasonable. She had wanted him to kiss her, and oh how he’d wanted to comply. It had taken every bit of self-restraint to use humor to extinguish his desires—and hers.
The only way he would consider further exploring the electrifying chemistry between Sophie and him was to find out where she stood with Peter. Hopefully they would have the opportunity to talk as soon as she finished with Mario.
Jack knew at some point today Elaina would try to find him, and he guessed by now the villagers would be aware that a doctor was in their midst and would seek Sophie’s help. Plus, Manuel had invited them to attend the villages fiesta tonight, leaving them very little time to talk.
Moving away from the child, Sophie stood up and briefly glanced at Jack. “His leg is responding to the antibiotics.” She adjusted the roller clamp on the IV and asked Jack to explain to Mario that if his leg continued to improve and he could drink enough water, she would discontinue the IV tomorrow and start him on oral antibiotics.
The little boy gave them a weak smile and closed his eyes to sleep. Guadalupe came back inside, and Jack repeated the information to the older woman about possibly removing the IV and switching the antibiotics. She nodded in understanding, then turned toward Sophie and took her by the hand. Guadalupe thanked her over and over for saving her grandson’s life. He figured he didn’t need to translate for Sophie this time and watched her pretty face light up with joy as she gave the older woman a hug.
A knock sounded at the door and Hector stuck his head inside. “Is there a doctor in the house?” he asked.
Sophie immediately walked toward him. “Are you hurt? Do you need me?”
Hector grinned and shook his head. “Not me, señorita.” He pointed behind him. “Them.”
Sophie peered out the door, and Jack was right behind her. There was a large crowd of villagers gathering in the yard.
“What’s going on?” Sophie whispered.
“I think your free clinic is just about to get underway.” Jack leaned in close to her. “Let me guess, you want me to play nurse again?”
She met his gaze, and the smile she gave him made his insides melt. “Yes, that would be great.”
“Just remember I don’t do bedpans.”
She laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
They probably would’ve stayed like that, staring into each other’s eyes and making small talk if Hector hadn’t interrupted them by clearing his throat. “We can work out the duties later. Right now, you both need breakfast and a place to see all these people.”
Jack suggested using the covered p
avilion in the center of the village for the clinic. Hector agreed and told the people the doctor needed to get her supplies and where she would meet them. As the crowd dispersed, Sophie retrieved her medical backpack from Guadalupe’s hut.
Before turning to help her, Jack caught sight of Elaina at the edge of the property. She was close enough for him to see the resentment in her dark eyes. Not wanting to make her any angrier, he lifted a hand and waved at her. Elaina made no effort to return the greeting. Instead, she stared at him for a few uncomfortable seconds, then slowly turned around and walked away.
A knot of dread twisted in Jack’s empty stomach. Elaina was a wild card, and her involvement with a boyfriend hadn’t lessened her ongoing crush on Jack. Of course his idiotic decision to make Sophie jealous by flirting with Elaina hadn’t helped matters. He just prayed Mario would be well enough for them to leave the next day.
* * *
It turned out there were quite a few people who were sick enough to need Sophie’s skills. The only regret Jack had for agreeing to help Sophie was when she had to give someone a shot, which seemed to happen often. Like now.
A little girl, with a deep rattling cough, sat shivering on the table as Sophie drew up another dose of Penicillin. “Medicina,” Sophie said, showing the syringe to the mother.
Jack tried not to react to the sight of the needle, but just like before, he felt lightheaded.
“Can you please explain to the mother about the shot?” Sophie said as she held the syringe in front of her, flicked the side of it with her finger, then pushed the tiny air bubbles out of the needle.
Feeling unsteady, Jack pulled his eyes away from the needle and explained to the mother how the antibiotic would help heal her daughter.
Not wanting to see the injection, Jack turned around to see how many more people were left waiting to see the doctor. Thankfully, an older gentleman was the only one left waiting in line. Finally, he and Sophie would get a break.
“Buena niña,” Sophie said, stroking the child’s head. As the day progressed, Sophie had picked up on a few more Spanish words. The little girl smiled brightly when Sophie offered her a sucker.
“Muchas gracias,” the mother said, wrapping her arm around her daughter and guiding her away.
Sophie greeted the old man as he moved to stand in front of her. Before Jack could ask him what he needed the doctor for, the man pulled a full set of dentures out of his mouth and held them in his palm.
Both Sophie and Jack stared at the teeth while the man pointed to a molar that was cracked in the middle. Jack quickly explained that Sophie was not a dentist and wouldn’t be able to fix his teeth. With a shrug, the older man plopped the teeth back in his mouth, turned around and walked away.
“Poor man,” Sophie whispered. “I hope he didn’t stand in line all morning, only to find out I was the wrong kind of doctor.”
“He didn’t seem that put out.” Jack nudged her in the shoulder with his arm. “You ready to call it a day?”
Sophie never got a chance to reply as two young men burst through the trees, shouting for help. Jack saw they were carrying a man who didn’t look too good. They drew closer and Jack noted the man was unconscious and had dried blood crusted in his hair.
Before he could offer his assistance, Elaina came barreling toward him and launched herself into his arms. She was crying hysterically, and that’s when Jack noticed that the injured man was Elaina’s boyfriend.
Chapter Twelve
Sophie cleared the table and motioned for the boys to place their friend there. The young man looked to be in his mid-twenties, and right away she noticed the gash on the side of his temple and the dried blood matted in his hair. The injury wasn’t new, and Sophie wondered how long he had been unconscious.
Elaina had her face buried in Jack’s shoulder, crying inconsolably. “This is Elaina’s boyfriend,” Jack said, looking a little bewildered by the hysterical female clinging to him.
Putting on a pair of latex gloves, Sophie focused on her patient. She asked Jack to find out if anyone knew what had happened and how long ago it had occurred. While he spoke in rapid Spanish with the young men, she placed her fingers at the man’s neck and felt a slow, but steady pulse. She observed his chest at the same time, relieved to see it rise and fall within normal limits.
She continued to assess her patient’s neurological status, waiting for an answer from Jack. Testing for pain response, Sophie pinched the skin under his upper arm. Her patient didn’t moan, but he did try to pull his arm away, which was a good sign.
“They don’t know what happened,” Jack said as Sophie used the light from her otoscope to check the man’s pupils, finding them equal and reactive to light. “They all had been drinking last night and don’t remember much. Elaina is the one who found him lying outside the back of his bungalow.”
Sophie wondered if drinking was all they had done. She wished she could get a tox screen to see what other substances she might find in his system.
“What’s his name?” she asked, running her fingers over his head to see if he had any bumps or gashes she couldn’t see. She discovered a pretty good sized goose egg behind his ear. The likely scenario was that he didn’t quite make it home and fell and hit his head.
“Andre,” Jack said, making Elaina wail even louder at the sound of her boyfriend’s name. “How is he?”
“I’m not sure,” she said as she doused a clean 4x4 gauze pad with hydrogen peroxide. “His vitals are stable, but the fact that he hasn’t woken up has me worried. There’s a nasty bump behind his ear, but without a CT scan, I have no idea how serious it is.” She used the gauze pad to gently clean the gash on his temple and noted it wasn’t deep enough to require sutures. “He doesn’t need stitches, so really there’s nothing more to do other than wait and see.”
A crowd of villagers had gathered around the pavilion. She hoped someone had seen something and might come forward with more information.
She looked at Jack, feeling a twinge of irritation that he still held Elaina. “Does he have any family?”
Jack asked Elaina and the girl nodded her head. Just then, a large woman pushed through the crowd. “That’s his mother,” he said as the woman took one look at her son and broke down into tears.
“Mi hijo.” She clasped her son’s hand in hers, and Sophie was pleased when the young man moaned. Maybe he would come around sooner than she thought.
With anger etched on her face, Andre’s mother glared at her sons friends. “¿Qué pasó?”
While the mother held what sounded like a heated conversation with the boys, Manuel emerged through the crowd. He assessed the situation and spoke to Elaina, in a tone that sounded like he was reprimanding her.
Elaina let go of Jack and snapped back at her father. Jack winced as he eased back from Elaina and came around the table to stand next to Sophie.
“This is all giving me a headache,” he said, rubbing one of his temples with the tips of his fingers.
Sophie’s own head was pounding, and she was exhausted after seeing so many people over the past four hours. “Would you like a couple of Tylenol?”
“Yeah, and some food, peace and quiet, and a bed.”
“You have the celebration dinner to look forward to.”
He glanced at her sidelong. “Have you ever heard a live Mariachi band?”
It sounded kind of fun to Sophie. “Take some Tylenol, go have Hector feed you, and lay down for a couple of hours. You’ll be as good as new.”
“And what will you do?”
“I’m a doctor. I’m used to getting no sleep and not eating for hours.” She tried to hide her disappointment about missing the party. “Besides, between taking care of Andre and Mario, I’ll have my hands full.”
“Andre has a mother,” Jack said. “And Mario’s abuela is perfectly capable of taking care of him for a couple of hours. The fiesta is for all of us. Come with us tonight, Sophie. You need the break.”
Sophie’s empty tummy filled u
p with butterflies at the thought of spending the evening with Jack. It almost felt like a date, except Hector would be there. She just wished she had something to wear other than khaki’s and T-shirts. “I don’t know.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I really need a bath.”
“That can be arranged. I need one too.” Jack rubbed his palm across his jaw. “I also need to shave.”
Her desire to be with Jack, even for only a few hours, outweighed her good sense. “Okay. I’ll go.”
The butterflies in her stomach stirred again as she watched his mouth edge up into a sexy smile. “It’s a date, then.”
Was it? Or was it just a figure of speech?
Andre’s mother stopped shouting at her son’s friends and turned to speak to Sophie.
“She wants to know if we can move Andre to their house,” Jack interpreted.
Sophie checked the wound she’d cleaned up and didn’t see any fresh bleeding. “Sí,” she said, offering a reassuring smile to the woman.” She looked at Jack. “Just make sure they move him slowly and stabilize his head and neck.”
Several men in the crowd helped to transport Andre. Sophie and Jack followed along to make sure her patient remained stable. Andre moaned again with the movement, and Sophie hoped he would regain consciousness by tonight.
After they had him settled, Sophie looked around for Jack. She found him outside with Elaina hanging all over him, the two of them talking quietly. It annoyed her how Jack seemed to placate the girl, encouraging her behavior.
Sophie spotted Hector, and when he waved at her, she left Jack with Elaina and asked Hector to accompany her back to their bungalow. On the way, Sophie saw many of the villagers getting ready for the fiesta. Hector pointed out a group of teenage girls wearing beautiful colored costumes, and said they would be performing tonight.
“Will everyone be dressed up?” Sophie asked, wishing she had something to wear other than her khaki’s and a T-shirt.
“Probably, but do not worry.” Hector winked at her. “You look beautiful in whatever you are wearing.”
Sophie thanked him, but she wasn’t as confident. Chances were Elaina wasn’t going to be sitting vigilantly by her boyfriend’s side tonight, but instead would be hovering over Jack and looking beautiful in a dress similar to the dancer’s costumes.
Discovering Sophie Page 12