The Rhythm of My Heart

by Velvet Reed

  “Allison, can you please organize the pain relief I have written up for Ruby Rivers in exam room two, and then take her up to have her left arm x-rayed?” I relay as I hand her Ruby’s chart. Allison takes the chart from me.

  “No problem, Dr. Tierney. I’ll get straight on it. That’s the little girl, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is; can you ask radiology to rush the films. She’s only four so I’d like to get her fixed up as soon as possible,” I reply with a nod of my head and a quick grin.

  Allison starts to walk off with a wide smile and says over her shoulder, “Absolutely, Dr. Tierney. We all know what a softy you are when it comes to sick kids.” I give a chuckle as my mind wanders again.

  What the hell was that spark when I touched Grace’s arm, it hit me straight in the gut; I’ve never felt anything like that before. She rambled out what happened so quickly; I certainly hope she didn’t think I was accusing her of hurting Ruby or neglecting her. It was so obvious how much she loves that little girl; maybe the rambling is an adorable nervous habit. Because of the way she held Ruby close to her chest and tried to soothe her, I had naturally assumed she was the girl’s mother. When the two men walked into the room, the air filled with a protective vibe that screamed that this is a very close family. For some unknown reason, I felt the need to jump to Gracie’s defense when Ruby’s dad got snappy at her; it was instinct and I couldn’t stop myself quickly enough. Thank God, the guy is Grace’s brother, and the strong resemblance between the two men leads me to believe the older one is her father. This knowledge eases the tightness in my gut because this woman is already in my mind; the strong pull I feel toward her is undeniable. Grace and this intense attraction I feel, definitely needs to be explored.

  I am examining another patient when Allison pops her head in to inform me that Ruby’s x-ray results are back. I finish up with my patient, take a quick look at the films and head back to exam room two where the Rivers family is. When I walk in, they are talking in hushed voices about radiator hoses and an exhaust job. I quickly realize why their voices are hushed when I see Ruby asleep in her father’s arms. They all look up and their conversation stops when they see me. I smile down at Ruby. “I guess the pain meds kicked in.”

  Grace gives me a warm smile in return. “Yeah, I guess so; she’s definitely a lot calmer now.”

  “They tend to have that effect,” I reply with a chuckle and earn another soul-melting smile. She really is simply beautiful; I can’t take my eyes off her.

  “Ahmm.” I turn back to Ruby’s father, Charlie. “So, Doc, what happens now? Did the x-rays confirm if Rubes’ arm is broken?” he asks while glancing between Grace and me with a puzzled look on his face.

  I clear my throat and my thoughts. “Actually, yes it does. I just got the films back and they show a break just above her wrist so I am going to go ahead and put a cast on. The cast will be on for about six weeks. It’s a clean break so it should heal nicely, and of course, she will need extra assistance with everything. I know this will make her signing much more difficult but there’s no way to avoid the cast.”

  Bryan speaks up, “Nothing we can’t handle, Doc, but what about preschool? Ruby attends a special preschool for hearing impaired children. Will she still be able to go?” Before I can respond, he turns to Grace and Charlie. “If she can’t, Gracie, you’ll have to work from the house because Ruby can’t be at the garage with you.”

  Grace nods, but I need to know. “The garage?”

  Bryan turns his attention back to me. “Yeah, I own Rivers Auto Repairs. Charlie and Gracie both work with me, but it’s no place for our Rubes.” She works in her family auto repair shop. That’s not what I expected.

  “I’m sure Ruby will be fine at preschool as long as her teachers are informed of the extra assistance she’ll require.” I glance back down at Ruby still sound asleep. “Okay, so how about we get this cast done while she’s still sleeping?”

  Charlie stands and brings Ruby over to the bed, as Grace jumps down and announces to the room, “I’m going to grab a drink, anyone want anything?” Charlie and I decline but Bryan gets up.

  “I’ll come with you, Sweet Pea; you can spend a couple of minutes with your old man.” Grace beams at her father and they exit the room.

  As I gather the supplies to do Ruby’s cast, I can feel Grace’s brother staring at me. It continues as I apply the plaster to her broken little arm but as I am finishing up, I can’t hold my tongue any longer. “Is there a problem, Mr. Rivers?” I look up and meet his stare as the last strip is placed.

  “No, Doc, I appreciate you taking care of my baby.” He pauses then continues, “I am curious though; what’s with all the sly glances and smiles at my sister? Do you know each other? You were pretty quick to come to her defense earlier.”

  Okay, so this guy doesn’t beat around the bush and is obviously protective of his sister. How do I explain this? Or do I just deny everything…just be professional?

  “You’re very observant, Mr. Rivers”

  “Call me Charlie; Mr. Rivers is the old man, but even he wouldn’t let you call him that,” he says, with a grin.

  “Okay. Look, Charlie, your sister is a beautiful woman who seems very sweet, but she was anxious and upset when she bought your daughter in. I was simply trying to be friendly and reassuring, nothing more.” I hope that he’ll buy my explanation.

  “Yeah. I’m not buying it, but okay, Doc, whatever you say,” Charlie says, on a chuckle.

  I give him a quick grin as the door opens. Grace and her father walk back in; she is much more relaxed now and a beautiful smile lights up her face. “All done?” she asks as I stand and walk across the room to dispose of the rubbish and wash my hands.

  “Yes, all done. Ruby is ready to go home. I wish all my patients slept through their procedures; it would make my job a hell of a lot easier.” We all chuckle as the Rivers family prepares to leave. God, this is it. What if I never see her again? It’s not like I can ask her out in front of her father and brother, especially after I just denied being anything but professional… Shit. Think, you idiot!

  Charlie holds Ruby close to him, but manages to free his hand for me to shake. “Thanks again, Doc.”

  I shake his hand. “That’s what I’m here for.” Charlie moves to the door as I shake Bryan’s hand and accept his thanks then he turns and follows his son and granddaughter. Grace is slowly walking to the exit as well, so I take this last opportunity and extend my hand to her. I need to touch her one more time.

  “It was a pleasure to meet you, Grace.” I give her my best smile. She places her delicate hand in mine and that same zap of electric current hits my gut. Yep, I definitely haven’t felt this before.

  “It was nice to meet you too, Dr. Tierney.”

  “Please, call me Cole.”

  She blinks in surprise and her eyes glow. “It was nice to meet you too, Cole; thank you for taking care of Rubes.” God, the way my name slips from her perfect lips hits me straight in the groin. I try not to imagine what it would be like to hear her scream out my name at the height of pleasure.

  “You’re very welcome, Grace.” Her hand slips from mine and I instantly feel the loss. This is it; she’s leaving. I’m watching her walk to the door admiring the gentle sway of her hips when she stops and turns.

  “Cole, if you ever need your car serviced just look us up, we’re the best and we’ll take good care of you.” With another beaming smile, she turns and leaves me standing there staring after her. If getting my car serviced allows me to see Grace again, I have just found my new mechanic. Strangely, I hope my car needs repairs… a LOT.

  Chapter 3

  Grace….

  After such an eventful start to the week, things went back to normal. Charlie got over his initial stress from Ruby’s fall, no longer blaming me for not watching her when I explained what had happened. He knew Rubes was getting easily frustrated and impatient lately due to her inability to effectively communicate everything she wanted
to. Everything was okay aside from Rubes being slightly more frustrated due to her cast.

  Ruby’s preschool teachers were completely fine with the whole cast situation. Our routine continued uninterrupted, apart from the constant disruptions in my mind involving a certain brown haired, blue-eyed delicious doctor every five minutes. Something about Dr. Cole Tierney had gotten under my skin. He was outrageously good looking, had a wonderful bedside manner, and really seemed to care. He had calmed me when I was rambling, defended me when Charlie got snappy, and he seemed relieved when Charlie said that I was only his sister. The small glances and smiles we directed at each other were definitely flirty and the zaps of electric current that passed through us when we touched were exhilarating.

  The way he looked at me and said my name as I was leaving was like a caress; it tightened my stomach muscles and sent a tingling sensation down between my thighs. He asked me to call him Cole. God, even his name was sexy as hell! Everything about this man called to me on so many levels… and this is exactly how the last three days have been for me, constant interruptions with thoughts of Dr. Cole Tierney. Ahh...

  The garage was extremely busy when I returned for my usual days there. Mondays and Tuesdays were the days I looked after Ruby at Dad and Charlie’s house. Then I worked as the office manager at the garage Wednesday through Friday. Our two mechanics, Brad and Troy, plus Dad and Charlie were booked solid; this meant that the mountain of paperwork sitting on my desk was endless, but at least it ensured that the week would pass quickly.

  On Thursday morning I hear the phone ring while I’m in the back office (my office as I’m constantly telling Dad and Charlie), buried in invoices, so I let the guys get it out front. A few minutes later, Charlie comes strutting in with a sly grin on his face. “What’s up with you?” I ask.

  His grin widens. “There’s a guy on the phone wanting to book his car in and I thought you could take the booking.” I stare at him dumbfounded.

  “Seriously, Charlie can’t you see how busy I am here? It would take you all of two minutes to take the booking instead of bringing it to me!”

  Charlie smiles and holds the portable out to me his hand covering the mouthpiece. “I really think you might want to take this, Gracie.”

  I snatch the phone out of his hand with a huff. “Fine.” Charlie laughs and walks back out the front.

  “Hi, this is Grace, how can I help you?” I snap unprofessionally. Great, it’s not the customer’s fault that Charlie can be a moron.

  “Grace, hi, it’s Cole Tierney.” That rich, deep incredible voice penetrates the line; it sends a chill down my spine and makes my irritation instantly dissipate.

  “Hi, Cole, it’s nice to hear from you.” It really was and I notice his voice quickly calms me down again. “Charlie said you wanted to book your car in.” I’m really trying to keep my cool here but thousands of butterflies are fluttering crazily in my stomach.

  “It’s nice to hear your voice too, Grace.” I feel my lips curve into a satisfied smile. “And yeah, I wanted to book a service, but I was wondering if you could fit it in tomorrow? I know its short notice; so it’s fine if you can’t.”

  I quickly look at tomorrow’s bookings. I’ll squeeze him in somehow. Thank God, I am working tomorrow. I’ll get another look at this fine specimen of a man. “Look, we’re pretty busy but I think we can manage it. After all, we owe you for taking care of Ruby’s arm.” I giggle. Giggling? Really? Jesus, Gracie, you have never giggled at a guy in your life.

  “That’s great, Grace, but you don’t owe me anything. I was just doing my job. How is she doing with the cast by the way? Is she coping at preschool?” Cole replies. See, he’s so caring; he wants to know about Ruby, that’s so incredibly sweet.

  “Rubes is doing fine; her preschool teachers are amazing, so it’s not a problem. Of course, it does make her signing harder but we’ll manage. She’s really only beginning to learn to sign anyway, but she can do the basics. Six weeks in a cast shouldn’t set her back too much; it will absolutely make her more frustrated and impatient though, but we’ll deal with it.” It’s so easy to talk to him, so comfortable.

  “Well, that’s good, I guess. Can I ask how long you have known about her hearing impairment and how severe it is; or is that too personal a question?” He asks with a touch of uncertainty in his voice.

  “No, it’s not too personal; you were her doctor after all.” I giggle again. Get a grip, Gracie. “We started noticing little things quite early; she didn’t react to noises, even really loud ones and she wasn’t making the normal sounds babies make. So, after she failed two early screening tests and was taken to several specialists she was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf at about six-months-old.”

  “Wow, that must have been really hard,” he says, with sympathy. “Charlie and Ruby’s mom must have been devastated.”

  “Charlie was sad of course, knowing his little girl would never hear him tell her, he loves her. He accepted it and found out everything he could, but he certainly wasn’t expecting Nicole to walk away from them both.” I hear Cole take in a breath. “Nicole, Ruby’s mom, was a really selfish person. They hadn’t been married long when she became pregnant. She didn’t want to keep the baby; so when they found out Ruby was deaf, she just up and left. She told Charlie she didn’t want that life. They’ve been divorced for about two years now. Charlie has full custody of Rubes and they live with Dad; I look after her two days a week and she goes to preschool the other three days. We all support each other and Ruby has the three of us who love her more than anything in the world.” Gee, I should just go ahead and give him my whole life story for goodness sake; my mouth has totally run away on me.

  Cole takes another deep breath. “I can’t believe someone would leave their own child like that. Ruby is extremely lucky to have the family she has, Grace,” he says, sincerely.

  “That’s nice of you to say, Cole. We try our best.” This man just keeps getting deeper under my skin and it’s only the second time I have spoken to him. I should really get this back on track and get some work done. “I know you’re probably busy; I’ve talked your ear off and taken up too much of your time already. If you want to drop your car in about 7:30 in the morning, we’ll get it fixed up. Is there anything specific you need done or was it just a general service?” I ask him.

  Cole lets out a small chuckle. “I’ve got plenty of time to hear you talk, Grace.” He pauses for a second as I take in a quick breath. There it is again; he must be flirting. Then he continues. “But 7:30 is fine, and no, there’s nothing specific to be done. At least I don’t think there is anyway; I specialize in fixing people not cars,” he laughs.

  I laugh too. “Yeah, I guess you do. So, we’ll see you at 7:30 tomorrow then?”

  “Absolutely, see you in the morning, Grace.” The line goes dead when Cole hangs up. As I press the end call button, I’m sure my smile and bright eyes could rival the sun’s rays at this moment. Pulsing tremors of anticipation and excitement rapidly course through my veins; my body feels like it has just come to life. In less than twenty-four hours, I will get to see Dr. Cole Tierney for the second time.

  I gather the invoices and order lists I need, as well as the portable telephone, and head out the front to see Dad. As I walk through the workshop, Charlie approaches. “So the good doctor wants his car serviced, does he?” He has a sly grin on his face again and I feel like smacking it off him, instead I calm my features and shrug.

  “I guess he does considering that’s what he called for.” I continue toward Dad with Charlie on my heels. “Yeah, Gracie, I’m positive that’s the real reason he called. You were on the phone for quite a while you know, much longer than it normally takes to just take a booking,” Charlie says, sarcastically.

  I wave to Brad and Troy as I pass by. “Morning, guys.”

  “Morning, Grace,” Brad says, with a smile. Troy doesn’t say a thing; he gives me a small wave as his eyes roam my body. I’m fairly sure he heard what Charlie was sayi
ng. Jesus Troy, could you be any more obvious? It’s been six month; move on already. Charlie and I stop when we come to Dad. “Who called and what’s the real reason?” Dad asks, looking between Charlie and me.

  “Dr. Tierney called and booked his car in tomorrow for a service—” I get out before Charlie cuts me off.

  “That’s not the only thing he wants to service.” I send him a disbelieving glare. How old is he… sixteen? God. Then I turn to see Dad looking at me.

  “What?” I ask him.

  Dad’s small grin lifts the corner of his mouth. “Nothing, I didn’t say a thing.”

  Yeah right! He’s as bad as his son is. They would tease the crap out of me if they knew I had been fantasizing about the man constantly for the past three days; at least Dad can show some restraint.

  Charlie is still chuckling to himself beside me so I try to change the conversation. “Anyway, Dad, I just wanted you to double check these orders and sign a few checks if you’ve got a second.”

  Dad looks at the snickering Charlie then back at me. “Sure, Sweet Pea, let’s head in the back.” He claps Charlie on the shoulder. “You get back to work; that exhaust system isn’t going to fix itself you know.” Charlie grins at Dad, and with that, Dad follows me into the serenity of my office.

  Once I’m back at my desk and Dad takes a seat on the other side, I give him the papers he needs to deal with. As he is slowly going over them and signing what he needs to sign, he casually lifts his eyes to look at me. “So, the doctor, huh?” he mumbles.

  I raise my brow at him. “What about the doctor, Dad?” He stops what he’s doing and gives me his full attention.

  “Is there something going on with you and the doctor?” he asks as he shifts slightly in his seat.

  “Well, I spoke to him when he treated Ruby’s arm on Monday and he called a while ago to book his car in to be serviced. So, I would have to say no, Dad; there is nothing going on with me and the doctor.” And I am really NOT going to admit to you that I hope and pray something does go on between the deliciously gorgeous doctor and me.