by Lily Thomas
Captivating the Doctor
Lily Thomas
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Lily Thomas
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce the book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information email [email protected].
www.lilythomasromance.com
ISBN: 9781521401651
ISBN: B071HM94QQ (ebook)
Chapter 1
“He’ll live.”
Zoe stepped back from the man on the hospital bed and moved her neck from side to side, trying to release the tension.
“We’ll need to keep an eye on his vitals through the night, though. Have him moved up to the ICU and tell Dr. Sodhi up there to keep him heavily sedated so he doesn’t pull out those stitches.”
“Yes, Dr. Anderson.” The two nurses who had been assisting her moved efficiently. One gathered the tools Zoe had been using, while the other began prepping their patient for the move from the emergency ward to the ICU.
Zoe moved to the sterilization chamber in the wall and allowed the disinfectant light to scrub off her hands and lower arms. She had no idea how these things worked, but she blessed whoever had invented them. She couldn’t imagine having to clean up with soap and water. With the number of patients she handled, her skin would be chapped and blistered within the week.
Zoe glanced at the clock. About four hours past when her double shift was supposed to end. She didn’t mind, though. When the first victims from the shuttle accident had arrived in the ward, Zoe had thrown her hair into a bun and dived right in.
Unlike some of her fellow students at the academy, who froze when faced with an emergency and having to make an immediate decision, Zoe found that she worked best under pressure. When there were multiple patients, like today, she could triage and prioritize who needed immediate care and who could wait, and the stress and tension only seemed to help her mind focus on her treatments.
Zoe tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and sighed. Her ability to handle moments like these had landed her here after her residency, but two years in, the hospital was already starting to seem boring. She needed a challenge, something that would keep her at the top of her game.
Giving one last shake of her head, Zoe strode briskly out of the ward and headed toward the doctor’s changing area. Challenges could wait for now. It was time to get home for some real sleep. Her bed hadn’t seen her for about twenty-four hours.
An intern stepped into her path, and Zoe’s heart rate spiked. Another emergency?
“Dr. Anderson, I’m supposed to tell you that Dr. Vlisher wants to see you immediately.”
Zoe frowned. She didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with the department head, but she didn’t think she’d done anything recently to annoy her, either.
Zoe took a right at the next hallway and knocked briskly on Dr. Vlisher’s door.
“Come in!”
Zoe gritted her teeth. Her boss was definitely not in a good mood. Opening the door, she summoned a polite smile.
“Dr. Vlisher, I heard you wanted to see me.”
Across the office, two blazing red eyes lifted from the computer monitor on the desk and fixed Zoe with their gaze. Dr. Vlisher snorted.
“Want to see you, Dr. Anderson? No, I don’t want to see you. I don’t ever want to see you. When you are in my office, that means there are problems on my ward, and I don’t need problems on my ward, Dr. Anderson.”
Dr. Vlisher stood and leaned over the desk. As a Lieridon, she was nearly seven feet tall, with insect-like features. When she bent her knees backward and leaned her head forward, she peered almost directly into Zoe’s face.
Zoe didn’t like Lieridons. Not only did they look down on everyone, both literally and figuratively, but they also had an overwhelming need for order and routine. Zoe worked on the emergency ward, though. Emergencies didn’t follow a routine!
Zoe cleared her throat. “I understand, Dr. Vlisher…”
“Do you, Dr. Anderson?” Zoe’s boss raised an eyebrow skeptically. “This is the seventh time you’ve been in my office since you arrived. You take unnecessary risks. Trying treatments that have a low likelihood of succeeding, utilizing more resources than are strictly needed for recovery, and in general, acting like this hospital exists to provide you with a platform to show off your ability to,” Dr. Vlisher made air quotes, “bring people back from the edge of death.”
Zoe glared up at her supervisor. She knew she shouldn’t have made that comment when some of the doctors and residents had met up at a local bar. Someone must have brought that back to the hospital, probably one of the residents looking to curry favor with their department head. When Zoe found out who it was, they were going to pay.
Zoe took a steadying breath. “The truth, Dr. Vlisher, is that I have a better survival rate for my patients than anyone else in the emergency ward since this hospital was built.”
“The truth, Dr. Anderson, is that you were replaced for your shift four hours ago, and yet you remained on the ward.”
Zoe’s mouth dropped open. “Wait, you’re mad because I stayed on the ward and did my job? You can’t be serious!”
Dr. Vlisher frowned deeply. “When you stay past your shift, Dr. Anderson, after your replacement has been brought up to speed, you put the hospital at risk. We are liable for any mistakes you make.”
“Brought up to speed? We had fourteen priority patients come in ten minutes before my shift was supposed to end! What was I supposed to do? Say ‘Good luck’ to my colleagues and clock out?”
Zoe realized she was nearly shouting and struggled to compose herself. It was hard with Dr. Vlisher gazing down at her with a patronizing look on her face.
“When that doctor has a history like you, Anderson, yes. You leave.”
Dr. Vlisher dropped back into her chair and placed her hands under her chin.
“Dr. Anderson, you are suspended for a week.”
“A week!” Zoe cried.
“I suggest you take some time to yourself. Maybe a short vacation to one of the moons.” Dr. Vlisher raised that infuriating eyebrow again. “We’ll talk again in a week. We appreciate your skills, Dr. Anderson, but we cannot employ a doctor who continues to put the hospital in these kind of situations.”
Zoe clenched her hands. “You mean situations like saving the lives of fourteen people? I know those numbers make you look good to the board. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a nice little quote in tomorrow’s new announcement from our great Dr. Vlisher, head of the emergency ward, savior of all those victims.” Zoe snorted. “The only thing you save is money for the hospital.”
Dr. Vlisher jumped to her feet, knocking a sheaf of papers off her desk. “That is enough, Dr. Anderson,” she hissed. “You may come back when the hospital contacts you. If we contact you.”
Zoe spun on her heel and rushed out of the office. She knew she’d pushed it too far, but dammit, she was sick of doing her job well and getting criticism from her boss and jealousy from her coworkers in return. Maybe she wouldn’t come back. There were plenty of private clinics who would pay her well, better than this place.
Zoe sighed. She knew she couldn’t walk away from the rush of the emergency ward. No private clinic could offer that thrill. It would be more boring than this place on a bad day.
&nbs
p; Walking into the women’s changing room, Zoe pulled open her locker and grabbed her duffel bag. She’d change when she got home. Slinging the duffle over her shoulder, Zoe stopped briefly in front of a mirror to remove her hair band and shake her hair out. She frowned back at her reflection.
Well, she had the week, at least. Maybe she would go to one of the moons, after all. Zoe shook her head angrily and charged out of the changing room. In her rush, she nearly toppled a man walking past.
“Doctor Anderson!” The man grasped her arms and righted himself, and Zoe found herself staring into the most amazing green eyes in the galaxy.
“Hey, John.” Zoe smiled as she helped him regain his balance.
“I heard you had words with Dr. Everything-Must-Run-Smoothly.” John smiled down at her, and Zoe felt a tingle in her lower body. John was the newest addition to the hospital staff, and all the women had eyes for him. Zoe could see why he was such a big hit with the opposite sex. His hair had gone gray early, and he had a definite silver fox thing going for him. Plus, he was pretty good in bed. Zoe smirked to herself. At this point, only she knew that, though.
“You have anything planned for this weekend?” John asked, as he helped her pick up the duffel bag she had dropped.
“Well, my weekend – and my week – just opened up.”
John grimaced. “That bad, huh?”
Zoe tossed her hair. “Nothing I can’t handle. The hospital and I just need some time apart, is all. I’m going to do some sight-seeing, get my first real break in the last year.”
“Well, you’ve got my number. If you find yourself wanting some company, I’m free this Saturday.” John gave her a wink and headed out of the break room.
“You know you’re hated, right?”
Zoe turned around. “Nice to see you too, Sarah.”
Sarah was sitting at one of the tables, twisting her curly auburn hair around a finger. “Zoe, you’ve got the hottest doctor in this hospital hitting on you, lusting after you, and you act like it’s nothing.”
“Sarah, you know I’m not ready for anything serious. John and I have been having fun, that’s all.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Honey, that kind of fun should be illegal.”
Zoe grabbed her duffle. “We haven’t had that much fun. He’s a little too practical, even in bed.”
Sarah gave her a look. “So you’re saying that you don’t mind if I make a move?” She sighed. “What am I thinking? He’s stuck on you right now.”
Zoe threw her a grin as she walked out the door. “Don’t sell yourself short. Just the other night he was telling me he’s partial to redheads.”
Zoe stepped into the cold night air and took in a couple of deep breaths. She still felt a little heated after her confrontation with her boss, and it felt good to have the fresh air brushing up against her face. Zoe shook her head and struck out across the hospital yard. She’d walk home today, instead of taking the transport. It would help clear her head.
As Zoe stepped across the street, she thought about John. Maybe she would call him up again. They’d had a good enough time together, and it would be a fun distraction. Provided she didn’t meet anyone more interesting on one of the moons…
Zoe let her thoughts drift as humans and aliens passed by on the fairly busy road. Guit’re was an alien colony, but humans had struck a trade deal to mine the planet, and they were rapidly trickling into its ever-growing population.
Zoe headed down a side street just as one of the lights along it went out, casting the street into a twilight gloom. A shiver ran down her spine, and she glanced into the shadows to the sides and behind her. Usually she’d get off the transport just a block from her apartment and skip meandering through the city.
Zoe pricked her ears and kept moving forward. Most of the women in the hospital carried some sort of weapon, but Zoe knew that a plasma gun or taser wouldn’t help if you already had a weapon pointed at you.
Instead, she’d been taking lessons in self-defense since college. If anyone was stupid enough to get up close and personal, she’d be ready.
Je’lak grumbled to himself, as he crouched on the roof of a building across from the hospital. When was a doctor going to walk out? Surely the doctors didn’t just live in there. They had to come out, at some point, to go home and see their families. Right? Doctors had lives, right?
His patience was growing thin, and he was on an already tight schedule as it was.
He’d been sitting on the top of the roof for hours, and he’d already witnessed the increased crime rate on Guit’re. You couldn’t grow a city so quickly and keep a handle on criminals taking advantage of the increased population at the same time. Government was always slow to move in additional security forces. It made it the perfect planet to steal a doctor.
Finally, a human woman walked out of the hospital. She didn’t look like a doctor, but Je’lak was drawn to the pale blond hair falling loose upon her shoulders. The woman was dressed in a set of matching light blue shirt and pants, which seemed promising. Je’lak appreciated the way her outfit moved along the curves of her upper body as she turned, loose one moment, and then tightening suggestively the next. His eyes skimmed down along her trim waist and to shapely hips. As the woman reached the street, she turned, and Je’lak held his binoculars up to his eyes. ‘Dr. Anderson’ was spelled out across the bag she was carrying.
Je’lak raised his head and stowed his binoculars in a side pocket on his pants. Finally. He really didn’t want to draw attention to himself by going into the hospital. This would make it all easier.
Je’lak jumped onto an escape ladder and rode it all the way to the bottom. He landed on his feet, made his way to the street, and followed behind the human woman at a slight distance.
Even among the crowd, Je’lak was able to pick up her individual scent, a mix of clean disinfectant and flowers, and a smile spread across his lips. She might be a doctor, but somehow she didn’t smell like blood and guts as he’d expected.
Je’lak hadn’t planned on grabbing a female doctor. Somehow, that made him feel worse about what he had to do. His team needed a doctor, though, and he didn’t have time to wait for another one to walk out of the hospital.
Hopefully, she’d turn off the busy road and be unarmed. He couldn’t afford to start over. Time was running out.
As if the universe read his mind, Dr. Anderson turned down a side street just as a light went out and dimmed the road. Je’lak could see her tense for a moment, but then she continued on down the darkened street.
She was a daring one, for such a tiny human woman. Didn’t she see what happened to those who were too trusting? Didn’t she heal those trusting fools?
Je’lak strode into the alley, hot on her tail. This was his chance, and he wasn’t going to waste it. The human woman was walking with her back straight, her gaze swinging from side to side. This doctor was definitely what he was looking for. She was determined, even if she was a bit nervous.
Before Je’lak could catch up to her, a shadow shot out from the gloom and grabbed the doctor.
“Hey!” Dr. Anderson screamed, her voice pitched with anger and indignation.
Je’lak was furious. This was his doctor. He emerged from the shadows behind the struggling pair.
“Let her go.”
The doctor’s captor whirled, allowing Je’lak to see a small but sharp knife that her assailant had pressed up against her neck. Je’lak couldn’t tell what species it was, but he had definitely surprised it.
“Any closer and I slit her throat.” The shadow threatened.
Je’lak held up his hands. He could turn around and wait for another doctor to walk out of the hospital, but he really couldn’t afford the delay. Besides, this was his doctor. He had waited for her, tailed her, and now he was going to walk away with her.
“Surely we can work something out.” Je’lak reasoned. He was willing to spend some credits on her, if he had to. The important thing was getting the doctor back to his ship withou
t attracting the attention of the authorities.
“No deal.”
Je’lak was losing his patience, but if he wasn’t careful, the doctor he’d spent so much time on would bleed out in front of him.
Just then, the doctor twisted into her captor’s body and threw him over her torso.
The shadow landed in front of Je’lak, gasping for air. Je’lak shook off his surprise at the doctor’s bold action and leaped forward, punching the shadow in the throat.
Instead of backing away, like he expected, the doctor stepped up next to Je’lak with her hands on her hips. “I appreciate the assistance, but did you have to do that? Now I have to make sure he can still breathe.”
The doctor started to bend down to examine the shadow’s wound. As she came forward, Je’lak grabbed her around the waist and slipped a needle into the side of her neck. The needle was filled with a sleeping agent that should keep her knocked out until they were back on his ship.
The doctor spun on her foot, twisting his wrist up and around. Je’lak found himself surprised again, as the pain in his wrist forced him to his knees. It was too late, though. The doctor stumbled away, but the drug was now coursing through her system, and she wasn’t able to make it more than ten steps before falling to the ground.
Je’lak shook out his wrist with grudging respect as he walked up to the doctor. He hadn’t expected a female doctor to be so…fearless. Or so physically capable of handling herself. He’d always imagined doctors to be more brainy, intellectual types.
Je’lak quickly double-checked the duffle the doctor was carrying with her and found both a name badge and an ID with her photo on it and the name ‘Dr. Zoe Anderson’.
Je’lak gathered up the doctor’s limp body. As he lifted her, her shirt rose on her back, and he felt her trim waist and smooth skin. He straightened, and her curves pressed up against his chest, and her scent lifted up again, clean and floral.