by Wild, Cassie
At the mention of his ribs, reality intervened, and I looked back at the chart before looking at him. “I need to check on something.”
“But you haven’t even started on me,” he said in a playful tone.
I couldn’t help but smile as I rose. “Just wait here.”
“Not like I’m going anywhere,” he said with a heavy sigh.
I ducked through the curtain and saw Britney standing at the desk, a worried look on her face. She spoke with another physician, and both of them had equally grim expressions.
Nervously, I approached. I had my share of confidence in the staff—more than, really—but my experience at Green Valley had soured me and some part of me was half-expecting similar treatment here.
Britney looked over as I approached, a smile flashing across her face. “That was fast.”
“Ah, well, I didn’t have a chance to get started. I know this patient.” I explained that we had met briefly.
Britney looked at her colleague. The two of them conferred briefly, then she focused her attention back on me. “I appreciate you coming to me. He’s just an acquaintance. Unless you feel it would interfere with your ability to do your job, I see no reason why you can’t continue. All I need for you to do at this point is continue gathering the history. I’ll only need a few more minutes, really. I’m consulting on an urgent pediatric case but should be done shortly. Do you feel comfortable getting started, given that you know him?”
Forcing myself to be objective, I considered it, then nodded. “I can handle that.”
“Thank you, Briar.” She brushed her hand down my arm, then left with the other doctor, concern stamped across her features.
Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I made my way back to the curtained-off cubicle where Cormac waited.
By the time I was back on the stool, I had my doctor face firmly in place. “Okay. So, I need to get some information from you, Mr. MacTavish.”
“Mr. MacTavish?” He made a face at me, and judging by the grimace that quickly followed, he was regretting it. The cut on his lip had started to ooze blood, and I pulled a pair of gloves from my pocket. “It was Cormac just a few minutes ago.”
“Hush,” I told him sternly as I got some gauze and pressed it to his mouth.
It brought us closer together, and I felt a tug of warmth in my belly that was wholly unprofessional.
“So, how does the other guy look?” I asked, determined to focus on something other than the fact that just a small piece of gauze and gloves separated my finger from that hard, sexy mouth.
Concentrate, Briar, I admonished myself.
“About as bad as me,” Cormac said.
Under the gauze pad, I could feel his mouth moving, and to my horror, blood rushed to my cheeks. I hadn’t blushed while working with a patient since the first week of my obstetrics rotation.
Surely something as silly as blushing should have been burned out of me by now.
But the flush continued to heat my face.
“I think that will do it,” I said, averting my gaze as I stripped off my gloves, balling up the gauze in my fist.
“Are you certain?” His voice was husky.
Don’t look at him, Briar. Don’t do it.
But I couldn’t stop myself.
There was a heated intensity to his gaze that robbed me of a little more oxygen.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly as I turned my back.
I busied myself with picking up the tablet and scrolling through his history. No medications. No drug use. Occasional alcohol use.
“Does it hurt to breathe, Mr. MacTavish?”
“Cormac,” he prodded me.
I shook my head. “You’re my patient right now…Mr. MacTavish. We’re not sitting down enjoying tacos and margaritas and beer.”
“Fine,” he said with a dramatic sigh, his accent a bit thicker than before. “Let’s just carry on and play doctor then.” I turned on him, mouth opening to deliver a sharp retort, only to find him grinning at me. “There you are,” he said, eyes soft as he explored my face.
I lifted my chin, trying desperately to not be affected by him. “I’m hardly playing doctor.”
“Well, if you ever do want to…play with me, I’d be delighted.”
Eight
Briar
“What’s a guy gotta do to get some attention around here?” Cormac asked, his brown eyes glinting with flirtatious humor as I let the curtain fall behind me.
That curtain offered the idea of privacy, but it wasn’t much more than that.
On a busy day in any given ED, the noise alone could offer plenty of privacy. It was hard enough to hear your own thoughts when a baby was crying across the corridor, and the person next to you couldn’t stop vomiting.
Today, though, was oddly quiet, which made me that much more uncomfortable as Cormac teased me.
“A nurse was just in here,” I said dryly. “How much more attention do you want?”
“Maybe I should be specific.” He winked, a slow lowering of those long lashes. “What’s a guy gotta do to get your attention?”
I gave an expansive role of my eyes. “Please.”
Nudging the stool a little closer, I sat down next to the gurney. He’d elevated the head of the bed until he was basically sitting up. As I watched, he shifted around on the thin mattress, then grimaced. His ribs, no doubt.
As he pressed a hand to his side, I lowered my gaze. “Dr. Findlay just read the report for your X-rays. You’ve got two cracked ribs.” I strove for a professional tone as I looked back up at him.
“Dr. Findlay?” His brows dropped down. The confused expression faded a few seconds later. “Oh, the blonde.” He shrugged, eyes resting on mine. “Aren’t you my doctor?”
I pursed my lips and tried to figure out the right way to address that question. Finally, I went with an abbreviated version of the truth. “Tonight’s my first night here. I’m still shadowing another physician while my transfer papers are completed. Dr. Findlay is handling your case for the most part. I’m…assisting.”
I wasn’t about to go into detail about how I needed to have certain privileges before I could start ordering X-rays or giving medication orders.
A flirtatious smile curled his lips. “Well, your…assistance has been much appreciated.” He went to shift on the bed again, only to stop and press a hand to his side. “This hurts.”
“When you get your ribs cracked, it usually does hurt,” I pointed out. “You ever going to tell me what you got into a fight over?”
His lashes drooped. “Does it matter? I mean, you don’t need those details to treat me, do you?”
I just stared him down, since I didn’t have any other option. He was right—I didn’t need to know the details to treat him or get a history or diagnose him or anything else. I wanted to know for reasons of my own. And that was something unusual.
Sure, I’d gotten curious about things that had led patients to me in the past. Like why would a three-year-old shove something into her ear? Just because?
But this wasn’t just casual curiosity, and I knew it. I couldn’t even lie to myself about it.
After giving him a withering look, I turned my attention back to the chart. “We’re a little concerned about your headaches. You’ve got some swelling on the back of the head. Can you tell me how it happened?”
“I hit the back of my head,” he replied in a noncommittal voice, not offering any more details.
I wondered if he’d hit the back of his head—or if somebody had hit him. “You’ve got a concussion. It’s a mild one, but it’s going to bother you for a while. Do you have somebody who can stay with you tonight to help keep an eye on you?”
He opened his mouth, then closed it. After a few more seconds, he said, “I’ll make something work.”
“Meaning…?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Meaning I’ll make something work, doc.” He gave me a hot look and added, “Unless, of course, you want to offer your servic
es.”
My cheeks flushed, even though his words, in and of themselves, were relatively innocuous.
“You really do need to behave,” I told him in a low voice.
He rolled his eyes. “I’m just talking about you watching out for me, Briar. Nothing dirty intended. Well, unless you’d like me to do something dirty.”
“Would you hush?” Exasperated, I stood and moved away.
Before I got out of reach, he caught my jacket in his fist.
I looked back at him.
“I’m sorry,” he said somberly. “I’m just…well, you look so cute when you’re flustered.”
I tugged my coat free. “I’m not here to be cute, Cormac. I’m a doctor.”
“And doctors can’t be cute?” He gave me an engaging grin, one that made it almost impossible to stay irritated with him.
“You’re incorrigible,” I told him, shaking my head. I moved to the curtain before continuing, careful to keep out of his reach. “I’m going to check with Dr. Findlay and see if she’d like to order a CT scan.” Pointing at him, I offered yet another warning. “And you need to behave.”
He laid a hand on his heart. “I wouldn’t dream of misbehaving.”
His eyes gave another message entirely, though. I had the feeling that misbehaving was his standard MO. With another warning look, I ducked out of the room.
* * *
Britney and I got pulled in to help with several victims who’d been transported to the ED following a multi-vehicle crash from the nearby interstate. The youngest victim was only five, and she’d been riding in the front seat. She was going to need facial reconstruction surgery after the airbag did some heavy damage to her face, but first, we had to stabilize her.
Although I didn’t yet have the privileges needed to operate in this hospital, Britney told me to scrub. She wanted me in there as she operated for purposes of observation.
By the time we emerged from the OR hours later, having stabilized the young girl, I was tired but oddly energized.
I ducked in to see if Cormac was still there, but he was already gone. Although I wasn’t surprised, I was a little disappointed. Trying to keep my tone casual, I asked Britney about him.
She frowned as she went through her mental file, then nodded. “He was discharged earlier. One of the other physicians took over the cases we were monitoring since we would be in surgery for a while. Why? Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine,” I assured her. I hoped I wasn’t blushing. “I was just wondering. Since I was involved with everything and all.”
She gave me a wan smile. “I didn’t even think about that.”
“It’s not a problem.”
* * *
Hours later, exhausted, I left the ED.
Although I’d gone in during the evening hours, Britney waved me out of the ED at eleven. The place was almost empty, and she managed a tired smile. “No reason for us both to stand around and be bored, right?”
I’d tried to argue, but she wouldn’t hear it.
Trudging to the physician parking lot, I went through the food I thought I still had on hand at home. My belly rumbled demandingly, and I knew I’d have to eat something, no matter how late it was. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to sleep.
The sandwich I’d gotten from the doctor’s lounge had only done so much to fill the hole in my belly, and that had been several hours ago.
I was almost to my car when I glanced up.
Nerves leaped to life inside as I caught sight of the big shadowy form looming by my car.
He took a step forward, and I instinctively tensed, only to relax as the light fell across his features.
“Cormac,” I said, surprised. He’d been discharged hours ago. “What are you doing here? You should be home resting.”
He managed a small shrug. “I wanted to see you. I didn’t cause you any problems in there, did I? I didn’t know it was your first day.”
“No.” At least I didn’t think he’d caused me any problems. “You really should be home resting.”
He hitched up a shoulder in a shrug. “I was worried. Wanted to make sure I hadn’t put you in a bad spot.” With a grin, he shoved off my car. He made it two steps before he swayed, lifting a hand to his head.
I leaped for him. “What is it? What’s wrong?” I demanded.
“Head started spinning,” he said, still wavering on his feet.
“We need to get you back into the ED.”
“No.” Cormac shook his head, jaw set stubbornly. “It’s bad enough I’ve got to figure out a way to cover all the tests and X-rays and shit. I don’t have the money to go blowing another few hours in there.”
“But what if you pass out?”
“Then I’ll drag my ass up once I come back to.” He offered a crooked grin, although there was a fine line between his eyebrows that clearly signified he was in pain. “It’s okay, Briar. I’ve been in worse shape than this.”
I took in the swelling of his eye, his still-swollen lower lip. There were the other injuries I couldn’t see—his concussion, the cracked ribs. I didn’t want to think about how bad he must have looked when he was in ‘worse’ condition.
“Where’s your ride?” I asked. I knew the look of stubbornness when I saw it. It was clearly stamped on his face. Trying to talk him into going back inside just wasn’t going to happen. I’d do the next best thing—negotiate.
Cormac’s eyes drifted away. “I’ll figure something out.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you mean by that? How exactly will you ‘figure something out?’ You’re not supposed to get discharged without having somebody here to pick you up.”
He hitched up a shoulder, then grimaced as that small gesture brought additional pain. “I might have slid out of the place while the nurse went to get a wheelchair.”
My jaw dropped.
He reached out and put a finger under my chin, gently nudging my mouth shut. “I already told you I’m new in town. It’s not like I’ve got neighbors or anybody else who could come give me a ride or anything.”
My brain was hurting. Groaning, I pressed the tips of my fingers to my eyes and tried to figure out how to handle this.
“I guess that means you don’t have anybody who can stay the night with you and make sure you’re alright,” I said, still not looking at him.
“I’ll manage.” His voice sounded suddenly tired, and I looked back at him just in time to watch as he massaged his temple. “Fuck, this headache…”
“There’s nobody who can stay with you tonight?”
He snorted. “Hell, even if I knew anybody, it’s not like I got a couch or anything for somebody to bunk on.”
“Are you telling me you…” I stopped, shaking my head because I didn’t want to think about the answer. I made up my mind, despite the voice of logic that was arguing with me, insisting I show some common sense. “Come on. You’ll stay the night at my place.”
“I can’t do that—”
I poked him in the shoulder with my index finger. “You won’t go back into the ED, you’re complaining about being dizzy, and you’re dealing with a concussion. I’m not letting you wander off to…wherever, especially knowing that you don’t have anybody who can help you out for the night. I can’t in good conscience allow it.”
He looked like he wanted to argue. But then, he winced and reached up, pressing the heel of his hand to his temple. That headache must be really killing him. “Okay. I don’t feel good enough to argue with you.”
Nine
Cormac
It felt good to sit down.
The pain in my head was enough to make me close my eyes as Briar whipped her sporty little car out of the parking lot. It was an expensive little two-seater convertible. I’d seen the Ferrari icon on it, but I couldn’t have identified the model if my life depended on it.
The sleek, sexy machine gleamed with a pristine coat of candy-apple-red paint. I had to push the seat back all the way just to fit inside, and the
leather seat molded to my ass as if it had been waiting just for me.
The car was a little flashier than I would have expected from Briar—that was up until she started driving. She took a corner, and I popped my eyes open just as she punched the gas. I immediately closed them again, and not just because of the pain in my head. Apparently, the sexy young doctor was a speed demon. My head just wasn’t up for the visuals.
I should probably feel bad, though. Although a wave of dizziness had hit me hard and fast back in the parking lot, I’d played it up a little more than necessary—okay, a lot more. Her sympathy, though, and the concern in her eyes had done something to my brain.
Now, here I was sitting in the passenger seat as she wove her way in and out of traffic like she’d spent her summers on a NASCAR racetrack. The windows were partly lowered, and cool autumn air came blowing in, offering some relief to my tired, gritty eyes.
I must have dozed off because, sooner than I’d expected, she was stopping the car. I looked over at her just as she killed the powerful engine. “Here we are,” Briar said in a neutral voice.
I shifted my attention to the house in front of us. Yet again, she’d surprised me. I’d pegged her for living in one of the condos I’d spotted down by the river, but the house was an older one, although clearly well-cared for and maintained.
It was a cute, rather quaint looking stone house with huge windows that dominated the lower floor. I didn’t have much chance to notice anything else because Briar opened her door. I pushed mine open as well and slid out of the car, bracing a hand on the door frame for a minute to make sure the dizziness wouldn’t come back and land me on my ass.
The pounding in my head increased, but everything stayed level, which I took as a good sign.
Briar came hustling over and slid her arm through mine. “Come on, let’s get you inside so you can get some rest.”
I felt like a tool, but I didn’t pull away from the support she offered, at least not until we’d made it up the steps. She gave me a worried look. “I’m going to unlock the door. Are you good?”