Free Spirits

by Linda Wisdom

  He eyed the thick dark brown hair that resisted any attempt at taming, icy blue eyes that tilted up slightly, lush mouth and exotic features. “This coming from a Cassidy?”

  “See, I’m coherent. I know all about concussions and I know the warning signs. I’ll be fine.”

  He folded the chart under one arm, resting it against his hip. “You’ve had one before?”

  “No, but I was a faithful viewer of ‘St. Elsewhere’ and I watch the reruns of ‘Marcus Welby, M.D.’ Honest, Dr. Duffy, I’ll be just fine if you’ll sign me out. And if you won’t, I’ll sign myself out.”

  He hesitated. “You really don’t want to stay here, do you?”

  “Would you, if you didn’t have to?” She sat up slowly so her head wouldn’t spin. Now that she had him believing she would be fine on her own, she didn’t want to spoil all her fine words by sitting up too quickly and falling on her face in front of him.

  He shook his head. “I still advise against it, Ms. Cassidy. You took a pretty hard blow to the head. Your friend is a nurse and she wouldn’t have brought you in here if she wasn’t worried it could turn out to be more serious.”

  “I told you. There’s someone who can keep an eye on me, and I promise if I start to see double and forget my name I’ll come right back and ask for you personally.” She flashed her most winning smile. The same one that got her out of her last parking ticket. If it could work on the local police force, there was no reason why it couldn’t work on the medical community, too.

  Dr. Duffy slowly shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ms. Cassidy. I don’t feel right in releasing you.”

  She swallowed words of exasperation. “Then I’ll just have to sign myself out.”

  ‘ ‘Tell you what, you remain here for a half hour, and when I come back we’ll talk about it,” he compromised.

  “Dr. Duffy, we need you over here,” a nurse called out, urgency strong in her voice. “Now!”

  He studied her. “Promise you’ll stay.”

  “I promise.”

  He looked at her another moment before leaving the cubicle. It wasn’t until he was out of sight that Alex lifted the hand that had been hidden behind her back, fingers crossed.

  By the time Alex signed herself out, grateful a major emergency kept Dr. Duffy too busy to argue with her, and found a cab to drive her home, she felt as if her head was ready to fly off at any moment. And here she thought a hangover was bad. Glad Beth had had the foresight to bring along her purse, she paid the driver and climbed the steps to her second-floor apartment.

  When she walked in, she found her parents seated on the couch, worry etched on their faces.

  “I have to say that when you decide to take matters into your own hands, you do it up big,” she announced, throwing her purse on the table.

  “Are you all right?” Marian stood up. “We were so worried about you, and there was no way for us to find out how you were.”

  She collapsed on the couch, her head flopping against the back. “Oh, yeah, I’m just fine. My friends give me a party to end all parties, where I end up feeling no pain until the next morning when reality sets in in the form of a killer hangover. My dead parents come back to inform me they’re not leaving until I’m married to someone they deem right for me. And because I’m going to tell my closest friend about said parents, my father trips me and I almost get killed. Yep, I’m doing great. What are you going to do for an encore? Bring Elvis home for dinner?”

  “I only meant to trip you up a little, Alex. I would never hurt you.” Patrick sighed. “It appears our visit wasn’t such a good idea, after all.”

  Alex closed her eyes against the hammers striking against her skull.

  “I know that. Besides, Beth would have thought my story was just that—a story.” She couldn’t remember ever feeling so tired. She closed her eyes. A cool hand covered her forehead, pushing her hair away.

  “Should you be home?”

  “Dr. Duffy wanted me to stay overnight, but there was no way I was going to be under the same roof as Craig,” she answered her mother’s question. “I practically swore a blood oath that I would be all right, but Dr. Duffy wasn’t about to believe me. He had the prettiest eyes.” Her voice slurred.

  Marian and Patrick exchanged telling looks.

  “Who did, dear?” Marian asked softly.

  “Dr. Duffy.” She yawned widely. “A very deep blue. Beth would call them bedroom-blue eyes. You know what a sucker she is for blue eyes.”

  Marian’s fingers moved gently over Alex’s face. “Was he nice-looking?”

  “Uh-huh.” She could see a soft mist closing in around her. Sleep never seemed more welcome.

  “Should she sleep?” Patrick spoke up.

  “As long as we wake her every hour or so to make sure she’s still alert, she’ll be fine.” Marian giggled softly. “Do you realize she forgot all about her important dinner tonight?”

  He winced. “She’ll accuse us of doing this deliberately.”

  “Since it caused her to meet someone who caught her attention, I won’t worry one little bit.”

  Dr. Michael Duffy was worn out. For a few doctors the practice of medicine meant regular office hours, perhaps a few late-night calls. For him, it meant stitching up a kid who had been hit by a baseball bat one afternoon and stitching up another kid who had been in a knife fight that night. Today was no different. After treating the victims of a car accident that wouldn’t have happened if two teenagers hadn’t been drinking heavily, he retired to the doctor’s lounge in hopes of catching a few minutes’ sleep.

  “Dr. Duffy?” A tall, blond nurse appeared in the doorway.

  He groaned. “What’s the bad news this time?”

  “Oh, no. I’m Beth Grant. I work in Pediatrics. I just came down to check on Alex Cassidy. They said you treated her.”

  He swore under his breath as he looked at his watch. The half hour he’d promised to return by had stretched into four hours.

  “I wanted her admitted overnight for observation.” He rubbed his hands over his eyes. “I’m sure she’s settled in upstairs.”

  “No, she’s not.”

  He opened his eyes. “She’s not?”

  Beth shook her head. “They told me she signed herself out. That sounds like something Alex would do. I couldn’t check on her sooner because I had to go on duty, and since we’re so shorthanded I couldn’t get away.”

  Michael forced his mind to function as he recalled the dark-haired woman with the intriguing eyes who he’d treated what seemed like a lifetime ago. A woman he couldn’t easily forget. “She did say that there was someone to look after her, so I guess she figured she could be taken care of at home. She said something about her father accidentally tripping her, so I assumed she lived with her family.” He noticed the look of alarm cross Beth’s face. “She doesn’t live with her family.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “Her parents died almost a year ago and all she has waiting at home for her is her cat.”

  Chapter Three

  “I didn’t realize doctors still made house calls.”

  “I wouldn’t have made this one if you’d listened to reason. Is it all right if I come in?”

  Alex stepped back, suddenly conscious of her tangled hair falling into her face, and her robe, comfortable but far from fashionable, and the white-knuckled fingers that gripped it. One of the times her mother woke her up earlier she had stumbled into the bedroom long enough to slip on a nightgown and the robe before falling into bed. When she roused herself long enough to realize someone was knocking on her door, she considered ignoring it until a familiar voice insisted she open up or he would find the manager to let him in. She didn’t doubt his determination to do just that. It was easier to let him in rather than cause an embarrassing scene with her gossip-hungry building manager.

  “Isn’t this carrying medical care a bit beyond the norm?” she asked.

  “My apartment building is only a few blocks away,” Michael explained.
“And Beth Grant was worried about you, but there was no way she could leave the hospital to check on you. When she tried calling you she only got your answering machine. That was when she gave me your address.” He placed one hand on either side of her head, gazing intently into her eyes. Not the look of a man fascinated but that of a doctor interested in her health. “How’s the headache?”

  “About as much fun as having your wisdom teeth extracted without the benefit of Novocain.”

  “Dizziness?”

  “No.”

  “Nausea?”

  “No, thank God.” She stared back. “If it would make you feel better I’ll recite the Gettysburg Address.”

  His slight smile warmed his features and deepened his blue eyes even more. Alex found herself utterly fascinated with the change just a smile could generate. “I think we can skip that.” He drew back. “Why did you lie to me?”

  She was instantly wary. “Lie?”

  “You told me there was someone here to take care of you. By the way you spoke about your father somehow tripping you, I assumed you lived with your parents. Beth told me differently. Why?” It was apparent he wasn’t going to leave until he received an answer.

  Alex wasn’t about to give him the truth, so she evaded as best she could. “I hate hospitals.”

  “No one is fond of them, but they aren’t that bad, either,” he said gently. “We have been known to help people.”

  “Look, my ex-husband is on staff there, and if he found out I was a patient in the ER, he’d either act the simpering concerned ex-husband, which would definitely send me into extreme nausea, or he’d try to poison my food. It was easier to just get out of there before he found out I was in the building.”

  “Who’s your ex-husband?”

  “Craig Sommers.” She was secretly pleased to see the distaste briefly flicker in his eyes. “Ah, you’ve had dealings with the good doctor. Makes you seriously consider baking him cookies with Ex-Lax instead of chocolate chips, doesn’t it?”

  “Let’s just say since we’re both on staff we tend to run into each other.” This time he was the one to evade.

  She smiled. “Very tactful, Doctor. I never could understand why he became an OB when it’s a well-known fact most babies are born at night. A big inconvenience for a man who likes to party until dawn. I realize I shouldn’t let him bug me, but past dealings have left me none too eager to see him.”

  Michael smiled and shook his head. “At least you sound coherent. That’s in your favor.”

  “Even if I’m not at my best,” she muttered, turning away. She cast a quick glance around the living room, wondering where her parents might be. She could swear she heard her mother gently suggesting she offer the man something to drink. “Would you like some coffee?”

  He shook his head. “No, thanks, I had to work two shifts because two doctors called in sick. I’ve probably had more caffeine in one day than I need for an entire year. I just wanted to come by and make sure you were all right.”

  “Well, as you can see, I’m just fine,” she said brightly, then coughed to hide her gasp when she suddenly found her parents standing behind Michael.

  He frowned. “Are you all right?”

  “Fine,” she croaked. “I just had something in my throat.” She waved her hand in front of her face.

  Michael shifted from one foot to the other, racking his brain for something brilliant to say. Being the kind of man who was more used to books and spending what precious little free time he had by himself, he wasn’t used to a lot of male/female social interaction. Especially after his last attempt at male/female social interaction had failed miserably. Here stood before him one of the most fascinating women he’d met in a long time, and he had no idea what to say to her. He doubted she’d be impressed if he told her how pretty he thought she was. She probably heard that all the time. What could he say that wouldn’t sound like some pick-up line used in a bar?

  “It’s nice you stopped by, Dr. Duffy, but I am tired.” Alex was the one to break the silence.

  He smiled briefly and nodded. “Yeah, some kind of physician I am. Just promise me something. If you have any problems…”

  She ignored the thumbs-up from her father and her mother’s nod of approval. “I’ll go directly to Emergency and not stop at Go or collect two hundred dollars. I promise.”

  He grinned. “Your promise didn’t work before.”

  She couldn’t help grinning back. “That’s because I crossed my fingers.” She held up her hands and waggled the guilty digits.

  Michael opened the door and paused. “Good night, Alex.”

  “Good night, Dr. Duffy.”

  “Dr. Duffy has a first name—Michael.” He didn’t want to admit he’d told her, because he hoped to hear her say it.

  She must have guessed his intention. “Michael. Good night.”

  It wasn’t until the door closed behind him that she turned back to the pair standing nearby. “You two are terrible. What if he’d sensed you? He might have psychic powers or something.”

  “Michael Duffy. What a nice name,” Marian mused. “You’re right, Alex. He has lovely eyes.”

  “I never said he had lovely eyes.”

  “You were a little out of it when you said it, but you did tell us about his bedroom-blue eyes.”

  Alex threw her hands up in surrender. “Fine, he has bedroom eyes. And he’s probably married with six kids.”

  “He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.”

  “Craig hasn’t worn one for any of his four—or is it five?— wives. I didn’t care to keep track.”

  “He mentioned having an apartment. Six children and apartments don’t mix.”

  Alex felt the need for a good, healthy screaming session. “So he has a wife and no children. It happens.”

  “He’s an improvement over what’s-his-name,” Patrick declared.

  She rolled her eyes. “You saw him for all of five minutes and you know that? He could be some kind of pervert!”

  “It sounds as if you’re trying to convince yourself, not us,” Marian told her.

  Determined to escape with as much of her dignity as she could, she breathed in deeply and held her head up high. “I think I’ll go to bed now.” She walked into her bedroom and carefully closed the door behind her.

  Marian looked at Patrick. “Do you think we should have told her about the messages Jason left on her answering machine? He sounded very upset.”

  He shook his head. “She can hear them tomorrow.”

  By the time Michael reached his apartment he knew what true fatigue meant. By his calculations he’d been awake almost thirty-six hours. Nothing unusual for an ER physician.

  He skirted the boxes littering the entryway and headed for the kitchen, where he debated between a much-wanted beer and a glass of orange juice. He opted for the beer. Popping the tab, he threw his head back as he drank the cold brew, then walked into the living room and fell back on the couch.

  “Alex Cassidy,” he said out loud. “Obviously an extrovert, definitely outspoken and very pretty.” Still not bothering to turn on a light, he looked around a room that was littered with boxes he hadn’t found time to unpack yet. And he had moved in six months ago. As long as he had clean clothes and food, he didn’t worry about anything else. With the hospital keeping him busier than he expected, he had no idea when they’d get unpacked.

  He lay back resting the beer can on his flat belly as he thought over the night’s events. Hands down, his most interesting patient had been Alex Cassidy. It had been a long time since he’d felt the least bit of interest in a woman, and when an unconscious woman was wheeled into the emergency room, it only took one look at her face to tell him she was different.

  All during his drive from the hospital to her apartment he kept telling himself he was only doing it because, as a doctor, he needed to check on a patient. Sure. Right. Wrong. He just wanted to see if there was a chance that she might have dinner with him on one of his infrequent free nig
hts. When she mentioned her ex-husband, he feared that she would reject any invitation to go out with him, so it remained unspoken. He wasn’t sure Alex wasn’t involved with someone. And he didn’t feel comfortable enough to ask Beth Grant about her.

  Michael hated to admit he was basically a shy man. The fact that he even showed the least bit of interest in Alex was a surprise to him. Now all he had to do was find a way to learn more about the lovely Miss Cassidy.

  “Since I’ve reached your machine, it must mean that you’re on your way to the restaurant,” Jason’s voice echoed throughout the room from the answering-machine speaker. “I had hoped you would have allowed time for traffic. Tardiness in a business situation isn’t good, Alexis.”

  Beep!

  “Alexis, where are you?” Jason now sounded impatient and angry. “Do you realize how late it is?”

  By then Alex shut off the machine and merely rewound the tape. She dreaded finding out exactly how many calls he’d made. “No one mentioned Jason’s calls,” she said casually.

  “We weren’t here,” Patrick smoothly lied.

  She turned her head. “Where did you go? Wait, I know. Trade secret, right?”

  “You weren’t feeling well last night,” Marian reminded her. “Why bother you with his calls? Besides, you were much too tired and not feeling at all well to speak to anyone.”

  And she thought the concussion was bad enough. “He obviously thinks I either forgot or deliberately stood him up!”

  “He couldn’t have thought that you might have met with an accident?” Patrick asked quietly. “If my lady didn’t show up, I would be more prone to worry about her well-being than assume she was being callous.”

  “Jason worries about me,” she defended him.

  “I didn’t hear concern in his voice, Alex. I heard impatience. It’s not the same thing.” He was adamant. “And this is the man you want to spend the rest of your life with?”

  “If he asks me, yes! He’ll be faithful and provide me with a wonderful home life,” Alex argued. “He’ll certainly give me more than Craig ever did!”