Christmas with the Best Man

by Susan Carlisle

  “That’s what I like about you, a cynic to the very end,” Helena quipped.

  Elijah chuckled. “So you do like me.”

  Helena glared at him before she walked away.

  Elijah caught up with her. “Okay, how about if I admit it has been a nice wedding?”

  She stopped and gave him a disbelieving look.

  His gaze went to her lips. “Some parts more than others.”

  She would be kissing him again if she didn’t get out of there. “I have to go.”

  “How about we share a taxi? You don’t need to be walking in the park alone at night anyway.”

  Helena couldn’t help but admit she was appreciative of the offer. “Thanks. That would be the smart thing to do.”

  “I get it. You’re only going along with me because of safety reasons.” He moved into step beside her.

  “I am. But I’m not sure you’re all that safe either.”

  “Thank you for the compliment.” Elijah took her elbow as they started down the path out of the glade.

  “It wasn’t one. Don’t you want to say goodbye to your family?” Helena hesitated.

  “Nope,” he said with finality.

  That was odd. She would never leave a family gathering without saying goodbye. What was the problem? But that wasn’t her worry. Elijah’s family life was none of her business. Tonight was just a fluke anyway.

  Minutes later they were outside the park and Elijah flagged down a taxi. He asked for her address then spoke to the driver. He helped her into the back seat then joined her. His body made contact all the way up one side of hers. She scooted away, immediately missing his warmth.

  To her surprise, they pulled into the circle drive of the ER. “Has something happened I need to know about?”

  “No, things are fine. I checked in before we left the reception but you know a good ER director’s job is never done.” Elijah gave the driver her address and some money before climbing out of the car. He looked back at her. “I’ll see you tomorrow first thing, beautiful Helena of Troy.”

  She smiled as she rode away. Elijah worked as hard as he played. She couldn’t help but admire his devotion to his job and responsibilities yet he’d left her on a charming note. The man continued to astonish her.

  * * *

  The next morning before daylight Helena entered the staff door of the hospital. It was still cold outside but the snow was starting to turn to slush. She was ready to go to work, having spent most of the night reliving Elijah’s kiss. Seeing patients would take her mind off him. How was she supposed to act around him now?

  She wasn’t inexperienced, yet she’d never been kissed by someone with Elijah’s mastery of the art. Her body still tingled at the memory of his mouth devouring hers as if she was the sweetest delicacy he’d ever tasted. He’d brought her body against his so intimately that she’d been left in no doubt of his desire. But why his sudden interest in her? More puzzling was her swift fascination with him. Whatever was going on was dangerous to her sanity as well as to the state of her heart. Still, what she wouldn’t give to experience again that hot rush of longing, that throbbing deep in her that made her feel like a wanton woman. Suddenly her biggest fear was that she wouldn’t ever have that feeling again.

  After putting her purse and overcoat in her locker, she headed down the hall toward the unit desk. She had a moment of disappointment when she didn’t see Elijah, but it was probably better that way. Hopefully, they wouldn’t share any shifts for a while and she could get him out of her system.

  “Good morning, Lauren,” she said to the unit secretary sitting behind the desk as she made her way to the bulletin board, where the weekly schedule was posted. Finding her name, she tracked across the week ahead and found she would be off Monday, on Tuesday and Wednesday, off Thursday, would work Friday and Saturday nights and be off Sunday. She then looked to see who she would be sharing the shifts with.

  Elijah!

  So much for trying to stay out of his way. He had to have done this. It was his job to set the schedule for the week. Why would he do this? What was he playing at? When she had a chance she would speak to him about it. Maybe she could trade with one of the other physicians.

  A sinking feel came over her. With Charles and Grace gone they were short a couple of doctors. Plus, no matter how hard she begged, getting someone to take a night shift was almost impossible. For now, she would be a professional and stay out of Elijah’s way as much as possible. Surely that wouldn’t be too difficult.

  “Helena, I need you in Trauma Three. Eighty-three-year-old female, having difficulty breathing. She said she didn’t want ‘no man’ touching her,” Elijah said as he came up to the desk.

  She started at the sound of his voice. So much for avoiding him.

  “A little jumpy this morning?” he asked with a little upward lift to the corner of his mouth.

  “Uh...no, no, I’m fine. I’ll go right now.” She refused to let him get the better of her.

  Elijah smiled. One of those smiles that made her heart do a little tap dance. “Thanks, and good morning.”

  “Morning,” she muttered as she walked behind him, picking up the chart he had put down and heading for the cubicle. If that was all the contact they’d have for the day, that would suit her just fine. Yet she couldn’t deny the shiver of her body as it reacted to his deep baritone. If she acted like this every time she saw him, it would be a long day. And a very long week based on the schedule.

  A minute later she entered the cubicle. “Hello, I’m Dr. Tate.”

  “Hello, hon. I’m Mrs. Shoemaker,” said the woman with gray hair with a tint of blue from where she sat on the bed. “I’m sorry to put up a fuss but I wasn’t comfortable with that handsome young doctor poking around on me.”

  “I understand. That happens sometimes. So what exactly is the problem?” Helena asked.

  “My side hurts.” She pointed to her lower right side.

  “May I have a look?”

  “Yes.” The woman moved the sheet away, only revealing the amount of skin necessary.

  Helena rubbed her hands together in an effort to warm them. “I’m sorry if my hands are cold. This may hurt some.”

  “I’ll be brave,” the woman assured her.

  Helena smiled encouragingly. “I’m sure you will be.” She placed her fingers on the spot that Mrs. Shoemaker had indicated. As Helena pushed gently, the woman winced.

  “Mrs. Shoemaker, I need to do a few tests but I’m afraid that you might need to have your appendix removed. But before I order those tests I’d like to give you a listen.” She removed her stethoscope from the side pocket of her scrubs shirt. She placed the instrument on the woman’s chest and listened, pleased to hear a strong, steady heartbeat. “Will you sit up and take some deep breaths, please?”

  Mrs. Shoemaker did as asked.

  Once again Helena was pleased with what she’d heard. “I’m going to step out and speak with the surgeon who’ll be taking over your case when I send you upstairs. She’ll take good care of you. I’ll also check in on you later.”

  “Thank you, young lady.”

  Helena patted the woman’s leg. “You’re welcome. You’ll be feeling better soon.”

  The rest of the morning consisted of a constant stream of patients, leaving little downtime. In one way Helena was happy with that as she didn’t run into Elijah often. When she did he was professional but that ever-present smile and gleam in his eye let her know he was thinking of their time together the night before. She didn’t know how she would get her life back to normal if she continued to see him.

  For years they had worked together and she’d hardly noticed him, and now she was aware of his every move. Knew which exam room he was in, which nurse he was speaking to, recognized his deep laugh and wondered where he was when sh
e didn’t see him. This hyper-awareness was unlike her and it was unnerving. She had to find a way to control it.

  It was some time after lunchtime before Helena had a chance for a break. She sank gratefully down into a chair in a staffroom. If she wanted to eat something, which her stomach said it was time to do, she needed to go to the cafeteria right away, but all she wanted to do was sit for a while and prop her feet up. The last few days of long hours, continual standing, and dancing the previous night had been exhausting as well as emotionally draining. She was glad she had tomorrow off.

  Absent-mindedly she leafed through a magazine that had been left on the table while she ate a Christmas cookie brought in by one of the staff and nursed her hot tea. She’d get up and find something substantial in a few minutes. The familiar squeak of the door told her someone had entered. Glancing up, she saw Elijah. He looked as handsome and devil-may-care as always. His hair had fallen over his forehead, making her imagine he’d been running his hands through it. Yet he still didn’t look fazed by the pace he’d kept that morning.

  He dropped a prepackaged sandwich on the table and flopped into the chair across from her. “It’s been quite a morning. Have you eaten yet?”

  “Nope. I’ve been trying to talk myself into going to the cafeteria. I think I’ll head there now.”

  “Trying to hide from me?” He was watching her closely.

  “No, why would I do that?” She made a point of sounding as if what had happened between them last night meant nothing to her. She was sure it had meant nothing to him.

  He gave her a direct look. “I don’t know. Maybe because there’s an attraction between us that you don’t want to admit.”

  She put her feet on the floor. “I think it’s time for me to go to the cafeteria.”

  Elijah put a hand up. “Stay. I’ll behave, I promise. You can have half my sandwich.”

  “I don’t want to take your lunch but I would like to talk to you about the schedule.”

  “What about it?” he asked offhandedly. “You want a drink?” He stood and headed toward the soda machine.

  “I’m fine. I saw on the schedule that we’re working together all this week. Did you do that on purpose?”

  Elijah got his can of drink and returned to his seat. Not making eye contact with her, he picked up the sandwich and started removing the clear covering. “Do you have a problem working with me?”

  “Well, no, I haven’t, but now I’d rather we didn’t.”

  He looked at her. “What if I wanted to spend some time with you and didn’t want us on opposite shifts?”

  “I’m feeling manipulated, as if I’m a mouse that you’re playing with.”

  He took a half of the sandwich and handed her the other half. “In truth, I might have made a few changes to Charles’s tentative schedule but when it came down to it that was the way it had to be. Charles and Grace aren’t here so we’re short of doctors and the others were due days off. So we ended up together. I wish I could do something about it but I’m afraid I can’t.”

  Helena didn’t know if she believed that or not. Her stomach growled. Not wanting to appear petty, she took the half of the sandwich he offered.

  After a long pull on his soda Elijah said, “You can try to trade with someone if you want to but you might find you’ll miss seeing me.”

  “I can tell that your overactive ego hasn’t been injured.” Trading shifts would most likely be a waste of time. She’d work her week with him then stay out of his way as much as possible. Elijah wasn’t going to get the better of her.

  He gave her a pointed look. “Maybe I’m just covering up my feelings with a little bravado.”

  He’d implied she was doing that as well. This conversation was headed somewhere she didn’t want to go.

  A nurse opened the door and stuck her head in. “Hey, you two. There’s been a two-car taxi accident. Rolling this way.”

  Cramming the last of the sandwich in his mouth, Elijah stood and finished his drink on his way out the door. Helena was right behind him, dropping her half-eaten food in the trash can. He hurried to the unit desk. “What do we have?”

  “A family of four. Thirty-one-year-old male, twenty-nine-year-old female, three- and two-year-old females. Sixty-four-year-old male, fifty-five-year-old male. Lacerations on the arm and leg of three-year-old. Labored breathing with decreased breaths in thirty-one-year-old male. Female with compound fracture to the tibia and fibula. Laceration to forehead of fifty-five-year-old and sixty-four-year-old is complaining of chest pressure. Two-year-old no obvious injuries. ETA fifteen.”

  “Alice,” Elijah said to a nurse, “let the blood bank know that we may be calling on them. Also, notify X-Ray we’ll need the portables over here stat. Helena, I’d like to put the family in the exam room where we can partition it off yet the parents are close enough to see their children. We can easily get permission for care that way. The other two men can go in Trauma Six and Seven. Lauren, also call up to Patient Services and get someone down here to help us with the child, after we give her a look. She doesn’t sound hurt.”

  “Yes, Elijah,” the unit secretary said, and picked up the phone.

  * * *

  Elijah and Helena were waiting at the large double doors when the ambulances rolled to a stop. They rushed out to meet the EMTs unloading the patients. “I’ll get this one. You see to them.”

  His ambulance held the mother and the two-year-old who looked uninjured. “They go to Exam Four and Five,” he said to the EMT. As he walked beside the mother he said, “I’m Dr. Davenport. Dr. Tate and I’ll be taking care of your family.”

  The woman gave him a weak smile.

  Helena, along with the father and other child, was headed into the hospital as well. She was speaking softly to the scared little girl. Helena was good with the children. She had a sweet voice and manner that settled them, showing she’d make a great mother, something she had said she wanted. Parenting wasn’t something he’d ever planned on.

  Less than a minute later he was getting a report from the EMT about what had been done to the woman’s leg and the latest list of vitals. He turned to the mother. “X-Ray should be here soon to take a picture of your leg then we’ll get you up to the OR and all patched up.”

  “What about my husband?” The woman’s brow lowered with concern.

  “I’ll check on him in a minute. He’s in good hands with Dr. Tate. He’s just next door. I’d like to give you a listen then I want to check out your little girl. Then we can maybe pull this curtain back and you can see your husband. Right now, I need you to remain calm, both for youself and your children.”

  A nurse came in and helped get the woman situated as he listened to her chest.

  Alarms started going off behind the curtain. Elijah left the woman in the nurse’s care and went to help Helena.

  “Hemothorax,” she said to the nurses and techs working around the bed as he hurried in. “I need a sixteen-gauge angiocatheter and flutter valve. Stat.”

  Elijah pulled his stethoscope off his neck. “I’ll listen while you do the procedure.”

  The nurse handed Helena the requested supplies. After scrubbing the chest with Betadine, she slowly inserted the needle between the second intercostal space just above the third rib a couple of centimeters from the sternal edge. “Level of IV?”

  The nurse answered and she nodded slightly.

  Smart girl. Helena was watching for a pneumothorax.

  Helena kept the needle in an upright position. Soon there was a hissing sound from the air escaping. She slowly removed the needle leaving the catheter in place.

  “How does he sound?” she asked him. She continued to focus on her work.

  “Breathing easier,” Elijah said.

  With the help of the nurse she secured the catheter and added a valve. She told the
nurse, “Let them know in the OR we’re sending this patient up Stat. I also want another CBC draw.”

  The nurse hurried to do as requested. Helena finally looked at him. “Thanks.”

  Elijah nodded. “No problem.” He returned to the wife to reassure her that her husband would be fine. He was in the process of examining the child when a woman from Patient Services showed up to see about her. Soon after that the mother was on her way to surgery. After giving the little girl a thorough exam, he declared her fine.

  He had to admit the little cherub was cute. No doubt Helena wanted a house-load of them. Not him. He loved Charles’s boys but children needed a father who would be there day in and day out. Elijah had no plans to get involved in a relationship like that. Why did that one short conversation with Helena even have him thinking about something like that?

  On his way to see the other injured, he checked in with her. She was putting the last of the stitches in the other little girl’s leg. Her movements were efficient and she was talking reassuringly to the girl as she worked, yet when she glanced at him there was something in her eyes he couldn’t put a name to. Pain, fear, distance? None of those would he associate with Helena. Since when did he think after one kiss he knew her so well?

  “I’m headed to see about the taxi drivers,” Elijah told her.

  “I’m almost done here. I’ll be there in a moment,” she said as she tied a stitch.

  Elijah entered Trauma Six. A heavy-set man lay on the gurney. “I’m Dr. Davenport. Do you hurt anywhere?”

  “Just my head. What I really want to know is where that idiot is that put me in here. I’m losing money, sitting around here.” The man moved to sit up.

  “I understand. I’ll have you patched up in a minute.” Elijah already didn’t like the guy. He hadn’t even asked about the family that had been in the accident.

  A few minutes later Elijah finished putting a few stitches in the man’s forehead. A raised voice from the next-door cubicle drew his attention.