by Scott, Laura
“I know.” Jared reached up and yanked on his hair with both hands as if to pull the strands right out of his head. “This place is driving me nuts. I have a Board of Directors to answer to. I’ll give you this one, Jarvis. We’ll write this trip off as your way of getting back in the air after the forced landing. But don’t try this sort of stunt again.”
“I’m not planning to,” Reese agreed.
Samantha tugged on Jared’s arm. “Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you about something.”
“Sure.” Resigned, Jared’s anger deflated into a puff of smoke. He spun on his heel and headed toward his office. Samantha and Reese followed.
Samantha sent him a questioning look. “I’m fine, Reese. You don’t need to stay glued to my side.”
The dread in his gut swirled like aviation fuel mixing with water. “Oh. I didn’t realize you needed to talk to Jared in private.” He couldn’t prevent his tone from sounding stiff, formal.
Her expression softened. “It’s nothing like that. You can come if you’d like.”
He wasn’t reassured but couldn’t bring himself to leave. In Jared’s office, she went straight to the point. “I need a favor. I’ve decided not to continue in emergency medicine after I graduate.”
What? Reese stared at her. She loved her job. Her ex was finally out of the picture. What was she talking about?
“What do you need from me?” Jared asked, his forehead furrowed with concern.
“I need a recommendation for placement in the critical care fellowship program.” She spoke in a rush. “They have one at Trinity Medical Center. I’ve decided I don’t like handing over the care of my patients to the critical care team. I need to take a more active role in making them well.”
Jared’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’ll probably need an extra year of medical residency to qualify,” he warned her. “Plus, the fellowship is for three years. On the other hand, they have open positions to fill. You stand a good chance of landing one here.”
“I know.” Samantha’s face practically glowed. “I spend too much time wondering about how my patients are doing. And this is probably something I should have done a long time ago.”
Reese couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He should have been elated by her news, but he couldn’t shake the inward feeling of alarm. If Samantha was staying in Milwaukee, he had a chance at a real relationship. Possible future. Marriage. The home. Children.
All the things he once planned with Valerie.
He swallowed hard. Now that the coast was clear, he hesitated on the edge of the cliff, unable to jump. What if he committed himself to Samantha, only to lose her anyway?
“Reese?” Samantha waved a hand in front of his eyes, her voice full concern. “Are you all right? Maybe you should sit down.”
“I’m fine.” His voice was muffled as if he were talking through the thickness of his helmet. He cleared his throat and tried again. “What about San Diego?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “San Diego?”
“Yeah. Your family lives there.” He felt foolish but pressed on. “I overheard you talking to Jared about moving back home once you graduated.”
“I didn’t realize you knew about that.” Samantha tilted her head quizzically, then shrugged her shoulder. “That was the old me talking. The one who used to try to run from Dennis. But I don’t want to leave.” She smiled. “I want to stay here, in Milwaukee.”
Panic swished and sloshed like a half empty rain barrel in his chest. “You do?”
Her questioning gaze turned into a wounded one, and he knew his reaction wasn’t what she’d hoped to hear. Still, she squared her shoulders and glanced away. “Yes, I do. I have friends here. I don’t want to leave.”
Reese fell silent. Samantha had bravely fought against Markowitz and won. Did he possess the same bravery to fight against the ghosts in his past?
To love again, without any guarantee of forever?
SAMANTHA STOOD in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear. Jared had called a few hours earlier, asking her to attend the Children’s Memorial Hospital fundraiser ball in his place because Shelly was sick. Samantha had agreed to go, although she wasn’t in the mood to celebrate.
She hadn’t seen Reese in days since they’d both been grounded. Now that Dennis wasn’t a threat, she suspected their schedules wouldn’t match.
Not that it should matter either way. She needed to finish these last few months at Lifeline. Going into critical care was the right decision for her career. She probably would’ve made the switch sooner if she’d been thinking clearly. So what if her goal of becoming a physician was put off for another couple of years? She had the rest of her life.
A life that obviously didn’t include Reese. The back of her eyes ached with the effort to hold back tears. He’d overheard her plan to move to San Diego after graduation. Clearly, he’d kissed her, grown close to her while thinking the relationship was temporary.
No surprise. She always knew he was still hung up on Valerie.
She should’ve understood. Reese wasn’t the type of a guy to fall in love easily. Still, she’d hoped . . .
Never mind. She would be happy that Dennis was in jail and that she had her life back. Ridiculous to want more.
She pulled out the only real formal dress she owned, a long red velvet dress that clung to her figure with a slit that showed off her legs when she walked. An eye-catching dress, but one she’d wear without enthusiasm.
She quickly put on a little makeup and fluffed her hair, leaving it down to wave around her shoulders. A glance at her watch made her grab a wool shoulder wrap and head for the door.
Jared had mentioned something about a car picking her up, but she hadn’t expected to see a stretch black limo parked outside her modest apartment building. When she stepped outside, a driver, dressed sharply in black, jumped out to open the door for her.
“Thank you.” She slid into the seat and glanced around inside. She didn’t mind being spoiled, but somehow her sense of loneliness only increased sitting in the expansive back seat. Alone. A limo ride was something to be shared.
Her heart ached, wishing Reese could love her, but she’d been down that road before. Dennis hadn’t loved her either. He had been obsessed with controlling her and had been jealous of her success in a career he’d failed in, but he hadn’t loved her.
She pushed thoughts of Reese aside and tried to enjoy her brief foray in luxury.
The limo driver let her out in front of the Milwaukee Art Museum, which overlooked Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee. The white structure was unique, inside and out. Samantha clutched her wrap and gazed around the expanse of glass and marble foyer.
A discrete host took her wrap when she introduced herself, telling him she was representing Dr. Jared O’Connor from Lifeline Air Rescue.
“We are pleased to have you here, Dr. Kearn. Can I get you something to drink?”
“A glass of Chardonnay, thank you.”
Samantha gazed around the room, searching for a familiar face. When she didn’t find anyone she knew, she took a sip of her wine and escaped the crowd by heading down the core door to a special Vincent van Gogh exhibit.
The impressive paintings on the walls reflected her pensive mood. How long since she’d taken the time to appreciate art? She paused before a breathtaking scenic painting, The Bridge at Trinquetaille.
“Nice, but not nearly as beautiful as you.”
Samantha slowly turned toward the familiar husky male voice behind her.
“Hello, Reese.” She could barely get the greeting past the constriction in her throat. He was incredibly handsome in a tux, seemingly at home in formalwear as he was in his navy blue flight suit. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Jared asked me to come in his place. He must’ve asked you, too.”
“Yes.” She raised a brow. “You didn’t get a limo ride, though.”
He tucked his hands in his pockets. “Maybe you’ll s
hare with me on the ride home.”
She hesitated, then nodded, already missing the easy companionship she shared with him during their flights. The awkwardness between them now was painful. “Of course.”
“I’d like to talk to you for a moment. Have a seat.” She did as he asked, but the somber expression on his face made her heart squeeze painfully. Did Reese feel he needed to give her the brush-off in person? Because if so, she could save him the trouble.
“Samantha, there’s so much I need to explain to you. About me. About Valerie.”
She tensed, not sure she wanted to hear this. She’d been in his apartment a few times, but she couldn’t remember seeing any pictures of his fiancée. In fact, the thing that had struck her the most had been his lack of décor.
No pictures of him and his fiancée hung on the walls. No personal knickknacks sat on tables. There was no evidence of a personal previous life. With a frown she wondered if he kept a picture of Valerie in his bedroom. Or had he locked all the visual reminders away deep in his heart?
“You don’t need to explain anything to me, Reese. Really, I understand. I know what you’re trying to tell me.”
“You do?” He looked shocked by her statement.
With a sense of defeat, she nodded. He had come after her when Dennis had grabbed her. It was only fair she let him off the hook now. “We became close under rather bizarre circumstances, and things moved quickly. Too quickly.”
“Marry me.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
There was a hint of laughter in his eyes. “I thought you knew what I was going to say? Well, this is it. I’m asking if you would please marry me.”
Stunned, she stared at him. “But—I thought—You were so . . .”
Reese dropped beside her on the bench seat, took her hand in his, and slipped a modest diamond ring on her finger. “This ring belonged to my grandmother, but you can choose another if you prefer. Valerie didn’t like it and never wore it. I’ve been thinking about us, about the future. You are so amazing, Samantha, so courageous. I wish I could say the same for me, but I’m slow. It took me a while to admit I’ve been running from commitment because I was afraid of losing you.”
“But I’m not lost,” she whispered.
“I know.” He smiled, and her heart simply melted. “I’m not lost anymore either. What I had with Valerie was precious, but it also wasn’t meant to be. I love you, Samantha. More than I ever thought I’d love anyone again.” He cleared his throat. “I know there aren’t any guarantees, but I’ll take whatever time we’re given. Life was meant to be shared with someone you love.”
“Oh, Reese.” She didn’t know what to say.
“So, I’m asking you again, will you please marry me?” His gaze was serious on hers.
She couldn’t imagine a more beautiful proposal. For a moment, she gazed down at his grandmother’s ring. The setting was dainty with a dazzling center stone. She could hardly believe he cared enough to give her his grandmother’s ring. And that Valerie hadn’t liked it. Her eyes misted, and she lifted her gaze to his.
“I love you, too, Reese. I learned being with you gives me strength. When you came after me in the Lifeline helicopter, I realized I wanted to fight for a chance at love.”
Reese tugged her off the seat and up into his arms. “Build a life with me.” He kissed her. “Have children with me.” He kissed her again. “Let’s live every day to the fullest.” He kissed her a third time, lingering over her mouth.
Surrendering her heart to Reese was easy, for he gave her his in return. A true partnership. Everything she’d always wanted.
“Yes.” She smiled through her tears. “Starting now and for the rest of our lives.”
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed A Doctor’s Secret, the second book in my Lifeline Air Rescue series. As a critical care nurse, I was fortunate enough to do a ride along with our very own Flight For Life, and while we didn’t have any hard landings, I was able to chat with a pilot who didn’t hesitate to share his experiences. The airline industry in general is very safe, but crashes do happen. My heart goes out to anyone who experienced such an event in their lives.
Reviews are very important to authors, so if you enjoyed this story, please take a moment to leave a review at the platform from which you purchased the story. I would be very grateful!
I love hearing from my readers! You can find me through my website at www.laurascottbooks.com, on Facebook at Laura Scott Author, and on Twitter @laurascottbooks. Also take a moment to sign up for my newsletter, I offer an exclusive and free novella to my newsletter subscribers.
Lastly, if you’re interested in the next book of the series, A Doctor’s Dilemma, the first chapter is included here.
Until next time,
Laura Scott
15
A DOCTOR’S DILEMMA
Flight nurse Kate Lawrence swallowed a laugh as she entered the hangar at Lifeline Air Rescue. She’d caught a glimpse of a funny sign on the side of a passing truck and wanted to remember the joke for her granddad.
Katie girl, laughter is the best medicine. If people would learn to laugh more, you nurses would be out of a job. He was always trying to top her jokes, having passed along his quirky sense of humor to her. She needed to call him after work anyway, to make sure he was doing all right. Her parents were gone on their three-week European anniversary trip, and she promised to look after him.
She entered the debriefing room to find Lifeline pilot Reese Jarvis and Dr. Ethan Weber, the senior emergency medicine resident, on duty. Both already seated and apparently waiting for her. Was she late? She glanced at the clock to make sure she hadn’t lost five minutes someplace. Nope, it was five minutes before seven. Whew. Reese grinned, but Ethan scowled.
“It’s about time,” Ethan snapped. “We’ve been waiting.”
“Sorry.” Even his bad mood wasn’t enough to wipe the mirth from her face. The sign flashed in her mind again, making her grin.
“You think that’s funny?”
“No, the sign I saw on the plumber’s truck was funny. The slogan painted along the side of his van read: Don’t sleep with the drip, call me!” She giggled. “I wonder how many women actually call him every day? Can you imagine?”
Reese chuckled, but Ethan seemed to have been born without the humor gene because he stared at her for a long moment as if she were some sort of alien species he needed to dissect and name. Finally, he looked away.
“Now that you’re here, we can get started.” He looked at the off-coming shift doctor, Zane Taylor, and Ivan Ames the paramedic on duty. “How did everything go last night? Any problems?”
The fact that Ethan didn’t find the plumber slogan funny almost made her burst into another fit of giggles. Kate bit down hard on her lip to get herself under control. Humor was a good thing; she was a firm believer in the healing power of laughter. Her goal was to laugh every day, but clearly the handsome flight doctor didn’t share her view. He wasted no time in getting down to business.
She remembered Ethan from the classroom training, but she hadn’t flown with him before today. Since they’d just finished the final sessions a few days ago, it was possible this was one of his first solo flights. If so, maybe that explained why he was so uptight. Then again, he’d been seriously intense during the educational classes, too. And now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember ever seeing him so much as smile.
Hmm. Time to change that attitude.
“We responded to two flight calls during the night,” Zane reported. “One was an ICU to ICU transfer. A nineteen-year-old male college student diagnosed with Wegner’s disease was transported from Cedar Bluff Hospital to Trinity Medical Center with eight chest tubes, and—”
“Eight?” Ethan interrupted. “Not eight. You’re kidding, right?”
Zane pursed his lips and slowly shook his head. “Not kidding. I counted. There were eight.”
“Why on earth would anyone put in eight che
st tubes? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“I don’t know, but I called the accepting physician to make sure he knew about them.” Zane shrugged. “He did, so we took off. Luckily, the transport went off without a hitch.”
“We’ll need to do a post-flight follow-up visit,” Ethan muttered. “Hope the poor kid makes it.”
“He will.” Kate spoke firmly because, along with humor, she also believed in positive thinking.
“Our second flight was a scene call, car versus tree,” Zane continued. “Driver was intoxicated and suffered multiple injuries but should do all right. We transported him to Trinity Medical Center as well.”
“Uh-oh. Score one for the tree, driver has a big goose egg,” Kate joked with a wince. Medical humor could be a little on the grim side.
Ethan ignored her. “Weather conditions?”
Reese spoke up. “Temperature in the mid-forties Fahrenheit. Winds may be a problem—coming out of the north, gusting up to thirty miles per hour. No precipitation expected, though.” Reese flashed a grin. “Hey, what can you expect from your average Wisconsin spring day?”
“Any pending flight calls?” Ethan wanted to know.
“Nope.” Zane yawned widely. “You’re in waiting mode. Anything else? I’d like to head home. I’m beat.”
“Drive carefully.” Ethan still didn’t smile as he stood and slipped out of the debriefing room, heading for the lounge.
“What is up with him?” she wondered out loud, staring after him with a puzzled frown.
Reese shrugged. “He’s new. I don’t know much about him. Maybe he’s nervous.”
“Could be.” She was willing to give the somber physician the benefit of the doubt. She didn’t remember doing anything during training to merit such a standoffish response. Her gaze swung back to Reese. “Was Sam nervous during her first flight?”
“Yeah.” Reese’s eyes lit up at the mention of his new wife. The wedding had been small, but very romantic. Kate had shed a few tears when Dr. Samantha Kearn had become Dr. Samantha Jarvis. “She was but claimed my voice helped keep her calm and steady.”