Her Hometown Hero

by Melody Anne

  Not Sage.

  “Seriously, Spence? Does that look really work on women? You just bat your pretty green eyes and they fall right in line with whatever you want?” The words came out like honey, but he was searching for the angry bees that were about to sting him.

  “What has got you so pissed off? Just because I didn’t recognize you? Sorry about that, but it’s been a while. I’m just trying to . . . reconnect.” He was beginning to feel irritation to match hers—her behavior was incredibly rude. This was his home—well, his dad’s house—and she was a guest. She should be a little more polite.

  “You are unbelievable. You walk over here, expecting what exactly I don’t know, and then get offended that I’m not charmed by you. I haven’t fallen for your charm since I was a pathetic kid, so you’re wasting your time. Why don’t you go dance with Cindy? It looks to me like her claws have come out and she’s ready to sink them into some unsuspecting man—or in your case, a suspecting one. The two of you seem to be searching for the same thing tonight.”

  She tried to push past him, but his free hand shot out and he grabbed her arm.

  “How about a dance?”

  “Do you never give up? Is this because your ego is bruised? Sorry, but I don’t want to hang out. Find some simpering female who wants your company.”

  “Did I personally offend you, or are you just one of those man-hating women?”

  She stared at him with an open jaw for a moment and then closed her eyes for the briefest second before opening them again and locking their gazes. “I once had a crush on you. It’s long past. I don’t associate with men who think dating and bedding a woman are the same thing. I also don’t date men who engage in adding notches to their bedpost as a competitive sport. So tell me, Spence. Where do you expect this flirtation to go?”

  “Whoa, slow down,” he said with a laugh. “I’m just trying to get to know you.” He was charming, dammit. Why wasn’t she taking the bait?

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought maybe you were just hoping to get me into your bed,” she said with a knowing look.

  “Well, if we hit it off . . .” He quickly found out that wasn’t a wise thing to say.

  “We won’t. Trust me,” she said, her expression pure ice, before she pushed him out of her way and sauntered off, mesmerizing him with the sway of her hips. Little Sage had her own claws, claws much deadlier than those wielded by the woman she’d spoken about so dismissively. Sure, Ms. Banks was hot, but she obviously had mental issues. Maybe he should just let this one go.

  “Ouch! That looked painful,” Austin said with laughter when he and Hawk came up.

  “Standing nearby the whole time?”

  “I’m just bummed I couldn’t take video,” Austin said with a shake of his head.

  “I can’t guarantee that I didn’t,” Hawk said.

  “You both suck. I think my pride may be bruised,” Spence said, though they all knew he was far from a puppy who needed to lick his wounds.

  “I guess you owe me fifty bucks,” Austin said.

  “And me,” Hawk added.

  “How about triple or nothing? This might take a little time, though.”

  “Game on!” Austin and Hawk exclaimed.

  “Oh yeah. Game on.” Spence wore a confident smile. This could be fun.

  FIVE MONTHS LATER

  “Code silver to ER room six, code silver to ER room six.”

  Dammit, Spence thought. It was the first time all afternoon he’d had a chance to sit down with a cup of coffee and a bunch of charts. He was six patients behind and needed to catch up. To make matters worse, he’d just spilled his coffee. “Oh well . . . there’s more where that came from.” Rising quickly from his chair, he began moving down the familiar halls of the hospital he loved so much.

  Walking to the code, he hoped this wasn’t going to be a waste of his time—codes of this type often turned out to be nothing. Not much surprised him anymore. He’d seen it all . . . or so he thought. Turning the corner, he found a crowd was growing outside one of the ER rooms. When he pushed past the people, he discovered why.

  Maureen—“Mo” as she was known in the emergency department—was a tough veteran nurse. She had a reputation for eating doctors and nurses alive, especially if they weren’t doing the right thing for her patient. She was either loved and respected or rightfully feared. Spence had heard rumors that more than one new doctor ended in near tears telling them how Mo had kicked them out of the room for being “chronically stupid.” Spence had liked her immediately from the very first shift he’d worked at Sterling Grace Medical.

  This, however, was not a situation Spence was used to seeing. A “frequent flyer” psychiatric patient had Mo in a headlock while still in his hospital bed, and he was holding a knife to her rib cage with his other hand.

  Looking more pissed off than scared, Mo kept him talking as calmly as she could, her voice lower than Spence had ever heard it.

  “You don’t want to do this, Mr. Ashton. I’m trying to help you.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re a part of them. The government sent you—I know it!” the man screamed, his shaky hand bringing the knife’s blade up to the crucial vein in Mo’s throat.

  As Spence took a step closer to assess the situation, to figure out how to save Mo, he noticed all eyes were on Sage Banks. She slowly walked up to the patient, talking low and saying soothing things.

  “Mr. Ashton, you need to be careful. Mo’s husband, Vec, is a paralytic and she supports him.”

  Mo was eyeing Sage with a questioning look on her face as were the rest of the staffers, including Spence. When a lightbulb of understanding lit in the nurse’s eyes, Spence tried to clue in to what was happening.

  All of them knew Mo was a widow. As he watched the scene unfold before him, he noticed Sage holding a small vial and syringe close to her leg. He could just make out the word vecuronium on the vial, and Spence knew instantly that Sage intended to paralyze the patient.

  Sage was smart and could clearly think under pressure—this was the perfect solution to a potentially deadly situation. The paralytic drug would render the patient helpless but wouldn’t cause any long-term damage.

  Sage inched closer to the patient, talking softly, without losing eye contact, then picked up his IV tubing and injected the medication without his noticing. Within seconds the patient’s arms went limp, and Mo was freed from his grip.

  Spence ran forward, grabbing the nurse and pulling her from the room while the rest of the trauma team took care of Mr. Ashton.

  “Are you okay, Mo? Wow that was a first,” Spence said with a smile of disbelief on his lips.

  “Are you kidding me? This was the second time that’s happened to me today,” Mo said, trying to hide the fact that she’d been shaken up. She wasn’t about to show any weakness, especially in front of a mere man.

  Her sarcastic remark left Spence with a grin on his face, grateful that this had ended so smoothly. “I have no doubt you were in control the entire time,” he told her.

  She eyed him for a minute before grumbling something and then turning to leave. She swiveled back and looked him in the eye. “Just so you know, that girl in there is a good one. Keep an eye on her.”

  Spence had no doubt she was talking about Sage. There was a long pause before his lips tilted up in a full-fledged smile. “Don’t you worry, I fully intend to.”

  “If anyone wants me, I’ll be on a cigarette break. On second thought, if anyone wants me, they can just wait until I feel like coming back into this loony bin.”

  With that, Mo was gone, leaving Spence to admire the woman’s courage and bluntness. Then he turned back and looked in on Sage.

  He could see that shock over the events was beginning to set in, but she was still working hard to ensure that the patient would be okay. In high-stress situations, there wasn’t time to hesitate or process all of what was going on. A person just had to move and move fast.

  When she turned and smiled weakly at the patient
in the next bed over, Spence was impressed again by her composure. She just shook off her nerves and checked on him, too.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I seem to be doing better than you or that other guy,” the man tried to joke.

  Sage gave him a big smile before responding. “You’re lucky I didn’t give that medicine to you instead—you look a little shady yourself.”

  The man paused for a second before a glimmer lit his eye and he smiled at her. With one joke, all the tension in the room evaporated.

  “If I was forty years younger, you could have given me anything you wanted and I would have been okay with it.” Picking up her hand, he smiled and kissed her wrist, making Sage laugh.

  “Flattery will get you everywhere in this hospital,” she said before pulling up his blankets and then turning and leaving the room.

  “Everywhere? Hmmm, interesting,” Spence said in a deep drawl.

  Spence watched as the tension immediately returned to her shoulders.

  “Really, Dr. Whitman? Is it polite to eavesdrop on conversations that have nothing to do with you?” Sage asked, obviously not in the mood to banter with him.

  And as much as he’d have liked to flirt with her, they needed to have a professional talk. “Follow me,” he told her, and he could read her eyes. She was thinking, Who the hell does this guy think he is to give me an order like that?

  Her words didn’t quite match her thoughts, of course. “I need a break. Maybe later,” she said as she turned to leave.

  “I don’t think so, Dr. Banks. This is important.” He turned, knowing she would follow. She had a backbone, but when he put on the white jacket, he was in charge, and she knew it. She’d learned that in the five months she’d been a resident. He wasn’t often at her hospital, but when he was, he was very much in charge.

  She’d fought him the first couple of times they’d worked together. Then she had learned that he had a lot to teach, and she was an eager student.

  “Fine,” she said.

  He didn’t think she was going to be too happy about the news he had to tell her, but he also knew she’d get over it. That’s one thing he appreciated about Sage. She adapted well, and she was going to make a hell of a fine doctor. He was grateful to know he’d be a big part of her training.

  It was time to introduce himself as her new boss.

  What was he doing here?

  Sage was quite proud that she’d managed to avoid Spence most of the time. He spent only a few days a month at her hospital, and she hadn’t been alone with him once while he was there. She hated to admit it, but he was a hell of a teacher, and she would normally be eager to learn from a man of his skills.

  But since she couldn’t think of him in a nonsexual way, she figured she was better off learning from anyone else. It seemed that lately, though, exhaustion was always muddling her brain, and she couldn’t figure out what she wanted or needed anymore.

  Might as well get this over with. Of course, it was just her luck that she was on the clock and couldn’t be rude to Spence. She could at least think unladylike thoughts about him, though. There was nothing he could do about that.

  “You did well in there, Sage.”

  “I’d prefer you call me Dr. Banks.” Well, that might have been a tad rude, but he could suck it up.

  “Why so formal? It’s not as if we don’t know each other,” he replied, not acting in the least offended by her tone and demand.

  “Dr. Whitman, I’ve had a long day, and I have a much longer night ahead of me. Could you just tell me whatever it is that you have to say so I can try to grab a ten-minute break before the next disaster?”

  There, that was straightforward and professional. Okay, maybe a bit catty, but his ego was large enough that he wouldn’t be offended. Plus¸ she was sure there were plenty of nurses present who’d gladly bandage any injuries she inflicted upon him. Hell, they’d kiss all his wounds and make them better.

  And yet her words seemed to trigger some sort of response from him. The corners of his mouth lifted and a gleam shined in his eyes. He was enjoying this dance they seemed to be in. Truth be told, so was she, though she was fighting against it like crazy.

  “Yes, your night is just beginning, isn’t it? Don’t fret, I’ll be alongside you the rest of the evening,” he said as he took a step closer, causing her to retreat automatically.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Hasn’t anyone told you?”

  “Told me what?” She was thoroughly confused, and with an already muddled brain, she wasn’t finding this guessing game at all enjoyable. She was used to being the smartest person in the room. But she was now surrounded by experienced medical staff and was just one of many highly intelligent people.

  “I’ve just taken over as the head of the ER.” Spence waited for her reaction.

  But Sage knew he wanted to see emotion in her face, could tell by the way he’d delivered the message, dragging out the drama. Well, he would be disappointed.

  “Fine. I need caffeine” was all she said as she turned on her heel and strode toward the doctors’ lounge. Thankfully, they’d recently installed a beautiful espresso machine and she would never have to worry about caffeine withdrawal again while at work.

  During her college years, she’d gone days and days on nothing but mocha lattes. Yes, she was a doctor, and yes, she knew she had a very poor diet, but didn’t everyone have vices of one sort or another? It wasn’t as if she smoked, did drugs, or drank much alcohol. If she wanted sugar to be her poison of choice, she dared anyone to question it. It looked like mochas would be her staple for as long as she was a doctor. Hey, there were a lot of calories in a mocha, so she didn’t have to worry about starvation—just the caffeine shakes.

  Scratch that whole idea. Serious shakes weren’t a good idea at all—not if she wanted to help people. So she decided on only a small mocha coffee, then sat down and waited impatiently while Spence, who’d followed her, got his own cup. Could he be lying to her about working here permanently?

  “I thought you were some big-shot doctor in Seattle.”

  “I am,” he replied.

  She certainly didn’t have to worry about hurting his ego. It seemed to be invulnerable. And she was getting tired of this game.

  “Well, even you, Dr. Whitman, with all your superpowers, can’t be in two places at once.”

  “I just accepted this job so I can be close to my dad. I will still fly to Seattle a few days of the month and do surgeries, so I’m working for both places. Like before, only switched.”

  “But . . . I . . . I interviewed with Dr. Thompson. He’s my boss. He said he’d been here forever—and that he was part of the place, someone who was never going to leave.” If she said it, then it had to be true. It had to be!

  “Dr. Thompson is retiring next week, actually. It’s been very hush-hush. He bought a condo in Mexico and is moving on.”

  “He’s too young!”

  “Just because you don’t want him to go isn’t going to change the situation, Sage. Deal with it,” he said, sitting back and crossing a foot over his knee.

  “It’s just that . . . well, someone should have told me if there were plans on changing the supervising doctors. It might have made a difference on where I decided to do my residency.”

  She was trying to calm down, but the longer he sat there with his trademark smirk and sparkling green eyes, the more she wanted to throw her hot mocha in his face and make some phone calls. She’d beg for another hospital to take her away from here.

  “Like I said, it’s been very hush-hush. Only the board and I know he’s leaving. I can trust you not to tell—correct? It will be announced tomorrow.” He looked at her with eyebrows raised in question, implying that he might have made a big mistake in divulging the secret.

  “I have no one other than Grandma and Grace to tell. It’s not as if I’ve had a chance to make friends or catch up with anyone since moving home,” she snapped. Not that she would
run around town saying anything anyway.

  Good ol’ trustworthy Sage. It was every girl’s dream to be that person. The person everyone ran to with their problems. She’d like to be the bad girl for once, the girl everyone ran to for a bit of fun. Of course, that was never going to happen, so it was useless to even think such thoughts.

  “So, you’re my boss, but that’s just a title. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to be hanging around down here. You have much more important things to do. You’ll just . . . um . . . come in once in a while to check on how things are going, right?”

  She knew she sounded almost desperate, but there was no possible way she could be around this man every single day. It wasn’t like she got much time off. Residents seemed to be working every waking hour, and she wasn’t allowed much time for sleep—not if she wanted to get through this and be a full-fledged ER physician when her residency was finished.

  “I take a very hands-on approach with my residents,” he said, leaning forward and smiling with reassurance. He was playing—and he was doing it damn well.

  “And how many residents are you in charge of?” Please say twenty, she added silently.

  After an uncomfortably long pause, his lips parted. “Don’t worry, Sage, I will take a hands-on approach with all of you.”

  She gulped as their eyes remained locked together. “I . . . uh . . . better get back to the ER.”

  “Sage?” he called out when she was just beginning to open the door.

  “Yes, Dr. Whitman.” Keep it professional, she told herself.

  “I just want to give you fair warning,” he said, making her turn to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “I will be taking you out. In the interest of not breaking hospital rules, I’ll wait until you’re off the clock.”

  She nearly gasped at his audacity before a cheeky grin flashed across her face. “Well, then, I have nothing to worry about. I’m never off the clock.”

  She left the room, letting the door swing shut behind her. It would have felt far more like a victory if the sound of his deep laughter weren’t following her down the hallway. One thing she knew for sure—she needed to polish up her armor.