by Amy Ruttan
Usually when she had to work with a new surgeon during a surgery there was a learning curve. Even with experienced surgeons. If two surgeons hadn’t worked together before, they were unfamiliar with each other’s techniques.
And accomplished surgeons were usually stuck in their way. Unyielding and unbending.
Yet, Axel hadn’t given her a hard time. He’d worked with her so well. It was as if they had been working together for a long time.
The last time she’d had that kind of rapport with another surgeon...well, she didn’t want to think about him. He was the reason she was here in Iceland.
She was falling into the old trap. Her relationship with Thomas had started similarly, except he hadn’t had a niece and he hadn’t survived a traumatic accident that claimed the life of his beloved brother. It had just started with them working together on a surgery, followed by an invitation to dinner to celebrate.
“You ready?”
Betty turned around and her heart skipped a beat. Axel was standing behind her and he was in his street clothes. Even in tailored pants and a sweater he looked as if he’d stepped out of a magazine.
And suddenly she felt a bit dowdy in her jeans, cotton tee shirt and big clunky boots.
“You look nice,” she said.
“So do you.”
“Liar.”
He grinned, his blue eyes twinkling. “No, I mean it. I really like the boots. They’re practical.”
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s go.”
They walked out to his SUV. Snow was falling thickly and she shivered as she zipped up her parka.
“The streets might be a bit dicey tonight,” Axel said.
“We can always cancel. I can catch a cab and you can get home to Eira.”
“No, it’ll be fine,” he said tightly. Somehow she got the feeling that it wasn’t fine, that he was worried about something.
She hoped he wasn’t regretting his invitation for her to join him for dinner. Of course, if that was the case he would’ve just taken her home, wouldn’t he?
As they pulled out onto the Hverfisgata, the SUV wheels spun slightly in the snow. It was slippery out tonight. Black ice under a sheet of fresh snow probably meant there was disaster lurking.
Don’t think about that.
It was bad luck to think about impending doom, especially when you worked in emergency medicine.
“I’m going to save you tonight.”
“What?” Betty asked, confused.
“I ordered some take-out from Antonio’s. We’ll pick up the order and then head back to my place. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. I guess I’ll get a taste of Reykjavik’s version of the best pizza.”
“It’s not flatbread,” Axel teased and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Oh, good, because I’m particular about my pizza.”
“Really?” he asked.
“I live in New York. Nothing beats a New York City slice.”
Axel smiled at her. “I think you’ll like Antonio’s pizza.”
“You’re putting a lot of pressure on Antonio,” Betty teased. “It’s a lot to live up to.”
“I think you’ll like it.”
Axel parked in front of Antonio’s and he ran inside while Betty waited in his SUV. She watched the snow falling steadily; it was almost hypnotic.
He came out a few moments later and placed the food in the back seat. The moment she caught the scent of it her stomach let out a growl of hunger.
“Sorry about that,” she said, embarrassed. “It’s been a while since I last ate.”
“We’ll take care of it soon.”
Axel’s house wasn’t far from Antonio’s. Once they’d parked, Betty climbed out of the car and followed Axel into the house. Eira was up and sitting on the couch. She completely perked up when she saw that he was carrying take-out bags.
“You got Antonio’s?” Eira asked eagerly. Then Eira saw Betty. “Betty! I’m so glad to see you.”
“I’m glad to see you too. You look better.”
“I’m feeling better.”
“Are you hungry?” Axel asked.
“Starving.” Eira took the bags from her uncle and carried them into the kitchen. Betty took off her boots and hung up her coat.
“I’ll help Eira,” Betty offered.
“No, you’re our guest. Have a seat in the dining room and I’ll make you up a plate.” Axel disappeared into the kitchen and Betty made her way into the dining room. She took a seat and Eira quickly set the table and then Axel brought out the food.
It was pizza and it looked like what she was used to. It was pretty informal as they passed around the food and began to eat.
It was nice. It was homey and for the first time in a long time she felt as if she belonged. It also made her feel lonely, because this could never be a permanent thing. She was here to work, to prove herself and then she would be leaving.
There was nothing permanent about her stay in Iceland.
Once dinner was finished, Betty helped Axel clean up and Eira went to bed. It was quiet in the house and it was different without Eira there to break the tension between them.
“Thank you for dinner tonight,” Betty said as she dried a dish. “I appreciated it.”
“You’re welcome and thank you again for your help with Eira.”
“My pleasure.” She looked up at him, his blue eyes locked on her and her pulse kicked up a notch. She was so close to him and he was making her weak in the knees. She had to get out of here. She looked away and cleared her throat. “I should probably get home. Would you like me to call a cab?”
“Right.” Axel nodded. “I can take you. The roads are treacherous. I’ll just leave a note letting Eira know I’m taking you home in case she wakes up.”
“Okay.”
* * *
The car ride back to her place was quiet and awkward. Or maybe it was just her feeling that way. She had rushed him to get out of the door, because she wanted to put space between them, because she didn’t like the direction they were heading. It wasn’t that it was unwelcome; it was just that she couldn’t date a colleague. She refused to ever do that again.
They stopped at a light and just before she was about to ask Axel why he’d asked her over for dinner tonight, because it was clear something had changed between them, a car came careening across the intersection, T-boning a truck, which sent the truck spiraling toward them.
It happened so fast, but everything seemed to go in slow motion as Betty closed her eyes as the SUV spun around and ended up facing the opposite direction they had been heading in.
Once the SUV stopped, she opened her eyes and through the thick falling snow she could see fire and destruction.
“Axel?” she cried out, turning to look at him.
He was staring out of his window, his hands gripping the wheel.
“Are you okay?” Betty asked.
“Yeah, are you?”
“I’m fine, just shaken up.”
Axel nodded. “Call emergency services. I’m going to go out and help.”
Betty nodded and pulled out her cell phone. “Wait, I don’t know where we are!”
And even if she knew where she was she wasn’t completely sure that she’d be able to say the name of the intersection correctly.
Axel rolled his eyes and called the emergency number, giving their location and details of the crash. When he was done he handed her phone back and went to the trunk of his SUV, pulling out a bag.
Betty climbed out of the SUV and saw the front end was crushed from where they had been hit.
They were lucky that nothing all that bad had happened to them.
“Betty, you’re bleeding!” Axel tilted her chin and she touched her head, seeing blood on her fingers. There was concern in his eye
s and his hand was gentle on her face.
“It’s just a scratch.”
“It could be more. Why don’t you sit in the SUV and wait?”
“Or it’s just a scratch. I want to help and you need help,” she said. “I’m fine.”
Axel nodded. “Let’s go.”
Betty had done training for emergency situations like this, but she had never experienced actually being at the scene. Usually she was in the emergency room waiting for the ambulance to come in.
Axel approached the burning truck and the lone occupant who had been ejected through the front window.
It didn’t look good as Axel knelt down and did a quick assessment. He pulled out an emergency blanket to cover the victim. Betty moved toward the car that had T-boned the truck.
There were other people milling about and helping a hysterical woman, who had a large head wound and was cradling a crying child.
“Ma’am, I’m a doctor. Can I help?” The woman shook her head, not understanding Betty’s English. So Betty repeated it in Icelandic.
“I don’t know what happened,” the hysterical woman cried out. “I just lost control coming down the hill.”
“It’s okay, ma’am. Can I check your head wound?”
The woman nodded and sat down in the car via the open door of her vehicle.
Betty pulled out a small flashlight she had in her bag to examine the wound. It was deep and it would need stitches; the woman’s nose also appeared to be broken.
“Can I see your baby?” Betty asked.
The woman nodded and handed her baby over to Betty. Thankfully there was nothing wrong with the baby, it was just scared and crying. Betty could see the infant carrier in the back seat. It had done its job.
The sound of sirens cut through the cold night air, followed by the blare of a firetruck.
The first ambulance parked near Axel and his patient on the ground. The second ambulance parked near her. A paramedic came toward her.
“Do you speak English?” Betty asked him.
He nodded.
“Patient has a deep laceration to the forehead and a possible fracture of the septum.”
“Are you a doctor?” the paramedic asked.
“I am. I’ve been here a week.”
“You’re American?”
“Yes.”
The paramedic smiled brightly. He was handsome with blond hair and blue eyes.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. We’ve got the patient from here.”
Betty nodded and stepped back to let the paramedics do their work.
She looked over her shoulder and could see Axel helping the paramedics load his patient into the ambulance.
The fire was being put out by the firemen and a police officer was waiting to talk to Axel.
She walked over to them, but the closer she got, the more the scent of acrid smoke from the burning car made her stomach dizzy. In fact, the whole world was spinning a little out of control.
“Betty?” Axel asked, alarmed.
“I’m...” Only she couldn’t finish that sentence as the world began spinning faster and she felt her knees give out from underneath her.
* * *
He was carrying her again. Only this time she wasn’t protesting and he kind of missed that.
Axel wished she were fighting him now, instead of lying unconscious in his arms. Blood on her pale face.
He should’ve made her stay in the SUV. He shouldn’t have let her work with him. She’d been bleeding and he should’ve known better. Should have known it was just adrenaline when she stated that she was fine.
And when the adrenaline had worn out, she’d collapsed.
Axel carried her through the doors of the emergency room and the doctors on duty looked at him in shock as he carried her through the triage area, straight to a private exam room.
His father came into the exam room, shutting the door behind him.
“What happened?”
“A car T-boned another truck, which sent that vehicle into mine. Betty sustained a small laceration to the head, but I think she may have a concussion. She passed out shortly after she triaged some of the injured on-scene.”
His father sighed. “I’ll take care of her. One of your patients is in the next exam room.”
Axel nodded. He didn’t want to leave Betty, but he wanted to check on the young man who he had triaged in the field. The one that had been thrown from his truck.
As he moved toward the other exam room Axel pulled off his coat and slipped into a surgical gown. One of the head residents was working on his patient.
“I’ll take over.”
The resident nodded. Axel could tell from the grim expression on the resident’s face that it was not good, but Axel wasn’t going to give up yet.
He wasn’t going to lose this young man.
Not the way he’d lost Calder.
Hang on. Just hang on.
As he worked over the young man, he couldn’t help but think about Betty too. How she’d been injured and how it had scared him to see her crumple like that. It was all he could do to reach forward and catch her before her head had hit the cold, icy road.
He shouldn’t have let her work. She had been bleeding. He should’ve known better.
Don’t think about it.
Instead he focused on his patient. A young man who hadn’t been wearing a seat belt in bad weather. He quickly intubated the man and continued focusing on keeping his heart pumping.
“Hold on, Calder.”
His brother moaned, his eyes closed, his lips blue. “Can’t.”
“Hold on!”
The monitor flatlined after several attempts of reviving his patient and trying to stabilize him. Axel leaned over and checked his pupils.
Dammit.
“Pupils fixated and dilated.” Axel cursed under his breath. “Time of death, twenty-two hundred hours.”
Axel pulled off his surgical gown and stuffed it in the waste receptacle. He had to get out of here. It was just too much. He was a surgeon. He was supposed to save lives.
Dammit.
So young. A patient that was so young like that shouldn’t have died. It was a waste. A waste of life.
His father opened the door and slipped out of Betty’s exam room.
“How is she?” Axel asked.
“It appears she has a mild concussion, but you know how hard concussions are to diagnose. She’ll need to rest for a few days and she can’t be alone.”
“Are you thinking of admitting her?”
“What choice do I have?” His father ran a hand over his head. “It’s a shame that she won’t be able to deliver her first lecture, but her health is more important.”
“It is.” Even though he knew he shouldn’t, that he should stop the next words coming out of his mouth, he couldn’t help himself. “I’ll watch her. I have the next couple of days off, so I will stay with her. Or rather, she can stay with me.”
His father was shocked. “Really?”
“Yes. She is my responsibility and she shouldn’t be alone. There is a guest room and she can stay there. Besides, Eira likes her.”
What are you doing?
A strange expression crossed his father’s face. It hardened. “This shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
“I was giving her a ride home.” He didn’t bother telling his father about the fact he was taking Betty home after having had dinner with her.
“We were hit because of bad weather. Walking in a snow squall when she doesn’t know the city isn’t responsible so giving her a ride was the right thing to do.”
His father grumbled under his breath. “Well, it is good of you to step up and take care of her.”
“I don’t mind.”
His father nodded. “Just wat
ch for signs of concussion.”
“I will.” Axel half expected his father to explain the signs of a concussion to him, but he didn’t.
“What happened with your patient?” his father asked.
“We lost him,” Axel responded grimly.
“That’s too bad.” His father turned and walked away. He didn’t offer any kind of condolence. He didn’t ask about how the patient had died. Instead he’d said, “That’s too bad” in a cold, disinterested way that ticked Axel off no end.
Axel closed his eyes. Angry that his father was so cold to him.
He couldn’t think about that now. He had to get Betty home and he would have to take a cab as his SUV was probably right now being towed to the repair shop, but at least he would be with her.
He knocked on her exam-room door.
“Come in,” she said.
He opened the door and saw her reclined on the exam table, a bandage on her forehead from the laceration. “How is your head? Did you need stitches?”
“Sore and no. It was a minor laceration.”
“And you might have a concussion.”
“I might. I do have nausea. Is your father admitting me?”
“No.”
“No? But I have to be monitored for the next forty-eight hours.”
“I know. That’s why you’re coming home with me.”
She wasn’t sure that she’d heard him correctly.
It could be the concussion.
It had to be the concussion.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“You’re going to come home with me,” he said matter-of-factly and he crossed his arms in the way she was coming to learn meant he wasn’t going to discuss the matter further.
And she didn’t have it in her to argue with him.
“I need some things from my place though.”
“I’ll accompany you. I’ll help you pack up what you need and then you can stay in the guest bedroom at my place until we’re sure that you don’t have a concussion.”
“Okay.” She touched her bandaged head; it throbbed. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the exam-room table.
“Are you okay, Betty?”
“Dizzy.”