She winked and he chuckled. A moment later a frown marred his face and he looked at her with narrowed eyes.
“But you don’t really think my brain was damaged, do you? I mean, this MRI is only a precaution, right?”
She nodded. “Everything should be fine. It’s just a standard procedure to make sure that everything’s okay. Obviously you’re aching everywhere now, and that’s probably going to get worse because you were hurt pretty badly in that accident and you’ve undergone an operation too. Bear with me; I promise you’ll be back on your feet soon.”
“Are you giving me your word, Doc?” She smiled and nodded, so he closed his eyes again. “I depend on it, then. Don’t let me down.”
“I promise,” she whispered in his ear, then she checked the stitches on his temple and put the plaster back into place when she saw everything was fine. She took the clipboard at the foot of the bed, wrote a couple of notes, and left the room, heading to the reception desk to make sure the MRI was booked in for the morning.
Chapter 32
True to her word, Valerie had called Ryan’s mother every day, updating her on his condition. After he woke up, Valerie had made sure he called her too, to reassure the poor woman he was definitely better. He told his mother they needn’t worry about rushing over, especially since both his parents were still sick, and he’d been sorry to hear about his sister-in-law’s miscarriage. His mother made him promise to call her every day and to take it easy, and he’d reassured her that “the best doctor he could wish for” was taking care of him. He’d winked at Valerie while saying those words, and she’d chuckled.
He’d then passed his phone to Valerie, and his mother had thanked her time and time again for what she was doing for her son. Patricia Wyler’s gratitude had Valerie’s heart swell, and she was glad she hadn’t given up in the operating room. Most of all, she was glad she’d been stubborn enough to bring Ryan back, even when everyone else in the room had told her to stop.
After she’d hung up, she’d sat by Ryan’s bed and they’d held hands for a while, until Ryan had fallen asleep again. She stayed and looked at him a few more minutes after he closed his eyes, and when she left his room to get ready for her shift, she felt proud of herself—a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
The following morning, even if she was off duty until early in the afternoon, Doctor Walker, the neurologist, let Valerie stay in the room with him. It was only when she received the thumbs-up that everything was as it should be and there had been no brain damage that the tension finally left her body.
Ryan had seemed okay, but she knew that sometimes neurological problems didn’t immediately show; it was easy enough to misread a brain hemorrhage until it started giving the first symptoms, when it would be too late to avoid permanent damage.
When they took Ryan out of the MRI machine and moved him back onto the gurney, she went into the room and told him everything was fine, just like she had predicted.
“So what are the doctor’s orders now?” His relief for the good news showed behind the cheeky grin he put on. Even though he’d been acting like his usual carefree self, she’d noticed he’d been worried before they’d brought him down for the MRI.
“Rest. Eat. Behave. At least for a week. We’ll see how things go, and decide then.”
“Sounds good to me. I really need to rest. I came back to Boston in pieces—you can’t even imagine how little sleep I got every night. It’s a miracle I managed to stand on my feet day after day.”
She smiled and patted his forearm. “Don’t worry, nobody will bother you here. You’ll have plenty of time to rest.”
A nurse showed up at her side and she nodded at her. “They’ll take you back to your room, now. I’ll come and check on you later.”
She moved aside, and the nurse pushed the gurney past her and out of the room.
“Hey, I thought you’d be asleep.”
Ryan turned away from the TV and smiled at her. For the first time since he’d opened his eyes the day before, the smile lighting up his face was a real one. Apart from the scars and plasters on his face, that was the Ryan she knew—her Ryan.
“No way. This cable TV is great. I can’t sleep now that Melanie is just about to find out Charles cheated on her with her sister. You should sit here and watch it with me.”
She chuckled as she approached his bed.
“Are you serious? What on earth are you watching?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s some kind of soap opera, something like Beautiful or that kind of stuff. I’m lucky I can’t get out of bed—at least I won’t miss a minute of it. Do you think I could have popcorn and a Coke?”
“You’re impossible.” She hung her head and shook it. “Now, be a good boy and let me examine you.” She took out a pocket light and pointed it into his right eye.
He blinked, groaning. “Don’t. It’s annoying.”
“Oh, stop moaning like a kid, now. It’s only a light.” She pointed it into his left eye, and he blinked again. “Okay, your pupils are responsive. And since you’re moaning like a five-year-old, I guess you’re feeling better, too.”
“Sort of. I’ve started to feel pain everywhere, even in places I didn’t know existed. Any chance of getting some pain killers?”
She checked his pulse, then took the stethoscope off her neck and put it in the pocket of her white coat.
“I’ll give you something to ease the pain, if it’s too much to bear.”
“You’re very professional, you know. With that white coat and the stethoscope and all, you almost look like a real doctor.”
She huffed and glared at him, with her hands on her hips.
“Excuse me? If I remember correctly, I’m the one who saved your life, Mr. Funny Guy. Is that all the gratitude I’m gonna get for it?”
He chuckled and lifted his hand up, waiting for her to take it.
“C’mon, you know I was kidding. You should know by now how I love to tease you. Come here.” He made a come-hither gesture and she took the hand he was offering. When their palms connected, he intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed.
“I’ll spend my whole life thanking you for what you did, Val. Nothing I’ll ever do will ever pay you back.”
“I just did what any other doctor would have done. It’s my job, so there’s nothing you should thank me for. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, that’s all.”
“Don’t be modest now. I know you’re gonna brag about it for years.” He laughed and immediately groaned.
“You okay?”
“I think now would be a good time to fetch those painkillers, Doc,” he said through gritted teeth and with his eyes squeezed shut. The pain on his face broke her heart. She’d do anything she could to make sure he got better soon.
“Sure. I’ll be right back.”
He nodded and, just before she left the room, he called out, “Hurry up. I think Melanie’s gonna confront Charles any minute now. You sure don’t wanna miss it.”
She laughed and closed the door behind her, shaking her head. Yes, he was back to his normal self again.
Chapter 33
A couple of hours later, Valerie was at the nurses’ station in Ryan’s ward and was talking with Laura, the psychiatrist from the third floor, about a convention Laura was going to attend in Florida in a couple of days. A female voice asking where Ryan’s room was caught her attention and she whipped her head toward it.
Although they’d never met before and Ryan had never had the chance to introduce her to Valerie, she recognized the woman even before she could introduce herself. She was stunningly beautiful, and queasiness mixed with jealousy took up residence in the pit of Valerie’s stomach at the sight of the model. There was no way Valerie could compete with her, not in a million years, not even if Ryan took into consideration that she had saved his life while his girlfriend hadn’t shown up for four days.
Nevertheless, she was his doctor now and this was her terr
itory. Valerie could send the woman away without feeling guilty, especially since it was what Ryan had asked.
She approached Jennifer and closed her hands around each end of the stethoscope around her neck, just to keep from fidgeting. Now that she was standing so close to her, she was a little nervous.
“I’m sorry, Miss, but I’m not supposed to let anyone in.”
She rolled her eyes then let out an exasperated breath. “I’m Jennifer. His girlfriend.” Her tone implied she’d meant to add, You idiot, as if you didn’t know who I am.
Whether it was jealousy or just a sixth sense, Valerie knew at once Jennifer wasn’t right for Ryan and wondered what he saw in her, apart from a beautiful woman. She didn’t look like Ryan’s type of woman, especially considering that she wanted to be Ryan’s type of woman now.
“He doesn’t want to see anyone, not even his girlfriend. At least that’s what he said yesterday,” Valerie said, keeping her tone as firm and professional as she could.
“Well, I’m sure he’ll want to see me once he knows I’m here. Could you take me to his room now, please?”
Valerie’s blood boiled and she squeezed the sides of the stethoscope tighter, this time to avoid slapping the smug smile off the beautiful woman’s face. She shrugged and turned around, leading her to Ryan’s room. She looked forward to hearing him ask Jennifer to go away. She was sure something had happened between them, especially after the way he’d said “Not even my girlfriend.”—Jennifer was in for an unpleasant surprise.
Valerie opened the door and walked into Ryan’s room. He was watching TV, and smiled when he saw her, giving her his usual “Hey, Doc!” greeting. His eyes darkened when she moved aside to let Jennifer in. His already pale face turned even paler at the sight of the woman, and his jaw tensed.
“Hi, Ryan.” Jennifer was all smiles, but he turned away and stared at the window.
“What’s she doing here? I thought I asked you not to let anyone in.” His tone was clipped, something Valerie had never heard in all the years she’d known him. In a way, she felt sorry for Jennifer, even though she was her competition.
Jennifer hid her surprise at his reaction behind a well-rehearsed fake smile Valerie could spot a mile off, and took a step toward the bed, stretching out her arms, ready to hug him.
“I heard the news, so I’ve come to see how you were feeling and—”
“Get out,” he cut her off, harshly. His jaw was so tense it looked as if the bones would snap.
“Ryan...” Jennifer’s tone low and seductive. Valerie’s stomach twisted at the thought of the woman using this tone with him before, most probably to seduce him and get what she wanted. Jennifer took another step closer and reached for his hand. Ryan snatched it away.
“Get the hell out of here!”
Valerie winced when he raised his voice, and knew for sure something bad must have happened between them. Even though as his friend she wanted to sit by his side and help him through this, she thought it was time she walked out and let them deal with whatever they needed to deal in private. She had no idea what had caused such a reaction or why they’d fought, but it wasn’t her place to deal with it now. She was sure he’d open up with her when he was ready.
“Val. Please, take her out.”
His tone was different now, and when she looked at him, his eyes were almost pleading.
“Ryan, I’ve come here to talk to you.” Jennifer took another step closer but he raised his hand in front of her, as if to stop her from getting any closer to him.
“There’s nothing left to talk about. Go talk with your buddy. I’m sure he’ll listen.”
“No, I’m not leaving until we’ve talked this through.”
Jennifer’s tone was more determined now, and Valerie took it as her cue to leave. She was starting to feel a bit out of place, as if she was spying on their private conversation. She turned around and took a step toward the door, but Ryan called her back.
“Valerie, don’t leave.”
He was begging her to stay, while Jennifer’s glare told her clearly she wanted to be left alone with him. Valerie stalled, thinking of an excuse to leave the room and let them sort through the thing on their own but coming up empty-handed. A moment later, a nurse came looking for her, saying Doctor Tyler needed her, so she nodded and gave Ryan an apologetic look. His eyes were sad and dark, like she’d never seen them before, and as she left the room, she felt awful for ditching him like that, when he needed her support the most.
As soon as Valerie left the room and they were alone, Jennifer sat on the chair next to his bed and took a long, deep breath.
“I’m sorry,” she said, faking a repentant tone he knew she didn’t feel. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. It was just a stupid mistake. Please, forgive me.”
He didn’t turn his head to look at her and folded his arms so that she couldn’t take his hands. He wished she would just leave, get out of the room and of his life forever.
“It was a misunderstanding the first time, it was because of a drink the second time, and now it was a stupid mistake. I wonder what your next excuse will be.”
She didn’t say anything, and he knew he had touched a sore spot. He had forgiven her in the past but enough was enough. He’d forgiven her when he’d seen those pictures of her hugging and kissing another man; she’d said that he was an old friend of hers whom she hadn’t seen in a long time and that she was only kissing him on a cheek, but the cameras had made it look differently. He had forgiven her when he’d spotted her kissing a guy on a couch at a fashion party; she’d said she’d had a drink too many, and she’d thought it was Ryan she was kissing.
But he wasn’t going to forgive her now, not after finding her in bed with her manager. She couldn’t find a decent excuse this time, she couldn’t say it was a misunderstanding or that she was drunk.
He had felt so awful when he’d walked away from her apartment. He’d felt used and ridiculous, and had kept wondering how long it had been going on.
She couldn’t blame it on him for being away too long, since she was away as much as he was. She couldn’t say he did the same with other women, because he didn’t. And, oh man, he’d had so many opportunities in the last five years, but he’d never taken advantage of his fame to get women into his bed. He’d never been that kind of guy and he never would be. And he would never cheat on his girlfriend, no matter how hectic their lifestyles were.
He should’ve known better than to date a model. When she’d approached him and had charmed her way into his life, he’d been flattered. He’d never considered himself the kind of guy who was good-looking enough to be seen at such a stunning woman’s side. He’d never really taken to the whole celebrities-date-celebrities thing. He should’ve understood that she only did it for publicity reasons, to become more famous just by dating the star of the moment.
“Ryan, please, you’ve got to listen to me,” Jennifer pleaded. Her tone annoyed Ryan even more.
“I don’t have to do anything, let alone listen to your lies.” Ryan said through gritted teeth. He would never believe another word she’d say. “You’ve been lying to me all along. I’ve been blind for too long, but my eyes are wide open now. I’ve had enough of this. Just leave.”
She rose from the chair and sat on his bed, taking his hand in both of hers. Her touch repulsed him and he pulled his hand away. Those same hands had touched that disgusting man—he didn’t want them to touch him.
“Jen, leave.”
“Please, I didn’t mean to—”
“You didn’t mean to do what? To lie to me? To sleep with that guy? To use me and my name to become famous? To make a fool of me? Deep down I’ve always known all you were after was popularity.”
His heart rate picked up and echoed in the room through the sound of the machine next to his bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. All this anger wasn’t doing him any good.
“It’s not like that, Ryan.”
It was exactly like that and he knew
it, he had always known it. Valerie had never really liked Jennifer, although she had never said it openly. He could see it in her body language when he used to talk about her. Maybe she had been able to see from the beginning what he’d always been too blind to see; maybe she’d understood immediately what Jennifer was after. Or maybe it was because she was a woman, and she knew the way women’s minds worked.
Maybe.
His relationship with Jennifer was all about maybes. He’d never been too sure about how she really felt for him, whether she was in love or she just pretended to care. After he’d become famous, he’d had a hard time understanding who really cared for him and who wanted him for his name and what he represented. It seemed with Jennifer he’d gotten it all wrong. It hurt. It hurt so much to know that he’d been fooled all along by a person who claimed to love him.
Would he ever have opened his eyes if he hadn’t caught her in bed with that guy, if he hadn’t had the accident, if he hadn’t been saved by Valerie?
Valerie.
Her name rang a bell in his mind. For the first time, its sound felt different. He felt different. He was different. Valerie was the only reason he’d wanted to come back, to leave Heaven or whatever that place he’d been floating in was. He hadn’t come back for Jennifer—he’d come back for Valerie. She’d always had a special place in his life, in his heart, but he’d always thought it was only because she was his best friend.
But now, with his gorgeous girlfriend sitting on his bed trying to be forgiven, all he could think of was Valerie. She was the only person he wanted to see right now, the only person he wanted to be with. Could this be love? Just the thought made his heart skip a beat, and he felt confused and certain at the same time.
A Love Melody Page 17