The Surgeon's Convenient Husband

by Amy Ruttan

  “You okay?” Aran asked Mike, who looked a bit pale.

  “Yeah. As long as Zeke will be okay I think I’m good.”

  “Still, you should go with him and get yourself checked out. It looks like you hit your head,” Aran said, inspecting Mike’s temple, where there was a laceration.

  “Okay, Doc. What about our shotguns?”

  “That’s for the State Troopers to take care of. They’ll be here soon. They have to investigate every gunshot wound, even if it’s accidental,” Ruby said.

  Mike nodded. “Okay.”

  The ambulance pulled up and the back was opened. A young man jumped out, followed by a young woman.

  “Hey, Ruby!” the male paramedic said brightly.

  “Hi, John,” Ruby said. “Dr. Franklin is waiting for this patient. Thirty-year-old male with a gunshot wound in the upper right quadrant. Suspect flail chest and a chest tube inserted in situ.”

  John nodded and with his partner got Zeke off the makeshift gurney onto theirs, where they could assess him.

  “This is the patient’s friend, who was with him. He has a laceration and I suspect a possible concussion,” Aran said. “If you could take him too?”

  John nodded. “Sure thing, Dr....?”

  “Dr. Atkinson—Aran Atkinson.”

  John’s eyes widened and he looked at Ruby. “Your husband?”

  Aran could see the blush bloom in Ruby’s cheeks. “Yes.”

  John smiled brightly. “Pleased to meet you, Dr. Atkinson.”

  “Same.” Aran nodded curtly.

  The State Troopers pulled up behind the ambulance then, and Aran took a step back. Ruby went over to talk to the troopers about what had happened and where to find the firearms. Aran was still having a hard time believing that the two men were just out on a practice hike, and he hoped that they hadn’t actually killed any game—because if it was off-season they would be in serious trouble.

  At least that was his understanding. He knew from his father that Alaska had strict hunting laws and that it had state troopers who were game wardens and totally focused on protecting fish and wildlife in Alaska. Plus, Ruby had found them over the border of the Chugach State Park. That was another big no-no.

  Aran had no idea she lived so close to the park.

  Ruby came back over to him and stood next to him. “Good job back there, inserting that chest tube.”

  “Thank you,” he said, and he was pleased to receive a compliment from her.

  “You kept your wits about you out there.”

  He pursed his lips. He wasn’t sure he’d completely kept his cool. It had been hard for him. He hadn’t been in a situation like that since the front line and it had been hard—but he’d managed it.

  Though right now he could do with a stiff drink, or maybe a good night’s sleep. He wasn’t sure. All he knew now was that he was crashing down off that adrenaline high and he didn’t want Ruby to see it.

  “Thanks.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Since the paramedics have it under control, do you mind if I go lie down for a bit? I’m feeling tired. It’s been a long day.”

  Ruby nodded and handed him her house keys. “Sure.”

  “Thanks.”

  Aran turned around and made his way up the drive to Ruby’s house. His body was shaking and he was sweating, even though it wasn’t particularly warm out. He had to get out of sight and get this under control before Ruby saw.

  Before Ruby knew what ate away at his very soul.

  * * *

  Something had changed in Aran’s mood after Mike and Zeke’s care had been taken over by John’s paramedic team. She knew that he had been in an IED explosion that had damaged his leg and got him discharged from the Army, but she couldn’t help but suspect that he had some post-traumatic stress from that situation.

  Who wouldn’t?

  When the ambulance had left the scene, and the State Troopers had collected the firearms and what they needed from her, she headed back up to her place. It was getting close to midnight, although with the presence of the sun it was hard to tell.

  Once they passed the summer equinox the sun wouldn’t be up so late.

  Of course she didn’t mind the sun so much—it was the near constant darkness in the winter that drove her slightly squirrelly. That was one thing about going to university in southern Ontario that she had appreciated. Sure, it was dark and cold in the winter, but the sun stuck around a heck of a lot longer than it did up in Yellowknife.

  She fed Chinook and made sure he was snug for the night, then headed inside. The house was quiet, and she found the dishes had been done and the kitchen was cleaned up.

  That was nice of him.

  His door was shut, and if he was smart he was fast asleep. Which was what she should be. She had to fly then up to Whitehead tomorrow and run a surgical clinic for Lacey, the nurse practitioner there.

  She finished locking up and was about to head upstairs to her loft when she heard a low murmur of cursing that was laced with a healthy dose of pain.

  She crept toward Aran’s door and knocked gently. “Aran?”

  “I’m fine,” he snapped from the other side, but it didn’t sound as if he was fine at all.

  “I don’t think you are.”

  “I am.”

  Ruby rolled her eyes. “I have some acetaminophen or ibuprofen if you need it?”

  She heard him groan and then move across to unlock the door. The moment he opened the door she could see the pain etched on his face. He was wearing a T-shirt and shorts and the muscles in his leg looked hard and stiff.

  “Well, you might as well come in and see the mess for yourself,” he said with resignation.

  Ruby slipped into the room as Aran sat down on the edge of the bed. His leg was out straight. His hands were gripping the edge of the mattress so tightly that his knuckles were white.

  “Do you mind?” Ruby asked as she knelt down in front of him.

  He shook his head.

  She reached out and touched the scars. It had been a deep wound and extensive surgical work had been on the leg. She was almost surprised that they hadn’t amputated.

  As if reading her mind, he said, “I wouldn’t let them take it. There are pins, and I thought they would be better.”

  Ruby nodded solemnly and gently began to work on the tight muscle.

  “That feels great,” he murmured, his eyes closed.

  She watched his face relax and could see the aging his work on the front line had caused him. The lines in his face, the bit of gray in his dark hair... Still, he was as handsome. She’d always thought he was handsome. If only she...

  She shook that thought away. There was no if only. She didn’t want a relationship. This fake marriage was as close as she was going to get.

  “I think you overdid it out there.”

  Aran nodded and let out a deep breath as she worked the tight calf muscle in his leg. “I know—that’s why I came back. I had a quick shower and then fell asleep—that is until the pain from my leg woke me up.”

  “It was a five-kilometer hike out there. That’s a lot.”

  He cocked an eyebrow and looked at her. “You took me on a five-kilometer loop?”

  “I didn’t intend to, but our friends Mike and Zeke had other plans.”

  Aran groaned. “I didn’t realize.”

  “Yeah, neither did I.”

  “That feels good,” he murmured.

  “You already said that,” she said gently, but she was pleased that it was relaxing him.

  “So I did—but it really does feel good. Thank you.”

  She looked up at him and caught his gaze. Those blue eyes were fixed on her. He was relaxing under her touch and her pulse quickened as he watched her. The heat crept up her neck into her cheeks and she knew that she was blushing again.
/>
  She hated that she blushed around him so much. What was it about him?

  You’re attracted to him, numbskull.

  “I like it when you blush,” he said.

  “You...what?” She didn’t look at him, kept focused on her work.

  “Sorry. But from the first moment I saw you, you came off so harsh, so cold. It’s nice to see this side of you.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “That first day I showed up for my residency... I introduced myself to you and you just looked me up and down and said nothing.”

  “You were the competition,” she teased.

  “Ah, so that’s why you were so cold.”

  “Exactly.” She continued her massage. “You know, I like this new side of you too.”

  “How do you mean?” he asked.

  “When I first met you, you were a bit of an arrogant ass.”

  “Was I?”

  “You were the son of the president of the board of directors. You had swagger. That’s another reason I was so cold to you. I thought you’d had an easy ride.”

  Aran chuckled. “Right. Sorry about that.”

  “And I’m sorry I assumed you were a spoiled, pompous jerk.”

  “Well, I was a bit arrogant.”

  “Just a bit.” Ruby smiled and shrugged. “Well, you did me a solid. I owe you for that.”

  “I take payment in massages. You’re quite adept at it. It feels great.”

  “So you said—twice,” she replied.

  Her pulse was racing as he closed his eyes and relaxed under her touch. She liked that she was giving him relief, but this was not keeping her distance from her convenient husband. Because that was what he was. He was her fake husband. He wasn’t her real husband. Their marriage might be legal on paper, but that was it. Aran was a friend and nothing more.

  A friend she was completely drawn and attracted to.

  She cleared her throat and looked down at the floor. “I still think you should take some ibuprofen—and I can get you a heated pad. You need to alternate hot and cold.”

  Aran nodded. “That’s probably for the best.”

  She finished up and stood. “Do you think you’ll be able to fly tomorrow? A bush plane is pretty compact.”

  “I should be fine,” he said tersely, and then he sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, but the last thing I want to do is let this keep me from my work. My work is all I have. I know that you understand that.”

  And she did. Her career and Chinook were all she had.

  She did it to honor her father. To give to others who might not live without her help. And she could tell that was important to Aran too. After the way his leg had been pieced back together she understood why he felt he needed to work, that he couldn’t give up. And she admired that. She truly did.

  “I do understand that. I’ll get you that ibuprofen and the heated pad for the night, so that you’ll be able to accompany me up to Whitehead tomorrow morning.”

  Aran’s shoulders relaxed. “I appreciate that, Ruby.”

  She nodded and slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Usually she kept guys at a distance. It had been nice telling people she was married, but knowing she was not really married. Aran was a good excuse to keep men at an arm’s length.

  She’d had a few boyfriends when she was younger, but nothing serious because she hadn’t wanted to tie herself to someone who didn’t understand that her job came first. That her life living in the north and saving lives was all that mattered to her.

  And she didn’t want to leave anyone behind. She didn’t want to leave a child or a husband to grieve over her if she died on the job.

  The problem was, Aran understood that.

  And that was a scary prospect indeed.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ARAN DIDN’T LOOK RELAXED, but he was trying his best to make himself comfortable in the cockpit of her bush plane. When he’d got up that morning he’d still been moving quite stiffly, but when she’d offered to help him he’d turned her down.

  And that was okay by her.

  She hadn’t got much sleep because she’d thought about Aran all night. She’d thought about the way he’d looked at her, and she’d imagined what it would be like to be taken in his arms. To be kissed. To be with him the way she’d always wanted to be with him.

  She’d never desired anyone like this before. It scared her how much of an effect he had on her. How he got her. How he understood.

  But she couldn’t let herself think like that. They were in a marriage of convenience. Once she’d got her Green Card and an acceptable time had passed they would get a divorce and they could both move on with their lives.

  What if he stays in Alaska? That’s not moving on.

  She shook that thought from her mind and focused on her flight path. They were flying over the end of the tree line, where the Alaska forests gave way to the endless majestic tundra of the far north.

  Aran craned his neck so he could get a better glimpse out over the horizon. “Not much further?” he asked over the mic.

  “Not much further,” she said. “How’s your leg?”

  “Stiff, but I’ll be fine once I can walk around and stretch it out.”

  Ruby nodded and adjusted her instruments, descending a bit lower. She was getting closer to the small gravel air strip that was just outside Whitehead, a tiny community at the edge of the Beaufort Sea. She could see the sea at the edge of the horizon. Just a thin silver strip that got wider the closer they got to their destination.

  The community bordered the edge of Alaska and the Yukon Territory in Canada. It was as remote as remote could be, and at the top of the world, although in Canada there were even more remote communities.

  “Do you know what surgeries we’re going to be doing up there?” Aran asked.

  “A cholecystectomy, for sure, but I’m not sure of the others. We’ll assess all who come in today. We’ll see everything. That’s the thing with visiting these outposts—you get a variety.”

  “N539BY, this is WHX. You’re clear to land on the runway,” the voice over the radio crackled.

  “This is N539BY. Roger that, WHX. We’re readying to land. Dropping landing gear,” Ruby responded.

  “Roger,” the air traffic controller responded.

  “I guess they don’t get many visitors up here,” said Aran.

  “They get cargo planes. How else are they going to get fuel and food?”

  Ruby began her checks and prepared her plane to land. She lined up with the gravel airstrip just as the wind picked up, blowing in off the Beaufort Sea.

  “Whoa...” Aran muttered.

  “It’s okay. We’ll crab it in,” she teased.

  “What?” Aran asked.

  “Crabbing is when we go in sideways instead of straight—that way the wind won’t flip the plane.”

  His eyes widened as she adjusted her instruments and brought the plane down sideways toward the runway, before straightening and landing with just a slight bounce as the plane ran the distance it needed to slow down. She brought the plane around toward the hangar, where a group of community members were waiting.

  “Good job,” Aran said.

  “You were white-knuckling it a bit there!”

  “Maybe...” He chuckled. “Just a bit.”

  “Trust me.”

  Aran cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”

  She grinned. “Just be mindful of the bears.”

  “What?”

  “Polar bears. It’s summer. The come inland when the ice breaks up.”

  “Great,” Aran muttered. “Is this the excitement you were talking about earlier?”

  She laughed. “Just a touch of excitement mixed with caution.”

  Being at the top of the world meant that polar bears were often a t
hreat in the summer months. With the ice broken up, and so far out, polar bears came inland, and there were always lookouts to make sure they didn’t come too close to town.

  Ruby shut down the plane and opened the pilot’s door. Already the side door was open, and all the medical supplies she’d loaded up were being offloaded by Lacey’s staff at the clinic.

  Mitchell, an elder of the community, came forward.

  “Ruby, it’s good to see you again,” he said.

  “Glad to be back, Mitchell. Is Lacey waiting for me at the clinic?” Ruby asked.

  “You bet she is.” Mitchell’s gaze fell on Aran. “Who is this? This isn’t John or Dr. Franklin. And definitely not Lindsey, your nurse.”

  Mitchell was teasing her, and Aran laughed.

  “No.” Ruby swallowed the lump in her throat as she tried to figure out how to explain who Aran was. “This is Dr. Atkinson. New to the team, but also my...”

  “I’m her husband,” Aran said quickly, and smiled brightly.

  “Oh! You were overseas, yeah?” Mitchell asked.

  Aran nodded. “I was. But I’m home now, and looking forward to working with my wife both at the hospital and on her team.”

  Mitchell smiled and nodded. “Good to have you back. And good to have two surgeons here today, yeah?”

  “For sure.”

  Ruby’s stomach twisted in a knot. It was hard to tell these people she worked with so closely that she was married. She’d told them before, but now that Aran was standing here it was a little bit harder—because it was a lie. She hated lying. She hated lying to Mitchell and everyone else in Whitehead. She hated that this whole marriage was a fraud.

  It doesn’t have to be a lie.

  She ignored that thought.

  “Why don’t we head to the clinic before Lacey starts to worry.”

  “I’ve got my truck. The bears have been bad this summer, so it’s best we drive to the clinic—unless you have a high-velocity rifle to scare them off?”

  “What?” Aran muttered under his breath. “You weren’t joking, then?”

  “Polar bears are dangerous predators,” Ruby whispered back. “It’s eat or be eaten.”

  “I see.”