by Katie Dowe
Greta sighed and put her wine glass away. “I was spoiled by your father. I never had to work, all I had to do was to be pretty and parade those looks whenever we went anywhere together. I never had to work and he never took me for granted. When he died I was at a loss as to what to do with myself and I went into the arms of the first man who was sympathetic to my plight. I just want Gavin to see that and understand.”
“He will,” Gail assured her.
“Any chance of reconciling with Otis?”
Gail shook her head and looked at her daughter again. “No. it’s over.”
*****
“It’s a tentative yes, Dad, and if I do commit it would not be until April,” Savannah warned him as they sat around the comfortable dining table after the excellent meal Carissa had prepared. She had conveniently left them alone after serving coffee and her delicious lemon meringue pie saying that she had some things to attend to.
“That’s good enough for me.” He looked at her for a moment admiring her beautifully composed face. She looked like her mother and he felt a twinge of grief whenever he saw her. She had been the love of his life and no one came close, not even Carissa. “I fell in love with your mother the moment I saw her,” he said quietly, causing her to look at him startled. “She was a quiet storm, one that you would not want to get in front of. She refused to go out with me because of the stupid rule about nurses dating doctors, but I refused to give up. I kept asking her and in frustration she said yes. ‘So that you can get it out of your system.’” He smiled whimsically. “But I never did and she finally saw that we were meant for each other. She stopped working the minute she found out she was pregnant with you. She told me that at least one of us was going to be there for you.”
Savannah blinked and looked away. She remembered her mother as a woman who had always been on her side and had suffered badly when she had died. “I miss her.”
“So do I.” He reached across the table and took one of her slender hand. “She was always so proud of you.”
“I know.” She let her hand stay beneath his. For the first time in their relationship she actually started feeling closer to him but she was still very cautious.
“Can you ever forgive me for being such an old fool?”
She smiled at that. “Maybe.”
“Good.” He heaved a sigh. “Now tell me what’s bothering you.”
“Why do you think something is bothering me?”
“Because I happen to know you. I remember when you got an A minus on your biology test and you got that sad look on your beautiful face when you sat down to supper and your mother asked you what was wrong.”
“And I did not tell her because I knew you would blow a fuse.”
He grimaced at that. “Like I said. Old fool.”
She laughed and he relaxed at the sound and stared at the way it lit up her exquisite face. She told him about her patients.
“Her body is too frail for chemo?”
“Yes. She lost weight rapidly and it seemed to be aggressive. Her parents are resigning themselves to losing her.”
“You have explored every option?”
“We have.” Savannah nodded toying with her fork. “If we had caught it a week or two earlier we would have been able to contain it but it spread fast. She had been sick for the past month before the parents came in with her.”
“Why did they wait?”
“Denial. They thought the cancer was gone and she was just going through regular illness.”
“They should have known better.”
“I can’t blame them, Dad.” She sipped her coffee moodily. “She told me yesterday that she was ready to go to heaven.”
“Poor kid,” he said heavily.
“I wish there was something more I could do.”
*****
“Pull up a chair, Parker, we have been waiting,” Kurt drawled as he looked up at the tall imposing man coming inside the room. It was high stakes poker but very friendly and the money won went to some charity that the wives picked out. It had started a few years ago and Leesa and Kelly had suggested that they put the money to good use.
“Yeah?” He looked around the room at the friendly faces and felt the tension drifting away. His mother had been calling and bombarding him with questions of when he was coming to dinner. She nothing if not persistent! And Amy had taken their pictures in the papers to mean that they mean that they were engaged. “What are you doing here, man? Aren’t you supposed to be at home with your wife and new baby?”
“Alexis let me off the hook because she said I am driving her crazy,” he said with a grin. “Can you blame me? I am the father of two of most beautiful children in the world. I barely can make it out of the house these days.”
“Are we going to play card or live this Hallmark moment?” Gavin growled irritably.
“Just you wait until your time comes,” Alessandro warned him with a grin.
“Let’s play.”
*****
“You finally agreed to come out with me,” Calvin said in wonder. “What made you change your mind? Okay, don’t answer that. I absolutely don’t want to know and by the way if I have not told you that you look ravishing then please forgive me. That dress is certainly happening.”
“As long as you bear in mind that this is not a date,” she told him with a smile as she nodded to the waiter. “I just needed a distraction.”
“I don’t mind being used, honey.” He leaned forward and let his eyes pass over her flawlessly made up face and the dip in her silver dress. “I am the envy of every man here. Even those who are with their women.”
“Is that so?” Savannah looked around the dimly lit room of the exclusive restaurant. She had made the reservations and had invited him. As she told him she really needed the distraction.
“We are not going to be talking about anything to do with medicine tonight. Even if this is not a date we are going to pretend it is one.”
“You are not coming back to my apartment when we are finished here,” she warned him.
“I am wounded by that, Savannah.” He put a hand over where his heart was and the expression on his dark attractive face caused her to laugh. “I would have you know that I am a perfect gentleman. You are paying for dinner so I will of course leave the tip. Considering that I am not as well off as you are. I am swimming in student loans and won’t be able to surface for another five years or so.”
“You will get there,” she said a little carelessly. “Your sister has decided to take the plunge.”
“Two doctors in the family,” Calvin said with a grin. “Our parents could not be more proud.”
“She starts in the fall?”
“Yes, and she will be bunking with me for the duration. It is going to cramp my style especially if a certain lady decides to hook up with me.” He looked at her, his meaning clear.
“Not this lady, Calvin,” she said gently. “Just friends.”
“Well, friends can turn into something else,” he said with a smile. She was just about to say something else when she saw them! Her body went rigid as she noticed them over at one of the corner booths. It was a very exclusive and expensive restaurant but she never expected to see him here!
“Savannah?” Calvin brought her attention back to him, a puzzled look on his face. “You okay?”
“I am fine.” She forced a smile to her lips and willed her hands to stop trembling praying that he would not notice her. “How about getting dessert to go and stopping by the club?”
“I thought you would never ask,” he said with a grin.
He noticed her the minute she had gotten to her feet. He had given in to Amy’s pleas about taking her to dinner and had decided to take her here which was not very far from his apartment. He had been about to suggest that they wrap things up when he noticed her. She looked over at him and their eyes met and held before she looked back at the man she was with. His eyes narrowed at the possessive way he took her hand and he felt the fiery dart of
jealousy as she smiled up at him. He had been calling her and she had not been answering and now he knew why! He half got to his feet but Amy touched his arm and stopped him. “Darling, the strawberry mousse is here. You have never tasted anything like it.” He turned to look at her and when he looked back over they had disappeared. He sat back down heavily and for him the evening was definitely over!
*****
“I never knew you could dance like that,” Calvin said, flushed from the enjoyment he had had inside the packed club. He had seen another side of Savannah that he had never seen before and he was fascinated.
“There are lots of things you don’t know about me,” she said with a saucy smile as she ordered a martini at the bar. She was not on duty tomorrow so she could sleep in.
“You got that right.” Suddenly, he swooped in and surprised her with a kiss on the lips. She pulled away immediately.
“What the hell was that?”
“I could not help it,” he murmured.
“I told you we were just friends, Calvin, and if you want that to remain then I suggest you keep your lips to yourself,” she told him coolly as the bartender brought their drinks.
“Yes, ma’am,” he responded chastened.
“Good, now let’s enjoy what’s left of the evening and go on home.”
Chapter 8
“Listen up, people!” Pamela’s voice rang out through the lobby of the hospital bringing all the doctors and nurses to a stop. “We have a situation. In exactly ten minutes we are going to be flooded with children between the ages of six and eight suffering from gunshot wounds. School shooting at St. Mary’s Prep. I really don’t need to tell you that these are children of the elite of the society but we are not going to pay that any mind because shooting children of any area of society is something that does not stick well in my craw! All hands on deck!”
*****
“It’s all over the news.” Calvin rubbed his hands together to keep them warm as the doctors lined up outside to wait for the ambulances. “Two children died on the spot and several others are critical.”
“Who did it?” Savannah had to take several deep breaths to deal with the situation. She was beginning to wish she was in any other profession!
“A spurned lover, of all things,” Calvin said grimly as the ambulances started rolling in. “One of the teachers broke loose from an abusive relationship and he just thought that the way to pay her back was to open fire on her students and on her.”
“Is she dead?”
“She is one of the critical.”
It was chaos in the hospital as the parents got in the way of the EMTs and the doctors and nurses trying to decide where to put who!
“This little girl is bleeding out! She needs surgery right away. Take her up, please,” Savannah ordered as she ran to look at another patient. She stopped short as she looked at the little girl lying there so still with blood patterning her light blue and pink tunic. “Oh my Lord!” she whispered.
“You know her?” the doctor who was cutting away her blouse asked as he continued.
“We all do. She is Gabrielle, niece of Gavin Parker.”
“The pharmaceutical giant and the one giving us a state of the art pediatrics wing,” The doctor said slowly as he looked down at the little girl. “If she dies-”
“She is not going to die because we are going to save her life along with the others,” Savannah said grimly as she firmed her shoulders. “Is the bullet lodged in?”
“Yeah, and if we don’t get it out, it stands a chance of poisoning her. We need permission to go in.”
“We will be getting it now.” Savannah’s eyes zeroed in on the people rushing towards her.
“Oh my God! Gabby!” Gail rushed towards her little girl.
“How bad is it?” The question was directed to her by Gavin. She had never seen him look so out of control before, his grey eyes bright as if he was trying to fight back tears.
“She is going to need surgery to take the bullet out.” Savannah did her best to sound calm. “We need your written permission.”
“You got it,” he told her briefly.
“Please save my granddaughter,” a tall willowy brunette who looked too much like both Gail and Gavin whispered, her hands clasped tight.
“We will do our best.” Savannah turned to leave and Gail stopped her. “How bad?”
“We don’t know if there is internal bleeding until we check. I will let you know what is happening.”
“Thank you.” She walked towards her brother and went into his arms. Their eyes met before she hurried away to save lives!
*****
“Just what we need,” Doctor Sylvester muttered as he glanced up and saw Administrator Laughlin looking down from the gallery. “More pressure to save this kid’s life.”
“I am sure she is as interested in us saving the other children’s lives as much as this one,” Savannah pointed out as she suction the wound. The bullet was lodged in too deep that they were going to have to go in and dig it out. It had narrowly missed her heart and Savannah felt herself trembling at the thought.
“I am not saying I am not enraged by this because let’s face it! As soon as you try killing children then you just became a monster in my book! But if it had been a poor black girl from a public school would she be here looking if we are doing the job right? Not to mention the child’s uncle is putting up millions to build a pediatric ward.”
“That will benefit some poor black girl in the future. Let’s not stick with semantics at this point. And what would you know about being black? You are as white as they come,” Savannah said dryly.
“I have black friends,” he said, grinning behind his mask. “And I have you.”
“Dammit! She is bleeding out!”
“Press down on the wound. We have to stop the bleeding.”
“Her pressure is dropping!” the OR nurse told them as she looked at the monitor.
“And all her vitals!” Savannah added as she looked at the monitor. “We are losing her.”
“Not on my watch!” Doctor Sylvester said grimly.
*****
“She is moving back with me,” Otis told his wife grimly as they waited inside the private room that the administrator had provided for them.
“No, she is not,” Gail said succinctly as she stopped her pacing to answer her husband.
“If she had been with me this would not have happened.”
“You bastard!” She spun around and came to stand in front of him. “Our daughter is next to death and fighting for her life and you want to use this for leverage in getting her to come and live with you? How low can you sink?”
“She is lying there fighting for her life because you broke up our family.”
“You broke up our family, you son of a bitch, when you slept with my best friend!”
“Enough, you two,” Greta admonished from her position on one of the sofas. “This is not the time or place.”
“I agree,” Gavin said as he came into the room with some coffee cups. “Otis, stop being such a dick before I knock your teeth out the way I should have done when I heard about the affair.”
“It’s none of your business!” Otis said angrily as he faced the taller man, with his hands clenched.
“You want to take me right here? Right now?” Gavin’s voice was menacing as he stared him down.
“I hate to break up what looks like a pissing match, but I have news,” Savannah’s cool voice sounded from the doorway.
The tension dissolved immediately as they turned to her.
“How is she?” Gail asked as she hurried over to Savannah.
“She is a fighter. She has lost a lot of blood and the next twenty-four hours is going to be crucial, but I think she is out of the woods,” Savannah told her with a smile.
She blinked in surprise as the woman pulled her into her arms and hugged her tight. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Thank you so much!” both Otis and the grandmothe
r told her.
“You are welcome.” She eased herself out of the woman’s arms.
“How are the others?” Gail asked her.
“Some did not make it,” she said solemnly as she turned to leave.
He caught up with her and pulled at her arm. “Thanks.”
She pulled away from him and faced him with a cool look. “I was just doing my job.”
“We are in your debt again.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she told him coolly and before he could say anything she walked away.
*****
“Dad, I just got in.” The weariness sounded in her voice as she kicked off her sneakers and flopped down on the sofa in the living room. The carnage had been horrible and was something that she hoped she never had to see again! Two of the children out of the sixteen who had been brought in had died and one would never walk again. The teacher had died on the operating table and the parents and loved ones had swarmed the hospital looking for hope that some would never get. She could not wait to get out of there! Before she left she had checked in on Gabby who was still sleeping and had seen that her entire family were still there waiting for her to wake up.
“I know, honey, and I cannot tell you horrified I am. It must have been so hard on you,” he said sympathetically.
“Not as hard as it was for the parents.” She closed her eyes as she remembered the mother of one of the girls who had died and how she had screamed and told her that she was lying, that her daughter could not be dead.
“I left her off at school this morning and promised her pizza for dinner later because she has been such a good little girl. She cannot be dead! My baby!”
“It’s horrible,” he commiserated. “You want me to come over?”
“No, Dad. Thanks. I just want to get in the shower, make myself some tea, and remind myself that I became a surgeon to save lives and to make a difference which right now I am not feeling it at all.”
“How many lives were saved today?”