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After taking Mr Jones to his room, getting him settled in, giving the report to the floor nurse and finally returning to the ER, Gina was wiped out. The energy she had spent on her first day on the job had drained her physically and emotionally. Just stepping into this hospital again had made her sweat. She’d done her student nurse training here and had bolted for Richmond, sixty miles away, the day after graduation. From there, she’d taken off and had never looked back. Until now. Until her father’s unexpected death had made it apparent that she’d had to come home. But being here was turning into a rope around her neck that was getting tighter and tighter.
Having been away from home for so long, she hadn’t realized that things had gotten as bad as they had until it had been too late. Now she was stuck in a quagmire of lifelong guilt, unexpected financial responsibility, and emotional upheaval. She didn’t want any of it, but there was no one else, unless she wanted to hand her mother over to the state of Virginia to manage, and that wasn’t going to happen. She’d just have to put her feelings aside and deal with it.
Leather briefcase in hand, lab coat tossed carelessly over his shoulder, Thomas approached the nurses’ station as he headed toward the door. “I thought you’d left already.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going into overtime on my first day. I wanted to see Mr Jones settled upstairs and helped him call his wife.” Collecting her backpack, she slung it on and walked with Thomas to the entrance.
“That was kind of you, and I wasn’t concerned that you were going over your time.”
“Thanks. He doesn’t have anybody to be with him right now, so I stayed a few extra minutes. His wife doesn’t see well enough at night to drive over here, so I talked to her for a few minutes on the phone.” Gina sighed, attempting to shake off the emotions of the day, and tried not see how they mirrored her own life. “I’m beat.”
“I’m sure it’s been a long first day for you.” Thomas held the door open for her.
“Yes, thanks.” She started across the parking lot. Humidity in the spring was always oppressive, and it pressed down on her now. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You’re walking?” he asked, his brows raised in surprise.
“Yes. Good exercise.” She started to wave, then hesitated as the frown on his face deepened. “What?”
“Gina, really, you shouldn’t walk alone at night. That can be dangerous around here.”
“It’s just a few blocks, Doc. I’ll be fine.” She lowered her hand and watched as he approached her. Even in the dark, his presence was almost overwhelming. The light from nearby streetlights created shadows on his face that hadn’t been there moments ago. The deep-set eyes were hidden and revealed nothing of his mood, and her heart beat a little quicker.
“Nonsense. Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.” He opened the door to his car and stowed his belongings in the back.
“Really, it’s just a few…” Her throat went dry at the thought of sitting in that little car with such a big man, even if it was just a two-minute drive.
“Then, if it’s close by, it won’t take any time to deliver you home safely,” he said. “I insist.”
By his tone and stance, Gina knew there was no sense in arguing with the man, and she was too tired to put up a fight. “Oh, OK. But I really would have been fine. I’ve walked this town since I was a kid, even at night.”
“Things have changed since you lived here. Even in the year since I’ve been here.” Thomas walked around his car. “We’ve had drugs and gangs infiltrate the schools. Kids are getting into that stuff younger and younger. Not long ago one of our physicians was going to the parking garage and was attacked with a tire iron.”
“Oh, my God. Is he or she OK?” Gina asked. “I had no idea stuff like that had been going on.” Things like that hadn’t happened when she’d been growing up. She’d obviously been way out of touch, more than she’d realized.
“It’s a him, and he’s OK. He’s back at work now, but he was beaten pretty severely.” Thomas opened the door for her.
Gina hesitated as she looked inside at the lush leather seats compared to her grungy scrubs.
“What’s wrong? Not afraid to ride with me, are you?” A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth.
“No, it’s not that,” she said, and gave him a sidelong smile.
“What, then?”
“I’m afraid riding in this car will ruin me for all other cars.”
Thomas laughed. “What do you drive?”
“I’m afraid to tell you.” She tossed her backpack on the floor.
“Gina, I’m not that judgmental.”
“OK. It’s a Ford. A really old one, but it gets me where I need to go.”
“Well, get in and enjoy the ride, even if it’s a short one.” He chuckled again as she slid into the leather seat with an appreciative groan.
“This should be illegal,” she said as he closed the door and went around to the other side.
“So, where to?” He looked across the narrow confines of the car and waited. Despite having never been in a car like this, she looked like she fit it perfectly. With her long legs stretched out in front of her and angled toward him, she looked like she could be in a car commercial. If it weren’t for the scrubs she wore.
“Oh, sorry. Take a left out of the parking lot,” she said, snapping her seat belt into place and settling into the seat. In minutes they arrived at her cottage. “Could you drive around the block a few times?”
“Why? Do you see someone who shouldn’t be there?” he asked and looked up the driveway.
“No. I just wanted to enjoy the ride a little longer. Riding in my car just won’t be the same.”
He pulled over to the curb and laughed out loud. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he zipped back onto the street. “Once more around the block, just for you,” he said. How often had any woman he’d known been made happy with a simple car ride? Never, was the simple answer.
Gina let out a giggle of pleasure that sent a shiver of reaction through him. Here, sitting in the car with nothing else between them, it was easy to forget the rest of his life. But a few minutes later he pulled back into her driveway and the momentary spell was broken. “Here you are,” he said, and parked the car.
“Thanks, Thomas. I’m sure I would have been fine walking—”
“But it’s better to make sure you got here in one piece. It was no trouble.” He glanced at her again, and she held his gaze and he felt himself reluctant to end their drive. “So how was your first day?”
Gina nodded and leaned her head back against the headrest. “Tiring, but good. I just feel so sorry for Mr Jones.”
“Yes, me too. But we’ll do whatever we can to help him. I’m sure you know that.” He hesitated just a moment. “And I do appreciate the correction you gave me. It’s easy to forget that a patient’s mental processes aren’t the same as ours.”
“Yes, it is easy to forget. I just hope there’s time for him.” She gathered her backpack from the floor and held it in her lap. “My father died of cancer recently, and by the time he was diagnosed it was already too late.” What had made her offer that information she didn’t know, but being in the car was like being in a secluded bubble where nothing else mattered. “Lord, I must be tired to talk about him.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Next time a patient like that comes in, ask to switch if you’re uncomfortable with the situation.” Thomas scanned her face, but didn’t see any obvious anxiety.
“It was OK.” Totally different types of men. Totally different types of situations. “My father and I were never close.”
Thomas watched the play of emotions across her face and wondered if she could really be as open and honest as she appeared to be. That would be such a refreshing change from the women in his social circles.
Leaning over, Gina reached for the seat belt fastener. Instead of releasing it, her fingers seemed to fumble and her hand started to sweat, slipping on the polished metal. “I can’t get it.”
“Let me see,” Thomas said, and reached for the buckle, brushing her hands with his. His strong fingers closed over hers and tugged. The buckle came free, and Gina pulled back.
The close proximity of his head to hers in the narrow confines of the vehicle gave her another tantalizing whiff of his cologne. The man smelled like a dream, and her heart fluttered wildly, reacting in ways she hadn’t reacted to a man in a long time.
“I guess I should go now.” She clutched her backpack to her as if it could protect her from the effect he was having on her. “Thanks again.”
“Well, good night, then. I’ll watch until you’re inside.”
“Thanks…Thomas.” Gina left the car and walked to her front door. She waved as she entered and locked it again behind her. In seconds she heard the car zoom away. She frowned. He wasn’t what she had expected. Taking her home had been out of his way, despite what he had said. He hadn’t had to do that. But she was glad he had.
CHAPTER TWO
AFTER rounds the next day, Thomas decided to visit Mr Jones. His room was across from the nurses’station, and Thomas picked up his chart, but kept an eye on the room. He could see Gina chatting with Mr Jones and an elderly woman Thomas assumed to be Mrs Jones.
Looking through the chart, Thomas read the final test results, which clearly indicated the worst possible news for Mr Jones. He thought about Gina’s desire for more time for the man and was sorry that there was little of it left for Mr Jones. The oncologist’s note indicated severe disease, recommended a few radiation treatments for comfort, but prognosis was poor at this stage. End- stage cancer with metastases in the lymph, lungs and bone. A CAT scan of the brain was negative. At least that was a somewhat positive note.
There were times that Thomas hated being right, and this was one of them. Looking up at Gina as she threw her head back and laughed, he wondered if she knew. Bearing bad news was something he hated, but it was part of the job of being a physician.
Leaving the desk, he approached Mr Jones’s room just as Gina turned. The surprise on her face was obvious, but then there was that impish grin again.
“Hi, Doc. Come on in,” she said, then turned to Mr Jones. “Dr Ferguson is here to see you, Harold.”
“Harold?” Thomas said and stepped into the room, his brows raised at her familiarity with the patient.
“Yep. We’re official friends now,” Gina said. “And this is Elizabeth, his wife.”
“She’s just a delight, Doctor. I feel better just talking to her,” Mr Jones said and patted Gina’s hand.
“I see.” He cleared his throat and assessed Harold’s face. Indeed, he did look more relaxed than he had on admission. Having his wife support him through such a time would help him so much. “I see the oncologist was here. Did he have a talk with you?”
“Yes. He gave me the news you started to last night. All bad. But at my age I don’t think I’m going to be attempting any treatment.” Harold shook his head. “I’ve lived a good life and want to just make the most of the time I have left.” He turned to Elizabeth and they shared an intimate look.
Thomas almost felt an intruder as he watched the loving interaction between them. He watched as Gina looked away, too. There was certainly more to her than met the eye. She wasn’t just a beautiful redhead pretending to be a nurse. That she cared about people was obvious. But was she overstepping her role as a nurse, not holding her own professional boundaries?
“My affairs are in order. Having survived two wars, I figured I was pushing my luck already. Now I just want to go home with Elizabeth and not be in pain.” Harold nodded, reinforcing his own decision.
“That’s right,” Elizabeth said, and wiped her eyes. “None of us live for ever. I want him home with me as long as possible.”
“That sounds like a very good plan,” Thomas agreed. “If there is anything we can do to help you, please, let us know.”
“Gina said you people could set me up with help at home. Now that my pain is almost gone, I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible.” Harold smiled, eager to convince Thomas of his sincerity.
“Home hospice would be a great service. I’m going to drop in and see him now and then,” Gina said, and stood. “Well, I’d better get back to work,” she said. “Doc’s not paying me to sit and talk all day.” She gave Harold’s hand a squeeze. “See you soon.”
Gina and Thomas departed, approaching the elevator in silence. Gina pushed the button and stared at the numbers on the panel. This man made her uncomfortable. Just standing with him, waiting for the ancient elevator, had her stomach churning. Something about him was very attractive to her, but knowing who he was and the type of lifestyle he came from made her squash any attraction that was beginning to form. She reached out to press the button again. “Why is this thing so slow?”
“Why are you in such a hurry?” he asked, more convinced than ever that there was more to Gina’s story than she was letting on. Bad marriage? Bad divorce, like him?
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped into it. “Are you OK?” Thomas asked, observing her closely. She wouldn’t meet his gaze, and she hugged her arms around her middle.
“I spent quite a bit of time with Mr Jones, and I just need to get back to the ER. I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot on my second day here.” Gina shoved her hands into her lab coat and fidgeted in the narrow space. He didn’t want to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was, but there was definitely something bothering her.
“That’s not a problem. It’s been quiet this morning.” He hesitated, then looked at her. “You seem a little on edge, though. Are you sure you’re OK?”
Gina gave him a surprised glance. “What makes you ask that?”
He shrugged. “I read people well.”
“And you’re reading something into me?” She’d only been here two days and already she was falling into the same trap she’d fallen into years ago. No way was that happening again.
Before she could respond, the doors to the elevator opened.
“Gina! Thomas!” Rhonda cried, and motioned for them to hurry. “Trauma coming through the door right now.”
Thomas and Gina raced behind Rhonda. Rhonda ushered the family members away and left just the medical team to work on the patient, a young male who appeared to be about sixteen years of age.
Gina hooked up the cardiac monitor and oxygen and started an IV in his blood-covered hand. Though he was unresponsive she talked to him anyway, telling him what she was doing.
“Who knows what happened?” Thomas asked.
“The mother is here, but she’s pretty upset,” the respiratory therapist said.
“Get her in here,” Thomas said, and placed his stethoscope over the patient’s chest. “We need as much information from her as possible.”
Gina picked up the phone and called the nurses’ station. “We need the mother—now.”
Seconds later Rhonda escorted a woman near hysterics into the trauma room.
“What happened to your son?” Thomas asked, not looking up as he continued to examine his patient.
“I don’t know! Someone dumped him in my driveway looking like this, and I brought him straight here.” She sobbed into her hands. “Is he awake?”
“Not yet,” Rhonda said. “They’re going to be working on him for a while yet.”
“This looks like a gang beating,” Gina said, and shot a glance at the mother. “I’ve seen this in other cities. From what you said last night,” she added to Thomas, “our little town can’t avoid it for ever.”
“My son is not in a gang,” the mother protested, glaring at Gina. “We don’t have gangs here. Hidden Valley is too small.”
“Richmond’s not that far away.” Gina knew it, she’d seen it, and hoped this mother would face her son’s problems quickly. Denial would only get her so far and then she’d have to face it or deal with the consequences down the line.
“No. It can’t be,” she cried, and shook her head. “He’s just a boy.”
“I’m sorry this is such a shock for you. But I just cut off his clothing and found this.” Gina exposed the markings on his deltoid for her to see herself.
The mother gasped and pointed a trembling finger at the tattoo clearly defined on her son’s arm. “I don’t know what that is, but it’s not a gang.”
“Has he been using any drugs that you’re aware of?” Gina spread the boy’s fingers apart, examining them for signs of drug use, but found nothing.
“No.” She shook her head and looked as if her world was about to fall apart. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
“Right now we need to focus on stabilizing him. We’ll work out the details later,” Thomas said. “Rhonda, why don’t you take her back to the waiting room?”
“I’ll come get you when you can see him, I promise,” Gina said, trying to offer the woman some support, though thinking of her son this way was obviously painful. “What’s his name?”
“Terrence,” the mother whispered. After touching his shoulder, she leaned heavily on Rhonda as they left the trauma room.
“Well, Terrence,” Thomas said to the unresponsive patient, “you’re in a world of trouble.” He turned to Gina. “Let’s get a CAT scan. I’m concerned that he hasn’t roused at all.” He checked Terrence’s pupils with a penlight, looking for a response.
“He’s had quite a wallop on the back of the head. He may be just concussed or he could have a brain injury,” Gina said.
“Absolutely,” Thomas replied. He liked the way she thought, processing the possibilities quickly. Obviously a nurse of some experience and ability to think through all the possible scenarios. Good qualities to have in an ER nurse in a small town. Someone who had been around and could snap into emergency mode when the need arose, but be content with the smaller issues of every ER, like the flu, cuts and broken arms. Nurses like that were hard to find. Thomas would have to review Gina’s temporary contract and see if he could get her to extend her stay. She’d only been there two days, but working with a nurse with her skills would only make his job easier.
Within the hour Gina handed the boy over to the OR team. Brain surgery was indicated for him immediately.
Gina returned to the trauma room to clean it. Traumas always created a lot of trash.
Thomas found her there, banging drawers, clanging things around and making a lot of noise. He stepped into the room. “What are you doing?” he asked, and looked around. The room looked worse than when the patient had been in there.
“Cleaning,” she said, and avoided looking at him. “This room is a disaster.” She gathered up the dressing materials that had landed on the floor. “You’re a very sloppy doctor, by the way.” She gave him a sidelong glance.
“What? I’m not.” He frowned at her assessment of his character.
“You are,” she said with a smile. “I can see you didn’t go to college on a basketball scholarship.”
“I didn’t, but—”
“You threw a lot of things on the floor and now I have to pick them up.” She reached for another handful of trash from the floor. “This is so gross. I think you should do it.”
He stepped closer, placing himself inches away from her. She was flirting with him! And he liked it. Hiding a grin, he waited for her to turn round. “I tried for the trash can and missed. That’s not sloppy. That’s just bad aim.”
“Like I said, no basketball scholarship for you.” She turned and gasped. She hadn’t expected him to be so close to her and her heart took off. She tried to back up, but her legs wouldn’t move.
“Want some help with this?” he asked.
“You want to help me?” She glanced down at his attire of crisply pressed white shirt that probably cost more than a day’s pay and the navy linen slacks that bore a neat pleat. “You don’t want to get blood on your shirt. I can handle this, thanks.” The way his mouth moved, one corner of it twitching up, made her want to reach out and touch it, to see if it was as warm as it looked. She swallowed. This attraction was getting a little too serious a little too fast.
He took a step back. “I’m not bothered. Why should you be?”
“Seriously, this is my job, and I’d feel guilty if you helped me. You don’t want to be responsible for my guilt, do you?” Despite the mental warning to herself, she couldn’t help liking his reply.
“Gina, I’ve done my share of dirty jobs as an intern and resident. A little bit of gauze isn’t going to bother me.”
“I know. But just the same. I’ve got it.” She looked down at the mess around her. “It’s a shame, isn’t it?”
Thomas instinctively knew exactly what she meant. “It is. Some kids learn the hard way, and I think he’s one of them.”
“His mom’s in for a whole lot of heartbreak, isn’t she?” Gina asked, already knowing the answer.
“She is. But hopefully she won’t have to face it alone.” He watched her stuff the gauze into the trash can. “Are you OK?”
“Putting a kid back together gets old sometimes, ya know?” A sigh came from her. “It seems like everywhere I go I put the same kids back together for the same things all the time. Just once I’d like to see them do well.”
“Yes. I know. Emergency medicine can be a bit overwhelming at times. Nurses burn out in ICU and ER more frequently than any other area.” He watched her with those striking blue eyes. “You make sure to take breaks, don’t you?”
“Yes. That’s why I don’t work in the same area all the time, but change back and forth to stay fresh.” Returning to her task, she stuffed more trash in the garbage can.
“Relax, will you? Let someone else get the trash. You don’t have to do everything.”
“It makes life easier on Housekeeping if I can at least help.”
“Certainly. But the trash isn’t what’s bothering you. Everything is just fine. Terrence is off to surgery and there aren’t any other emergencies right now, so why don’t you take a break?” He tried to coax a smile out of her, put her mind at ease. “I could use a break, too.”
“I can’t,” she said, as she carried on tidying. “When one job’s done, there’s always another waiting.”
“Come on. Trauma can be tough on people. The patient, the family…and the staff,” Thomas said, and took a step closer to her, invading her space again, putting more pressure on her until she looked up at him.
She frowned and glared at him, but couldn’t hold it and cracked a grin, feeling the heat of a blush in her neck. “What? Don’t you have a laceration somewhere to suture?”
“Nope, I’m fresh out.” The sassy edge to her voice made him smile. She was a refreshing change from people who knew who he was, what his family was, and sought to ingratiate themselves to him. Gina didn’t care who he was, and he liked that.
She dropped her shoulders and released a pent-up breath. “OK. Coffee sounds good. But I need to get rid of this stuff first,” she said. “I don’t want to leave everything for Housekeeping. That’s not fair.”
Thomas smiled, glad she had accepted his offer. “Five minutes, in the staffroom, or I’ll hunt you down.”
She grinned. “Good enough.”
Thomas hesitated. When she smiled like that she was absolutely stunning. With a quick nod he left her to her task, not wanting to think where this association could head. They were just coworkers sharing a bit of coffee and conversation, right?
Minutes later Gina entered the staff room to the fragrance of an exotic blend of coffee. “Oh, what’s that?” she asked, and sniffed appreciatively. “That’s not hospital coffee, is it?” The smell was making her mouth water. Thomas smiled, and Gina’s knees threatened to go weak. Oh, he was almost making her mouth water, too.
“This is my secret office stash.” He shook his head. “Now you know my deep, dark secret.”
“There are some perks to being the medical director, I see.”