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He’d keep his distance. But he couldn’t deny that the thought of spending even a short time with interesting and beautiful Laurel Evans sounded pretty irresistible.
“I know it’s early, Dimitri.” Andros paced up and down the hall of the clinic as he spoke to the infection specialist, barely noticing the dawn that rose over the mountain, filling the sky with pink and gold. “I wish I’d sent them last night. I wanted to give them time to possibly stabilize, but their respiratory rate’s gone to thirty and forty breaths per minute. New chest films show dramatic worsening to progressive multilobar pneumonia.”
“What’s their oxygen saturation?” Dimitri asked.
“Both were hypoxic when they arrived. Now pulse ox says their sats have gone from ninety to eighty, even after giving them four liters of oxygen. This is acute respiratory failure, Di, and they may need intubation.”
“Nikolaos will be here in an hour, and I’ll send him right out.”
Andros nearly slammed his hand to the wall. “We can’t wait until the hospital’s driver feels like rolling out of bed. Get him out here with portable oxygen now, or I’ll bring them there. If they code on me, it’ll be on your shoulders, since I don’t have damned IV hookups in my car.”
“All right, all right. He’ll gripe like hell, but I’ll have him there in an hour and fifteen.”
“Good.” He stopped his pacing to stare out of the window. “Get a blood test for fungal infection when they get there. I’m going to talk to the hotel management, and the archaeological crew they’ve worked with. See if I can figure out if there’s some environmental cause.”
“You think there might be?”
“Maybe. It’s strange that they both fell ill days apart with the same symptoms. So make sure Nikolaos and the EMTs use infection control precautions, just in case.”
“Will do. Talk to you after they get here.”
Andros shoved his phone into his pocket, called Christina to come in early and keep a close eye on the Wagners, then caught up on paperwork in his office. He tried not to constantly check his watch. After forty-five minutes that felt like hours, he decided to make sure the Wagners were ready to go the second Nikolaos got there. He took a quick right out of his office, practically knocking down Laurel Evans, who was standing just outside his door. How had he missed her presence, when he’d been so acutely aware of it yesterday?
“Whoa, sorry!” he said, grabbing her arms to steady her. “Didn’t see you there. Hope I didn’t bruise you.”
“No bruises. Though I did wonder for a second if I was on a football field instead of in a medical clinic.” Her hands rested on his biceps as though they belonged there, and he had to stop himself from tugging her closer. “Now I see your real MO. Forget chasing ambulances. You injure people, fix them up, then bill them.”
He smiled. “Not my MO. But I did play football in college in the US. Glad to know I still have the moves.” Though knocking her down wasn’t the move he’d like to make on her. “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t sleep. So I came to see how they’re doing.”
The pale smudges beneath her eyes didn’t detract one bit from her pretty face, and he again nearly pulled her against him instead of letting her go. To comfort and reassure her, of course.
“Not good.” He gave her arms a gentle, bolstering squeeze before dropping his hands. “I’ve called the Elias Sophia hospital, which is about an hour away. The ambulance is coming to get them now.”
“Oh, no!” Her hands flew to cover her heart. “They’re worse?”
“I’m afraid so.” He didn’t feel it was necessary to tell her exactly how much worse they were. With any luck, they’d soon be fine and she’d never have to know the seriousness of the situation. “Sometime today, I’d like to talk to some of your people who’ve worked in the caves.”
“To see if there’s something there that made them sick.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes.”
“I’ll be heading up when I leave here. The crew should be there soon, and I need to talk to them anyway. If you have time, you can come with me.”
“Once the Wagners leave for the hospital, I can go. Even though Melanie hasn’t been up there recently, it’s worth asking a few questions.”
“If it’s contagious, just being in the same hotel room might have exposed her to it, right?”
“Right.” He’d considered the same thing. The woman was smart, no doubt about that. “I’m also going to check with the hotel management, see if any tourists were ill, or if any staff that live elsewhere have been out sick.”
“Can I see Mel and Tom now?”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.” Andros managed to temper the vehement hell, no he’d nearly responded with. But her being exposed to them again wouldn’t accomplish anything. “Talking is difficult for them right now. After they’re settled in at the hospital, we can go see them there together.”
She tipped her head sideways and seemed to study him. Was she wondering if he had some ulterior motive in wanting them to go together? Again, smart woman. He hadn’t said it for that reason, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, the small rush of anticipation he felt spelled out loud and clear that, even if they were just driving to see his patients, and despite his concern for them, he’d more than enjoy the time with her.
“All right. But—”
“Dr. Drakoulias!” Christina came hurrying out of the doors of the hospital wing. “The hospital transport is here.”
“Finally.” He turned to Laurel. “Stay here. I’ll be back shortly.”
With Christina’s help, he, the EMT and Nikolaos got both patients loaded in a matter of minutes. About to shut the ambulance doors, the scent of sweet citrus reached his nose. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Laurel standing right behind him, waving to the Wagners as they lay inside on their gurneys.
“Don’t worry about a thing,” she said, the smile on her face obviously strained. “I’ll come see you with updates.”
He shut the ambulance doors, yanked down his mask, and barely stopped himself from raising his voice at the woman next to him. “What part of ‘stay here’ and ‘possibly contagious’ are you not understanding?”
“I was a good six feet from them. It seems to me you’re overreacting a little, since you don’t know if they’re contagious or not.”
“There’s a difference between overreaction and caution.”
“Maybe that’s just something you tell yourself.” She folded her arms and stared him down. “Are you going to be bossy like this when we go up to the caves?”
“I’m only bossy when I have good reason to be.” In spite of his frustration with her, he nearly smiled at the mulish expression on her face. She was toughness all wrapped up in softness. “So the answer is yes. I’m staying outside the caves and you are too.”
“I’m an archaeologist, Dr. Drakoulias. Detective work is part of what we do. The Wagners are my bosses and my friends, and I’m going to do whatever I can to help. The caves are part of the excavation I’m doing my dissertation on, and, with Mel and Tom sick, I’m in charge now. I have to learn exactly what they’re doing there and maybe in the process spot something that could have made them ill. Since I’m pretty sure you don’t own Mount Parnassus, I’m going into the caves.”
“You say I’m bossy? How about I say you’re stubborn?” He let out an exasperated breath. “If there’s a fungal contagion, possibly connected to the caves, no one should go in who hasn’t been there already. Hell, no one should go in there, period, until we have some answers. But if they have to, they need to wear masks. Which I’ll provide. You, though, have to stay out for now.”
“Are you afraid Apollo’s python may be lurking in there too, ready to strangle me?” Her voice was silky sweet, at odds with the sparking blue flash in her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring my bow and arrows just in case.”
Clearly, the woman had serious issues with being told what to do. “Listen, Laurel, you—”
“Daddy!”
He swung around in horror when he heard his daughter’s little voice, and the sight of her standing just inside the door of the hospital wing with his sister and nephew, smiling her big bright smile, sent his heart pounding and adrenaline surging. His baby could not be in there when God knew what contagion might be in the very air. “Cassie. You can’t be here right now.”
“Why, Daddy?” Her eyes shone with excitement. “Is there really a python? I want to see!”
CHAPTER FOUR
LAUREL HAD BARELY blinked in shock at the little girl calling Andros “Daddy” when he’d strode to the child, snatched her up in his arms, hustled out the woman and little boy, too, and shoved the hospital doors closed behind them.
Heat surged into Laurel’s face when she realized the man she’d been thinking of as dreamy Dr. Drakoulias, the man she’d been having some pretty exciting fantasies about all last night when she couldn’t sleep, was apparently a married family man.
Why in the world had she just assumed he was single? Clearly, her instant attraction to him, along with wishful thinking, had blotted any other possibility from her mind.
Disgusted with herself, and, okay, disappointed too, she watched Andros crouch down next to the little girl. Surprisingly, he spoke to her in English. Why wouldn’t the child speak Greek, instead?
“Cassie. There’s no python. The pretty lady was just talking about the old story of god Apollo slaying the python dragon with arrows. Remember it?” The little girl nodded and Andros flicked her nose. “Know what, though? Remember when you didn’t feel good with your tummy bug? There might be some germs in the clinic I don’t want you to be around. I want you to go back with Petros and Thea Taryn, and I’ll be home later.”
Thea Taryn? Laurel didn’t know a lot of Greek words, but she did know thea meant aunt. Which presumably meant the attractive, dark-haired woman was either Andros’s sister or sister-in-law. Not that Laurel cared one way or the other, she thought with a twist of her lips. Married was married, and the thought of tromping over Mount Parnassus with him to talk to the crew together didn’t seem nearly as appealing now.
Despite what she’d boldly stated, the truth was she didn’t have a clue how to look for a fungus or whatever else could cause the kind of illness Mel and Tom had. She hadn’t been in a lot of caves, but weren’t most filled with all kinds of biological life she didn’t know much about? Probably, she should simply focus on getting the excavation finished and hope no one else got sick. Getting it done was critical for a number of reasons, and Mel and Tom would doubtless want her to concentrate on that as well.
The cute little girl wrapped her arms around Andros’s neck as he folded her close. Laurel’s throat tightened as she watched the sweet moment, thinking of her own dad and all the times he’d held her exactly the same way. Thinking of how much he’d loved his four daughters, and how much they’d loved and admired him. Thinking how lucky the child was that Andros seemed to be a supportive and involved dad. One whose work enabled him to be with her all the time, and not away for months as her own parents had been.
She began to turn away at the same time Andros’s head came up, and his eyes—dark and alive—met hers. He gestured to her to come over. She hesitated, then realized it was silly to feel embarrassed at her former hot fantasies. After all, he didn’t know about them, thank heavens, and she was already over it. It wasn’t as if she had time for any kind of relationship anyway, hot doc or not.
He stood. “Laurel Evans, this is my sister, Taryn Drakoulias, and her son, Petros.”
That answered that question, she thought as they shook hands, though she should have seen the resemblance. Same dark hair, nearly black eyes and a slightly amused smile that implied maybe they both were privy to secrets no one else was privy to. His daughter had the same dark eyes, but her hair was a much lighter brown.
Laurel wondered if Taryn was divorced or had been a single mom, since she still used her maiden name. Or if she’d simply kept her name, but that seemed less likely, since Greece was still a very traditional country.
“This is my daughter, Cassandra.” Andros smiled down at the girl, his eyes and face softened from the intense concern that had been on it just a moment ago. “Cassie, I’d like you to meet Laurel. She’s an archaeologist, working on the dig up the mountain. You’ve learned a little about that, haven’t you?”
“Yes! I have!” The child’s eyes, so like her dad’s, stared up at her. “Have you found lots of statues and gold treasures?”
If only. “Many things that are treasures to archaeologists, but not much gold, I’m afraid. Like father, like daughter, I see.” Laurel smiled up at Andros then turned back to Cassie. “Do you dig holes trying to find ancient treasure, Cassie, like your dad said he used to do?”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head, her chin-length hair sliding across her cheeks as she did. “Fairies are scared of big holes. I don’t want to scare them. I want them to sleep under our plants so they’re in the shade and live in the little houses they build in the ground under special rocks. They stay cool that way.”
“I see.” Laurel’s smile grew, remembering how much she’d loved pretend things as a little girl. Probably part of the reason she still loved classical myths today. “Have you seen the fairies?”
“Oh, yes.” She nodded, very serious. “Sometimes they dance at night when there’s a moon, and you can see them better. Sometimes they dance on my bed too, when they think I’m asleep.”
Laurel looked at Andros again to see what he thought of his daughter’s imagination. The lips she’d fantasized about were curved, and his eyes had attractively crinkled at the corners again.
No. Not attractively. Married, remember? Then again, he wasn’t wearing a ring, so maybe he wasn’t. That thought perked her up so much she nearly chuckled at how ridiculous she was being.
“We’ve made a fairy house out of stones, haven’t we, Cassie? Have you seen any go in yet?” Taryn asked.
“No.” Her little voice was filled with regret. “I think maybe I need to move the furniture around. Or put in something else. I don’t think they like it the way it is.”
Petros, who looked to be about five, chimed in, speaking Greek, but his mother stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “English, please. It’s good practice for you, and I don’t think Ms. Evans speaks Greek.” She turned to Laurel. “Do you?”
“Not much, I’m afraid. Trying, since I expect to spend a lot of time in various parts of the country on future digs, but it’s not as easy as I’d hoped. I plan to study it more when the dig is over and I’m back at the university.”
“Your work must be very interesting.”
“It is. It also can be hot and dirty and takes a lot of patience, but the reward is worth it.”
“Hot and dirty sounds like fun!” Petros exclaimed.
The adults’ eyes all met, with Taryn looking slightly embarrassed and Andros quite amused at the sexual connotation of what were, really, innocent words. Laurel should have felt a little embarrassed too, since she was the first to use the unfortunate phrase, but instead found the fantasies she’d enjoyed last night popped front and center into her mind. Dang it.
“What were you going to say about the fairy house?” Taryn hastily asked her son.
“I told Cassie we should make toad or snake houses instead. There’s no fairies around here.”
“Oh, there definitely are, Petros,” Laurel said. “I’m sure there are plenty nearby.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. How ridiculous to defend Cassie’s belief in fairies, when the child had her aunt and parents to pretend with her, and it was just cousin dynamics anyway, which made it none of her business. Must be habit from the fun she’d had making up stories for her little sisters. From defending them, too, she supposed.
“You know about fairies?” Cassie stared at her, wide-eyed.
“Ancient stories of fairies and nymphs and all kinds of things are part of what I do.” The child was adorable, and she found herself wishing she could play fairies with her right then. But it was high time to change the subject and get back to work. “Speaking of which, I’ve got to get going. The students and volunteers are probably already at the sites by now.”
“I’ll go with you.” Andros turned to his sister and spoke in a low tone. “The dig leaders are pretty sick, and I’m going to ask the workers some questions about where they’ve all been. For now, don’t go into the hospital wing until it’s been sterilized. I’ll let you know when I’m done seeing patients this afternoon. I’ll pick Cassie up then.”
Taryn looked surprised, but nodded without comment before turning to Laurel. “Nice to meet you. Perhaps before the dig is over, you can come for dinner and tell us about all you’ve found in our backyard.”
“Thank you, I appreciate the invitation.” Having dinner with the happy Drakoulias family would be interesting, and she had to admit she was curious to meet Andros’s wife. If he had one. So long as she could keep from drooling when she stared at the man the lucky woman was married to. “Nice for you to have all of Mount Parnassus as your backyard.”
“Yes, Miss Laurel! And you can see our fairy house,” Cassie said. “And help me get the fairies to come.”
“I’d like that, Cassie.” The child’s bright eyes and smile would melt anyone’s heart. It made her think of her sisters with a sudden longing to hug them. She was surprised at how much she missed them, considering she’d practically danced with joy when the youngest had started college this year and Laurel could finally get to this dig.
The dig. She glanced at her watch, dismayed to realize how much time she’d lost this morning. Time she couldn’t afford to lose.
She turned to Andros. “Are you able to leave right now?”
He nodded. “Let me grab—”
“Dr. Drakoulias.” Christina stuck her head out of the door. “We have a patient with a possible broken arm.”
His lips twisted as his eyes met Laurel’s. “Guess I’m not. How about I find you at the other site when I can, then we’ll head over to the caves?”
“Okay.” A mix of both relief and disappointment battled inside her as she said her goodbyes and headed to her car. She didn’t particularly want him looking over her shoulder as she took over what would hopefully be temporary leadership and talked to all the dig workers. But she’d like to have him with her to ask the cave-dig volunteers questions she wouldn’t know to ask.
And of course it had nothing to do with wishing she could just look at him and talk to him all day long…
The temperature thankfully dropped a few degrees when the sun sank behind the mountain. Laurel kept carefully digging and cataloging, ignoring the stinging ache in her palm, even though she’d let most of the crew leave long ago. Shoveling dirt and rocks and working in this kind of heat wore everyone down by the end of the day, and she couldn’t expect them to be as intensely committed as she was. This dig hadn’t been their parents’ baby, and they didn’t know about what Laurel still hoped was here somewhere, just waiting to be found.
Between her time at the clinic and meeting with different crew members, she’d lost more than half the day, and if she had to work until nearly dark to make it up, she would. So disappointing that Andros apparently hadn’t been able to get away. She’d asked the volunteers at the cave dig to stick around later than usual, but, as far as she knew, he hadn’t shown. Every time she’d seen someone move into her vision, her silly heart had kicked a little, until she’d realized it wasn’t him after all.
Time to go to the cave site to tell everyone they were through for the day. Hopefully it didn’t matter that Andros hadn’t been able to talk with any of them. Maybe Mel and Tom would be better after their hospital stay, and they could all quit worrying about why they’d gotten sick in the first place.
She stood and stretched her tired back, shoved her things into her backpack, and turned to walk the half mile to the cave site, realizing too late how dusk was closing in fast. With her head down, she concentrated on staying on the goat path, well-worn through the scrub, her mind moving from Mel and Tom, to how she could possibly pick up the pace of the excavation without them, then to Andros and how unfair it was that a man she was attracted to more than any she could think of in recent memory was likely a married man.
“You make a habit of working until it’s so dark you can barely see?”
Startled, Laurel nearly tripped over her feet, heart pounding as she looked up to see Andros’s unmistakable broad form moving toward her on the goat path.
She pressed her sore hand to her chest, huffing out a breath of relief and annoyance. “You make a habit of sneaking up on people to give them a heart attack?”
“Well, we did talk about my MO being injuring people, fixing them up, then billing them.”
“Uh-huh. Too bad for you my heart is still in one piece.”
“Good to hear. And I wasn’t sneaking.” He stopped in front of her. “Just hoping to find you on the way to the caves, since you’ve kept your poor workers imprisoned there, saying they couldn’t leave until you said so.”
“I didn’t keep them imprisoned,” she said indignantly. “I was hoping you’d show up to talk to them, since you thought it was important.”
“I’m sorry. We ended up having one injury or illness after another, and I couldn’t get away. Since they’re still there, I’ll go tell them they can leave now. I already spoke with two of them but wanted to find you before it got dark.”
“I’ll come with you.” Being the team leader now meant she couldn’t pass off her responsibilities to anyone else. Something she’d had to learn all over again every time she’d been frustrated, even a little resentful, at having to stay home to take care of her sisters. Her parents had made it clear that, as the oldest, that was her job, when all she’d wanted was to go along on their summer digs instead.
Finally, those responsibilities were behind her, and she was here on this amazing mountain. Except her parents would never be with her too. Her new responsibility was to their memory and what they’d always expected her to achieve with her life.
“I was going to insist you do, so I’m glad I don’t have to.” He smiled, his teeth shining white through the dusk. “Don’t want you breaking an ankle walking down this mountain to your car in the dark. I parked not too far from the caves, so I’ll drive you and the crew back to it.”
“Are you saying I’m clumsy? Or do you always worry like this about everyone?” She smiled back at him, feeling the same silly little glow she’d felt when they’d been together here before and he’d wanted to take care of her hand.
“Clumsy? You’re as graceful as a dancer, Laurel Evans. Kyrie Prosektikos is just being cautious.”
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