Molly Evans – Safe In The Surgeon's Arms (страница 1)
When she spoke the tone of her voice, its soft, dewy vibrations, cut him to the core—as if only yesterday she’d meant something to him. He hadn’t been expecting her and he hadn’t prepared himself to see her there. Surely
That was probably the biggest shock. She’d come back to where he was when there were other hospitals in the area. So why here? And why
There was an answer for everything, and he was going to find this one.
Thank you for picking up my new book! It is set in one of my favourite towns—Williamsburg, Virginia, USA—where history and fantastic foods are just steps away, no matter where you are in town.
This story is important to me as I’m a sucker for a tortured hero and I adore the strong women who love them.
We never know what we are capable of until we are put in a position to rise to challenges we never expected in life. These two are stronger together than either of them are alone.
I hope you enjoy the emotional journey these two characters take as they find love in each other’s arms again.
Please visit me at mollyevansromance.wordpress.com.
Regards
MOLLY EVANS has taken her experiences as a travel nurse across the USA and turned them into wondrous settings for her books. Now, living at six thousand feet in New Mexico is home. When she’s not writing, or attending her son’s hockey games, she’s learning to knit socks or settling in front of the kiva fireplace with a glass of wine and a good book.
Visit Molly at mollyevansromance.wordpress.com for more info.
Safe in the Surgeon’s Arms
Molly Evans
This book is dedicated to my friend, fellow Hurricane Hugo survivor and Williamsburg, VA, explorer: Jesse Bustos Nelson. You’ve been there with friendship and support since the beginning. Thanks, my friend!
Table of Contents
Dedication
EMERGENCY NURSE Emily Hoover pointed the way to the trauma room as an air-ambulance crew surged through the department. She’d heard the radio announcing the arrival of the rescue chopper as it had landed on the roof and had even smelled the diesel exhaust through the HIPPA air-filtration system that was supposed to remove it.
Those were all expected, anticipated and not uncommon events in a hospital close to a major highway. Where there was trauma there was a busy ER and one of the reasons she’d come back here to her hometown. Reclaiming her life was the first reason. Working great trauma was the second. At least that was what she told herself as the crew swept past her.
What she hadn’t expected to see was an emergency surgeon riding atop the gurney, straddling the patient, both of them covered in blood. Her limbs began to tremble and sweat popped out on her back.
“Get three units of whole blood going now. I need a central line placed and get OR on alert.” Trauma surgeon and emergency doctor Chase Montgomery gave orders as the entourage rolled through the door. Staff scrambled to the first trauma room that had been set up for the arrival of this patient.
Emily choked down her anxiety, shoving it aside in the face of a true emergency, and grabbed the cardiac leads, placed them on the patient so his heart could be monitored and placed the blood-pressure cuff on the only arm he had left. The trembling in her hands was likely not noticeable to the others, but to her it was. This wasn’t who she was, a nervous nurse on the first day of work. Like there weren’t ten years under her belt already. But
“Get anesthesia in here. He has to be intubated now.”
“There was just an overhead page, Chase. They’ve been called to a code on the floor.” Liz, the charge nurse, supplied the answer, but picked up the phone on the wall. “I’ll see if there’s someone else who can help out.”
“Page any surgeon overhead. I’ll intubate, and someone else can do the IV placement. We need a central line right away.”
“Got it.” Liz made the call.
“IV set-up tray is ready, Doctor, but if you’d prefer to intubate first, I’ll get that one ready.” Though keeping her focus on the patient, Emily spoke in the direction of the doctor leading the situation. He stood with his back to her and was in the process of removing his lab coat when he froze.
Then spun.
Clearly astonished at her presence, he stared at her with his mouth open for a few seconds as he tried to force his mind to accept what his eyes were seeing.
Emily’s stomach tightened again; her heart beat as erratically as the patient’s. Chase had never looked better, and her heart was out of control. A look of stunned shock crossed his face for a second or two. His eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped and he jumped as if he’d been pinched. Only a few seconds of lapsed control, but she saw it, felt it in her chest. The depth of pain mixed with his surprise at seeing her would be etched in her mind forever. She’d done that to him. She’d caused the hurt he’d momentarily betrayed. Except for the shock on his face, he hadn’t changed in the three years since they’d broken up. Since she’d walked away from him.
Before she could answer, what seemed like an army of people burst into the room and the focus returned to the critical patient in front of them. This was apparently the
“Who called for a surgeon? We’re here.”
As the physician in charge, Chase forced his focus from Emily to the surgeon. “We need better IV access immediately. Can one of you put in a central line? Anesthesia’s tied up, and I’ll have to intubate.” Chase whipped off the bloody lab coat he’d worn to the crash site and threw it into a corner of the room.
The most senior member of the group emerged and nodded to Chase. “Sure thing.” He removed his lab coat and handed it to a student to hold.
“I’ll assist, Doctor.” Emily made the offer so she would be away from Chase’s penetrating glare and the waves of hostile energy flowing off him to flood the room. There was enough tension in the room already without adding more fuel to the fire she’d not been prepared for. Even though she’d known it would come, she wasn’t prepared for it on the first day. “I’ve got the tray ready.”
“Okay. Great. I thought this was going to be something difficult,” he said with a grin, and winked at Emily. Emily never knew whether to be relieved at the confidence of surgeons or shocked at their outrageous arrogance. “Hey, don’t I know you? Didn’t you work here a while back?” He, too, frowned, trying to make sense of his memory in the present situation.
“Yes, I did. Came back for more. Over here, Dr. Blaze.” Emily motioned him to the opposite side of the patient, and he moved around to where she stood. Relief overwhelmed her that he only remembered her from being an employee, not the rest. Or, if he did, he had the good graces not to say anything.
“Dr. Blaze. Ha! I haven’t been called that in years.”