Molly Evans – The Emergency Doctor's Chosen Wife (страница 3)

“I know it’s not my place to tell you how to do your job, but…” Some doctors didn’t appreciate interference, especially from someone they didn’t know. But she wouldn’t be acting in her patient’s best interests if she didn’t say something.

“But what?” Thomas raised a brow and nodded, realizing he was standing very close to her. He took a step back, adding just a little distance between them. “If you have something to say, say it. I appreciate the honesty.” Especially after the games his ex had played. Honesty was a refreshing change.

“You have doom and gloom written all over you even before you go in there. He deserves your best face, even if it’s not how you feel.” Gina tensed, watching Thomas, waiting for him to tear into her. A moment passed, and he said nothing. Surprised that he didn’t, Gina waited for him to answer.

“I’m not going to give him false hope if that’s what you’re asking,” Thomas said, and met her gaze squarely. “That’s not appropriate.”

“If there’s any hope at all, it’s not false,” she said, as they moved away from his office toward the cubicle. “Sometimes people need to have something to believe in, even if they know it’s only temporary.” Thomas walked along with her, contemplating her words.

“You sound pretty certain of that,” he said, and stopped outside the cubicle.

“Unfortunately, I am. Comes from personal experience.” Without elaborating further, she pushed aside the curtain. “We’re back, Mr Jones.”

“What’s the word, Doctor?” he asked.

“Mr Jones, I believe it would be prudent to have you stay in the hospital for a day or two to undergo further evaluation.” He leaned against the counter in the room and gave a mental sigh. “After the exam and looking at your preliminary test results, I’m thinking that you have cancer in your groin. It wasn’t the fall that caused your injuries, but it certainly may have aggravated them.”

“Cancer, eh?” Mr Jones said, and blinked several times as he digested the information. “That’s a tough one.” He rubbed his jaw with his work-callused hand.

“It certainly is. So if there are any treatment options, the oncologist will be able to give you a better prognosis than I can right now.” Thomas hated bearing bad news, but it was part of the job. And Gina was right. If there was any hope at all, it wasn’t false. He’d do well to remember that.

“OK. If you say so.” Mr Jones closed his eyes. “I don’t know what I’m going to tell Elizabeth. She’s always leaned on me.” The long sigh he emitted said it all.

“I’ll call Admitting, then,” Gina said quietly.

“Go ahead.” Thomas watched as she carried out his orders. Calm, efficient, firm in her beliefs, and not afraid to express her opinion. Interesting combination.

“Got a room on the fourth floor.” As Gina leaned over the counter to write, Thomas hesitated. There was something about her that made him want to stop and look. She was certainly attractive and obviously dedicated to her job, but that wasn’t enough for him to really notice her. Was it the fiery red hair that was now half out of its clip, or the impish grin that had flitted over her face momentarily? Or was it the glimpse of unmasked vulnerability he had seen in her sparkling blue eyes when they had discussed Mr Jones’s case? Maybe that was why she was a traveler, running away from something painful in her life. She’d alluded to it just moments ago. In any case, it wasn’t any of his business, and he left the cubicle.

Gina finished writing up her chart and approached Mr Jones. “Hey, handsome. After I take you upstairs, I’ll call your wife. She’s probably worried about you by now.” She knew he was probably trying to protect his wife, but now was not the time to keep this kind of information a secret. Sharing often brought people closer. Except in the case of her parents. But that was a whole different problem. “I’ll just grab the paperwork on the way,” she said, and stopped with him at the desk. “Are you through with that, Doctor?” she asked. “I’m about to take Mr Jones upstairs.”

“Thomas, remember?”

“Sorry.” She wrinkled her nose at the slip. “I’m not used to calling doctors by their first names. I’ll try,” she said, and colored lightly under his amused regard. She schooled herself not to react to that intense stare of his. She’d learned the lesson the hard way years ago that a nice pair of eyes didn’t mean anything, and she wasn’t about to step over the line again. Once was enough.

“Here you go.” He handed her the bundle of mismatched paperwork that served as a chart. “I’ve added a few new orders for tomorrow.”

“Thanks. I’ll make sure to pass it along.” Gina nodded and gave a quick glance back at Thomas, wondering what he was doing in this town. She knew about his family, and they were the kind that didn’t just attend universities, they built them. No great university or research hospitals in Hidden Valley. Just a little town with a whole lot of nobodys in it. She gave a mental shrug. His life was none of her business. Getting curious about him would only bring trouble she didn’t need. The phone rang, pulling her away from her thoughts. Thomas picked up the phone, and Gina moved off with the gurney toward the back hallway and the staff elevators.

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.