And yet she couldn’t manage to pull her gaze away. Thankfully, he did instead.
Brittany pulled the blanket and sheet away from Anna’s legs, careful to make sure her hospital gown was covering everything it should.
When Roman extended his hands to Anna, part of her was scared to take them. Maybe he’d attribute her hesitation to being nervous about trying to stand. After all, that wasn’t totally without merit.
“All we’re going to do is go from the bed to the chair,” Brittany said, indicating the recliner in the corner of the room. “You can do that.”
Brittany really did sound confident, not just feeding her a line to make her move. And a glance at Roman revealed a smile of encouragement. As a result, she found herself placing her hands in Brittany’s, then turning so that her legs hung off the edge of the bed.
“Doing great,” Roman said, causing her heart to speed up.
She tried to convince herself that was only a result of her exertion after a week of lying in bed, but she knew that was a lie as soon as the thought formed. She was suddenly nervous around Roman because she was afraid he might somehow be able to read her attraction to him—an attraction she needed to stay firmly hidden. Because there was no way she was acting on it, for a whole host of reasons.
She forced herself to concentrate on her progress, not the man standing perhaps a bit too close for comfort. A shiver went through her when her feet hit the cold tile of the floor.
“Let me get some socks for you,” Brittany said. “Don’t move.”
“No worries there.”
“Hospitals aren’t known for being warm,” Roman said as he hovered, perhaps afraid she might suddenly topple forward.
“That much I do remember.”
He smiled, and it was a good thing she was already sitting.
Brittany hurried back into the room and made quick work of putting the socks on Anna’s feet. “Better?”
“Much. Thank you.”
“All right, let’s get this show back on the road. Dr. McQueen, how about you help Anna up and I’ll help guide her back into the chair?”
Anna thought she detected a momentary hesitation on his part, but her brain was so addled it was also just as likely she’d imagined it. Especially since in the next moment he extended his hands to her. After her own hesitation, she placed hers in his.
He tightened his grip on her hands. “Ready?”
“As I’m going to be, I guess.”
“Just picture yourself as a superhero. This is nothing.”
Anna snorted at the very idea of herself as anything approaching a superhero, and was immediately embarrassed by the sound. Something made her look up at Roman in time to see him smile again.
He pulled slightly upward, prompting her to push herself up. Her legs shook so much she gripped Roman’s hands to the point she was afraid she’d crush every last bone in them.
She felt her strength waning after only a couple of seconds.
“I’m going…to fall.”
“No. You’re strong. You can do this. Just take one more step.”
She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but that would just prolong the amount of time she had to be on her feet. So she gritted her teeth and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Her legs shook with each step, but she refused to let her knees buckle. The thought of crumpling at Roman’s feet, her naked backside escaping the confines of the hospital gown, was beyond horrifying.
By the time her foot bumped into the front of the recliner, she didn’t think she’d ever been so tired. It was similar to the time she’d had the flu so bad that she hadn’t been able to go back and forth between her bedroom and the bathroom so had finally just slept on the bathroom floor—only this was worse. She honestly didn’t know how she’d managed the four steps. They’d felt like a thousand while her feet were encased in concrete blocks. And now she stood there shaking, both cold and hot at the same time.
Then Roman’s strength was there, holding her steady as he helped her turn and lower herself into the chair while Brittany placed a hand between Anna’s shoulders and made sure the hospital gown stayed closed.
Brittany squeezed Anna’s shoulder once she was seated. “I think this gal deserves a cookie.”
Roman leaned against the edge of the bed. “How’d that feel?”
“Like I very nearly ended up on the floor.”
“Beyond that?”
She stared at him, an uncharacteristic wave of anger hitting her. Why was he pushing her so much when, as he’d admitted, he wasn’t even her doctor? But then something in his expression made her really think about what he was asking. Aside from the stunning fatigue, how did she feel?
“Good.” No, it was more than that. “Like I just ran a marathon.”
He nodded. “Because in some ways you did.”
“You did great,” Brittany said, giving Anna a reason to look away from what she’d swear was pride on Roman’s face. She had to remind herself her brain had been knocked around and thus she couldn’t really trust anything she was seeing, not fully.
“Thank you,” Anna said to Brittany.
“You’re welcome.” Brittany pulled the blanket from the bed and spread it over Anna’s legs. “You feel up to eating a real meal?”
“You actually have those in hospitals?” Anna asked, trying to be as light and carefree as she could in the current situation.
“They do a pretty good job here, actually. But seeing your sense of humor in action is a good sign.”
Was she actually known for her sense of humor? Somehow she didn’t think so. Not that she was dour, but she didn’t remember being particularly funny either.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m hungry but also feel as if I might fall asleep at any moment.” Wouldn’t that be great, waking up from a coma only to fall asleep and smother in instant mashed potatoes?
“Dr. White would like for you to stay awake for a few hours if you can.”
A jolt of fear slammed into her middle. “Is something wrong?” She shifted her gaze to Roman. “Am I in danger of slipping back into a coma?” What if she didn’t wake up next time?
“No, Dr. White told Dr. Mills that your tests look positive and you’re responding well for someone at this stage of recovery. It’s just a good idea to start training your body to stay awake for longer periods.”
She nodded. “Whatever you say.”
He smiled, sending her insides twirling again. “I wish my patients were so agreeable.”
“I want to do what’s necessary to get out of here quicker.”
“It’s good to be ambitious but also realistic. You won’t go straight from here back home. You need some rehab before you can be on your own.”
A sudden parade of dollar signs marched through her mind blasting horns as loud as possible.
“How long?”
“It depends on how quickly you progress. That’s something you can discuss with Dr. Mills when he comes by.”
She sighed. “Is this not something I could do at home?”
He shook his head. “You really need to be in a facility for a while. You just saw how weak you are, and your doctors need to be certain you’ll be safe on your own before they release you.”
She did her best to hide her worry, not wanting Roman to feel sorry for her. She’d work as hard as she could to get through the rehab in record time. After she was home, she’d figure out how to pay for everything. After all, she’d been pretty self-sufficient her entire life, she remembered. She’d had no choice.
Anna didn’t bother asking if anyone had told her grandmother about the accident as more pieces of her memory settled into place. Why bother? Most days Helena Kenner didn’t even remember Anna existed. Others she was convinced Anna was the daughter who’d run away years ago, leaving an infant Anna with Helena.
“Well, I need to get to work, but I’ll come by later to see how you’re doing. In the meantime, Brittany will see you get something to eat. Someone from r
ehab will probably come to see you, too.”
“If you need anything, just hit the call button,” Brittany said. “Whatever you do, don’t try to get up by yourself. Falling is the last thing you need right now.”
She nodded her understanding as Brittany made for the door and Roman pushed away from the bed.
“Thank you, Dr. McQueen,” Anna said.
He stopped his progress toward the door and looked back at her with an amused expression on his face.
“People who have known me since elementary school tend to just use my first name.”
“Oh. I…I didn’t remember how well we know each other.” Even without remembering, she knew it wasn’t well. She doubted any head injury would make her forget being close to Roman McQueen.
“Well enough for first names.”
Even after he left, she stared at the empty doorway wondering about all the reasons why he could have responded the way he had. She knew she should take the words at face value, but her imagination didn’t seem to get the message because it wanted to run completely wild.
Chapter Three
Roman fought an unusual impatience as he made his way through the rest of his afternoon schedule. Normally, he didn’t count the hours until the clinic closed, but today that’s exactly what he found himself doing. It felt as if every time he glanced at the clock, only a couple of minutes had crept by.
“You okay, man?”
He looked up from where he was attempting to update some patient notes, not realizing he’d zoned out. Staring back at him was his business partner, Andrew Mills. They’d known each other since being paired up as roommates their freshman year at the University of Washington, an arrangement they’d continued all the way through med school. Afterward, Roman had convinced Andrew to move to Montana and start a practice together. Despite their friendship, Roman had been surprised his friend had given up the city life he’d always known in Seattle for a much different existence in small-town Montana.
“Yeah,” Roman finally said. “Just off today for some reason.”
“My guess is you’re wishing one of my patients was yours. I admit, Anna Kenner’s case is more intriguing than the sore throats and arthritic knees coming through here today.”
Roman suspected his friend was right. The honest truth was he wished he could spend more time with Anna, and not just because her case was professionally interesting. Despite the fact she hadn’t said a word during the week he’d been reading to her at night, he inexplicably felt closer to her, more invested in her recovery.
“If you want to cut out early, I’ll take the few patients you have left today.”
“I’m going to take you up on that,” Roman said, mischief tugging at the edges of his mouth, “because one of them is Tina Fox.”
“Oh, hell,” Andrew said under his breath. “You owe me. I don’t know what you owe me yet, but it’s going to be big.”
Tina was a middle-aged local who found some reason to come into the clinic at least once a week, and she had no qualms flirting openly with both Roman and Andrew in her obvious bid to snag herself a doctor. She was so over the top about it that she made his neighbor Kailee look like a nun.
“Well, you’re a man of your word, so you can’t back out now,” Roman said as he left his file in the appropriate slot and started walking away backward.
“Paybacks are hell, McQueen.”
Roman just laughed as he exited the clinic and started walking the short distance to the hospital.
As he walked in through the ER entrance, he met Parker Varton, a sheriff’s deputy for the county and his brother Wesley’s best friend.
“Hey, what brings you here?”
“Your patient.”
For a moment, Roman was confused. Then it dawned on him what Parker meant. “Anna Kenner isn’t my patient.”
“Well, whoever’s patient she is, I heard she was awake enough to talk.”
“Did she remember anything about the wreck? It’s been a blank so far.” But memories could resurface out of the blue with head trauma patients.
Parker shook his head. “No, but that wasn’t my only reason for talking to her. Someone broke into her house and stole anything easy to pawn for some quick cash.”
“You think it’s related to the accident?”
“Anything’s possible, but my guess is someone took advantage of knowing Anna wasn’t home and wasn’t coming back anytime soon to help themselves.”
Roman cursed under his breath.
“My thoughts exactly.” Parker shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I’m afraid I upset her more than expected. I hope I didn’t make a mistake talking to her without someone else present.”
“I’m heading that way now, so I’ll check on her.”
“I’ll do my best to catch whoever did this. Wish I could say I couldn’t imagine somebody so low as to steal from someone as nice as Anna, but that would be a lie.”
Roman supposed he saw that type of behavior all the time, even in a place as largely rural as Park County.
“Keep me updated, okay?”
“Will do.” Parker nodded and headed for the exit.
Roman stood there in the corridor, tamping down his anger. Though Anna was likely upset—as anyone would be—about her home being violated, he suspected her reaction to the news had more to do with what it would cost her to replace what was stolen. When he’d told her about the necessity for rehab earlier, he’d seen the worry in her eyes. He’d seen it before in the expressions of other patients who weren’t as fortunate as his family.
He didn’t know the particulars of Anna’s financial situation, but he doubted she was flush with cash. She worked as a librarian in a small town and was already financially responsible for whatever Medicare didn’t cover for her grandmother.
But she didn’t need to focus on that now. All her attention needed to be pointed toward getting better. He recognized that was easy for him to say considering that in addition to his income, his family owned one of the biggest ranches in Montana as well as a popular hot springs resort. If he was ever in an accident, he didn’t have to worry about spending the rest of his life paying off the medical bills.
One step at a time. Get Anna better. Then get her home. And finally figure out a way to help her with the financial fallout.
When he reached her room, she was still in the chair. But he could tell she’d gotten a shower and a clean gown since he’d left earlier. She was staring at the ceiling as if she might find answers there. Or perhaps a money tree. As he entered the room, she shifted her gaze only slightly.
“I saw Deputy Varton on his way out.”
“I remembered him. I guess that’s a good sign even though I couldn’t tell him anything about the accident.”
“It is. I’m sorry about the burglary.”
She shrugged. “At least there’s still a house to go back to. The rest—they’re just things.”
On the surface, Anna seemed remarkably Zen about the situation, but he had a lot of experience with reading people. He knew when someone was hiding something. And evidently she’d decided to hide her upset since Parker left the room.
“True, but it sucks nonetheless.”
She looked more fully at him. “That it does, but there’s no changing what happened so no sense dwelling on it. I’d rather focus on looking forward. It’s been my experience that it pays better dividends than dwelling on the past.”
Something about the way she said the words made him think she was talking about a lot more than her current situation. But she was right—the best thing for her now was to focus on her future.
“So tell me about your day since I was here.” The more she talked, the more he could assess her cognitive function and forward on his observations to Andrew and Dr. White.
“Talked to Jay from rehab, got a shower that was likely the most mortifying moment of my life, watched a little TV, and let’s not forget the soup and applesauce lunch.”
“Best to sta
rt you off with soft foods to see how you do after a week of IV nutrition and a tube down your throat.”
“Milkshakes are liquid. I think I’d do just about anything for a chocolate milkshake right now.”
“A goal to work toward,” he said with a smile, wanting to get her mind off her monetary worries. “We’ll put a picture of a big milkshake on the wall, maybe a ladder leading to it, and little star stickers for every step you make in your recovery.”
Anna looked at him as if he’d lost his mind…and then burst out laughing.
He felt his smile grow wider, happy he’d been able to give Anna a moment of levity. While he enjoyed his job, the truth was there were days when he didn’t find much reason to smile, let alone with a patient. And not even his patient. It felt good, really good. Better, honestly, than he’d felt in quite some time. How odd that he had someone in the hospital, someone he’d known but not well for most of his life, to thank for that.
*
When Anna woke again, she was so disoriented at first she couldn’t even remember her name. She blinked several times, trying to clear the fog that had returned.
“Hey there, sleepyhead.”
Anna turned her head and spotted a familiar face. For a moment, she struggled with a name she should know.
“Paige.” Her best friend and co-worker at the library. “How long have you been here?”
“Not long.” Paige held up a book. “Just long enough to read one chapter.”
Anna eyed the book’s title. “Since when did you start reading Nevada Barr?”
“Oh, about thirty minutes ago.”
“You know there are several books before that one, right?”
“It was just handy.” Paige gestured toward the drawer of the nightstand.
“Weird. Wouldn’t have expected there was anything other than a Bible in there.”
Paige gestured with the book. “This is what Roman has been reading to you.”
“What?” Had her hearing been damaged in the crash as well?
“He asked me to bring something you’d like so he could read to you, help stimulate your brain.” Paige paused, and Anna noticed the way her friend swallowed, as if past a lump in her throat. “Help you wake up.”
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