Redemption Series Boxed Set, Books 1-4

by Sandi Lynn

  “Two-year-old male named Charlie. His parents brought him for flu symptoms. They took him to their family doctor last week and he’s not getting any better. He sleeps all day, vomiting on and off, and he’s been complaining his head hurts.”

  “Sounds like the flu to me,” I spoke.

  “That’s what I thought too until I was talking to him and noticed his asymmetric eye movements and his parents said that when he goes to get up, he falls every time.”

  “You think it’s a brain tumor?” I asked.

  “AT/RT,” she spoke.

  “Come on, Grace. I would say that’s jumping the gun.”

  “I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am. I’ve seen it before.”

  I narrowed my eye at her for a moment and then slowly shook my head.

  “Fine. I’ll schedule an MRI. Sedate him first and then bring him upstairs,” I spoke. “And I pray to God you’re wrong.”

  “Me too,” she softly spoke as she walked back into the room.

  Chapter 5

  Grace

  I took a break and went up to the rooftop where a coffee station was set up and several small tables and chairs took up the space. Grabbing a coffee that I desperately needed, I stood against the railing and looked out into the city of Los Angeles. I couldn’t believe I was back here, not only in this city, but in this hospital. The one place that held the most traumatic memories for me, and the one place that decided my fate.

  How fucked up was it that I was now dealing with the man I had sex with back in New York as I left my old life behind? A complete stranger I was never supposed to see again. Was this the universe playing a dirty trick on me? Was I being punished for something? He was so damn sexy, and every time I saw him, I couldn’t stop thinking about that night.

  “I see you found the rooftop,” I heard Jamieson’s voice from behind.

  I slowly turned around and watched as he poured his coffee.

  “Jackie told me about it.”

  “Best place of the entire hospital. Especially at night when the city is lit up,” he spoke as he walked over and stood next to me by the railing. “I think we should talk, Grace.”

  “About what?” I glanced over at him.

  “That night in New York City.”

  “What about it?”

  “The fact that we had sex and now we’re working together. I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

  “Ah, you don’t want me to think that because we had sex there could be something between us.”

  “Something like that.” He took a sip of his coffee.

  “Is that usually what happens when you sleep with a woman?”

  “Unfortunately.” A smirk crossed his face.

  “I’m not like the other women you’ve slept with. So no worries, Dr. Finn. Trust me when I say there is absolutely nothing between us. I didn’t think about it then, I don’t think it now, and I never will. It was one night of two consenting adults and it meant absolutely nothing. A relationship or even the thought of one is not a part of my new life.”

  “Good. Mine either. I’m happy we cleared that up,” he spoke.

  Both our pagers went off, and after I glanced at mine, I looked at Jamieson.

  “Charlie’s MRI is done,” I spoke.

  “Let’s go take a look.” He sighed as he threw his coffee cup into the garbage can.

  We walked down to the MRI control room where the technician had Charlie’s scans on the computer screen.

  “Shit,” Jamieson spoke. “There’s a tumor in the posterior fossa region.” He pointed. “You were right.” He glanced over at me as he heavily sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s times like these I hate my job,” he spoke. “By the way, how did you get stuck with this patient? I thought you were trauma?”

  “The ER is short staffed, and I’m needed all over the place,” I spoke.

  “Welcome to Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Harper. Shall we go tell Charlie’s parents together?”

  “Sure.” I sighed.

  We walked back down to the ER where Charlie’s parents were in the room at his bedside. I took in a deep breath as I prepared myself. Other than losing a patient, this was the hardest part of my job and it never got easier.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Canfield, we have the results back of Charlie’s MRI, and I’m afraid it’s not good news,” I spoke. “Charlie has a brain tumor known as AT/RT in the posterior fossa region of his brain,” I spoke.

  “Near his stem cell,” Jamieson chimed in.

  “Oh my God.” Mrs. Canfield began to shake as her eyes filled with tears.

  “Are you saying that our son has brain cancer?” Mr. Canfield asked with nervousness.

  “Yes. I’m afraid so,” Jamieson spoke. “It is imperative that we operate immediately to remove as much of the tumor as possible. After the surgery, we’ll send in a pediatric oncologist to discuss chemotherapy and or radiation for Charlie.”

  I swallowed hard as Mrs. Canfield broke down and Mr. Canfield tried his best to hold it together.

  “I’m so sorry,” I spoke to them as my eyes filled with tears.

  “Are you a pediatric neurosurgeon?” Mr. Canfield asked Jamieson.

  “No, I’m not. But I’m the best neurosurgeon in the country, I’ve operated on many children, and I can assure you that Charlie is in good hands with me. I’ll need your permission to perform the surgery.”

  “Of course.” Mr. Canfield slowly nodded his head as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

  “Get him prepped and I’ll send the anesthesiologist down,” Jamieson spoke as he lightly patted my arm.

  I was in the ER doctor’s lounge talking with Jackie when Jamieson walked in.

  “How did it go?” I asked.

  “He’s stable. I was able to remove eighty-five percent of the tumor. The rest is in the pediatric oncologist’s hands now. Jackie, can I have a moment with Dr. Harper, please?”

  “Sure.” She raised her brow at him as she walked out of the lounge.

  “What are doing after your shift?” he asked.

  “Going home. Why?”

  “I was thinking maybe we could grab some dinner together. I am the only person you know in Los Angeles, so I thought that a proper welcome was in order.”

  “Is that so?” I narrowed my eye at him. “To be honest, I don’t know you at all.”

  “We had sex, Grace. I think we know each other, at least a little bit.” He smirked. “I’m not a total stranger.”

  “I get off at eight.” I smiled.

  “Great. I’ll pick you up down here.”

  “Okay.” I nodded as I gave him a light smile.

  He walked out of the lounge and I let out a deep breath. He was right, he was the only person I knew in Los Angeles, besides Renata. As much as I hated to admit it, dinner with him sounded kind of nice. We could be friends. No big deal. Ironic, wasn’t it? He was my last fling in New York before I said goodbye to my old life, and my new friend in Los Angeles where I started my new one. I walked out to the nurses’ station, where Jackie sat behind her computer giving me the evil eye.

  “What?” I smiled.

  “What’s up with you and Dr. Finn?”

  “Nothing. We’re just grabbing a bite to eat after work.”

  “I like you, Grace. I’ve only known you a few short hours, but I can tell we’re going to be good friends, and as a friend, I feel it’s my duty to warn you about him.”

  “Trust me, Jackie, you don’t have to.”

  “Oh, but I do. He is the finest-looking specimen to ever walk the face of this earth and he knows it. He uses it to his advantage with women. He’s nothing but a heartbreaker, commitment-phobe, and a manwhore. I just don’t want to see you get caught up in his games.”

  I liked Jackie and I liked how blunt she was. She was a woman in her late thirties who stood about five-foot-five with long brown wavy hair, brown eyes, and olive skin. She was a tough cookie. That much I could tell.

  “Trust me. I won’t get caught
up in anything. I know guys like Dr. Finn and I’m well aware of their massive insecurities.” I smiled. “Besides, relationships of any kind are off the table for me. I came here to Los Angeles to start a new life and Dr. Jamieson Finn does not fit into that plan.”

  “You go, girl.” She grinned as she high-fived me. “You just may be the only woman in existence to say no to him.”

  God, if she only knew.

  Chapter 6

  Jamieson

  Did I do the right thing by asking her to dinner? Of course I did. She didn’t know anyone here and I’d already had sex with her and I wanted it again. If she was that easy to get to my hotel room back in New York, she’d be even easier now, and that made my cock twitch. When she told me she wasn’t interested in relationships, I believed her. It was the way she said it. The firmness in her tone. She actually seemed a little cold, except when it came to her patients. She said that getting into a relationship wasn’t a part of her new life. It made me wonder what and who she was running from. With any luck, I’d find out tonight.

  “Mr. Bind,” I spoke as I walked into my office. “I apologize for the delay and I thank you for your patience, but I had to operate on a two-year-old from the ER.”

  “Gee, Dr. Finn. I hope the kid is okay.”

  I gave him a small smile as I pulled up his scans on the computer screens that hung on my wall.

  “Your MRI shows that you have an ependymoma tumor located on your spine.”

  “I have spinal cancer?” he asked as his wife grabbed his hand.

  “I’m going to need to do a needle biopsy and remove a small piece of the tissue and send it to our pathology lab to confirm, but in most of these cases, they are benign.”

  “So is that why I’ve been having back pain and the other symptoms?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Even the loss of bladder control?”

  “Yes.” I lightly smiled.

  “Thank God. Now what?”

  “I’ll need to go in and remove it. The good news is that where it’s located on the spine, I’m positive I will be able to remove the entire tumor. Once I do, you’ll recover and be good to go and live your life. If, for some unknown reason, I can’t remove the entire tumor, then you’ll most likely have to undergo radiation to destroy the rest of it.”

  “What are my chances you can remove the entire thing?” he asked.

  “I’d say ninety-eight percent.” I smiled.

  He exhaled a deep breath.

  “Thank you, Dr. Finn.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. I would like to admit you, run some bloodwork, and do the needle biopsy and get it sent down to the lab. Come tomorrow, I’ll go in and remove the tumor. Sound like a plan?”

  “Yeah. Sure. I’ll do anything at this point to alleviate this pain.”

  “Good. I’ll send my nurse in and she’ll take care of everything. Once your bloodwork comes back, we’ll set you up for the biopsy. So I’ll see you in a while.” I patted his shoulder.

  I walked out to the nurses’ desk and stood in front of Claire while she typed away at her computer.

  “Yes, Dr. Finn?” She glanced up at me.

  “Let’s get a basic metabolic panel, CBC with Diff, and a type and screen on Mr. Jeffery Bind, stat. I’ll need you to get him admitted and prepped for a needle biopsy of a tumor on his spine.” I glanced at my watch. “I have dinner plans at eight, so let’s get moving.”

  “Of course, Dr. Finn.”

  “And who may I ask do you have dinner plans with at eight o’clock?” Renata asked as she walked up to me.

  “Are you spying on me?” I smirked.

  “No. I’m up here to talk to a patient and I couldn’t help but overhear.”

  “To answer your question, I have dinner plans with a colleague.”

  “That colleague better not be Dr. Harper.” Her brow raised before she walked away.

  I sighed as I looked over at Claire, who was snickering.

  “Labs, now!” I commanded as I walked away.

  Mr. Bind’s biopsy was done and sent down to the lab. Looking at my watch, I saw it was seven forty-five. I quickly changed out of my scrubs and into my clothes and headed down to the ER. When I walked into the doctor’s lounge, Grace had just grabbed her purse and shut her locker.

  “You’re on time.” She smiled. “And it’s a good thing because I’m starving. Where are we going?”

  I let out a chuckle. “There’s this great restaurant not too far from here called Rosie’s. The owner is a friend of mine, and I was able to get us a reservation for eight thirty.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s go.” She grinned as she placed her purse over her shoulder.

  We walked out to my car, a black convertible Porsche 911, and climbed inside.

  “Nice car.” Grace smiled. “Very California doctor-ish.”

  “Thanks. I like it. Are you looking at cars? I have a friend who owns a dealership.”

  “Already bought one. Picked it up yesterday right when I landed.”

  “You’re very organized.” I smirked as I glanced over at her. “What did you buy?”

  “A 2018 Volkswagen Beetle convertible.”

  I couldn’t help but let out a light laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “I can totally see you driving one of those. And by the way, it’s so very California not doctor-ish.”

  “I always wanted one, but living in New York, I didn’t need a car because I rarely drove. I walked, took a taxi, or rode the subway. I’m cool. What can I say?” She smirked.

  I pulled up to the valet and climbed out of the car.

  “Nice to see you again, Dr. Finn.”

  “Thanks, Carl. Take care of her.” I threw him the keys.

  We stepped inside the restaurant and were immediately seated in a quiet booth in the corner, just as I requested.

  “Compliments of Mr. Pines.” The waitress smiled as she brought us a bottle of Cabernet and poured some in our glasses.

  “Thank you, Kiera.” I smiled.

  “It’s good to see you again, Dr. Finn. I’ll give you two some time to look over the menu.”

  “Aren’t you quite a popular little cookie.” Grace smirked. “I take it you dine here often?”

  “I do.” I picked up my glass and held it up. “Welcome to Los Angeles, Dr. Harper. I hope the city and your job meets your expectations.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Finn.” She smiled as she brought her glass to mine.

  Chapter 7

  Grace

  I needed to be very careful. If I wasn’t, I’d end up sleeping with him, and I wasn’t about to make that mistake again. Not that it was a mistake that night in New York. It wasn’t. But now, since we worked together, it would be. I had a rule. Never get involved with a co-worker, no matter how sexy and nice he was. It doesn’t end well. I’d seen it with many of my co-workers throughout the years.

  “Tell me. Which hospital did you work at in New York?” Jamieson asked.

  “Manhattan Memorial. It’s where I did my residency and my trauma fellowship.”

  “Interesting. That’s a very well-respected hospital. Who did you do your fellowship under?”

  “Dr. Ryan Knowles.”

  “I know him. He’s an excellent surgeon. Come to think of it, didn’t Renata used to work at Manhattan Memorial?”

  “She did. I was her resident for three years before she took the job at Cedars-Sinai.”

  “Good to see you, Jamieson.” A handsome man smiled as he walked over to our table.

  “Hi, Craig. I’d like you to meet Dr. Grace Harper. She just moved to Los Angeles and today was her first day at Cedars-Sinai. Grace, this is Craig Pines, the owner and chef of this outstanding restaurant.”

  “Nice to meet you, Grace.” He smiled as he extended his hand.

  “Thank you, Craig. You have a beautiful restaurant.”

  “Thank you. What kind of doctor are you?”

  “She’s a trauma surgeon, right o
ut of New York,” Jamieson chimed in.

  “Wow. Trauma surgeon? Congratulations. Do you two know each other from New York?” He waved his finger.

  “Yeah. Sort of.” I smirked as I glanced at Jamieson.

  “Well, welcome to Los Angeles. I better get back in the kitchen. I just wanted to say hi.”

  “Thanks, Craig. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “It was nice to meet you.” I smiled. “He seems nice.” I picked up my wine glass.

  “He is and so is his wife, Maddy. I was at their wedding. Maddy’s father is one of the anesthesiologists at the hospital. You’ll meet him soon enough.” He smiled. “Now back to my questions. Where did you go to med school?”

  “Columbia. You?”

  “Harvard. Graduated at the top of my class.”

  “Me too.” My brow arched.

  The corners of his mouth curved up into a smile.

  “I’m sure your parents are very proud of you,” he spoke as he picked up his wine glass.

  I shifted in my seat and looked down.

  “They would have been,” I softly spoke. “They died when I was ten years old.”

  “I’m sorry, Grace.”

  “Thanks. That was twenty years ago. I’m sorry, but I have to ask, how old are you?”

  He chuckled before taking a sip from his glass.

  “I’m thirty-three. Why?”

  “I’m just trying to figure out—”

  “I know what you’re asking. I entered Harvard at fifteen.”

  “Are you some kind of genius?” I smirked.

  “I am.” He smiled. “And if we’re being totally open with each other, I suspect you are too.”

  “What’s your I.Q.?” I asked.

  “142. Yours?” His eye narrowed.

  “142 with an eidetic memory. I entered college when I was sixteen. Finished it in three years versus four. Went to med school and finished that in three years and then did my residency and trauma fellowship.”

  “Fascinating. What I wouldn’t give right now to crack open your skull and take a look at your brain.” He grinned.