by Kimberly Fox
“Just in case your boyfriend the janitor comes up to see you?” I ask, grinning back at him.
“Want one?” he asks, ignoring me as he holds out the pack.
This is a test. If I take one he’ll be expecting a kiss, but I also can’t risk kissing him with horrible coffee breath if I forget my self-control in the hallway.
“Fine,” I say, taking the pack. “But don’t get any dirty ideas.”
He raises his eyebrows as he turns back to the vending machine. “You’re the one with the dirty ideas.”
“Another chocolate bar?” I ask as he puts some more money in. “You’re still hungry?” He hits some buttons and a Skor bar tumbles down.
He smiles as he grabs it and shows it to me. “Just so when the nurses ask if I scored, I can say yes.”
I’m shaking my head and giggling as we walk into the elevator. This time, I don’t lean against the far wall. This time I’m right next to him, inhaling his intoxicating scent up close.
He looks down at me and smiles, and a flood of warmth glows through me. I can’t believe I have a crush on a patient. This is not good. I should have learned my lesson the first time.
But those green eyes. That smile. Fuuuuccck. How can I resist?
My heart is racing as we walk down the hall, and it feels like it’s about to explode when we arrive at his room.
I haven’t been on a date in over a year, and I’m not sure what to do.
“I’d invite you in,” he says with a dangerously sexy smile as he leans on the door frame, “but my doctor is a bit of a hardass. She would freak out if we got caught.”
“She sounds like a very responsible person with a good head on her shoulders,” I answer back. “She also sounds stunningly beautiful.”
“Oh, she’s all of those things,” he says, leaning in close. “And more.”
His warm minty breath tickles my lips and makes my mouth water. It would be so easy to just lean up on my toes and press my lips to his.
And I want to. God, do I want to.
But I pull away instead.
He never loses his smile as I step back from him. “Goodnight, Dr. Mendes,” he says in a voice that sounds like pure sex.
“Goodnight, Mr. Winters,” I say as I retreat down the hall. “Thanks for the date.”
He’s leaning on the doorframe as he watches me walk away, looking sexy as sin in a hospital gown and slippers. If he was in jeans and a t-shirt, I’d be a goner right now.
“Anytime,” he whispers.
I swallow hard when I arrive at the elevators and push the button. Dr. Mendes. Mr. Winters. I have to remember that part.
But this guy is good at making me forget. He’s good at making me want to toss my rulebook in the garbage.
I step into the elevator with my head swirling, wondering what else he’s good at.
Chapter 10
Shane
My back is killing me today, but I’m flying. And it’s not from any painkillers, it’s from my date last night.
Our first date went better than I could have imagined. It was definitely the best date I’ve ever had. Madison is fucking amazing—smart, funny, and that banging body is just the cherry on top of it all.
I’ve been dreaming about her all day, counting the minutes until she starts her shift.
“Just stay in bed and get some rest,” my other doctor, Dr. Cooper, says. He’s the doctor that’s in charge of my care when Madison is off. He’s a good guy, but he doesn’t compare to Dr. Mendes. “Are you sure you don’t want some painkillers?” he asks.
My back is on fire today, but I don’t want to be all groggy and out of it when Madison comes in. I drool enough when she’s around, I don’t need painkillers adding to it.
“I’m good, Doc,” I say, wincing as I take a breath.
“You don’t look very good,” he mutters under his breath. “I have to leave, but Dr. Mendes should be here in about half an hour.”
Twenty-seven minutes to be exact.
“She’ll be going over the results of the MRI you had this morning,” he says. “Hopefully, we’ll find the source of all that pain.”
He checks my heart one last time and then leaves the room, telling me to call the nurses if I need anything.
The pain is bad, but the real torture is waiting for Madison in this excruciatingly boring room. I pull out the iPad that Christopher brought me and pick a comedy to watch, but I can’t seem to focus on the movie with the sharp stabbing pains in my back. I was hoping to get out of the hospital in the next few days, but I seem to be getting worse.
A few uncomfortable minutes later, Madison walks in, and all of my pain is forgotten. How can I focus on pain when she’s standing in front of me, looking like that?
She’s looking absolutely gorgeous today, and the sight makes the hairs on my arms raise straight up. My eyes roam all over her from her knee-high skirt to the white blouse under her lab coat. Her dark blonde hair is pulled back, and her gray eyes look brighter than ever.
“Are you okay?” she asks, looking at me with wide eyes when she sees me. “You’re sweating like crazy.”
She rushes over, and I get a delicious whiff of her citrusy perfume. She sits down on the side of my bed, and I struggle to push myself up to a sitting position.
“I was just thinking of my hot date last night,” I say, trying to play it off. The pain in my back feels like someone is sliding a rusty old screwdriver into my spine, but I’m not about to tell her that. She’ll pump me up with painkillers, and then I’ll be off in La La Land when I’d much rather be down here with her. I’ve waited all day for this, and I’m not going to let a little bit of discomfort ruin it. Ugh. Okay, a lot of discomfort.
“Are you sure?” she asks as she puts the buds of her stethoscope in her ears and checks my heart. “Your heart is racing.”
“It always is when you’re here,” I say, trying to grin at her, but it comes out as a cringe instead.
Madison just ignores me, jumping off the bed to grab my chart. “You had an MRI today?”
I nod.
“I’ll go get the results.” She races out the door before I can stop her, and I curse under my breath at this stupid back injury that’s preventing me from running after her.
All I want to do is tell her that I had an amazing time last night and ask her if she wants to do it again.
But I can’t be too mad at my back injury. If it wasn’t for it, then I wouldn’t have met the sexy doctor in the first place.
Still, I hate looking weak in front of her. My stubborn male pride takes over, and I decide to stand up out of the bed. I don’t want her to think of me as frail and sick. I want her to think I’m as strong as a rock because that’s what I’ll be for her.
I grit my teeth and grab the bars of my bed with trembling hands. The pain in my back lights up in a searing fire, but I suck it up as I swing my legs off the mattress and plant my feet on the cold floor.
It’s like someone is holding a torch inside my back as I stand up straight, waiting for Madison to come back. Luckily, I don’t have to wait for long.
She comes in a moment later with her shoulders curled forward and her wide, intensely focused eyes on an iPad, looking at the results of my MRI. Her hand is trembling as she scrolls through the images.
My legs start to wobble, and I’m feeling faint as I watch her skin pale.
“Shane,” she whispers, swallowing hard as she looks up at me. “We have to get you to the operating ro—”
Either she doesn’t finish, or I don’t hear.
The room starts spinning, and all I see is a blurred Madison rush over as my legs give out and I fall into unconsciousness.
Chapter 11
Madison
Shane collapses like a ton of bricks, and I just manage to rush over and catch him before he faceplants onto the floor. He’s so heavy, and he nearly brings me down with him as I struggle to keep him up.
Luckily, Shondra sees us as she’s walking by and runs in to he
lp.
“What’s wrong with him?” she asks as she grabs a tattooed bicep and lifts him off of me.
I feel like I’m going to be sick as I help her get him back onto the bed. The results. They’re bad.
His limp body is so heavy, and I can barely hold his thick arm up. Thankfully, Shondra is a lot stronger than me and does most of the heavy lifting.
“Get Dr. Cialdini ready in the OR,” I say as I check Shane’s vitals when he’s finally back on the bed. “He has a massive blood clot pushing against his spine. We have to operate on him now.”
Shondra runs to the wall and grabs the phone as I check his eyes. His pupils dilate, and he shakes his head away from the bright light, slowing waking up.
“Shane,” I whisper, staring into his green eyes as he opens them. The first thing he does is smile when he sees me. “We have to get you into the operating room.”
“For what?” His voice is so groggy. He looks like he’s waking up from a coma.
“You have a blood clot pushing against your spine,” I say, feeling nauseous as I say the words.
“Dr. Cialdini will be out of surgery in ten minutes,” Shondra says as she hangs up the phone.
“Thank you,” I say. “Please get some Aspirin in the meantime.”
She rushes out to get the Aspirin, which will help thin his blood.
“You look worried,” he says as he looks up at me, looking pretty worried himself. “How bad is this?”
I take a deep breath as I press my palm to my forehead. This is why I didn’t want to get involved with a patient. It makes situations like this too hard. It makes me worry, and when I worry, I lose my focus.
“Hopefully we got it in time,” I say, not wanting to look him in the eyes, “but there’s a chance that you can become permanently paralyzed.” I don’t even want to say the next part. “Or it can be fatal.”
“Oh,” he says, tilting his head as he looks at me.
I’m freaking out, and all he has to say is oh!
If we don’t get him fixed soon, the blood clot can cut off the blood supply to his organs, which could kill him. It could also cut off the blood supply to his arms or legs, which could result in amputation. There’s a lot that can go wrong, which is why I’m trying not to have a panic attack.
Shondra comes racing back in with the Aspirin, and I practically shove two pills down Shane’s throat.
“Let’s bring him upstairs,” I say, already yanking the bed away from the wall.
Shondra doesn’t look so sure. “You know Dr. Cialdini,” she says, looking like she wants to bolt out the door. “Do you have any idea what he’s going to do if you show up with a patient who’s not on his schedule?”
I gulp. Dr. Cialdini is an extremely talented surgeon, but he’s also the meanest man in the entire hospital. But this is Shane we’re talking about. I’ll have to risk his wrath.
“Grab that side,” I say, trying not to think about it. “I’ll take full responsibility.”
“I’ll bring you to the elevators, and then I’m out,” she says with a shiver. “I love you Shane, but Dr. Cialdini is the devil in green scrubs.”
We fly down the hallway, and I’m screaming for people to move like I’ve lost my damn mind. The cool calm Dr. Mendes who doesn’t crack under stress has left the building.
My heart is racing as we arrive at the elevators and Shondra pushes the button. All kinds of horrible images of the worst-case scenarios are rushing through my mind.
“Hey,” Shane whispers, taking my shaking hand in his. “Everything is going to be okay. I’m indestructible, remember?”
I shake my head as I fight back tears. I should have caught this earlier. If he dies, it’s going to be my fault.
The elevator arrives, and I grip the bars of the bed with white knuckles as Shondra kicks out all of the visitors inside. She helps me push him in, wishes us good luck, and then leaves us.
The doors close, and we’re alone as the elevator slowly rises to the seventh floor. There’s a pounding in my ears as I curse the elevator manufacturer who made it so damn slow.
“I guess this is a good time to ask for a kiss?” Shane says, grinning up at me from the bed.
I turn to him in disbelief. The world is crashing down around us, and all he can think about is getting a kiss?
“I mean, I’m going into surgery, and there’s a tiny risk that I might not come out,” he says, flashing his straight white teeth. “What’s more kiss-worthy than that?”
“I can’t believe you’re trying to use this medical emergency to get a kiss out of me,” I say, shaking my head as I look down at him. I can’t believe it’s going to work.
“I’ve been dreaming of those sexy lips since I first saw them,” he says, looking at my mouth. “If I get a taste before I go, I’ll die a happy man.”
The elevator doors are going to open soon, and I don’t have time to weigh the pros and cons of kissing my patient, so I just pull my hair back, lean down, and do it.
His hand moves over the back of my neck, and he gently pulls me forward until my lips are on his. His lips are soft, his tongue even softer, and my knees go weak as the pounding in my head is replaced with a pounding in my chest. It feels so good to kiss him, and I just want to fall into the kiss forever. I don’t want to be yanked back into cruel reality when our lips part. I don’t want to deal with what’s waiting for us when the elevator doors open. I just want to be close to Shane like this for all eternity.
My heart is pounding in the good way when I finally pull away. I swallow hard as I stare into his intense green eyes, which are staring back at me.
Hands down the best first kiss I’ve ever had. I just wish it wasn’t under these conditions.
His face twists in agony, and I’m instantly back into doctor mode, checking his vitals as the elevator arrives on the seventh floor. The doors open, and I grab the bed, pulling it out to the operating room.
“I don’t think I need anesthesia,” Shane says, licking his lips as he smiles at me. “I’m flying high after that kiss.”
There’s no time for flirting, so I just ignore him and push him down the hall, hoping that Dr. Cialdini is in a good mood today.
“Shit.” There’s a nurse standing in front of the doors at the end of the hall with her arms crossed, staring at me with a resting bitch face as I approach.
“I told Shondra that he can’t come up here,” she says when I arrive. “Dr. Cialdini only takes scheduled patients. He is not scheduled.”
I grab a pencil from the pocket of my lab coat and offer it to her. “Can you just slip him onto the schedule? Maybe he won’t notice that it wasn’t there before.”
She doesn’t take it. “He’s finishing up his shift now. I think he’s going to notice if there’s a four-hour spinal surgery tacked onto the end with a chewed-up pencil.”
“It’s not that chewed-up,” I mumble as I stuff the pencil back into my pocket. “I’ll deal with Dr. Cialdini. Just let me through the doors.”
“Can’t,” she says, shaking her head. “It’s going to be my ass if Dr. Cialdini sees him in there.”
“You’re going to be on your ass if you don’t move right now,” I say, glaring at her. My crush needs surgery and he’s going to get it no matter how many bitchy nurses I have to get through. “Dr. Cialdini is going to look like a helpless kitten compared to me if you don’t step aside right now.”
The nurse looks around quickly and then steps to the side. “Don’t tell him I let you in,” she begs before hurrying off in the other direction with a scared look on her face.
Shane isn’t looking good. His chest is rising and falling at a rapid pace, and his face is twisted in agony. Beads of sweat are breaking out on his forehead and sliding down his temples as he groans in pain.
I’m determined to get him into surgery. If he has to wait until Dr. Cialdini’s schedule opens up, he’ll be paralyzed or dead by the time he gets seen.
“What is this?” Dr. Cialdini asks when he walks
out of the operating room and sees me standing beside Shane’s bed.
Dr. Cialdini is the best surgeon in the city and is also a minor celebrity. He’s young and incredibly good looking with dark features and even darker hair. He has been on the cover of magazines and been in the city’s newspaper more times than Charlie Brown. He frequently appears on television, sitting in on morning talk shows, and is even a medical correspondent on the news. Unfortunately, all of the hype surrounding him has gone to his head, and he’s incredibly difficult to work with. But he is the best surgeon around, so I’m determined to get his talented hands on Shane.
“I know you’re really busy,” I say, holding my hands up in defense.
He just rolls his eyes and walks away from me.
“Wait,” I say, running and stopping in front of him. He takes a deep breath that’s thick with annoyance as he looks down at me standing in his way. “This is an emergency.”
“There’s always an emergency,” he says. “But unless it’s on my schedule, it’s not my emergency. Now please move, I have a spot on the news tonight, and I have to get to hair and wardrobe.”
“A man’s life is on the line,” I say, stepping to the side and blocking him when he tries to get around me.
“A man’s life is always on the line,” he says, looking down at me like I’m a bug that he’s about to squash. “That’s the reality of a hospital, Dr. Mendes. People live. People die. I keep my emotions out of it and stick to my schedule.”
He sounds so heartless. He sounds like me.
I’ve always tried to keep emotions out of my work life too, but if this is what has become of me, a callous and insensitive doctor, then I’m changing that for good starting now.
“Please, Dr. Cialdini,” I beg. “He means a lot to me.” I didn’t fully realize it until now, but I’m falling for Shane. I’ll be devastated if I don’t get another one of those kisses again.
“And my news spot means a lot to me,” he says, trying to step around me. I step to the side, blocking him again.
