by Candace Shaw
“I’m sure your family misses you. Where are you from?”
“Not far from you, actually. My family lives in St. Louis. I’m a military brat, so we moved around a lot. After both of my parents retired from the Army, we moved to there. I was sixteen.”
“Do you want to go back to St. Louis?”
“Possibly, or at least in a city where I can hop in my car and be there in a few hours. My parents are getting older, and as the oldest, I feel responsible for them.”
“I hear you. Cannon and I are the oldest, even though he likes to remind me that he was born two minutes before me and swears he’s my big brother.”
“It makes sense that he feels like he’s the big brother. I have two younger sisters, so I completely understand the big brother role.”
Raven smiled, thankful that they were having a casual conversation, and that despite her brief moment of thinking she was attracted to him, she felt that they could easily work together.
“Hungry?” Armand asked, briefly glancing at her before turning back to the road.
She nodded, realizing she hadn’t eaten since lunch during the ten hour, non-stop flight to Buenos Aires, which was three hours ahead. The sun had begun to go down, and she was finding herself becoming sleepy, but she definitely needed to eat first.
“Very,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“Good. Everyone at the clinic has been dying to meet you, so we’ve planned a dinner with authentic Argentine foods to welcome you to the staff. We do this for every new doctor or nurse so they’ll feel at home, considering they’re away from home.”
“Wow. That’s wonderful.” Raven looked down at her attire of jeans, ankle boots, and a purple cashmere sweater. She’d been in them all day, and was ready for a shower and something comfy to wear. Besides, it was spring in Buenos Aires, and she was dressed for the fall weather of Memphis. “Will I have time to change?”
She caught his eyes roam over her briefly and a smirk formed on his mouth. “You look fine to me, but yes you can change before dinner. I’m assuming Cannon told you about our living quarters?”
“Yes, he did.”
The living quarters were on the top floor of the three story medical facility. Each staff member had a small apartment, which consisted of a living area, bedroom, and bathroom. There was a kitchen with a full-time staff, including a trained chef and a dining area. Cannon had shown her a picture, and the apartments reminded her of hotel suites … minus the luxury of housekeeping and room service. Even though the staff had schedules, everyone was on call majority of the time except for days off unless it was a dire emergency. The second floor was a hospital, so patients did stay there as well. The first floor was set up like a regular medical practice with exam rooms and offices.
They arrived in the town just as the sun was setting, and Raven was quite impressed with it. She’d seen pictures from the Doctors Unlimited website, but the scene before her was breathtaking. Stores, cafés, and office buildings were neatly arranged. There were very few cars on the road. It was mostly people walking the sidewalks, or sitting and eating at the outdoor cafés, which painfully reminded her she was hungry.
“Are we there yet?” she asked. Suddenly, she chuckled as she thought about her childhood trips and her siblings asking that same question, usually for the same reason.
Armand turned left into a parking lot as soon as she asked. Staring up at the three-story medical building, she smiled at her brother’s accomplishment. Of course she’d seen pictures online, read articles, watched documentaries, and even attended a seminar about the Doctors Unlimited organization. However, actually seeing it in person was the icing on the cake, and her eyes welled up in tears as she realized just how much her twin brother had done for the medical field.
“I may need a gurney for all of your suitcases,” Armand said with a snicker, jarring Raven from her thoughts. He drove around to the back of the building and parked in a space near the door.
“I wasn’t sure what to pack,” she replied. They got out of the truck and walked toward the back of it to retrieve her belongings.
“We’re pretty casual around here.” He shrugged, reaching into his pocket and handing her a key and an electronic scan card. “You’re in apartment 308 … across from me.”
His eyes made instant contact with hers, and for a split second a jolt of electricity shocked her fingertips and soared down to her toes when she took the items from him. She managed to struggle out a “thank you” before looking over her shoulder as the sound of footsteps approached. It was an older, Caucasian male, with salt and pepper hair pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a Hawaiian shirt, blue Bermuda shorts, and flip flops.
Armand laughed and handed Raven her carry-on bag. “I told you we’re very casual around here.” He winked at Raven, and handed another suitcase to the gentleman approaching. “I’m assuming you came to help, Dr. Watkins?”
“Of course.” Taking the suitcase, he then turned to Raven. “You must be Dr. Arrington. Pleasure to meet you.” He held out his free hand to shake Raven’s. “We’ve been looking forward to you coming.”
“Thank you so much, Dr. Watkins. Nice to meet you as well.” Raven remembered Cannon telling her that Dr. Watkins had been the only doctor in Ghilaua, and very instrumental in assisting Doctors Unlimited in opening the medical facility. He was currently the chief of medicine.
An older Asian woman approached with a pleasant smile and warm eyes; her long, black hair, which was sprinkled with gray, was pulled up into a swinging ponytail. Raven breathed a sigh of relief to finally not have to be alone with Armand anymore. Being in the close quarters of the truck and having to smell his intoxicating scent had been pure torture.
“Hi, Dr. Arrington. I’m Kay, the head nurse.”
The ladies shook hands and Kay offered to show Raven to her apartment while the men handled the suitcases.
Raven recognized her name as one of the people instrumental in opening the medical facility in Ghilaua and one of the many in Africa. Kay had been with Doctors Unlimited for the past five years. She’d been a nurse in New York about to retire when she’d heard of the organization and all of its extraordinary contributions to the medical field. Since her children were adults and she was divorced, Kay decided to work for the organization and forego retirement for a few years.
“I know you must be tired after such a long flight. After dinner just rest, and tomorrow I’ll give you a tour of the clinic.” Kay placed her scan card against a silver pad next to the door, and the ladies walked in and headed toward the elevator.
“Thank you. I am rather tired and famished.”
“I bet you are.” Kay nodded understandably. “A few things. The entrance we just used is for staff only. You’ll need the scan card to get into the building, as well as the elevators and stairwells to get to the third floor, so never misplace it.”
Once they arrived to Raven’s apartment, Kay promised to come back in thirty minutes to grab her for dinner. As Kay was leaving, Armand and Dr. Watkins arrived with the luggage on a gurney and brought her belongings inside.
After everyone left, Raven took a quick shower, and threw on a comfortable yellow maxi dress and a pair of flat sandals. She piled her hair into a puffy ponytail at the top of her head, and slid some lip gloss across her lips. She had a few more minutes before Kay came back to get her, so she plopped down on the couch in the living area to call Cannon and let him know she’d arrived safely.
“Thank you again, sis, for doing this on such short notice.”
“No problem.”
“Have you met everyone yet?”
“No. Besides Dr. Phillips, just Dr. Watkins and Kay. She’ll be here soon to retrieve me for the welcome dinner.”
“Ah, yes. The welcome dinner. I think you’ll enjoy it. Dr. Phillips started those, and I’ve suggested to the other clinics to do the same. The staff is very close-knit, like a family, so I’m sure you’ll have no problem fitting in.”
“So far so goo
d,” Raven stated, even though her thoughts kept trekking back to when she met Armand. She hoped she could get through her time here without breaking her rule. A knock at the door sounded.
“Gotta go. Kay is here.”
“I’ll check on you in a few days,” Cannon said before hanging up.
Grabbing her key from the hook by the door, Raven opened it.
She nearly swallowed her gum and just barely stifled back an, “oh”. Armand stood there, looking even more handsome and debonair, leaning casually on his own door across from hers. He’d changed into a pair of khaki Dockers, and a black golf shirt that was unbuttoned at the collar, exposing delicious skin. His white coat was draped over his arm, and his stethoscope dangled from his neck, which she couldn’t stop staring at. She had an unwavering urge to nibble on it.
Okay, get it together, girl. You’re just jet lagged, tired, and hungry.
“Ready?” His deep, baritone voice glided over her like warm hands on her body, and his gorgeous smile stirred something in the pit of her stomach. She tried to shrug it off as hunger pains, but she knew that wasn’t it. Or at least she wasn’t hungry for food.
Closing the door, she stepped out into the hallway.
“Ready.”
Chapter Two
Armand sat at a dining table in the mess hall—as the staff called it—trying his hardest to stay focused on a conversation with Dr. Watkins about a patient that was currently in the hospital. However, Armand’s attention kept wandering toward Raven and her laughter as she chatted with Kay and some other staff members a table on the other side of the room. She had a cute Janet Jackson giggle which he found quite pleasant and girlie.
He wasn’t sure what to expect when Cannon called and said his sister Raven would be filling in for the Ob-Gyn position while the board searched for a new one. Armand figured she’d be intelligent and serious like her brother, and he was right on that account. But what he hadn’t expected was a breathtaking woman with a beautiful smile, witty personality, and flawless, toffee skin that he found himself imagining bestowing kisses upon. The strap of her yellow dress kept falling off of her shoulder, and she would casually slide it back up, not realizing he found it downright sexy. He wanted nothing more than to slide it down along with the other one, and pull the dress over her just-the-right-size-for-his-mouth breasts. Armand figured once he was done feasting on her beautiful peaches, he’d continue dragging the dress slowly over her hips and rounded butt so his hands could squeeze it before letting the dress puddle at her feet.
His thoughts delved deeper as he wondered how her skin would feel under his lips and hands, or how she would taste on his tongue. He already knew she smelled simply divine, for her scent had been imbedded in his brain from the moment he spoke to her. Would she make cute giggles or erotic moans as he devoured her until she could no longer contain herself?
A loud crash from the kitchen pulled him out of his thoughts briefly. Once again he tried to focus on Dr. Watkins’ ramblings. However, Raven caught his attention when she briefly glanced in his direction with a smile just as her strap slipped again. She quickly turned back to the group of women she was eating with.
When he’d told her earlier she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on, he meant it, but he was quite surprised he’d blurted it out so soon after meeting her. As soon as he said it, he realized how unprofessional he’d been, and was glad when she immediately put him in his place. He’d spotted her staring at him a few moments before, and he really hoped she wasn’t the person he was looking for. However, when he saw her up close, he knew immediately that she was Cannon’s twin sister. Regardless, Armand still couldn’t help but say what had been on his mind since he’d first laid eyes on her. He’d worked around attractive nurses and doctors before, but there was something about Dr. Raven Arrington that made him want to shower her with compliments all day and make love to her all night.
“So what do you think?” Dr. Watkins asked, taking the last bite of his pascualina, a vegetable pie made with Swiss chard and hard-boiled eggs.
Armand placed his focus back on his colleague, who had completely interrupted his thoughts of the beauty across the room. It was probably for the best considering an erection had crept up, and he didn’t have time to take another cold shower. Besides, Raven had already told him there wouldn’t be any mixing business with pleasure … but some rules were meant to be broken. And if she kept stealing glances at him, he’d have to make a move.
“Um … I think what you said made sense.” Armand stumbled through his words, and he took a sip of his cool water, nodding as if he actually heard a word his colleague had spoken.
Dr. Watkins grinned and pushed his chair back, grabbing the white coat that was hanging on the back of it. “Really?” he whispered. “I think you didn’t hear a word I said because you’re distracted by the lovely Dr. Arrington.” He patted Armand on the back and grabbed the empty plates from their table. “Keep focused, Armand. Gotta go do my rounds.”
An hour later, the majority of everyone had cleared out of the dining area to either go down to the hospital—if they were on duty for the night—or back to their apartments. Raven was still chatting with a few members of the staff as Armand pretended to look over some of the patients’ charts on his tablet. However, his ears were listening to Raven’s voice as she and Kay discussed the procedures and rules of Doctors Unlimited. He’d assumed Raven would rather rest after a long day, but he was quite impressed that she was focused and actually listening and taking notes. However, when he saw her yawning after Kay left with their plates, he decided to rescue her.
“Hi there,” he said, sliding into the chair across from her and placing his tablet on the table. “You okay?”
“Just a little tired. Everything was delicious. I could get used to eating Argentine foods.”
“That’s what I said when I first moved here, but every blue moon I crave my mother’s home cooked, southern meals. We try to make them here, but it’s not quite the same.”
Yawning again, she stretched her eyes wide to look at him with a meek smile. She let out a soft sigh that stirred his manhood.
Darn it.
He shifted in his chair. “You’re exhausted.”
“I am. It didn’t really hit me until a few minutes ago. I think I’m going to turn in.” She glanced at her watch and smiled as she wound it, yawning again. “It’s not six o’clock, is it?” she asked sleepily.
“No, it’s nine. It may take you a few days to get used to the time difference.”
“Yep. I just need a good night’s rest. I’m sure I’ll be fine in the morning.”
“You know, you don’t have to start work tomorrow. Just unwind and relax. I have you on the schedule to begin officially on Wednesday.”
“Okay, but I would still like for Kay to give me the tour tomorrow.” Standing, she gathered her possessions.
“Of course.” He nodded and stood along with her. He was supposed to have been downstairs ten minutes ago. “I’m working tonight, so I probably won’t see you until tomorrow afternoon, but if you need anything just let me know.”
“Thank you.” She displayed a cute yet sleepy smile. “Good night.”
“Good night, Dr. Arrington, and welcome to Ghilaua.”
He turned toward the staircase, threw on his white coat, and rushed down to the next floor. Once he stepped into the hospital, he knew he had to put on his game face and erase all thoughts of the new doctor. He decided to chalk it up to the fact that it had been a while since he’d been in a real relationship. He’d dated a few women in Buenos Aires, but nothing serious because he didn’t know how long he would be there. In addition, having an emotional attachment with someone wasn’t in his plans at the moment. At age thirty-three, he’d been in a few long-term relationships that had ended amicably, but right now he wasn’t interested in anything permanent. He still wanted to travel and work for Doctors Unlimited for the next few years before moving back to the States.
&nbs
p; And yet he couldn’t get Raven’s cute giggle and beautiful face out of his head.
*****
A loud, blaring ring resonated through the air, but Raven was so exhausted she couldn’t open her eyes, and her brain waves wouldn’t allow her to make out where the sound was coming from. Then a loud banging caused her to shoot all the way up and open her eyes to a dark room. Disoriented for a moment, she wasn’t sure of her surroundings. Suddenly, she remembered that she wasn’t in her home in Memphis, but halfway across the world.
The ringing had stopped, but the banging hadn’t. When she realized it was coming from the door, she slid out of the bed and turned on the bedside lamp. Adjusting her vision, she sped toward the door and opened it. Kay was standing on the other side of it with her hand in a fist, positioned to knock again, just as the cell phone from Doctors Unlimited began to ring from the coffee table in the living room.
“Dr. Arrington, I hate to wake you, but we have an emergency.”
Adrenaline raced through Raven’s body at the words. Glancing down at her green scrubs that she’d slept in for pajamas, she told Kay to hold on, and trekked back to the bedroom, slipped on her tennis shoes, and headed out the door. She made a mental note to make sure to place everything she needed by the door for middle of the night emergencies. At home, everything she needed was always in the mud room by the garage door or already in her car.
“What’s happened?” she asked as the ladies sprinted toward the elevator.
“One of our patients, Mrs. Gonzalez, has gone into premature labor.”
“How many weeks?”
“She’s only thirty weeks, and has been on bed rest since her third month after she had a cervical cerclage,” Kay explained as they walked down one flight of stairs to the second floor. When they arrived to the birthing room, all Raven heard was frantic screaming in Spanish from a man holding Mrs. Gonzalez’s hand and Armand trying to calm the man down. Another nurse, whom Raven had met earlier, began updating her about Mrs. Gonzalez’s condition. As Raven listened, she looked at the monitor as well. The baby was breeched with one foot stretched out and the other tucked underneath, and headed to the birth canal. She could try to move the baby, but it would be very painful for the mother who was already in pain and bleeding.
