by Janice Lynn
With excitement she’d told Santa of what she’d wanted more than anything and he’d told her to be a good girl and come Christmas morning she’d find her surprise under the tree.
She’d been as good as gold. Better than any five-year-old had ever been, surely. She’d gone to bed on Christmas Eve full of hope and had barely been able to sleep because she’d been sure she’d wake up to a pile of goodies but mainly to the pair of new sneakers she’d desperately wanted. Her others had been hand-me-downs and had grown too small. A new pair of stylish pink hightops for school was going to be a breeze with how good she’d been.
Only there had been no surprise. Or even a tree. Her mother had claimed the entire holiday was nothing more than a scam and she wasn’t spending hard-earned money on something as ridiculous as putting a tree inside their tiny apartment.
When her mother had found her crying, she’d complained that Christmas was a rich man’s holiday invented to make poor parents like her look bad and that Trinity should feel ashamed for making her feel bad. Then she’d gone off and drunk until she’d passed out.
The same as she did the other three hundred and sixty-four days of the year. Only without Trinity having set herself up with false hopes that the day might bring something different.
She had stopped believing. Right then and there at five years old she’d quit believing in Christmas and Santa. Sure, she’d still gone through the motions at school and, after she’d graduated from college, at work. But she’d never believed the holiday to be anything more than commercialized hype meant to build false hopes and to disappoint. How absolutely fitting had it been that Chase had broken her heart at a Christmas party?
“Stars are magic,” Riley said from beside her, pulling her back from the past to the present, obviously clueless about where her thoughts had gone. How could he know? Although she’d revealed more to him than to any other person ever, she’d rather die than have anyone know the true depth of her shame.
“Just like the star that led the wise men and the ones that guide sailors through the sea,” he continued, his voice low, mesmerizing. “They lead us where we need to go if only we’ll follow. Anywhere in particular you’d like to go, princess?”
Trying to keep her cynicism to a minimum and any dream of going somewhere magical well tamped down, Trinity looked at him. “It’s just a cheap piece of glass and tiny light bulbs.”
“Use your imagination.”
“I don’t have one.”
“Sure you do.” He laced their fingers. “Close your eyes and picture that star, Trinity. Picture it leading you where you want to go.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” So why were her eyelids so darned heavy all of a sudden?
“Do it,” he ordered in his Dr. Williams voice.
“You’re crazy.”
“About you.”
That was twice he’d implied he had feelings for her. Trinity glared. “You’re not going to run off when I close my eyes, are you?”
“You couldn’t run me off. I’m right where I want to be.”
“At the mall, shopping?” She gave him a doubtful once-over. “You sure you’re straight?”
“With you,” he clarified, shaking his head at her. “And if you’d like me to give a demonstration of my straightness, I’ll gladly do so.”
She gulped back the image of Riley proving to her that he preferred the opposite sex. Even when she was tired and irritated at him, the man could send her libido through the roof. Wow.
“Fine.” She closed her eyes and did as he said. Or tried to. The image of his straightness refused to budge from her mind.
“Do you see where you want to go?”
“Oh, yeah, I see where I want to go and you offered to take me there, but for some reason I’m still quite hungry and there’s no food in sight.”
He laughed then surprised her by leaning forward to drop a kiss on her lips. Just a quick peck, but a kiss all the same. Had he read her thoughts?
“Come on, Scrooge,” he relented, not sounding angry but definitely not his usual happy-go-lucky self. “I’ll feed you.”
Guilt hit her. He was trying to be nice. It wasn’t his fault she was being so otherwise.
“Hey.” She feigned surprise, wanting his sparkle back. “I take back everything. That star thing worked!”
After staring at her a brief second, he grinned. “I never thought it wouldn’t. Glad to know you were imagining me kissing you.”
Wondering if he’d just played her with his probably feigned disappointment, she shook her head. “Keep telling yourself that, lover boy, but it’s the promise that you’re finally going to feed me that I referred to.”
His grin way too endearing, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips. “You keep telling yourself that you weren’t imagining my arms as where you want to be but I’m going to prove otherwise to you.”
Unfortunately, Trinity couldn’t argue with him because she feared he was right.
Trinity managed to make it through the next week without Riley dragging her shopping again. Thank goodness.
However, that didn’t keep him from dragging her to the local soup kitchen where everyone greeted him by name. They helped serve over a hundred meals and whether it was in the name of the Christmas spirit or whatever, Trinity felt good about doing so and promised herself that she’d sign on to help on a regular basis. Not only that, she’d look for other charitable places where she could volunteer.
Of course, with Christmas being only a week away she couldn’t escape the festivities. Who would have guessed that people who lived at the beach would be so into the ho, ho, ho swing of things?
At work, everyone was wearing Christmas print scrub tops and a few of the docs had Christmas ties, Riley included.
Having just returned to the nurses’ station and spotting him, she rolled her eyes at the tie currently around his neck. “Seriously? You have a reindeer with a light-up nose on your tie? That’s what you wore while you saw patients at your office all day?”
Waggling his brows, he grinned. “Yep, I’m quite disappointed that no one asked me to guide their sleigh tonight.” He shifted to where he could look behind her at her bottom. “How about you, princess? You want me to light up your world and guide your sleigh tonight?”
That he could light up her world she had no doubt. In the past week she’d smiled and laughed more than she had…well, maybe ever. The man was a nut. And brilliant. And kind. And generous. And…
She was getting way too dependent on him. It was barely a week since he’d kissed her under the mistletoe at the hospital Christmas party and every free waking hour had been spent with him. When she wasn’t with him, she was thinking of him, dreaming of him.
“Sorry, I’m fresh out of sleighs and there’s not a bit of fog in sight.”
If spending a week with him could have her feeling so clingy, she really needed to get a hold of herself before she did something silly. Like fall in love with him. That would be nothing short of a tragedy.
And something she needed to guard against.
“This Santa is flexible. How about we grab a bite to eat then catch that new Christmas movie?”
“Not tonight.”
His smile morphed into a frown. “You have other plans?”
Trying to keep a straight face because he read her way too easily, she nodded.
“Am I invited?”
Was he invited? What kind of response was that to a woman saying she had other plans? Really, the man was too much.
“Do you want to be invited?”
“If you’re going to be there? Yes, I want an invitation. A VIP pass even.”
Although she was pretty sure she’d just scolded herself for being so dependent on him, she found she couldn’t say no, didn’t really want to because to say no would mean depriving herself of the twinkle in his eye, the mischief in his grin, the wit in his words.
“Fine. You can go with me.”
&nbs
p; He grinned and she wondered if that meant he’d known he’d get his way all along. “Where are we going, princess?”
She had no clue because she’d just made up that she had other plans in a panicky moment. She should have known better.
“It’s a surprise.” To her too since she probably would have just gone to her place for grilled cheese sandwiches and a rerun of some TV series. She still might.
“Aw, are you taking me caroling?” he teased.
She squinted at him in a forced glare. “That would be a surprise, now, wouldn’t it? But, no, I’m not a caroler. That would contradict that whole don’t-like-Christmas thing I have going.”
“But you do sing,” he pointed out, leaning against the counter.
“In my shower doesn’t count.”
“I’d like to be the judge of that for myself. You could give me a private viewing tonight. Now, that would be a surprise.”
She rolled her eyes again and ignored him and the images of them in the shower flashing through her mind.
“You also sing karaoke,” he reminded her.
“Only under the influence of alcohol, which I’d never knowingly do.” She made a pretense of being busy.
“It’s okay to let loose every once in a while and just enjoy yourself.”
“I don’t need alcohol to enjoy myself.” She winced at how harsh her voice had been. She hadn’t meant to bite his head off, yet she definitely had. Unable to just stand still, she headed to a patient room. Anything to escape him.
Unfortunately he followed her, catching her just outside the door. “I didn’t say you did. I was just saying it was okay for you to relax and enjoy life. Talk to me.”
She didn’t want to talk. They were at work. Only Karen was near, but anyone could see them, could hear them if they wanted to eavesdrop. Even if they’d been in private she wouldn’t have wanted to have this discussion, but she sure didn’t here. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. “Sorry.”
“Okay.” He sounded confused. “You want to explain why you jumped down my throat on that one?”
She shook her head. No, she didn’t want to go there. Not at any point in the next century or so.
He appeared to weigh his options. “Okay, I’ll let it slide.”
They both heard his unspoken “for now”.
Trinity pulled the covers off Jewel Hendrix’s legs to asses them for edema.
“They’re only swollen a little compared to what they were when I checked into this joint,” the seventy-two-year-old woman with end-stage congestive heart failure said a bit breathily. “I can actually move my toes again.”
She wiggled them back and forth.
On arrival in the emergency department, she’d been retaining so much fluid that her skin had been too tight for her to flex her toes. She’d had weeping from her skin on her shins and calves and had had crackles in her lungs. Had she not been brought to the hospital, she would have drowned in her own body fluids.
“There’s still enough fluid that I can’t make out your pedal pulses, though.” Hopefully after another round of diuretics the swelling would go down even more.
The woman glanced at her feet. “Honey, this is a good ankle day in my book.” She paused to catch her breath. “I’m pretty sure if y’all would let me up out of this bed, I could even get these boogers into a pair of shoes. Most days I feel like one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters trying to shove my monstrosity into a glass slipper.”
Trinity smiled at her patient. She really liked Jewel. The older woman had spunk.
“What about you? Some lucky fellow slip a glass slipper onto your foot and make you feel just like a princess?”
Why was it that the elderly felt they had a right to ask questions about one’s private life? Why was it that Trinity felt obligated to answer the feisty older woman?
Hoping her face was unreadable, she raised her foot up from the floor to display her solid white nursing shoes. “No glass slipper for me.”
“A pity.”
“Not really.” Trinity slipped the skin protectors back around Jewel’s feet to prevent skin breakdown and positioned her feet on the pillows to keep them elevated. “I don’t need a man to slip my foot into a glass slipper. I’m way too practical for that. Besides, with my luck a glass slipper would only shatter and cut my foot up anyway.”
Trinity smiled at the woman, but Jewel’s face was pinched into a frown.
“Maybe the wrong quality of men have been attempting to slip glass slippers onto your feet. You need to upgrade.”
Ha. No man had been attempting to slip a glass slipper onto her foot, but she wouldn’t admit that to Jewel. Besides, she had no right to complain. Riley treated her as if she really were the princess he often called her. She had to admit that most of the time she liked the attention he showered on her. Who needed glass slippers and a Prince Charming when you had a handsome cardiologist trying to woo you into Christmas cheer?
Trinity tucked the bed sheet and white blanket around her patient’s elevated legs. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time a Prince Charming asks to see my feet.”
The woman chuckled. “I like you.”
Trinity shot the woman another smile. “You can sweet-talk me all you want, but I’m still going to give you your medication.”
“I never thought you wouldn’t.” The woman practically cackled. “When’s that handsome doctor of mine going to be here?”
“Dr. Williams should be by any time. He was here earlier, but got called to the cardiac lab for a procedure.” She’d only caught a glimpse of him, but a glimpse had been all it had taken to get her heart racing. Especially with how he’d winked at her when their eyes had met. Karen had teased her on that one, but Trinity hadn’t really cared. Most of the time he made her feel good. And confused.
Although everyone at the hospital had accepted that they were a couple, Trinity just wasn’t sure exactly what they were. Other than a few brief kisses and holding her hand, he barely touched her. What was his game? “I expect he’ll be finishing up some time soon.”
Did she mean with the patient or with her?
Jewel sighed. “I’d like to be home for Christmas. Maybe he’ll let me leave this evening.”
“Maybe,” Trinity said, adjusting the setting on Jewel’s intravenous pump. The woman wasn’t receiving any fluids currently as her problem was fluid overload. However, her diuretics were being given intravenously and Trinity had just hung a new bag of the medication. “But I doubt it. You were a really sick lady when you got here yesterday morning. We really need to get more fluid off before you can go home.”
Jewel eyed the bag of medication. “But I’m a lot better than I was and that stuff there is going to help even more.”
“True, but you’re also heavily medicated and Dr. Williams will want to keep a close check on your electrolytes for at least another day, probably longer. Your medication can deplete your potassium and if that happens, a whole new set of problems could occur.”
“We can’t have that.”
“Which is why I don’t think he’ll discharge you any time soon. Or at least not until after you’ve had your echocardiogram.”
Jewel sighed. “That’s the ultrasound thing with the sticky stuff on my chest?”
“Yes, ma’am. No pain involved.” Trinity entered the data from her assessment of Jewel into the in-room computer and that she’d begun administration of the medication ordered.
“How’s my most beautiful patient doing this evening?”
The old woman’s brow rose. “I’m your only patient? A brilliant doctor like you? That’s surprising and a bit worrisome.”
Riley laughed and winked at the older woman. “You’re a quick one, Jewel.”
“That I am.” The woman beamed.
Trinity smothered a smile and clicked to save and sign the data she’d entered.
“You going to let me go home today?”
Riley shook his head. “Now, why would I do that when your nurse ju
st told you the reasons why you should stay?”
Jewel shrugged her heavy shoulders. “I was just checking.”
“Anyone ever tell you what a testy thing you are?” Riley teased the older woman, pulling his stethoscope from his pocket and cleaning the diaphragm with an alcohol swab.
“Only my husband.” The woman’s face took on a happy glow. “God bless him.”
Riley laughed and placed his stethoscope on Jewel’s chest.
The breathy woman watched his every move. Glancing up, she noticed that Trinity also watched his every move.
Jewel motioned towards Riley then waggled her drawn-on eyebrows.
Noticing the movement, Riley glanced up, caught just enough that he glanced back and forth between them. “Okay, you two, what are you cooking up?”
Trinity shook her head. No way was she going there. Jewel would have to do her matchmaking elsewhere because as sweet as Riley was to her and as fine as he seemed to be with everyone thinking they were a couple, she didn’t fool herself that he was a Prince Charming who was going to slip a pair of glass slippers onto her feet.
Or even a pair of pink hightop sneakers.
She’d do well to remember that.
CHAPTER EIGHT
LETTING HIS GAZE soak up the sight of Trinity in her dark navy scrubs, Riley stepped up beside where she worked at the nurses’ station. “Dr. Stanley is having a small impromptu get-together tomorrow night, just dinner and drinks, to celebrate the holidays.”
Trinity looked briefly at Riley then went back to studying the computer monitor.
“Would you like to go?”
“No, thank you,” she immediately replied, without another glance his way.
Tempted to scream with frustration, Riley sighed. “Do you know any words other than those?”
“Yes.”
“Great.” He rubbed his hands together in glee. “You really do. We should get you in the habit of using them more often. Let’s practice. Trinity, will you go to a Christmas dinner party with me tomorrow night?”
She arched a brow at him. “You want me to be a yes-girl?”
