Romance Me: A Collection Of Standalone & First In Series Books

by Florella Grant

  “You taught me well,” he said to the picture on the wall. “Thank you.”

  Dean left Bay City Medical Center for the night. Whether Reagan forgave him for keeping her from the operating room or not, there were still lives to save.

  Chapter 16

  DEAN SAVED MATT’S LIFE and Reagan didn’t even thank him. She let her stubborn pride and ego keep her from showing her respect to the doctor.

  She found out which recovery room they put Matt in and went inside to stay by his side for the night. He slept, and she watched him breathe. Reagan prayed for Matt while the surrounding machines told her his heart still beat. At some point, Reagan leaned back into the armchair and drifted off to sleep.

  Nurses were in and out of the room all night long, checking vitals and making sure he wasn’t bleeding through his dressings. Reagan watch them, reminded herself that she’d done the same tasks hundreds of times. As the clock on the wall ticked, she learned to ignore them and curled up to sleep again.

  Faith nudged her as the sun shone in the window to let her know she covered Reagan’s shifts for the next few days. “Go home and get some rest,” she instructed.

  Reagan nodded in agreement and surprised herself by doing so. “After he wakes up,” she said. She never took time off. Calling out of work the couple of days after Matt’s inappropriate behavior was a lot for her. What would she do outside the hospital walls?

  Almost twelve hours later, Matt stirred, and Reagan knew he’d wake up soon. His brown eyes shifted toward her when he did. Reagan hugged herself and let out a sigh of relief. He survived what most didn’t, he fought for something. He fought for her.

  Matt tried to talk, but she advised him not to. She reached for the pitcher of ice-water and offered him a sip. His eyes flinched as the liquid went down and Reagan knew it pained him to swallow. She sat beside him and held onto his hand. “I wasn’t expecting to see you,” his hoarse voice whispered. “What happened?”

  “You were in an accident,” tears stung her eyes as she spoke to him. “You almost died.” Matt looked up to the ceiling but remained quiet. “My God, Matt, you didn’t do it on purpose did you?”

  His head turned toward her; his eyes focused on her face. “You’re not worth dying over,” he said. If it weren’t for the glisten in his eyes, she would have taken him seriously. He squeezed her hand and tried his best to smile. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

  Reagan sat beside him and watched him rest a little longer until she felt he was strong enough to talk without being in pain. “They brought you in and I thought I would lose you again,” she said. Matt’s eyes teared as he listened. “There’s so many things I didn’t have time to say.”

  “I’m still here,” he said.

  She leaned closer and kissed his cheek. “I want you to know that I forgive you.” His eyes widened, but then closed again when she continued to speak. “We can never be what we used to be, but I loved you enough to want you to be happy.”

  Matt signaled for another sip of water, this time taking a little more than before. “And you?” he asked.

  Thoughts of Dean flashed through her mind. The entire night all she thought about was Matt and his recovery. She never told Dean that she wanted him. “I met someone,” she blurted out, “and I know it's soon, but I think I love him.”

  A nurse came in to check Matt’s vitals and to flash a light in his eyes. She smiled at Reagan then left. Matt’s hand reached for hers again as he turned to face her. She could see him struggling with his words, not because of his physical pain but from his emotions. “You deserve to be happy. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you what you wanted.”

  “Your parents are here to see you,” a floor nurse interrupted. Reagan knew the policies; Matt was still in the ICU and only allowed a limited number of visitors.

  She stood to leave but kissed his bruised lips one last time before standing up. “Take care of yourself.” Reagan didn’t know what else to say to him and bolted out the door and passed his parents, who were on their way into see him. They must have known they broke up, talking to them would have been awkward. Besides, they weren’t there to talk to her, they wanted to see their son. They acknowledged each other but continued their ways.

  The corridors bustled with doctors and nurses running in circles. For the first time in her entire career, she was glad to be going home and not getting involved in whatever surgeries were happening. As Reagan passed the conference room on the main floor, something caused her to stop in her tracks. She turned her head and peered inside. Dean.

  Reagan didn’t know what happened, why he was in with the hospital board, but hoped he’d tell her. Were they reprimanding him for performing Matt’s surgery, she wondered? The group inside didn’t look upset about anything and she brushed the thought from her mind. She stood still until he saw her. Reagan smiled then continued her walk out to her car. If there was anything Dean wanted to tell her, he would on his time.

  DEAN TOSSED AND TURNED all night thinking about Reagan. He imagined her sitting in the recovery room with Matt and thought the worst. Matt could have died but had a second chance at life. Maybe he received a second chance with her too. Dean assumed so, judging by the look on her face when they brought Matt into the emergency room. They had a history together. Dean and Reagan had one roll in the hay, one quickie in the on-call room is more like it. How could he compete against what her heart wanted the most?

  The alarm sounded, and he knew it was time to go into work. He slept in later than normal as it was, having a late night left him exhausted and he didn’t have a surgery scheduled until later in the afternoon. The red numbers on the clock glowed in the darkened room. Dean’s eyes were half shut, but he knew it was time to get up.

  As he showered, his thoughts returned to Reagan. She looked beautiful when they were together. Her body formed perfectly with his. Dean reached for the knob in the shower and reversed the hot water. She wants him. You deserve a cold shower.

  As his Genesis backed out of his parking spot, his cell phone sounded. Dean reached for it and saw Bishop’s number displayed. “Hello,” he answered.

  “Good morning,” Bishop said, sounding cheerful. “Just wanted to tell you everything is completed. You can stop by the office any time to retrieve Oswald’s bank information, keys, the works.”

  Bishop made it sound like Dean just won the lottery, not like he just inherited the entire estate of a beloved friend and mentor. He didn’t take it personal; it was probably just his job. “I’ll be there soon,” he said then called Bay City Medical to clear his schedule. Dean talked to Landon Cromwell. There was only one surgery for later in the day, and he asked to be removed from it. Landon understood and agreed to see him as soon as Dean was done with Bishop’s office.

  Before he headed inside the law firm, Dean spotted the envelope Bishop gave him. Dean opened it, knowing it would answer all his questions why Oswald left everything to him.

  “Dear Dean,

  I regret that I haven’t told you this in person or that your mother never told you before she passed away. My heart is failing me, ironic isn’t it? I know if I called you, you could stitch me up and make it better, but that’s not what I want. I’m old and lived a good life. If God takes me, I go knowing I made a difference in the world.

  You’re one of those differences. Haven’t you ever wondered why a pediatric cardiac surgeon bothered with a young boy? True, I cared for every patient I ever had, but you were different, and I think by now you know why.

  I never loved a woman the way I loved your mother. She came into my life when I needed her the most. It could have been easy for me to give up everything I had to be with her, but she wouldn’t have it. See, she was already married to your father and planned on making her marriage work, regardless if she loved me or not. I know she did, and it hurt like hell to see her with someone else, but I had to let her go.

  Then ten years later, she returned to my life with you and begged me to save you. You remember how sick you we
re then. After your surgery, she came to me and praised me for saving your life. It was then she told me that you were mine.

  She agreed to a blood test, though I didn’t need it to know. I saw myself in your eyes. We agreed not to tell you; she was still set on making her marriage work. But now you know and I’m sure you can glue the pieces together and figure out why your ‘father’ pushed you away. He knew all along.

  I’m leaving everything I own to you. Not just because you’re my flesh and blood, but because you’re me reincarnated. The doctors told me how much time I have left and if my calculations are correct, you should be working as a Fellow Surgeon by the time you receive my estate. I have never been prouder to call you my son. Do great in this world, Dean. I know you can and will.

  Sincerely,

  Neil Oswald (Your biological father.)

  DEAN’S SCRUB TOP SOAKED with tears as the paper shook in his hands. It all made sense. Why didn’t either of you tell me? Dean slammed his fist into the steering wheel. They had many opportunities to tell him yet didn’t. Dean leaned against the window and held his broken heart. He should have figured it out long ago.

  It hit hard to read Oswald’s words about his mother. He watched her live her life with another. In the few months that Dean had been in Bay City, he’d grown to love Reagan more than life itself. Like his father before him, it was time to let her go.

  He dried his eyes and walked up to the building. The same uniformed man opened the door. The same nice dressed woman greeted him, only this time she sat behind a desk as the office was open for all clients. Bishop came out to greet Dean and took him into his office. Within the half hour, they finished wrapping up Oswald’s estate. Dean’s father’s estate.

  Dean walked into the building with a couple of bills in his wallet and walked out a millionaire. It didn’t feel any different, he was still the same doctor who would spend his life saving others. Dean laughed as he drove the Genesis away. This is what I came to Bay City for, to follow Oswald’s footsteps.

  He didn’t come to Bay City looking for romance. Reagan just stepped into his life at the right time. If she didn’t want him, at least he had what he came for, and much more than Dean expected.

  The hospital board waited for Dean when he arrived at the conference room. His palms were clammy again. Somehow, he went from the new fellow surgeon to owning more than half of the hospital’s stocks. Chief of Surgery, Landon Cromwell, greeted him at the door and shook his hand. “You’ll be fine,” he whispered. Landon knew ahead of time. “Be yourself.”

  The others sat in high-back chairs as Landon introduced Dean to them. One by one, they reached up and shook his hand. Part of Oswald’s estate included 51 percent of the hospital stocks. Dean spoke of his relationship with Oswald and felt comfort in being around his father's peers. They took a vote and Dean won the majority shareholder seat. He didn’t expect it when he started his Fellowship, just like everything else Dean learned about himself.

  The board welcomed him with open arms. Dean was new to Bay City not to mention to a hospital board, so the others understood his need to learn the ropes. They made suggestions and moments later appointed an assistant to help him grow within the hospital. They agreed he’d finish his Fellowship with pediatric cardiac surgery and then after, run the department. “This has been my dream since I was a kid, now thanks to my biological father, that dream became a reality.” He told the board members.

  Dean noticed Reagan standing outside the conference room and wanted to run to her, but they hadn’t wrapped up the board meeting yet. She walked out, her purse over her shoulder, and he knew she was leaving for the day.

  I need to apologize to her. He told Landon about the stocks willed to him and urged Landon not to allow Reagan to scrub in on Matt’s surgery. He hated to do it, but Reagan might have got her way if he hadn’t. The look on her face nearly broke him, but he knew she would have been no good in the OR.

  The meeting adjourned, and the board members left. “Congratulations,” Landon said as he shook Dean’s hand again. This time Dean shook with confidence.

  “Thank you,” he said, “but if you don’t mind. I have a patient I need to check up on.” Dean excused himself from the others and jumped on an open elevator.

  He tapped on Matt’s door as he approached the recovery room. An older couple sat around him with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces. “Hi, I’m Doctor Everly. It’s good to see you alert.” Matt’s parents excused themselves while Dean examined Matt. Matt’s eyes followed his every move. Dean listened to his heart and took his pressure. “Everything sounds good,” he said.

  “Thank you,” Matt replied. Dean could hear the strain in his voice and wanted him to get some rest. He pulled up a chair and discussed his condition in more detail, giving him instructions on what to do next and how to care for himself. He was about to leave when he said, “It’s you, right?”

  “Pardon me?”

  Matt laid still but kept his gaze on Dean’s face. Dean started to shift his legs and fumble with the pen in his lab coat.

  “She loves you.” Matt stated.

  “She told you that?”

  “Basically,” Matt whispered; his energy faded the more he talked. “Take care of her, she deserves to be happy.”

  Dean wanted to jump for joy, but that would be unprofessional. How do you look at a man who almost died and gloat that you won his woman over? Dean didn’t know if she’d have him, but judging by the look on Matt’s face, Reagan was his for the taking.

  He left the room and spotted Matt’s parents making their return. Dean encouraged them to let the patient sleep, then left Bay City Medical.

  He sat in his Genesis and programed an address into his GPS. Reagan would be home, and he couldn’t wait to make her his.

  Chapter 17

  REAGAN WRAPPED A TOWEL around her head as she stepped out of the shower. The heat in the bathroom took her breath away, but it felt good to be clean. After the long ordeal at the hospital, she planned on crawling in bed and calling it a night.

  A pair of shorts and a tank top waited for her on the bed. The towel dropped from her head and landed on the floor. As she bent to pick it up, the doorbell buzzed, and she jumped out of her skin. Reagan tossed the towel back into the bathroom, stepped into the shorts and pulled the shirt over her bare breasts as the doorbell rang again.

  Hold your pants on. She peeked through the tiny hole and saw Dean waiting for her to answer. On second thought, take them off!

  She didn’t expect him to stop by unannounced. In fact, she didn’t know what to expect after the way she treated him for doing his job. “Hey,” she said as she held the door open.

  Dean didn’t waste any time in telling her why he came. He barged passed her and waited for her to close the door. “First, I’m sorry for what went down with scrubbing in,” he blurted. If Reagan didn’t know better, she’d think he rehearsed his speech.

  “Shh,” she replied, rubbing his arm to let him know she held nothing against him. “Don’t. You worked a miracle, and that’s enough for me. I would have been a mess inside the OR.”

  He grinned and opened his arms. Reagan couldn’t help but to fall into his chest and press her head against his beating heart. Just like there were things she wanted to say to Matt, there were words she wanted Dean to hear. She wanted to be with him, nobody else.

  “Matt told me,” he blurted. She leaned her head back and studied his face. Her brows scrunched together, and he continued. “He said you loved me, is that true?”

  Damned Matt! She should have been the one to tell him. Reagan wasn’t even sure of her emotions, but her insides screamed nothing but admiration for Dean. “That’s something I wanted to tell you myself.” Dean smiled and pulled her closer. “I would have too, if I didn’t get that urgent text.”

  They walked over to the sofa and sat down; their hands never let go of each other’s. “You can tell me now,” he said, just before he leaned in to kiss her.

  “I
love you,” Reagan nearly melted by saying it, but she meant it.

  “I love you too.” He pressed into her lips as his hand cupped the back of her head. Their kiss lasted for a couple of minutes before he pulled back. Reagan could tell something was wrong and feared for their newfound love. “There’s something you should know though,” he said as he stood and paced back and forth.

  Reagan stood close to him and lifted his chin when he didn’t speak. She worried he might have lost his job and what if he was leaving Bay City because of it? A thousand thoughts ran through her head.

  Dean stepped a few feet away and ran his fingers through his hair. He paced again, looked at her, and stood by the window looking out. “You know those phone calls I kept getting, the ones you thought were from women?”

  Reagan’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she nodded. “Yeah,” she said.

  “They were from Doctor Oswald’s attorney, my attorney now.” He hesitated while she looked over at him, her head cocked to the side. “Reagan, it turns out that Oswald was more than a mentor to me.” Her eyes grew as he continued, remembering the story he told about his mother’s infidelity. “He was my biological father. I never knew until he left me his entire estate.”

  Reagan’s jaw dropped. Estate? She never met the great Doctor, but from what she heard about him, he was successful and admired. His estate must have been hefty, but it didn’t matter to her. Reagan didn’t love Dean for his money. She couldn’t care less how much he was worth. “His entire estate?” she questioned.