Just Beginning: A Prequel to Just Destiny

by Rizzo, Theresa

  Gabe dropped his head to his chest in defeat. That went well. No wonder he made it a policy to avoid patient’s family disputes. It was much easier letting the nurses handle it.

  Jenny sighed and stared at the golden wood grain of the closed door. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”

  He held out his hand. “Gabe Harrison, Michael’s surgeon.”

  “Jenny Campbell.” She shook his hand with a firm grip, then quickly released it. “Michael’s sister.”

  Sister. Mary Campbell must be older than she looked. She was tough enough to have lived three lifetimes.

  “General or orthopedic?”

  “General. I took out your brother’s spleen.”

  Jenny pulled her brown hair to the side, so it wrapped around her neck and trailed over one shoulder. She crammed her hands deep into her jean pockets until they stretched tight across trim hips, while small white teeth momentarily trapped her bottom lip. “Will he really need a transfusion?”

  Gabe tried to concentrate on her question instead of staring at the way her hair cascaded past her breast in a silky, sable waterfall, but lack of sleep made him slow. He gave himself a mental shake and concentrated on her concern, her brother.

  “Maybe. But it’s really no big deal.”

  Smooth, Harrison. He’d meant to be reassuring and confident, but he’d sounded uncaring. He frowned, wondering how to recover.

  She silently nodded, seemingly equally at a loss to know what to say next. “Well... Okay then.”

  “Um... The Pancake House is just down the street. You wouldn’t want to get some breakfast, would you?”

  Anyone willing to sneak into the hospital in the middle of the night and brave Mary Campbell’s considerable fury to comfort her brother piqued Gabe’s interest. The fact that she was gorgeous was a secondary benefit.

  “I’d like to, but I don’t have time. I was just going to grab a quick cup of coffee from the machine before trekking to the back forty.”

  “Back forty?” Gabe raised an eyebrow.

  “I parked way in the back next to the employee parking lot.”

  “Why don’t you wait here while I take a quick look at Michael, and then I’ll walk you out?”

  “I don’t want to put you out. Don’t doctors have a separate parking lot?”

  “I could use the exercise.”

  “Yeah,” she eyed his chest and flat stomach. “You really look out of shape.”

  He grinned and resisted the urge to puff out his chest. “It feels good to stretch my muscles after hours in surgery.”

  “Okay. Stretch away.”

  “Be right back.”

  Jenny stood to the side of the nurses’ station, trying not to feel conspicuous. Dr. Harrison’s invitation to breakfast had caught her off guard. She wanted to go with him, but really couldn’t afford the time away from work.

  She should be mortified he’d witnessed that humiliating scene with her mother; it’d hardly been one of Mom’s finest moments. She couldn’t imagine why he’d asked her out instead of running in the opposite direction, but she was glad he had.

  Five minutes later, Gabe caught up with her. With a warm hand at her back, he turned her toward the elevator. Several nurses cast admiring glances at the doctor walking by her side. Smiling broadly, they all greeted him with a friendly “good morning,” to which he responded with a nod and brief “morning” as they passed.

  They probably wonder what he’s doing with me.

  Gabe stood a good six inches taller than her, closing in on six feet—big enough to make her aware of him, but not enough to feel dwarfed. She liked the way his light brown hair laid close-cropped to his head in tidy layers. Though not pretty-boy handsome, he had that slightly rugged, everyday gorgeous look.

  As they waited at the elevator, Jenny glanced at Gabe, then looked away. She gathered her hair to one side of her neck and smoothed it down. “Sorry about my mom. She’s rather overprotective.”

  The elevator chimed. Gabe stepped to the side to allow the people from the elevator to pass, then reached for the padded door to hold it open for her. Leaning close so the other occupants wouldn’t hear, he lowered his voice. “You’re her daughter.”

  “Michael’s her late-in-life baby.” She shrugged. “She has a hard time letting go.”

  “She overreacted,” Gabe said.

  “A little.” To an outsider Mom’s reaction probably seemed harsh. He didn’t know Jenny deserved it.

  His steady, earnest gaze made her want to squirm. She didn’t want his pity. She couldn’t exactly name what she wanted from him right then, but it definitely wasn’t pity. Looking away, she hurried through the open door and waited while he helped an elderly volunteer wrestle a library cart onto the elevator.

  Jenny paused at the droning vending machine and Gabe reached into his pocket for change. Coins clinked and jingled down the slot.

  “What’s your pleasure?” Gabe asked.

  “Coffee with cream, please.”

  Gabe handed her the cup. “Careful. It’s hot.”

  “Aren’t you having any?” Jenny blew on her drink and took a tentative swallow.

  “Not if I want to sleep.”

  She focused on sipping her beverage as they walked through the ER waiting room. The last thing she needed was to spill hot coffee on herself. She searched for a neutral topic. “You seemed pretty comfortable with Michael. Do you have kids?”

  “Two. A boy and girl.”

  “Dr. Harrison?” The emergency room nurse hurried over.

  Gabe slowed and turned toward the approaching nurse, saying to Jenny, “I’ll only be a minute.”

  Jenny tuned out their medical conversation. He had kids. Her heart dropped. Was he married? She glanced at his bare left hand. Divorced? Widowed? Maybe he just didn’t wear a ring. Maybe she’d misread the signals and he wasn’t attracted to her at all.

  When he finished talking to the nurse, they walked out of the hospital in silence. She peeked at him, wondering what he was thinking. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. “So, you have kids...”

  His gray eyes twinkled. “And an ex-wife.” His amusement melted away. “I’m divorced.”

  Divorced. Her heart lightened and she bit her lip to keep from smiling. Jenny’d made her share of mistakes—more than her share, actually—but dating married men wasn’t one of them. She’d never been that dumb.

  Long divorced or rebound divorced? She peeked at Gabe as they left the hospital and walked into the brisk morning air. Kids? Huh. She liked kids. “How old are your children?”

  He put a hand to her back and urged her out of the way of a large blue Navigator cruising for a parking spot. “Alex is sixteen, and Ted’s eighteen.”

  Jenny sipped her coffee to hide her surprise and buy a little time. Sixteen and eighteen? They weren’t kids. She’d been expecting six and eight or eight and ten. Sixteen and eighteen were teenagers.

  She made a face at Gabe. “Teenagers. Not the most pleasant years I hear.” Hers had been a nightmare.

  “Not bad. They’re good kids.”

  She smiled up at him with a knowing glint in her eye. “And living with their mother most of the time.”

  He chuckled and inclined his head in concession.

  They walked through the huge asphalt parking lot, with her taking occasional sips of coffee and him slowing to her pace. Jenny thought about the earlier confrontation with her mother and his reaction.

  When they reached her old maroon Jeep, she faced him. “Dr. Harrison—”

  “Gabe.”

  “Okay, Gabe.” She paused. “I think we gave you the wrong impression back there.” She looked back toward the hospital. “My mom’s really not...” She sighed. “Mom was right to be pissed at me.”

  “What? You beat your brother up?”

  Jenny smiled, appreciating his attempt to lighten her mood. “I bought him the skateboard. Mom forbade him to get it, but I thought it’d be fine as long as he had a helmet and pads.”<
br />
  “What’d he run into?”

  “A parked car.” She stared at the distant maple trees lining the parking lot chain link fence. “I was experimenting with a new camera. Michael was showing off when he went flying into a parked car.”

  Gabe winced. “He’s not the first kid to get hurt on a skateboard. He’s probably learned his lesson.”

  “I learned mine.” She’d never forget the terror of seeing Michael lying in the street, broken.

  “It was an accident.”

  “It’s my fault he got hurt. If I hadn’t given him the skateboard—then had him posing for pictures—”

  “She should love you regardless.”

  “She does.” Jenny frowned, not wanting him to think her mother didn’t love her. “It’s just that when you screw up repeatedly, you have to earn love back.”

  “I disagree.” He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “There’s nothing my kids could do that would make me stop loving them.” He inclined his head in an acknowledging nod. “Sure, they could disappoint me or damage my trust. But not my love.”

  “That’s not how it works in our family.” Jenny crossed her arms, careful not to spill the remains of her coffee.

  Had she ever been loved that way, unconditionally? If she had, her memories were overshadowed by rough teenage years. Her adolescence had tried her parents’ patience and love, but to be fair, they’d gone above and beyond supporting her—until now. This had been Mom’s last straw.

  Gabe rested his hip on the side of her car and then watched her with a curious expression. Jenny eased back, a bit unnerved at their closeness. He might not dwarf her as some men did, but he had a powerful presence that made her a little uneasy.

  “So what do you do when you’re not corrupting your little brother?”

  She breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the change in topic. “I’m a journalist. I freelance.”

  “Interesting. Would I recognize anything you’ve done?”

  “Last month I did a piece on Joe Scarfili’s work in laparoscopic surgery. Do you know him?”

  “Sure. He’s talented.”

  “So I learned. That piece spawned a four part series on the inner city clinic he and his wife Gianna run.” Jenny checked her watch. “That reminds me, I’ve got to call her to set up tomorrow’s tour.”

  “Where’s the clinic?”

  “Detroit. On Connor off of Mack. Not the best side of town. It’s an interesting story, actually.” She smiled as she warmed to her topic. Jenny loved her job investigating other people’s lives, work, and interests, then sharing their stories with her readers. Through her interviews, Jenny had a unique opportunity to briefly enter another person’s world and understand what made them tick and what was important to them. It fascinated her, and she never tired of sharing her work.

  “Gianna’s mother died from multiple sclerosis. Her death affected the entire family. Gianna went to nursing school because of it and her father became a champion of the disabled and underprivileged. He started this clinic as a memorial to his wife, and Gianna kept it going after her father passed on.”

  “Do they only do immunizations and peds, or can they handle trauma?”

  “I’m not exactly sure. If you’re really interested, you could come to the clinic with me tomorrow and find out. I’m sure Gianna would love to meet you.” Gianna was always looking for volunteers—especially doctors.

  “What time?”

  “Late afternoon. I can let you know after I confirm.”

  He pulled his phone from his pocket, poked and swiped it a few times before looking up. “I’m swamped the next couple of days. How about joining me for dinner Saturday? You can tell me about it then.”

  “Dinner?” As in a date or an easy way to get more info about the clinic without having to worry about being pressured into volunteering?

  “Dinner. The main meal eaten in early evening.”

  Jenny hitched her purse higher onto her shoulder. No, it felt like a date. With her brother’s doctor. That probably would not help her situation with her mom... Then again Mom didn’t have to know. It was one evening, and it might not go anywhere. She peeked at the sexy guy in scrubs leaning against her car. They might realize they have nothing in common. But she’d sure like to find out.

  She frowned as if mentally checking her calendar, though she knew very well her weekend was wide open. “What time?”

  “I’ve got surgery, and I think I’m on call—I need to double check with my partner. Can I call you?”

  “Sure.” She fished a pen from her purse, turned her empty coffee cup sideways, and wrote her phone number on the outside with clear, precise strokes, then ripped a chunk out of the Styrofoam cup and handed it to him. She snatched her hand back to wipe a lingering brown coffee drip off the piece before offering it to him again.

  Gabe took the bit of plastic, lightly brushing his finger by hers, and dropped it in his breast pocket. He pushed off the car, leaving her just enough room to move by him. “Great. I’ll get back to you tonight.”

  Jenny retrieved her chunk of keys from her purse. “Well... Thanks for the coffee.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She unlocked her car door and opened it, conscious that he stood watching her. “Can I give you a ride to your car?”

  “No thanks. I’ll walk.”

  “Okay. Well...bye.”

  “Good bye, Jenny.”

  She got in the car, twisted the key in the ignition, and rolled down the window. “Have a good nap.”

  He nodded and tapped the top of the car twice, as if giving her the all-clear signal.

  Jenny drove off, watching Gabe grow smaller and smaller in her rear view mirror. Good thing the parking lot wasn’t crowded; it would have been embarrassing to run into a parked car while he was watching.

  On the drive home, she didn’t even try to curb her silly grin. He’d called her Jenny. She’d never thought of her name as anything special. Plain Jenny. Jenny Wren. But Gabe’s deep timber made her name sound like a sensual promise.

  She shivered and clutched the steering wheel. She’d met a great guy. He was confident, caring, and sexy as all get out.

  And she’d get to see him again Saturday.

  Chapter 3

  Six forty-five Saturday night, Gabe pulled up outside Jenny’s apartment, an old beige brick bungalow that had been converted into two apartments. He blew out a deep breath, wiped sweaty palms on his Dockers, and climbed out of the car.

  “What’re you doing here, Harrison?” he muttered. Slamming the door closed, Gabe looked at the house and drummed his fingers on the car roof. It’d been years since he’d had a real date, and Jenny was no Judith he could talk shop with. In fact, work and the kids were all that’d kept him and his ex-wife together. With Jenny, Gabe had neither.

  “Come on, man, it hasn’t been that long; how different could it be?” He crammed a restless hand in his pant pocket, rounded the car and walked up the steps. Maybe he should’ve called his son to subtly solicit a few pointers. He laughed at the absurdity.

  For cripes sake, Harrison. Get a grip. He reached out to ring the doorbell. What could Ted teach him he didn’t already know?

  Whether you’ll need a condom tonight or not.

  “Shit.” His hand abruptly fell away as the door whipped open.

  Bright-eyed and grinning broadly, Jenny pushed the screen door open and looked past him. “Hi. Who’re you talking to?”

  His tension drained away at the sight of her. Jenny was dressed in a gauzy top and flowery skirt that fell to just above her ankles, revealing shiny blue toenails and sandals. She’d twisted the sides of her hair into some complicated braid, then left the rest free. Damp ends of her hair curled slightly below her breasts, releasing a fresh lemon aroma that made him want to pull her close, close his eyes, and fill his lungs with the summery, sunshine scent of her.

  “I... Nobody. Just reviewing a few things I forgot to do before I left the hospital,” h
e improvised. “You look great.”

  A gentle smile brightened her face. “Thanks. Do you need to call somebody to give them instructions?”

  Would that he could. “Naw, it’s fine. Ready?”

  “Yup.” She lowered the dark sunglasses perched on the crown of her head, pulled the door closed behind her, and started down the walkway.

  Gabe trailed behind, watching her swaying skirt for a moment before tearing his glance away and swallowing hard. Oh, Harrison, are you in trouble.

  He helped her into the car, then rushed around and got in. As he pulled away from the curb, he saw Jenny looking around the interior of the car. He made a quick inspection—nope, no forgotten lab specimen jars sat in the cup holder to gross her out, and he’d thrown out all the clutter before leaving home.

  Jenny picked up his travel mug and studied the picture of him, Alex, and Ted taken outside the Hogwarts School gate. “You took the kids to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Oh my God. How was it?”

  “Impressive. We had a great time. You’re a Harry Potter fan?”

  “Who isn’t?” She put the mug back.

  He felt her gaze on him, but when he looked at her, she immediately found the dashboard fascinating. He made a left at the light, and out of the corner of his eye watched her checking out his car again.

  A slight frown wrinkled her brow—not in disgust but... What was she thinking? Was she having second thoughts? Was he overdressed in khakis and navy suit coat? He’d forgone the tie, but... He made a mental note to ditch the jacket as soon as possible.

  He turned down Lakeshore Drive and headed north. Jenny casually—too casually—glanced over her shoulder into the old Volvo’s backseat. What was she looking at?

  “What?” he finally asked.

  “What, what?” she feigned ignorance.

  He studied her for several long seconds before returning his attention to the light evening traffic. “What’s the matter?”

  Her mouth opened and then closed as if trying to frame her comment tactfully. “You drive a station wagon.”

  “What’s wrong with a station wagon?”

  “Nothing. I just expected...”

  So that was it. His station wagon didn’t mesh with his doctor image. Relief flooded him and he suppressed a grin. “A BMW? Audi? Mercedes?”