The fact that their middle child was a respected physician wasn’t enough when compared to the other two geniuses. While Phillip broke records in the courtroom and Ashley played for foreign dignitaries at Carnegie Hall, Monica had missed out on being named chief resident, and had taken too long to become an attending. If not for Nia there to keep her sane, Monica figured she would have long ago cracked under the strain of trying to live up to her family’s high expectations.
Thank goodness for her best friend. Monica and Nia had been joined at the hip for as long as she could remember. Both 34-years-old, theirs was a friendship that had spanned countless broken hearts, failed math tests, and Friday night sleepovers.
They had never lived more than a few minutes from each other. Both attended the same university and pledged the same sorority. The only time they’d differed was when it came time to choose a career. Monica had followed her dream of becoming a doctor, while Nia held fast to her pledge to take the business world by storm. But they had remained closer than blood siblings through it all.
And if Nia didn’t get her butt down here soon, Monica would renege on her promise to stay away from St. Louis for at least a year.
Stop that! She was not going back to St. Louis, and she refused to let a little bout of homesickness get the best of her.
With more determination than she’d felt in some time, Monica hopped up from the sofa and went into her bedroom. She changed into black spandex running pants and threw a T-shirt over her head to cover her sports bra. Twenty minutes later, she pulled into her parking slot at Methodist Memorial. Monica grabbed her gym bag from the back seat and headed for the employee’s fitness center—one of the perks that helped seal the deal when she decided to take the job.
She remembered the layout from the tour Dr. Slessinger had given her. She rounded the corner on her way to the butterfly press machine and had to crouch to the floor to avoid being pummeled by a red punching bag gone astray.
Monica righted herself and found Elijah Holmes trying his hardest to control the wayward equipment. She had to take a second to collect herself. He had the unnerving ability to knock every thought out of her head, and replace them with thoughts of him.
Eli was sin wrapped in dark chocolate. His body was scandalously put together, with muscles that rippled underneath his brown skin. He was tall and lean and gorgeous. His skin glistening with sweat, she had the most powerful urge to lick him dry.
Monica quickly recovered from her plunge into lust-filled insanity. She plunked her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Are you determined to kill me my first day on the job, Dr. Holmes?”
“I didn’t see you,” he puffed out through labored breaths.
“That seems to be your favorite excuse.”
“Honestly, I did not see you. You have this gift for popping up out of nowhere.”
Monica tried to end the conversation by moving past him, but he stopped her with a hand on her forearm. She looked down at the strong brown hand that held her then brought her eyes back to his face, sending him a look that had him letting go of her arm in an instant.
“Sorry,” Eli said. “I was just wondering why you’re even here. Weren’t you on your way out when I nearly ran you down this afternoon?” he asked with a grin.
Monica returned his smile with a saccharine one of her own. “So nice to know you find attempted vehicular homicide so amusing.”
“That was a joke.” He grabbed a towel from the rack against the wall and wiped his face. Monica took the opportunity to glance at his chest.
She had to get away. Fast. It had been way too long since she’d had a man, and she was scant seconds from tackling him. The gym floor may not be as comfortable as a bed, but at least it was padded. It would work.
“So, what are you doing back at the hospital?” he asked. “I assumed your shift was over.”
“I didn’t realize this facility was only for on-duty personnel.”
“It’s not. You know that’s not what I was getting at. Why are you giving me such a hard time?”
“You said it yourself; we didn’t get off on the right foot.”
“And I’m currently trying to correct that, but you won’t give me a chance.”
“Maybe I don’t want to.”
“Why not? What did I do to you?” She opened her mouth. “Besides the near miss with the car,” he continued. She gave him a pointed look. “And the punching bag.”
“Need I say more?” Monica asked.
“Come on, you know they were accidents.”
“That’s my point; I think you’re a hazard to my health, Dr. Holmes.”
“It’s a good thing I’m a doctor then.” He winked. He was entirely too sexy for his own good. And he was definitely too sexy for a woman who had vowed to stay man-free for at least a year.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get to my workout,” she said, trying to edge past him.
“That’s it? You’re not even going to give me a chance?”
Did his voice have to sound so sensuous? A girl could resist only up to a certain point.
“I think it’s best our acquaintance be regulated to a friendly wave in the hospital corridor.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up in a knowing grin, but he simply shrugged his shoulders and said, “It’s your call, Dr. Gardner. I’ll let you get back to your workout.”
Monica nodded her head in acknowledgement and walked past him on to the butterfly press. She had to fight the urge to bypass the exercise equipment all together and head straight for the locker room. She was suddenly in dire need of a cold shower.
Chapter Six
“Dr. Holmes?”
Eli stopped mid-step and turned. “Yes?” he bit out.
The nurse shoved a metal clipboard at him. “You forgot to sign off on Mrs. Donaldson’s chart,” she said, clearly offended by his tone.
“Thank you.” Eli accepted the proffered pen and scribbled his name. “I’m sorry for snapping, Stacey.”
“Don’t mention it,” she smiled, satisfied.
“If anyone needs me, I’ll be upstairs.”
Taking the stairs two at a time, Eli realized he was more messed up than he thought. Forgetting to sign off on a patient’s chart? Just a testament to the crap on his mind today.
Alicia was not taking the news that their fling was over as well as Eli had hoped she would. He’d been forced to sleep at Alex’s house last night after he spotted her car in his driveway again. Something had told him to cut her loose the minute she started getting all clingy. If she had not pulled out that can of whipped cream, Eli would have kicked her fine ass straight to the curb.
Alex had warned him that the player lifestyle would eventually catch up with him, but Eli would be damned if he admitted to his older brother that he’d been right.
By the time Eli arrived at the administrative offices on the sixth floor, he could hear a barrage of voices coming from the conference room. He didn’t feel like dealing with the charity board today. He peered through the door’s slim rectangular window. Most were seated around the oval cherry-wood conference table, but a few pockets of people mingled in different areas around the room.
The door creaked slightly as Eli pushed it open.
“Dr. Holmes.” Slessinger waved him in. “Good, now we can get started.”
Eli went for his usual seat at the conference table, but stopped short. His breath caught in his throat.
Monica Gardner.
There she was, sitting in his chair, like a Nubian queen upon her throne.
Every time he saw this woman—and it seemed to be turning into a regular occurrence—Eli reevaluated his long ago decision never to date doctors. It was a rule he’d held steadfast since the incident back in med school that had jeopardized his credibility and nearly ruined his career before it had a chance to start. Getting caught with his head under his professor’s skirt was not the smartest thing he’d ever done. But as Eli stared at Monica Gardner’s deep-set eyes and p
erfectly shaped lips, he found two good reasons to say to hell with his rule.
The tinkling of silverware hitting glass disrupted Eli’s train of thought. He rounded the table and took a seat next to Dr. Collins with Monica directly across from him.
“I’m sure all of you are anxious to get this meeting under way,” Slessinger said. “I promise it won’t be long. If I happen to run over at the mouth, everyone in this room has my permission to tell me to shut up.” His statement garnered the obligatory chuckles.
The chief of staff allowed the laughter to subside before speaking. “Before we get down to business, I would like to introduce Dr. Millgram’s replacement in the ER. Everyone, meet Dr. Monica Gardner.”
Polite applause fluttered around the table as Monica pushed her seat back and stood.
“Thank you,” she said.
That voice. Eli was tempted to close his eyes in order to hear it better. She had a voice as smooth as soft-brushed velvet, more suited to a nighttime radio deejay than an ER doc.
“I want to thank Dr. Slessigner for that warm introduction, and for hiring me in the first place.” Again, chuckles sounded around the table. “I also want to express how happy I am to join the staff here at Methodist Memorial. It is an honor to be part of such an outstanding group of professionals. I look forward to working with all of you,” she finished, taking her seat.
“We are all pleased to have you as part of our team, Dr. Gardner,” Slessinger said. “Although she asked me not to say so, I think it’s important to note that Dr. Gardner graduated in the top five percent of her class from Saint Louis University School of Medicine. The year she completed her internship, she was recruited more heavily than the Heisman Trophy winner.”
Slessinger paused for more laughs, then looked over at Monica.
“I cannot think of a better replacement for Dr. Millgram. Your exceptional talent will only add to this hospital’s impeccable reputation.”
She accepted his praise with a nod of her lovely head before Slessinger continued, though Eli thought he saw a flash of uncertainty in her eyes. That was interesting.
Slessinger guided the board through the agenda. At the last bulleted item he said, “As I stated before, Dr. Millgram was very active on the board, and we all know his favorite activity was heading the annual charity banquet. Now that he’s no longer with us, I’ll need another dedicated board member to step up to the plate.”
The room became so quiet you could hear a grasshopper break wind. Just when Eli thought crickets were about to start chirping, a smooth, confident, “I’ll do it,” came from across the table.
Monica Gardner sat even straighter in her chair, a swirl of determination encompassing the air around her.
“Wonderful!” Slessinger looked excited enough to do cartwheels. “I trust those of you who have played an active role in the banquet will provide your services once again.”
Eli’s heart gave an extra thump. He’d been Millgram’s co-chair for the past three years. He didn’t know whether to get down on his knees and say a prayer of thanks, or run out of the room and look for another job. Getting the chance to work this closely with Monica Gardner could be either a blessing or a curse.
“Monica, could you stay a few minutes over to flesh out a few of the preliminary details?” Slessinger turned to address the others at the table. “That pretty much covers it, folks. I’m sure all of you have duties you should be getting back to. Thanks for coming, and gang, let’s start thinking of ways to make this year’s charity efforts a hole in one.”
A racket ensued as the majority of the room’s occupants pushed their chairs back and nosily rose from the table. On their way out, many of them made their way to Methodist Memorial’s new emergency room doctor. Eli sat back and observed as Dr. Gardner greeted them all with a warm smile.
He waited for the line of well wishers to dissipate before he rose from his seat and made his way to where she stood at the large windows that ran the span of the left wall. Although he knew she could see his reflection in the window, she didn’t acknowledge him. Eli smiled, tapping her on the shoulder.
She turned.
The woman had the most beautiful eyes. Deep brown rimmed in a lighter hazel color.
Eli extended his hand. “Although we’ve run into each other a few times already, I don’t think we’ve ever been officially introduced.” She clasped his hand in a firm shake. Goodness, her palm was softer than silk.
“Actually, Dr. Holmes, you’re the one who has nearly run into me several times. And, one of the ER nurses did introduce us.”
He acknowledged her barb with a smile. “You can call me Elijah, or Eli.”
She nodded, but Eli noted she didn’t give him permission to call her Monica. He sensed she was about to walk away, but he was determined to keep the conversation afloat.
“So, how do you like Methodist Memorial so far?” he asked as he leaned against the window.
“I’ve been very pleased, for the most part. There have been a few situations that leave much to be desired.” The look on her face left no doubt as to what she was referring.
He was sinking. Fast.
“I do apologize about the near accident in the parking lot.”
“Both of them?”
Eli bit his tongue, took a breath. “Yes, even the one I don’t remember.”
“I remember it.”
“I’m sure you—”
She held up her hand, sufficiently halting his rebuttal. “Before you go any further, Dr. Holmes, I should let you know I’ve heard about you.”
That tone didn’t sound good at all. Eli decided to play dumb.
“Really? After only a few days?” he asked. He hit her with a full megawatt smile.
“Yes, your reputation precedes you, both the professional and the personal one.”
His smile dimmed a few watts.
“I can only hope you’ve heard good things.” Eli tried to keep the caution out of his voice. He knew there was nothing untoward that could be said about his work as an OB. He couldn’t be all that sure about the personal side.
“Excuse me, Monica” Dr. Slessingler called, capturing their attention. “Apparently, this conference room is booked for another meeting. If you could meet me in my office in twenty minutes, that’d be great.”
Monica turned her attention back to Eli, sending him a half-hearted smile. “Sorry, but I have to go.”
Elijah caught her by the forearm. “Hold up. You can’t just leave me hanging like that. So, have you heard good things, or do I need to seek some people out for sullying my name?”
She shook free of his hold and took a step back, folding her arms over her chest. There was a playful gleam in her eyes as she looked him up and down. “I hear you’re an exceptional doctor who has a knack for delivering babies in the most unusual places.”
“I’ve had a couple of adventurous births, but they turned out okay,” he said with a modest shrug.
“Yes, well, I also spoke with Dr. Johnson in Cardiology, and he says with the trail of broken hearts you leave behind, they get more business from you than from the nursing home down the street.”
Ouch.
Eli leaned in close. “This may come as a shock, but there’s something you should know.” In a conspiring whisper, he said, “Dr. Johnson drinks. Heavily. You can’t trust a thing that man says.”
“Is that right?” Her mouth tipped up in a smile. It was about the sexiest thing Eli had seen in all his life.
“Very sad, but true,” he answered with feigned sorrow.
“Well, since I know neither of you all that well, I can’t be sure whom to believe.”
“Between an upstanding obstetrician and a drunk like Johnson?”
“Stop that,” she said with a teasing smile. She looked as if she were about to comment further, then something changed. Her silky brown eyes became lackluster. She checked her watch and said, “I want to look in on a patient we sent up to the OR before I go to Dr. Slessinger’s offic
e.”
Before Eli knew what had happened, she was gone.
Monica apologized as she backed out of the wrong office and shut the door behind her. It was the second time she’d made that mistake.
It’s not that she didn’t know her way to the chief of staff’s office—it was the one place most familiar to her other than the ER. It’s just that she had a hard time concentrating. After her encounter with Eli Holmes, her brain seemed to have taken the afternoon off.
Face it, the brain’s completely fried.
Monica hated that he had that affect on her. Her senses became more scrambled every time she got near him, which had occurred way too often these past few days.
It had taken her a while to remember where she had seen him before, but when he’d smiled at her back in the conference room Monica had realized he was the good looking guy from the elevator the day she’d come for her interview. He’d been dressed casually that day, slacks and a light-colored shirt. She remembered the way he’d smelled, like expensive cologne. She could recall with amazing alacrity the electrified tingle that shot through her blood when she was forced to lean her body flushed against his in the close confines of the crowded elevator. She had been fully aware of him that day. And the awareness was back with a vengeance.
Monica had hoped he was just visiting someone when she’d seen him in the elevator—preferably his wife and newborn baby. She knew from experience those men held no appeal whatsoever.
But, Dr. Holmes didn’t have a wife or a child—as far as any of the nurses in the ER knew.
His heroics from the week before, when he’d found a pregnant teen and delivered her baby in a car, was still all the buzz around the hospital. Talk of his drop dead gorgeous looks and incredibly fit body soon followed any conversation where his name happened to surface. In the few days she’d worked the ER, Monica had heard that name at least a half dozen times.
Now that she’d gotten a dose of Elijah Holmes, Monica completely understood the hype around him. As her sixteen-year-old sister, Ashley, would say, the good doctor was all that and a bag of chips.
Deliver Me Page 5
