Alex sent Eli the raised eyebrow look. “An herbalist? Really? That sounds interesting.”
“Oh, it is. I think it is horrible the way doctors virtually rape the public of their money.”
Alex’s interrupting cough sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “I couldn’t agree more,” his brother said.
“Oh, yes,” Tosha continued. “Healthcare cost is ridiculous these days. And most of the treatments doctors prescribe are totally unnecessary. It’s a shame, really.”
“You do remember that I am a doctor, don’t you, Tosha?”
“I know,” she said with a bright smile, as if she hadn’t just insulted his profession.
“How’s everything going in here?” Margo came in the room with a smile as wide as the Mississippi River. Eli sent her a look over Tosha’s head. “Isn’t this a wonderful surprise, Elijah? I ran into Sylvia Culpepper last week and when she told me Tosha would be in New Orleans, I knew I had to invite her over. It’s been years since the two of you have seen each other.”
“It has been too long, Eli,” Tosha proclaimed, running her hand up his arm.
His mother raised her hand and pointed to her wedding finger. She mouthed “no ring” and gave Eli a thumbs-up.
Oh, hell no. He was not getting caught up in this.
“Eli, did Tosha mention that she’s looking for property down here so that she can open a second medicine shop?”
“Really?” His stomach took a nosedive. “I thought you just relocated to Atlanta? You’re thinking of moving again?”
“My partner is going to handle the Atlanta store.”
Her partner. Please let her be gay.
“Deshawn and her husband have been practicing herbal medicine for nearly five years.”
That would have been too easy, wouldn’t it? He had some serious karma issues. Eli realized he’d have to get his behind back in church if his luck was going to change.
“Won’t that be wonderful, Elijah, to have Tosha back in New Orleans?”
“Oh, yeah. That’d be great.” Eli sent Alex a pleading look. Do something, fool! Where was Jazzy? Why wasn’t she clamoring for everyone to watch that recital video?
Jasmine appeared in the doorway like a gift sent down from heaven. “Grandma, is the food ready yet?” she asked, hand on hip.
“Oh, yes.” Margo said, swatting the air with a towel. “I don’t know where my mind’s going. That’s what I came in here to tell you guys. Gumbo’s ready. Let’s eat.” Maybe his luck wasn’t so bad, after all.
After another half hour of listening to the wonders of herbal remedies, Eli was sure his head would explode. Matchmaking Margo was going to get an earful the next time Eli caught her alone. He should have known she was up to something. The signs were all there. How many times in the last few months had she tried to hook him up with some sweet girl she’d met in church, or at her Ladies Club meeting, or at the grocery store, for that matter.
It was the exact thing she’d done to Alex, and look how that had turned out! His brother had married the most selfish, self-centered woman on the planet. He was not letting his mother pressure him into doing anything he didn’t want to do.
“So, Eli, will you try some?” Tosha had directed her question to him, but Eli had no earthly idea what she was talking about. He’d tuned her out halfway through his second bowl of gumbo.
“Excuse me?” he asked.
“My products. Will you try them on a few of your patients? The sassafras and ginger works wonders at aiding in dilation.”
He gave a strained smile. “The hospital frowns on us prescribing anything not approved by the FDA.”
“Hypocritical bastards,” Tosha snapped.
Everyone at the table stopped and stared. Alex’s spoon halted in mid-air. Jasmine’s eyes were wide as saucers.
“Oh, excuse me,” Tosha sputtered.
“That’s okay, honey,” Margo laughed. “I understand where you’re coming from.”
She knew where Tosha was coming from? Since when?
Probably since she’d decided Tosha’s return to New Orleans was her best shot at getting a daughter-in-law. He had to put a stop to this. If Mama had her way, she’d be ordering wedding invitations by next week.
“I hate to cut out early, but I’ve got a ton of work to do,” Eli said. “I just found out the state plans to close the Parenting Center.”
“After all the work you’ve put into that center,” his mother screeched.
“Budget cuts?” Alex asked.
Eli nodded. “They claim if we can find funding for the rest of the year they’ll be able to pay for next year, but that’s a pipe dream. I’m going to start working on finding affordable alternatives for some of my patients. I’ll probably do pro bono for most of them. They just can’t afford good healthcare.”
“I’ve got a number of things they can try,” Tosha interjected. “Ginger root is a natural anesthetic—”
“I need to get going, Ma.” Eli rose from the table. He couldn’t stomach another litany from the Tosha Culpepper School of Herbal Healthcare.
“You will be here Sunday, right, Eli?” Tosha asked before he could make a clean exit.
“Barring any emergencies at the thieving money pit that employs me,” he answered.
Alex half coughed, half laughed. “Hold on, E. I’ll walk you out.”
Eli rounded the table and placed a kiss on his mother’s cheek, but not before giving her a look that said he knew exactly what she was doing and he didn’t appreciate it.
“Have a good week, baby,” she said, not the slightest hint of contriteness on her face.
He gave Tosha a kiss on the cheek, since that was, after all, how old boyfriends treated their high school sweethearts.
“Good night, y’all.” He pulled Jasmine’s ponytail, “Later, Sunflower.”
“My name is Jasmine, Uncle Eli,” his niece answered in her most agitated voice. Eli winked at her, then headed out the back door after Alex. His brother couldn’t make it off of the porch before doubling over with laughter.
“Shut up,” Eli said.
“Oh, man. I swear, when I walked in the house and saw her sitting in the living room with Mama, I could barely hold it in.”
“You couldn’t pick up a phone and warn a brother?”
“And miss the look on your face when she ran up to you?” he laughed, looking at Eli as if he’d lost his mind. “She was a little nutty back when y’all were together in high school, but all the herbal medicine junk is too far out there.”
“Alex, what am I going to do? If Tosha moves back to New Orleans there’ll be no stopping Mama.”
“That’s no lie. She’s been trying to get you married for a long time now. And you know she always liked Tosha.”
“Because she magically sees past the insanity.”
“Mama’s looking for another daughter-in-law and more grandchildren.”
“Why in the hell is she not on you to get married? Or Toby? I’m not the only son.”
“Hey.” Alex held up his hands. “I already did my part.”
“There’s no law against a widower getting remarried.”
“Not gonna happen, brother. And Toby’s her baby. What mother wants to lose her baby?”
“This middle child bullshit never ends, does it?”
Alex fell out laughing again. “I guess not. Look man, unless you can produce a girlfriend soon, I suggest you start reading up on herbal medicines. Something tells me your future wife won’t stop until she has you prescribing them to your patients.”
Eli shook his head. “No way. This is one time Mama is not getting her way.”
Alex just laughed harder.
“I’m serious,” Eli said.
“Whatever you say, E. But if I were a gambling man, I wouldn’t even waste my money on the bet. I’d just use it as a down payment for a tux instead.”
“I’m outta here,” Eli said.
“Hey,” his brother called out. “We’re still on for ball
Saturday morning?”
“Seven A.M.” Eli called back. “Don’t be late.”
Chapter Nine
“Be careful, Dr. Gardner,” Patty warned in a hushed tone.
“Don’t worry. I know a trick.” Monica held her breath as she repositioned the two-year-old’s head in order to get a better angle with the tracheal tube. “Give me some suction.”
Patty quickly swiped the long plastic tube in the little girl’s mouth then stepped out of the way, giving Monica the extra room she needed for the tricky procedure. Monica felt her way around the toddler’s swollen glands, and when she discovered the tiny opening she had anticipated, slipped the tube in and pulled back on the handle.
“It’s in. Bag her and get to the OR. Doctor Blake and his crew are waiting.”
“Great job,” Patty stripped the bed and efficiently draped fresh paper over it.
“Those saves are particularly sweet, aren’t they,” Monica smiled. She balled up the hospital gown and stuffed it in the disposal bin. She took a satisfying breath as she surveyed the room.
“That little girl has you to thank. If you hadn’t found a way to get the trache in, she would be dead. It takes skill to get a tube down such a small throat, especially one as swollen as hers.”
“I did a double rotation at the children’s hospital back in St. Louis. I like working with kids.” She had also needed as much practice as possible after nearly killing a young boy. A familiar weight settled in Monica’s stomach as she thought back to that day, how she’d struggled to get the tube down his throat. She quickly pushed those memories aside.
“Just wait until you have a few kids of your own,” Patty smiled. “You’ll sing a different tune.”
An incoming emergency stopped their conversation short. Before she knew it, Monica had seen eight patients and three hours had passed. She left word with Patty that she was going to lunch, but when she came across the bank of elevators, Monica decided to face her most dreaded ordeal of the day. Why put it off?
After their last confrontation, she did not want to see Eli today. Monica got off on the fourth floor and, when approached by one of the floor nurses, asked where she could find Dr. Holmes.
She was informed that “Super Doc” had just delivered a set of twins and would probably be in his office in a few minutes.
Monica walked over to Eli’s office and tried the door. When she found it unlocked, she pushed it open and entered the office. She was duly impressed with the massive space and rich décor. For one so young, Elijah Holmes had certainly made a name for himself in his profession and it showed in the perks that were lavished upon him. No doubt Methodist Memorial knew he could be scooped up by a number of hospitals if given the incentive to leave.
Monica felt a twinge of guilt at looking around his office while he wasn’t here, but curiosity got the best of her.
The man could not be over thirty-five, yet he was already a legend, both in the delivery room and—if what she had heard while sitting around the nurses’ station had any truth to it—in the bedroom, as well.
She did not want to think about Eli in the bedroom. The image was too tantalizing, especially for a woman in the middle of a yearlong drought.
One of the most interesting things to run past her ears today was the news that Eli did not date doctors. Hearing it had come as such a shock Monica had immediately asked the ER nurse to repeat what she had said. She didn’t think about how it would look to everyone that she had been eavesdropping, but she couldn’t help it.
A man with his reputation went out with anything in a skirt, right? But not Dr. Holmes. He apparently had no qualms with dating nurses, paramedics, or even the female hospital administration workers, but he drew an imaginary line when it came to doctors. Monica couldn’t help but wonder why.
The door opened and she jumped back from the framed picture of a pretty little girl with two missing front teeth on top of a mahogany filing cabinet.
“Dr. Gardner? Can I help you?”
For a moment Monica was taken aback by just how good he looked in scrubs. Wasn’t it a rule all doctors look goofy when they don lime green hospital wear? Somebody forgot to tell Eli.
“Monica?”
“I’m sorry,” she shook her head and tried to summon a bit of her common sense. Monica vowed to kick herself as soon as she left his office. “One of the nurses told me I could wait in here while you finished with your delivery.”
“Making yourself at home?” he nudged his head toward the pictures she’d been examining.
“Oh, no, I was just looking. Is she...is she yours?” She hoped he didn’t notice her stutter.
“She’s my niece. Jasmine.”
“Oh. So, you don’t have any children of your own?”
“No, no children. Do you?” he asked.
Her head jerked back. “Of course not. I’m not married.”
“Actually, that’s not a requirement,” he said with a grin. There was something about when he smiled that sent her brain’s pleasure neurons into overdrive. “It’s not as if you could keep something that big a secret around here anyway,” Eli said. “Remember the rumor mill?”
“Well, if it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to keep my personal life as far away from the rumor mill as possible.”
“Wouldn’t we all,” he said, still smiling.
She needed to get this discussion over with and get out of this office. The more space between herself and this man, the better. It was bad enough they would have to work together on the banquet. She would need all of her powers of resistance for the upcoming weeks.
Monica took a deep breath. “We need to talk,” she stated, proud that her voice didn’t shake.
He gestured to a chair, and she took a seat. He perched on the edge of the rich desktop and crossed his foot at the ankles.
“So, you still think the center can be saved?”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Monica replied. He started to speak, but she stopped him. “I know in the past the banquet hasn’t been much of a money maker, but this year will be different. There’s too much riding on it.”
He held his hands up. “Dr. Gardner, I doubt there is another person at this hospital who wants to save the Parenting Center more than I do, but the state has backed us up against a wall.”
“Would you just hear me out?” God, but he was stubborn. One way or another, she was going to get this man to listen. “In the past, people paid a certain amount for a ticket to attend the banquet, right?”
“Twenty-five dollars per couple, fifteen for singles.” Eli pushed himself off the desk and walked around it, settling into his chair.
“Was that the sole source of revenue?” she asked.
“Some of the local businesses act as sponsors. We’ve done raffles a few times, and there’s a cash bar at the banquet.”
Just as she suspected, no real moneymakers.
“Well, this year, I proposed we do things a little differently.” Monica stalled, not sure what his reaction to her next words would be.
Eli raised his eyebrows. “Care to elaborate?”
“I was thinking... Well, I thought we could put on a bachelors’ auction.” There, she said it.
Eli’s brow etched higher. “Excuse me?”
“A bachelors auction. You know, women can bid for dates with single men. Single doctors to be exact. This is a hospital benefit, after all.”
“And where do you suppose we find these single doctors?”
Did he really expect an answer, especially when it was so obvious? Monica answered anyway. “I figured we’ve got more than enough single doctors on staff and we don’t have to peddle one dollar raffle tickets to our friends and family or waste valuable time soliciting donations from surrounding businesses, which are having a hard enough time these days as it is.”
“You’ll solicit human beings instead,” Elijah stated.
“We’ll seek volunteers,” she clarified. “My best friend Nia has a brother who’s a firefighter.
His squadron held an auction with some of the firefighters from their company, and they raised an obscene amount of money. Granted they are firemen, but I know the doctors here can do just as well, if not better.”
“And exactly how will you convince the single doctors of Methodist Memorial to take part in this auction?”
“Well...that’s where you come in.”
He stared at her. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” he asked after some time had lapsed.
“I am very serious.”
“What makes you think the single docs will agree to something like this?”
“Because everyone at the hospital knows how important the Parenting Center is to this community. I have no doubt the doctors here will be willing to do all they can to keep the center open.”
“I have an aversion to being paraded around like cattle.”
“You don’t have to,” she said, frustrated. “Just get the rest of them to participate.”
Eli picked up a ballpoint pen and tapped it against his well-shaped lips. He gazed at her with shrewd, piercing eyes.
“What is this really about, Dr. Gardner?” Eli tossed the pen back onto the desk and sat up in his chair, folding his hands in front of him. “Why are you so determined to make something of the banquet? You just moved here. You have nothing invested in the Parenting Center.”
“Someone needs to rally around it. If it were up to you, whom I believe has the most stake in it, the state could just as well close the doors right now.”
“Because it’s inevitable.”
“You want to know what Nia’s brother’s squadron made on their auction?”
“It wouldn’t be—”
“Forty-two thousand dollars,” Monica said. That shut him up. But not for long.
“The women in this neighborhood can barely afford to put shoes on their children’s feet. They’re renovating their houses and trying to replace their flooded out cars,” Eli rationalized. “Do you really think they’ll be willing to shuck out thousands to pay for a date with a doctor?”
“Why are you so against this?” Monica asked, holding her hands out in exasperation.
“I’m not. I told you, I want nothing more than to keep the center open, but I’ve got to be realistic. I have patients to consider; young women who think they are going to have decent healthcare throughout their pregnancy. I’m more concerned with finding them a suitable alternative than crossing my fingers and hoping we can raise more money than we’ve ever been able to raise before. I’m sorry, Dr. Gardner, but I don’t think you can pull this off.”
Deliver Me Page 8
