by Ruby Cruz
“He seemed rather persistent with you. This would have been your second dance with him.”
Taken somewhat by surprise by the knowledge that Darcy had noticed whom I’d been dancing with, I just replied, “Like I said, I can handle him.”
“Why are you avoiding him?”
“Why do you care?”
He regarded me with those enigmatic eyes. “I suppose I’m just curious. Colin Richardson is, while enthusiastic and vaguely annoying, fairly harmless. I’m curious as to why you would shut him down so insistently.”
“Like you said, he’s vaguely annoying and I don’t like leading people on. Unfortunately, Colin is the type of guy who doesn’t like to take no for an answer.” When his brows knitted concernedly, I added, “What I mean is that he’s like an overeager puppy and no matter what I do to politely avoid his attention, he somehow finds some way to insinuate himself into my life.”
“It sounds like you’ve known him for quite some time.”
“His mom is friends with my mom.” I was too embarrassed to admit that I dated him briefly in high school. “Anyway, what about yourself? Are you here with Caroline?”
He appeared surprised by my question. “Caroline?”
“Aren’t you and she…?”
For the first time since I’d known him, Darcy appeared completely flustered. “No. Absolutely not. Although she is Charles’s sister and I am on friendly terms with her, she and I aren’t…we’re not together. We never were. Why did you think we were? Did she intimate that we were…intimate?”
“No, nothing like that. Just a feeling, I guess.” I was distinctly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had turned. “Look, just forget I said anything. I have a bad habit of speaking before thinking, which I’m sure you’ve already noticed.”
“I have to admit that attribute of yours has not escaped me.” The corner of his mouth twitched upward and I had the distinct feeling he was laughing inwardly.
I could feel the heat rise again to my cheeks but fought the urge to let him bait me. “Then it seems we have something in common after all.” He raised an eyebrow at me. Damn it. When will I learn to shut up? I sighed inwardly. Ah, well. In for a penny…. “You have to admit that you have a…unique way of expressing yourself in times of stress.”
“I have very little tolerance for incompetence, or do you forget that we are dealing with people’s lives in our profession?”
“Of course not, but you have to remember that we - nurses, that is - are human as well. I’m not saying that errors should be the norm but perfection is not in human nature.”
“Perhaps not, but shouldn’t we all strive for perfection when other people’s lives are at stake?”
“I don’t doubt that our professions require a certain standard with regards to clinical skills, but professionalism goes beyond clinical competence in my opinion.”
“I’m nothing if professional with my dealings with patients.”
“I’m sure in every interaction you’ve had with a patient you were the epitome of professionalism.” I allowed just enough of a hint of sarcasm to have him bristling with indignation.
He stopped dancing and stared at me. “What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything. I’m saying that caring for patients takes more than sound clinical judgment and technical skill. For example, a level of teamwork should exist among all healthcare professionals providing care for the patient, wouldn’t you say?”
He didn’t respond to my poorly veiled criticism of him and changed the subject. “I noticed you managed to meet an acquaintance of mine recently.”
He must mean George. Where is he going with this? “Yes, I did meet someone who claimed to have known you. We shared an enjoyable evening recently.”
His only acknowledgement of my comment was a slight tightening of his jaw. “I suppose George Wickham’s pleasant attitude makes it easy for him to make friends. Whether he is capable of maintaining those relationships is the question.”
“Yes, he mentioned he’s had the misfortune of losing your friendship, something he’ll sadly miss, I’m sure.” I felt a modicum of relief that one of possible reasons George hadn’t shown up was because he’d gotten wind that Darcy would be here.
Before Darcy could retort, our dance was interrupted by my mother. “Lizzy, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you. Isn’t this a delightful function? Jane and Charles look so wonderful together, don’t they? Perhaps this gala can be seen as a prelude of things to come, if you know what I mean. Oh, Jane is beautiful, I can’t doubt that, but I never thought such a handsome doctor would be willing to take her on, child and all. Can you imagine, a wedding at the Netherfield mansion?! Oh, it will be spectacular!”
Darcy and I had stopped dancing to stare at my mother. Blood rushed to my face as mortification filled me. Mom paused long enough in her raptures to notice that I was not alone. “And who is this handsome young man? Lizzy, you never mentioned you were with someone! What about Colin?”
If I had to choose between reliving that moment and living through an alien apocalypse, I would’ve chosen the aliens. “Mom, this is one of Charlie’s friends, Dr. William Darcy. He’s a cardiologist at the hospital. Dr. Darcy, my mother, Emma Bennett.”
“Oh, Dr. Darcy, Lizzy never mentioned having made your acquaintance.” Mom chided me with a not-so-subtle nudge to my side. “I’m so very pleased to meet you.”
Darcy was terse in his greeting and I saw his eyes wander to where Charlie was dancing with Jane. Mom’s verbal diarrhea continued unabated. “I wondered why you were so resistant to start a relationship with Colin, especially given the history you two have together, but now…” She mimed locking her lips together. “I’ll say no more on the subject. I’ll just let you two enjoy your dance.” She floated her way back to her table, probably to report to Mrs. Richardson that her son was going to be disappointed.
I forced a smile. “I’m so sorry. My mother can get…carried away. I never implied to her that you and I were…anyway, I’m sorry if she made assumptions.”
His expression remained serious as his eyes searched mine. When the song ended, he released me, softly thanked me for the dance, and walked away into the crowd.
There was no end to the teasing from my co-workers as I’d garnered the attention of both Colin and the formidable Dr. Darcy in one evening. Lydia had drunk deeply of all alcoholic concoctions sent her way and I noticed her disappear from the ballroom with Dr. Forster in tow.
Mary interrupted the dancing in order to give a stilted speech thanking Charles Bingley and Bingley Pharmaceuticals for sponsoring the event and announcing that over twenty thousand dollars had been raised for nursing education at Meryton Medical Center. As I clapped along with everyone else, I couldn’t help but notice that Darcy had joined Charlie at his table and that Caroline, who had dressed quite provocatively in a floor-length sheath with thigh high slit, was trying to gain Darcy’s attention by leaning on him and whispering in his ear. Disgusted by the display, I excused myself from my tablemates and headed towards the bathroom.
I made my way out of the ballroom and followed the discreetly printed signs to the restroom. During my previous visit to Netherfield, I’d never ventured to this section of the house and was slightly tempted to explore. Remembering that this was still Charlie’s home, I dutifully followed the signs to a pair of guest baths situated not far from the ballroom. After refreshing my makeup, instead of returning directly to the ballroom, I spied a door to the veranda and took it. The warmth of the day had cooled to a pleasant evening and from the outside I could observe the ballroom. The sounds were muted but the gala was an obvious success, with most people appearing to enjoy themselves.
“Ah, Lizzy, I believe we were of the same mind.” Argh. Did Colin actually follow me out here? “Some fresh air does seem to be in order after the stuffiness of the ballroom. I have had the fortune of accompanying my P.I. Dr. Catherine DeBou
rgh on an occasion such as this, and she recommended a few minutes of fresh air always succeeds in refreshing oneself during a party.” Colin stood uncomfortably close to me and I could smell the liquor on his breath.
Alarm bells rang in my head and I announced, “Yes, well, I think I’ve inhaled my share of fresh air for the evening. I’m going to head back inside.”
“Why so soon?” Without waiting for me to answer, he said, “If I’d realized that Dr. William Darcy was a rival, I might have been more forthcoming with my feelings.”
Oh no. “Believe me, Dr. Darcy and I aren’t together.” Boy, was that the truth. “If my mother said anything, she’s probably exaggerated the situation. Dr. Darcy and I are co-workers, nothing more.”
Relief spread over his face. “Ah, well, that’s welcome news, because I find myself wanting to….” He stepped even more closely to me, and I attempted to flee to the door. Damn these heels, I thought as I stumbled and he caught my arm. “Lizzy, I know this must seem sudden, but as I’m returning to New York, I need to know something.”
Before I could answer, he grabbed me close and pressed his mouth to mine. I ground my lips shut as he tried to snake his tongue between them. I pushed him away and, thankfully, he was unsteady enough that he staggered and did not attempt to reach for me again. He appeared mortified by his behavior and he was lucky I didn’t knee him in the balls.
“Let me make one thing clear, Colin,” I bit out through clenched teeth. “I don’t want to be with you. I’ve tried to be nice about it but you’ve left me no choice. Just because I’m not with anybody doesn’t give you the right to paw at me like some type of half-drunk animal.”
“Lizzy, I…”
“No, I don’t want to hear it. We’re done here. Leave me alone.”
After my encounter with Colin, I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I’d been so stupid to lead him on and to not have shut him down sooner. I couldn’t believe that he’d had the audacity to try to kiss me, at a function attended by my co-workers no less. I just hoped that nobody had seen the display; otherwise I was quitting my job and moving to where no one knew me. Honolulu sounded nice. They had hospitals in Hawaii.
When no one harassed me further about the undue attention Colin had granted me, I inwardly relaxed but also didn’t want to spend any more time at the gala. When Lydia finally emerged from wherever she’d been with Dr. Forster, she was doing the walk of shame: hair disheveled, dress wrinkled, and makeup ruined. Dr. Forster had offered to take her home, so would I mind if she ditched me to go with him? I told her that was just fine.
I found Jane. Her smile was strained as we spoke briefly. I suspected that playing date to one of Meryton Medical Center’s benefactors had taken its toll on her. She was so shy that she hated making conversation with people she didn’t know and, aside from Charlie and the Barracuda, she’d spent most of the evening conversing with strangers.
I said a brief good-bye to my mother who seemed somewhat confused that I didn’t have Darcy following me out the door. Chloe was fast asleep when I picked her up from Kate’s. When Kate asked me if I had a good time, I fixed a smile on my face and answered, “Of course, I did.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Code Blue
I told no one except Luke what had happened at the gala. When I met him for coffee the next day at The Hot Spot, he drilled a finger into my chest and boasted, “I told you so. Didn’t I tell you so? When are you going to learn that I’m always right?”
“I may someday learn but I’ll never admit it,” I told him teasingly.
“I didn’t know Colin had it in him. The animal,” Luke said almost proudly as he sipped his latte.
“It was disgusting, like a slug trying to pry its way into my mouth.” I made a face. “That’s one memory I’ll never be able to wipe from my mind. I’m surprised I didn’t have nightmares about it last night. Anyway, he keeps trying to call me, probably to apologize.”
“Have you taken any of his calls?”
“Of course not. I don’t have anything to say to him that I haven’t already said. I think it’s best to just do a clean break and not associate with him anymore.”
“And what about Darcy?”
“What about him?” I sipped my iced latte.
“You said that Darcy was the one who saved you from dancing with Colin again. How was dancing with your nemesis?”
“Despite the fact that we made barely civil conversation with each other the entire time, it wasn’t so bad, until my mother walked by and assumed he and I were…you know.”
Luke grimaced. “You poor thing. How did Darcy take meeting your mother?”
“Surprisingly well. Not a rude comment to be heard, at least not in her presence. He didn’t look pleased to see that Mom was already planning Jane and Charlie’s wedding, to be held at the Netherfield mansion, of course.”
“Of course.”
“Darcy also brought up George. There’s no love lost between them - that much was obvious - so it’s no wonder George decided not to come.”
“I don’t know, Lizzy. Seems to me if he had any type of backbone and really wanted to spend time with you, he’d have shown up, Darcy or no.”
“It was a function full of our co-workers. He probably just didn’t want to cause a scene. Whose side are you on, anyway?”
He rolled his eyes at me. “Lizzy, I’m on your side, you know that. I’m just saying that if George really wanted to be there, he would have been there.”
I ignored his comment. “Anyway, aside from the theatrics of my life, you didn’t really miss all that much.”
“Just fabulous food, drink, and dancing in lavish surroundings.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be able to go next year.”
His smile dimmed at my comment but I dismissed his disappointment.
~
At work the next day, the entire unit was abuzz with talk about the gala, about Lydia hooking up with Dr. Forster, about our manager getting so drunk she passed out in the ladies’ room, and about Dr. Darcy and my “shadow” both asking me to dance. I endured a bit more teasing from the girls until Dr. Darcy arrived on the unit, at which point the teasing stopped. Not surprisingly, Darcy’s only acknowledgement of me was a curt nod of his head as he gathered patient charts to review.
I almost thought my life had returned to some semblance of normalcy when I sensed a presence behind me. “Colin?” My mind took a few moments to register the man who was hovering at my shoulder. “What are you doing here?” I glanced at the patient in the bed behind me. Mrs. Clancy, who had just been admitted for chest pain, had an avid look of interest on her face.
“Miss Bennett…Lizzy…I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for a few days now. It’s imperative that we speak.”
“Colin, I’m working. Can’t this wait?” I hissed.
“Unfortunately, Lizzy, it can’t. The announcement is being formally made tomorrow and I thought, well, as you have been avoiding my phone calls, and the news is quite urgent, I thought this was the next best action.”
“What, disturbing me in my place of work while I’m taking care of patients? I’m sorry but I don’t see anything that’s appropriate about this.” I logged out of the workstation and stepped out of the room with Colin dogging me. Because I didn’t really want to be seen talking with him, I ducked into the dirty utility room where he followed me.
“Lizzy, wait, please hear me out. I apologize for the other night. Truly, I’m sorry for having…forced myself on you. I have never acted that way with anyone and I will never try to act untowardly towards you again. There were…extenuating circumstances which I’d rather not discuss at this moment, but please believe me when I say I’m truly sorry for my behavior.”
Because he appeared genuinely distressed, I sighed with resignation. “Fine. Apology accepted. But, just to make things clear, I was never interested in a relationship with you. I was merely being polite to mollify my mother.”
/>
“Understood.” His expression brightened. “There is something else.”
“What?” I asked suspiciously.
“I have been chosen to run a clinical trial for a new embolectomy technique. The vascular surgeon I’m working with, Dr. Catherine DeBourgh, is one of the most sought after and respected doctors in the world for the treatment of embolic stroke. She has hired me to run her clinical studies for this new technique and I would like to offer you the opportunity to work with us as the primary research nurse.”
That stopped me. I turned to face him. “Wait a second. You want to hire me for a job? But why me?”
“In our previous encounters I have always sensed that you possess a superior knowledge base as well as the critical thinking and clinical skills necessary for assisting me in clinical studies of this caliber. Dr. DeBourgh has instructed me to hire the very best nurse in my acquaintance to work with and I believe you are the nurse for this job. You are honest and compassionate as well as immensely capable. I think you would do well with recruiting and educating patients as well as helping to organize the various aspects of the trial.”
“Colin, I know nothing about being involved in clinical research. Shouldn’t you recruit someone who does?”
“No other nurse I know possesses the skills I seek to the extent that you do. The job would come with a lucrative salary increase as well as a competitive benefits package; however, it would require a significant amount of travel on your part to the various clinical sites around the country.”
“Whoa, wait. For one, I can’t travel anywhere. I have my niece and sister to think of. And two, I have no interest in giving up patient care so I can use people as guinea pigs for some experimental procedure.”
“Ah, I knew you would be savvy enough to do some negotiating. Dr. DeBourgh is willing to compensate you fifteen percent more than your current salary and provide you with a sizable moving bonus to cover your expenses in New York while you get settled.”
“New York?”
“Dr. DeBourgh’s main office is in Manhattan, although she does have satellite locations in Morristown and Newark with the eventual goal of expanding to the West Coast. Her base of operations is to be at her New York office.”
