What the Doctor Didn’t Tell Her
a novelette by
Jacqueline Diamond
Smashwords Edition published by
K. Loren Wilson
P.O. Box 1315
Brea, California
Copyright 2013 by Jackie Hyman
First published in The Mammoth Book of ER Romance, print edition 2013, Running Press
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Chapter One
“Finally, it’s Friday!” declared receptionist Edda Jones, red hair framing her round, freckled face as she clicked off her computer terminal and grabbed her purse from behind the counter. “Anyone else going to the Orange County Fair this weekend?”
Dr. Sarah Matthews listened to a chorus of agreement from the office nurses. When they turned toward her, she said, “I have on-call duty all three nights. I’m not going anywhere except home to bed.”
Although her usual schedule involved only one or two nights of delivering babies per week, one of the obstetricians had recently left for a position in nearby Los Angeles. Being single and still owing on medical school loans, Sarah had volunteered to fill in. Despite her debts, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up the pace.
“But the fair only comes once a year,” Edda protested. “I love that booth where they’ll deep-fry almost anything. Pastries, cereal, sandwiches. I can’t wait to find out what they’re frying this summer.”
“Maybe next year.”
Missing out on zany activities didn’t bother Sarah nearly as much as the fact that she had no one to share them with. As her mother kept reminding her, how could she meet men when she spent all her time in an obstetrical practice?
“I heard that Dr. McKay and Dr. Van Dam interviewed someone by Skype,” Edda said. “Maybe we’ll have a new OB on staff soon.”
“That would be wonderful.”
From her private office on the corridor, Dr. Jane McKay popped out, phone to her ear. “Next week would be more than acceptable,” she said into her mobile. “Did the rental agent find you a place? Terrific! As for a babysitter, I may know someone available for overnights.”
“Sounds like we’re in luck,” Edda observed, trailing the nurses toward the rear exit. “Have a good weekend!”
“You too,” Sarah replied with a touch of envy.
As the rest of the staff departed, Jane stuck the phone in the pocket of her white coat. “Sarah, do you suppose your mother would be willing to baby-sit a little girl a couple of nights a week?”
Sarah’s mother ran a licensed day-care center in their home a few blocks from the office. Although Betsy usually tended children from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., she was flexible, and she’d been concerned about Sarah’s extra on-call shifts.
“For a new doctor, probably.” Pricked by curiosity, Sarah added, “Is it anyone I might have met?” While that seemed unlikely, doctors occasionally crossed paths during their training and at medical conferences.
“He said you did your residencies together.”
Sarah caught her breath. There’d been quite a few residents who’d trained with her. It couldn’t be…
“Does the name Daniel Durand ring a bell?” Jane asked.
A vise clamped onto Sarah’s throat. She saw him instantly: dark hair tumbling across his forehead, warm brown eyes transfixing hers, and a spontaneous joy in the bedroom that had swept her away. She’d imagined herself in love. Too bad he hadn’t been honest about his own feelings.
“If you want my opinion, he’s an egotistical jerk,” she snapped.
“Sarah…”
“Don’t let the good looks fool you.” She struggled to keep the bitterness from her voice. “He’s full of himself.”
Jane coughed. What was wrong? Then she lifted the phone from her pocket, and Sarah realized every word she said had been transmitted to—where was it Daniel had moved?—a small town in northern Arizona, she recalled.
“So you think your mother might be available a few nights a week?” Jane accompanied her words with a shrug, as if to say, Let’s pretend this didn’t happen.
Heat suffused Sarah’s cheeks. “Most likely.”
As Jane retreated to her office, talking into the phone, Sarah wondered why Daniel was moving back to Southern California. But then, she’d never understood why a physician skilled in advanced surgical techniques had joined a small-town clinic far from a major hospital.
Apparently he had a daughter. Was he married? But with a wife in the picture, why the need for an overnight sitter?
Jane reappeared. Fortyish and angular, she zeroed in on her point, as usual.. “Is Daniel likely to be a problem?”
“I’m sorry I spoke so harshly.”
The older doctor waved off the apology. “Luke and I should have consulted you.” Her husband, Dr. Van Dam, was also her business partner.
“It’s water under the bridge. It’ll be fine,” Sarah assured her.
“You didn’t sound like it was fine.”
She might as well explain. “We had an affair and he dumped me.”
Jane winced. “Oh, dear. Was it the let’s-just-be-friends sort of dumping?”
“No, it was the eat-my-dust kind of dumping.” Sarah had had trust issues with men ever since. “We made wild sock-flinging love. The next thing I knew, he stopped replying to my emails and texts, except to say how busy he was. And he became very good at ducking around corners whenever he saw me.” She couldn’t resist adding, “I guess he must be married now.”
“You mean the child?” Jane said. “She’s his five-year-old niece. Her parents died about a year ago, and he’s adopted her.”
Not too many single males would take responsibility for a child, Sarah conceded with reluctant respect. “Here’s my mother’s phone number.” She jotted it down.
“Thanks.” Jane took the slip of paper. “Are you okay for tonight? Not too tired?”
“No, but I think I’ll go home and take a nap.” Sarah’s on-call shift began in a couple of hours at the North Orange County Medical Center, a block from the office.
“Good idea.”
A catnap should cure her sleepiness. In the meantime, Sarah resolved to put Daniel out of her thoughts. She had no doubt he’d long ago banished her from his.
*
With experience born of long practice, Sarah fell asleep the moment she lay down. An hour later, the alarm dragged her into wakefulness.
That, and the fact that her mother was sitting on the bed.
“Good, you’re awake.” Betsy Matthews reached to shut off the alarm. “I promised Jane I’d baby-sit the little Durand girl a few nights a week. Is that okay with you?”
“Absolutely.” Scooting around her mother, Sarah moved to the dressing table to brush her hair. It was fine-textured and light brown, about the same shade as her mom’s but without the traces of gray, she noted in the mirror.
“It’ll be good to see Daniel again,” said Betsy from behind her. “I always liked him, right up until he showed such poor judgment about my daughter.”
“He’s charming,” Sarah said dryly. “I’m sure half his patients will fall in love with him.”
“Look on the bright side,” Betsy said. “Now that he’s coming to Orange County, maybe you’ll finally receive an explanation.”
“Always a rainbow after the storm, right?” That was one of her mother’s favorite sayings. While appreciative of the upbeat attitude, Sarah considered the image corny.
Her mother stood up. “Come eat some soup. The children helped make it, so it may have a few odd bits in it.”
Realizing she had barely forty-five minutes to dress and eat before her shift, Sara shot to her feet. “What kind of odd bits?”
“You’ll find out.”
While she ate, her mother thumbed through a flyer advertising kitchen appliances. “I have to replace the stove. It’s nearly thirty years old and it’s getting temperamental. What do you think, black, white or beige?”
“Anything but that metallic industrial finish. Maybe it works for professional chefs, but to me, it’s ugly.” Sarah peered at two lumps in her spoon. “Mom, there are walnuts in my soup.”
“That was the kids’ contribution. There used to be a saying that a complete meal went from soup to nuts,” Betsy said. “We’ve combined them in one bowl.”
Sarah knew better than to object further. If she did, no doubt her mother would remind her that until presented with a grandchild, she was entitled to bestow her indulgence on other people’s children.
Betsy had only grudgingly accepted Sarah’s decision during her residency to donate eggs to an infertile couple. Later, she’d mentioned that she felt cheated of the baby or babies that might have been born. Betsy also worried that, with Sarah approaching her mid-thirties, time was running out to have an infant of her own.
“A grandchild would mean the world to me,” she’d once said.
A scary thought hit Sarah. She hoped her mother wasn’t fantasizing about a renewed romance with Daniel. Never again would Sarah expose herself to such a cruel betrayal.
“The soup’s delicious, Mom.” It had been, even the nuts.
“And healthy, too.”
Right on cue, the phone rang. It was the hospital, reporting several women in labor. “I’m on my way,” Sarah said.
She wished her mom a good evening and went out into the lingering July heat.
Chapter Two
Two weeks later, Sarah arrived at the hospital at 7:30 in the morning. Scheduled for surgery, she’d made sure to get plenty of rest. Fortunately, with a new doctor on staff, she’d been able to reduce her on-call shifts.
For the past week, since Daniel joined the office, she’d escaped all but the briefest contact. He’d acknowledged their first meeting with a searching gaze, holding her hand longer than necessary when they shook. However, braced by the presence of Jane and Luke, Sarah had slipped her hand free and excused herself to get ready for the next patient.
As she had anticipated, Daniel’s masculine presence had created a stir. Edda Jonas’s adoring looks followed him everywhere, while patients who’d initially been hesitant to see a new physician now readily accepted, even raved about Dr. Durand. Such a good listener! Such a reassuring manner!
And such a louse, underneath it all.
He’d arranged for his niece to join Betsy’s day-care center. For Sarah, that meant having to duck him before and after work, too.
She didn’t regret her mother’s decision to baby-sit the little girl, though. Nina was a cutie with light-brown hair and green eyes. Although shy around Betsy and the other children, she’d given Sarah a hug right away.
The child’s timidity wasn’t entirely due to the change of location. Apparently the five-year-old had narrowly escaped the fire that engulfed her home and killed her parents. She’d had a nightmare during her first sleepover, awakening both Sarah and her mother.
Sarah had rushed in to hold and reassure the little girl. Something about Nina’s distress tore at Sarah’s heart, although she’d never experienced any strong maternal instincts before.
She gave Daniel credit for doing his best in a difficult situation. That didn’t ease her concerns about today, though.
After working in a small town, Daniel had expressed a desire to brush up on his microsurgery skills. Luke had responded that Sarah was the best surgeon on their staff, and volunteered her to supervise.
Now she hurried along the hall toward the surgical suites, hoping to scrub in before he did. That way, she could confine their interaction to the operating room.
The familiar scent of spice and pine soap alerted her a few seconds before he rounded a corner, and she had to sidestep quickly. Daniel steadied her, his strong hand catching her shoulder.
“Sarah.” His voice caressed her name. “Are you all right?”
“I’m…fine.”
How foolish, standing frozen while electricity tingled through her traitorous body. She ought to paste on an impersonal smile and brush past.
“Thank you for agreeing to mentor me,” Daniel said, releasing her. The two of them fell into step, heading for the operating room.
“You’re a terrific surgeon,” Sarah responded honestly. “I’m surprised you let your skills lapse.”
Daniel’s mouth tightened. “There were reasons for moving to Arizona. Good reasons. But never mind that.”
“None of my business, I suppose,” she muttered.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Too late for clarification. They’d reached the surgical suite, and nurses were waiting to assist them with scrubbing in, gowning and masking.
Sarah felt as acutely aware of Daniel’s nearness as she had six years ago. During their residency, being around him hadn’t seemed a distraction; instead, it had strengthened her love of medicine. Discussing procedures had been valuable for them both, and when they’d made love, they’d been keenly attuned to each other.
She had to admit, she’d been the first to ease off, but only because, months after being approved as an egg donor, she’d finally been chosen by a couple. After treating so many infertile women who longed desperately for a family, Sarah had been happy to volunteer. Spending a few months taking hormones, coordinating cycles with the recipient—who’d remained anonymous—and undergoing the egg transfer had seemed little enough to sacrifice in order to give life.
She’d been forbidden to have intercourse during that period, due to the risk of accidentally becoming pregnant with multiple babies. Had the awareness that she was undergoing this process proved a turnoff for Daniel? If so, he’d been cowardly not to tell her. Also, , if he was that finicky, what a poor bet he’d be as a future husband and father.
Steeling herself, Sarah entered the operating room just ahead of him. With their hair hidden beneath sterile caps, neither of them was likely to make anyone’s heart beat faster, she thought with a smile.
The procedure was a reversal of a woman’s tubal ligation so that she could have children with her second husband. Sarah spoke briefly to the patient, assuring her that they had a high likelihood of success. When she introduced Daniel as a skilled surgeon whom they were lucky to have with them today, the woman gazed at him gratefully.
Once the anesthesia took effect, Sarah made the first incision. An operating room was a busy place, with the anesthesiologist, scrub nurses, technicians and a circulating nurse, but she was mostly aware of Daniel across from her.
It was a painstaking procedure that involved opening the blocked ends of the Fallopian tube segments that had previously been tied off. They then threaded in a stent to hold them open, drew the tubal openings together and sutured them. The stitches had to be precisely aligned.
She and Daniel coordinated their tasks smoothly. Because they’d trained together and often thought alike, they were able to hand off tasks. At first, since he was out of practice with the surgical microscope and specialized tools, his motions were slower than usual, but he quickly regained his confidence.
How well Sarah understood. She, too, loved the challenge of surgery, and this procedure gave the woman an eighty percent chance of having a successful pregnancy in future.
Above his mask, excitement shone in Daniel’s eyes. “I’m glad to be back.”
“I’m glad you are, too.
” Sarah hoped he didn’t misinterpret her words as anything more than professional respect. “Well, I’ll leave you to finish. I have to prepare for another surgery.”
“Thanks.” He stayed focused on the task.
Outside the O.R., Sarah saw that they’d been in surgery less than two hours. Since the operation had been uncomplicated, that was typical for the procedure.
After speaking reassuringly to the patient’s husband, she took a short break, then went to her next surgery. To put in hours of standing and concentrating, a surgeon required plenty of stamina and steady nerves. Sarah had both those qualities, as did Daniel.
He had patient consults for the rest of the morning, she’d noticed on the office schedule. Around 2 p.m., when she finally arrived at the hospital cafeteria for lunch, she was surprised to find him sitting in the nearly empty room. When he waved, Sarah realized he must have come on purpose to meet with her.
They might as well talk. This morning had broken the ice, and besides, they had to function as colleagues. Not to mention that dodging him at her house was wearing thin.
She selected a pastrami sandwich with a side salad and joined him at the table. “Good job this morning.” It seemed a safe topic.
“I’m glad to be here,” he said earnestly. “Listen, I didn’t mean to be rude when you asked why I moved to a small town in Arizona.”
“It really isn’t my business.” Sarah tackled her sandwich hungrily.
“The truth is….” He paused. “Let’s start with part of the truth. Neither of us has all day.”
“Fair enough,” she mumbled.
Daniel leaned back, his long legs bumping Sarah’s. With his dramatic dark coloring and soulful air, he was almost painfully handsome, she thought, and shifted so they were no longer touching.
“Shortly after Nina’s birth, my brother Fred got laid off his job,” he began.
What did that have to do with moving to Arizona? Sarah wondered, but kept quiet. No doubt he’d make the connection soon.
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