A White Knight in ER

by Jessica Matthews

  ‘Call what’s-her-name,’ he ordered. ‘The infection control nurse.’

  ‘Susan Forbes,’ she supplied, surprised that Jonas had forgotten. From what she’d seen so far, he recalled people’s names with an ease that was downright disgusting.

  ‘Yeah, Susan.’ He continued to hover when she wanted to be left alone to berate herself in peace and quiet.

  ‘Did you need something? Or were you watching my technique?’

  His grin was one of those enticing smiles that melted her female coworkers into a puddle. She’d felt the effects of it herself on occasion, although the diamond on her finger had kept her from succumbing to his charisma.

  Now the empty space on her hand would remind her of his meddling and make her immune to his charm. She couldn’t have chosen a better talisman than that.

  ‘Do you really want me to answer?’ he asked with a decided twinkle in his eye.

  Megan glared at him. ‘Forget I said anything. Don’t you have a patient to examine?’

  ‘He isn’t going anywhere. I just wanted to tell you not to panic.’

  He’d obviously seen the tremor in her hands as she’d rinsed the suds off her outstretched palm and had guessed at the particular merry-go-round her thoughts were riding. Yet admitting her weakness only seemed to make the risks more real.

  She raised her chin defiantly. ‘Who said I was panicking?’

  He leaned close enough to speak in her ear. Close enough for her to faintly smell the decidedly male-scented soap he used. ‘You can’t fool me, Megan. I’d have to be blind not to see how pale and shaky you are and I know the scenarios that are swirling around in your head. You aren’t the first person I’ve treated under these circumstances.’

  She was surprised to realize how easily he read her, but as much as she wanted to deny his observation, she couldn’t.

  ‘Hang onto the notion that not every exposure ends up badly,’ he added kindly. ‘Think positive.’

  She inhaled a cleaning breath and nodded. He was right. Worrying prematurely was counterproductive, but it was easier said than done. ‘I’ll try.’

  ‘Good girl. I’ll check out our patient while you finish up and call Susan. Then we’ll take care of you.’ He patted her shoulder before he returned to Carl’s side.

  Megan was grateful that he hadn’t waited for a response. The way he’d said we’ll take care of you brought tears to her eyes and a lump to her throat. It had been so long since anyone had taken care of her, so long since anyone had worried about her. She’d been the strong one in the family, holding things together and encouraging her mother to hold onto hope when her father had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s four years ago.

  It had also been Megan who’d picked up the pieces after her brother’s and sister-in-law’s deaths. She didn’t mind raising the two children they’d left behind, but after a year of being a single parent she’d looked forward to sharing those responsibilities with Dwight. Angela and Trevor needed a father’s influence but, thanks to the man a few feet away from her, neither would receive it.

  Deal with one issue at a time, she told herself as she towel-dried her hands. Right now she had more pressing worries than a broken engagement.

  Jonas glanced at the clipboard listing Carl’s medical data while Megan talked in the background on the telephone, presumably to Susan. So far, his patient had exhibited nothing out of the ordinary, other than he’d clearly exceeded the legal alcohol limit. The few bumps and bruises he found were only to be expected. Physically, Carl had come through his escapade unscathed, but he’d probably lose his job. With this on his employment record, he’d have a tough time finding anyone else to hire him.

  That, however, wasn’t Jonas’s concern. Carl Walker’s hepatitis and HIV status were.

  ‘Accident,’ Carl slurred as he momentarily surfaced from his drunken fog. ‘Did you know I had an accident?’

  ‘We know,’ Jonas told him. ‘That’s why you’re in the hospital.’

  Carl squinted. ‘You the doctor?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Am I hurt bad? I don’t feel like I’m hurt. Other than I have a headache.’

  A hangover was more like it. ‘You’re fine,’ Jonas told him. ‘But we’re going to need a blood sample.’

  ‘Again? Don’t like needles.’

  His aversion was good news. If he meant what he was mumbling, then the likelihood of him shooting drugs was slim. It also suggested that the odds of him carrying HIV or one of the hepatitis viruses was low, and the chances of Megan developing problems were equally negligible.

  ‘We tried, but you didn’t co-operate,’ Jonas told him, ‘so this time you will lie still and not twitch so much as a muscle. When you fought the way you did, our nurse stuck herself with the same needle she used on you. Now we have to run extra tests for hepatitis and HIV.’ He paused. ‘Do you understand what I’m saying?’

  ‘Yeah. Extra tests.’

  ‘And we’ll need a urine sample.’ It was common practice to run drug screens on the parties involved in workplace accidents and Jonas also wanted the lab to check for kidney damage.

  ‘OK. I could use the john.’

  Jonas wasn’t feeling particularly benevolent toward Carl at the moment and decided he could stand to suffer for a few minutes. ‘First the blood sample.’ He began the procedure and this time the only muscle Carl moved involved his mouth.

  ‘I’m healthy as a horse,’ he boasted.

  ‘I’m glad to hear it,’ Jonas answered, aware of Megan returning to handle her normal nursing duties.

  ‘My girlfriend’s not, though,’ he mourned. ‘Got her results yesterday. Bad news, they were.’

  ‘Oh, really?’ Jonas popped the final tube into the needle holder.

  ‘It was positive. They say there’s no cure.’ Carl peered at Jonas through bloodshot eyes. ‘You’re a doctor. Is that true?’

  ‘It depends. What are you talking about?’

  ‘HIV. They haven’t found a cure yet, have they?’

  Jonas’s gaze immediately traveled to Megan’s face. Her complexion seemed to whiten another shade and her eyes appeared haunted.

  ‘No,’ he answered. ‘They haven’t.’

  ‘That’s what she said. I couldn’t handle what was gonna happen, so I had a few drinks.’

  Jonas suspected he’d had more than a few. In any case, if his girlfriend had tested positive for HIV, then Carl could easily be positive, too. Which meant…He didn’t want to think about what it meant.

  ‘Have you been screened, too?’ he asked as he withdrew the needle and taped cotton over the spot.

  ‘I was going to do that tomorrow.’

  ‘Well, Carl, because of the circumstances, we’re going to do it this afternoon. I’ll have you sign the permission forms.’

  ‘That’s good. Can I go home now?’

  ‘Not yet.’ He handed the tubes to Gene. ‘Take care of these.’

  ‘Will do.’

  ‘Dr Taylor?’ The ER ward clerk appeared in the doorway. ‘As soon as you’re finished here, there are some men from Mulligan’s Manufacturing who want to talk to you.’

  ‘They’re going to have to wait.’ Jonas grabbed Megan’s arm and ushered her past the clerk into a private patient cubicle. Her previously pale face now appeared as frozen as ice and she seemed far too calm for his liking. Shell-shocked, he decided.

  ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ he said, ‘but don’t. When Susan gets here—’

  ‘She’s not coming.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘She’s not on duty today.’

  ‘OK, then here’s what we’re going to do,’ he said, aware that she knew the proper procedures as well as he did but was probably too rattled to think clearly. ‘I’ll draw your blood sample and the lab will test you for hepatitis B and C, as well as HIV. Your results will be your baseline while Carl’s will show us if he carries any infectious viruses. If he’s negative, then we’re home free.’

  ‘And if he’s not
?’

  ‘If he does carry those viruses, then we’ll test you in six weeks to determine if you become positive to those same viruses. But before we start thinking that far ahead, let’s get these initial results. Don’t jump to conclusions.’

  ‘With his girlfriend HIV positive, don’t you think there’s a good chance that he will be, too?’

  ‘Not necessarily. There are a lot of variables coming into play. For all we know, they’ve just started dating.’

  ‘Then again, they might have been seeing each other for years.’

  ‘The statistics show that the average risk for contracting the virus in these types of injuries is point three per cent. If his test is positive, we’ll start you on a regimen of antiretrovirals. We only have to wait an hour and then you can stop worrying.’

  She looked at him and her expression made him want to hug her. ‘Or start.’

  ‘Look. I checked him over thoroughly. He shows no signs of having an active infection. He’s not jaundiced and none of his internal organs appear enlarged. He’s probably right about being healthy,’ he said as he assembled his equipment and tubes. ‘My first question for you is, have you been vaccinated for hepatitis B?’

  ‘With all three doses,’ she said. ‘And my antibody level was fine the last time we checked.’

  ‘Then you won’t need the hep. B immune globulin,’ he mused aloud. ‘There’s nothing we can do about the possible exposure to hepatitis C, except wait and see.’

  ‘No offense, but your advice ranks up there with, “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.”’

  Jonas smiled as he tied the tourniquet around Megan’s arm and deftly proceeded to fill the tubes, conscious of her lemony scent teasing his nose.

  ‘Don’t knock the first prescription we learned in med school,’ he protested mildly. ‘It’s helped countless people since Bayer marketed it in 1899.’

  ‘He discovered it that long ago?’

  ‘Actually, a chemist by the name of Felix Hoffmann, who worked for the Bayer Company, synthesized it in 1897. It took two years of hospital trials before it was released.’

  ‘Really?’

  Pleased that she’d relaxed and her color had started to return, he continued his trivia recitation. ‘Sure. They had their own bureaucracies to fight. Did you know they chose the name because “A” was for the “acetyl” part of its chemical name and “spirin” referred to Spirea, which was the genus name for the shrub that was a source of salicylic acid?’

  ‘I’m impressed.’

  He tapped his head with his free hand. ‘I have all sorts of information stored away up here.’ Then, because he wanted to keep her thoughts diverted, he asked, ‘So what can a guy do in Stanton during his free time?’

  ‘If you’re asking about night life, you’re asking the wrong person.’

  ‘Surely there’s a club or a restaurant you can recommend.’

  ‘Ask your date. She’ll have a preference, I’m sure.’

  ‘Hey,’ he protested, pretending affront. ‘I do eat some meals by myself.’

  ‘Don’t you cook at home?’

  ‘A little,’ he admitted, unwilling to mention that he’d learned to prepare all types of food when he’d been an army brat, moving around the country with his dad. ‘But cooking for one isn’t always worth the effort.’

  ‘I suppose not,’ she said. ‘Rick’s Ribs is great if you like steak or barbecue. The Pagoda has excellent Oriental food and Connie’s Creations serves great sandwiches and baked goods. Her desserts are out of this world.’

  He finished his task and labeled her samples. ‘Then she makes pies?’ he asked, thinking of his favorite, lemon meringue.

  Megan smiled and he was pleased to see her face had regained more of its healthy color. ‘With a crust that melts in your mouth. They’re rather expensive, but worth every penny.’

  Jonas suspected that she didn’t indulge herself very often. With a trim figure like hers, she either avoided sweets or burned off the calories running after her niece and nephew. If the key to a man’s heart was through his stomach, he was willing to see if the adage applied to women as well. ‘Where is this place?’

  ‘On the south end of Lakewood. You can’t miss it.’

  ‘What do people around here do on the weekends?’

  ‘Mow their yards. Clean house. Do laundry.’

  ‘For fun,’ he corrected.

  She shrugged. ‘We have two golf courses, one public and one private. There are a few tennis courts, a bowling alley and a swimming pool.’

  ‘What about car-racing or skydiving?’

  ‘There’s a race track on the west end of town, but it’s amateur, not professional. I’ve heard there’s a skydiving club at the airport, but I don’t know of anyone who belongs. Are those your hobbies?’

  He shrugged. ‘At one time, but I haven’t done either for years. I’ve become staid in my old age and got hooked on golf. Do you play?’

  ‘I used to.’

  ‘Why did you stop?’

  ‘An eighteen-month-old and a four-year-old aren’t exactly welcome on the course,’ she said wryly.

  ‘So find a babysitter.’

  ‘They’re rather clingy right now and I hate to leave them with someone else unless absolutely necessary. When they’re older and more independent, I’ll play again.’

  After inspecting her arm and taping cotton over the site, he straightened. ‘All done.’

  ‘I’m impressed. I barely felt the needle go in. You have a light touch.’

  If she only knew what else he’d like to touch…As far as he was concerned, Dwight was a fool. Yet, as much as Jonas would have liked to have taken up where Dwight had left off, he couldn’t. Inevitably he’d hurt her and he refused to do that, regardless of how much he’d like it to be otherwise.

  ‘All part of the service,’ he joked. ‘Why don’t you take five, drink a cup of coffee or take care of paperwork until we hear from the lab?’

  ‘I’d rather stay busy.’

  ‘I guessed you’d say that. Honestly, though. There isn’t anything going on that we can’t handle without you,’ he pointed out.

  ‘You still have to admit Mr Lawver and talk to the Mulligan Manufacturing people. Someone also has to call Carl’s girlfriend so he can leave if his tests are negative. All the paperwork for my little incident is waiting, not to mention our other patients.’

  ‘OK.’ He held up both hands in surrender. ‘If you don’t want to take a break, I can’t force you. Just be careful.’

  ‘Agreed.’

  ‘And no sharp objects.’

  She opened her mouth to object, then nodded. ‘For now.’

  Jonas expected her to rush back to work, but she surprised him by hesitating in the doorway. ‘Thanks for everything.’ Her tone was gruff, as if she didn’t want to thank him, but courtesy demanded otherwise.

  ‘My pleasure,’ he answered.

  Megan returned to the nurses’ station and kept busy with paperwork. The orthopedic surgeon, Patrick Graham, arrived to review Mr Lawver’s X-rays and organize his surgery. Jonas spent a long time with the men’s supervisor from the chemical manufacturing plant while she checked the computer every ten minutes for Carl’s lab results to appear.

  Finally the printer whirred and page after page printed out. The blood-alcohol level was 180, which exceeded the legal limit. The toxicology report was negative and very encouraging. If a person abused alcohol, he often abused other drugs as well.

  Carl’s girlfriend arrived a few minutes later. A petite brunette who dressed conservatively, Rae seemed like a nice young woman who was clearly concerned about her boyfriend. As soon as she’d introduced herself, Jonas ushered her into Carl’s room, presumably to discuss the situation. Megan would have liked to have listened in on their conversation but, not having been invited to join them, she focused her attention and skills on a middle-aged man with chest pain.

  With all the activity going on, the hour still seemed to drag by. When the
lab hadn’t called after ninety minutes, Megan watched for Jonas’s return from Radiology and nabbed him as soon as she saw him.

  ‘Can’t you phone and ask for the results?’

  ‘I did. They said they were extremely busy and were having to repeat some of the tests. The person I spoke to promised to page me in five minutes.’

  She heaved a sigh and drew a tremulous breath. ‘OK. Five minutes.’

  Five minutes stretched to fifteen. When Jonas finally disappeared into his office to answer his page, Megan forced herself to wait patiently at the desk. The chest-pain patient chose that moment to summon her for a drink of water and she had no choice but to help him. Thanks to glass enclosing the trauma cubicles instead of solid walls, she saw Jonas walk past the central nurses’ station and into Carl’s room. Pasting a smile on her face for this patient’s and his wife’s sakes, she asked, ‘Are you comfortable?’

  ‘Relatively,’ he replied.

  ‘We should have your lab results shortly,’ she told him, feeling as Jonas had that his problem was due to a severe epigastric incident rather than anything cardiac.

  She returned to her charting and before long Jonas was escorting Carl and his girlfriend to the exit doors. The smile on his face helped ease the knot of tension in her stomach, until she saw that it was his professional, didn’t-meet-his-eyes-type of smile.

  She rose as he approached her. ‘Well?’ she demanded.

  ‘Come with me,’ he said, grabbing her arm and ushering her into his office. As soon as he closed the door, he spoke.

  ‘The hepatitis B test was negative, but we won’t have the hepatitis C results until tomorrow afternoon.’

  Megan exhaled a cleansing breath. So far, so good. ‘OK. What about the HIV?’

  He hesitated. ‘That’s a little more complicated.’

  ‘More complicated? How?’

  ‘The first time they ran the test, Carl’s sample was weakly positive.’