by J. D. Faver
“Cami, you’ve got to stop playing with my heart and let me love you the way you deserve to be loved.”
She cleared her throat and stroked the side of his face with her fingertips. “Breck, I’ve got to make some major decisions and take care of a few details in my life that need to be clarified. Just give me a little time.”
“I’ll give you anything you want,” he said. “Just promise me you won’t let that yahoo in your bed tonight.”
She let out a long breath, wondering how she would keep that promise without breaking up with Clay forever. “I’m confused as to my feelings, Breck. I thought I knew what I wanted, but that was before you came into my life. I’ve changed. This place has changed me. I have to think.”
“I’ll give you all the time in the world. Just don’t sleep with him tonight.”
“Okay, I won’t. But Clay doesn’t deserve to be treated badly, so let me figure out what to do.”
He peered anxiously into her eyes before shrugging and dropping a kiss onto her lips. “I trust you to handle it, Cami. Just make him back off.”
She slid off the counter and stepped toward the door.
“It’s hard for me to let you go.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I want to go out there and tell him to go back to Houston.”
She shook her head. “Too mean. You’ve got to promise to let me figure out how to settle things.”
He heaved a deep sigh. “I’ll let you handle him.”
Cami leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Let me return to the table first. He’s not stupid, you know?” She slipped out of the bathroom and, when she re-entered the dining room saw Crystal serving their dinner to Clay and her empty place across from him.
Doc Parker caught her eye and waved her over. “Hello, young lady. Have you decided when you’ll take over your practice? I’m ready to go fly fishin’.”
She grinned at him as he enfolded her hand in his.
“I’m still thinking about it, Doc.”
“Who’s that young city fellow with you?” Doc inclined his head in Clay’s direction.
“He’s my fiancé,” she said.
“Nah, he’s not for you. He ain’t made for the long haul. You want a substantial man who’ll stand by ya’ through thick ‘n’ thin.”
She nodded her head, “You could be right.” She looked at Doc and noticed that his glasses were grimy. She took them off his nose and cleaned them with a napkin before replacing them. “Now, you can take a better look.”
He started laughing, a deep, wheezy rumbling in his chest.
Cami patted his shoulder and made her way back to her table, seeing Breck return to sit beside Doc as she took her seat. “Everything looks good.”
Clay grimaced. “Everything looks heavy. Do they batter and fry all the food?”
She surveyed both plates. “Yes.”
They ate their meal in relative silence until a crash startled her. She jerked her head as utensils and china clattered to the floor.
Breck stood beside Doc’s chair, holding the older man by his shoulders. “Cami!” Breck’s face looked tense.
She crossed the room quickly.
Doc was struggling to breathe, his color ashen.
“Help him to the floor,” she said, “and call for an ambulance.” She checked his pulse and assured herself that Doc was breathing. He’d passed out and his pallor was gray. A clammy film covered his skin. She held him in her arms for ten minutes until the chop-chop of the air ambulance rotors were heard. She accompanied him as he was being loaded into the helicopter. As the EMTs collapsed the gurney legs, Doc was jostled from side to side. He opened his eyes and gave her a look that expressed anguish so eloquently she could almost read his mind.
Take care of my patients, he silently pled.
The curious as well as the concerned were assembled in the parking lot of Tiny’s Diner to see what all of the excitement was about. They shook their heads and talked behind their hands when they saw their doctor being taken away. Some of the townsfolk pointed at Cami and made comments amongst themselves.
She scanned Breck’s concerned expression and Clay’s wary one. She dug in her pocket, extracting the keys to the Lincoln and tossed them in Clay’s direction. He lunged for them but missed and they landed at his feet.
“Go back to the house, Clay. I’ll get a ride home later.” She saw a flash of anger cross his face, but ducked into the copter after her patient.
As the air ambulance lifted and hovered momentarily over Tiny’s gravel parking area,
Cami glanced from Clay’s angry face to Breck’s worried one. She heaved a big sigh and turned her attention to the man on the gurney. She conferred with the attendants, knowing that Breck would follow her to the hospital, knowing that he would always be there when she turned around.
#
At the hospital, she followed the gurney into the busy emergency room. She asked the doctor on duty to send Doc for an immediate MRI, relaying that he appeared to be having a stroke. She gave Doc’s hand a squeeze as they rolled him down the hall for the scan.
A Neurologist was called in for a consult while Cami paced up and down the halls of the Radiology wing, contemplating the dilemma she found herself in.
The reality of having Clay show up so unexpectedly was unsettling to say the least. In Houston, where she’d been a busy resident, Clay was the perfect boyfriend, offering just enough of a social life to keep her sane and just enough passion to remind her that she was a woman underneath the scrubs. She’d thought that was enough. Enough to sustain her while she focused on her career. Comfort without excitement.
And then there was Breckenridge T. Ryan. He flooded her with emotion. He poured his need at her feet, demanding that she return his passion. And the passion he stirred was like nothing she’d experienced before. Nothing tame about the way he loved her. Breck ignited a wildfire in his wake with every encounter.
Shaking her head, she passed her hand over her face.
The issue wasn’t which man but rather, which place. Did she want to spend the rest of her life in Houston, the fast-paced urban metropolis where the huge Medical Center offered a world of future career opportunities? Or would she be satisfied to live on a ranch near a small town, where she could watch the sun rise and set and raise a family with a man who promised to fill her world with passion?
Cami rubbed the back of her neck. If Doc was unable to care for his patients, who would treat them if she left? Would they have to travel a great distance to another clinic? Or be forced to do without medical care? Cami sighed and whirled on her heel to retrace her steps.
Breck leaned against the wall, solemnly watching her progress. “That load you’re carrying looks awfully heavy.” He shoved away from the wall and took a few steps toward her. “I have a feeling I’m the major cause of your burden. I’m sorry”
At the sight of him, some bubble of joy sprang up inside her, allowing a slow smile to spread across her face. “No, you’re not.”
He ducked his head and grinned. “Well…”
She shook her head. “I just figured out what that T in your name stands for… Breckenridge Trouble Ryan.”
He reached out to stroke his hand over her hair. “I don’t deny it, Cami. I’m going to keep on making trouble until you figure out that I’m your man.”
“My man.” She laughed at his expression. “How come you’ve always been so sure?”
He slanted a scorching gaze at her and pulled her into his embrace. “This is how come.” He lowered his lips to hers and let the wildfire take over.
A dizzying rush of heat rose from her core as Breck’s kiss deepened. She slipped her arms around his neck as he lifted her off her feet.
“I thought something like this was going on.”
Cami broke away from Breck to see Clay standing a few feet away. His face was suffused with an ugly shade of red.
“Clay,” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”
“Better yet, what are you doing with him?” He jabbed
a finger at Breck.
She saw a warning flash in Breck’s eyes and stepped between the two men. “Everyone stay calm. There’s no reason for anyone to lose their temper.”
Breck picked her up by her waist and set her aside, stepping in front of Clay. “I’m calm,” he ground out through gritted teeth.
“Cami, call off this rustic. He’s only interested in you for your land. Don’t you see?”
“I have plenty of my own land,” Breck growled.
“Cami, don’t be such a stupid bitch.”
Cami gasped. A roiling in her stomach caught her off guard. She hadn’t expected this of Clay.
“Big mistake,” Breck said, but Cami stayed him with her hand on his arm.
“I warn you,” Clay said. “In college, my sport was boxing.” He swung his fist at Breck, landing a solid blow to his face.
Breck took the punch without flinching and glared coldly at Clay. He licked a trickle of blood from his lip. “In college, my sport was bar brawling.” He grabbed Clay’s arm and hurled him into the corridor wall. In two strides Breck was upon him, jerking Clay to his feet and slamming him into the opposite wall.
Clay slid to the floor, crumpled in a heap.
Breck squatted beside Clay and jerked his head around to face him. “Cami is neither a bitch nor is she stupid, so you owe her an apology.”
Clay glared at him obstinately.
“Fine with me.” Breck dragged him to a standing position by the front of his jacket. “Cami, I’ll be outside beating the crap out of your ex-fiancé. I may be a while.”
“No, wait,” Clay said. “I apologize, Cami. You know I didn’t mean anything by that.”
She glanced away, a cold knot in the pit of her stomach.
“Wait,” Clay said. “What do you mean ex-fiancé? We’re still engaged.”
Breck met her gaze as she raised her chin. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her. She shook her head.
“No, you’re not. Cami’s in love with me. I’m going to take you to the airport so you can catch a flight back to Houston.”
“But, my bag”
“We’ll send it to you,” he said. “Say goodbye.”
Cami watched in awe as her ex-fiancé was hustled from the hospital by the man who would take his place.
“Doctor Carmichael?”
She turned to see the neurologist approach with a chart in hand. She followed him to the nurse’s station.
“Doctor Parker has suffered a transient ischemic attack. There’s no active bleed at this time. He opened his eyes and tried to speak. I think he wants to see you.”
She nodded and followed him into the ICU. Doc was propped on pillows with his eyes closed. His color was restored, but one side of his mouth drooped. She reached for his hand.
“Doc? It’s me, Cami.”
His eyes fluttered open.
“Don’t try to speak. You’ve suffered a TIA. You know the drill. They’re going to keep you here while they run some tests to see what kind of damage you’ve sustained. You understand?”
He nodded and drew a deep breath.
“I know what you want. I’ll open your clinic tomorrow.”
A look of relief flooded the old man’s face.
She brushed his hair back from his forehead with her hand. “Don’t worry. Just get well so you can go fly fishing.”
A flicker of something she hoped was amusement passed over Doc’s face.
“Get some rest,” she said. “And be a good patient. I have to get up early to open for you.” She kissed him on the forehead and smiled as she left the room.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
When Cami pulled up in front of Doc’s office there were already several vehicles lined up. She pushed into the waiting room and greeted the woman behind the reception desk.
“Hello, I’m Doctor Camryn Carmichael. I’m going to fill in for the doctor today.”
The woman’s mouth quivered with emotion. “I heard. How is Doc?”
“He was stable when I left him last night. If you want to get the hospital on the phone, I’ll see if I can give you an update.”
The woman’s smile belied the tears streaming down her face. “Thank you, Dr. Carmichael.”
“Were can I office today?” she asked. “And who is my first patient?”
“Right this way,” she said. “I’m Loretta. I’m in charge of scheduling and keeping Doc’s medical records straight. I’ve worked for him for the last eighteen years.”
Cami stepped into the darkened office Loretta opened for her. “So, you’re like family?”
Loretta’s face was wreathed in smiles. “Exactly!” she breathed. “We’re only supposed to be open half a day, but folks come straggling in ‘cause they know Doc wouldn’t turn ‘em away. Reba, Doc’s nurse, doesn’t work Saturdays because of her children and so we’re on our own. Your first patient is Miss Pigeon in exam room one and Mrs. Tooley is in two.”
Cami donned her white jacket with her name stitched over her left breast and above the name of the hospital where she’d done her residency. She pulled the first chart and resisted rolling her eyes or asking aloud, ‘why me?’ The first patient scheduled was Celeste Pigeon, one of Breck’s female fans who had displayed nothing but antipathy toward Cami.
She took a deep breath and opened the door. “Good morning, Miss Pigeon. What seems to be the problem today?”
“Are you a real doctor?” Celeste eyed her suspiciously. “Because I thought you were some kind of a student, or something.”
Cami gave her an amused look. “No, I’m just pretending to be a doctor. They let me practice as long as I don’t kill too many people.”
“Me-yow! I like that.” Celeste looked her over. “I may have to change my opinion of you.”
Cami smiled at her. “Oh, my heart’s aflutter. What do you need today?”
“I’m here for an allergy shot. What’s the deal with you and Breck?” Celeste started rolling up her sleeve.
“You should learn to give yourself these shots. It would be a lot cheaper and you wouldn’t have to come into the office.”
“Eeuw No, I could never stick myself. You didn’t answer my question.” Celeste squeezed her eyes tightly shut as Cami administered the injection.
“No, I didn’t, did I?” Cami resisted stabbing her with the hypodermic needle and gently injected her instead. “All done.” Cami bent her head to make a notation of the injection in Celeste’s chart.
“Did you know that Breck took me to our prom?”
“Nope,” Cami said, handing Celeste her chart. “Please give this to Loretta on your way out.”
“Wait, aren’t you even curious about us?”
“After the last twenty-four hours, I couldn’t care less about what Breck did as a teenager.”
“But it didn’t stop there.” Celeste put her hands on her hips, challenging her to walk away.
Cami sighed. “You’ve got two minutes.” She leaned against the door with her arms folded.
Celeste gave a satisfied little purr. “After high school, Breck went away to college and then to law school. I didn’t want to wait so I married Brad Turner. When Breck graduated and came back to Langston, we got together again and I divorced my husband because I thought Breck and I had a future together.”
“One minute warning,” Cami said.
“Then you came to town and he stopped coming by.”
She gave Celeste a tight little smile. “Funny, I thought it was the vet he was seeing.”
Celeste turned a deep crimson as a blush spread from her neck over her face. “Breck does take Jenna out occasionally, but she’s just a pity date. She doesn’t effect what we have.”
“Then why are you worried about me?” Cami fixed her with a cool gaze.
“Because I’m just a school teacher. I didn’t fall heir to a humongous ranch adjoining Breck’s property.”
Cami nodded. “Ding! Time’s up. I have to see other patients.” She stepped into the narrow hallway
and let out a deep breath. Although she’d managed to stay cool in front of Celeste, she hadn’t felt cool. In fact, she felt very hot.
Things were happening too fast. Last night her wanna-be boyfriend had dispatched her fiancé back to Houston, summarily breaking her engagement to a man she’d known for several years and had felt comfortable with. She hadn’t enough energy last night to examine her feelings, but she was experiencing a bit of remorse. She didn’t regret the loss of Clay but had to admit that everything he’d said about Langston echoed her opinions just a short time ago. What had changed her mind?
The image of Breckenridge T. Ryan, her ardent admirer, came to mind. Cami shivered, giving herself a mental head slap.
It couldn’t be all about the ranch. Breck could have encouraged her to return to Houston and the sprawling property would have fallen into his hands the easy way.
Cami turned and opened exam room two where Alma Jo Tooley waited to have her blood pressure checked.
It was almost one thirty when Cami shrugged out of her white coat and stretched her arms overhead.
“You did a good job,” Loretta said. “Don’t tell Doc I said so, but you were a lot faster. He usually gets involved in long conversations with his patients and we get backed up out in front.”
Cami had seen Sarah Beth Jessup for pre-natal care but she had been the only patient to rate the time for a personal chat. She thought that, if she stayed, Sara Beth might become someone she could call a friend.
“Call the hospital again and let me talk to the nurse taking care of Doc. We’ll get an update before we close up.”
Loretta nodded and punched in the numbers.
When Cami spoke to the nurse, she was pleased with Doc’s condition. He was less lethargic and his vitals were stable, but he still wasn’t communicating. She asked the nurse to request that the rehabilitation team evaluate him for rehab potential. She’d made the request through his attending since she didn’t have privileges at this hospital.
Cami relayed the news to Loretta and reached for the front door knob just as Milita Rios was reaching for it on the other side. She looked frightened.
The man with her held a bloody towel around his hand.
