He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the fact that the woman who stood before him was the same girl he’d known in high school. She had made some sort of unbelievable transformation. Her voice, her hair, her manner, and even her face seemed different.
He knew that teenagers changed as they matured into adults, and he hadn’t seen Natalie since graduation, but he had seen some of their former classmates. They didn’t look exactly like they had in school, and neither did he, but he recognized them.
He would have never known Natalie. Not in a million years.
“Surprise.” She looked proud of herself and he knew why.
“You were playing me in the elevator.” If he could kick his own ass, he would.
From beneath thick lashes, her eyes flashed. “Who knew you’d be so easy?”
Shit. He shrugged and spouted out a polite lie. “Good to see you again. Sorry, I can’t stick around.” He started walking. “I’m going to be late for a meeting.”
He headed for the short hallway that led to the Executive Conference Room, and he was at the oak door before he realized she was behind him. “What are you doing?”
“Bringing breakfast,” she said, indicating the two takeout boxes she held. “Dr. Sheldon is married to my grandmother’s sister, and Harry Layton is my uncle.”
Brett stared at her. Could this get any more bizarre?
“Why don’t you get the door?” she suggested. “My hands are full.”
He pushed the door silently across the thick carpet of the conference room. Landscape paintings hung on the walls, and recessed ceiling lights illuminated the room where decisions that affected the hospital and health care were made. A long dark cherry table stood in the center of the room. Fresh flowers filled a gold vase, and matching executive chairs on rollers lined either side of the gleaming table. The room smelled of leather and power. And two of the most powerful men in Brett’s universe stood beside the table.
Dr. Neal Sheldon and Harry Layton.
Tall and silver-haired, Dr. Neal Sheldon was in his mid-seventies. His regal appearance and calm demeanor had served him well as chief of staff. Considered a brilliant neurologist, he had worked on several research projects and had published in a number of medical journals. Everyone, including Brett, respected Sheldon and deferred to his wisdom. Sheldon was Gandalf in a white lab coat.
In contrast to Sheldon’s Gandalf was Harry Layton, the hobbit. Harry was a short, squat fellow in his fifties with a belly as round as his face. Harry’s balding head was hidden beneath a Tennessee Volunteers ball cap. In fact, Harry was a walking billboard for the University of Tennessee sports program. A die-hard fan, he sported an orange-and-white Vols polo shirt and an orange UT windbreaker over gray slacks.
Despite looking like a hobbit in orange and white, Harry was probably the sharpest, most powerful businessman in Lafayette Falls. He came from old money, and he had made tons more. The Layton family had long been one of the cornerstones of Lafayette Falls society, and the Layton name appeared on businesses all over town. Harry was also the president of the hospital board of trustees. If Harry wanted it done, it got done. No questions asked.
“Doctor Harris.” Sheldon greeted him. Always a man of deportment and reservation, Sheldon offered his hand to Brett. “I am glad you could join us this morning.” If there was ever such a thing as a high road, Sheldon had been on it all his life.
“Good to see you, Doc,” Harry said. Unlike Sheldon, Harry embodied easygoing Southern charm. With a laugh and a slap on the back, Harry was the good ole boy who would smile as he cut the competition’s throat. “Let me get you a cup of coffee.”
Brett thanked him in a quiet voice while wondering what the hell was going on. Harry Layton just didn’t routinely attend medical staff meetings, nor did he volunteer to get you coffee.
Natalie had placed the white pastry boxes on the table and opened them. While Harry was at the credenza, filling a foam cup with coffee, Sheldon helped himself to a couple of blueberry bran muffins and took a seat at the head of the table.
“What do you think about the team this year?” Harry asked. Brett had graduated from UT Medical School, so he and Harry shared the same alma mater, which was a good thing because Harry had a special place in his heart for the alumni.
He and Harry talked UT football for a couple of minutes. They shared a few good ole boy laughs and did some male bonding before Harry said, “Let’s have a seat.”
Natalie had taken a chair a couple of places down from the head of the table, where Sheldon sat. Harry took the empty chair between Sheldon and Natalie. Brett sat in the chair on the other side of the table, opposite Harry and Natalie.
“Everybody, help yourself,” Harry said, pointing to the pastries. He used a plastic fork to spear a cheese Danish. “Natalie, honey, don’t you want something?”
“Thanks, but I ate before I left the house. I couldn’t resist Clara’s biscuits.”
Harry sighed. “Aunt Clara has a gift.”
Growing edgy, Brett decided he would have a donut with his coffee. He was struggling to feel normal in a surreal situation.
As he reached in the box, Natalie said, “They didn’t have any banana pudding.”
He glanced up at her deadpan face. “Too bad.” He dumped the donut on a paper plate. Obviously, she remembered the cafeteria food fight back in the day.
He had actually started it by managing to fling a chunk of hot dog across the aisle and down her blouse. It was a lucky shot, and watching her fish it out of her bra had been hysterical.
Then she had walked over to the table where he sat with two of his buddies, both grinning, and a new girlfriend, who had her hand over her face. The cafeteria was quiet. All eyes were on Natalie. She put the piece of hot dog on his plate.
“I think you lost this.”
“No, Slacker, I didn’t lose it.” Yes, he could be a sarcastic asshole.
“Well, Brett.” She leaned in close. Way too close for his comfort. “I didn’t lose this either.” She snatched up the bowl of banana pudding that was on his tray and dumped it, bowl and all, on top of his head.
He swore as a piece of banana slid down his forehead, and on the other side of the cafeteria, Josiah, the tallest player on the basketball team, stood up and yelled, “Food fight!”
Chaos and a two-week detention had followed.
“I know you must be wondering why I called this meeting,” Sheldon said, and Brett shook off the recollection of washing dried banana pudding out of his hair. He’d never eaten banana pudding again.
Natalie dug her smartphone out of her shoulder bag as if she had no interest in the meeting. Brett couldn’t help but wonder why she was present. She had no connection to the hospital or the medical staff. Other than Sheldon and Harry, who were her relatives. Naturally. It was a good thing she had come from a rich family. Otherwise, she would have ended up in a trailer park.
Sheldon said, “As you know, Doctor Collins plans to retire next month, and that is going to leave the chief of cardiology position open.”
At the mention of the chief of cardiology position, all thoughts of Natalie Layton left his mind. Like an arrow heading for a bull’s-eye, his focus narrowed to the one thing he wanted with every ounce of his being. His chest hitched. Did he dare hope?
Harry sat back in the leather chair, fingers laced across his belly. “We think you’d be a good candidate for that position.” He gave Brett one of his good ole boy nods.
“You’re one of our brightest young doctors,” Sheldon continued. “I have never found any fault in your practice of medicine or your ethics. I have no problem recommending you for the position.”
Brett’s heart pounded. He could actually visualize its ventricles pumping wildly. Finally, he managed to speak. “I–I don’t know what to say.”
A lump formed in his throat as he thought of his uncle, Mark Harris, who spent the better part of his life working under the hood of a car. “You’re smart, boy,” he had said. “You can be
anything you want to be. You can make something of yourself.”
Brett swallowed. “To serve as chief of cardiology, well, that would be everything. That would mean everything to me.”
Harry leaned forward and folded his arms on the table. “So the position is something you want to take on?”
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “I’ll be fully committed to the job.” There were so many upgrades he wanted to make, plus he wanted to grow the department. Buy new, state-of-the-art equipment so they could provide advanced procedures and testing that would reduce the mortality rate in the community.
“I promise you that you won’t regret endorsing me. I’ll make improvements in the quality of care, the design of the cardiac care unit, and our diagnosing capabilities. I will see to it that we have an outstanding cardiology department in this hospital.”
Harry and Sheldon exchanged nods while Brett struggled to temper his ecstasy with reality. “The thing is I’ve had my differences with Richard Lockett, as you both know. There’ll be a hurdle when it comes to him.”
“Doc”—Harry leaned forward as he spoke—“you are looking at the only two men who matter. The administration has to answer to the board, and Lockett knows where his bread is buttered.” Harry shrugged. “If I say I want you to be the next chief of cardiology, he’ll fall in line or else.”
For a moment, Brett grinned, but he wasn’t stupid. He had been raised on the wrong side of town, and he knew you never got something for nothing. Sheldon and Harry weren’t stroking his ego for the fun of it. He folded his arms on the table and took the straightforward approach.
“Who do I have to kill?”
Harry let out a robust laugh. “That’s a good one. I like you, Doc.” He sighed. “Wish it were that simple.”
Sheldon settled back in his chair as if his part was over, and Natalie’s attention was still on her smartphone. She appeared to be texting someone.
“Doc, we’ve got ourselves a family problem,” Harry said. “It’s my mother, Anna Layton. She’s in her eighties, and her heart isn’t beating like it should. What did you call that?” He looked at Sheldon, who was checking his phone, too.
“Bradycardia.”
Brett nodded. Bradycardia, a slow heart rate, was common among the elderly. He treated the condition on a regular basis. Without hesitation, he offered his medical opinion. “Barring any underlying problems, a pacemaker implant should improve her heart rate.”
“That’s what Sheldon said. We’d like you to see her.”
“Of course.” He would make his services available immediately. “I’ll be happy to see her in my clinic and do a full cardiac workup on her. I could do it this afternoon.” Giving up a day off was a small sacrifice if it meant an office on the top floor.
“The thing is, Mama hates doctors, and I’m not gonna lie to you. She can be a contrary woman when she sets her mind to it. Nobody tells her what she can and cannot do.”
“I’m sure I can win your mother’s trust.” How hard could it be to charm an old lady? Confident, Brett continued, “Over half my patients are elderly people like your mother. I have an excellent rapport with them.”
They loved him. It was like having dozens of grandmas and grandpas who loaded him up with home-baked goodies during holidays and fresh vegetables from their gardens in the summer. He enjoyed their adoration.
“It won’t be that easy.” Natalie finally sent a zinger across the table.
“I deal with senior patients on a daily basis.”
“You haven’t dealt with Anna Layton.”
“Your grandmother’s heart rate is going to continue to decline.” Brett decided to make things simple for Natalie. Too bad she hadn’t been born with a brain to go with her looks. “When her heart rate reaches the forties, she’ll have some bouts of dizziness and fatigue, which could result in a fall that might kill her or put her in bed for the rest of her life. A heart rate below twenty can be fatal on its own.”
He turned to Harry. “Mrs. Layton and I will get along just fine.” Type A. All about being assertive. Projecting confidence. “What time would you like to bring your mother to the clinic?”
Harry grimaced. “Mama’s kinda stubborn about such things. Like seeing a doctor. She never liked going to the doctor.”
“Nana has a mind of her own,” Natalie interjected with a sweet smile and Brett scowled at her.
Harry continued, “Mama says she’s not gonna sit around in a waiting room full of old people carrying freezer bags full of pill bottles and going on about all their ailments. She says she has better things to do.”
Brett studied. Okay, what could he do with that? He took the initiative again because people who didn’t take the initiative never won, and he always won.
“I can make a house call this afternoon.” He had never made a house call before, but he would now. He would literally move in with the old lady if he had to. “Whatever time that’s convenient for Mrs. Layton is fine with me.”
Harry glanced at Natalie and then at Sheldon. “Here’s the deal, Doc. You can’t just go over to Mama’s house like a doctor going to see a patient. She’d have a hissy fit and run you off.”
A hissy fit? Brett glanced at Sheldon, who shrugged and said, “I’m Anna’s brother-in-law and not one of her favorite people. Half the time, she doesn’t speak to me.”
The old lady must have some dementia. “What about Mrs. Layton’s primary care physician?” He figured he would need to form an alliance with that doctor.
“Doctor Gaskey was always our family doctor,” Harry answered. “Of course, he’s been dead a while now. There’s a nurse practitioner who lives in the neighborhood. She looks in on Mama when Mama calls her. Otherwise, Mama treats herself.”
“Have you spoken with Mrs. Layton about the importance of medical care?”
“Nana is a retired botanist, and she’s a believer in natural medicine,” Natalie answered.
Harry spread his hands, and Sheldon said, “I stay away. I’m afraid of the cat.”
“Nana has a thug cat,” Natalie again. Could she get any more annoying? “We don’t mess with the cat.”
Brett tried to hide his amazement. He was looking at the two most powerful men in the hospital as well as the city. The only two men who mattered. They had the clout to make or break a career. And they were both cowered by a little old lady and her cat.
Talk about the opportunity of a lifetime. If he could become Anna Layton’s physician, he would literally have it made. He would have Harry and Sheldon’s support and gratitude, which meant he could create a superior cardiology program at LFMC. Perhaps, someday, there would be a heart center named after him and he would be remembered for all posterity. Yes, he was definitely Type A.
“Do you want to speak with your mother and then give me a call?” he asked Harry.
“Well, we have a little something different in mind.” Both Harry and Sheldon looked at Natalie as if it were her turn to speak up.
She tapped her fingers on the table. “I’m home for a few weeks, and I’m staying with my grandmother.” She managed to choke out the rest, “You can come over as my dinner guest tomorrow night.”
It took him a moment to process that. “Okay. So I’m not coming over as a doctor. I’m coming over as your date?”
“A date is kinda stretching it,” she said as if to say that was never gonna happen. “An old friend from high school.”
“Friend,” he repeated, meeting her gaze. “Seriously?”
“It was Uncle Harry and Aunt Lorraine’s idea.” She was quick to clarify, and she frowned at her uncle, who had a mouthful of cheese Danish. “And it’s not a good idea. It’s not going to work. Not with Nana.”
“Natalie, you promised us you’d help out.” Harry took a swig of coffee. “We’re counting on you.”
She shook her head, and Brett realized she was totally against the idea, which might cost him the chief of cardiology position.
He sat up straight. “Natal
ie, you do understand what’s at stake here?”
“Besides your ego?” She didn’t blink as she looked him straight in the eye. It appeared that, since high school, she had developed a Terminator stare.
He didn’t flinch. “Do you want me to help your grandmother or not?”
Her phone lit up, and she checked a text message. She stuck her phone back in her purse and withdrew a small notepad. She scribbled on it, then tore off the paper and folded it. “I’ve got to meet someone,” she announced.
She hitched her purse strap on her shoulder, and she leaned across the table to hand Brett the folded paper. “Here’s my cell number. If something comes up and you can’t make it tomorrow night, call me. Otherwise, dinner is at seven. Sports jacket. No tie. Be at Nana’s house, which is the Castle House on Rosewood, by six forty-five.”
“I’ll be there.” He tucked the paper into the pocket of his jacket.
In a low, vindictive voice, she said, “Isn’t it amazing to think that I’m the key to your success?” She had glanced at Sheldon and Harry before she delivered a parting blow. “Nana is a piranha, Brett. She’ll eat you alive and not even burp.”
Holy crap. He turned to Sheldon and Harry as Natalie left the conference room. “A piranha?”
“Aw.” Harry waved his hand in the air. “You know how women are. You can’t pay any attention to what they say.”
Brett glanced at Sheldon, who completely sidestepped the issue. “Well, it appears we’re done here.”
The men stood, and Harry slapped his hand on Brett’s shoulder. “You help us out and we’ll take care of you, Doc.” Harry was nothing if not smooth. “You’re gonna love having an office up here on the top floor.”
Sheldon simply said, “Good luck.”
Brett checked the messages on his phone before he left the conference room. He had a message from his friend and colleague, Dr. Marla Grant, who was off in California with her new husband.
Are you in trouble again?
Brett shook his head. You know, gossip travels at the speed of light in this hospital.
Kayla ran into Aaron, and he said you got called in for a meeting with Sheldon. We were worried about you.
Everything His Heart Desires Page 2
