“Don’t bother adding her to your flavor of the month club,” Mark informed him. “She’s already occupied.”
“So I hear.” Justin’s eyes twinkled. Although he hadn’t found the woman he wanted to settle down with, he didn’t poach on another man’s territory, so Mark felt reasonably safe that he wouldn’t horn in on Dixie.
“I must say, old man,” Justin continued. “I think I’m beginning to rub off on you. I’ve never known you to go after a locum, considering how temporary they are.”
“She isn’t a locum.” At Justin’s raised eyebrow, he continued, “She is, but she isn’t. She’s Ned Bentley’s cousin.”
Justin stared at him in horror. “Oh, man. Have I taught you nothing? You’re smack dab in the middle of one ugly situation. Next thing you know, Bentley’ll be leading you around by the nose and she’ll have you by the—”
“It isn’t like that. It won’t be like that. She’s leaving right after the Valentine’s Day dance.”
Justin shrugged. “If you say so.” He clapped a hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Be careful, bud. You’ve been burned before.”
As if Mark needed a reminder, or a warning. “She might be the one, though,” he said, trying the idea on for size and realizing that it didn’t fit too badly.
“She might. Just remember that falling for your partner’s cousin could either make your life heaven or hell. If it works for you, great, but this situation is far too complicated for my blood.”
“She said the same thing.”
“She did?” Justin appeared surprised. “Then she’s a smart woman. Whatever you do, don’t rush into anything.”
“I won’t.” Mark took his seat at the conference table and thought about the turn his life had taken. No matter how well his life meshed with Dixie’s, no matter how often he advised her to take each day at a time, and no matter what Ned had done, they couldn’t discuss or even hint at a future until the louse returned.
The fact was, he wanted her to stay in Hope indefinitely, preferably for ever. Justin’s admonitions to be careful and not to rush into anything had come too late.
He had fallen in love with Dixie.
By the end of her second week in Hope, Dixie felt as if her life in Chicago belonged to someone else. Once in a while she missed the hustle and bustle of the ER, but because of her experience she’d willingly accepted the assignment of ER back-up call. Galen and his wife, Nicole, served as ER backup during the day, but evenings and nights were covered by a rotating call schedule and she’d willingly offered her services. Twice now she’d gone in to help Jared and the rotating docs, once after her office hours had ended at five and once at midnight on a Saturday night. Both cases had been MVAs—motor vehicle accidents—involving four or more people, but they’d all lived to see another day.
Her appointment with the Jamisons had gone like clockwork. She’d collected a urine sample from Joey for another cotinine level and Tom grudgingly admitted that his patches seemed to be helping, for the most part.
After encouraging him not to give up on them, she sent the young family on their way. While it was too soon to pat herself on the back for a complete victory, she felt they were headed in the right direction.
On her way to her next patient, Miranda stopped her in the hallway. “Phone call, Doctor.”
“Can you take a message?”
“The woman was extremely insistent. I believe she said she was your aunt.”
Dixie snapped her fingers. “Darn. I forgot to call her yesterday. I’ll take it in my office.”
“Line three.”
“Thanks.”
A minute later Dixie sank onto her chair, took a bracing breath, then punched the blinking light. “Aunt Cora? How are you?”
“Oh, Dixie,” her aunt gushed. “I have the most wonderful news.”
At least she wasn’t complaining because Dixie hadn’t produced any leads on her son. “What is it?”
“Why, Ned phoned me about thirty minutes ago.”
Her aunt couldn’t have told her anything more surprising. “He did? Where is he? What has he been doing? When is he coming back?”
“Hold on, dear. I have to tell this in my own way or I’ll forget everything he said.”
Dixie pressed her lips together and counted to ten. “OK. What did he say?”
“He’s at a treatment center in Seattle.”
“Treatment? What sort of treatment?”
“Mind you, he doesn’t really have a problem. Oh, he drinks, but he’s not an alcoholic. I don’t care what those people say, he’s my son and I’d know if he was.”
Her aunt had confirmed what Dixie hadn’t wanted to believe, but she didn’t say a word. She couldn’t.
“He wouldn’t be there now,” she continued, “but his tramp of a girlfriend threatened to turn him in to the state Board of Healing Arts if he didn’t go for an evaluation. Once he was there, those people simply refused to let him leave. They shouldn’t be able to do that, should they?”
Dixie was well aware of how those programs worked. One of her fellow ER physicians had had a similar problem with prescription drugs. He’d gone for an evaluation and once there he’d had to complete the treatment program if he wanted to continue practicing medicine. The potential of losing one’s livelihood created a powerful incentive.
“They do,” she said dryly. “It’s for our patients’ protection.”
“Still, that woman should be flogged,” her aunt insisted. “How dare she put Ned through this? Put us through this?”
Sensing her aunt’s diatribe would continue if she allowed it to, Dixie steered the conversation onto a slightly different course. “When will they release him?”
“If I understood Ned correctly, about ten days.”
A little over a week. Ten days until she had no reason to remain in Hope. She should have been happy to return to Chicago, but she wasn’t.
“Which brings me to my reason for calling you,” her aunt said. “Ned wants you to make sure he has a job when he returns. Talk to his boss, Martin Campbell.”
“Mark Cameron,” Dixie corrected. “I’ve already done all I can, but it’s out of my hands.”
“Nonsense. All you have to do is say that Ned had to get away and he’ll return around the first of the month.”
“Had to get away?” Dixie echoed. “That excuse won’t cut it. Mark has lived through hell trying to keep up with his practice by himself. He deserves to know the truth.”
“But we can’t tell him the truth. He might not want Ned to work there if he knows about Ned’s little problem.”
“Ned’s problem isn’t little. Mark needs to know.”
“Nonsense. What difference does it make if Ned performs his job? He’s quite capable, you know.”
“You don’t understand. If Ned should start drinking and make a mistake, the liability will be horrendous.”
Her aunt’s voice grew hard. “Ned was adamant. His boss is not to know about his alcohol problem. If this Cameron person finds out, we’ll know exactly who told him.”
“I can’t lie. I won’t lie. This isn’t right and I won’t let Ned do this to Mark—Dr Cameron.”
“Is this the thanks we get for bringing you into our home? That you won’t help Ned in his hour of need?”
In that instant Dixie replayed her efforts on Ned’s behalf over the years. What she’d done under the guise of helping or looking after her relatives had been the crutch that Mark had already pointed out. However, no matter how anyone described it, her actions could have been textbook examples of enabling behavior. By rushing in to rescue Ned from himself, she’d supported his destructive habits.
It was time for the cycle to stop.
“Ned got himself into this and he has to get himself out of it. He’s the only one who can smooth things over. Considering he stole a lot of money from Mark, he has to make restitution.”
“Nonsense.” Dixie cringed at her aunt’s favorite word. “I know about the missing money, but
if you pay off the debt, what can Cameron do? He’ll have his money, which is all he’s interested in, I’m sure.”
“I’m not a bank.”
“No, but you have money in your trust fund,” her aunt said slyly. “More than enough to cover the amount Ned borrowed. He’ll work out a schedule with you to repay every dime.”
Her aunt’s reassurances did little to calm Dixie’s reservations about Ned’s ability or his interest in reimbursing her. He’d borrowed far lower amounts from her over the years and she had yet to see a single cent.
“No, Aunt Cora. I won’t do that. Ned has to pay his own debts. I won’t be the middle man.”
“Well.” Her aunt sniffed. “I hadn’t realized you’d become so ungrateful. After everything we’ve done for you, how can you turn your back on your cousin?”
“I’m not ungrateful. Ned is old enough to take responsibility for his own actions. Maybe if I hadn’t stepped in so often, he wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
“Then you’re not going to help him now.” She stated it as a fact.
“I am helping him,” Dixie insisted. “Just not in the way you think I should. Ned needs to repay Mark on his own, but first he has to call and explain where he is and why.”
“Ned won’t agree. He doesn’t want anyone to know. Why, if word got out about his drinking, his reputation would suffer. Who would want him in their practice or treating their patients?”
“Who will want him if he kills a patient because he couldn’t function at the time?” Dixie countered. “It’s too late for secrets. Ned, not you or me, has to talk to Mark.”
“Why must we air our dirty laundry to strangers?” her aunt groused. “What purpose will it serve?”
“Without honesty, what’s left?” Mark’s words echoed in her mind. “I’ll give Ned one week to call Mark.”
“A week?”
“Seven days,” she affirmed. “Ned obviously has access to a phone or he couldn’t have contacted you. And if he doesn’t, he needs to write a long letter. Either way, he has to be open and truthful.”
“And what if Ned chooses not to say anything about his alcohol problem?”
She’d never dreamed her family would force her into an ultimatum. “Then I’ll tell Mark everything. If I do, I can guarantee that Ned won’t have a job.”
A pregnant pause filled the air waves.
“Fine,” her aunt snapped. “I’ll tell Ned he has one week. However, if this situation backfires, I’m holding you personally responsible. You will no longer be considered a member of this family.”
Dixie tried not to reflect on the years she’d tried to gain their acceptance. What happened happened. She’d survived the loss of her family before, she’d survive the loss of this one, too.
“One week,” Dixie repeated. “I’ll be waiting.”
She broke the connection, then cradled her face in her hands. This entire situation was worse than she’d expected, worse than she’d ever imagined. She’d been so naïve to think Ned’s disappearance had been a simple case of being involved in a car accident and laid up in a hospital, unable to contact anyone.
How dared Ned expect to hide his problem from his boss? And how dared both he and his mother expect her to fix the royal mess Ned had made? This wasn’t a case of a missed car or rent payment. This was serious business. As far as she was concerned, whatever Mark chose to do was fine with her.
In the meantime, she had her own problems to sort out.
She jumped to her feet and caught Mark as he was between patients. “May I have a word with you?” she asked, trying to sound calm and matter-of-fact when she was the opposite.
“I have a patient waiting,” he began.
“So do I. This won’t take long.”
Clearly puzzled by her request, he opened the nearest door and motioned her inside. “Is this OK?”
“It’s fine.” Dixie drew a deep breath. “I made a terrible mistake.”
He didn’t seem shocked. Instead, he leaned against the counter. “Whatever it is, it probably isn’t as terrible as you think, but I’m listening.”
She drew a shaky breath. “When I first learned about the money Ned took, I wanted to repay you. So I contacted my lawyer and arranged a transfer out of my trust fund to your bank account.”
“I see.”
“I didn’t do it for Ned. Well, maybe a little part of me wanted to right the wrong, but I felt more badly for you. It bothered me when you took out the loan that Ned should have taken, and you were paying the price. Then, when the windows were broken, I thought I’d done the right thing to help you. It seemed silly to make you struggle when I had the means available to make your life a little easier.”
“Then you had second thoughts,” he guessed.
“Yes, but not because I stopped wanting to help you. The night of the vandalism, I saw how you handled the situation with Robbie and I understood what you’d been saying all along. Ned has to suffer his own consequences. Whatever they might be.”
“I appreciate your honesty,” he said gently. “This means more than you know.”
She wanted to weep. She didn’t want him to be impressed by what she’d done, because it only made her feel worse.
“I would have said something sooner, but I forgot,” she said, clearing the lump out of her throat. “I…er, I remembered today, and decided to tell you before Jane opened your next bank statement and you wondered where the money had come from. As I said, I still would like to help you. If you’d like to consider it as a loan that’s fine, or if you want to return it I don’t care.”
“What about Ned?”
She managed a smile. “As you’ve told me before, this is between you two. I’m staying out of it.”
“Good girl. You know I’ll return the full amount to you.”
She nodded. “I thought as much.”
He straightened. “I’ll ask Jane to contact the bank and write you a check.”
“Whatever. Thanks for…understanding.”
Dixie fled. At least she’d dealt with her mistake. Only time would tell if Ned would deal with his.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MARK watched Dixie leave as if rabid dogs nipped at her heels. She’d clearly been uncomfortable about coming to him and admitting to taking matters in her own hands but, as he’d told her, he appreciated her honesty. She could have simply let him find the money on his own or, worse yet, let him think that Ned had paid his debt.
Whatever her reason, he’d fully expected her to cover Ned’s theft if it had been in her power. She’d cleaned up Ned’s messes before, so he wasn’t surprised that she’d done it again.
What did surprise him, though, and what was far more important to him, was what truly lay at the heart of her admission.
She trusted him.
If he’d ever clung to the doubt that Dixie was simply trying to manipulate him, her simple actions said otherwise.
The love he’d been trying to hold at bay refused to be denied. His hesitation to get involved, to risk being in a position where someone he cared for could exploit his feelings for her own agenda, faded. He wanted Dixie to be a part of his life, today and for ever. Yes, there were still complications—his day of reckoning with Ned—but right now Mark didn’t consider any problem insurmountable.
He found Jane. “Call the bank and check our account balance.”
She frowned. “I can give it to you right now. It’s in my ledger.”
“No,” he said. “Call the bank. Dixie transferred money into our account.”
Jane turned bug-eyed. “She did?”
“Yeah. I want you to reimburse her for the same amount.”
“You’re not keeping it?”
He shook his head. “Not one cent.”
Jane wrinkled her brow and looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had. “You’re sure.”
“Absolutely.”
“OK, but I don’t understand.”
“It’s not her debt and she knows it.�
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“But…you’re so…calm about this.”
“Would you rather I bellowed at the top of my lungs about her audacity? Or yelled and screamed because I was giving the money back?”
“No-o-o.”
He smiled. “Then just write the damn check so I can give it to her.”
Jane’s gaze became speculative. “You like her, don’t you?”
“I like all of my staff.”
She shot him a get-serious look. “I meant, you really like her.”
No, he didn’t. He loved her. However, Dixie would be the first one to hear that. Not Jane.
“You aren’t dialing,” he reminded her with a wink.
Jane giggled, as if she knew that he wasn’t going to admit anything to anyone at the moment, then picked up the receiver. “One phone call coming right up.”
Saturday rolled into Sunday and then Monday. The weather had warmed to above freezing and the snow and ice were slowly turning to slush as the pristine white ground turned to a muddy, sloppy gray.
Dixie, however, didn’t notice. She was determined to live to the fullest the days until Ned returned. Who knew what would happen when the two men confronted each other? If they did at all.
She’d warned Ned, through her aunt, to be honest with Mark. Ned wasn’t the first physician to suffer from an addiction problem, neither would he be the last, but he simply had to admit his weakness to his boss. As she’d already told Aunt Cora, if Ned didn’t, then Dixie would. Ned would be in for a big surprise if he thought he could bluff his way out of this and still receive Mark’s mercy.
Although Dixie had outlined what she would do, she knew that following through would be the hardest thing she’d ever done. Protecting Ned was so ingrained in her that she couldn’t bear to watch him throw his life away.
At times she caught herself wanting to phone her aunt and retract her ultimatum, but she’d look at Mark and realize that if she did she’d disappoint herself. She was a physician, with a duty to treat people’s illnesses, and if she didn’t stand firm, she was allowing Ned to remain active in his disease of chemical dependency.
If she caved in to her aunt’s pressure, Mark’s disappointment would be twice as difficult for her to handle. On the other hand, was Mark’s approval worth the guaranteed loss of her family if she interfered?
The GP's Valentine Proposal Page 16
