Last Call_A Small-Town Romance

by Nancy Stopper

  Now that he was in the middle of his third eighteen-hour shift in as many days, he was finally responding to Dr. Daniels again. He’d barely been able to take a breath since he stepped into the hospital three days ago. The ER had been flooded with sick kids and injuries from the snowstorm.

  Carla had filled his waking moments and had even invaded his dreams.

  He shouldn’t have left her like he did, without waking her up, without leaving a note. There was a lot of “shouldn’t haves” about that night, and the biggest of all... he shouldn’t have made love to her.

  Sweat had glistened on her face when she came. She’d traced the lines of his muscles and the images that memorialized his many failures. He could hide the shadows, the shame in the dark, but in the light of day, they would be exposed. And the ugliness would drive her away from him. He left her before she could leave him. Because she would. She deserved better than the likes of him.

  Leaving her made him no better than her ex-boyfriend. She’d only said his first name, but he’d probably been a regular at Last Call. Butch might even know him. If only he did, he’d track him down and teach him a thing or two about how to treat a woman.

  “Dr. Daniels.” The nurse stood at the end of the hall, hands on her hips, her lips pursed.

  He hurried down the hall and stepped into the exam room. The nurse blocked his view of the bed as she took the patient’s vitals. But when Butch stepped fully into the room, he pulled up short. A young child lay on the bed, her thin legs stretched part-way down the mattress, her head bandaged and her arm splinted. The child’s parents stood on the other side, the father’s brow was furrowed and the mother stroked the child’s head.

  He stood frozen. He couldn’t will his feet to move closer. His heart raced. Spots flashed in front of his eyes and he grew dizzy. He braced against the wall for support. His ears rang and his eyes wouldn’t focus. What was happening to him? This was not like before when he’d failed and another little girl died. He couldn’t treat this girl. He couldn’t lose another child.

  “Dr. Daniels, are you okay?”

  Kara, that was the nurse’s name. He’d met her when he started his first shift back a few days ago. She was always smiling and had an upbeat attitude, a tough thing to do in the ER. Unlike him, where ugliness coursed through his veins and every smile was forced.

  He shook his head. That was enough. He was not going to let one patient ruin everything he’d worked so hard for. He’d helped a lot of others and he could help this little girl, too. “Yes, of course. I’m fine. Status report.”

  “Child on sled versus brick wall. The wall won.”

  Oh, God. He’d left the big city to get away from the heartbreaking cases like this one... and the other little girl. The one he’d failed to save. He plastered on a smile and addressed the parents. “I’m Dr. John Daniels.”

  “Mason, and this is my wife, Susan.”

  Butch turned his attention to the curly-haired girl with eyes like the curly-haired grown up girl he’d just met.

  She leaned away from him.

  He softened his voice and relaxed his eyebrows so he didn’t scare her. “And who do we have here?”

  Her mother answered. “Her name is Sally.”

  “So, Sally, you hit a wall, huh?” He tilted his head and nodded.

  The girl grimaced and then groaned.

  “I’m gonna check you out. The paramedics did a great job patching you up. Can you tell me where you hurt?”

  She gestured to her arm and her head.

  He grabbed his penlight and eased her eyelid up. Her pupil constricted. Good. He checked the other eye. A sluggish response. Damn. Possible concussion.

  He tucked the light in his pocket then rubbed the disc on his stethoscope. “This is gonna be a little cold, honey, alright?”

  She nodded.

  He placed the flat circle against her chest. No rumbling or wheezing. Good news. He poked and prodded her body, confirming she hadn’t broken any ribs or other bones. He completed the rest of his routine exam, his heart calming to a steady pace as he confirmed no internal injuries. He had this. She wasn’t like the other girl, the one he’d lost.

  This little girl laid quietly while he examined her.

  He spoke to her parents. “I’m going to send her down for an X-ray of her arm and a CT scan. She might have a mild concussion.”

  The mother gasped. Her husband’s hand snaked around her body and supported her as he murmured words of encouragement.

  “A concussion is pretty common in active kids. You’ll need to watch her, but it’s nothing to be overly concerned about.” How could he say that to these parents when an otherwise routine case ended in one dead child and one traumatized doctor? And a negligence label he couldn’t mentally shake, regardless of what the medical board said.

  “Nurse Kara, please order an X-ray of her left arm and a CT. I’d like to review the results personally when they come back.” He turned back to Sally and patted her leg. “She’ll take real good care of you. I’ll be in to check on you later. Nurse Kara’s gonna take your bed for a little ride, okay?”

  A weak smile crossed the girl’s face. “Okay.”

  He nodded to the parents and left. Once he’d stepped out of sight, he slumped against the wall. His heart beat so fast that sharp pain settled in his chest... he’d survived his first pediatric patient since the event. He rested his hands on his knees and drew in a few ragged breaths. All those months away, he’d almost put the other case out of his mind, and in one minute, he was back there again, in another exam room, on another day, with another outcome.

  He closed his eyes and pictured some of the landscapes he’d photographed on his trip, the pinks and oranges of a beautiful sunrise, the flock of birds taking flight over the Louisiana bayou, the curve of Carla’s hip as he stroked… Damn. What he wouldn’t have given to have his camera the other night.

  No matter what else, he shouldn’t have left her the way he did. He’d left her and she didn’t have a way to reach him. Did she want to call him or was she mad he’d left the way he did? Regardless, he’d been an ass leaving the way he did. He had to take the next step.

  Dating a doctor wasn’t easy. Many of his colleagues were divorced or never married, like him. The hours were long and at times the emotions were overwhelming. It was impossible to leave that at work and the negativity often bled into their family life. But having someone like Carla in his life also meant there would be a welcoming face when he got home, a partner to share his joys and troubles, and someone to bring happiness into his life. And at the end of the day, someone he could crawl into bed and make passionate love with.

  The rattling of a bed sounded beside him. He straightened up and screwed on a smile as an orderly rolled Sally out of the room. Her worried parents ran on either side of her. Sally waved at him and he smiled back. Did Carla look like that as a child, her curls blowing wild behind her as she ran down the street or giggled with her girlfriends?

  Before long, the gurney returned, the girl and her parents all smiles. The orderly handed him the X-rays. “Radiologist said everything’s clear. No skull fracture. Slight concussion. Nothing that a couple of days resting and eating ice cream wouldn’t cure.”

  He ruffled the little girl’s hair and turned to her family. “Well, that explains the smiles. Sounds like a perfect treatment plan to me.” He spent a few more minutes talking to the family and the stress on his shoulders melted away. Maybe he could handle this after all.

  What that other mother had said to him, to his colleagues, had stuck in his craw for so long, he had started to believe the negative thoughts. He shook his head. Where had the confident, cocky doctor gone? Why had he let one awful case drive him away from something he otherwise loved.

  And why had he walked away from the most intriguing woman he’d met in a long time?

  When the ER finally quieted for the first time in hours, he snuck away to the lounge for a few minutes. The walk gave him a moment to build up his
nerve. After leaving Carla the way he did, she may hang up on him. His gut churned. He had to make this right.

  A few moments later he stared at the digits he’d typed into his phone. He hadn’t been able to track down a direct number for Carla so he was forced to call the bar.

  “J.J.’s, how can I help you?” A male voice answered. Why couldn’t Carla have answered? This conversation would have been a lot easier if he didn’t have to leave a message.

  “Hello?” the voice asked again.

  He cleared his throat. “Is, um, is Carla there?” Could he have sounded more like an idiot?

  “She’s out on the floor right now. Can I take a message?”

  Should he leave a message? How tacky was that? He didn’t have a choice, though. He didn’t have another way of reaching her, except to walk in the door. But that would put her on the spot. “Could you tell her Joh…, er, Butch called.”

  “Butch, eh? Sure, I can let her know. Does she have your number?”

  No. Because he left in the middle of the night and didn’t leave a note. No way would he tell her boss that. “Let me give it to you, just in case.”

  He rattled off the numbers, hung up the phone, and sank back onto the couch. He would wait for her to call back. But not long. Because now that he’d met Carla and gotten his head out of his ass, he wasn’t letting her go.

  Chapter Eight

  CARLA FINGERED THE slip of paper in her hand, flipped it over and ran her hand over the numbers. She’d almost worn off the writing in the past twenty-four hours since Joey handed her the slip. After the way Butch left, his call was a big surprise. She’d worked double-shifts for the past three days, partly because the snow kept a couple of waitresses home, and partly to avoid spending any extra time in her apartment. She couldn’t pass the couch without remembering the two of them making love, his hands on her, his eyes closed and his head thrown back when he came, the rough rub of his beard against her…

  She shook her head. Maybe if she shook hard enough, the memories of Butch would leave her alone. She’d sworn off bad boys and Butch just proved she was right.

  She shoved the piece of paper into her apron pocket and got back to work.

  The noise level grew louder as customers filled the restaurant over the next several hours.

  “Guess cabin fever drove a bunch of folks out tonight, huh?” Rachel handed over another drink order. She propped her tray on the edge of the bar and rested on her elbow.

  “What about you? I haven’t seen you out and about the past couple of days.”

  Rachel blushed and she fiddled with her fingers. “I guess I didn’t want to go out in the snow.”

  Yeah, there was another story there. Maybe that new boyfriend kept Rachel too busy to worry about work.

  Speaking of boyfriends… “Hey, Rachel, got something for you when you get a break.”

  Rachel leaned further over the bar. “Oh, yeah. Do tell.”

  “Not now. Later.”

  “Is this about that sexy man who came into the bar the other night?”

  Heat rose on Carla’s cheeks and her heart raced. She may have written Butch off in her mind, but her body hadn’t gotten the message.

  “Oh, man. I can’t wait.”

  Carla laughed it off. She would never admit he’d left her alone after sleeping with her. Like everyone else in her life. The phone message from him burned a hole in her pocket. At least he’d called. “Here’re the drinks for table seven. Now get out of here so I can get back to work.”

  A long lineup of drink orders were tacked on the bar. This might be their busiest night since they opened. She yelled through the window into the back. “Hey, Joey, I’m getting backed up out here. Can you give me a hand?”

  “I’ll be out in a few.”

  “Thanks.”

  Many of her previous bosses took her bartending skills for granted or treated their staff like crap. Not Joey. He appreciated her skills behind the bar but also pitched in wherever he could.

  She lined up several lemons, oranges and limes to chop for a sangria. A task she’d performed any number of times, one that didn’t take much concentration. As she chopped, her mind wandered to the slip of paper in her apron and the sexy man who’d called her.

  His beard had scratched against her hands when she cupped his cheek, and the prickly hairs had left burn marks on her thighs. His large hand cupped her breast, his mouth sucked on her neck, he brought her to…

  “Ow. Oh, crap. Shit.” Carla dropped the knife and grabbed her left thumb. Blood gushed out of the finger, pouring onto the cutting board. That’s what she got for being distracted. She wrapped a towel around her thumb, pressing on the wound. Red seeped onto the towel.

  “Joey!”

  He rushed out of the back, wiping his hands on a towel. When he saw Carla’s hand, he jumped into action. “Diego! Get out here and cover the bar. Rachel, can you help?”

  Joey’s voice grew quieter, the tinny sound barely reaching her ears.

  Her head swam and spots flashed in front of her eyes. She took a step and wavered.

  “Oh, crap.” Joey righted her and wrapped his arm around her waist. He shuffled her onto the couch in his office and pressed her head between her knees. “Take some deep breaths. And hold your hand up.”

  She squeezed on the towel, but the red kept spreading.

  “I’m gonna call Lucas. He’ll know what to do.”

  Carla drew in some deep breaths as Joey talked to Lucas on the phone.

  Joey hung up and the cushion depressed beside her. “Lucas and Stacey are headed over in the ambulance.”

  She snapped her head up too fast. Her head swam and her vision narrowed. She blinked a couple of times to bring Joey back into focus. “I don’t need an ambulance. See.” She extended her hand. “The bleeding is starting to slow already. It’s just a little cut.” Her hand wavered and all of a sudden, there were two of everything. She dropped her head back between her knees.

  “It’s not just a little cut. You probably need stitches, maybe even more if you sliced through a tendon or something.”

  She shook her head. She didn’t have enough money for an expensive visit to the ER. Sure, she was living rent-free above the bar, but she’d only been working here a month and hadn’t saved much money yet. And she didn’t particularly like hospitals.

  “You’re completely covered under my insurance at the bar. Workplace accident. So you have nothing to worry about.”

  “Whatever.” She couldn’t argue anymore. Her head hurt and bile rose in her throat. Besides, an ambulance was just a hassle and everyone would stare. “I’ll just drive myself.”

  She stood, but her head swam and she lost focus again. She reached out for Joey and stumbled. Okay, maybe not.

  He eased her back to the couch. “Any other ideas?”

  Joey squeezed her hand, applying pressure to the towel as Carla slumped on the couch, breathing deeply through her nose. Eventually, she heard Lucas’s voice. Carla raised her head as Lucas, wearing a paramedic’s uniform, and another woman walked into the room.

  “So, you’re a paramedic, too, Lucas?” She tried to sound light-hearted, but as she moved her hand, pain shot up her arm.

  Lucas grinned. “Never met a challenge I couldn’t conquer.”

  “Stacey, how do you put up with that ego?” Joey asked.

  “I just smack him upside the head from time to time.” She did just that and Joey laughed. Carla tried to laugh but her finger throbbed and she was still a little dizzy.

  She moaned and stomped her foot on the floor. How could she have been so stupid? She didn’t need this.

  Stacey and Lucas sprang into action. He shoved Joey out of the way and sat beside her. “Let me see what you’ve done here.”

  Lucas unwrapped the towel and blood flowed freely. Her head swam again. So much blood. She closed her eyes and flopped back on the couch. Maybe she could lay down, that would help.

  Before she could slide down the cushion, Lucas and
Stacey wrapped her hand in a pressure dressing and started an IV. “You’ve lost a lot of blood. Let’s get you to the ER and they can take care of this hand.”

  Lucas taped up her hand as Stacey walked away. A minute later, Carla heard something being wheeled into the room.

  “Oh, no, I don’t need that.” Carla stood and her head swam.

  Lucas placed his hand on her arm and eased her onto the bed all the while chuckling. “Oh yes, you do.”

  She was strapped in and in no time, they wheeled her out the back and into the waiting ambulance. Stacey slammed the door and left Carla and Lucas in the back. In another minute, the vehicle rushed down the road.

  Lucas grabbed her wrist and stared at his watch. “I know this was secretly just a ploy to get some alone time with me. You didn’t have to go to such extremes. A phone call would have been fine.”

  She would have smacked him if she had any strength left. Maybe Joey had been right to call Lucas. If she’d been driving and passed out, things could be much worse.

  Lucas kept up a steady chatter during the short drive. What in the hell did he have to talk about anyway? If he would just stop talking, she could close her eyes and sleep. She’d feel better after a little nap.

  Eventually, the swaying of the ambulance stopped and Stacey opened the back doors.

  The bright sun bounced off the snow and blinded her. She groaned and used her good hand to cover her eyes. Stacey and Lucas rolled her into the Emergency Room and in just a couple of minutes, a nurse asked her questions and checked her vitals.

  “Well, sweetie. Lucas and Stacey did a great job dressing your wound. Your blood pressure is still low so I’m going to get a doctor in here to check you out and we’ll probably give you a quick transfusion before we get your hand checked out.”

  Why was everyone blowing this out of proportion? Her finger didn’t throb too much and her head had cleared. “Okay. Whatever. I just want to get out of here and back to work.”

  The nurse stepped out. Carla laid her head back on the bed and closed her eyes. She was so tired. She had barely slept the past three nights. She’d tried to sleep, but when she closed her eyes, visions of Butch filled her dreams.