For You I Will

by Donna Hill

  Kai took out her instrument to look in Jessie’s ears and her throat. She then listened to her chest and lungs with the stethoscope. She checked the glands under her chin and behind her ears, and then examined her legs and arms. With the initial evaluation completed, she released a soft sigh, offered Jessie a smile and pulled the sheet and light blanket up over her. “I’ll be right back. Okay, sweetie? You rest and let the medicine begin to work.”

  She closed up her bag, got up and indicated to Anthony to follow her outside.

  “Well?” he asked the instant they were on the other side of Jessie’s door.

  “I don’t think it’s anything too serious. Her chest is clear. Her throat is a bit red, though. The main thing right now is getting her fever down and getting her to drink fluids. Dehydration is more of an issue than anything else. She’s coming down with a cold, probably from being out in the damp for so long in nothing more than pajamas.”

  “At least it’s not serious.”

  She read guilt in his eyes. “No, I don’t think so. And don’t be so hard on yourself,” she said. His gaze jumped to hers. He seemed to recognize the understanding and maybe even forgiveness in her tone.

  He pushed out a slow breath. “How long will it take for the medicine to work?”

  “Hmm, twenty minutes or so.”

  He nodded. “I can’t thank you enough. At least let me get you something warm to drink.”

  “Sure. That would be great. I want to check her again before I leave.”

  “Come on to the kitchen.”

  She followed him, once again getting an eyeful.

  “Do you drink tea?”

  “Yep.” She took a seat at the island counter.

  “I have green, apple cinnamon, and...” he examined the boxes, “chamomile.”

  “Green is fine.”

  He poured water in the teapot to boil and placed two mugs on the counter.

  “Hmm, something smells good.”

  “I was roasting a chicken for dinner.” He took out a bottle of honey from the pantry.

  “My grandmother always said that homemade chicken soup was the cure for everything,” she said, laughing lightly at the memory.

  “I’ve always had soup out of the can.”

  “Oh, Mr. Weston, you don’t know what you’re missing. And actually, I’m sure Jessie would love some.”

  He eyed her from over his shoulder. “Care to share the recipe?”

  She glanced up at him and her stomach fluttered. She shrugged her right shoulder. “Sure, why not.”

  “So what do I need besides chicken?” He grinned and dropped a tea bag in each of their mugs.

  She angled her body on the stool so that she faced him, folded her arms beneath her breasts and tilted her head to the side. “Well...carrots, potatoes, some celery, onions, a little black pepper and some flour to make dumplings.”

  Anthony’s brows rose with amusement. “All that, huh?”

  “Yep, and you simmer it with love. That’s the real cure.”

  His eyes darkened and slowly moved over her face, lighting a match in the pit of her stomach. The warmth spread.

  “Let me see what I can pull together. Will you help?”

  She swallowed over the dry knot that had settled in her throat. “Sure.”

  He flashed her a smile that kicked up the flame simmering inside her. She watched his fluid movements while he searched the vegetable bin in the fridge, pulled out the necessary items and placed them on the counter in front of her. Her heart leaped every time he came near her and felt as if it wanted to jump out of her chest.

  The teapot’s shrill whistle signaled that the hot water was ready and the games had begun. What had she let herself in for?

  Chapter 8

  “So...what do we do first?”

  “Um, we can start cutting up the chicken and then the vegetables.”

  “I can do the chicken. And what’s this dumpling thing you were talking about?”

  She laughed. “Simple. Flour and water, milk and a pinch of salt, rolled and boiled.”

  He made a face.

  “I promise, you’ll love it.”

  His gaze held hers for a moment and a tingle ran up and down her spine. “If you say so.”

  Anthony took a plate from the cabinet and put it on the counter and then found a knife for Kai. She began dicing the vegetables while he cut up the roasted chicken.

  “Want to listen to some music while we work?”

  “Sure.”

  “Be right back.” He walked toward the open living space and went to the CD player. “I didn’t bring much with me, but I have a few that hopefully you will like.” Moments later, KEM’s sultry voice floated through the space.

  “Oh, wow, one of my favorites.”

  “Mine, too,” he said, coming back into the kitchen. “What else do you like?”

  Her hand momentarily froze from dicing the celery and her mind ran in a million directions at once. “Um, you mean music?”

  He shrugged. “We can start there.”

  She continued to chop. “Well, I...” Suddenly her mind went blank with him looking at her...like that. As if he wanted to... She averted her gaze. “Charlie Wilson, Luther Vandross, a lot of jazz artists, Coltrane, Miles, Quinten Parker.”

  “Good taste in music, doc.” He smiled at her and that dimple teased.

  She lowered her gaze and focused on the task at hand, while wondering if he could hear her heart racing.

  “I met Quinten Parker in New York a couple of years ago. Real cool guy.”

  “Really?”

  He chuckled lightly at the memory. “I was at this club sitting at the bar and he sat right next to me. We got to talking about the Knicks and sports and politics. I finally introduced myself, and when he told me who he was, I nearly fell off the bar stool.”

  Kai laughed. “I bet.”

  “We keep in touch from time to time and try to get together when he’s in town and I’m not in the middle of a case.”

  “A case?”

  “Yeah, legal stuff.”

  She frowned.

  “I’m chief assistant district attorney for New York,” he said.

  Her brows rose. “Wow. I had no idea.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “No. I mean... I just never thought... I never met a chief assistant district attorney before,” she lamely added. “I guess you must see your share of tough cases.”

  “That I do. What’s next?” he asked, shifting the conversation back to dinner.

  “Oh, um...we need a big pot.”

  He took one out from beneath the sink.

  “Two cups of water and then add the chicken. When it starts to boil, I’ll add the vegetables.”

  “Got it. So, what did you do before you became the local doctor on call?”

  She rested her hip against the counter and took a sip of her tea. “I was chief of emergency services at New York Presbyterian Hospital.”

  “Now that is impressive. Why did you leave?”

  “Long story.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  The heady tone of his voice quickened her pulse. Her hand shook ever so slightly.

  She put the cup back down on the counter.

  “The hours were demanding. There never seemed to be enough that you could do for all of the people that needed help.” She slowly shook her head. “When I got the promotion to chief, the hours were beyond grueling and the constant trauma...day after day. And I knew I couldn’t function at that level anymore, but I knew I could never give up medicine. My family had a house here that dates back to when free blacks came to the island. So, here I am.” She took the plate with the diced vegetables and scoo
ped them into the simmering pot. “Do you have a cover for this?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  She was even more amazing than he originally thought. She was smart, hardworking, passionate about her career, independent, sexy as hell and gorgeous. He opened the cabinet beneath the sink next to the stove and when he stood back up there was barely a hairbreadth between them.

  Steam from the pot wafted around them. Kai held her breath. She was close enough to see the flecks of dark chocolate in his eyes. His bottom lip was moist and full and the silken curl of his lashes was enviable. His rugged five o’clock shadow stirred something deep and primal within her. She had the overwhelming desire to stroke the hard line of his jaw.

  He placed the cover on the pot without taking his eyes off her face. “More tea?” he asked, “or something stronger?”

  She blinked back to reality. “Um, maybe some wine if you have it.”

  “I believe I do.” He turned away and she released the breath she’d held.

  “Damn,” she mouthed.

  “There are some wineglasses in the cabinet above you,” he said from the interior of the refrigerator.

  She took out two glasses and set them on the counter. Anthony used a corkscrew to open the wine. He poured for them both, then raised his glass.

  “To wonderful doctors who still make house calls.”

  She raised her glass and gently tapped it against his. “What made you decide to come out to Sag Harbor?”

  “Much like you, it was my job. It’s stressful. I wanted a place away from the city, away from a lot of things really.” His gaze drifted off.

  “A lot of things?”

  The corner of his mouth lifted, then fell. “Bad divorce.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It happens. Crystal, my ex, said that she could compete with any woman but she couldn’t compete with my job, and she wouldn’t. So, she left.” He lifted his glass and took a long swallow. It was so much more than that but he didn’t want to scare her away with the ugly details.

  Kai watched the tightness deepen around the corners of his eyes. His jaw flexed.

  “How long has it been?” she asked in her best bedside-manner voice.

  “Two years in November.” He finished off his wine.

  Did he still love her? How often did they see each other? Did she want him back? The questions tumbled through her head, but of course she wouldn’t dare ask him. It was much too personal. They didn’t know each other like that.

  “So, I threw myself into my work full force,” he said with a derisive chuckle. “She was right. My work was important. It still is. But things were beginning to go wrong before then. We both knew it.” He suddenly focused back on her and she felt as if she was hit with a jolt of electricity. “More wine?”

  “No. I’m fine. Thanks.”

  He stared at her for a moment. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re nothing like I would ever imagine a small-town doctor.” His voice had taken on an intimacy that made her feel as if he were undressing her.

  “What did you imagine?” she managed.

  “Nothing like you, Dr. Kai Randall.” He moved a bit closer to her, taking in the satiny brown-sugar complexion, eyes like a young doe’s and the riot of natural spiral hair that stood out around her perfect face like a halo. And that body. He swallowed. Nope, not like any house-calling doctor he’d ever imagined.

  “Daddy...”

  Kai nearly jumped out of her skin.

  They both turned toward Jessie who was standing in the middle of the living room.

  “Hey, baby...”

  The spell was officially broken.

  Anthony hurried over to his daughter and picked her up. “How are you feeling, baby?”

  “I’m hungry.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

  Kai laughed. “That’s definitely a good sign.” She walked over to them and placed her hand on Jessie’s forehead. “Cooled down.” She stroked Jessie’s hair away from her face. “Your dad is fixing you some chicken soup.”

  Jessie rubbed her eyes.

  They stood there together and Kai could feel the bond between father and daughter, and for a moment she wondered...what it would be like...with him...with them.

  “I guess I should be getting home. Poor Jasper needs to get out of his carrier and it looks like the rain is finally slowing down.”

  “Absolutely not. The least I can do is have you join us for dinner. The dinner that you had a hand in preparing, I might add.”

  “And Jasper,” Jessie said at the sound of his barking. Jessie wiggled out of her father’s arms and ran over to the carry case that held Jasper. She got down on the floor and put her face up to the mesh opening.

  “There’s really no reason to rush,” he said in a rough whisper. “And you never showed me how to fix those dumpling things you were talking about. So you can’t leave.” The shadow of a smile played with his mouth.

  “If you’re sure.”

  “Without a doubt.”

  “All right then, I’ll stay.”

  “I’ll take Jasper out while you start the dumplings.”

  “Sure. Oh, do you have any baking powder?”

  “Should be some in the pantry.” Anthony took Jasper out of his carrier and he yipped and spun around much to Jessie’s delight. He came back to the kitchen and washed his hands at the sink. “How can I help?”

  By not standing so close to me. “A mixing bowl.”

  He got the bowl. Kai poured in flour, baking powder, a sprinkle of salt and a half cup of milk, and mixed it together until the mixture was thick but smooth. She scooped out a handful and molded it into a ball. Another she kneaded into an elongated shape.

  “Let me try.” He reached over her, and as his arm grazed her left breast, she nearly screamed. He took the dough into his large hands and massaged it into shape.

  Kai ran her tongue across her lips as she watched him caress the mixture and all manner of images of his hands on her body played hopscotch in her head.

  “How’s that?” He held a long, thick handful of smooth dough in his palm.

  Her throat went bone-dry. Heat seared her cheeks. “Great,” she muttered.

  “Now what?”

  “Umm, when the veggies are good and tender we put them in the pot for about fifteen minutes.”

  “I can’t remember the last time I was in the kitchen cooking with a woman.”

  He looked painfully shy all of a sudden. Kai’s heart ached.

  “Feels good.”

  He said the words so softly that she wasn’t sure he’d spoken at all. She didn’t know where to look with him staring at her that way.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  “You didn’t. I mean...I know the feeling.”

  His dark eyes flashed. “Do you?”

  All she could manage was a nod of her head.

  A smile like daybreak slowly lifted the corners of his mouth.

  They stood there, staring at each other, neither sure what the next step, the next words should be, but knowing that an invisible line had been crossed.

  Kai was the first to look away. “We should put the dumplings in now,” she said, barely above a whisper. She took the one he had in his hand and dropped it in the bubbling brew.

  Anthony put in the rest. “More wine?”

  “All right.”

  He turned to the counter to pour more wine and realized how quiet it had gotten. He put the bottle down and went into the living room.

  Jessie was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch, dozing with Jasper on her lap.

  Kai followed. She lifted Jasper and noticed that Jessie was warm again. “Fever is back. It’s only b
een a couple of hours since she had the Tylenol. It should have lasted at least four hours,” she said, concern tightening her voice.

  Anthony picked her up. “Let me get her back in the bed.”

  “She needs fluids.”

  “Jessie, Jess, wake up, sweetie.”

  “I’ll get some juice. You put her back to bed.”

  “My throat hurts,” she whimpered.

  “Okay, sweetheart. We’re going to make you feel better.” He carried her back to her bedroom.

  Kai poured a glass of orange juice and went to Jessie’s bedroom. “Let me take her temp again.” She got out the thermometer and put it in Jessie’s mouth. Within moments the digital thermometer beeped. “Back up to 102.”

  “What do you think is wrong?”

  “It’s more than a cold. Probably a virus.” She gave her another dose of Tylenol. “If she’s not better in the morning, then I suggest we get her over to the hospital and let them check her out. A colleague of mine is a great pediatrician over there. As a matter of fact, I’m going to give him a call.” She looked up at Anthony, whose expression was a portrait of anxiety. “I’m sure it’s nothing major, but with kids you can never be overcautious,” she added, hoping to take some of the worry out of his eyes. “See if you can get her to drink. I’ll call Andrew.”

  Kai got up and went to the front of the house and took her cell phone out of her coat pocket. She typed in Andrew’s private number and hoped that he would answer. He finally picked up on the fifth ring. After brief pleasantries that were clearly strained, she ran down the scenario for him and listened to his recommendations.

  “Thank you, Andrew. Sorry to bother you. Yes, I will. Thank you.” She disconnected the call and returned to the bedroom.

  “What did he say?” Anthony asked the instant her body was outlined in the doorway.

  “Pretty much what I told you. He said for now to give her the fever meds every two hours, then three, and then four. She has to drink as much fluids as we can get in her. Keep her warm but not too warm. When the fever breaks she’ll be damp and sweaty and we don’t want her to get a chill. He did say that she was probably coming down with something before she got here and being out in the damp just kicked it into gear.”

  His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out. For a moment he shut his eyes, got up and walked out before answering the call.