Megan slammed the door and stomped the length of the town house walkway, hurrying to the sidewalk. Her stride was just shy of a full-on run. The sun was warm, but a fog enveloped her. A fog that had nothing to do with being a block from the beach and everything to do with…anger? Or worse—passion?
No way. She’d deftly and dispassionately fended off advances from male patients before. She’d certainly never worked herself into a fog about any of them. She wanted to believe she’d handled the Simon situation in a professional manner, but she didn’t buy the lie. Plain and simple: she’d lost it with Simon Reynolds. Everything: her temper, her composure, her objectivity, her professionalism—and that was the worst.
She’d gotten a late start in her career because of Bayleigh’s medical problems. She couldn’t afford mistakes now that she was on her way. What was it with Simon?
Oh, she knew he’d kissed her to scare her off. And it had worked. But not for the reason he thought. A come-on she could handle. It was herself she was worried about. She’d liked kissing him—far too much.
She didn’t have to touch a hot stove more than once to know it hurt. After a crash and burn in the romance department, she knew guys like Simon should be avoided. If it was just her, she might be tempted. But Bayleigh came first. Megan wanted to give her a father, but the wrong man could scar her daughter more deeply than the trauma of cornea transplant surgery.
Nothing could compel Megan to take care of Simon. No amount of money, calling in personal favors or fear of a lawsuit could convince her to go back inside. Simon Reynolds was too tempting and too dangerous.
In her peripheral vision, Megan registered a car parallel-parking at the curb.
“Megan? Is that you?”
She turned and instantly recognized the woman getting out of the car. “Janet.”
The older woman smiled, stepped onto the sidewalk then held her arms open for a hug. Megan easily slipped into the embrace and returned it. Janet Ward was the most loving, generous, courageous woman. When her daughter and grandson were mortally injured in a car accident, she’d made the decision to donate their organs for transplant. Thanks to her, Bayleigh had received the little boy’s corneas and the gift of sight. After the operation, Megan had asked to meet the family and thank them. But the boy’s father had refused.
Janet had graciously accepted Megan’s gratitude in spite of her profound grief. Because Janet’s loved ones were alive through the transplant recipients, she’d insisted on staying in touch with all of those who were open to the idea. Megan had a picture of her daughter with Janet in her wallet and knew the other woman carried Bayleigh’s school picture in hers. And Janet had very carefully avoided personal references to the grandson she’d lost, not wanting to make Megan or Bayleigh feel anything but grateful for the miracle. They owed this woman so much more than it was possible to repay.
“What are you doing here?” Janet asked, then shook her head as she looked down at Megan’s clothes. “The scrubs are a dead giveaway. You’re working.”
“I was. The patient is impossible.” She smiled ruefully at her taller friend. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see someone impossible, too.” Something flickered in her eyes and an expression that looked like comprehension crossed the older woman’s face. “Your difficult patient isn’t a man, is he?”
“Yes.”
“His name isn’t Simon Reynolds by any chance?”
“How did you know?” Megan asked, surprised. “Since when did you become psychic?”
“Oh, Megan—” She put a hand to her chest and shook her head. “I can’t believe this.”
“What is it? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Janet glanced to her left and nodded toward a bench, the focal point of the corner and surrounded by landscaping that included flowers and bushes marking the entrance to the condominium complex. “Let’s sit down for a minute. You might not need to, but I definitely do.”
“Okay.” Megan held her elbow.
Together they walked the several steps, then sat side by side on the wooden slats. Megan took a deep, bracing breath. The previous day’s rain had washed the air clean and left behind a brilliant blue sky. In the distance she could hear waves from the Pacific Ocean crash against the shore. The only storm on her horizon had been Simon Reynolds, but he was behind her. Or was he? Megan had the strangest feeling that life as she knew it was about to change. Now who was getting psychic?
She looked at her friend. “What are you doing here, Janet? How do you know Simon?”
“He’s my son-in-law. Ex, technically.” She waited.
Megan felt the impact of those words wash over her in shock waves. “He’s Marcus’s father?” she whispered.
The precious little boy who’d donated his corneas to Bayleigh was Simon’s son?
“Yes.” Janet sighed and clutched her purse in her lap. “I was here a little while ago to check up on him.”
“So you know about his motorcycle accident?” When the other woman nodded, she said, “But in the ER last night he said there was no one to notify. How did you find out?”
“I just knew.” She laughed without humor. “It’s not as twilight zone as it sounds. Marcus and Donna died two years ago yesterday. I had a bad feeling he would hurt himself.”
Megan remembered his haunted look last night when he’d said he knew the date. Oh, God. “Are you saying he deliberately dumped his motorcycle?”
“No. Nothing like that. But since he lost them, he’s been rash, reckless. It’s as if he doesn’t care.”
“I gathered,” Megan said. “His hospital rap sheet is proof of that.”
“He takes chances without regard for his personal safety. I came by to check on him so I guess you could say I had an informed gut feeling.”
“And he told you a nurse was coming,” she said, knowing the woman would have stayed with him otherwise.
Janet shook her head. “I told him off and left after he was abrasive and sarcastic.”
“That sounds like him.”
“But I felt guilty. He tried to hide it, but I know he’s in a lot of pain. I didn’t think he would allow anyone to nurse him. So I came back, armed for battle and prepared to bully him into accepting assistance.” She met Megan’s gaze. “How did you get involved?”
“I was doing a per diem shift in the ER last night when he was brought in.”
“When is that hospital going to realize what a find you are and give you a full-time job where you really want to work?”
“Unlike you, I have no twilight zone moments, so I really can’t say. But thanks for the vote of confidence.” Megan sighed and pulled her sweater more closely around her when the breeze picked up. She thought back to the previous evening, which seemed a lifetime ago. “There’s just something about Simon,” she commented almost to herself.
“He’s definitely serious hunk material,” Janet commented.
“I wasn’t talking about that,” Megan said, but couldn’t suppress a smile.
“So you agree with me.”
“He wouldn’t have to wear a paper bag over his head in public,” she answered cautiously. “But that’s not what I meant. Every emergency is different, but patients’ reactions are similar. They want to know if they’re going to be all right or if the injuries are life-threatening. He did all that, but there was a subtext to his questions. As if he was hoping for the worst. As if he didn’t care whether he lived or died.”
“I don’t think he does. So he’s still being impossible?”
“How did you know that?” Megan was distracted, still shaken by his kiss. He was impossible all right—impossibly attractive and appealing.
“You just told me. Is your shift over?”
Megan shook her head. “I walked out.”
“But you’ve talked to me about dealing with difficult patients. To the best of my knowledge you’ve never given up on anyone. What happened?”
Janet’s approving words troubled
Megan. How could she tell the woman he’d kissed her and she’d liked it and that’s why she couldn’t stay?
“Sooner or later I was bound to run into a patient I couldn’t manage. Simon was mine. He specifically asked for me, but—”
Janet reached out and gripped her arm. “He asked for you?”
“Yes. But I was crossed off the schedule because Bayleigh had an eye doctor appointment.”
“How’d it go?” Janet asked, concerned.
“Perfect.” A bubble of happiness expanded inside her then was promptly deflated by a pinprick of guilt. “Thanks to you and Marcus and excellent medical care.”
“I’m so glad. She’s a dear child.” Her lips compressed as she nodded. “Now tell me more about Simon.”
“There’s not much to tell. He signed himself out last night against medical advice, but apparently thought better of it this morning because he called the agency to send over a nurse. Then he sent her packing and said they’d better get me. So here I am. Or was,” she said ruefully. “I finally had to wave the white flag.”
“Why? Does Simon know Bayleigh is the recipient of Marcus’s corneas?”
“No. Until you just told me, I had no idea.”
“Then I don’t understand why you left him. I can’t believe sarcasm sent you running. You’re made of sterner stuff.”
“It wasn’t that.” Megan twisted her fingers together in her lap. “He kissed me,” she blurted out. Janet stared at her, stunned, and she hastened to add, “It’s only because he was trying to get rid of me.”
“Oh, Megan, that’s wonderful.”
“That he got rid of me?”
“Of course not.” Janet clasped her hands together. “My goodness, this is his first hopeful sign since Marcus died. You have to go back in there.”
Megan shook her head. “He deliberately drove me away.”
“He’s recuperating. He needs you. He needs help.”
“I know that and you know that, but I don’t think he got the memo. It might be best for him to suffer a bit and call the agency to send out another nurse.”
“Oh, Megan, don’t you see? He asked for you specifically. It’s the first time since Marcus died that he’s reached out at all. I thought his behavior more rude than necessary. It proves you got to him, and he doesn’t like it one bit. You can’t turn away now. You have to go back. It’s fate, an unexplainable coincidence that brought the two of you together.”
Her friend, and she did consider Janet a friend, stopped short of saying she owed Simon. But the thought was there between them like the proverbial elephant on the table. And she was right. Megan and Bayleigh owed Simon Reynolds more than they could ever repay. How could she turn her back?
But that kiss. How could she forget?
Megan figured she would just have to find a way. She sighed. “When you’re right, you’re right. I do have to go back.”
“That’s the spirit. Hippocratic oath, spread comfort, save lives and all that. Florence Nightingale had nothing on you.”
“It’s not that, although my nurse’s training will come in handy. He didn’t want to meet with me two years ago, but he can’t run away this time. At least he can’t get very far very fast on those crutches. I finally have an opportunity to thank him.”
“No.” Janet gripped her arm. “You mustn’t say anything.”
“Why not?”
“He’s been shut down for two years, and I was beginning to think nothing and no one could get through to him. I tried being kind, then blunt and finally brutal. He lashes out and hurts back. That’s why I left earlier. And I swore to him I wasn’t giving up.” She squeezed Megan’s arm. “But I was starting to and that’s one reason I came back. For some reason he connected with you.”
“But he was married to your daughter. Doesn’t it bother you?”
“He’s been good to me.” The other woman shook her head. “He’s a good man in spite of the fact he was wrong for my daughter. But if you tell him your daughter has Marcus’s corneas, he’ll shut down again.”
“Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’s ready to deal with it.”
“Don’t ask me how I know. Maybe another informed gut instinct. But I just know if you tell him now that your daughter has Marcus’s corneas, he’ll give up. If that happens, I’m terribly afraid—” Janet’s brown eyes clouded with uncertainty.
“But if I go back in there and don’t say anything, it will be a lie. I hate lies.”
“I know you believe in being straightforward, and I love that about you. But sometimes brutal honesty isn’t the best policy. I agree deception is wrong—in most cases. But not this time. It’s been two years. His behavior really worries me, Megan. If he doesn’t open up soon, I’m not sure he ever will.”
“But how will keeping this secret help him?”
“In two years he hasn’t let anyone in—not even me. And we share the same loss. I’m afraid you’re his last chance. I think you can help him. And you’ve got some time. He can’t run, and he can only hide if you let him or push him over the edge with information he’s not quite ready for.”
If only he hadn’t kissed me, Megan thought. But if he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have walked out. Janet would have arrived and the truth would have come out right in front of him. How she wished that was the way it had gone down. Then she wouldn’t be in this pickle. Between a rock and a hard place. She couldn’t leave, and she couldn’t lie.
“Okay, Janet. I’ll go back. But I don’t think I can keep my mouth shut.”
The other woman nodded somberly. “I know you’ll do the right thing, Megan.”
“I’ll do my best. That’s all I can promise.” They stood up and embraced.
Janet held her at arm’s length and stared deep into her eyes. “I know you will. Give Bayleigh a hug for me and tell her I’ll visit soon.”
“I will. She’s missed you.”
“I’ve been busy volunteering at the hospital.”
“I heard you’re coordinating the organ donation program.”
“They asked me to be a liaison between the doctors and the families who have so difficult a decision to make.”
“It must be hard.”
“Yes and no,” she said a little sadly. “I’ve seen both sides. It’s a unique perspective, and I try to be of help. But enough about me. You have a mission, and it’s time to quit stalling and get to it.”
“Who said I was stalling?”
“This is me, Megan. Now march,” she said, pointing the way back up the sidewalk.
“Okay.”
Megan turned away and started back. With every step, her heart pounded. She prayed for the right words to convey to Simon how very grateful she was to him. And she prayed for the strength to forget how that kiss had made her feel. She wondered which part of her would cooperate first—her mind or her body. Or neither.
Twenty minutes after Megan had stalked out, Simon was still sitting on the couch where she’d left him. He’d gotten what he’d wanted. He was alone. Would he have kissed her if he’d known that after she was gone he would feel like a man going under for the third time?
Not to mention the practical problems he hadn’t thought through in his ill-conceived plan to keep her from knowing his reaction to her. He was still thirsty, still had to take care of his bodily functions. Then there was the more pressing fact that he hadn’t eaten anything since…hell, he couldn’t even remember. But it was more than hunger gnawing inside him. The gaping hole in his gut had grown bigger and emptier the moment the door had slammed. He hadn’t felt this alone since losing his son. Normally, when this happened, he got on his motorcycle.
He shifted his leg and pain zinged from his ankle to his groin. That wasn’t going to happen. “I can’t even get to the john without being in a world of hurt,” he said ruefully. “And now I’m talking to myself. This is just freakin’ great.”
He heard the knob turn on the front door just before it opened. “Ready or not here I come,” said a familiar female
voice.
Then Megan appeared in the doorway. And again he thought she looked like an angel. Backlit by sunlight, there was an aura around her that was both comforting, surreal and heavenly. He tried to shut down the gladness before it got a toehold.
“Did you forget something?” he asked.
“No.”
“Darn. I must be slipping. Normally I have that effect on women.”
“Okay,” she said, closing the door. She’d nervously caught the corner of her top lip between her teeth as she moved farther into the room. She stopped in front of him and set her medical bag down on the coffee table. “Maybe I did forget something.”
“What’s that?” he asked, happy to see her in spite of himself. And if she grabbed whatever she forgot and headed back out the door—God help him. He didn’t deserve any sunshine, but he couldn’t help basking in her glow anyway. It was impossible to live in perpetual midnight with Megan around.
“I forgot the basic cornerstone of nursing.”
“Which is?”
“To protect and serve.”
“I thought that was the police.”
“The same tenet holds true for nurses.”
“I’m not buying it, Nurse Nancy. Why did you really come back?”
Now that she was closer, he could see the way her gaze left his for a moment. If it was anyone but Megan, he would think she was hiding something.
She hesitated for a moment, then said, “I know you’re in a lot of pain both physically and—”
“Don’t,” he said harshly.
“What?”
“I don’t need you to feel sorry for me. If that’s why you came back, hit the road. I’m sure there’s someone else who’d appreciate an invitation to your pity party. But not me.”
“Because you don’t need anyone.”
“You got that right,” he answered.
“That’s not why I came back. I’m here because I remembered one of the first things I learned in nursing school and the message was repeated over and over in training.”
“What’s that?”
“Do no harm.”
He laughed and realized he was actually amused. There was genuine humor in the sound, something he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Not since—well, since meeting Megan.
Midnight, Moonlight & Miracles Page 5
