But what the hell, there was no law he knew of against fantasizing.
CHAPTER SEVEN
A LITTLE OVER A WEEK LATER, Leslie shut the door to Kate’s office and sank into the comfortable chair kept for visitors.
“O’Connor’s back at work today, and everybody’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. The word is out that heads will roll at the meeting he’s called this afternoon. Everybody who was involved with his case will be present and trembling in their trainers.”
Kate nodded, pouring hot water over the tea bags she’d dropped in the mugs. She handed one cup to Leslie and blew on her own to cool it. “I wanted to go over any concerns you have about what happened in the ER that morning. Just so we’re on the same page.”
“You figure he’ll ream the whole lot of us out?”
“I don’t really know what’s going to happen,” Kate said, shrugging. “He asked for a meeting with the staff involved in his case and I arranged it for him.”
“But you’ll be there?”
“Absolutely. He was still pretty angry about everything the last time we spoke, so I don’t have a clue how he plans to handle it.”
Leslie groaned. “We could all be out of a job by four o’clock. Except the docs, of course. They don’t work for St. Joe’s, anyhow. Lucky them.”
At Leslie’s morose expression, Kate laughed. “It won’t come to firing, that’s what unions are for. I think he just wants to hear exactly what happened from the people involved.”
“Too bad somebody doesn’t stand up and say, ‘We’re all part of a conspiracy, O’Connor, but something went dreadfully wrong and you survived.’”
“C’mon, Les, he’s not that bad.”
Leslie shot a look at Kate. “Hey, that’s a new line. Where’s this benevolent attitude coming from? Isn’t this the same O’Connor who tried to get your position canceled not too long ago?”
Kate flushed and nodded. “The very same. But I’ve gotten to know him a bit better since his accident.”
“Aha.” Her friend gave her an appraising look. “And you’d like to get to know him better still, am I right?”
“C’mon, Les, he’s not that good.”
They giggled at their own nonsense.
“Seriously, though, he’s liable to put comments on our files that won’t be exactly flattering,” Leslie said glumly.
“You don’t know that for sure. Think positive.”
Sitting in the boardroom later that afternoon and noting the tense expressions on the faces of the staff who’d been involved in Tony’s care, Kate was having trouble following her own advice. She felt apprehensive about this meeting, and she reminded herself that she didn’t have to fix anyone’s feelings. Feelings just are, she reiterated silently.
The staff assembled a little early, but Tony had yet to appear. Kate knew his reputation for being on time.
No one was talking much, but when the door opened and he came in, voices stilled and the silence grew heavy and foreboding.
The crutches he was using because of his ankle didn’t slow him down as he swung around the table and took a seat across from Kate. He was wearing gray dress pants and a lightweight sports jacket over a pale blue shirt, and as always, the clothes were expertly tailored and fitted him beautifully.
Kate decided she much preferred him in the shorts and T-shirt he’d been wearing the last time she saw him.
“Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to come,” he began. “The purpose of this meeting is simply to ascertain what went wrong during my recent admission, and figure out how best to keep such things from happening to some other poor victim.” He smiled, and when it was clear he was joking, there was an audible sigh of relief.
“I have to tell you, I felt pretty steamed over this whole affair, and I was all prepared to arrange for a firing squad, but I’ve cooled off, thanks to some good advice.” His eyes met Kate’s for a long moment, and he actually smiled at her.
Warmth spread from her toes to the top of her head, and a sense of satisfaction came over her. Sometimes her job was difficult, but it was at moments like these, when a catastrophe had been averted, that she knew exactly why she did what she did.
One by one, the staff members explained exactly what had occurred when Tony was being treated by them. Without making excuses, they related the way mistakes had happened, and what they felt could be done to avert similar mistakes in the future. And each and every one included a heartfelt apology.
Kate was touched by them all. She’d talked to each of them separately and tried to help clarify for them how they felt and what they wanted to say to Tony. She’d given them the direction, and now they were going the distance.
Instead of confrontation, there was a growing sense of camaraderie as the meeting progressed. When it was over, each person who’d attended lined up to shake Tony’s hand and express their pleasure at his recovery.
“In spite of our best efforts,” Alf Jensen joked, and Kate was relieved when Tony laughed.
The meeting over, Kate got up and was almost out the door when Tony walked past her on his crutches and closed it, then turned to face her. The room was empty except for the two of them.
“Kate, do you have a moment?”
“Sure.” She tensed, aware of standing close to him, and moved back a step or two.
“I just wanted to say this was a good idea, after all. And you were right—blaming wasn’t the way to go.” He held her gaze and added, “I was wrong when I devalued the job you do here, Kate. I want to apologize for that, and thank you for getting everyone together.”
“Apology accepted.” She could tell that it was hard for him to admit that she’d been right. She felt a rush of admiration for him. It took a strong man to admit he’d been mistaken. More than that, his recognition of her efforts sent her heart soaring. She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you so much, Tony.”
“My pleasure.” His grin flashed, and Kate’s heart skipped a beat as their eyes met and held for several long moments before he glanced at his watch and shook his head. “I’ve gotta run. I’ve got patients lined up at the office waiting for me. See you soon, Kate.”
She waited until he was gone and then sank back down into a chair and blew out the breath she’d been holding.
What exactly was going on with her and Tony O’Connor? Was the attraction she felt toward him reciprocal, or was she imagining things? And what had he meant by “see you soon”? Was he referring to work, or was he hinting at maybe meeting her away from the hospital?
What would she do if he asked her out? Besides the inherent dangers of dating someone she had to work closely with, there were the complications of her personal life. Having Scott living in her home and Eliza needing a great deal of her time had ended her association with the only two men she’d dated since her divorce.
Tony knew up front about Scott and Eliza, but he wouldn’t fully understand how they affected her life until—
Lordy, Lewis, give it a rest. She shook her head and got to her feet. Talk about a rich imagination. All he’d done was smile at her, and she’d manufactured a whole romantic drama. Pathetic, she berated herself. Was she really that desperate…that lonely?
There wasn’t time to give an honest answer, because she, too, had people waiting to talk to her, and she had to hurry or she’d keep them waiting. She needed to finish work on time today, because it was Thursday and Eliza’s dance class started at five-thirty.
Since the birthday party fiasco, Kate had stopped relying on Scott to take Eliza anywhere. It cut down on conflict, but it meant that Kate had to fine-tune her schedule. Fortunately it was almost the end of June, and dance lessons and school activities would be over for the summer. Kate was looking forward to the break.
Putting all thoughts of Tony out of her mind, she raced off down the corridor.
IN SPITE OF HER BEST EFFORTS, Kate was late getting home. Eliza was waiting impatiently, and after a hectic drive through rush hour traffic, they pulled up i
n front of DanceCo five minutes late.
“See you in an hour, Kate.” Eliza tumbled out of the car and raced for the entrance. Kate was planning a grocery list in her head. There was a supermarket nearby, and she could do her weekly shopping while waiting for Eliza.
A tap on the car window startled her.
Tony, balanced on his crutches, smiled at her through the glass. She rolled down the window.
“Care for a coffee while we wait? There’s a place just down on Tenth, but you’ll have to drive. I can’t with this ankle. We took the bus over here.”
“Sure.” Her heart gave a bump. She’d forgotten about McKensy and Eliza being in the same dance class. The shopping list went into a mental garbage can. “Get in.”
The place he indicated was small, with an awning and four round tables out on the sidewalk. He ordered coffee and pastries, and when they were settled, he sighed and lifted his right foot up on a spare chair.
“I can’t believe how much this bum ankle slows me down.”
“Injuries tend to do that.” She leaned back and sipped her coffee, enjoying the late afternoon sunshine, the people strolling past, the unexpected pleasure of being with Tony away from St. Joe’s. “Maybe it’s nature’s way of telling us we’re going too fast in the first place,” she mused.
“You could well be right.” He gave her a long, considering look and then shook his head.
“What? I’ve got spinach in my teeth?”
“Nope. I was just thinking that you see things in a different light than I do. It’s refreshing.”
“Thanks. I think.” Maybe he just figured she was weird.
“I’d like your advice on something, Kate.”
She gave him a wide smile. “It’s free, but maybe that’s what it’s worth.”
“I’ll take my chances.” He was quiet for a time, and she waited.
“My father is coming from Australia for a visit in August,” he said at last. “I haven’t seen him since I was eleven. He’s bringing the woman he’s lived with for the last twenty years or so, and his visit’s turned my family into two hostile camps. Georgia and I are eager to see him and meet Betsy, but Wilson and Judy feel it would be disloyal to my mother.” He sighed. “Dorothy’s pretty worked up over this whole thing, and it’s affecting everybody, particularly McKensy.”
Kate listened as he explained more about his parents’ marriage and described the resentment Dorothy had harbored since the day Ford left. She was both surprised and touched that Tony felt comfortable confiding in her like this.
“My mother’s totally unreasonable about anything related to my dad. I’ve tried to explain that whatever the guy did, he’s still my father, still McKensy’s grandfather. But she doesn’t see it that way at all.”
“Sounds as if she’s really insecure,” Kate observed.
“Insecure?” His tone was incredulous. “That’s about the last word I’d use to describe my mother. She has strong opinions about everything, and she’s vocal about them. She does her best to get everyone on her side.” He shook his head. “I sure wouldn’t label her insecure.”
“It was just a suggestion,” Kate said in a mild tone. “Insecurity sometimes looks like overconfidence. Fear can take a lot of different forms.”
“So what do I do about it?”
“What do you want to do?”
“See my father, naturally. I don’t want to hurt Dorothy, but I won’t give in on this, either.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m sick of arguing with her about it.”
“It usually helps to just quietly state where you’re coming from, without getting involved in arguments. Assertive people repeat the same thing calmly until the other person realizes that they mean it.”
He thought that over. “You mean just keep saying I’m going to meet Ford, and I’m taking McKensy?”
Kate nodded. “The theory is that when you stick to your truth, without accusing or engaging, the other person has no choice but to accept it.”
“You don’t know my mother very well,” he said, looking skeptical. “She doesn’t listen. She’ll go on and on until I lose my temper, and then I say things that hurt her, and I feel like an asshole.” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you practice what you preach, Kate?”
She grimaced and shook her head. “Don’t I wish I could. Theory’s always a lot easier than practice. I still can’t use my own methods on Eliza’s father. My temper gets the best of me, and as soon as I get angry, I lose control of the situation.”
“How did you get so interested in all this stuff about anger management, anyway?”
She’d asked herself the same question many times. “It was something I knew I had to learn how to handle.” She sipped her coffee, took a bite out of a cream bun, and ignored the clutch in her belly that memory always brought. “My dad used to rage at my sister and my mom and me. I grew up feeling apologetic. I used to think that if I’d behaved differently he wouldn’t have gotten mad in the first place.” She’d grown up with a perpetual knot in her stomach.
The expression in Tony’s eyes grew hard. “Was he violent? Did he hit you?”
“Oh, no.” Kate shook her head. “Just verbally. But words can do almost as much harm as physical blows.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that.” Tony was obviously thinking of Dorothy again. “So have you worked things out with your father?”
“Nope.” Kate shook her head. “He died before I’d figured out what I needed to say to him. I’ve always been sorry I couldn’t resolve things with him, though, because he taught me a lot, even if it was all negative.”
“How about your mom? What’s she like?”
“She’s dead, too.” Remembering made her sad. “Mom was gentle, totally intimidated by my dad. She used to do her best to be invisible. She always stuck up for us girls, though. Unfortunately she died of a heart attack within a year of my father.”
“So there’s just you and your sister now?”
Kate nodded. “Marie’s older than I am, married to a lawyer. They live in San Diego.”
“Any kids?”
“Two. I only see them once a year or so. I don’t really know them as well as I’d like to. Marie’s a very reserved person, super smart, but emotionally removed. She wanted to be a lawyer, but she got pregnant with Sara before she graduated.”
Tony nodded. “Shot herself in the foot, you think?”
“I can’t help wondering about that.”
“I watched Georgia do that, get married because she wasn’t self-confident enough to go back to med school. I guess we’ve all done that from time to time, taken one road when we should have gone down the other.” He gave his own foot a rueful look and muttered, “And then some of us wreck ourselves on a mere candy wrapper.”
Should she say what she was thinking? What did she have to lose? “I’m grateful to that piece of foil, Tony.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
She was heading out on a limb here, but she did believe in being honest, didn’t she? “I wouldn’t be sitting here eating cream buns with you if you hadn’t slipped. I like it.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. She laughed, too, relieved that he hadn’t read more into her remark than she’d intended.
“I guess I owe the damned thing a debt of gratitude myself, looking at it that way.” Their eyes met, and the expression in his belied the lightness of his words. Kate felt again that indefinable tug that happened each time they really looked at each other.
“More coffee?”
About to agree, Kate glanced at her watch and did a double take. “Omigod, the kids’ class is over. We’re ten minutes late picking them up.”
“They’ll wait.” He didn’t seem concerned. “We’re gonna have to stop meeting like this.”
“Think so?” She felt absurdly disappointed.
“Absolutely not.” He grinned. “I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed an hour more. Same time, same place, next class?”
“I’ll be here.” She
probably should have given it some thought, but her acceptance was immediate and instinctive.
When Kate drove up in front of the dance studio, Eliza and McKensy were sitting on Eliza’s red sweater on the grassy lawn.
Tony stuck his head out the window and called, “Hey, ladies, sorry we’re late.”
“Hi, Kate, hi, Daddy.” McKensy came skipping over to greet him. She kissed him and helped him rescue his crutches from the back seat.
Eliza followed much more slowly. Kate got out of the car and came around to introduce Eliza to Tony.
“Hello, Eliza,” he said, smiling and putting out a hand to her. “It’s nice to meet you at last. Your mom’s been telling me all sorts of nice things about you. I see you and McKensy know each other.”
“How do you do,” Eliza mumbled, staring at her feet and ignoring his outstretched hand. She shot Kate an accusing look and then climbed in the front seat of the car and shut the door with a bang.
Kate gaped at her. Eliza wasn’t usually rude. Maybe something had happened in class to upset her.
Remembering what Tony had said about the bus, Kate asked, “Would you two like a ride home?”
“Thanks, but Georgia’s coming to pick us up,” Tony said. Then he added with a grin, “She’s always late—she’ll be here in a minute or twenty.”
Kate got in the car, noticing that Eliza didn’t respond to McKensy’s cheerful wave. The little girl sat staring straight ahead, slouched down so her head barely showed above the window.
“What’s wrong, Eliza?” Kate asked as they drove home. “Did you have problems at dance class?”
There was a recital coming up, the finale of the term. Maybe Eliza hadn’t been chosen for a part she wanted.
But Eliza shook her head and remained mute.
“You were rude to Mr. O’Connor, Eliza. When you act that way it embarrasses me.”
“I didn’t know you were friends with McKensy’s daddy.” The words sounded more like an accusation than a comment.
“He’s a doctor at St. Joe’s, of course I’m friends with him. Does that bother you?” Kate was still confused as to what this was about.
The Family Doctor Page 7
