by Amy Ruttan
“I understand completely.”
“You do?”
Betty nodded as she continued her work on Eira’s arm, cleaning the wound. When she’d fainted, Eira had cut her arm on a metal grate, so it needed a few stitches. A resident or an ER doctor could handle this, but it was slow and they weren’t busy. Betty didn’t mind.
“My mother died when I was a baby and it was just my father and me. He was a surgeon too, but... I had a hard time talking about it with him. Thankfully my grandmother in Tennessee was still alive and she guided me through my first monthly.”
Eira frowned. “My grandmother died before I was born and my mother died shortly after my birth. I just had my dad but...” Tears welled up in Eira’s eyes and she wiped them away with her good sleeve. “He drowned.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Betty said gently. “Was it recently?”
“Two years ago. My uncle Axel was my guardian and I went to live with him after he recovered.”
“Recovered?”
“My uncle Axel was in the same accident as my father. They were both doctors in the tactical navy. They were in a helicopter on a training mission over stormy seas when there was an engine failure. The helicopter crashed. Everyone but my uncle died.”
Betty’s heart sank. It explained so much. The aloofness. The aversion to water. That must be a hard thing to overcome.
It made her issues seem silly.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Betty said. “How about I get you cleaned up so you can get out of here? Do you want me to talk to your uncle? Explain what happened?”
Eira nodded, a relieved expression on her face. “That would be great, Dr. Jacinth.”
Betty smiled. “You can call me Betty and, I don’t mean to overstep, but if you have any other questions I’m here in Reykjavik for the next three months and I would be happy to help you any way that I can. Your grandfather and my father were friends so it’s the least I could do.”
“I would like that.”
“Good. Now, sit tight and I will be right back.”
Betty collected up the soiled gauze and disposed of them. As she went to get Eira some sanitary napkins, she found Axel pacing outside the pod, not charting as he’d said he was going to do.
And she couldn’t blame him.
“How is she?” Axel asked.
“She’ll be fine. I haven’t done the sutures yet. She wanted me to talk to you about something delicate.”
Axel frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“She fainted. She was probably overwhelmed she had her first period. She’s been worried because she hadn’t had it yet and there’s no one to talk to about it. She passed out from the sight of blood and cut her arm on a metal grate in the bathroom when she passed out.”
“Oh, I see.”
Betty nodded. “She said they taught it in school, but for a young girl without a mom, it can still be a shock. I know I had a similar uncomfortable conversation with my father when it happened to me.”
Axel scrubbed a hand over his face. “I should’ve prepared her better, but...”
“I get it.”
“Did she tell you what happened?” Axel asked cautiously. “About her father?”
Betty nodded. “She did.”
Axel seemed uncertain.
“I asked her what happened to her parents. She told me.”
“Of course, I’m sorry. It was hard for me and I’ve been trying to be there for her and apparently what I’ve been doing is not good enough.”
“It’s good enough.”
He shot her a disbelieving stare. “Well, I’m glad she was able to confide in you.”
“I told her that if she had any more questions she could ask me. I hope I didn’t overstep my boundaries.”
“No, but I don’t want her burdening you either. You have a job to do,” he said quickly.
“It’s not a burden. I know the special circumstances of the situation she’s going through.”
Axel cocked an eyebrow. “How so?”
“My mother died shortly after I was born and it was just me and my father after my grandmother died when I was a bit older than Eira. It’s hard and you shouldn’t be so tough on yourself. You’re doing a good job.”
“You’ve only just met me. You have no concept about whether or not I’m doing a good job.”
It was a snarky retort, but she couldn’t blame him. They were still strangers and he’d been through a lot.
“I’m going to get her what she needs and suture her wound. You should take her home and watch for signs of infection.”
Axel nodded, but he didn’t look at her.
She turned to walk away and he reached out and touched her arm.
“I’m sorry for snapping. Thank you.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome, Dr. Sturlusson.”
She turned and left him standing there. She had a newfound appreciation for him. He still might be closed off, but at least she understood that it was because he’d been through the wringer himself and for that she could cut him a little bit of slack.
But only a little.
CHAPTER FOUR
WHAT AM I DOING?
She stared up at the gray door of a modern-looking house in a posh area of Reykjavik.
Everything about it screamed clean and orderly. The house was definitely Axel’s, as his SUV was in the driveway. Eira had left a notebook in the emergency room yesterday. It must’ve slipped from her backpack and Betty wanted to return it.
She closed her eyes, hesitating briefly and thinking about running in the opposite direction, but she mustered her courage and knocked.
She didn’t like visiting people without an invitation, but she wanted to return Eira’s homework and to check up on her.
She was worried about Eira because she knew how Eira felt. She’d been that frightened teenaged girl with no woman to talk to.
And she was worried that Eira might not tell her uncle if she was feeling crampy or even if she had a fever.
Betty had convinced herself it was best if she personally checked on Eira.
The door opened and a confused Axel answered. He was in denim, a flannel shirt and he had glasses on.
The sight of him made her heart skip a beat. Dammit, he was just as handsome in his casual attire as he was in scrubs.
“Dr. Jacinth?” he asked, taking the glasses off and tucking them in the front pocket of his shirt.
“You can call me Betty when we’re not at the hospital.”
He didn’t acknowledge that. “What’re you doing here?”
“I brought some food and some other things for Eira. I wanted to check on her.”
Axel stepped to the side, silently inviting her in. She stepped into the foyer. It was minimalistic and gray. Cool shades rather than colors, but there was also a strange warmth to the place.
“How did you get here?”
“I took a cab.”
He frowned. “If you’d called I could have come and gotten you.”
Betty handed him the bag of food she’d brought and slipped off her boots.
“I’m used to taking cabs. I’m from New York City.”
“So you keep reminding me.”
“Besides, how could I call when I didn’t know your phone number?”
“Ah, but you found out where I lived.” There was a sly smile on his face.
Damn. He had a point.
“You might’ve not answered a strange number. I wouldn’t have.” She held out the notebook. “Eira left this in the emergency room.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter now because you’re here.” He set the bag on the floor and then took her coat. “Eira is on the sofa watching television, unless she drifted off to sleep again. I’ll take this to the kitchen.”
“All except this bag.” Betty
took back the bag of things she had bought specifically for Eira. Private things that her uncle didn’t need to see. It was chocolates, feminine hygiene products and other things to make Eira smile. The other bag was food, everything to make a pizza, which had always been Betty’s comfort food.
Axel nodded in understanding and then pointed. “The living room is just through that way.”
“Thanks.” Betty made her way to the sunken living room. On a large sectional couch Eira was propped up in the corner, with brightly covered quilts, a little tray with some food and her laptop. It was chaos and color in the midst of the cool gray and minimalistic decor of the room.
Eira brightened up. “Dr. Jacinth!”
“Betty.”
“Betty,” Eira said. “What’re you doing here?”
“I wanted to check on you and bring you some more things that I think that you might need.” She handed the bag to Eira and the girl peeked inside. “There’s also some not so needed things in there. Some nice stuff to brighten your day.”
“Thank you!” Eira said.
“You also forgot this.” Betty handed her the notebook. “How is your pain?”
“Not bad, but I’ve been shivering. Can’t get warm.”
Betty frowned and picked up the thermometer that was on the table. She stuck it in Eira’s ear and it beeped, showing a fever.
Axel came into the room and frowned. “She has a fever?”
“Yes.” Betty set the thermometer down. “Can I check your wound?”
Eira nodded. Betty used some hand sanitizer from her bag and pulled back the gauze. It was still red and angry, but she could see signs of infection starting.
“I’ll prescribe her some antibiotics.”
“You won’t have a prescription pad yet.” Axel crossed the room and pulled a pad out of a desk, where a laptop sat. He wrote something out. “I’ll call this in and have the pharmacy deliver it.”
“I think you should probably go to bed,” Betty said to Eira.
“Yeah. I’m tired and achy.”
Betty helped Eira up and carried the blankets and other things to her room. She helped Eira get settled in bed and then headed back downstairs. Axel was cleaning up the tray.
“How is she?” he asked.
“Tired. Wake her up to get her started on the antibiotics. I gave her a tetanus shot at the hospital so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“I know. I read her chart before we left.”
“You didn’t trust me.” And that irked her because it reminded her of Thomas and how he’d always been checking on her every move. Picking at everything. She’d thought it was because he cared for her. How wrong she’d been.
Axel set the tray back down. “I don’t know you, Betty. And Eira is my responsibility.”
“I know. And look, I’m sorry about...”
He held up a hand. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
The tension in the room was thick and Betty felt bad for broaching the subject.
“Well, I better go.”
“No, stay a while. I have to wait until the pharmacy delivers Eira’s antibiotics and then I can drive you home. It’ll be a couple of hours—the least I could do is make you dinner with the food you brought.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
She wasn’t here to make friends.
She wasn’t here to get entangled with another man. All she wanted to do tonight was bring Eira some things she would need and then leave.
“Please,” Axel said. “I would like you to stay.”
* * *
The invitation caught him off guard. He couldn’t believe he was doing it, but then again he couldn’t believe she’d come to check on Eira. That had surprised him. Most women he met didn’t want the burden of dating a sullen surgeon with a teenage niece who was his sole responsibility.
And anyone that couldn’t accept Eira and his duty to her and Calder, Axel didn’t want to be around. So it shocked him that Betty cared so much.
That Betty had even showed up.
He knew he should send her away because he didn’t deserve her company or her compassion, but there was a part of him that was lonely and welcomed her company.
Especially tonight. After his father had found out what had happened to Eira, he had lit into Axel. Blaming Axel for not recognizing the signs.
“It was a good thing someone with sense was there and able to take care of Eira properly.”
What he should’ve done was told his father off, pointed out the fact that he had been the one to step up and take care of Eira when his father couldn’t. Axel had lost someone too but still he soldiered on.
You haven’t really grieved.
Axel shook the unexpected thought away. There was no place for grief in his life. He didn’t have time to grieve. He had to keep moving forward. For Eira.
“Please stay, Betty.”
“Okay. I’d like that.”
“Have a seat and I’ll get you something to drink. Would you like wine or tea?”
“Wine would be great.”
He nodded and headed into the kitchen. He pulled down a couple of wine glasses and pulled out the only bottle of white wine that he had in the fridge. Entertaining was very low on his priority list.
He uncorked it and poured two glasses. When he went into the other room Betty was standing in the dining area, staring out over the night sky. His house was perched on top of a hill with a great view over the city.
“Here you are,” he said, handing her the glass.
“Thank you. You have a beautiful view. Can you see the water from here?”
“Yes,” he replied tightly. “Although this isn’t really my house. It was my brother’s.”
“Oh, I thought it was yours. It seemed to suit you.”
“Well, Calder was a lot like me. He was my older brother and I looked up to him. I was just living in a small flat. I thought it would be best for Eira to stay in her own house instead of trying to move her whole life into my one-room flat.”
“That makes sense.” She took a sip of wine and silence fell between them again. She glanced over at the computer. “What’re you working on?”
“The surgical training program for next year. I’m responsible for hiring the surgical interns. I go through their CVs, basically. My father wants me to be more involved in the hospital.”
“That sounds...fun? You don’t sound too enthused.”
“I’m not,” Axel sighed. “My father insists, though.”
“What do you want to do at the hospital?”
“Save lives. Before...before the accident I had plans to sub-specialize in cardiothoracic surgery, but I’ve had Eira and the ER taking up all my time since my brother died.”
Betty nodded. “Sub-specializing is smart. I studied laparoscopic surgery in my fourth year of residency. I’m quite a wizard when it comes to laparoscopic procedures.”
“Really?” he asked, intrigued.
She nodded. “It’s what I’m teaching the first-year residents.”
“They’re lucky to learn from you.”
She blushed and smiled. “Thanks.”
He liked when she smiled. “Why did you accept this job? I looked you up when my father announced you’d accepted the job—you had a very prominent position at that hospital.”
A strange expression crossed her face.
“Yes, well... I was under-appreciated.”
He knew how that felt. “So you felt coming to Reykjavik was a good move?”
“It might shake up the board having me gone. Perhaps they’ll learn to appreciate me more.” She turned and looked away. He could tell by the way her brow was furrowed and the way her body had tensed that there was more to it than that.
“Let’s have something to eat. I didn’t eat much toda
y since I had to leave work early because of Eira.”
“That sounds great.”
They wandered into the kitchen and Betty helped him as he laid out bread and cheese.
“What did you bring? I put the stuff away, but the tomato sauce and flatbread was an odd choice,” he said.
“I couldn’t find the right crust.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Crust?”
“Yeah, for Eira,” Betty said.
There was obviously some language barrier because he didn’t understand what she was trying to explain to him.
“Eira’s not a fan of flatbread and tomato sauce. I don’t think she’s had it before.”
“I didn’t know what she liked. If she was a fourteen-year-old in New York I might’ve brought her a slice.”
“A slice of what?” Now he was really confused.
“Pizza,” she said, smiling. “I didn’t know which pizza place here was good, though.”
Axel chuckled as he realized she’d brought the ingredients for pizza. “This is fine, but for future reference there is a little Italian place not far from where you live. Antonio’s. It has the best Italian food and Eira is a big fan.”
“That’s good to know.”
Axel cut her a piece of bread while she sliced the cheese. She made up a sandwich for him and then one for herself. They put them on plates and took them into the living room, sitting on the couch in front of the fire.
They said nothing as they enjoyed the fire and their food.
It was nice.
“How was the rest of the day?” he asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. “I was supposed to work and help you, but I had to stay with Eira today.”
“Nothing that eventful happened. I didn’t make it into the operating room today. It was pretty routine, but I also think that was by your father’s design.”
“What was?” asked Axel.
“I think he had me on a light duty today. Not that I blame him, my body is still getting used to the time zone change. I suspect that tomorrow will be different, but I need some time to get ready for my first lecture with your surgical residents at the end of the week. I’m a bit nervous about that.”
“Why? You worked in a teaching hospital in New York, did you not?”
