Lightning Strikes

by Mary Lynn Baxter

  Before Amanda could put a quietus on their enthusiasm, the ER staff began clapping.

  “Take a bow!” Jerry demanded.

  Amanda shook her head and held up her hand. “Cut it out, all right?”

  “Well, you did get that poor man out of a jam,” Liz said. “Can you imagine having to deliver a baby in the back of a cab?”

  “You’re joking?” Noah asked with a grin.

  Her breath faltered. When he smiled, it reminded her of the sun breaking through a dark cloud.

  “No, I’m not joking,” Amanda said stiffly, putting distance between them.

  “She gave him step-by-step instructions over the two-way radio.” Liz was beaming. “Even though everyone seems to be all right, they’re on the way here for observation.”

  “Way to go, Dr. Jennings,” Noah said, still smiling.

  His gaze burned into her. She felt as if he’d actually touched her. “Enough, already,” she said. “Back to work, and that’s an order.”

  “Dr. Jennings!”

  At the sound of the frantic and unexpected voice, they all swung around. Two nurses from the psychiatric ward were running down the hall. Amanda stepped forward, a bad feeling invading the pit of her stomach. “What’s wrong?”

  “One of our patients cut his wrist. A Tommy Drapper,” the redheaded nurse said.

  “Do you need me to stitch it up?”

  “No,” the other nurse cried. “We need you to help find him.”

  “Find him?” Noah’s voice sounded hard. “What does that mean?”

  “He’s…missing. Oh, God—”

  “Okay, slow down,” Noah encouraged her in a calm, no-nonsense doctor’s voice. “Tell us what happened.”

  “He had a fight with his girlfriend,” the nurse wailed. “Afterward, he cut himself.”

  “Where did he get the knife?”

  “It wasn’t a knife. He used a razor blade. We found it on the floor.”

  “He hasn’t come through ER,” Amanda said. “But we’ll search every nook and cranny to make sure.” She turned and faced the staff. “Get to it.”

  “Since Malcom’s covering OR, I can lend a hand.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Howell,” the redhead said. “If we don’t find Tommy—”

  “We will.”

  Noah’s voice was again hard, but confident. For the second time since she’d learned he’d be on call with her, Amanda was glad that he was there. If this kid wasn’t found, the hospital would suffer a black eye.

  “He’s not about to leave the hospital on a day like this,” Amanda said, her eyes straying toward the long window. Suddenly a bolt of lightning flared across the sky. She cringed, then sucked in her breath.

  A young man stood on the top of the adjacent building, his arms spread like an eagle.

  “Oh, my God, Noah,” she cried. “Look!”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Bright midday sun should have been moving across the sky, only it wasn’t. Torrential rains and winds continued to slash at everything in their path with the same brutality as a Texas tornado.

  Amanda stared outside the window of her office. Nothing but empty blackness met her gaze. Dark as Egypt, she thought, rubbing her arms as though they were chilly. They weren’t. This bizarre situation had left its mark. She stared at her watch and saw that it was after two o’clock on Saturday afternoon.

  She would have loved to say thank God Friday night was over, but nothing had changed. If anything, the weather predictions were worse.

  A gentle smirk touched Amanda’s lips. She wasn’t going anywhere. Her shift wasn’t over, and even if it were, she was marooned. Only a skeleton crew remained on duty in the ER, with no relief in sight. She and the nurses, and Noah, were it.

  This time Amanda’s lips tightened into a straight line. Noah again. Why couldn’t she stop thinking about him, especially when she was about to meet Gordon for breakfast, or was it lunch, in the hospital cafeteria? Gordon had called and practically begged her to meet him. He’d known that she wouldn’t leave the building, so he hadn’t even asked.

  “It’s too dangerous for you to be out on the roads,” she had said, hoping to thwart his well-intentioned effort.

  “I’m not that far away.” His voice had an obstinate ring to it. “Besides, I have a four-wheel drive. Remember?”

  “Still, the police are advising only those who have to get on the streets do so.”

  “I can make it.”

  She hadn’t argued with him any further; she simply hadn’t had the energy. Maybe it would do her good to sit at a table and actually eat a meal. She tried to recall the last time she’d eaten and couldn’t. More than food, though, she needed sleep. That short respite in the lounge hadn’t refreshed her at all. It had left her feeling drugged and drained.

  But it wasn’t just the frantic pace of the ER and her exhaustion that kept her torn up, it was dealing with Noah. If only she’d known he would get under her skin the way he had. She’d truly been caught with her dress tail flapping in the wind. Any other time that analogy would’ve brought on a smile, but not now.

  After what they had been through during the last fifteen hours, smiles were in short supply. And though she hated to acknowledge the fact, Noah had been a rock.

  If it hadn’t been for him, that young man, Tommy, who had climbed on the roof, would probably be dead. Amanda recoiled, knowing that nerve-racking experience was one she would never forget no matter how long she lived.

  The instant she had alerted Noah, his gaze had followed hers. Then he’d said without hesitation, “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Jerry, call security and the police,” Amanda said, following Noah and the two nurses out the door.

  The instant she’d stepped through the automatic doors outside, into the blinding rain, a streak of lightning flashed, followed by the proverbial clap of thunder. She balked. Only after Noah grabbed her hand and held on to it did that fear abate.

  They gathered in a cluster at the foot of the building and stared at the mentally ill kid.

  “Don’t come near me!” he hollered from his position three floors up on the edge of the roof.

  “Tommy, please,” the redheaded nurse cried, “get down from there.”

  “No!” Tommy screeched, violently shaking his head.

  Amanda and Noah looked at each other, though it was hard to see because of the rain and the darkness that was relieved only by the continued display of lightning.

  “Let me try,” Noah said, waving to the boy to draw his attention. “Tommy, can you hear me?”

  “Go away. All of you.”

  “Forget that. Soon there’s going to be cops all around this place.”

  “I’m gonna jump. I swear I am.”

  “Then go ahead and jump,” Noah shouted.

  Amanda stared at him, aghast. “Have you lost your mind?”

  “Bear with me.”

  “I know what you’re trying to do. I just hope your reverse psychology works.”

  “You and me both.”

  “Dr. Howell, I’m not sure—” The redheaded nurse who appeared in charge didn’t finish her sentence.

  “What’s your name?” Amanda asked, moving to her side.

  “Becky Pounds.” She turned to her cohort, who, Amanda noticed, was literally wringing her hands. “And this is Stacy Greenwood.”

  “If anyone can get him down, it’ll be N—Dr. Howell,” Amanda said. “So hang on.”

  “God, I’m terrified,” Becky said. “What if Tommy calls his bluff?”

  “He won’t.” Although Amanda sounded confident, she wasn’t. On the contrary, she was paralyzed with anxiety. A suicide outside ER on her watch was not something she needed.

  More important than herself, there was that kid. To end his life by leaping off a building was unthinkable. That was when she got the idea. “Noah, what if I went up there and tried to talk to him?”

  “No way. He’s liable to really freak out and hurt you.” Noah paused. “I’m goin
g.”

  “He’s liable to hurt you, too,” she said, anxiety of another kind crippling her. “You’re not immune to danger. He might still have some of those razor blades he used to slash his wrists.”

  “If I can get close enough, believe me, I can restrain him.”

  No doubt he spoke the truth. Noah was hard-bodied, with the strength of a linebacker on any professional football team, though that bulk didn’t show. And he was determined—even in the shallow light, Amanda could envision his rigid jaw. Noah didn’t like losing. He wanted what he wanted.

  But the thought of any harm coming to him—well, her mind couldn’t comprehend that possibility. What was she going to do? Nothing. She could never trust him again, and without that, a relationship was doomed. Besides, who was to say he wouldn’t toss her out again, if someone or something better came along?

  Amanda heard fire engine sirens and was thankful for the distraction, while praying it was headed to Vanderbilt. But there were no guarantees. With so many people and circumstances pulling at the city emergency teams, this situation might not warrant their immediate attention.

  “Dr. Howell, if we don’t do something soon, he might fall off due to loss of blood.”

  Amanda swung her gaze back to the nurse, who now looked wretched. Amanda could understand. If that kid did jump, the nurse would more than likely lose her job. Even worse, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself, regardless of whether she was fired or not.

  “Hell, I’m going up there,” Noah said, his voice terse.

  Amanda pursed her lips. “Not without me.”

  “Dammit—”

  “I can help. I know I can.”

  “How?” Noah demanded.

  “He doesn’t know me, which is also part of reverse psychology. My presence will maybe divert him off course, which will give you a chance to do your thing.”

  “It’s worth a try.”

  “Go away!” Tommy hollered again, just as the sky sparked like a Fourth of July fireworks show. He began swaying then, chanting his girlfriend’s name.

  “We better move fast,” Noah said, “if we’re going to do any good.”

  “I’m ready.”

  Noah looked down at her, his eyes piercingly sharp. “I don’t like this at all, but I know how stubborn you can be, so I’m not going to argue. But if he so much as blinks at you, you get the hell away from him. Is that clear?”

  “You’ve made your point.”

  “Then, let’s go.”

  They had made it to the roof just as the rescue team arrived. Still, she and Noah had held to their plan, a plan that had miraculously worked. As predicted, her presence had rattled the kid enough that he’d been curious as to who she was and why she was there. That curiosity had allowed Noah to sneak up from the back and reach for Tommy, lock his arms around him in a death grip, then lift him off his feet onto the safety of the roof.

  The kid had kicked and screamed and fought, but Noah’s bull strength had prevailed. Once the trauma was over, they had all come back to ER, jubilant but drained.

  Amanda hadn’t lingered. She’d headed for her office, but not before she felt Noah’s questioning gaze on her. Ignoring him, she’d excused herself and escaped.

  Now, as she prepared to meet Gordon, Amanda fought off the hollow feeling inside her. Her life seemed to have suddenly veered out of control. Fear that she couldn’t steer it back on track, away from Noah, frightened her like nothing had in a long time.

  *

  “I thought you weren’t coming.”

  Amanda let out a sigh, forced a smile, then sat down in the chair that Gordon had pulled out for her. “I told you I would.”

  “I know,” Gordon said, sitting across from her, his petulant mouth turned down. “But ER has a way of putting a kink in things.”

  She had no comeback to that because he was right. More times than she cared to count, she’d had to cancel their plans. However, she hadn’t apologized then, and she wasn’t going to now. He had walked into their relationship with his eyes open to her responsibilities.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so frazzled.”

  “I’ve never been so frazzled.”

  Gordon shoved his glasses closer to the bridge of his nose, then smoothed his mustache. “I’ve missed you.”

  “That’s nice to hear.”

  “I took the liberty of ordering for you. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “That’s fine.”

  Gordon smiled, then reached for her hand, toying with her delicate fingers. “When am I going to see you?” His voice was husky.

  “You’re seeing me now,” Amanda said, shifting her gaze at the same time she withdrew her hand. For some reason she refused to explore, she didn’t want Gordon to touch her.

  He frowned, but didn’t say anything. But then he didn’t get a chance as their number was called over the speaker. Gordon pushed back from the table. “I’ll be right back.”

  Seconds later, he placed a plateful of food in front of her along with a cup of coffee. Amanda stared at the mashed potatoes, fried chicken and biscuit and fought off the sudden urge to push the plate back. The smell was gagging.

  “Amanda?”

  She smiled again and picked up her fork. “I guess I’m not as hungry as I thought.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Gordon said in a gruff but sweet tone, “you need to eat. If for no other reason than to keep up your strength.”

  “I won’t argue with that. It’s just that I’m almost too tired.”

  “Give it a shot, anyway.”

  She ate several bites, then shook her head. “That’s all. I’m afraid I’ll get sick.” Reaching for her cup, Amanda took a generous sip of the coffee, something she’d already had enough of.

  Gordon’s serious features registered his disapproval, but he didn’t say anything. Amanda was glad. She wasn’t in the mood to argue with him. Also, she wanted to relax. More than that, she wanted to enjoy him and his company.

  Pushing aside the desperate feeling building inside her, she said, “How are things on the outside?”

  “As bad as I’ve ever seen them. This town’s a wreck.”

  “That’s why it’s a miracle you were able to get here.”

  “It would’ve taken more than high water to keep me away.” Gordon reached for her hand again.

  “Your food’s going to get cold.”

  His frown deepened. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t want me to touch you.”

  Amanda shifted her gaze. “That’s absurd.”

  “Is it?” he asked in a nonchalant-sounding voice, but she knew better. He sensed something was amiss, only he didn’t know what. And he must never know, either. As soon as the weather settled and the power was restored, her feelings of discontent would disappear, along with her renewed infatuation with Noah.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Gordon said, focusing back on the moment at hand.

  “About what?”

  “Your dream.”

  She gave him a startled look, her mind on another dream. Shaking her head, she forced a smile. She didn’t know what she’d expected him to say, but it hadn’t been that. “Oh?”

  “You act like you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about.”

  “Well, I do.”

  Gordon grinned. “That’s a relief.”

  “So what about it?”

  “As you know, my investment firm’s not doing half-bad financially.”

  “Thanks to your initiative and sound business mind.”

  He glowed at the compliment, then went on, “So how ’bout I loan you the money to set up your private practice?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t joke about a thing like that.”

  “That’s generous—”

  “Generous? That’s not what it’s all about. It’s an investment in our future.” When her eyes widened, he cleared his throat. “I guess the upshot of this conversation is that I’m asking
you to marry me.”

  “Marry you?” Her tongue turned thick.

  He leaned forward. “Surely that doesn’t surprise you?”

  “Well, yes. I mean, no.”

  “Look, I know I probably chose a bad time to propose, but the words just came out, actually.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I love you, but then you know that.”

  “Oh, Gordon—”

  “Oh, Gordon what?”

  “It’s just a bit much, that’s all.”

  “Okay, let’s forget the proposal for now and talk about you leaving the ER. You still want to open your own sports medicine clinic, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do. With tourism on the rise, I think there’s a golden opportunity for me. I may have to go back to school, though.”

  “I don’t have a problem with that.”

  “Whoa, I’m overwhelmed.”

  “And exhausted, which means we shouldn’t discuss anything so heavy right now. I was hoping to relieve your stress, not add to it.”

  “You’re sweet.”

  “I’d be sweeter, if you’d let me.” His voice had dropped another octave and his fingers tightened around hers.

  “I—” The rest of the sentence locked in her throat as Noah chose that moment to walk into the cafeteria. Damn. Maybe he wouldn’t see them.

  No such luck.

  He paused, then looked straight at her as though he’d come there for that exact purpose. She ducked her head practically into her cup.

  “Amanda, what—”

  A shadow fell over the table. Unwittingly, she raised her head and stared into Noah’s blue eyes, her heart hammering in her chest.

  “I wondered where you’d disappeared to,” he said, his gaze passing between her and Gordon.

  She fought back the urge to slap the proprietary look off his face. “I wasn’t aware I had to report to you,” she said with saccharine sweetness.

  He grinned, but she knew he’d gotten her message. He nodded toward Gordon. “How ’bout introducing me to your…friend.”

  Amanda did so, but with reluctance. “Gordon Bishop, Dr. Noah Howell.”

  Once the handshakes were behind them, Noah turned back to her. “I’ll see you later, okay?” Without waiting for a reply, he sauntered off.