Lightning Strikes

by Mary Lynn Baxter

  He plucked at his unruly beard, then muttered brusquely, “You’re about as hardheaded as they come. I’m worried about you. I’m afraid you can’t keep up this pace.”

  “I’m tired. I won’t tell you otherwise. I’m not alone, though. The entire staff’s in the same boat. This weather has done a number on us and the town, but I don’t have to tell you that.”

  “Not when my house almost crashed down the mountain.” His tone was grim.

  “Thank God it didn’t.”

  “You’re not still thinking of leaving us, are you?” he asked, changing the subject.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Then it’s true?”

  “What?”

  “The latest rumor.”

  “Stanley. The point, please.”

  “Uh, right. Supposedly you and Noah are slinging it out.”

  “I think you mean Noah and Malcom Riley, don’t you?”

  “Okay, Amanda, have it your way. Besides, I’m an old man who’s sticking his big nose where it doesn’t belong. But we—I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Stanley—”

  “As I said last night, I’m willing to make it worth your while to stay.”

  He paused again, and Amanda could see the frustration in his face, hear it in his voice. She could sense, too, that he felt he was walking a fine line since Noah was a good friend of his.

  She wanted to let him off the hook, only she didn’t know how. There was a part of her that wanted to stay. Vanderbilt had been her home away from home too long to thrust it aside like an old shoe. On the other hand, she had to break away from Noah and his emotional and sexual hold over her.

  Leaving was the only effective way to sever that hold.

  However, she didn’t intend to divulge her soul to Stanley. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to discuss her link to Noah, not when she didn’t fully understand it herself.

  “I appreciate your efforts on my behalf, but then you already know that. You know, too, that my decision’s not a knee-jerk one, that it’s something I’ve wanted to do a long time.”

  “But if Noah hadn’t come back, maybe I could’ve talked you into staying. Right?” One bushy eyebrow quirked as he scrutinized her.

  Amanda fidgeted, terribly uncomfortable with her place on the hot seat, yet not wanting to vent her mounting anger on Carl.

  “Stop trying to put words in my mouth.”

  “All right, so I’m butting in where I don’t belong. But you know how I feel about both of you. As doctors, you’re the best. And you’re both my friends.”

  “Look, Carl, no one’s asking you to take sides here, especially me. More to the point, everyone’s making a mountain out of a molehill. I’m seeing another man, someone who means a lot to me. So forget what you’ve heard about Noah and me.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  “That’s what I say.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” His eyes suddenly twinkled. “Now that you’ve told me that, and that I know Noah’s not running you off, I’m going to mount a full campaign to hold on to you. So get ready.”

  Before she could respond, Carl’s phone beeped.

  “Oops, gotta go.” He gave her a firm look. “Come tomorrow morning, you’d best not be here.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Amanda watched until he disappeared around the corner before letting out her breath. The nightmares kept on coming. Shaking her head, she turned and made her way into the nursery.

  She didn’t step any further, however. Her legs refused to take her. He was there, bending over the crib. Her heart shot to her throat and remained there like a huge lump.

  Where had he been? Jogging? Surely not. His attire told her that he had. Not only did he have on athletic shorts and shoes, but he was sopping wet, a condition that didn’t seem to faze him.

  It sure as hell fazed her.

  His shirt clung to his body, outlining his shoulders and chest. And the muscles in his legs, clearly visible, seemed more powerful than ever. She tried to find enough saliva to swallow around that lump while trying to ignore the building ache between her legs.

  If she didn’t make a sound or unexpected move, she could back out and he wouldn’t ever know she’d been there. No one else would know it, either. Noah virtually had the nursery to himself. The charge nurse was at the station, but she was behind the glass partition, her back to them.

  So why didn’t Amanda listen to her instincts and run? Later, Amanda knew she’d ask herself that same question. At the moment, her mind was empty, incapable of rational thought.

  Why was he here? That same old question concerning his connection to this baby rose again to nag at her.

  As if suddenly sensing he was no longer alone, Noah swung around. They stared at each other. His eyes held such raw torment that she smothered an anguished cry and swayed a little.

  Then, as quickly as that look appeared, it disappeared. Still, for Amanda, the damage had been done.

  “Hi,” he said, after clearing his throat, seemingly unabashed at being caught in the nursery, even though he must know how out of character it was for him. Or used to be, that is.

  “Hello.” Her voice was barely audible.

  His gaze turned possessive. “What brings you here?”

  “I was about to ask you the same thing,” she said, squirming under his hooded gaze. Dammit, he didn’t have the right to look at her like that. Yes, he did, considering the way she’d allowed him to maul her in the linen closet.

  The color deepened in her face, a fact he didn’t miss. His eyes narrowed, and their stare lengthened.

  Amanda was the first to shift away. “You haven’t answered my question.”

  “I wanted to make sure he was okay.”

  She cocked her head to one side. “I’m still confused. So at the risk of repeating myself, what draws you to this baby?” She couldn’t believe her boldness. It would serve no real purpose except to make him think what he did mattered.

  “It has to do with—” He broke off, that tormented expression again darkening his eyes.

  She waited, not about to make it easy on him.

  “Look, there’s so much I want to tell you, only now’s not the time.”

  “Are you married, Noah?”

  Her quiet words hit their mark. He stiffened. “Where’d you hear that?”

  “Does it matter?”

  He rammed a hand through his wet hair. “No, guess not.”

  “Is it true?”

  “I’m not married, Amanda.”

  “Well, at least you’ve saved me that humiliation.”

  “Dammit—” He broke off. “If you’ll give me the chance, I’ll explain everything.”

  “As if that’s going to make a difference.”

  “I was hoping it would.”

  “Well, you hoped wrong. But then, I’ve already told you that.”

  “So he was telling the truth.”

  She blinked. “He, who?”

  “Bishop.” His brows drew together in a frown.

  “You talked to Gordon?”

  “I’d say he talked to me.” Noah’s tone was filled with sarcasm.

  An alarm sounded inside Amanda’s head. “Let me get this straight. Gordon said something to you about us?”

  “He came to my office and, in a nutshell, told me to leave you alone.”

  Amanda was dumbfounded. “I—” She couldn’t go on.

  “Don’t let it bother you. It’s no big deal.”

  “Maybe not to you,” Amanda countered hotly.

  “He said you were going to marry him.” Noah paused and stepped closer. “Are you?”

  Damn Gordon. Just wait until she saw him. How dare he go to Noah and stake his claim like some caveman. Still, Amanda didn’t intend to let Noah see her resentment.

  She raised her head defiantly. “What if I am?”

  “Then you’ll be making a big mistake.”

  She laughed with no humor. “I can’t believe you said that. Your arrogance
never ceases to amaze me.”

  “It’s not arrogance.”

  “I don’t want to have this conversation.”

  “But we are having this conversation.”

  “Why are you doing this to me?”

  “Because I—we both still care.”

  “Stop throwing that in my face, all right? It’s not true.”

  “Your body says differently.”

  She sucked in her breath. “That’s a low blow.”

  “Right now I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make you listen.”

  “This is the second verse of the same song. I didn’t want to hear it yesterday, and I don’t want to hear it today. You had your chance, Noah, and you blew it.”

  “I still intend to have my say.”

  “It’s too late. Why won’t you accept that?”

  “For the same reason I won’t accept you marrying what’s-his-face. And we both know what that is.”

  She ignored that and said instead, “I’m leaving.”

  “Town?” He sounded panicked.

  “No, the hospital. Gordon’s offered to set me up in private practice.”

  “Ah, so that’s how it is.”

  “Yep, that’s how it is.”

  Noah’s face turned ashen, but he didn’t argue. If he had, she didn’t know how much longer she could’ve held out. She ached to be in his arms, but her pride wouldn’t let her. He’d killed her trust, which was the underpinning of any relationship.

  She just wished she hated him.

  Blinking back tears, she stepped into the hall, realizing she hadn’t even asked about Randi. Just because he was an insensitive jerk didn’t mean she had to be.

  She turned back around. “Did Melissa have any news about Randi?”

  “Nope, not a word,” he said in a terse tone.

  “So what’s the next step?”

  “The police.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll continue to hold a good thought that nothing bad’s happened to her.”

  The intercom chose that moment to blare. “Security to ER.” At the same time her phone beeped. She was also needed in ER.”

  “Super,” Amanda muttered, upping her pace.

  Noah dogged her heels. “I’m coming with you!”

  She didn’t argue. It wouldn’t have done any good. Besides, he might be needed. No telling what she’d encounter when she got there.

  “Trauma three, Doctor!” Jerry said a few minutes later just as she and Noah rounded the corner.

  When she reached the room, she stopped so abruptly that Noah bumped into her. Even his hands biting into her upper arms to hold her steady barely registered as she took in the scene before her.

  “Oh, my God!”

  “Don’t move,” Noah ordered.

  A man, bleeding profusely from a wound in his stomach, stood in the middle of the gurney, his eyes wide and wild.

  Liz Roberts and Bethany Kent were standing on either side of him, trying to reason with him.

  “I’m warning you! Stay away from me!”

  “I don’t believe this,” Amanda muttered. “Two crazies in twenty-four hours is not possible.”

  “With Grand Springs in this state, anything’s possible,” Noah said, brushing around her and venturing deeper, but cautiously, into the room.

  Beth turned around, her relief obvious.

  “What happened?” Amanda asked.

  “That’s what I’d like to know,” the security guard said, striding into the room.

  “He was on the stretcher,” Beth explained, “and even though he was moaning in pain, he let us draw his blood. We were ready to insert the IV—”

  “When he went berserk,” Liz Roberts finished for her.

  “What’s your name?” Noah asked the man, standing on one side of him while security stood on the other.

  “Stay away from me!”

  “All we want to do is help you,” Noah said in a calm, controlled tone. “Give me your hand and I’ll help you down.”

  “You’ll hurt me!”

  “No, I won’t. None of us will. We’re here to help you. Please, give me your hand.”

  Amanda held her breath, only to release it when the man did as Noah asked. When she would’ve gone to help, Noah waved her back.

  “How ’bout you lie down now, so we can take a look at that gunshot wound.”

  “No!” he cried, reaching for the blood-filled needle on the tray.

  Noah dodged, but not soon enough. The needle hit its mark—the inside of his arm. “Sonofabitch!” he cried in agony.

  For a moment, no one moved. They were frozen in horror. Then all hell broke loose. The security guard lunged for the guy, along with Amanda and the nurses.

  Once he was constrained, Amanda concentrated on Noah, who had removed the buried needle, his face twisting in pain.

  “Oh, my God, Noah. I—” Her voice faded into the harsh silence of the room as the implication of what had happened soaked in.

  Still holding his injured arm, he stared at Amanda for a long moment. “We’d best get his blood to the lab for testing. Pronto!”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Amanda listened for the wail of sirens. When she didn’t hear anything resembling that awful sound, she checked her phone, grabbed her purse and umbrella, then walked outside the door of the hospital.

  Free at last.

  She stood in the rain, which was now a light mist, and inhaled fresh air deep into her lungs. A sudden burst of lightning off in the distance caught her attention. Too bad that part of nature was so fascinating, yet so dangerous.

  But then dangers lurked all around, she reminded herself, the majority of them emotional and of her own making. Shivering, Amanda tentatively made her way toward her Honda and got inside, never bothering to open the umbrella.

  Home.

  She had cleared this short venture with Carl, but only after another ER doctor had battled the elements and come in to help. Still, she hadn’t given in without a fight. When Carl had physically pointed her toward the door, she had balked.

  “Go!” he had ordered. “Now!”

  “But—”

  “Forget the buts. You’re dead on your feet, which makes you dangerous.”

  “There’s something I have to find out first.”

  “It can wait.”

  “No, it can’t.”

  “Go!”

  She had gone, but not because he’d ordered her to. Carl was easy, and she knew how to work him. If she hadn’t needed the privacy and solitude of her home to help calm her battered soul, she would have ignored him.

  Now she was glad she hadn’t.

  Even though the city was still in a blackout, it was no longer impossible to get around, at least not for her. The fact that the rain had somewhat subsided had improved the graveness of the situation.

  However, a lot of families and their homes were in shambles, without counting the problems associated with the total blackout. Many houses and vehicles had been demolished under the onslaught of the hard rains and the mud slides. Possessions could be replaced. The toll on the human spirit could not be. Many who were injured would never recover, nor would some aspects of the town itself. The residents would carry scars for a long time.

  Amanda was also on that casualty list, though for a different reason. Her property may have come through unscathed, but not her psyche.

  She maneuvered her car into the garage, and after entering the small but cozy house she’d recently purchased, she didn’t think she could put one foot before the other. She had never been this wiped out.

  Or this frightened, not even when Noah had told her he was leaving her.

  Opening the drawer inside the utility room, Amanda removed a big flashlight, then several candles. Shortly, the living room area was aglow with a soft light. For as long as she was going to be there, this make-do measure would suffice.

  Her gaze quickly perused the large room, which encompassed the kitchen and breakfast nook, making sure everything
was indeed intact, that there were no leaking ceilings. It was. But the relief she should have felt was not there. Her entire being was consumed with only one thought.

  What if—No. She wouldn’t think about Noah’s lab results, not now. First she would shower, change into clean clothes and hopefully sleep for thirty minutes. Afterward, she’d be in better shape to cope with those shattering thoughts.

  Twenty minutes later she had done what she’d set out to do and was sitting on the couch, feet curled under her. Instead of sleeping, she was sipping on a cup of French vanilla coffee. Although the urge to stretch out on her soft, flower-patterned sofa and close her eyes was strong, she knew that gesture would be a waste of time.

  Even if she could close her eyes, which she doubted, sleep wouldn’t follow. Her mind was consumed with Noah and the “what if” game her mind continued to play.

  Why had she given in to Carl’s demands? she asked herself. Suddenly, she wanted to play kickball with her rear for leaving the premises. What if Noah came looking for her? What if he needed her?

  Forget that.

  Knowing Noah the way she did, he wouldn’t seek her out or anyone else. He would distance himself from everyone and do whatever he had to do. Amanda quickly put her cup aside and clutched her stomach. Bending over, she fought off a wave of nausea.

  That was when the phone rang. She jumped, then stared at it sitting on the secretary across the room. It rang three times, one short of the machine picking it up, before she trudged over and lifted the receiver.

  It was Gordon. She bit back a groan.

  “I hope you weren’t asleep,” he said.

  “I wasn’t.”

  “When I called the hospital, I couldn’t believe it when they said you’d gone home.”

  “Not for long. Carl insisted I go.”

  “Has something happened that you’re not telling me?” She heard the alarm in his tone and regretted it. In fact, she regretted everything about their relationship.

  “No,” she lied, not at all repentant.

  “Just the ongoing craziness, right?”

  “Right, which is why I have to get back.”

  She heard his deep sigh through the line. “Now? You’re going back now?”

  “Not this minute, but shortly.”

  “I was hoping I could come over.”