0373011318 (R)

by Amy Ruttan

  Reece shrugged. “I mean once you don’t get the job, Dr. Brigham’s job, you’ll leave.”

  “Who says I won’t?”

  “I wish I had your confidence, but you’re going against tough competition. Old money, connections, things you don’t have here.” It was as if Reece was using all her old fears to scare her now. To get her to leave. Well, she was stronger now.

  Vivian crossed her arms. “I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. And even if I don’t get it, who says I’ll leave?”

  Reece snorted. “You will. You’ll move on to greener pastures. Isn’t that what sharks do?”

  The words haunted her because that was what Dr. Brigham had taught her. That was how she’d acted for so long as she’d fought to get surgeries as a resident.

  “I’m not a shark.”

  Not anymore.

  She cleared her throat. “I’m here to explore the potential of a trial on autism, if you must know. One I couldn’t start in Germany. Just part of my working here was working with you on this case because I am one of the best diagnostician neurosurgeons in Europe, next to Mannheim.”

  He smirked. “So you’re not after Dr. Brigham’s job?”

  Vivian shook her head. “Yes, I am. I have aspirations on Dr. Brigham’s job. Who wouldn’t?”

  * * *

  Me.

  Only Reece kept that thought to himself. No one needed to know he had no desire or plans to run. He had no aspirations on Dr. Brigham’s job. He preferred being on the front line. He liked the OR too much. He didn’t like the spotlight or the PR aspects of running a surgical program. He didn’t crave the spotlight like his parents did. Most people would think so, but he didn’t. He abhorred it. That was why he didn’t use his real surname. Why he’d changed Castille to Castle when he was eighteen. He wanted to hide the fact he was the son of country music royalty. He didn’t want people to know that his father was Ray Castille, one of the biggest artists to grace the halls of the Grand Ole Opry. His mother, Edna, had been a model and preferred the jet-setting lifestyle and Hollywood over him and his father, to be honest. Wealth, fame and prestige destroyed lives.

  Ruined people.

  The limelight wasn’t for him.

  He hated the attention, the world he’d grown up in. Wealth and glamour did not lead to a normal childhood. So he avoided attention as much as he could. Privacy was what he wanted, though if his Alzheimer’s trial was successful that could change. Bringing in money.

  And maybe then he could help more people who couldn’t afford health care or specialists.

  Don’t think about it.

  “I’m sorry. Really, your reasons for returning aren’t my concern. I was just...I was surprised to see you,” Reece apologized.

  She was going to say something more when his pager buzzed. It was a code blue on Gary. He turned on his heel and ran. He could hear Vivian following him.

  “What is it?” she shouted behind him.

  “Code blue,” he shouted back over his shoulder.

  As soon as he came into the room the nurse began to fill him in. It was a seizure, but one that seemed to be affecting Gary’s heart as well. It was strange, both monitors showing his cardiac and neurological distress.

  Vivian didn’t ask any questions. She just dove right in, ordering medicine and keeping calm as she rapidly fired off instructions beside him. Just like the good old days.

  “His pulse ox is down. He can’t breathe,” she shouted over the alarms. “Why is he not getting enough oxygen?”

  I don’t know. Only he didn’t say that out loud as he pulled over the crash cart. They worked together over Gary like they’d worked together a long time ago. As if no time had passed at all.

  He’d forgotten how calm and collected she was. How she grounded him. How she grounded the whole room in an emergency situation. He’d missed that.

  “Charge to ten,” she said above the din as Gary flatlined.

  Reece grabbed the paddles. “Clear.” Everyone stepped back and he shocked Gary’s heart back into rhythm.

  The heartbeat stabilized, sinus rhythm returning and seizures ended. Reece breathed a sigh of relief as the monitors bleeped in time with a stable heart and his pulse ox rose again.

  “Thanks,” he said to Vivian. They shared a smile and it made his heart skip a beat because it was as if nothing had changed.

  “No problem,” she said. “That’s what I’m here for.”

  He was glad she was here, but she’d left once. She’d leave again. He didn’t need her. And he had to keep reminding himself of that to reinforce the walls he’d built.

  “I can take it from here,” he said, looking away quickly. Just working alongside her stirred so many memories within him. It reminded him of the hurt and pain from when she’d left. She’d been the one person he’d opened up to and she’d betrayed him. Broke his heart and just affirmed his belief that you couldn’t trust anyone.

  His parents and many so-called friends had shown him that. Even his parents had always been unreliable and never really there when he’d needed them. There was only one person Reece could rely on and that was himself.

  “Are you sure?” Vivian asked. “I can stay...”

  “No. Go get settled. I’ll let you know when everything is set up to monitor him.”

  Vivian nodded and left the room, which he was thankful for. The last thing he needed was to carry on that heated conversation out in the open. One thing was for certain. He had to keep his distance from Vivian, which was going to be impossible to do, the longer Gary was in the hospital, but it had to be done.

  For his own good.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “MAMA?” VIVIAN SET down her briefcase on the floor in the entranceway. She’d been surprised the door had been unlocked when she tried her key. Her mother never left the door unlocked, especially since they’d grown up in a less desirable location in the city. Although her mother’s house wasn’t in a bad part of town anymore; Vivian had taken care of that when she’d gone to Germany by buying this place. Still, it was no reason to leave her door unlocked.

  The door being unlocked had Vivian on alert. Especially as there was no answer to her query when she first walked in. Her mother was definitely home as Vivian had the car now. Her mother’s license had been revoked the day the diagnosis came down.

  It didn’t stop her mother from walking, though.

  “Mama?” Vivian called out again, a little more urgent this time. She walked toward the kitchen and memories of that horrible day when she was a young girl came rushing back...the moment she’d found her mother in a pool of blood. Painful nightmarish memories that she hadn’t thought about in a long time.

  Her mother’s suicide attempt after her father left was the stuff of nightmares for Vivian.

  It was something they didn’t talk about. That year, the year her mother checked out, haunted her for so long and in this moment, calling out to her mother, it was overpowering.

  “Mama?”

  Her mother rushed out of the kitchen, a tea towel in one hand, a dish in the other. She looked surprised. “Vivian? When did you get back?”

  “Just now.” She sent up a silent prayer of relief.

  Her mother embraced her. “If I had known you were coming for a visit...”

  Vivian’s heart sank and she could see that faraway gaze in her mother’s eyes. Her mother wasn’t lucid. “Mama, I came home a week ago.”

  “What?”

  “I moved back a week ago. Don’t you remember?”

  Her mother’s eyes sparked and then there was recognition and the fog lifted. “Right. Oh, right. I remember.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes, yes I do.” Her mother shook her head and laughed softly, obviously embarrassed and flustered. “How was your day at work? Back to your old stomping ground.”

  A nightmare.

  Only she didn’t say that out loud. She didn’t want to upset her mother. Her mother knew about Reece and Vivian didn’t want
her to get the wrong idea about her return.

  “Good. It was good. How was your day?”

  Her mother sighed. “I thought it was good... I’m sorry to let you down. I swear I thought I was doing good.”

  “You’re not letting me down and you are doing good. You just had a blip.” Vivian ran her hand through her hair, trying to brush away the stress that was building. “How often do these blips happen, though?”

  “I haven’t had one since you arrived. At least I don’t think so.”

  Vivian sighed again as her mother headed back into the kitchen. She’d been with her mother since she’d come home, but this was her first day away from her and she’d had a setback. Thankfully, nothing had happened, but perhaps she should look into having a nurse or a personal support worker here when she wasn’t here. Just to help her mother with the blips. Although her mother wouldn’t go for it.

  “Don’t go to all that trouble for me. I can take care of myself for now. You’re here to work, not fuss over me.”

  Her mother came back and they settled in the cozy living room that was filled with overstuffed furniture, fake floral arrangements and pictures of her from her childhood. All the things that made her mother happy. Or so her mother said when she’d decorated the home. Either way, it was cozy and brought a smile to Vivian’s face.

  “So was Dr. Brigham excited to see you again?” her mother asked, excited.

  “Yes, I suppose so.”

  Her mother smiled. “You suppose so? Well, I’m sure he was happy to see one of his students, one of his best students, back again.”

  “I’m not the only former student at the hospital.”

  “Oh?”

  Vivian stopped herself because the last time she’d talked to her mother about Reece she’d told Vivian to break it off and never look back. Her mother had always stated Vivian had to be her own person. To put her career first and a man second.

  “Don’t give up on your dreams, Vivian. Not for Reece. I don’t care if he’s a good man or if you love him. You have to go to Germany. It’s your dream. Go or you’ll regret it.”

  Her mother had never approved of Reece. She’d thought he was a distraction and she’d been right. He was.

  “Just some old friends. Old faces.”

  Liar.

  Her mother smiled again. “Well, that’s good.”

  Vivian nodded. “Yes. It’s a big change from Germany, though. When I worked for Dr. Mannheim it was in a clinic. A private clinic. I’m not used to being back on rounds again.”

  “I’m sure you’ll get used to it. Isn’t it good to be home?”

  “It’s good to be home with you, Mama.” Vivian glanced up into her mother’s warm eyes. She did love being with her mother. She’d missed her while she was in Germany, but it had been hard growing up in Nashville. Even if they were far away from the kids who teased her, she would still wake up crying for a mother who wasn’t there. Her mother had to work day and night to keep a roof over her head.

  Nashville reminded her that love wasn’t enough. Love made life harder. Everyone she loved left and she’d done her share of hurt too. Reece’s behavior today was proof of that.

  Even her mother was leaving. The disease was stealing her away, piece by piece. So young. Life was robbing her mother again.

  “You okay, Vivian? Was it a rough day?” Her mother squeezed her knee. The blip was minor, but it was there.

  “No, Mama. It wasn’t a rough day.”

  “Good. You’ll have to tell me all about it.” Her mother got up and left, heading back into the kitchen.

  Hiring a nurse, or at least a companion, would be top priority tomorrow. She’d call her mother’s friend Florence to come sit with her tomorrow while she worked her shift at the hospital. It was too short notice to find a nurse now and Vivian wanted to interview people for the position.

  Vivian would have taken the day off, but she’d only just started back at Cumberland Mills. She couldn’t take the time off work. Especially not when she’d been assigned a high-profile case and was trying to vie for Dr. Brigham’s position. If she took time off, it would not look good to those making the decision.

  Reece had made it clear that he didn’t think she had a chance at Dr. Brigham’s job. Well, she’d prove him wrong like she’d always done.

  There was a ping and she checked her phone. It was one of Reece’s residents.

  Gary Trainer was stable and talking. He’d also been cleared by cardio. The resident asked if she wanted to come by and set up the testing.

  Vivian groaned. She did, but she also didn’t want to leave her mother. If she told her about the text her mother would tell her to go.

  Reece can handle it. Call him.

  As much as it pained her to let go of the control, she owed it to her mother. She couldn’t abandon her tonight. Vivian looked up Reece’s number in the hospital directory and sent him a text. She didn’t tell him much. She just mentioned that she was tied up for an appointment. No one needed to know her private life.

  That was her business.

  Fine, Reece texted back.

  No questions—something she’d always liked about him. However, his shortness meant something different now; he was still angry at her. Vivian put her phone away and leaned back against the couch, exhaustion overtaking her. Maybe Reece was right and she was jet-lagged but, after a week, that seemed highly unlikely.

  Sleep started to wash over her, warm like a cozy blanket.

  A blood-curdling scream made her sit bolt upright and run to the kitchen. Her mother was on the floor, clenching her wrist, which she held up. Vivian had an instant flashback to the day after her dad left... No ten-year-old should have had to see that.

  Snapping back to the present, Vivian rushed over to her mother.

  “Mama!” Vivian knelt down next to her.

  Her mother was in shock, shaking, eyes wild as she looked up at her. “Vivian? When did you get here?”

  * * *

  Reece cut through the emergency room. It was unusually calm tonight, which was never a good sign. Really he shouldn’t even be down here, but it was the quickest way to the parking lot from where he’d been in the hospital. He hadn’t planned on staying so late, but honestly there was nothing at home anyway.

  He’d been surprised that Vivian had asked him to set up the monitors and get her test ready. It wasn’t like her and he couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with her.

  She’s not your concern.

  Still, it wasn’t like her, but then what did he know? He clearly hadn’t known her at all back then as he’d never thought she’d have been the person to leave him like she did.

  “Can I have some help?”

  Reece glanced up when he heard Vivian’s stressed voice coming across the emergency room. She was holding up a woman, blood over them. And then his blood ran cold when he saw that the woman was Vivian’s mother. He’d never told Vivian he’d met her mother; it had been brief, but that moment had been burned into his soul as the older woman had made it clear in a few words that she didn’t approve of his relationship with her daughter.

  “Don’t tie her down, Dr. Castle. Let her soar. She deserves the chance.”

  He shook that memory from his mind.

  And though he should let one of the ER doctors deal with it, it was instinct to help Vivian. He couldn’t leave her like that. Reece ran over.

  “Vivian?”

  “Reece?” She shook her surprise away. “It’s my mother. She had an accident.”

  He didn’t say anything about knowing her. He just hoped Vivian’s mother didn’t recognize him. “Let’s head over to the pod.”

  Vivian nodded and they guided her mother over to the room.

  “What happened?” her mother asked, bewildered. “Where am I?”

  “You’re at the hospital, Mama. You had an accident in the kitchen.”

  “Oh,” her mother whispered.

  Vivian shot Reece a pained look and just in that quick moment
he understood. He’d been studying the disease for so long he could recognize it easily. And then he knew why she’d come back to Nashville and it surprised him. When she’d left he’d thought she was selfish; maybe she wasn’t after all?

  “Mrs. Maguire, I’m Dr. Castle. I’m going to help you.”

  Vivian’s mother nodded but she showed no sign she knew him. Reece examined the wound gently. It was deep and would need stitches.

  “Do you need me to do anything?” Vivian asked. She was pleading and he understood the need to do something. He wouldn’t be able to stand by and not do something.

  “No, I’ll take care of it. I’m going to sedate her, though. Is that okay?”

  Vivian nodded. “It’s for the best.”

  “Try and keep her calm.” Reece grabbed the drugs out of the locked drawer. Vivian stroked her mother’s hair and whispered to her gently. It took him off guard. He had never had that close relationship with his parents and never would. His father had died on stage, a lifetime of drinking and drugs having taken their toll on him.

  His mother had died two years before his father’s death. A car accident had taken her.

  They hadn’t been the best parents, and right now, watching Vivian, he was envious of what she had with her mother. It also made his heart melt a bit, seeing her so vulnerable.

  Don’t think about it.

  “I’m going to give you something for the pain, Mrs. Maguire.” Reece injected the sedative. “It’ll help.”

  Vivian’s mother nodded and then relaxed as she drifted off. Once she was out, Vivian started to help him as they inspected the deep laceration.

  “How did this happen?” he asked as he began to repair it.

  “In the kitchen with a knife, but I don’t know why. She hasn’t had violent tendencies.” He could hear the anxiety in Vivian’s voice. She was not telling him everything. Try as she might, he knew her, knew when she was lying to him, by the furrow of her brow and the fact she wouldn’t make eye contact with him.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” he asked calmly.

  “I told you all I know. I was in the other room,” she snapped.