What the Heart Wants ; Sealed with a Kiss

by Donna Hill

His thick brows drew together. “Who?”

  “Apparently your protégé and colleague, Dr. Dina Hamilton.”

  He felt the air get kicked out of his lungs. He started to speak but his thoughts twisted out of shape.

  “What is your relationship with this doctor?” She intently watched his expressions.

  Franklin’s gaze jumped to Lindsay’s. Was she asking for business or for other reasons? “There is none, other than professional.”

  “Hmm. It seems they’ve been grooming her prior to her arrival.”

  “What? What are you talking about?” A knot formed in his belly.

  “That’s my understanding. It came from Phillip Holloway, the chairman of the board. The fellowship was the carrot, so to speak.”

  He didn’t want to believe what he was hearing. Not Dina. She wouldn’t do something like this. He slung his hands into his pockets. The knot rose from his gut and settled in the center of his chest.

  Lindsay stood in front of him. She gripped his upper arms and looked into his eyes. “If you want me to, I can help you.”

  His eyes flashed barely contained fury. “Help me?”

  “I know how to ‘manage’ people, especially when it comes to image. It’s what I do. I can make them understand that getting rid of you and putting in an outsider would not only be bad for business but a public relations nightmare, especially with all that you have done for the prestige of Jameson.”

  “Wouldn’t they consider any support on my behalf, coming from you, as prejudicial?”

  She smiled that smile he remembered when a plan was brewing in her mind. Her doe-brown eyes picked up the light and sparked.

  “Frank, this is me, remember? Besides, we were a thing long before I joined the board and before I landed the contract with Jameson. Don’t even worry about that. And it’s not as if our relationship was broadcasted. It’s the way we wanted it. Remember?” she said, her voice dropping a note. She reached out and cupped his jaw in a palm that felt like satin. “I can fix it. I can make it so that not only will you keep your job, but they’ll never come after you again. As long as there’s nothing going on between you and Dr. Hamilton—so that it doesn’t appear like retaliation.” Her statement hung in the air.

  He stared into her eyes looking for any kernel of truth. One thing he knew about Lindsay was that she was damned good at her job. She could make you believe the sun rose in the north. She was relentless, disciplined and thorough and now she’d added another lovely trait—ruthless. Most of all, she was out for herself. If what she did for others would benefit her in the long run, she was all in.

  “Why?”

  She took a step back, raised her chin in that defiant way that she had. “Because I can.”

  Franklin mindlessly walked the two blocks back to his car, mumbling apologies for walking in people’s paths or bumping innocent shoulders. He reached his car and leaned on the roof of it for a moment. He needed a clear head before he got behind the wheel. The conversation with Lindsay swirled around in his head. He still could not fully accept what she was telling him when it came to Dina. That was not the woman he knew, laughed with, talked with, made love with. Sure, people were multilayered, and yes, he was certain there were things about Dina that he wasn’t privy to. But completely missing that she was with him knowing that she’d been offered his job in order to lure her to Jameson—no—he wasn’t going to swallow that.

  He unlocked the door and got in behind the wheel. When he turned on the ignition he noticed he’d left his phone plugged into the power source. The screen lit up. Another message from Dina. He stared at the alert until it faded and the home screen reappeared. He put the car in gear and pulled out into traffic.

  Chapter 31

  Dina stepped out of the shower and wrapped up in a towel. She palmed away the mist from the mirror and peered at her reflection. What are you going to do, girl? Dr. Freeman wanted her answer in the morning. It might simply be easier to say no and return to California when her fellowship was up. She’d gotten plenty out of the deal already.

  She turned out the bathroom light and walked into her bedroom. None of this would matter under other circumstances. The problem was that she’d lost focus. That piece of her that she kept tucked away escaped and left an opening and damn if Franklin didn’t step right in it.

  She took the bottle of body lotion from the top of her dresser and sat on the side of her bed. There was a litany of reasons why she steered clear of getting involved with coworkers, but mostly she kept to herself because it was safe.

  When she accepted the offer to come to Jameson—with chair of the department at the end of the year-long tunnel—she never expected to fall for Franklin. Franklin had been portrayed to her as brilliant but difficult, not one to toe the company line and had been called on the carpet numerous times for circumventing protocol. Yet, from the moment she’d spotted him during the lecture that day, she knew she was in deep trouble. When they began working side by side, she saw the real Franklin Grant, fell for the real Franklin Grant, and day by day, her guilt and her secret sat like an iron ball in her stomach. But she couldn’t very well have backed out of her fellowship—untangle the paperwork, and the financing, not to mention what it would do to her reputation was way more than she was prepared to deal with. She’d convinced herself that she and Franklin were simply a fly-by-night attraction after her very long dry spell. She had never been so wrong in her life. Now, here she was, out of the frying pan and into the fire.

  Stretching out her legs she massaged in the lotion with long, then circular motions. After the loss of her parents and then abandonment by her aunt the part of her that connected with others was severed. Trust was broken. She never wanted to feel that kind of pain again, that bottomless-pit sensation of emptiness. That could never happen if she stayed focused on her work and kept her feelings tucked away.

  Then Franklin Grant bloomed larger than life and revived her heart. He made her feel all wobbly and gooey inside, made her want to take a chance at feeling connected and cared for even if it was just for a little while. So she risked her heart, and for what?

  She tossed the lotion on the bed and flopped back against the pillows. He wouldn’t even talk to her, as if the loss of life on the operating table was her fault. She sat up. Frowned. Was that what was going on? Did he blame her? Did he intend to sit this tragedy at her feet? It was true that she handled some of the laser incisions, but he was responsible for the suturing, the direction of the entire team, the reconnection and the implanting of the heart.

  No. She pushed up from the bed. That wasn’t his style. Franklin may be a lot of things but he was not a coward. Maybe it was as Anna said, much like her, he’d been advised not to have contact with anyone. As much as she hated it, the “anyones” included her.

  The problem was she needed to talk to Franklin before any decisions were made. She had to tell him everything before he heard from someone else. She needed to explain.

  Chapter 32

  Lindsay stuck her key in the door of the two-story Alexandria, Virginia, town house and stepped into the arms of luxury. She dropped her purse on top of the antique circular cherrywood table in the short foyer, toed out of her shoes and padded barefoot into the open-space living room. From her vantage point she could see directly out onto the back deck through the sliding doors. Hers was one of the few homes in the exclusive community that boasted a pool, which Phillip made a point of using every chance he got.

  She smiled as she slipped out of her clothing, dropping each item like rose petals as she crossed the cool wood floors and out to the deck.

  Phillip, hearing the sliding doors open, turned toward the sound.

  “Honey, I’m home,” she purred.

  A slow, hungry smile spread his thin lips as he took in the lushness of her caramel-colored body. His eyes darkened at her catwalk approach. He waded over to the edge of the pool. Lindsa
y took the stairs and lowered herself into the water to join him.

  Phillip slipped his arms around her waist, pulled her nakedness flush against him. “Welcome home, baby.”

  * * *

  Later, wrapped in thick terry robes, and stretched out on padded loungers, Lindsay and Phillip snacked on imported cheese, paper-thin crackers, seedless grapes, and sipped white wine on the back deck.

  Lindsay rested her hand on Phillip’s thigh, chewed thoughtfully on a grape. She had to find the right time and approach. Experience with Phillip taught her that he was most malleable and receptive after exhausting sex—exhausting for him at least.

  “Babe,” she purred while running the tip of her finger along his thigh.

  “Hmm,” he murmured.

  “This...business with Dr. Grant...”

  “What about it?”

  “I met with him today to discuss the public relations aspect.” She felt his muscle flex beneath her finger. She spread her hand flat on the warm skin. “I know the board wants to sweep this under the rug and push Grant out.”

  “And?”

  “It’s a bad move all the way around. Getting rid of the doctor who has revolutionized the department, brought notoriety to the hospital to be replaced by an outsider...” She shook her head. “Very bad move. It would be a PR nightmare and when we have nightmares, the donors do, as well.” She let that sit.

  “So what are you saying, Lindsay?”

  “I’m saying that as the chairman of the board you need to get the rest of the board in line. The last thing we need is a scandal, at worst, or months of bad publicity at best. Those are the only two outcomes.”

  Phillip reached for the bottle of wine and refilled his glass. He took a long sip. “From what I understand Freeman brought Dr. Hamilton here with the intention of her stepping into Grant’s shoes. Grant has never been a favorite of the board. The hospital may do better with some fresh blood at the helm of the cardiac unit.”

  Lindsay’s eyes narrowed. This was not going to be as easy as she’d thought. “Trust me.” She squeezed his thigh, ran her fingertips along the sensitive inside, inched higher. “This is what I do,” she said, the duality of her words very clear. She turned on her side to face him, while parting the opening of his robe. “Trust me,” she whispered again. “I’m working with two new patrons who are almost ready to donate millions.” She pressed closer, opened his robe farther. “We don’t need any scandal or lawsuit messing that up. If I was Dr. Grant and I was suddenly replaced by an outsider after all I’d contributed to the hospital, I would conclude that it was retribution.”

  He murmured deep in his throat.

  “The last thing Jameson needs is a disgruntled renowned surgeon. The board will listen to you. Baby, it’s for the good of the hospital. That deal that Freeman made with Dr. Hamilton should have never happened.”

  Phillip looked into her eyes. “I’ve never doubted your instincts.” His hand trailed down her arm.

  Lindsay heard a but and cut if off. “And there’s no reason to doubt them now. I know what I’m talking about. Wasn’t I right when I said that we should partner with the Forest Foundation, bring Perry Sizemore onto the board with all of his connections to corporate funding, host the intimate dinners for potential partners?”

  Phillip pushed out a breath. “Yes, and you were right every time and the hospital benefited immensely as a result.”

  Her full lips curved into a smile.

  He nodded. “I’ll go with your idea.” He stroked her cheek. “You are so beautiful.”

  Lindsay leaned over and kissed him softly. Mission accomplished.

  Chapter 33

  The sun had begun to set. Dina was restless. She’d been pacing the rooms of her house for the past couple of hours. Moving from the couch to the chair to the bedroom, the kitchen and back again. At this rate she’d never sleep for the night and she needed to be alert and on her toes in the morning when she met with Dr. Freeman. She plopped down on the side of her bed.

  She’d made up her mind what she’d planned to say. The decision wasn’t easy, but she had to think beyond today.

  Her pager buzzed. She picked it up. The number for the hospital trauma unit flashed. She reached for her cell phone on the nightstand and dialed the number.

  “This is Dr. Hamilton. I was paged.” She listened to the charge nurse. “Yes. I’ll be right there.”

  She shoved her pager and cell phone in the back pockets of her jeans, put on her sneakers, grabbed her purse and rushed out. According to the charge nurse a woman was rushed in after being in a major car accident and was in cardiac arrest.

  She knew she had to stay focused and not slip into that dark place where she often went when car accidents and cardiac cases merged. Today she would save a life. She was no longer the helpless fifteen-year-old girl. She was a highly skilled surgeon. With Franklin sidelined she would be responsible for assembling and leading the team. And she would.

  * * *

  Dina pushed through the emergency room doors and ran down to the trauma unit. She stopped at the front desk.

  “I was paged. Dr. Hamilton.”

  “Yes, Doctor. EMT just arrived. The patient is in trauma 2. They have her stabilized, but she arrested en route.”

  “Thank you.” She rushed down the short corridor to trauma room 2 and froze when she reached the glass door. Her heart leaped in her chest. Franklin’s mother. Oh God.

  She pushed open the door and stepped in. The attending on call was by the bedside, along with two ER nurses and an intern. The machines hissed and beeped. Dina sanitized her hands from the dispenser by the door and snapped on a pair of rubber gloves.

  “What do we have, Doctor?” Dina asked, scanning the readings from the EKG.

  “Sixty-eight-year-old woman. Heart attack. She was pulled from the wreck. Not sure if heart attack was post or preaccident. Scan shows a major blockage and damage to the muscle.”

  Dina nodded. She studied the scans and the sono. They didn’t look good and she wouldn’t know just how bad until she operated—on Franklin’s mother. She used the stethoscope to listen to Ellen’s heart. “Tachy,” she murmured. She turned to the resident. “Prep for surgery stat. Page Dr. Lorde, as well.” She snapped off her gloves and tossed them in the bin. “Has the family been notified?”

  “Yes. It’s Dr. Grant’s mother,” the nurse said.

  Dina swallowed over the knot in her throat. “Then we better make sure we get this right.” She pushed through the door and into Franklin, with his brothers right on his heels.

  “How is she?” he demanded.

  “She’s being prepped for surgery,” Dina said as calmly as she could.

  Alonzo let out an expletive.

  “What about Dad? Where is he?” Monty asked.

  Dina gazed from one worried face to another. “Your father?”

  “They were together!” Franklin roared. “I need to see her now!”

  Dina pressed her hand against his chest and for an instant she was sure he would lift her up and out of his way. “Don’t go in there like this. You know better,” she said in a harsh whisper, her eyes narrowing. “They’re prepping her. I’m going to do the surgery.”

  “You! Like hell you are. I don’t want you anywhere near her.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You know good and damned well that I am the best surgeon for anything like this—better than you.”

  His nostrils flared. “I want to be in there.”

  “You know that’s not...possible.” She swallowed and stared into his smoldering gaze. Her tone softened. “And even if it was, it’s against protocol to operate on family.”

  “You know she’s right, Frank,” Alonzo said, and gripped his upper arm.

  “Go in. See your mother before they take her up.” She paused. “She’s not conscious.”

  Frankl
in brushed by her. “I don’t need your permission.”

  “We’re all stressed,” Montgomery said, by way of excusing Franklin.

  Dina swallowed hard. “I’m going to have the nurse check and find out about your father. If he was brought in a separate ambulance...”

  “Thank you,” Alonzo said.

  “She’s going to be fine. I’m going to make sure of it. And your father will be, as well.” She offered a tight-lipped smile and hurried off. She stopped at the intake desk to inquire about the car accident victim and if a Louis Grant was brought in, as well.

  The intake clerk searched the computer for everyone brought in within the past two hours.

  “I’m sorry. Nothing.”

  Dammit. “Thank you.” She returned to the brothers and informed them about what she’d been told by the charge nurse then hurried off toward the elevators and the operating room. All manner of horrible thoughts swirled through her head. If they were together, where was Mr. Grant? Was he thrown clear? Was he taken to another hospital? Was he...? No she couldn’t let those thoughts seep into her head and play with her mind. Too much was at stake. She needed to have tunnel-vision focus on Ellen Grant. Period.

  * * *

  When she arrived to scrub in, Anna was already there.

  “I heard the patient is Dr. Grant’s mother,” Anna said as she lathered her fingers and scrubbed with a brush.

  “Yes,” Dina said, and turned on the water at the second sink.

  “So you’re in charge now.”

  Dina shot Anna a sidelong glance. “Temporarily. That’s it.”

  Anna mumbled something that Dina couldn’t make out. She continued scrubbing.

  Anna held up her arms and walked toward the swinging door that led to the operating theater. “Must be nice,” she said and pushed through the door with her back.

  * * *

  “They took Dad to Mercy,” Franklin told his brothers after being informed by the head nurse after several calls to EMT and the precinct that was at the scene of the accident. He ran his hand across his face and turned in a slow circle. “Look, someone needs to go to Mercy to be with Dad. I was able to speak to the ER attending at Mercy. Dad is stable, but they are running some tests and a CT scan to rule out internal injuries.”