Читать книгу Tessa's Gift - Cerella Sechrist - Страница 13

CHAPTER FOUR

“THANKS, DIANA,” Tessa said as she slipped Rufus’s monthly flea and tick meds into her purse. She’d stopped in at the clinic after work, using the errand as an excuse to check in with her former coworkers. Her week with Dr. Brennan had been rough, making her miss the simple joy, albeit accompanied by hard work, of dealing with four-legged patients.

Diana came around the counter to kneel down and greet the bulldog. He wiggled his behind in greeting.

“Sure thing, honey. I’m glad you stopped in. We’ve been wondering how you’re doing at that new job of yours.”

Diana reached out to drag her famously long nails across Rufus’s spine. He groaned with pleasure.

Tessa thought about Dr. Brennan and their most recent altercation. She liked her job, but she wasn’t sure about the pediatric oncologist. The man was perplexing, leaving her emotions in a tangle. His self-righteousness was irritating, but she couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to him than that. The way he’d spoken about hope... She’d been unable to get the words out of her head.

Do you know what hope is? It’s a disease.

The idea made her shudder. Not only because of the heartbreaking defeat it promoted but also because it made her certain Noah Brennan must have suffered something truly devastating in his life. How was she possibly going to deal with him over the course of the next year? And would she ever be able to win him to her side?

“Tessa?”

She snapped to attention.

“What?”

Diana frowned at her. “I asked how the new job was going?”

“Oh. Right.” She cleared her throat. “Um, good. I’m working on a bunch of fund-raising ideas right now to present to the hospital board.”

Diana beamed. “Good for you, honey. We all knew you’d do all right.” Diana originally hailed from the South, and despite having lived in Findlay Roads for twenty-plus years, she still carried a slight twang when she spoke.

“Thanks. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

Rufus jumped up on Diana, placing his paws on her knees in a bid for attention. She reached down to scratch behind his ears.

“How are things here at the clinic?” Tessa asked.

Diana made a face. “Well, we’re understaffed as usual, sugar. Alexis up and quit without notice last week.”

Tessa furrowed her brow. “Really? I thought she loved working here.”

Diana waved a hand in dismissal. “She did, but her boyfriend decided he’s moving to New Mexico, so she’s going with him.”

Diana had a penchant for gossip, and she filled the next twenty minutes with details on Alexis’s sudden departure, along with several other items of interest. Tessa listened politely but didn’t add anything to Diana’s dialogue. She’d learned that it was best to just let Diana talk, and eventually she’d run out of things to say.

Fortunately, this happened sooner than expected when a mom and her little boy stepped into the clinic, and Diana was forced to assist them.

The mom began chatting with Diana, but her son honed in on Rufus immediately and asked if he could pet him.

“Sure,” Tessa agreed. The boy looked to be around ten, and something about him reminded her of Kyle Miller, one of the hospital’s leukemia patients. He had the same smattering of freckles across his nose. “He likes to have his belly rubbed,” Tessa suggested, and hearing these words, Rufus obligingly sprawled out on the clinic floor and rolled over.

The boy laughed and knelt down to run his palms up and down Rufus’s abdomen.

“What’s his name?” he asked.

“Rufus. And I’m Tessa.” She joined him on the floor and ran her own fingers over Rufus’s fur.

“I’m Jeremy.” He was quiet for a minute, but he kept rubbing his hand up and down Rufus. “I had a dog once,” he finally offered. “She died.”

Tessa clicked her tongue in disappointment. “I’m sorry, Jeremy. That’s tough, losing a pet. But I bet another animal would love to come and live with you.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. Rufus seemed to sense the boy’s disappointment. The dog rolled himself back over and stood up on all fours, looking at Jeremy with sad eyes.

Suddenly, Jeremy reached out and wrapped his arms around the dog’s neck. Rufus just stood there and let himself be squeezed. It seemed to cheer Jeremy up. After a minute, he released her bulldog and stood back up. He was smiling.

His mother had concluded whatever business she’d come in for and had turned to leave. “Jeremy, are you ready to go?”

“Yeah.” He stroked Rufus’s back one last time before standing. “See ya later, Rufus.”

As he faced the door, his mom looked over her shoulder to mouth a “Thank you” to Tessa.

She nodded and stood. Diana was watching her.

“That was good for Jeremy. He’s had it rough the last year.”

“Oh?”

“His dad was abusive. Beat the boy up pretty badly before his aunt there alerted the authorities and took him in. She’s thinking of getting him another dog. He hasn’t said what happened, but I suspect the father got rid of his last pet.”

The story tugged at her heart. She had assumed the woman was the boy’s mother. “That’s awful.”

Diana agreed. “Leave it to Rufus to cheer him up, though. There’s nothing quite so healing as the love of a dog,” she wisely imparted.

Rufus looked up at Tessa then, his soulful eyes wide. It was then that Tessa had an idea. One that would not only benefit the hospital’s patients but maybe soften Noah, as well. It wasn’t her job to banish his demons—she knew that. But she’d been hired to elevate goodwill and recognition for the hospital. How could she promote a doctor who didn’t believe there was hope, especially for himself? She had to help Noah see there was value in promoting his work and the hospital’s programs. And Diana had just given her a clue on how to do it.

“Diana, you’re brilliant.”

The older woman threw her a glance. “Well, thank you, honey. I think you’re pretty special, too.”

“I’ve gotta go. Maybe I can swing by this weekend and help you guys out.”

She clipped Rufus’s leash on and hurried toward the doors.

“That would be great, honey. How about Saturday?” Diana called after her, and Tessa gave her a thumbs-up. But she was already pulling her cell phone from her pocket as she stepped outside, thumbing through the contacts for Ana’s number. She knew she should probably wait and speak with her boss in person, but she didn’t want to lose a minute on this idea.

* * *

NOAH KNEW SOMETHING was amiss from the moment he stepped off the elevator to begin his shift. During the day, the pediatric oncology ward usually had a constant background noise, including the hum of conversation, the beep and buzz of hospital equipment, but also children’s chatter and laughter. It never ceased to amaze him, the resiliency of children. Even while they were in a battle for their lives, kids managed to smile, to laugh, to remain upbeat no matter what they faced. That was not to say they weren’t afraid. Noah was well acquainted with the fear they experienced daily. But somehow, they managed to find tiny things to be happy about.

Ginny had been the same way. He and Julia lost their smiles long before she did. They scraped together just enough optimism to keep up a hopeful front for their daughter. But Ginny had seen through them. She was the one who had often worked at holding them together. Even when she was dying, the disease taking over her body by insistent inches, she’d done her best to smile.

“Sing to me, Daddy,” she used to say.

She loved “Itsy-Bitsy Spider” even after she had long outgrown it. She liked to see him do the hand motions, and she would laugh when his fingers inevitably tangled together. He swallowed hard at the memory. He would give anything, all that he owned and more, just to hear Ginny laugh one more time.

But today the ward was too quiet. He cocked his head, listening, and there was noise—it was just concentrated to a single area. What in the world was going on?

He checked his phone as he stepped down the hall, drifting toward the sound with a mild curiosity. When the nurses’ station came into view, he found it empty. Where had all his staff disappeared to?

A few more steps, and he had his answer. A crowd had formed in the children’s playroom area. The room was full of people, and a few were even spilling out into the hall. He experienced a moment’s panic. Had something happened to one of his patients? Why hadn’t he been called? And why was everyone congregating here?

He began pushing through the crowd, not bothering to apologize. The group shifted around him, and he heard a few people offer greetings, but he ignored them. If one of the kids was in trouble...

He emerged from the edge of the crowd into an open area of the playroom. No one was hurt or in need of care. On the contrary, the group of kids huddled on the floor were all smiling. His gaze shifted to Tessa Worth. She was seated beside the kids, her face beaming. She hadn’t seen him, but his heart jerked at the sight of her. How was it that this woman was upending his carefully ordered world at every turn?

He was just about to ask what was going on when he saw...it. He blinked, disbelieving. No. She couldn’t have... No one had informed him... He narrowed his eyes as the children giggled. But there was no denying what was right in front of him. The dog, a mixed breed resembling a border collie, was wagging her tail and preening with all the attention. How many pets did this woman own? And what made her think it was okay to bring them into his hospital?

He cleared his throat. “Ms. Worth.” He finally had her attention. “Perhaps I could have a word?”

She smiled, but it looked uneasy.

“Of course,” she said. She turned to someone, a woman he didn’t recognize. “Linda, if you or Viva need anything, just let one of the nurses know.”

The woman nodded and then turned her attention back to the dog. Noah belatedly realized that Linda must be the animal’s owner. So apparently the dog did not belong to Tessa after all. It was a minor point, he decided, as he took her arm to steer her through the crowd.

It was a mistake to touch her. He was all too aware of the softness of her skin beneath his palm. It wasn’t until they were past the group that he realized how tightly he held her. As if she had suddenly realized it, too, she tugged her arm free.

“What can I do for you, Dr. Brennan?” she asked, a trifle too sweetly.

He didn’t want to discuss the situation in the hall. They were still too near to the crowd, and he didn’t relish a repeat of the previous week’s performance, when their argument had grown all too heated within full view of the staff and patients.

“I would appreciate it if you’d accompany me to Ana’s office,” he stated, doing his best to keep his tone professional.

She frowned. “If you like.”

He turned and started in the direction of the elevator. He sensed her follow. They were silent as they waited for the elevator, the tension growing with every second that passed. His ire built.

“How long have you had this planned?” he asked as the elevator car arrived.

“What do you mean?” she replied, too lightly.

He stepped inside the elevator, and after a beat, she followed. They rode to the first floor in silence, making their way across the atrium and into the office area. He walked up to Ana’s door and with a perfunctory knock, swung it wide.

Ana looked up from where she was seated at her desk, a pen hovering over whatever notes she’d been making. If she was startled by the intrusion, she didn’t show it.

“Noah,” she greeted and then shifted her attention. “Tessa. How are you both today?”

He didn’t waste time with niceties.

“There is a dog in my cancer ward.”

Ana blinked.

“A therapy dog,” Tessa put in. “Like we discussed.”

Ana and Tessa shared what he could only describe as “a look” with some sort of secret communication passing between them.

“I wasn’t informed about any sort of therapy dogs. Because if I had been, I would have pointed out that studies show there is very little benefit to having animals in a cancer ward. It is possible they might even do more harm than good, by bringing in outside germs—”

“Those studies also admit that the presence of pets lowers cortisol levels and takes the patients’ minds off the stressors of their treatment,” Tessa cut him off. “I contacted the national Alliance of Therapy Dogs to find a properly trained animal, and they recommended Linda and Viva to us. ATD is well aware of the requirements of medical facilities, and their members are required to go through the necessary clearances in addition to a yearly evaluation—”

“Hold on.” He swiveled his gaze back to Ana. “You agreed to this? Without getting my approval?”

Ana arched an eyebrow. “I’ll remind you, Dr. Brennan, that I don’t need your permission to do my job.”

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Tessa’s shoulders relax. They tightened again when Ana shifted her gaze to the other woman.

“However, I assumed Tessa consulted with you before I gave her the green light. I was told she informed you of her plans.”

“I sent you an email about it,” Tessa lamely defended.

“An email?” he gritted out.

Noah wondered if she had chosen that communication method solely because he avoided any items in his inbox that weren’t directly related to his patients’ care. Tessa had probably figured that out by now since he never replied to anything else.

“Well, if I had brought it to you in person, you would have shot it down.”

“So you decided to circumvent me altogether?”

“I wasn’t circumventing you! Email is the accepted form of communication for most office correspondence.”

“If it doesn’t relate directly to my patients—”

“Aha! But see, this email did relate directly to your patients. You just chose to ignore it because it had ‘publicity’ in the subject line.”

“Which you knew I would do!”

“If you’d just give Linda and Viva a chance, you’d see how great this could be—not only for your patients but for you, too.”

“For me? How is having animals on my oncology floor going to help me?”

Ana cleared her throat. They turned their attention in her direction and she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest.

“Tessa has a point. Animal therapy is a great idea. Not only is it beneficial for the children, but it earns us some positive publicity. I was pleased she suggested it.”

Noah could practically feel Tessa radiating satisfaction over Ana’s praise.

“However.” Ana’s gaze became steely. “I expect the two of you to work in unison on these projects. Tessa, you should have consulted Dr. Brennan and received his input rather than leading me to believe he was on board. Though, granted, I should have known better than to assume you had his buy-in.”

“I understand, and I apologize,” Tessa said, “but I’d just like to point out how much the children are loving the therapy dog.”

“Any child loves a zoo, but I hardly think it’s appropriate to host one in an oncology ward,” he pointed out.

Ana shot him a warning look. “One dog does not constitute a zoo,” she said. “The therapy dog program is a great idea, and I chose to run with it because it is not only beneficial to the patients but the hospital as a whole. I’m sorry that Tessa didn’t fully loop you in on the idea, but I’m sure that oversight will not happen again.”

Tessa looked suitably chastened. “No. No, it won’t,” Tessa agreed. “I’ll be sure to include Dr. Brennan in all decisions going forward...in person.”

Ana nodded her approval, and Noah recognized it was time he also conceded defeat.

For all his stubbornness, he was no match for these two women, especially if they were united. And truthfully, would it be so bad to have therapy dogs occasionally visiting the ward? He remembered early on in Ginny’s treatments a hospital staff member had brought a bunny around. Ginny had been delighted. It hadn’t changed the outcome of her treatments, and she’d still been stressed about her chemotherapy that day, but for a few minutes, she’d been able to put aside her worry and just be a kid again.

The memory settled some of his anger. Perhaps Ana and Tessa had a point.

“Fine,” he bit out. “But any issues that arise are her responsibility—” he pointed to Tessa “—not mine.”

“Agreed,” Ana said.

He had the sense that Tessa wanted to say something more. But what else was there to be said? She’d won, this round at least.

* * *

TESSA SHOULD HAVE felt validated by the discussion in Ana’s office, but in truth, she felt awful.

After Noah left the room, Ana had questioned her on how the patients were reacting to the therapy dog, and Tessa shared what a great success the idea had turned out to be. The kids loved it, and the parents were thrilled. The nurses and other staff had found excuses to stop in and pet the dog.

Linda and Viva would be in the hospital for a few more hours visiting patients’ individual rooms, if the families wanted to participate.

Noah was the only one who had responded negatively to the animal’s presence. Tessa couldn’t say she was surprised by his reaction, but a part of her was disappointed. She’d hoped that Dr. Brennan would exhibit a little humanity, a softening of his hard exterior, and give her a glimpse of the man beneath.

She realized she had lingered too long in Ana’s office, musing on Noah Brennan and his jaded view of the world.

“I know Dr. Brennan is a challenge, but I would encourage you to be patient where he is concerned.”

Tessa raised her head. “Because he’s a brilliant doctor.” She said it as a statement of fact, assuming that was what Ana meant. But to her surprise, her boss hesitated.

“That’s one reason, admittedly.” She frowned, seeming to struggle. “But it’s more than that. Noah is not only a good doctor, he’s a good man.”

Tessa found this an odd remark. “I never meant to imply he isn’t,” she said. Just because they’d gotten off to a rough start, and he seemed to have a particular dislike for her—or at least, for her role as the marketing and PR coordinator—that didn’t make him an uncaring person. It was part of what confused her so much about him.

Noah seemed to care a great deal for his patients, even if he didn’t show it to them. He spent many unnecessary hours at the hospital, she’d found, reviewing charts and reading up on the latest cancer treatment research. She believed his explanation that he found all of her efforts to be distractions from what he was meant to be doing: treating children. He was surly and overbearing, but that didn’t make him a bad man.

“I know he can be challenging,” Ana went on, “but keep in mind that his demands of others pale in comparison to what he demands from himself.”

She sensed Ana was trying to tell her something that she couldn’t voice aloud, whether for confidentiality reasons or private ones.

“Just try not to take his attitude personally. It’s not about you. You’re doing a fantastic job, and the therapy dog program is a great idea. Noah will get on board with it, in time.”

“Mmm.” She didn’t want to disagree with Ana, especially being so new to the job. But she was pretty sure the handsome doctor did have some personal dislike of her. But regardless of how they clashed personally, as he’d said, they were professionals. They could surely find their footing in a working relationship even if they’d never be, as he put it, “best friends.”

She only wished she didn’t have to fight him every step of the way.

“I’m sure it will work out just fine,” she finally offered.

But as she left her boss’s office, she couldn’t help thinking that there was no way Noah was ever going to believe they were on the same side.