Читать книгу It's Only You - Sheryl Lister - Страница 12

Chapter 2

Simona tried to steady her emotions. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn’t even heard the cart approaching. The collision had nearly given her a heart attack. Slowly she wrapped her arms around the man’s waist. “Thank...thank you.”

He tightened his arms around her and caressed her back. “Anytime. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Her heart continued to race from being scared out of her wits and, even more alarming, from the overwhelming sense of security she gained from being in her rescuer’s arms.

She heard footsteps behind them and glanced around his shoulder to see the volunteer returning with a wad of paper towels and one of the hospital’s security officers close behind.

“Ms. Andrews, are you okay?” the security guard asked, narrowing his gaze at the man holding Simona.

She lifted her head and stepped out of the man’s embrace, rubbing her hip where the cart had hit her. “Yes. Thanks to him.” She glanced up to find her rescuer watching her intently, concern etched in his features. She immediately moved her hand away from her hip.

“What happened?”

Tearing her gaze away from his intense stare, she turned toward the guard. “Um...just a little accident. I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t see the cart.” Simona glanced down at the hospital volunteer trying to mop up the mess. “Maybe you should call maintenance to clean that up.”

“Yeah, probably,” the woman mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

The guard asked, “Are you hurt?”

Simona shook her head. “I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? There’s blood on your top.”

She looked down at her top, held it out and frowned. “I don’t know how...” She shifted her gaze to the man standing next to her. “Oh, my goodness! You’re bleeding.”

He tried to wave her off, but she moved in front of him, lifted his arm and examined the wound below his rolled-up shirtsleeve, which was stained with coffee. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. You’ve got a nasty cut and a burn. I need to get you inside to emergency.”

“Really. It’s just a little cut,” he protested, withdrawing his arm. “Nothing that requires a three-hour wait in emergency.”

Simona reached for his uninjured arm and pulled him in the direction of the emergency room, leaving the guard to deal with the cleanup.

As soon as they got to the entrance, his steps slowed. “You’re wearing scrubs. Are you a doctor?”

“No. An emergency room nurse.” She led him past a half-full waiting room to the back.

“Simona, what are you still doing here? I thought you were off,” a nurse said as they entered a treatment room.

“I am. Is there a doctor available? I think he’s going to need stitches.” Simona usually assisted the doctor with the minor procedure, but with the way her hands were shaking she’d probably do more harm than good.

“I’ll go find somebody.” The woman hurried off.

“Have a seat, and let’s see if I can get this bleeding to stop. Then I’ll clean it up and put something on this burn.”

He sat on the examination table. “I still don’t think you need to go through all this trouble.” He caught her hand as she took a step. “I’m more concerned about you. Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe we should have the doctor check you out. After all, you did almost lose your life to a coffee cart, and I noticed you rubbing your hip.”

She gasped softly. His gentle touch and soothing, deep voice sent a wave of heat through her body. Simona lifted her head and couldn’t stop staring at him. In the hall, she had been too distracted to focus on his features, but he was easily the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. His clean-shaven walnut-colored face, close-cropped hair and light brown eyes nearly took her breath away, tempting her to reach up and run her hands across the smooth, defined planes. She shook off the dangerous thought, reminding herself to behave like a professional. “Really, I’m fine, Mister...um...I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

He held her eyes intently. “Donovan. Donovan Wright. And you?”

“Simona Andrews.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Simona.”

Her name flowed from his lips like a gentle caress, and her pulse skipped when his mouth inched up in a sexy smile, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. Focus, Simona! “I’m so sorry you got hurt, and...and look at your shirt. It’s ruined. I’ll replace it.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

He lifted his arm at the same time as she reached for his sleeve and their hands touched again, inflaming her senses once more. She withdrew quickly, turned and grabbed a pair of gloves from the box on the wall. The gloves might protect her from any potential diseases, but not from the awareness flowing between her and this man.

She inspected the burn. There was redness and swelling. Simona noticed the bleeding had slowed from the cut, but handed him some gauze to apply pressure to the wound and put an ice pack on the burn. She pulled the computer stand over to take a medical history. He was thirty-five years old, six feet two inches tall, and weighed one eighty-five. Recalling his agility and strength when he kept her from falling, and how his hard body felt pressed against hers, she could add that he was in excellent shape.

The doctor arrived shortly after, donned a pair of gloves and introduced himself as Dr. Cortez. “Mr. Wright, can you please remove your arm from the sleeve?” He examined the cut and determined that Donovan’s wound required stitches. Then he checked the burn. “I don’t think the burn is going to blister.”

Simona stood transfixed by the sculpted muscles in Donovan’s arm and chest. Their eyes met, and he smiled knowingly. Simona turned away and busied herself with assisting the doctor.

“What are you still doing here, Ms. Andrews?” Dr. Cortez asked as he applied a local anesthetic.

She told him what happened in the hallway.

“Were you hurt?”

“No. I’m fine, thanks to Mr. Wright.”

“Mr. Wright, I’m very grateful you were here.”

“So am I,” Mr. Wright murmured, angling his head her way.

Pretending to be busy, she refused to meet his gaze directly.

Gathering his supplies, Dr. Cortez worked quickly. Once the wound was closed and covered with a large gauze bandage, the doctor applied an ointment to the burn then stripped off his gloves. “You’ll need to keep that dry for the next forty-eight hours and have the stitches removed in ten days. I’ll give you a prescription for the ointment. Apply it three times a day. When was your last tetanus shot?”

“I don’t remember. It’s been a while.”

“More than ten years?” When Donovan nodded, he said, “You’ll need to get one. I’ll call one of the nurses to take care of it.”

“I’ll do it,” Simona said.

The doctor nodded. “Mr. Wright, thank you again. Consider your bill paid in full.”

“Thanks, Dr. Cortez.”

After the doctor left, they stared at each other in silence. Simona was so busy gawking that it took her a moment to remember she was supposed to be giving him a tetanus shot. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

As soon as she stepped out of the room, two nurses rushed over and asked about what happened. Apparently news traveled fast. After recounting the story two more times, she said, “I really need to get back to my patient.”

Before returning, she ducked into an empty room. Knowing she had only a minute, she pulled out her cell and dialed. “Hey, Eve.”

“Hi, Simona. What’s up? I thought you were getting off at eleven.”

“I was. I can’t go into it right now, but I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“No problem. I’m just sitting here working on my essay. Are you okay?”

Simona blew out a long breath. “Yeah. How is she?”

“Sleeping peacefully. Everything is fine.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Eve. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.”

Simona didn’t know how she would have managed over the past four weeks without her neighbor’s help. She didn’t easily trust, but Eve Thompson, with her direct speech and compassionate heart, had won Simona over almost immediately.

She disconnected, put the phone in her pocket and retraced her steps to where Donovan waited, stopping first at the cabinet where medications were stored and reminding herself to remain professional.

* * *

Donovan sat on the examination table thinking about Simona. Earlier, his concern had been for her safety. Now, in the light and with the threat removed, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was stunning. Braids swept up into a ponytail that gave him an unobstructed view of her coffee-with-cream complexion, wide dark brown eyes and bow-shaped lips, perfect for kissing.

He shook his head. Damn, I must be tired. No, if he were honest, fatigue had nothing to do with it. He was attracted to his nurse, plain and simple. He lifted his left arm, studied the dressing and shook his head. Donovan looked up when Simona entered the room with a syringe and sheet of paper on a tray.

She handed him the paper. “Here’s the prescription for the ointment.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s really late, so let’s finish up and get you out of here,” Simona said. “Which arm would you prefer? You might have some pain and stiffness for a couple of days, as well as some redness or swelling.”

“May as well do it in the left. No sense in having both arms messed up,” he said wryly.

Soft laughter escaped her lips.

The warm sound filled the room, and the shy smile curving her mouth did something to his insides. Despite her flustered state earlier, she was now poised and in control.

She swabbed the area with alcohol and injected him. “Okay. All done. You can put your shirt back on. Do you need some help?”

“Nah, I’m fine.” He carefully maneuvered his arm through the sleeve and buttoned the shirt. Coffee stained the left sleeve and down the front.

“So...um...you’re free to leave now,” she said, depositing the needle in a container affixed to the wall and removing her gloves.

“Aren’t you off?”

She turned back to face him. “Yes.”

He slid from the table. “Then, come on. I’ll walk you to your car.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m sure the security guards are waiting to walk me out.”

A man rushed into the room before Donovan could reply. A doctor, he guessed, judging by the white coat and stethoscope hanging around his neck.

The man rushed over to Simona and placed his arm around her shoulder, which she promptly shrugged off. “Simona, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?”

“Fine, Dr. Harris. I was just leaving.”

“Great. I’ll walk you out.”

“I got it, doc. I’m sure you need to get back to your patients,” Donovan said, picking up on the obvious tension between the two. “You ready, Simona?”

“Yes. Thank you, Donovan. Good night, Dr. Harris.”

The doctor looked ready to explode, and Donovan chuckled inwardly. Placing a hand on the small of her back, he guided Simona out. “Have a good evening, doctor.”

Neither spoke as they made their way out of the building. A few steps outside, she slowed.

“Which way is your car?”

She gestured to the right. “I appreciate you walking me out.”

“Simona, there’s no way I’d let you walk out here alone. Do you normally get off work this late?” Donovan didn’t see a security guard, and it more than concerned him.

“No. I get off at seven. Tonight I was covering part of another nurse’s shift because she called in sick.”

“So, what’s the story on you and the doctor? Are you two dating or something?”

She angled her head to look up at him and paused before saying, “No, but not for lack of trying on his part.”

Donovan was secretly elated by that fact.

She stopped next to a Honda Accord sedan. “Well...um...this is my car. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Hey. Don’t worry about it.”

“And you got hurt. I’m so sorry.”

“Simona, there is no reason to apologize. It was an accident.”

She nodded and unlocked the door.

He reached around and opened it for her. “Do you need me to follow you home?”

“No, I’ll be fine.” Simona came up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Donovan...for everything. If you ever need anything, let me know.” She lowered herself into the car.

The warmth of her lips against his cheek sent electricity through his body, and he fought the temptation to turn into the kiss. “Are you working tomorrow?”

“No. I’m off until Tuesday. Why?”

“Just concerned. Make sure someone walks out with you, okay?”

“It won’t be dark when I get off at seven, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Simona, promise me you won’t come out alone. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”

She stared up at him with a strange expression, then nodded.

“Thank you. Good night and take care of yourself.”

She smiled. “I will. Good night.”

Donovan closed her door and stepped back. He waited until she started the engine and drove off before heading across the lot to his own car. He unlocked the doors, climbed in and shut the door. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes as a wave of fatigue hit him. It had been a long day and a crazy night. Sitting upright, he started the car, backed out and drove home.

Twenty-five minutes later, Donovan turned into his driveway and pulled into the garage. He dragged his weary body out of the car, entered the house through the side door and pressed a wall switch to close the garage door.

He tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter and reached into the refrigerator for a bottle of water. Unscrewing the cap, he took a long drink and wished it were something stronger. The mail sat piled up on one end of the island where his housekeeper placed it, but he was too tired to bother with it tonight. Instead, he trekked up the stairs to his bedroom, flipped on the nightstand lamp and dropped down on the side of the bed. Helluva night, he mused. He sat a moment longer, then went to shower.

It took some maneuvering, but he managed to shower, dry off and brush his teeth in a reasonable amount of time. Turning off the bathroom light and bedside lamp, he returned to his bedroom, pulled back the covers and crawled into bed. Donovan glanced over at the clock. It was nearly one in the morning, and he needed to be up and in his office by six thirty. Even though it was a Saturday, he had to take care of some tour logistics for Kaleidoscope’s concert tomorrow night on the East Coast. With any luck, he could take care of everything in less than two hours and be back home and in bed by nine thirty, ten at the latest.

He moved to a more comfortable position, making sure to keep his left arm free, and closed his eyes. Donovan made a mental note to call his doctor to schedule a follow-up appointment. He was beyond exhausted, but his mind continued to race with thoughts of Simona. True, she was beautiful, but something more appealed to him—her strength and compassion, maybe. Why hadn’t he asked her for her phone number?

Next time, he thought with a smile.