Читать книгу The Millionaire And The M.D. - Teresa Southwick, Teresa Southwick - Страница 9

“You have to understand, Doc—”

“Oh, I think I get it.” She stared at him for several moments. “I’m pretty smart, Gabe.” Pointing to her framed diplomas on the wall, she said, “I didn’t buy those at the dollar store.”

“This isn’t about you.”

“Or you either. It’s about Amy. She’s young and scared. And she needs her family.”

“You’ll get no argument from me. But it’s her father she needs.”

“Apparently she doesn’t agree, if actions are anything to go by. She chose you.”

“She’s wrong. Like you said, she’s young and scared. And not making good decisions. I’m asking you to give me a hand in convincing her to go home where she belongs.”

If actions were anything to go by, he couldn’t be bothered with his sister. Rebecca put her glasses back on and sat up straighter as she met his gaze. “If that’s why you brought Amy to me, you’ve made a big mistake. I won’t pressure her to do something she doesn’t want to do simply because it would be more comfortable and convenient for you.”

His eyes narrowed. “This wouldn’t be about losing a patient and the revenue, would it? I mean, you’re running a business—”

“How dare you.” She stood up and glared at him. “I would never put business above the welfare of a patient. Especially the welfare of a teenage girl who’s at risk—”

“Risk?” He tensed and was instantly alert. “What risk?”

“No, you don’t.” She’d let him sucker her temper into a twist and slipped up. It was a mistake she wouldn’t make again. “I’ll supervise Amy’s pregnancy until her baby is born or she fires me, whichever comes first, regardless of her ability to pay. Is that clear?”

“Perfectly. And send me the bills.”

“Fine. Then I think we understand each other. And we’re finished.”

“For now.” The man had the audacity to grin but it didn’t chase the anger from his eyes. “See you around, Doc.”

“Not if I see you first,” she mumbled.

And she wouldn’t hold her breath about seeing him at all.

There was no question that he was good-looking, and she hated that she noticed, but Rebecca knew her judgment in men was seriously flawed, and Gabe was all the worst parts of mistake number two. If that was anything to go by, it was pretty unlikely that she’d see him around.

And yet she couldn’t help wondering why he’d pushed so hard for Amy’s medical information. Why would he bother to get her examined when he planned to pack her off to Texas? Probably to make sure she was healthy enough for the trip.

He’d shown his true colors, and any minute now she would stop thinking about Gabe Thorne because it was a waste of time. Thanks to men just like him, she’d already lost too much that she could never get back. Smart women learned from their mistakes, and she was nothing if not smart.

Rebecca walked briskly along the sidewalk under the portico and toward Mercy Medical’s automatic front door. There was a whooshing sound as it opened into the two-story rotunda with marble floor and information disk on the right, gift shop on the left. Every time she entered this hospital, the echo of hushed voices and hurrying footsteps surrounded her along with a feeling of reverence. The medical center endeavored to treat the whole patient with a combination of technology and compassion that healed mind, body and spirit.

When Rebecca looked around at the quiet beauty of the yellow rose painting on the wall and the words inscribed over the archway—Dignity, Collaboration, Justice, Stewardship, Excellence—her own soul sighed contentedly. Within these walls, she felt confident, fulfilled, at peace.

She stopped at the information desk and smiled at the older woman with glasses. “Hi, Sister Mary.”

“Dr. Hamilton. How wonderful to see you. You’re here for your workshop. Do you also have patients to see?”

The hospital board of directors had talked her into doing ongoing educational workshops to educate the public about the prevention and risks of teenage pregnancy. This was her third time and the first two had had dismal turnouts. Sister Mary was in charge of volunteers and felt guilty that Rebecca’s time was wasted unless she also had another reason for being here.

Rebecca nodded. “Yes, I have a couple patients to look in on while I’m here.”

“Good.” The nun glanced down at a paper in front of her. “You’re in the McDonald conference room again.”

Rebecca nodded. “If anyone shows up, promise me they won’t go down the street for a Happy Meal.”

“I’m terribly sorry about that misunderstanding, dear. The volunteer was new. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Assuming anyone actually shows up.”

“Someone already has. I made sure he knew the McDonald conference room was not a fast-food establishment.”

“Thanks, Sister.”

Rebecca’s curiosity spiked as she walked away from the desk. He? Her goal was to reach teenage girls and prevent situations like Amy Thorne’s. But it takes two to tango as the saying went and just because boys were anatomically incapable of carrying a baby didn’t mean they shouldn’t understand their responsibilities in preventing conception. Unfortunately, she’d found that an abundance of testosterone limited a boy’s ability to think with his head, and they didn’t normally seek out information voluntarily. So a he at her workshop was a major surprise.

She pulled open the heavy conference room door and walked past the chairs in the reception area. The McDonald conference room was divided into two smaller areas that could be combined into one large room if turnout warranted. Based on past results, she had no illusions it would be warranted for her.

When she rounded the corner into the tiny room and saw who her “he” was, she wanted to walk out again.

“Gabe,” she said, hoping he’d chalk up her breathless tone to hurrying into the room. It was, in fact, on account of her heart beating too fast, something quickly becoming a habit when she saw him.

He was resting a hip against one of the long tables in front of a dry erase board. “Rebecca.”

“How nice to see you again. It seems like only yesterday.”

One corner of his mouth quirked up. “It was yesterday.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I work here.”

She wasn’t born yesterday. “Really? Patient facilitator? As in facilitate them right back to Texas?”

“You have quite the sarcastic streak. Did they teach you that in medical school?” he asked.

“No. It’s a gift.” She readjusted her stethoscope, then folded her arms over her chest.

“Nice accessorizing.”

“I like it.” Unlike you, she thought uncharitably. “Seriously, why are you here?”

“To talk to you.”

“How did you know I’d be here?” she asked.

“Like I said, I work here.”

She was in and out of this hospital all hours of the day and night, and she had never seen him until two days ago in her office. “Doing what here exactly?”

“My company was retained to do the hospital expansion project.”

With great difficulty Rebecca resisted the urge to smack herself in the forehead. She knew Mercy Medical was adding four patient floors to their existing facility in order to accommodate the explosive population growth in the Las Vegas Valley. She’d seen the evidence of construction—a portable trailer and signs around the hospital that said T&O Enterprises, but she hadn’t connected the dots. For a smart woman she was d-u-m-b.

“I see,” she said.

“Because of that, I’m in and out of the hospital. There are flyers everywhere publicizing community outreach programs—yours included. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try again to get you on my side.”

“And what if I didn’t have time to do this with you again?”

He looked around the still-empty room, then met her gaze, a knowing glint in his own. “Yeah. I can see where that’s a problem. What with the line out the door waiting to get in and hear Dr. Rebecca Hamilton’s words of wisdom.”

“I see someone else has a sarcastic streak.”

“Imagine that. Common ground. It’s a beginning,” he said.

A beginning was the last thing she wanted. And when he graced her with a grin that made her heart palpitate, the wisdom of her instincts was confirmed. Her knees actually went weak and she felt giddy as a schoolgirl. She’d never felt giddy when she was a schoolgirl. She didn’t want to talk to him again.

“My answer is still the same, Gabe. You’re wasting your time.”

“It’s my time to waste and I don’t think I am,” he added. “Because, I have to tell you, it worried me when you let it slip that Amy is at risk.”

She could understand that. “Amy can tell you what you want to know.”

“I tried. She won’t say anything.”

“Do you have any idea why?”

“Not a clue.” He met her gaze, and his own was full of flirtatious charm. “So you’re not going to give me any information?”

“Nothing’s changed. I can’t. But I have a question for you.”

“Okay. Shoot.” He folded his arms over his chest and gave her his full attention.

All that attention made it hard to draw in a deep breath. Rebecca took a step back hoping a little distance would take the edge off her reaction to him. “Maybe the baby’s father can get through to her. Did she ever mention him?”

“Not to me. But then we never talked much.” He shook his head. “And since I moved here, well, let’s just say nothing’s changed. I haven’t been in touch with the family as much as I should have been, I guess.” He shrugged, but the movement was more uncomfortable than cavalier. “I’ve been busy.”

Doing what? she wondered, when he frowned the mother of all frowns, and the bleakest expression she’d ever seen settled in his blue eyes. Was it possible he really was worried? That brief vulnerability was the only reason she asked, “What’s kept you too busy to keep in touch with home?”

“Opening a branch office of the company here in Las Vegas. It kept me too busy to think—”

“About what?” she asked.

“Nothing. Never mind.” He met her gaze, but his own held lingering traces of sadness. “The building industry here in the valley is booming. A successful, multimillion-dollar company doesn’t get that way by ignoring opportunities.”

She stared at him. Cocky she understood, which was the effect he was going for. Arrogant she could deal with, although he hadn’t quite gone there. Flirtation she was on guard against, because he was too good-looking for her not to be. But vulnerable? She didn’t know what to do with that.

“I didn’t mean to pry. And the past doesn’t matter. What’s important now is building a relationship with your sister. Get her to open up about what happened—”

“Hold it.” He frowned. “She’s having a baby. It’s pretty obvious what happened.”

Rebecca shook her head and only said, “Maybe.”

His eyes narrowed. “You think there’s something special she needs to open up about?”

“Not that she told me. And that’s the truth,” she added at his skeptical look. “Has she said anything, anything in passing, any hint, that she doesn’t want her baby?”

He stood up. “Where did that come from? Did she tell you that?”

“No. But something’s wrong. Do you have any idea what?”

He frowned for several moments, then said, “I’m not sure if this is on Amy’s mind, but my mother died after giving birth to my sister.”

That could be pertinent information. “Is she nervous about having a baby?”

“I don’t know.”

“You might try getting her to open up about that,” she suggested.

“Maybe.”

Suddenly all traces of charm disappeared and he looked angry, reminding Rebecca a lot of his sister. “How about you?”

“Me? What?”

“Losing your mother, especially unexpectedly from complications of childbirth, must have been very traumatic.”

“It was a long time ago.”

Rebecca had learned that what people didn’t talk about was often as important as what they did. “The fact is your sister is going to have a baby. Did you ever hear her say she doesn’t want children?”

“No.”

He shifted his shoulders when he answered, as if he were uncomfortable with the question. Something was very off between these two and that begged the question—why would Amy turn to a brother who hadn’t been there for her? It was a logical assumption that she believed he was the only one between her and the streets and she had nowhere else to go. In reality their issues were only Rebecca’s problem if it affected the health of her patient and the infant she carried. But tell that to the part of her that was overly curious, in a very female way, about this man. She didn’t like that she was interested.

For that reason she wished she could champion his cause of convincing Amy to go home. But that crossed the line between professional and personal. “So I guess I’ve made my position clear?”

“You have.” His mouth pulled tight. “And I’ll do the same. If I can’t convince my sister she’d be better off in Texas, then I will be involved. I’ll be there for her.”

Rebecca nodded. “Okay, then.”

“So what can you tell me? What can I do?”

“It’s important that she eats right. She really is eating for two. The baby will get what it needs from her and that will take a toll on her body unless she replenishes with proper nutrition. She needs to hydrate herself. No soda. Juice and water are best. Lots of sleep. And she’s supposed to call the office to set up an appointment for an ultrasound.”

“Okay. I’ll see she does all that. What else?”

“Encourage her to share her feelings. This is a life-altering event. You haven’t made a secret of the fact that you’re not happy she’s here. As much as possible, let her know she’s not alone.”

“Okay. Thanks, Doc.”

When he put his hand out, Rebecca only hesitated a second before putting her fingers in his palm. It was warm and strong, and again she had the sensation of not being able to draw in enough air.

Since Amy had gone to her brother in her time of need, it was a good thing he had, however reluctantly, decided to support her. It was good for Amy, not so much for Rebecca. It meant she hadn’t seen the last of him as she’d hoped.

But that was today. From experience Rebecca knew that tomorrow he could decide it was all too much trouble and that would be that. She’d learned the only one she could count on was herself and hoped her patient wasn’t in for a similar painful lesson at the worst possible time.

Gabe turned his BMW right from Siena Heights onto Eastern Avenue and crawled through the congestion to Horizon Ridge Parkway. Wasn’t it handy that Dr. Rebecca Hamilton had her office up the street from Mercy Medical Center? He had a portable trailer set up there for his office, which made it easier to supervise construction on the hospital expansion. But the short drive didn’t give him a lot of time to plan what he’d say to the doc when he read her the riot act. What kind of game was she playing? He and Amy had their problems, but he wouldn’t stand by and do nothing when his sister’s medical needs were being ignored.

Just past the Radiology Center he turned left into the parking lot and pulled into an empty space. The desert landscaping outside the medical building was rock and shrubs—different from the lush bushes, grass and trees in Texas. But he knew from his last visit that the inside would bring back memories he’d done his damnedest to forget.

And as for Doc Goody Two-shoes, she talked a good game. Miss I’ll-Treat-Her-No-Matter-What might look like an angel, but not so much. He had a bone to pick with her.

Inside, Grace was sitting in the reception area and smiled when she saw him. “Hi.”

“I want to see Rebecca.”

He didn’t give a rat’s ass whether or not the doc wanted him to call her that.

“The doctor is with a patient. If you’d like to take a seat—”

The last thing he wanted was to be here at all. Next to last was taking a seat.

“I want to see her now,” he said.

Grace’s eyes widened as she studied the look on his face. Apparently, she knew he meant business because she stood and said, “I’ll let her know you’re here.”

Gabe paced in front of the reception window and noticed the waiting room was empty. It was after five and probably she was with her last patient of the day. Not that he cared if he inconvenienced her. She wasn’t being especially accommodating.

Grace returned to the reception desk and said, “I’ll show you into the doctor’s office.”

“I know where it is.” He walked through the door that separated the waiting area from the back office and went down the hall, turning left into the room with the desk and diplomas where he’d seen Rebecca working.

Grace was right behind him. “If you’ll have a seat, the doctor will be here in a few minutes.”

“I’ll stand,” Gabe said.

The office phone rang and Grace looked torn. She picked up the extension and listened, then put the caller on hold. After giving him a don’t-touch-anything look, she left.

He glanced around the small room, which was as cluttered as the last time. Charts, a computer and papers littered the top of her desk. On the wall in front of him was a seascape and another of a gondola gliding under a bridge on a canal, probably Venice. Apparently, she liked water. That was about as personal as she got because there were no photographs scattered around.

Before he could think about that, he heard voices in the hall, then saw Rebecca with a very pretty, very pregnant woman.

“Should I make an appointment, Doctor?”

“Yes. Although I don’t think you’re going to need it, Elena. I have a feeling the next time I see you it will be in Labor and Delivery at Mercy Medical.”

The woman crossed her fingers. “From your mouth to God’s ear.”

Rebecca hugged her. “Very soon you’ll be holding your baby.”

“I can’t wait.”

Gabe’s chest tightened painfully. The woman’s pregnancy glow hurt his eyes, and the overwhelming feeling of emptiness and loss hurt his heart. And that was why he hated being here.

Rebecca glanced into the office, waved goodbye to her patient, then came inside. “Is Amy all right?”

“You tell me. Not only am I kept out of that particular loop, apparently further information from this office won’t be forthcoming. At least not anytime in the near future.”

She walked behind her desk but didn’t sit in the chair. When she met his gaze, her brown eyes were shadowed and puzzled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“And I have no idea what’s going on. Did you or did you not promise to take my sister as a patient?”

“You know I did.”

“Then why was she turned away?”

The puzzled look intensified. “Again, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“When I asked Amy about her ultrasound appointment, she said she didn’t have one because when she called there were no openings.”

“That’s not possible,” Rebecca said, shaking her head.

“Define ‘not possible.’”

“She’s an existing patient. The next very important step of her treatment is an ultrasound. I want the test done stat—ASAP,” she translated. “No way would she be denied an office visit.”

“Well, she was.” He folded his arms over his chest and stared at her.

She glared back. “She’s your sister, but she’s a mixed-up, hormonal teenager. And I’m not going to argue with you, Gabe. Grace answers the phone and makes most of the appointments. If she’s unavailable, I do it myself. I’ll clear this up right now.”

The look she flashed him just before leaving the room was rife with irritation, and he had the absurd thought that she was beautiful when she was angry. He didn’t like his next thought any better. He wanted to see what kind of curves she had going on under her shapeless white coat. That kind of thinking felt like cheating. Cheating felt like crap and was just another in a growing list of reasons why he didn’t want to be here.

Rebecca returned, looking grim, a stark contrast to how she’d looked with her patient Elena. “Amy never called here, Gabe.”

“What?”

“Like I said, Grace or I would have talked to her. If she’d called, we would have scheduled an appointment that was convenient for her or we’d have fit her in. Neither of us has spoken with her. I’m quite sure she never contacted the office.”

He rubbed his neck. “Amy lied to me?”

Rebecca shrugged as she slid her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. “She’s trying to avoid her pregnancy. The problem with avoiding your problems is that when you bury your head in the sand you leave your—”

“Backside exposed,” he finished.

“Pretty much.” The look she gave him was guarded. “The thing is, I don’t know you and you don’t know me. What we do know is that your sister is troubled. But sooner or later she’s got to face what’s happening to her. She ran away from home, but for her sake and the baby’s, she’s got to stop running.”

“She ran to me and I don’t know why.”

“Me, neither.”

Her look was wary and suspicious and made him feel more like crap than he had before. She definitely acted differently with him than she had with Amy, Grace or her patients. The weird thing is that he noticed at all. Since losing Hannah he’d been all work—no social life, extracurricular activities or interpersonal interaction. But through circumstances beyond his control he’d become responsible for his pregnant sister and was feeling a man/woman kind of vibe for her doctor.

He wasn’t very happy about either situation. Ignoring this “thing” with Rebecca was a piece of cake, compared with ignoring the fact that his sister was going to have a baby. And Hannah’s words echoed through his mind.

The baby is the most important thing.

“Okay.” Gabe nodded. “I get the point.”

“If you say so.”

“Look, Doc, I’m sorry about storming in here. It won’t happen again.”

“Right.”

Her hostility was showing, and part of him didn’t like that. But he couldn’t afford to care. One crisis at a time. Right now that crisis was getting Amy in here for the test.

“On my way out I’ll stop and make an appointment for the ultrasound. You have my word that my sister will show up for it.”

“Okay.”

Her tone said she didn’t believe him, and he wanted to say her cynicism was showing, but that would prolong a meeting that had definitely not been his finest hour. Actually, dignity was the least of his problems. The fact that he’d been tempted to prolong this meeting at all had taken him by surprise.

After stopping to schedule the appointment, he left the office and realized getting out of there fast wasn’t as much about saving face as it was the fact that he wanted to pull sexy Dr. Hamilton into his arms and kiss the daylights out of her.

That was bad enough. Worse was that he had to bring Amy back to see the doc again. All of that begged the question: Which god had he pissed off, and what penance could he do to stop the harassment?