Unlocking the Surgeon's Heart

“And call me ASAP with those results,” he ordered in the brisk tone she knew so well.

As Christy placed the various orders into the computer system, she was hoping the tests would show something to support her nagging intuition, although she hoped it would be something relatively uncomplicated.

Several hours later the results were in. Shortly after Christy phoned him with the radiologist’s report, Linc appeared on the unit. Asking for her to join him, he marched directly into his patient’s room.

“Jose,” he said briskly, “I have news on your tests.”

Jose nodded his salt-and-pepper head. “I had a feeling something was wrong when they stuck me in that fancy X-ray machine,” he said. “How bad is it?”

“You have a very small blood clot in your leg and a small one in your lung, which isn’t good,” Linc said bluntly.

“But you can fix it. Right?”

Christy recognized the hope and the uncertainty on the man’s face. She knew exactly how he felt.

“This is where I give you the good news,” Linc said kindly. “I’m going to start you on a variety of blood thinners and other drugs that will work to dissolve the clots so they don’t break off and plug a major vessel. It’ll take time—you won’t be cured overnight—but eventually you should be fine.”

Jose leaned head back against the pillows in obvious relief.

“The other good news is that you had a nurse who was on the ball so we could catch the problem early,” Linc said as he eyed Christy. “A lot of patients aren’t that fortunate.”

“And I should be fine?” Jose repeated, clearly wanting reassurance that the final outcome would be positive.

“Yes.”

After a few more minutes of discussing Jose’s treatment plan, they left. Outside the room Linc pulled her aside. “Increase his oxygen and keep a close eye on him. I want to know if there’s a change, no matter how slight.”

“Okay.”

“Tomorrow, we’ll—” he began.

“It’s Saturday,” she reminded him. “I’m off duty. Emma and Derek, remember?”

He looked surprised, as if for a minute he’d forgotten what day it was. “Then I’ll see you tonight,” he said.

“Before or after dinner?”

“Before, I suppose. Why?”

She was flying high on her success, so she couldn’t hold back from teasing him. “Just checking to see if I can serve dessert as the appetizer or not.”

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am,” she responded pertly. “Contrary to what you might think, I can exercise self-control and I do use the gray matter between my ears from time to time.”

His eyes suddenly gleamed with humor. “I stand corrected. Either way, though, I’ll be at the house in time to take Gail and Ty to the airport.”

She received the distinct impression that he would move heaven and earth to do so. It also occurred to her that he might be as reluctant to see his brother leave as his niece and nephew were.

“Okay, we’ll save you a piece of cake.”

“Do that. By the way, good work with Lopez today.”

His unexpected praise only added to her high spirits. “Thanks.”

“See you tonight,” he said, before he turned on one heel and left.

She stared at his backside until he rounded the corner, startled by how husbandly he’d sounded. Suddenly she realized that not only would she see him tonight, she’d see him every night thereafter, too.

It also meant that every night he’d drop the trappings of his profession and she wouldn’t have the barrier of the doctor-nurse relationship to keep her wicked imagination in check. He’d appear as a normal guy—one who mowed the grass, took out the trash, left dirty dishes in the sink, and woke up every morning with his hair mussed and a whiskery shadow on his face.

Anticipation shivered down her spine.

She was being completely unreasonable.

Linc walked into the kitchen of Gail and Ty’s house with his small entourage and fought to keep his voice even-tempered. It had been a long day in his practice and seeing off his younger brother to another country for two months—Paris, no less—had been far more emotionally draining than he’d expected. He’d left his twenties behind ages ago and was a highly respected surgeon, yet he felt as lost as he had when he’d moved Ty into his first apartment.

Ty might not need him in that big-brother-knows-best role, but it was still hard to accept whenever the fact hit him between the eyes. No, he wanted to veg out with nothing more mentally or emotionally taxing than a game of checkers with Derek or a tea party with Emma, but if Christy had her way, it wouldn’t happen.

“Going out to dinner when Gail has a refrigerator full of food waiting for us is unnecessary,” he pointed out. “Need I also remind you it’s Friday night?” Which meant every restaurant was packed and would be for quite a while.

“I know it’s Friday and I agree that eating out isn’t necessary,” she said with a hint of steel underneath her sweet tone, “but it would be fun.”

He rubbed his face. Fun was going to become a four-letter word if every activity had to be measured against that standard. “We have all weekend for fun.”

She rubbed the back of her neck in a frustrated gesture and drew a deep breath. “I realize that,” she finally said, “but look at those two. Don’t you think they need something as a pick-me-up now, rather than tomorrow?”

He glanced at Derek and noticed his slumped posture in the straight-backed chair, his ball cap pulled low as he rested his chin on his propped arm. Emma sat beside him and occasionally wiped her eyes and sniffled as her thin shoulders shook. Christy’s Lab stood between the two, gazing at one then the other, as if trying to decide which one needed her comfort more.

They made a dejected picture, which was only understandable. They’d just driven home from the airport after saying goodbye to their parents and the reality of the situation had hit them hard.

“I agree they’re down in the dumps, but a fast-food hamburger won’t make them feel better.”

“You might be surprised.” She clapped her hands. “Hey, kids, how does a picnic sound? Ria needs a spin around the dog park and while she’s running around with her buddies, we’ll enjoy our dinner in the great outdoors.”

A picnic, at seven o’clock at night, with dark clouds rolling in and rain in the forecast, wasn’t Linc’s idea of fun. While the kids didn’t seem overly enthusiastic with her suggestion, interest flickered in Derek’s eyes and Emma’s shoulders stopped shaking as she gazed expectantly at Christy. Apparently Ria recognized the word park because her ears suddenly perked and her tail wagged.

“Then it’s settled,” she declared, although as far as Linc was concerned she’d simply made an executive decision. Because he knew they had to do something drastic or the entire evening would remain miserable for everyone, he let it stand. “Everyone can make his or her own sandwich and then we’re off.”