One Summer In Santa Fe

Glancing at the monitor, Piper was pleased to see the lethal rhythm resolving. The patient wasn’t out of danger, but at least the immediate crisis was over. “Nice one, Doc.”

“He had a chest contusion, so it was expected. Let’s get this guy to the OR.” Dr. Jenkins removed his goggles and mask.

Piper paused for a brief second, then continued to pack the patient’s IV for transport. When she’d looked up at Taylor, a shock of electricity had shot through her. He was simply the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Even with a two-day growth of beard, the shape of his strong jaw was clearly visible. His full mouth curved up slightly as if he were reacting to some slight amusement. But it was his eyes that devastated her the most. Blue, crystal clear, and piercing, they were look-right-into-your-soul eyes.

She had to focus on the patient and not on the flutters that rolled in her stomach. She hadn’t reacted this way when his face had been covered, so why should she now? He had been just another doctor she’d worked with, right? But unmasked? Oh, he was absolutely gorgeous.

“Piper? Are you ready?” Taylor asked, and shrugged into his lab jacket.

“Yes, Doctor. Just finishing.” She clamped the transport monitor onto the rail of the stretcher.

“It’s Taylor, please.”

“Okay, thanks.” She smiled at him and swallowed down the bubble of attraction that wanted to surface. “Ready to go, but you’ll have to lead the way. I don’t know where the OR is.”

“Happy to.” Taylor grabbed a rail on the stretcher and assisted Piper to push the patient down the hall where an OR team waited to put him back together again. Taylor gave his verbal report to the surgeon, and Piper gave hers to the anesthesiologist.

After handing the patient off, Taylor was ready for a break. The new nurse had certainly had her trial by fire and survived, so he was sure she could use a break, too.

“Ready for a cup of coffee?” he asked, and led the way back to the ER and to the staff lounge.

“I should really check in with the charge nurse and let her know I’m here.”

They entered the staff lounge. Someone had brewed a fresh pot, as the bright fragrance of exotic coffee hung in the air. Piper sniffed appreciatively, and her eyes went soft. “Oh. I suppose one cup first won’t hurt, will it?”

“Hardly.” Taylor poured for them, and Piper fixed hers with milk and half a packet of sweetener. “It’s not like you weren’t working. Emily just didn’t know it.” “Emily is the charge nurse, then?” Piper asked, and plopped down into a chair.

“Yes. She was with one of the other traumas that didn’t survive.” He hated that. Hated that he couldn’t fix each and every patient that came through his doors no matter the cause.

“Oh. It’s tough to lose patients that you work hard on, isn’t it?” There was something in her eyes that was vulnerable, painful, but it wasn’t any of his business.

“Yes, it is. Especially when the problems could be prevented.” Taylor sat beside her and tried not to think of the two patients he’d lost that morning. Though the odds had been stacked against survival from the start, he still felt like a failure when patients under his care died right in front of him. He didn’t like to lose.

His cellphone rang.

“Dr. Jenkins.”

He listened for a moment with his eyes closed and a finger pinching the bridge of his nose. “And just how messy is it, Alex?”

Pause as he listened. “Can you clean it up by yourself?”

More listening. Bigger headache forming behind his eyes.

“I’ll come home at lunch. Don’t worry about the stain on the carpet. Or the walls. Or the couch. It’s okay. See you at lunchtime.”

Amusement fairly sparkled off Piper as he looked at her.

“What?” There was nothing amusing about his end of the conversation.

“Nothing.” She sipped her coffee, but couldn’t hide the gleam in her eyes. “Your son home alone?”

“Nephew. Staying with me for…” he looked at his digital watch “…five more weeks and six days.”

“Not counting down the days, are you?” she asked.

“No, just the seconds.” He showed his watch to her and the time counting down every second of that period.

“You’re serious. You’re really counting down the time like that?” Her blue eyes widened as she looked at him in surprise.

“I’m doing my sister a favor, and that’s when the favor ends.” Not one moment longer. He had a life to live, airplanes to jump out of and mountains to climb, all before the summer ended. Putting his life on hold was a temporary measure. Very temporary.

“I take it you aren’t happy your nephew is with you?” she asked, then paused. “Not that it’s any of my business, I realize.”

“It’s not that I’m not happy. It’s just a completely different way of life than I’m used to. People here are taking bets on how long it will be before I drag my sister home from California to take Alex back.” He leaned his head on the back of the couch and groaned. There were headaches and then there were headaches.

“Oh, that’s so sad,” she said, but laughed.

“No, what’s sad is that he opened a grape soda on my couch, carpet and walls.” Not that it was a huge deal, but it was going to be on the couch and carpet for a very long time. From his memory of being a kid, grape stains came out of nothing.

“They aren’t white, are they?” Piper asked, and a sneaky little smile curved up the corners of her lips.

Was she psychic or something? “Not everything. Just the walls and beige carpet. Couch is light brown.”

“Oh, dear.” Her eyes widened abruptly. “You can’t let that sit, or you’ll never get it out. Call him back. Do you have any peroxide or seltzer water at the house?”

“Peroxide, I think.” He was hardly there, so he really didn’t know what might be in his cupboards. Hadn’t he bought a bottle of peroxide about a year ago when he’d sliced open his hand on a piece of broken climbing rigging?

“Call him back and tell him to pour half the bottle on the carpet stain and half on the couch. The walls should be okay. At least you can paint over them.”

“Why?”

“Getting purple stains out is like getting blood out of your clothing. Peroxide might take it out.”

He opened his mouth to protest and then thought of how much more difficult it would be to argue. “I’ll call him.”

Piper stood. “And I’ll check in with Emily. Thanks for the coffee.”

Chapter Two

PIPER had survived her first very long day at the hospital. The high desert capital city of New Mexico was lovely with its classic southwest architecture and way the city seemed built into the cliffs and hills rather than taking over the landscape. No highrises here. Living at 7000 feet was going to be a challenge for her, having come from sea level at her last assignment. The air was much thinner at elevation and would take some getting used to.

Piper sighed. Exploration would have to wait for another day as she was scheduled for three more days of work before her first weekend off. Some of the staff had given her information on must-see places and restaurants around the area, so she had a plan for when her time was free. Santa Fe was starting to look like a great assignment. Her travel nurse assignments satisfied her need to travel and explore exotic places that she wouldn’t otherwise be able to visit. Most of the time she stayed close to her sister, but some assignments were too good to resist.

New Mexico so far seemed a spectacular mix of cultures from the old-world Mexican and Native American that had blended over the years to form a new culture altogether, one unique to the area. No wonder people were drawn here, as she had been. There was magic in The Land of Enchantment, as the state motto claimed. She was thoroughly looking forward to getting to know this place before she moved on to her next assignment. If there was another assignment. Though she had hoped to find a place to settle down eventually, the lure of travel and another city to discover seemed firmly enmeshed in her blood. She loved the travel and had no reason to put down roots yet.

As she entered the ER the next day, a small case of nerves shot through her. This would be a quick assignment. Just six weeks, then she’d be off somewhere else. Eventually she’d have to find a place to settle down for good. She’d put her life on hold long enough. Her own needs had always taken a backseat to those of her sister. Now her sister wouldn’t need her financial support any longer, and she could…have a life of her own. What a concept. She’d been so dedicated to supporting her sister and providing financial stability for Elizabeth that Piper hadn’t really had her own life in a long time. Except for one disastrous relationship that still stung her ego, she had remained relatively free of entanglements. Even thinking of her ex-boyfriend made her clench her jaw and narrow her eyes.

She sighed, trying not to think too hard about him and his wandering ways. After this assignment her responsibility would be over. Then what? She tried to put the question out of her mind when voices from behind her interrupted her train of thought.