SHE CAME OUT of the bathroom, her wet hair wonderfully mussed and her face pink with the heat of her shower. And hell if she didn’t look sexy as anything in his clothes. The words he’d planned to say when she emerged curled around his tongue and got stuck for a moment before he finally got them out.
“Randy’s okay. I called the hospital. A broken rib hit a blood vessel and needed to be cauterized and the ends of the bone wired back together, but no damage to his spleen or other internal organs. His arm is splinted, but he’ll probably need another surgery because of where the break occurred, but it could have been much worse.”
“Much worse,” she echoed in a weird voice.
“Are you okay? Is the pain worse?” He studied her face. The blood was gone, but her cheek was already turning colors. He wouldn’t be surprised if she had a black eye by morning.
“No. The water helped actually. Thanks for letting me use your bathroom. And your clothes.” She glanced down at herself.
Her face seemed to turn a darker shade of red, which he didn’t understand. Unless she was embarrassed about having to borrow his clothes. It wasn’t a big deal. Or maybe she was just anxious to be on her way so she could relax in her own space.
“I had a thought. It won’t take me terribly long to ride to the bike shop. Maybe a half hour, tops. I could pick up my car, drive home and then drive you and your bike to the shop to get your car.”
She seemed to think about it for a minute. “I was going to suggest I just call a taxi service, but then you’d be stuck with my bike until I could come back and pick it up. Are sure you don’t mind?”
“I think it’s the most logical course of action. And your bike is out of commission. The shop might still be open and you could leave it there for repairs.”
“Okay, that sounds like a plan. Thanks for doing that.” She gave a wry twist of her mouth. “It seems I have a lot to thank you for. I never thought I’d be thanking someone for knocking me off my bike, but you probably saved me from being hit along with Randy. I had no idea that car was even coming.”
“No need for thanks. And I only just happened to look again as we were crossing the street and caught movement out of the corner of my eye.” He grinned. “And I never thought I’d be the one who’d cause a fellow biker to fall. On purpose.”
“You saved my life.” Her voice held a hint of shakiness that took him by surprise.
He went over and tipped up her chin like he had at the scene of the accident. “We might not have ended up in the danger zone even if I hadn’t grabbed your handlebars, but I couldn’t take that chance. Even if I’d shouted your name, by the time you had a chance to look it would have been too late.”
“Well, thank you, anyway.”
His eyes went to her lips and the impulse to kiss her was strong. Strong enough that he allowed himself to lean forward, but only to give her a quick peck on the nose. “I’m glad you’re okay. Headache gone?”
“Yes. It must have been...er, those pain relievers I took.” She took a step back, and he realized he still had his fingers tucked under her chin.
Hell, the fall must have knocked something loose in his head. Something important.
He forced himself to go over and lower his bike from its spot against the ceiling and set the kickstand. “Do you want something to eat before I go? More coffee?”
“No, I’ll be okay, thanks.”
“All right. I’ll be back as soon as I can, barring any problems. And I’ll text you if that happens.”
She nodded. “Thanks again.”
“Make yourself at home while I’m gone. There’s stuff in the fridge and a French press coffee maker on the counter.” He wheeled his bike to the door and went through, taking the elevator back down to the ground floor.
Getting on, he started pedaling as if his life depended on it. He’d almost kissed her. Really kissed her and not just on the nose. After the accident, when he was trying to assess Randy’s injuries, it had gone through his head that it could have been not only Randy, but Elia flung across the road like a rag doll. It could be her with broken limbs...or worse.
But kissing her? Not in the cards. Not for him. He didn’t do relationships. At least not right now. He did not want another Samantha-like situation to contend with. He really was pretty happy with living by himself. At thirty-eight, he was pretty much used to being alone and childless. It suited him. He kept terrible hours and was at the hospital most of the time. His apartment was really just a park-for-the-night place that held no real significance for him. It could have been anywhere and it would have been exactly the same.
So no, he didn’t want to start something with her, even if she were interested, which he was pretty sure she wasn’t. She’d acted a little odd being in his apartment, and it was probably that she was thinking the same thing...that she hoped he wasn’t going to hit on her.
And then he had to go and tilt her face up and give her a peck on the nose.
A friend would have done the same, right? Had he ever kissed a friend on the nose before?
No. But he didn’t have very many female friends. And he didn’t really know her well enough to consider her a friend.
And maybe it was best to keep it that way. She was a colleague and could stay in that category. No jumping lanes. No getting to know her on a more intimate level...even if he was physically attracted to her. And he wouldn’t deny that he was, because Jake didn’t make it a habit to lie and that would be lying to himself.
So yes, she was a gorgeous, smart, interesting woman who had secrets he’d like to uncover. But he wouldn’t pry. Wouldn’t probe. Because if he did, he’d be in danger of getting a little deeper than he intended to get.
So as soon as he took her home, he was going to try to not have much contact with her outside of work. And hopefully, she wouldn’t be interested in joining his bike club on more rides like the one today.
Even if there were no more accidents. Physical or otherwise. Because if he kept socializing with her on a casual basis, there was every chance that something not so casual might happen. And that might just upset everything in the little “bachelor forever” pep talk he’d just given himself.
Something he didn’t want to happen.
Now...or any time in the near future.
Matt’s first skin graft was today. Over the last week, they’d completed the bone grafts for his jaw, and those seemed to be taking without a problem. The tooth implant surgery was coming in the near future, but it was time to start building the scaffolding from the skin cells they would harvest from Matt’s clavicle area, which was one of the areas that best matched the skin tones of the face. And Jake had chosen to do a sheet graph—using the skin just as it was harvested rather than running it through a mesh machine, which would thin the layer of skin and allow it to cover a larger area. But the meshed skin would also be more likely to scar, something he didn’t want to risk on Matt’s face. And there’d be enough tissue to do the job without needing to resort to that.
Randy was home from the hospital as of two days ago. Jake had checked on him daily, and when he’d seen Elia over the normal course of the day at the hospital, he’d relayed the news, but he hadn’t spoken to her any more than necessary. And she’d assured him that her leg was better and that her bike had already been repaired and all was well.
Her cheek, which had appeared bruised for the first couple of days, now showed no signs of what had happened. Neither did her lip, which was once again smooth and silky looking.
And those bike cookies kept on coming. And the list of people attending the fundraiser kept getting longer. It looked like it was going to be a record turnout, if the statistics were anything to go by.
He headed down the hallway, bypassing the jar of cookies, to Matt’s room to see how he was doing mentally before they got him prepped for surgery.
Pushing the door open, he gave an inward groan. Elia was in the room, getting his vitals and chitchatting with the patient and his parents as if she were perfectly at ease, something she didn’t display around him. Instead, she still seemed vaguely uptight, although she did a good job hiding it with a cheery greeting and smile.
Should he apologize for what had happened in his apartment?
Except it wasn’t like they’d had sex. But she might not have welcomed that quick display of relief that she was okay.
So yes. An apology might be in order. If she indicated it was no big deal, they could go on about their lives as if nothing had happened. And if not, then at least she would know that he was truly sorry to have done anything to make her uncomfortable.
She turned and saw him and her smile caved in, becoming the very picture of an efficient nurse. Not that she hadn’t had that image before. But she seemed determined not to let him see any other side of her.
And he couldn’t blame her.
Jake greeted Matt’s parents, shaking both of their hands before Elia recited his vitals—everything looked great—then she asked when they were coming to get him ready for surgery.
“Pretty quickly, I would guess. Surgery is scheduled for ten this morning.” A little more than an hour away. He would be heading there to make his own preparations soon.
“How long do you expect it to take?”
Okay, so she wasn’t just answering him with monosyllabic replies. She was actually inviting a give-and-take of information. But probably for Matt’s folks’ sakes, since they were hanging on her every word. He decided to address them instead.
“About an hour and a half, although I have the surgical suite reserved for a two-hour block, just in case we run into any snags.”
He turned back to Elia. “You’re welcome to observe, if you’d like.”
Matt’s voice came from across the room. “Would you? It would make me feel better to know you’re there. Kind of like a guardian angel, since you’ve helped us so much over these last couple of days, including recommending a counselor. I think Gracie, my parents and I are going to talk to her together. Gracie said you talked to her and helped her understand what it’s like to be burned, since it happened to you, too.”
Jake’s brain seized for a second or two.
Burned? Elia had been burned? He turned to look at her in a hurry.
Her face flushed dark red, and she didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then she just murmured, “I’m glad it helped, although it was a long time ago. But yes, I’ll observe the procedure if it helps you feel more comfortable.”
Matt’s mom went over and gave Elia a long hug before releasing her with tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much. For everything. Especially talking to Gracie.”
Jake glanced at her leg and suddenly things seemed to fall into place. She’d said she’d aggravated an old injury when asked why she was limping after falling off her bike. But he’d assumed she’d broken a bone or had some other type of injury to the limb. But what if it wasn’t?
Maybe her reasons for working in a burn unit were much more personal than he’d imagined. If so, he completely understood that feeling. Wasn’t he working here because of what he’d seen? Oh, he hadn’t personally been burned. But the pilot who’d been injured had somehow changed his heart, nudging it to go in a different direction than he’d intended to go. He’d always had his heart set on being a plastic surgeon, but that pilot was the reason that he’d specialized in skin grafting and reconstruction.
Regardless of whether she’d received an injury a long time ago or not, that didn’t change the fact that he needed to at least offer an apology. Now more than ever.
She looked at him, her chin held slightly higher than it had been before, as if daring him to ask her about what had happened. He wouldn’t. At least not here in front of a patient. “Where is the observation area?” she asked.
“We’ll be in surgical suite number four. The viewing room just above it was put in for students to observe specific procedures that go along with their curriculum. But there shouldn’t be any students at this point in time, since it’s summer. Maybe one or two who have some makeup work to do, but otherwise you should pretty much have the space to yourself.”
“Okay, thanks for letting me watch.”
Matt nodded. “I’m really grateful. Gracie will feel better, too.” The teen’s speech was a little difficult to understand, since his lower jaw was immobilized at the moment to help the bone grafts heal without putting any stress on them. But he was able to get his point across since he still had the use of his lips and tongue.
“I’m happy to do it. Although I’m sure everything will go just fine. Dr. Callin is a great surgeon. You’ll be in good hands.”
Even though it was a normal “nurse” thing to say to a patient, it still warmed him to hear the words. Even if they really weren’t sincere.
She threw Matt’s family a smile and turned to leave, but Jake stopped her with a touch to her arm. “Do you have a second?”
Her tongue snaked out to touch her lip, moistening it before she answered. “Sure. How about if I meet you outside.”
She slid quietly through the door. Jake stayed for a moment or two longer to give some last-minute scheduling information to his patient and his parents about what to expect after Matt came out of surgery. Then he said his goodbyes, as well.
Elia leaned against the wall outside of Matt’s room and closed her eyes for a second. It had been bound to get out, but for some reason she’d rather Jake not know about what happened to her. She hated feeling vulnerable, and having him know about her injury put her squarely in that position. She was normally pretty careful about who she gave that information to, figuring it was really no one’s business. But on the other hand, she’d gone into this specialty because she thought she might be able to empathize with her patients better, since she knew exactly what it was like to go through painful procedures like debridement and surgeries. Matt was case in point.
Jake obviously wanted to talk about what he’d just learned, and she mentally tried to scale the information down to the size of a sound bite. Raw information with no commentary to go with it. She’d burned her leg as a child. It was now fine.
Unless he’d somehow guessed what she’d done in his bathroom and wanted to talk to her about that, rather than her leg.
No, that wasn’t possible, unless he’d stood outside the door and put his ear to it to eavesdrop, and that would be a very creepy thing. Something she instinctively knew Jake wouldn’t do.
Was it any creepier than pleasuring herself in his bathtub?
Deus! She still couldn’t think about that without feeling mortified by her behavior.
But no...there was no way he knew about that, so it had to be about her leg.
She sensed more than heard the whisper of the door as it opened and shut, felt the slight breeze as the displaced air whispered across her cheek. She opened her eyes and found him looking at her.
“Not here,” he said. “Can we walk outside for about five minutes?”
“Yep. I’m due for a break, anyway.” Swallowing, she walked over to the nurse’s station, where Sheryll was clacking away at the keys of the computer station. She glanced up, then looked at her over the top of her reading glasses.
She took a deep breath. “Can I run on break for a few minutes?”
“Of course.” The nurse looked behind her and obviously noticed Jake standing there. Her eyes widened slightly, although she didn’t say anything about that, just added, “Take as long as you need.”
“Thanks. And actually Matt—our teen who’s having surgery today—wants me to observe the operation. It’ll probably be a couple of hours long. I’ll completely understand if you can’t spare me—”
“We’ll be fine. You’re off in an hour, anyway. Why don’t you just go now. Norma should be here any minute.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ll see you... Monday? Your folks are coming in tomorrow, aren’t they?”
“Yes.” She hadn’t forgotten. Her mom and dad were both driving up, and while she was looking forward to seeing them, she didn’t want them asking a lot of probing questions about the people she worked with. Ugh. Which might happen, despite the fact that her mom said it was about bringing up more cookies for the fundraiser. Things were getting more and more complicated.
The complicated part was on her end, though.
She was probably the one who was making things weird by keeping her old injury kind of a secret. It shouldn’t be. Nor should she be self-conscious about it after all of these years.
She smiled at Sheryll. “Thank you again. Have a good weekend.”
“I plan to. Hubs and I are headed to Lake Granbury for the weekend.”
“Have fun! See you on Monday.”
They didn’t always get the whole weekend off, since the department still had to be staffed, but it had been a while since her friend had taken any personal time off.
Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Jake, wishing she’d told him she’d meet him outside rather than having to walk out of the building with him beside her. It made it look like they were fraternizing when they weren’t at all.
She followed him out the nearest exit, which dumped them onto one of the hospital courtyards that attached to the Mocha Café by another door.
As soon as they reached a bench, she dropped onto it and waited for him to join her before turning his way. “Before you say anything, it’s not something I normally talk about. I fell into a campfire when I was a child and burned my leg and part of my back. It happened so long ago and I’ve lived with it for so long, that it’s not something I really dwell on.”
He stared at her for a long moment before saying, “God, Elia, I’m sorry. That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about, but I had no idea. It still bothers you after all this time?”
That wasn’t why he’d wanted to speak to her? Then what was it?
She swallowed. “I wouldn’t say ‘bother,’ per se. The scarring on my leg contracted across the back of my knee, creating a kind of slingshot effect where I’m about ten degrees from being able to straighten my knee completely before the pull of the contracture becomes too much.”
“Revision surgery didn’t help?”
“No. My doctor tried twice to redo it. But I have keloid disorder, which complicated my recovery from the burns. And yes, after the revision surgeries they tried cortisone shots and pressure dressings to try to prevent the scars from going crazy again with the granulation tissue, but it didn’t seem to help. I have a scar on my collarbone that also developed a keloid. Not a huge one, but it’s still bigger than a simple scar.”
He nodded. “Keloid disorder can be difficult to control. I’m sorry that happened to you, Elia. Is that why your leg hurt so much after the accident?”
She nodded. “It stretched the scarring and irritated all of those nerve endings. I tend to have neuralgia in my right foot, anyway, from the burns.” She shrugged. “So now you know. I wasn’t trying to make it a big secret. It just doesn’t usually come up in normal conversation.”
“No, I can see that. And really, it’s no one’s business, anyway.”
She stared at him. “I thought that’s what you wanted to talk to me about it, so if not that, then what?”
Elia realized she was the one who’d actually assumed that was to be the subject of this conversation and she’d tried to head him off at the pass and, instead, had revealed everything. Only to find out that he wasn’t here to grill her about her leg. At all.
He turned a little more to the right so that he faced her directly. “I wanted to talk about what happened at my house.”
Her face turned white-hot, and she knew color was pulsing into it at this very minute. Did he know? Had she somehow been louder than she thought she’d been?
“Wh-what do you mean?”
If he knew, she was going to turn in her resignation. No way could she face the man every day knowing that he knew a secret that was much more private than her scars.
Much more horrifying.
“I wanted to apologize for kissing you.”
Kissing her? She racked her brain for... Oh! That kiss.
Relief swamped her system. Then she laughed. “You want to what? It was on my nose. It wasn’t like you—how do you say it?—planted one on me.”
His head tilted sideways as if not understanding her reaction at all. “It didn’t bother you?”
“Why would it?”
“I don’t know, you just seemed to act a little differently after we parted in the parking lot of the bike shop that evening.”
Deus do céu. She had. And it had started long before they reached the parking lot. But there was no way she was going to tell him why. That had been a crazy day, and she could only chalk her actions up to shock from the accident combined with feeling vulnerable from how badly her leg hurt. And how sexy he had looked standing there fresh from the shower in bare feet and wet hair. And the tantalizing scent of his soap. And...
“I think maybe it was just shock from the accident.”
He blinked like he didn’t really believe her. But as long as he didn’t challenge her on it, she should be fine. But she definitely didn’t want him to think a little kiss on the nose had sent her into some weird head trip where she couldn’t look at him straight.
She couldn’t. But it had nothing to do with that kiss, which she had thought was sweet, even if she secretly wished it had landed just a little lower.
Seriously, Elia? Haven’t you learned your lesson?
Evidently not. But she’d better send herself back through the program and try again. Because she could not go on the way she was now. Especially since she was now conjuring up scenarios where he was asking her to reveal personal facts about herself—like her burns—when nothing could be further from the truth. She’d spewed all of that information out for no reason. No reason at all.
But even so, there was a small part of her that was relieved to have it out in the open. He was the first one at the hospital to really know about it. Despite that, she certainly wasn’t going to make it a habit of baring her soul to him. Because that could become a more dangerous prospect. Like wishing he’d kissed her on the mouth?
She shook the question away without answering it. “Well, I’m sure you need to go get ready for surgery. Good luck, even though you won’t need it. I was serious when I said you were one of the best in the area. You are, although I’m sure you’ve been told that many times.”
He paused for a long moment. “Yes. But not by you.”
The words went right past her before she retrieved them and replayed them, unsure as to whether or not she’d really heard what she thought she’d heard. She had. She just wasn’t sure what he meant. But he made it sound like her opinion mattered. That he might have moments of insecurity just like she did. That fact somehow made her smile.
“Well, you have now. So go do what you were born to do.”
“Thanks.” He gave her a sideways grin. “See you on the other side.”