Her Hometown Hero(10)

She eyed him for a minute before grumbling something and then turning to  leave. She swiveled back and looked him in the eye. "Just so you know,  that girl in there is a good one. Keep an eye on her."                       
       
           



       

Spence had no doubt she was talking about Sage. There was a long pause  before his lips tilted up in a full-fledged smile. "Don't you worry, I  fully intend to."

"If anyone wants me, I'll be on a cigarette break. On second thought, if  anyone wants me, they can just wait until I feel like coming back into  this loony bin."

With that, Mo was gone, leaving Spence to admire the woman's courage and bluntness. Then he turned back and looked in on Sage.

He could see that shock over the events was beginning to set in, but she  was still working hard to ensure that the patient would be okay. In  high-stress situations, there wasn't time to hesitate or process all of  what was going on. A person just had to move and move fast.

When she turned and smiled weakly at the patient in the next bed over,  Spence was impressed again by her composure. She just shook off her  nerves and checked on him, too.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I seem to be doing better than you or that other guy," the man tried to joke.

Sage gave him a big smile before responding. "You're lucky I didn't give  that medicine to you instead-you look a little shady yourself."

The man paused for a second before a glimmer lit his eye and he smiled  at her. With one joke, all the tension in the room evaporated.

"If I was forty years younger, you could have given me anything you  wanted and I would have been okay with it." Picking up her hand, he  smiled and kissed her wrist, making Sage laugh.

"Flattery will get you everywhere in this hospital," she said before  pulling up his blankets and then turning and leaving the room.

"Everywhere? Hmmm, interesting," Spence said in a deep drawl.

Spence watched as the tension immediately returned to her shoulders.

"Really, Dr. Whitman? Is it polite to eavesdrop on conversations that  have nothing to do with you?" Sage asked, obviously not in the mood to  banter with him.

And as much as he'd have liked to flirt with her, they needed to have a  professional talk. "Follow me," he told her, and he could read her eyes.  She was thinking, Who the hell does this guy think he is to give me an  order like that?

Her words didn't quite match her thoughts, of course. "I need a break. Maybe later," she said as she turned to leave.

"I don't think so, Dr. Banks. This is important." He turned, knowing she  would follow. She had a backbone, but when he put on the white jacket,  he was in charge, and she knew it. She'd learned that in the five months  she'd been a resident. He wasn't often at her hospital, but when he  was, he was very much in charge.

She'd fought him the first couple of times they'd worked together. Then  she had learned that he had a lot to teach, and she was an eager  student.

"Fine," she said.

He didn't think she was going to be too happy about the news he had to  tell her, but he also knew she'd get over it. That's one thing he  appreciated about Sage. She adapted well, and she was going to make a  hell of a fine doctor. He was grateful to know he'd be a big part of her  training.

It was time to introduce himself as her new boss.





What was he doing here?

Sage was quite proud that she'd managed to avoid Spence most of the  time. He spent only a few days a month at her hospital, and she hadn't  been alone with him once while he was there. She hated to admit it, but  he was a hell of a teacher, and she would normally be eager to learn  from a man of his skills.

But since she couldn't think of him in a nonsexual way, she figured she  was better off learning from anyone else. It seemed that lately, though,  exhaustion was always muddling her brain, and she couldn't figure out  what she wanted or needed anymore.

Might as well get this over with. Of course, it was just her luck that  she was on the clock and couldn't be rude to Spence. She could at least  think unladylike thoughts about him, though. There was nothing he could  do about that.

"You did well in there, Sage."

"I'd prefer you call me Dr. Banks." Well, that might have been a tad rude, but he could suck it up.

"Why so formal? It's not as if we don't know each other," he replied, not acting in the least offended by her tone and demand.

"Dr. Whitman, I've had a long day, and I have a much longer night ahead  of me. Could you just tell me whatever it is that you have to say so I  can try to grab a ten-minute break before the next disaster?"

There, that was straightforward and professional. Okay, maybe a bit  catty, but his ego was large enough that he wouldn't be offended. Plus¸  she was sure there were plenty of nurses present who'd gladly bandage  any injuries she inflicted upon him. Hell, they'd kiss all his wounds  and make them better.                       
       
           



       

And yet her words seemed to trigger some sort of response from him. The  corners of his mouth lifted and a gleam shined in his eyes. He was  enjoying this dance they seemed to be in. Truth be told, so was she,  though she was fighting against it like crazy.

"Yes, your night is just beginning, isn't it? Don't fret, I'll be  alongside you the rest of the evening," he said as he took a step  closer, causing her to retreat automatically.

"What are you talking about?"

"Hasn't anyone told you?"

"Told me what?" She was thoroughly confused, and with an already muddled  brain, she wasn't finding this guessing game at all enjoyable. She was  used to being the smartest person in the room. But she was now  surrounded by experienced medical staff and was just one of many highly  intelligent people.

"I've just taken over as the head of the ER." Spence waited for her reaction.

But Sage knew he wanted to see emotion in her face, could tell by the  way he'd delivered the message, dragging out the drama. Well, he would  be disappointed.

"Fine. I need caffeine" was all she said as she turned on her heel and  strode toward the doctors' lounge. Thankfully, they'd recently installed  a beautiful espresso machine and she would never have to worry about  caffeine withdrawal again while at work.

During her college years, she'd gone days and days on nothing but mocha  lattes. Yes, she was a doctor, and yes, she knew she had a very poor  diet, but didn't everyone have vices of one sort or another? It wasn't  as if she smoked, did drugs, or drank much alcohol. If she wanted sugar  to be her poison of choice, she dared anyone to question it. It looked  like mochas would be her staple for as long as she was a doctor. Hey,  there were a lot of calories in a mocha, so she didn't have to worry  about starvation-just the caffeine shakes.

Scratch that whole idea. Serious shakes weren't a good idea at all-not  if she wanted to help people. So she decided on only a small mocha  coffee, then sat down and waited impatiently while Spence, who'd  followed her, got his own cup. Could he be lying to her about working  here permanently?

"I thought you were some big-shot doctor in Seattle."

"I am," he replied.

She certainly didn't have to worry about hurting his ego. It seemed to be invulnerable. And she was getting tired of this game.

"Well, even you, Dr. Whitman, with all your superpowers, can't be in two places at once."

"I just accepted this job so I can be close to my dad. I will still fly  to Seattle a few days of the month and do surgeries, so I'm working for  both places. Like before, only switched."

"But . . . I . . . I interviewed with Dr. Thompson. He's my boss. He  said he'd been here forever-and that he was part of the place, someone  who was never going to leave." If she said it, then it had to be true.  It had to be!

"Dr. Thompson is retiring next week, actually. It's been very hush-hush. He bought a condo in Mexico and is moving on."

"He's too young!"

"Just because you don't want him to go isn't going to change the  situation, Sage. Deal with it," he said, sitting back and crossing a  foot over his knee.

"It's just that . . . well, someone should have told me if there were  plans on changing the supervising doctors. It might have made a  difference on where I decided to do my residency."

She was trying to calm down, but the longer he sat there with his  trademark smirk and sparkling green eyes, the more she wanted to throw  her hot mocha in his face and make some phone calls. She'd beg for  another hospital to take her away from here.

"Like I said, it's been very hush-hush. Only the board and I know he's  leaving. I can trust you not to tell-correct? It will be announced  tomorrow." He looked at her with eyebrows raised in question, implying  that he might have made a big mistake in divulging the secret.