Turbulent Desires(43)

"Go get the nurse," Lindsey told her as she moved to another exam room to see the damage.

She wasn't in there for more than a few seconds when Dr. Stine walked in, his usual good-natured grin on his face.

"Peggy was gushing so much, I couldn't understand half of what she was  saying, but I'm assuming from the white face and the blood-covered  bandage that you've been wounded," he told her as he placed a hand  beneath her elbow and led her over to the exam table.

"I'm fine," Lindsey told him, her jaw set. "She just cut me, that's all.  I'm sure it won't even need stiches." Why in the world were her teeth  chattering? It wasn't like it was that big a deal. She'd been hurt at  work before and certainly hadn't been such a baby. She blamed lack of  sleep on her heightened emotions.         

     



 

"Let me look at it, and I'll be the judge," he told her as he attempted to get to the bandage she was holding in place.

"This certainly isn't a matter for you, Dr. Stine. I'm sure you have patients galore," she said, pulling her arm back.

"My schedule is all clear. You're my patient right now," he said as he took her hand and tugged her arm harder this time.

Dr. Stine still hadn't given up on her even though she'd made it more  than obvious she wasn't interested in a relationship. He was the last  person she wanted examining her. It wasn't that she was repulsed by him  or anything. He was kind, funny, and great looking. It was just that her  heart was broken and she really wasn't about to see if she could open  that wound all over again with another male.

Without reason, her eyes suddenly filled up and spilled over as she  looked into the doctor's deep blue eyes. He gazed back at her with too  much understanding. Dang it! Why couldn't Peggy have sent in one of the  nurses? She didn't need to fall apart in front of the doctor.

"Come on, doll. Let me see," he said.

This time she let him take away the gauze and then she cringed. The  wound was worse than she thought. It was deep, with blood still  trickling out and measuring about two inches long.

"This will definitely need stitches," he said before squeezing her hand.  He gave her another piece of gauze. "Hold this in place while I get  what I need."

"I can have Linda stitch it up," she told him.

"Just lie back and relax. I'm doing it," he said, still with a smile,  but his firm voice coming through loud and clear. He wasn't going to  allow her to argue with him anymore.

She did what he said and laid back on the bed as he brought over a tray.

The stupid cut was pulsing and she began to understand a little more why  her patients would moan and groan so much when the injuries appeared to  be minor. There was no way for the medical personnel to get inside a  patient's head to know what they were feeling.

Dr. Stine gave her some medicine and a numbing shot before he cleaned  the wound. Lindsey tried, but she couldn't keep the tears in. What the  heck? She hadn't cried once since Maverick had disappeared out of her  life. Not when Stormy constantly asked how she was doing and looked at  her in that sympathetic way, not when she'd smashed her toe on her bed  post, and not when she woke up from a dream of him holding her only to  find herself alone.

So why in the world was she sobbing like a baby from little more than a  scratch? She again blamed her lack of sleep on the unusual emotions.

"Now, I know I don't have the gentlest hand in the hospital, but I'm not  really all that bad, am I?" Dr. Stine asked. He had stopped working and  put a finger below her chin to tilt her head up. She was forced to look  into his eyes.

"I don't know what's the matter with me. It doesn't even hurt. I think I  just need to get more sleep," she said through sobbing hiccups.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked with a sense of knowing in his voice.

"No," she sobbed.

He didn't go back to work, just sat there, waiting. Lindsey was  beginning to see why all the nurses were swooning after him. If only she  were attracted to the good doctor and could agree to go out on a date  with him. Maybe she would begin to feel better if she did.

"Whoever the guy is that let you go is a fool, you know," Dr. Stine said  as he finally broke the connection of their gaze and began stitching  her arm up again.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, the pain medicine he'd given  her beginning to kick in and making her feel slightly loopy.

"I've watched you a lot in the past month, Lindsey. You were almost  glowing a couple weeks ago. and then something happened. It's been like  watching a lightbulb slowly start to fade."

She was totally confused by that analogy, but he continued.

"I'm not saying you aren't just as beautiful. And if you said yes, I  would jump at the chance to take you out and show you how a man should  treat a woman, but it's more than obvious that your heart belongs to  someone else," he said.

There was a smile on his lips, but also a spark of understanding so deep  in his eyes that she couldn't help more tears from falling.

"I wasn't in a relationship, not really. I just had a hard time after  the hospital attack and my best friend's brother-in-law decided to show  me life was worth living again. I knew from the beginning we weren't  going to stay together. I guess I've just had a harder time than I  thought letting him go," she said.         

     



 

The damn pain medicine was making her share far more than she should  have been sharing, especially with the doctor who'd made no qualms about  liking her.

He finished up her stitches, bandaged her, and then leaned way too close  into her personal bubble. He brushed his fingers against her cheek,  making the tears stop instantly.

"The best medicine for a broken heart is to open it back up again to a  real man," he said before giving her his mega-wattage smile. "And I am  the doctor. You should listen to me."

Then before she had time to react, he leaned in and kissed her. It was a  sweet kiss, just a brushing of his lips against hers. Then he stood up  and helped her into a seated position. She was so stunned, she had no  words.

"I'm being paged, but I want you to sit here for fifteen more minutes.  Then I'm going to call your emergency contact to come pick you up. You  can't work with the pain meds, and you certainly can't drive."

"Don't call my mom!" she shouted as he turned to leave. "My entire  family will show up if they get a call from the hospital," she finished  more quietly.

"Okay, who do you want me to call?"

Maverick was her first thought, but she pushed that away. Then she  pulled her phone from her pocket and gave him Stormy's number.

"I'm not giving up on you until I see a ring on your finger," he said with an intensity in his eyes that left her speechless.

He walked from the room without waiting for a reply from her.

Lindsey didn't move, not even when Stormy came rushing into the room, worry clearly written all over her brow.

When she found out what had happened, though, her worry turned to merriment, which had Lindsey glaring at her best friend.

"Gotta love newbies," Stormy told her.

"Get me out of here," Lindsey said as her friend helped her off the table.

"You must be the best friend."

Lindsey groaned when she found Dr. Stine leaning in the doorway. This  was going to lead to far too many questions from Stormy. She was sort of  wishing the intern had gouged her a lot worse, requiring her to stay  the night away from prying best friends.

"Yes, I am. And who are you?" Stormy asked as her gaze whipped back and forth between Lindsey and the doctor.

"I'm the doc trying to woo your friend. Who's the guy who broke her heart?" he asked with boldness.

Lindsey gasped. They both ignored her.

"My brother-in-law. And as cute as you are, I wouldn't get your hopes  up. I don't see their story ending anytime soon," Stormy sassily told  him.

"Until I see a ring, I have a shot," he said with a wink.

Unbelievably, Stormy laughed. "Oh, I really like you, doc," she said  with that smile that Lindsey had loved from the moment she'd met Stormy.

"It's always good to get the best friend on your side," Dr. Stine said with a wink.

"That it is. You must have sisters," she said.

"I think it's time to go now," Lindsey interrupted.

"I'm not in a hurry," Stormy said before returning her attention back to the doctor.

"I do have three little sisters, actually," he told her.

"I'll be sure to let you know if things don't work out between Lindsey and Maverick," Stormy told him.

"I'm right here!" Lindsey said as she glared at both of them.

"Yes, you are. Trust me, doll, you're never forgettable," Dr. Stine said  before his pager went off and he frowned. "We will have to continue  this later."

He then took off running, and Lindsey turned her full fury on Stormy.

"That was so uncalled for," she snapped.

"There's nothing like a little jealousy to make a man crazy," Stormy said in a singsong voice.