Playboy Doctor (5 page)

Clearly, Willow had ventured on emotionally fragile ground. Perhaps the story resonated too closely to her own heart, to her own story. He wondered what heartache lurked within her, given her tearful testimony over the infant. Her concern for this patient extended beyond her training and experience as a pediatric ER nurse. It came from a woman with a deeply felt past, though perhaps not one she'd willingly share with him.

Shayne pushed away from the wall, then came to her side. Compelled to seek out her truth, he turned to her. His eyes sought hers to discover the hidden meaning behind her tale. Perhaps, if he convinced her to share more thoughts about this baby, he'd learn a little more about her.

"So is there anything more? Anything at all?"

"More?" Despite the glistening in her eyes, she composed herself and gave him a lovely smile. "Oh, there's so much more."

"Tell me."

Willow's expression volleyed between the infant and Shayne before finally giving him her complete attention. "There's one last piece of evidence." She tapped a tapered finger to her chin as though to ponder what she'd say next.

"And what is that?"

"The mom didn't abandon the baby in a bathroom stall or anything like that. She left her infant in the care of one of the most renowned pediatric surgeons in the world."

Her smiling eyes brightened even more, despite their moistness, as though pleased with her ultimate deduction. And to that, he could say nothing.

"This mom left her infant in your care. She trusted you with his life. Like I said, this was an act of clear and utter love. She wanted you to have this baby. The question is, what will you do now?"

Chapter 4

The next morning, Willow stole away from the ER to venture up to the P-ICU to seek out the tiniest patient on the ward, the abandoned baby she named Jack. As she wended her way through the corridors, she looked forward to seeing her favorite patient. All through the night when she was home, the infant's case weighed heavily upon her, although she knew he was in good hands with Dr. Edwards.

She could tell he wasn't one to walk away from a challenging situation, but he'd still have to weigh his options carefully when managing Baby Jack's care. Last night, as he discussed the baby's welfare, she detected a sentiment underneath his appealing accent that went beyond just giving the baby the best medical attention. Dr. Edwards genuinely worried about his future, a striking trait in a surgeon.

They'd been wrapping up their conversation for the evening when he'd received word from the reception desk; a woman had dropped off his keys. The sudden interruption broke their moment and he'd excused himself. She hadn't seen him since.

Willow entered the P-ICU and made her way past the open rooms of other sick and injured children until she found the infant sleeping soundly in his baby warmer.

Baby Jack's coloring looked better. Although still slow, he was breathing more easily with the help of the oxygen prongs. Poor baby couldn't even be with the other newborns in the nursery. Too bad the infant didn't have a better start in life. So tiny and already so alone and isolated in this world.

Willow could relate. The loneliness she experienced each time she'd lost a child couldn't compare to any other emotional pain.

With a resigned sigh, she checked the monitor, pulse oximeter, and lastly, the baby's chart. After her friend, Emmy, had shooed her home, she couldn't help the niggling concern for the infant. Thankfully, the evening had been uneventful for the baby.

If only she'd been so lucky. After her shift, Willow had driven back to her bungalow, looking forward to a good night's sleep. And yet, she'd spent countless hours tossing and turning. She couldn't stop the night's events from playing out in her mind. More specifically, she couldn't stop replaying her evening with one heartthrob surgeon.

Willow looked out into the hall and waved to Emmy, working as the charge nurse in the unit.

Emmy entered the room, carrying a gift box. "Hey, girl. Someone left these items for the baby. Booties, onesies, and a little stuffed bunny. But they left no note. Was it you?"

"No."

Emmy knitted her brow and left the package on the side table. "Well, it was very sweet of whoever left the gifts. So what are you doing up here this morning?"

"I was asked to personally follow up on Baby Jack's care. Doctor's orders."

"That's right in line with Dr. Edwards' reputation. Going against policy for the sake of the patient."

"So, how's our baby doing? Any news on the results?" Willow asked.

"He's a fighter, for sure. But no results yet."

"Has Dr. Edwards come by?" Just wrapping her lips around the man's name could have dire consequences when it came to the mixed emotions she had about him. But she shouldn't be harboring any emotions at all, should she?

"No, he hasn't come by yet. So, how did it go last night?"

"The baby gave us a scare once, but it turned out to be a false alarm."

"That's not what I meant. How'd it go with Dr. Edwards?"

"Oh,
him
," Willow said. "It went okay, I suppose. I mean, he finally got to go home and get some sleep once the woman who'd accidentally taken his keys dropped them off last night."

Emmy squinted, revealing her skepticism. "A woman accidentally took his keys? Honey, that's never an accident. You better get used to these so-called accidents if you're going to work for him."

"How so?"

"Plenty of single woman have their sights set on a surgeon like Dr. Edwards and guess what? You're in the crosshairs."

"Sounds dangerous."

Emmy laughed. "Quite the opposite. The lady-friends will actually be uber-nice to you. You know, to fish for information, like finding out a doctor's schedule or to get in his good graces. The practice has been raised to an art form, especially by fellow nurses." Emmy looked directly at Willow and did that skeptical squinting-thing with her eyes again.

"Why are you looking at me like that? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, sometimes nurses request to work with a doctor because they want to be near him long enough to marry him."

Willow emitted an exasperated huff. "Well, not me. I was
assigned
to the man."

"I know. Your endless patience and qualifications were just right for Dr. Edwards."

The mere mention of his name again made it all but impossible to focus. Her so-called qualifications didn't help with her sleepless night because of him. "I better get going before I bump into him. It's bad enough I'll be stuck like glue to him. I'm sure he doesn't want to see me any more than he has to."

Willow spun on one heel to leave, but then plowed right into a very broad chest. She looked up in surprise. She could only see him in pieces. Glorious pieces. Strong chin. Amazing curve of a lip. Romanesque nose. And, oh, those molten bedroom eyes.

Did he have to smell so good, too?

"Dr. Edwards!"

After smacking into the one man she wanted to avoid, she tried to regain her balance, but then stumbled back.

He reached out and wrapped his large, strong hands around her shoulders to keep her steady. His searing grip scorched her and she willed her knees not to buckle.

Her body thrummed with a crackling energy. Tingles shimmied through her, head to toe. She shot a helpless look to Emmy, who merely shrugged.

"I've got to go and deal with a Code Brown," Emmy announced.

"Code Brown?" Dr. Edwards asked.

"Pediatric diarrhea." Emmy whisked out of the room, leaving Willow to deal with Dr. Edwards' hands still on her.
Traitor
.

The doctor continued to grip her shoulders until a look of unease crossed his face at holding her needlessly. He let go but didn't drop his hot stare on her. She couldn't let him get to her. She held her ground, which quaked under her.

"I didn't hear you come in, Doctor."

"I didn't mean to startle you. And please, call me Shayne when not with patients. We'll be spending long days together and I want us to get along. I'm depending on you, Willow."

"All right, Shayne," she said, then cleared her throat to mask the catch in her voice. Informal names were usually reserved for medical teams with a long working history, but given the circumstances of his brief stay, she accepted the doctor's request.

"Good." His eyes crinkled in a disarming smile. "I thought I'd have a look at our Baby Jack before we start our day."

"Yes, of course. He's stable." She led him to the infant.

Without disturbing the wires, Shayne took his time examining the baby, including listening to his tiny chest.

Willow couldn't help but marvel how the light of the warmer overhead cast a radiant glow on Shayne's dark, dampened locks. When a fat trickle of water escaped those locks and beaded down his forehead, she took a gauze and wiped it from his brow as he tended to Jack. The gentle stroke to his forehead brought her into closer proximity to him. Too close. She feared he'd perceive her caress to be a forward move, but she was that kind of nurse. She worked on impulse and did whatever it took to help the surgeon.

"Thanks. I got caught in the thundershower without my brolly coming into the hospital. Does it storm like this every day?"

"It's the rainy season. Daily showers are practically guaranteed. So are lightning and thunder. You've got to be prepared."

But nothing prepared her for the thunder in her heart from his nearness. He could go from zero to sixty with his temperament—so kind to his patients, so demanding of his staff—and yet, she found him compelling.

Shayne straightened to his full height, towering over her. He checked the chart, then turned his attention to her. "The murmur's not worse. Always good news. I received new information from the cardiologist after the EKG. The baby was scheduled for an echo. Are the results back?"

"Not yet. I requested you be personally contacted, given the circumstances."

Just then, the baby woke. He sought out the tender voice speaking nearby.

Shayne chuckled low. "He may not see well as this stage, but he definitely looks for you whenever he hears you."

Willow turned to the infant. She laid a gentle palm to his head and whispered sweet nothings. The infant promptly calmed and fell back asleep.

"You have a way with babies. You're like the baby whisperer," Shayne said.

Before her very eyes, Shayne, too, visibly calmed, giving her a glimpse of the man behind the austere façade.

"Me? A baby whisperer? I don't know about that. But I do love kids." She did love children, even those who weren't her own.

Just as quickly, Shayne's handsome features turned rigid. He stood there, his expression serious. He opened his mouth to say something more, but clamped it closed.

Had she said something to offend him? Was this the part where he'd rattle off some biting criticism, crushing her?

Willow waited for her orders—or disparagement—from him. But he offered nothing. He regarded her in silence, as though to hold her up to the light in a quick study. She grew hot under the scrutiny, but held her own. With his brow furrowed, he stabbed his hands into the pockets of his lab coat.

"I'd like you to continue your care for Baby Jack. It's not standard procedure, but it's in the best interest of the patient. You seem quite friendly with the charge nurse. I assume she won't mind."

Willow expelled a breath she didn't know she was holding. No biting criticism. She silently gave thanks. Then again, had he heard the conversation with Emmy?

"Emmy won't give me trouble. Since moving here six months ago, I've made fast friends with her."

An awkward silence lingered between them. She couldn't be sure, but she thought Shayne had something on his mind as he wavered whether or not to say it. Or ask it. But what?

"Is there anything else?" she finally asked.
Anything at all
, her inner voice added.

"I'd like to get together..."

A knot twisted in the pit of her stomach. She took a moment to decipher what he was asking, but didn't know how to take the request.

"Get together?" she repeated, her tone laced with surprise.

Shayne swallowed hard, his Adam's apple dipping low into his throat. "I thought about what you said last night. I'm not familiar with the policies of an abandoned infant in the States other than what you mentioned. I'd like to meet and set a plan for his future caregiver."

He wanted to meet about Baby Jack? The knot in Willow's stomach unfurled in disappointment and sank like a dead weight. "Right. Of course, yes, I'll gather up information from Connie in Social Services."

Shayne checked his watch. "I've got to go. I'm scheduled for a meeting. Thank you, Willow. I'll see you later to discuss the OR schedule." He did an about face and left the room.

Willow tried to calm her breathing. When he'd asked if they could get together, her heart had acted on its own accord and skipped a beat.

But he only wanted to meet for the sake of Baby Jack.

She had been out of line to read into it any more than that.

What did she think he wanted from her? A hot date?