Prognosis: Romance (Doctors in Training 4)

“I’ll be in Lexington. Not that far from Cincinnati,” Ron replied with a shrug. “There’s a chance we can get together at least one weekend during the month.”

It would be the first time the newlyweds had been separated that long since they’d become engaged last December. Or maybe even before that, James mused, thinking of all the hours the study group had spent together during their first two years of school, before Haley and Ron had realized that the sparks they’d set off each other from the start had been due to more than temper.

James still shuddered to remember how close they’d come to lo

sing Haley last December. He suspected Ron still had nightmares about the life-threatening injury Haley had sustained in a rare winter tornado that had brought down the ceiling of a diner where they had taken shelter, driving a piece of metal through Haley’s leg. She’d been airlifted to the trauma unit but because of blood loss, her condition had been dicey during the trip. Yet, with typical Haley optimism and determination, she had been back in rotations five weeks later, missing only one rotation she had been able to reschedule for fourth year, so that she would graduate with the rest of them.

Their wedding had been a small affair at the end of June, giving them only a week for a honeymoon. Neither had wanted an elaborate wedding—partially because of time constraints, but also because of finances. Neither of them came from an affluent family and both were attending medical school on student loans. They had married beneath a gazebo in a local park. James thought the simple ceremony had been as touching as any elaborate wedding he’d ever reluctantly attended.

“October’s going to be a tough month for Mia,” Connor commented as he sliced into the steaming pasta that had just been set in front of him. “With me in Chicago, she’ll be fully responsible for Alexis, in addition to her grad-school work and her teaching position.”

Connor’s guilt was evident to all of them. Typically, Haley was the first to offer encouragement. “They’ll be fine while you’re gone, Connor. Mia loves being with Alexis and vice versa. It isn’t as if Alexis is any trouble. She’s a good kid.”

From what James had observed, completing medical school while maintaining personal relationships was a tricky balancing act. Med school required total commitment, leaving little free time for family and friends, especially during those first two years of endless classes and studying. Fourth year wasn’t so bad, other than the highly recommended away rotations, but then would come residency programs. Everyone knew how many hours a medical resident spent at the hospitals.

James was aware of several marriages that had ended among his classmates during the past three years. But for his study-group friends, he was very optimistic that their romantic partnerships would endure.

Mia had been well prepared for what she was getting into when she’d married a single-father medical student. She had made it clear she considered the short-term sacrifices worth the effort to allow Connor to follow his dream, just as she was pursuing her own doctorate in education. Anne Easton had been through a rocky spell with her husband, Liam McCright, but that was due more to family issues than the demands of medical school. And Haley and Ron were certainly prepared to make the compromises necessary to be successful both in their careers and their relationship.

James had dated occasionally, but only casually. His record with relationships wasn’t particularly encouraging even without the demands of his career training to further complicate matters. Surreptitiously studying the smiles Haley and Ron exchanged, he was aware of a slight pang of…something. It felt almost like wistfulness, though he brushed that thought aside quickly. Apparently he was letting himself be affected by the rosy romances of his friends. He was the only single member left of this group, to whom he had become so close during the past three years.

Pulling his gaze from the happy couple, he glanced away from the table—only to have his glance intercepted by a pair of familiar green eyes.

No way, he thought, swallowing a groan. What were the odds that Shannon would show up here at this moment? Of course, the restaurant was only a few blocks from where she worked. And it was half-price lasagna night. But still, of all the restaurants in Little Rock…

This would probably give her even more reason to believe he was stalking her, he thought glumly. Even though he’d obviously arrived first, since she was just being led to a table along with another woman. And even though he was there with friends of his own.

She hesitated momentarily and he wondered if she was deciding whether to nod acknowledgment or pretend she hadn’t seen him. But then she stopped by his table and gave him a bright smile, motioning for her friend to continue on. “Hello, James.”

He could do polite and casual as well as she. “Hi, Shannon. How are you?”

“Fine, thank you. You?”

He nodded. “Can’t complain. Here for the lasagna?”

“Of course. Best in town.”

“Enjoy your meal.”

“Thanks. You, too.” After another slight pause, she nodded affably to him and his companions, then turned and walked across the dining room to join her friend at a small booth on the other side. She slid into the booth with her back to the table where James sat, so the only part of her he could see was the top of her curly red hair.

He reached for his iced tea, trying to focus again on his friends. “Have you heard from Anne this week, Haley? How’s she doing on her family-practice rotation?”

But Haley was looking from Shannon’s booth to James and back again, while Ron and Connor stared curiously at James.

“What?” he said, frowning in response to their expressions.

“What was that?” Ron blurted, motioning vaguely in Shannon’s direction.

James shifted a little in his seat. “Just someone I’ve met a couple of times. I hardly know her.”

“Uh-huh.” Ron made no secret of his skepticism.

On the defensive now, James set his glass back down without tasting the beverage. “What?” he said again. “Was I rude? Should I have introduced her to everyone?”

He probably should have, he chided himself. He should have introduced her to Connor, especially. He wasn’t quite sure why he hadn’t.

“I think Ron is referring to the tension between the two of you,” Haley suggested, studying James’s face with enough avid interest to make him squirm again. “Wow.”