Sizzling Nights with Dr. Off-Limits

A scary question, because the increased intracranial pressure from the bleed had only complicated things that were already complicated enough.

“There’s really not a way to know at this point. I do know Dr. Cain is very hopeful that she won’t have lost any major body function or thought processes.”

“She might not know who I am when she wakes up,” Mrs. Bellows cried. “Do you know how horrible that will be if my baby wakes up and doesn’t know who I am? And this isn’t even it. Once she recovers from this, she’ll still have to have the tumor removed. Life is so unfair.”

Cassie’s mother began sobbing. Emily stopped what she was doing and held her, letting her cry on her shoulder.

“Dr. Cain is an excellent neurosurgeon. From everything he said, he views the surgery as a success. Let’s wait and see how Cassie is when she wakes up before we borrow trouble,” she soothed. “She’s going to need you to be strong for her.”

Who was she to tell this woman to be strong? She’d never dealt with a child who had to have brain surgery. She’d never gotten to deal with a living, breathing child at all, which wrenched her heart with a grief she rarely let rear its ugly head. Sometimes she felt so inadequate at her job. Sometimes she wished she had the power to instantly heal her patients.

“I know she is going to need me,” Cassie’s mother agreed. “I want to be strong, but this is hard.”

“I can only imagine,” she answered honestly. “All Cassie’s vitals held during the night and this morning, too. Everything is stable. That’s a blessing.”

The woman nodded. “I’m just being impatient, wanting her to wake up and be normal.”

“Hopefully, that’s exactly where she will be soon.”

Both women jumped at the voice joining their conversation.

“Dr. Cain.”

“Lucas,” Emily said at the same time, then corrected herself. “Dr. Cain, we didn’t hear you come in.”

“I see that.” He smiled empathetically at Cassie’s mother but didn’t look at Emily. “How’s our girl this morning?”

“The same as last night when you stopped by about two.”

He’d come back to the hospital after leaving her apartment? Did the man sleep? While they’d been married, she’d often wondered how he pulled the long hours he did, how he got by on so little sleep.

“Thank you for that, by the way,” Mrs. Bellows continued. “You sitting with me meant a lot.”

Not only had he stopped by, but he’d stayed and sat with Cassie’s mother. Why? Seemed she asked that question a lot where Lucas was concerned these days.

She stared at him, taking in his dark navy scrubs that did little to hide his abundant sex appeal. His dark hair was ruffled, whether by the wind or from running his fingers through the silky tufts she wasn’t sure.

She’d run her fingers through his hair the night before. She’d... No, she was not going to go there.

What little sleep he’d gotten the night before must have been in the doctors’ lounge. Why?

“If there’s nothing you need from me, Dr. Cain, I’m going to check on my other patient,” Emily said, needing to get away from him, away from her questions.

“Sorry I went all boo-hoo on you,” Cassie’s mother apologized, rising from her chair and giving Emily a quick hug.

“Not a problem.” She hugged the woman tightly, then didn’t wait for Lucas to say anything, just exited the room as quickly as she could without causing a commotion.

“What have you been up to? Because you look guilty as sin,” Meghan pointed out the moment Emily stepped into the hallway.

With a backward glance toward Cassie’s room, she shushed her friend. “Nothing.”

“Right. That’s why your cheeks are all flushed and your eyes have a light in them that I never saw Richard put there.”

“Shh!” she repeated. “I don’t have a light in my eyes unless it’s tears from how much my heart hurts from what my patient and her family are going through.”

“Sorry, I heard about Cassie’s brain bleed and how you volunteered as a surgical nurse last night near the end of your shift.” Meghan’s gaze cut back toward Cassie’s room. “He’s in there, isn’t he?”

“I’ve no idea where Richard is.” She purposely misunderstood. She didn’t want to talk about Lucas, not even with Meghan. “I told you we ended things.”