The Rebel Doc Who Stole Her Heart

Some time later, Michelle lay with her head on Ty’s stomach as he played with her hair. She lifted his hand with the bandage and kissed each fingertip. “You are right. We are a pair.”

“How’s that?”

“You’re all banged up and even I have an injury. We won’t inspire much confidence as doctors.” She held up her finger and giggled. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d truly giggled. Ty brought that out in her. She felt wonderful.

“I’ll kiss yours if you’ll kiss mine.”

She looked up at him. He had a wicked grin on his face.

“That sounds like a fine idea. I get to go first.” She rolled over and placed a kiss just below his waist and moved downwards. She fully expected to have another mind-blowing, body-sedating and deliciously satisfying experience this time around as well.

* * *

Ty woke to the afternoon sun shining into the room. Michelle’s leg lay over one of his. Even in her sleep she tried to dominate. Earlier, he’d let her and had more than enjoyed it. Her hand rested on one of his shoulders and she had a handful of his hair intertwined in her fingers. Her head had found a bed in the crook of the other shoulder.

He was sore and stiff from the motorcycle accident and the events of the night before had not improved that but he wouldn’t have missed having the responsive and tender Michelle in his arms for anything. It felt right to have her there. As if she belonged. It had been a long time since anyone had belonged to him.

They’d slept, made love and slept again. Michelle had gotten up long enough to call and check on her mother. After receiving a favorable report, she’d returned to him. Their lovemaking had been slow and gentle the next time as if they’d both wanted it to be special.

Michelle stirred beside him and he hugged her close. It was nice, really nice. Could he do this every day? Looking down at her face, he wished he could. The question was did he know how? He had no experience at staying in one place or having someone depend on him.

His heart thumped hard against his chest. What was happening? This feeling was foreign to him. He’d no intention of caring, didn’t want to take the chance. Had fought it for years. Was he falling for Michelle? Had it already happened?

She twisted in his arms and her hand rubbed his cheek. “You need a shave.”

“You weren’t complaining about it a while ago.”

“I guess I wasn’t,” she said softly. “Ty, I want to thank you.”

What? The world as he knew it had made a one-eighty turn and she was thanking him for sex. Had he been used? He sure felt like it.

“I appreciate…this…all you’ve done,” she went on, oblivious to the fact she was stabbing him in the heart.

Ty sat up. “Hell, Michelle, that wasn’t sympathy sex. There’s more than that between us. I know you want people to believe you’re a cold fish, but I know better.”

He disentangled himself from her, pushed the sheet away and stood.

Michelle opened her mouth as if to speak.

“Stop there, Michelle. You’ve already said enough.”

She sat up, pulling the sheet over her breasts. “Where’s this coming from? You don’t take anything seriously. You’re planning to leave soon.”

“Sure I do. I was serious last night. Plenty serious about you.”

“You can’t be, we don’t even have anything in common.”

“It sure seemed like we had plenty in common last night and a number of times after that.”

“Relationships are made up of more than sex.”

“So all that has happened between us you sum up as just being sex?”

She gasped.

“Exactly. It does sound cold and one-sided.”

He snatched up his clothes and headed for the other bedroom. After calling a taxi, he washed up the best he could and was waiting on the curb when his ride arrived.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE NEXT WEEK was the longest and most difficult of any Michelle had experience since her father had passed away. She’d never felt more alone.

Her mother had been released from the hospital and was doing well. She asked about Ty often but Michelle dodged her questions. How could she tell her mother what had happen between her and Ty?

Work was the worst. She saw Ty but then really didn’t. To her great surprise he was no longer assigned to her OR. They might pass at the scrub sink or at the nurses’ station but they had become strangers. For two people to have shared such closeness, they were a world apart now.

She would never have thought she would miss Ty so much. He’d gotten under her skin. Had become part of her life in such a short time.

“Dr. Ross, is everything okay with you?” Jane, her surgical nurse, asked after one of their cases.

“Yes, why?” She didn’t dare admit that she was pining for Ty.

“You just haven’t been yourself the last week or so. I’m…concerned about you.”

Michelle stopped what she was doing and looked at Jane. “You’ve never asked me anything personal before so why now?”

“I don’t know. You seemed to have changed somehow. Like you’re giving me a chance to ask.” She hesitated then said, “I know what’s said about you but I also know you care about the patients above all else, even to your own detriment. I see it in the way you worry over them. Don’t let what some of the nurses say get to you. There are those of us who know differently.”

Michelle was speechless. She and Jane had worked together for years and this was the first time Michelle had ever heard anything like this from her. “Thank you, Jane. That means a lot to me.”

The woman gave Michelle a reassuring smile.

A few days later, Michelle overheard a group of the nurses talking about going to Buster’s to hear the surgeons’ band play.

Taking a breath, she asked, “Do you mind…uh…if I join you?”

The shock on the nurses’ faces would have been comical if not for the fact it was so sad that she had chosen to be so remote that she received that type of reaction.

Jane stepped forward. “We’ll save you a place at the table.”

The other nurses murmured their agreement.

“Thank you. I’d like that.” She gave them all a sincere smile as they headed toward the locker room.

“Jane,” Michelle said.

The nurse stopped and turned back to Michelle with a questioning look on her face.

“May I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“I saw the looks on the others’ faces just now. Have I really been that bad?”

“Yeah, I guess you have. You’re a great surgeon but not very personable.” Jane reached out and placed a hand on Michelle’s arm. “But I think that’s changing.”

Michelle gave her a weak smile. “Thanks, Jane.”

She gave Michelle a reassuring smile. “I’ll see you this evening.”

A couple of hours later Michelle groaned when she looked at the growing pile of clothing on her bed. Since when did she have such an issue with dressing? She’d always laid out her outfit for the next day, had everything organized. She looked at the rows of suits and dresses hanging in the closet in perfect order. For some reason she wanted to shake things up a bit. Wanted to live a little differently. Wanted Ty’s attention again.

She’d hurt his feelings unintentionally. Their time together had been earth-shattering for her. If she let herself care he’d break her heart, she had no doubt about that. Nothing about Ty said permanence. No stability. She had to have that. There was her mother to consider. Her job. Even if she wanted to she couldn’t pick up and follow him if he asked her to, which he hadn’t. Her practical side couldn’t help but remember that he was only here for a few more weeks.

Right now he wouldn’t even have a conversation with her. Their time in bed together had been wonderful, but she found she yearned for their discussions. His sharp wit when they disagreed. His smiles, making her laugh, getting her to have a different perspective on things.

She missed their friendship.

Wow. They’d had a friendship. She’d not had a real friend in years. Someone who knew what was going on in her life. She’d actually confided in Ty. That was something she’d even had difficulty doing with her mother.

Maybe tonight he’d speak to her. See that she was trying to say she was sorry, attempting to make a change. Maybe they could get back on a better footing. What she wanted was for them to at least be friends.

Running out of time, she settled on a pair of designer jeans. She’d not worn them for months and was pleased to discover they fit perfectly. After adding a red short-sleeved shirt and red patent heels, she was pleased with the effect. When was the last time she’d spent this much time fussing over what she wore? She usually did it with confidence and very little thought. Had she ever dressed to get the attention of a man before? She took longer than usual with her make-up and hair. After adding some swinging earrings and jingly bracelets, she was ready. She looked into the mirror and smiled. Surely Ty would notice her.

With an unfamiliar nervous flutter in her belly, she picked up her keys and headed out the door. By the time she reached Buster’s much of her confidence had waned. She drove an extra trip around the block in an effort to fortify herself.

What if Jane and the others didn’t talk to her? What if she had to sit at a table alone? Worse, what if Ty was there with a date?

For heaven’s sake, when had she become so insecure? When Ty had shown up.

She was a well-respected heart surgeon in a large metropolitan hospital. She’d been taking care of herself, her mother and patients for years, so why was she having such a difficult time going into a public place and having a drink? Because she was scared.

She pulled into the first parking spot open. Enough of that.

Entering Buster’s, her eyes needed to adjust to the dim lighting. She stood to the side of the doorway, pushing away the urge to turn and run. Just as she’d made up her mind to do so, Jane appeared beside her.

“Hey, Dr. Ross. I’m glad you came. We have a table right up front. Been saving you a seat.”