“Andrea—” He tugged on her hand. “You’re not really going to Brazil with your father, are you?”
Her breath caught. “Let’s not talk about that right now. You need to rest and let the medication work.”
“You can’t go. We’ve only started getting to know each other.”
If only he knew the pain she was in just thinking about it. “Right now, you need to concentrate on getting better.”
“Don’t change the subject.” His grip on her hand was surprisingly strong. He would have said more, but the doctor and the technician walked in, interrupting him.
“Let’s take a look at the cut.” He eyed Andrea. “We have to turn him over. If you’ll step out, this won’t take long.”
“I want her to come right back,” Stavros stated in what she considered had to be his boardroom voice.
Dr. Goulas smiled at her. “Is that your wish too?”
“Yes. Please.”
“Then stay outside the curtain. I’ll tell you when you can come in again.”
Stavros’s grip on her hand tightened before he released her. She welcomed the pressure. They had a connection that was growing stronger every minute.
When she’d asked him if she could call someone in his family to let them know he was in the clinic, he’d said no. His history with his father haunted her. When she thought of her own relationship with her dad, her heart bled for Stavros because he hadn’t had a loving experience.
Ten minutes passed before she was called back in.
“Come over here, Andrea.” Stavros reached for her hand.
“Good news,” the doctor said. “I’ve cleaned the wound and put in some stitches. This should heal nicely.”
“How soon can I be released?” Stavros wanted to know.
“Let’s finish out the drip. Then I’ll want to check your blood pressure. If you remain stabilized, you’
ll be able to go home this evening, but it will be bed rest until Monday. I’ll send an antibiotic with you, and I’ll want to see you again on Friday to check the wound.”
Andrea sensed the doctor was about to leave and eased her hand from Stavros’s grip.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded.
How she loved him! “I’ll be right back.” She hurried to catch up with the doctor outside the curtain. “Dr. Goulas? Thank you more than I can say.”
He nodded. “Kyrie Konstantinos is a very important man, but his type makes the worst kind of patient. See that he stays down and follows directions. If you can stop him from going to work on Monday, that would be best. Between you and me, he’s not out of the woods yet. Follow-up care with this kind of wound is critical to make certain there’s no recurring infection.”
“I know. My father received a similar sting on his foot years ago and was absolutely impossible.”
“I take it he’s an important man too.”
“Very, especially to me.”
He patted her arm. “The more sleep our patient gets right now, the better. I’ll be around again later.”
When Andrea peeked inside the curtain, Stavros’s eyes were closed. Taking the doctor’s advice to heart, she walked through to the other side of the clinic for some coffee. Today’s experience had taken a toll. Some caffeine would give her energy for what lay ahead.
Taking advantage of the time, she phoned her boss. It went through to his voice mail. Andrea left the message about Stavros’s ordeal and explained she needed to nurse him for a little while. Would it be all right if she didn’t come in to work until Tuesday? If the answer was yes, then Sakis didn’t need to call her back.
Next, she phoned her landlord and left the message that she’d be vacating the apartment within ten days to travel with her father to Brazil. But she would pay the money still owed to honor the lease.
Thinking of her father, she sent him the photos she’d taken of Stavros’s new plant. She texted an explanation so he’d understand what he was looking at, but she stopped short of sending him pictures of Stavros. She explained about the missing teen and the opportunity to see the plant before she returned to Thessaloniki.