Ha. As if she had that many comparisons. A quickie during her freshman year at college with a short-term boyfriend. Short-term meaning he’d dumped her immediately after their one and only time together.
No way was she letting Ty Donaldson do the same. Not when she had to work with him. Already she’d had to field questions from Scarlet and several other coworkers who’d seen photographs of her and Ty in the society pages. The last thing she wanted was her friends and colleagues to feel sorry for her.
“Of course I’m okay.” Which sounded great, but she couldn’t bring herself to look into those gorgeous eyes, neither could she prevent the heat burning her face. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
His expression tightened. “You just left the family, right? The family of your morning code?”
Eleanor fought putting her hands over her face in shame. He’d been talking about work and she’d been … “Yes. You’re right. I—I …”
Oh, please, don’t let the stuttering start. He’d know how nervous she was.
He raked his fingers through his hair, glanced around the unit, then for once seemed at a loss. When his gaze met hers, the fatigue she hadn’t seen earlier was etched on his handsome face. “I have an emergency C-section that came in this morning. Twins. The pediatrician for the second baby’s team isn’t here yet. Go in with me in case there are complications?”
Despite the fact that being anywhere near him was the last thing she wanted, she couldn’t refuse. Not when a baby’s life might be on the line. “Sure.”
In silence they scrubbed and went into the obstetrics surgery room specially designated for preemies. Every second that ticked by, Eleanor felt more and more awkward, more and more as if the nurses must be able to look at her and Ty and know what they’d done.
The first baby was delivered without any major birthing complications, but his Apgar score was only a seven. Ty assessed the baby, cleared his throat and examined him all in a matter of seconds.
Watching him work, Eleanor couldn’t help but admire his skill, his finesse, the way his big hands were so gentle as they handled the baby. Just as they’d been so gentle when they’d touched her.
He was a gentle man and she hadn’t been anything special, just the result of too much champagne and the next notch on his belt. Nothing more.
She closed her eyes, forcing her thoughts from her mind. When she opened them, her gaze immediately collided with Ty’s. He stared at her for a brief moment as if trying to read her thoughts, then that sexy crooked grin of his slid into place as a peace offering of sorts.
But Eleanor couldn’t smile back.
She just couldn’t. Sure, the sight of his generous mouth curved upward made her want to smile back. Instead, she hardened her resolve. He might be used to women thinking he was amazing after a night of his loving, but she needed distance to survive emotionally.
Ty’s smile waned. A nurse spoke to him, pulling his attention away from where he still looked at Eleanor as if he wanted to probe inside her head.
The second baby, another boy, made his entrance into the world. Eleanor focused her attention on the newborn, giving him a thorough once-over and realizing his lungs weren’t as developed as his brother’s.
Telling the nurse her intentions, she gave the baby a few breaths with a manual respirator, hoping to stimulate his lungs, but was unsuccessful in her efforts.
“You want me to intubate him?” Ty asked from beside her. He was so close she could feel his body heat. If she leaned just a little she’d brush against his arm.
“I can do it,” she assured him, having done it many times previously and wondering why he’d offered, wondering why she so desperately wanted to lean into him.
“I’m sure you can. Just wanted to help you.”
“This is my job,” she reminded him. “I’m good at what I do, Dr. Donaldson, but thanks for the offer.”
The nurse assisting Eleanor glanced back and forth between them and Eleanor fought against blushing.
She threaded the tiny tube through the baby’s nostril, checked placement, then secured the line. She turned to where Ty stood, but he was no longer there. She supposed he’d gone with his team to the NICU, but surprisingly she’d not been aware when he’d walked away.
Good, the less aware she was of the man, the better.
“I know you’ve had a crazy morning with the code, then talking with the family, then working the trauma delivery with Dr. Donaldson, but you are extraordinarily quiet this morning.” Linda stepped up beside Eleanor while she examined a thirty-two-week preemie who was now a month old and would be going home within a week if all continued to progress well. “The fund-raiser for your dad run late last evening?”
Frustrated at the recurrent reminders of the night before, Eleano
r thought she might scream. She straightened from examining the baby. “How is it that everyone knows where I spent my evening?”
Lord, she hoped they didn’t know where she’d spent her night.
Staring at her a little too closely, Linda’s brow arched high. “Should I assume that you didn’t attend your father’s fund-raiser ball, then?”