In the Doctor's Bed
Brenda Jackson
The skills of a surgeon…Having a crush on her drop-dead-gorgeous boss could get Hopewell General intern Jaclyn Campbell fired…especially with the prestigious Virginia hospital reeling from a shocking scandal. But head resident Lucien De Winter is impossible to resist. And he’s arousing a healthy dose of desire as the good doctor wages an all-out war to make the sheltered Southern belle his own.…The heart of a lover Head over heels for Jaclyn, Lucien vows to keep their relationship a secret. He knows they’re playing a dangerous game, but he can’t live without the sensual sister. Even if it means putting his hardfought career on the line, the seduced surgeon is ready to risk it all. Because Lucien knows that the only thing to cure his acute condition is a lifetime of love. …
Lucien felt his mind and body unleash turbulent emotions that he’d held back for the past eighteen months
Now he was giving in to a hunger to a degree he hadn’t known was possible. There was this ravenousness that was invading his body and obliterating any kind of control. And he was giving in to it. Letting it dominate.
Her tongue tasted just as he’d known it would, with a sweetness that was turning his cells into jelly. There was a faint taste of the spiced coffee she’d drank earlier, but mostly it was all woman and it was so captivating he couldn’t imagine how it would be not to kiss her.
He pushed that thought out of his mind as he continued to devour her mouth, lips, tongue. There wasn’t a part of her mouth he hadn’t invaded and sampled to his heart’s content. And she was kissing him back with a hunger just as greedy as his own.
Dear Reader,
I enjoy doing continuity books where I get to work with other authors. In this particular continuity—Hopewell General Hospital—I got to work with three outstanding authors, Ann Christopher, Maureen Smith and Jacquelin Thomas.
The four of us are introducing you to the staff of Hopewell General and how interns face daily challenges, especially when it comes to love. I’ve always enjoyed a good medical show and admit to being a General Hospital fan. And being a romantic at heart, I love to read a sexy romance story with a sexy hero, and I believe these four stories will definitely satisfy any romantic cravings you might have.
I hope all of you enjoy reading Lucien and Jaclyn’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Happy reading!
Brenda Jackson
In the Doctor’s Bed
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Brenda
Jackson
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To the love of my life, Gerald Jackson, Sr.
To all my readers. This one is for you.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
—Proverbs 3:3
Chapter 1
The moment Jaclyn Campbell stepped off the elevator she felt her nerves kick in. Tension stirred in the pit of her stomach, and her pulse throbbed at the base of her throat. It was as if she was back in high school and had been called to the principal’s office. The only difference was she wasn’t sixteen anymore, but a twenty-six-year-old woman, an intern at Hopewell General Hospital, and she had gotten summoned to the office of the chief of staff, Dr. Germaine Dudley.
Taking a deep breath and inserting her sweaty hands in the pockets of her slacks, she paused at the desk of Dr. Dudley’s administrative assistant, Mona Wells. The older woman glanced up from the paperwork just long enough to say, “Go on in, Dr. Campbell. They’re waiting on you in the conference room.”
They? The pit of Jaclyn’s stomach nearly dropped to the floor. Who were “they”? She wondered just what kind of trouble she had gotten into. Granted she and Kayla Tsang, E.R.'s head nurse, never saw eye-to-eye on much of anything. Jaclyn had known from the first day of orientation it would behoove her to stay out of the woman’s way.
Nurse Tsang was a stickler for rules and had the attitude of an old sourpuss, which was sad for someone who was only thirty-five years old. Jaclyn smiled to herself upon recalling what her roommate and fellow intern, Isabelle Morales, had told her just last week. “Miss Thang”—as other staff members called the nurse behind her back—needed to get laid.
Quickly wiping the smile off her face and drawing in another deep breath, Jaclyn knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Jaclyn entered the room to find three individuals sitting at a long table. Her gaze first went to Dr. Dudley who was seated at the head of the table, and as usual his gaze raked over her. It wasn’t the first time she’d thought the man had a roving eye. Isabelle also had caught him ogling her and other young female interns the same way. That was probably the only mark against the man. The married, sixty-something father of three was well-respected in the medical field, and he had some political clout as well because he and the governor were college chums.
Her gaze then swept across the length of the table. The woman seated to the right of Dr. Dudley was Camille Hunter, the attractive public relations director of the hospital. Although Jaclyn didn’t know Camille that well, she’d always found the young woman friendly enough when they’d passed in the halls or met in the elevator.
And last but definitely not least was the man who’d captured Jaclyn’s heart her first day at Hopewell. Dr. Lucien De Winter, chief resident.
She wasn’t ashamed to admit to herself that she had a crush on the man and had for months. Her mother had warned her that it would be that way when she met her true mate. Jaclyn wasn’t sure how Dr. De Winter would fit into her future, but right now he was just a nice specimen of a man that any woman would love to lay claim to.
Even while sitting down, Dr. De Winter was tall, and had a muscular build. His black hair was cropped short and he had the sexiest brown eyes any man had a right to have. And that neatly trimmed mustache and goatee only accentuated a pair of sensuous lips.
Their gazes met briefly before she swiftly moved her eyes back to Dr. Dudley. “Nurse Tsang said you wanted to see me, sir,” she said.
“Yes, come in and join us, Dr. Campbell. We won’t bite.”
She nervously crossed the room and sat in one of the chairs that happened to be directly across from Dr. De Winter.
“Now, Dr. Campbell, the reason you were summoned here today was to first thank you for your bravery as well as your loyalty in reporting the drug abuse of one of your fellow interns. I know that wasn’t an easy decision to make, and I want to assure you that you did the right thing and you are appreciated for doing so. We were hoping we would be able to handle this matter rather quietly, but it seems that won’t be the case.”
Jaclyn nodded, trying to follow what Dr. Dudley was saying, but her close proximity to Dr. De Winter was distracting her. Was that heat she felt radiating off the man? She wouldn’t be surprised given how drawn she was to him. It was an attraction she’d constantly tried to downplay, thanks to the hospital’s no-fraternization policy regarding managers and those reporting to them.
“The Matthews family has threatened the hospital with a lawsuit.”
Jaclyn blinked. Lawsuit? That one word pulled her attention back to Dr. Dudley. “I don’t understand, sir.”
“And neither do we, Dr. Campbell. Thanks to you reporting to Dr. De Winter what you knew regarding Dr. Matthews and our own proof of certain events, we’d hoped the matter could be handled discreetly. However, we have been notified that the Matthews family has decided to sue the hospital.”
Jaclyn raised a brow. “On what grounds?”
“That we reacted in the extreme and that Dr. Matthews was wrongfully terminated.”
Jaclyn frowned. “How can they say that?” Although she’d asked the question, in a way she already knew the answer. The Matthewses just happened to be one of the richest families not only in Alexandria but in all of Virginia. It was a known fact they were Hopewell’s biggest benefactors. They even had a wing named after them. Their son Terrence had also been an intern. Jaclyn hated being the reason for Terrence’s termination, but she felt she’d done the right thing when she’d witnessed his attempting to steal drugs from the hospital pharmacy more than once.
“The hospital feels we had sufficient grounds to release him. And although we are faced with a lawsuit as well as the withdrawal of the Matthewses’ support to the hospital, we will deal with it,” Dr. Dudley said assuringly.
He then glanced over at Camille. “As public relations supervisor it will be your job, Ms. Hunter, to make sure the hospital maintains its stellar reputation through all of this. I can just imagine the type of image the Matthewses will try painting us with.”
Camille nodded, her expression sober. “I will.”
Dr. Dudley smiled at Camille, a smile that made Jaclyn’s flesh crawl. She wondered if she was the only one who’d caught on to it. She glanced over at Dr. De Winter and their gazes met, and not for the first time she thought she felt something emitting from the dark eyes holding hers.
Knowing she was just imagining things, she drew in a deep breath and shifted her attention back to Dr. Dudley as a question suddenly burned in her mind. “Now that there’s a lawsuit pending, does that mean I will be named as the person who was …”
“The whistle-blower?” Dr. Dudley finished for her. “You won’t have that to worry about. Your name will be held in the strictest confidence and protected by hospital policy. It has been proven that Dr. Matthews does indeed have a drug problem and it will be up to the Matthews family to prove otherwise.”
Jaclyn was glad to hear that. She knew that once the news broke everyone would wonder who had snitched on Terrence because he was well-liked and had a promising future. It hadn’t taken her long to figure him out and she’d been able to read the signs mainly because her older brother had had the same problem before he’d gotten help. Now he was married with a little girl and volunteered a lot of his time trying to help others kick the habit that had nearly destroyed him eight years ago.
“And because of the sensitive nature of the matter and the Matthews family’s association with this facility, we have decided to hire someone to handle the suit that is not one of our regular hospital attorneys. In other words, we’ve decided to bring in the big guns.”
“But we can assure you again, Dr. Campbell, that your confidentiality won’t be compromised,” Dr. De Winter interjected.
Jaclyn nodded while trying to ignore the warm, husky tone of his voice that seemed to caress every inch of her skin. She glanced over at him, met his gaze, felt her heart rate quicken. “Thank you.”
“That will be all, Dr. Campbell,” Dr. Dudley said, reclaiming her attention.
“All right.” She stood and turned to leave. Although she was tempted to glance back over her shoulder to look at one person in particular, she was fully aware that doing so would be foolish as well as risky, so she continued to move toward the door.
Lucien entered his Georgetown row house at close to eight that night, hours later than his schedule at the hospital dictated. But then when was the last time he had what he considered a bona fide schedule? Certainly not since he’d taken the role of chief resident at Hopewell. At least this group of interns was halfway through this leg of their training. He had high hopes they would become good physicians one day. Some more so than others. There were a few he still needed to work on.
And one in particular he needed to keep his mind off.
Scowling, he paused and rubbed his hands down his face. Jaclyn Campbell would be his downfall if he wasn’t careful. He of all people knew the hospital’s non-fraternization policy and the consequences if it wasn’t obeyed. Yet that hadn’t stopped him from remembering every single thing about her whenever he saw her.
Take today, for instance. A surge of desire had rushed through him the moment she had entered the conference room. And when their gazes had connected it seemed that every nerve ending in his body had awakened.
Drawing in a deep breath, he forced one foot in front of the other as he made his way into the kitchen. Tonight would be one of those nights when dinner would be a guessing game and frankly he wasn’t in the mood. He could have stopped somewhere to eat before coming home, but this was one night he wanted to put as much distance between him and the hospital as he could.
The day hadn’t gotten off to a good start. The moment he’d entered the hospital and been told Dr. Dudley needed to see him immediately, he’d gotten a clue how things would be. Because Lucien had been the one to actually terminate Terrence, his name would come under fire as well. The thought of the Matthewses actually filing a suit against the hospital when they knew their son had a drug problem was ludicrous. It only went to show that people with money thought they could do just about anything.
Lucien opened his freezer and pulled out a microwave dinner. Moments later while waiting for his meal to heat up he decided to switch his thoughts to more pleasant things.
Namely, Jaclyn Campbell.
After the morning meeting with Dr. Dudley, they had met again when one of her patients, Marvin Spencer, had presented with shortness of breath and she needed approval to increase the dosage of the man’s medication. As usual she was precise and right on point. There was no doubt in his mind that she would become an outstanding physician. On her previous rotations she’d received nothing but compliments from patients and fellow doctors alike. Patients felt she listened to what they’d had to say, and doctors remarked on her professionalism.
His thoughts shifted back to their time in Mr. Spencer’s room. They had worked well together, adjusting the intravenous line, asking the patient questions.
Jerome Stubbs, a male nurse who usually worked in O.R., had also been in the room. But even while Lucien was checking Mr. Spencer’s vital signs, the only person he had been aware of was Jaclyn. The first time it happened had been her first day at Hopewell, over a year ago. He’d gotten upset with himself for his immediate attraction to her, and he still wasn’t sure what had brought it on. For some reason the sight of her in her pale blue scrubs had been a total turn-on.
Later that week, when the staff had joined the interns offsite at a nearby bar and grill for a casual get-acquainted session, all it had taken was seeing the way her body had been shaped by a pair of denim jeans and a pullover sweater, and his mouth had watered for days.
And then he had run into her at a grocery store one Sunday. She had been dressed for church and he’d gotten a chance to see the most gorgeous pair of legs any woman could own. She had looked so good in her peach-colored fashionable two-piece suit that he had only narrowly avoided running his grocery cart into a display of canned goods in the middle of the aisle.
Never had any woman been able to dominate his attention like she had, especially in the workplace. And no matter how much he’d tried, he hadn’t been able to lick his inappropriate attention for the female doctor who was reporting to him directly. And that wasn’t good.
The bummer was that the attraction was one-sided. There was not one incident he could cite as being deliberate on her part. She had the type of beauty a woman didn’t have to flaunt. It was just there and he honestly doubted she knew the effect she had on men.
Hell, he’d even seen Dr. Dudley eye her down more than once and had to bite down the jealousy that had consumed him. But then the old man was known to have that bad-ass habit with the female interns. Lucien was surprised no one had filed a sexual harassment complaint against him. Lucien wasn’t blind. He’d seen the looks and heard Dudley’s offhand comments to several of the female interns. He’d even confronted his superior about his behavior, which hadn’t gone over well.
As he sat down to dine alone, his thoughts shifted back to Jaclyn Campbell. He’d assumed he had fixed his problem when he’d sent her to work the nightshift in E.R. for a while. Usually she would have left the hospital by the time he would arrive. But on one particular morning there had been a school bus accident resulting in a number of injured kids. E.R. had been quite busy that day and everyone, even off-duty personnel, had been called in to assist.
And he had seen her. He had worked alongside her that day, and finally admitted to himself that he didn’t want distance between them again. He would just have to learn how to control his attraction. So far he had. However, there were days, like today, that could test him to the fullest.
While they were in Mr. Spencer’s room together, he had looked at her face and thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He’d seen the long dark lashes and how they’d fanned across her face, her beautiful hazel eyes, her chin-length, straight brown hair and creamy fair skin. Although she’d never confirmed or denied it, he’d heard that she was the product of a biracial marriage. Her father’s family hailed from Scotland and her mother was African-American.
After completing his meal, he stood to stretch his body when his cell phone rang. He smiled when he pulled the iPhone from his back pocket and saw the caller was his sister.
“Yeah, kiddo?”
“Everyone, especially Nana, will be particularly glad to hear you’re coming home for Christmas. Tell me it’s true, Lucien.”
He chuckled. Although both he and his sister were naturalized citizens of the United States, “home” was their birthplace of Jamaica. He, his sister, Lori, and a slew of cousins had all left Jamaica about the same time to attend college in the United States and had eventually made it their home. But for the holidays everyone tried returning for what they considered a family reunion. Due to work obligations he’d missed attending the last two years.
“It’s only August, Lori. Any reason you want to know so soon? You’ve got four months.”
“Four months will be here before you know it, Lu. Besides, we need time to plan and to prepare Nana for the disappointment if you aren’t coming again. It will be three years. I wish you can make it this year.”
Lucien didn’t have to be reminded. His grandmother did that every time they spoke. He hadn’t been home since he’d taken the position of chief resident at the hospital. With the job came new obligations as well as a number of sacrifices.
He smiled. “You’ll get your wish, Lori. I’m going home for the holidays. The time off is already on the hospital schedule.”
Not wanting to risk getting a busted eardrum, he held the phone from his ear when she began screaming in excitement. He was older than his sister by a year and they had always been close, although they now lived thousands of miles apart. She was an attorney working and living in Los Angeles.
He placed the phone back to his ear when he felt it was safe to do so. “Doesn’t take much to get you excited, does it?”
“Oh, you,” she admonished softly. “This is great news, so don’t try to downplay it. Nana is going to be counting the days.”
And he would, too. As far as he was concerned his grandmother was the wisest women he knew and always had been. And she was the kindest and most motivating. Not only had she raised Lucien, but she had also supported everything he’d ever wanted to do and had extended this same support to his sister and his two cousins whom she’d also raised. That’s why one of the first things the four of them had done after achieving their goals in America was to build Nana a beautiful and spacious home in Kingston, Jamaica, that had a picturesque view of the Blue Mountains from every room.
A short while later Lucien ended the call with Lori, looking forward to the two weeks he would be home. But he had a lot to do before he left Alexandria for Kingston. He had to get some normalcy in his life. And the way to achieve that goal was to get a handle on his attraction to Jaclyn Campbell. He’d tried it before and it hadn’t worked. This time, no matter what, he couldn’t fail.
Because he knew if he did, he was headed for deep trouble.
Chapter 2
“Have you given any more thought to my suggestion that we get a puppy, Jaclyn?”
Jaclyn glanced across the stretcher at her roommate Isabelle Morales as they quickly rolled a pregnant woman down the hall toward the delivery room. A Jennifer Lopez look-alike, Isabelle wanted to go into pediatrics when her residency ended, and Jaclyn considered her friend one of the brightest interns at Hopewell.
“I honestly don’t think a puppy is a good idea, Isabelle. With the hours we spend at the hospital who’s going to make sure he’s fed properly?” she replied.
Before Isabelle could respond, the patient, who’d been enduring her labor pains quietly, suddenly screamed. She had been in labor for the past ten hours and, last timed, her contractions were less than three minutes apart. Her obstetrician was already in the delivery room waiting.
“The two of you are talking about puppies and I’m about to die here,” the woman snarled at them.
“You’re not dying, Mrs. White, you’re having a baby.”
Ignoring what Jaclyn said, the woman then added, “And where is my husband?”
“He’s washing up. He’ll be in the delivery room when we get there,” Isabelle added.
“I don’t want him there. He’s the one responsible for my condition.”
Jaclyn cast a glance over at Isabelle and fought back a smile. She pitied Mr. White about now.
As soon as they wheeled the mother-to-be through the double doors, several nurses took over. One of them was Jerome. “It took both of you to bring her here?” he asked grinning. “Better not let Miss Thang see you. She’ll think you’re goofing off with nothing better to do.”
“I was on break,” Isabelle said smiling. “Besides, I needed to talk to Jaclyn about something.”
At that moment Dr. De Winter walked out of the operating room and Jaclyn had to quickly compose herself. The man did things to her without even trying. Not that he would try because he didn’t have the same interest in her that she had in him.
He stopped before them. “Dr. Morales and Dr. Campbell. How are you two doing?”
“Fine,” they responded simultaneously.
He looked solely at Isabelle. “Dr. Morales, Dr. Thornton has requested that one of my interns be ready to assist him tomorrow. He’s performing an advanced surgical procedure on the throat of a six-year-old boy. Is that something you’d be interested in?”
Jaclyn thought the smile on Isabelle’s face was priceless. “Yes, sir. Very much so,” she said in an excited voice.
“Then be here ready to scrub up at eight in the morning.”
“Thanks. I will.”
“Good.” And without saying anything else, or giving Jaclyn a second glance, he walked off.
Jaclyn’s gaze followed him until he was no longer in sight. She then switched her attention back to Isabelle who was grinning from ear to ear. Dr. De Winter’s recommendation that one of his interns be present during surgery was a big thing and every intern under him knew it.
“That’s a good opportunity, Isabelle. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. I can’t believe he chose me.”
Jaclyn chuckled. “I can. He recognizes how good you are and knows you’re planning to go into pediatrics. You deserve it.”
The smile slowly faded from Isabelle’s face. “Not everyone will think so.”
Jaclyn knew that to be true. Not all the interns were supportive of each other. Some were competitive and a few were downright cutthroat.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. A few might bitch and moan, but I doubt any of them will question Dr. De Winter about it,” Jaclyn said.
“You’re right, but—”
“No buts, Isabelle.”
Later, when Jaclyn made her rounds, she turned the corner and collided head-on with Dr. De Winter, sending the charts she was carrying flying across the floor. “Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Apparently, Dr. Campbell,” he said in what she thought was an ultra-sexy voice. It was the same voice that she’d heard in her dreams last night, the night before and the night before that.
He knelt down and began picking up her charts and she knelt to join him. “You don’t have to do that, Dr. De Winter. I can get them.”
“No problem,” he said, handing her the charts he’d collected.
Their gazes connected the moment their fingers touched and she felt a deep stirring in the pit of her stomach. As she stared into his eyes she thought she saw them darken, but when she blinked he’d already straightened and was standing back up.
She stood as well. “Thank you,” she murmured, clutching the charts to her chest like an armor of steel.
“You’re welcome. And how are your patients? Any problems or concerns?”
Because he’d asked … “There is this one thing. We’re still trying to determine the reason behind Mr. Aiken’s high fevers.”
Dr. De Winter nodded. “I understand he had another one this morning.”
“Yes. We took more blood, but there’s nothing abnormal. The fever means there’s infection somewhere in his body, but nothing is showing up in his blood.”
“So you’re dealing with an FUO?”
Fever of unknown origin. “Yes,” she said, clearly disturbed.
“Any other signs and symptoms, Dr. Campbell?”
“None.”
“Let me see his chart for a second.”
She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and then flipped through the charts to find the one belonging to William Aiken. She handed it to Dr. De Winter, grateful their fingers did not touch this time.
Her pulse thudded as she stood there and watched him peruse the man’s chart. She couldn’t help noticing how his long lashes fanned across his cheeks and how sensuous his mouth looked. He then glanced up and caught her staring at his mouth. Good grief.
“May I make a suggestion, Dr. Campbell?”
“Yes, sir, you may.” The one thing that was different about Dr. De Winter compared to other doctors in an authoritative position was that he didn’t project a brash, all-knowing demeanor. He liked getting input from the interns he supervised and always solicited their opinions.
“Have blood drawn from his toe, preferably the big one, and have it checked.”
She raised a brow. Probably any other intern would have accepted what he said without question, but unfortunately she wasn’t one of them. “Why, if I may ask?”
He chuckled and the sound seemed to whisper across her skin. “Yes, doctor, you may. When I was an intern at a college in Boston, I had a patient with FUO and drawing blood from the big toe was suggested to me by the chief of staff. He explained that often bad blood will find places to settle and can’t easily be detected.”
She nodded as understanding dawned. “Which was the premise behind bloodletting,” she said, thinking out loud and seeing his point. “Which is the draining of bad blood out of a person’s body. And if there’s bad blood not detected, it might be confined in one of the body’s peripheral points. A premise we have now put to sound scientific use.”
“Exactly.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Dr. De Winter. I’ll have that done immediately.” She then quickly walked away.
Lucien watched Jaclyn hurry off and drew in a deep breath. When they had accidentally touched moments ago, it had taken everything within him to control the urge to pull her into his arms and mesh his lips with hers. That encounter had been too close for comfort. Way too close.
No matter how much he tried to control himself around her, he was finding it hard to do so. When they had knelt facing each other and he’d looked into her eyes and gazed upon the lushness of her mouth, heat had flared inside of him. He could imagine them kneeling facing each other, but the setting hadn’t been the hall of the hospital. In his mind they were in the middle of the bed. Naked.
Those were the last kind of thoughts he needed lodged in his brain. He tried forcing them out. The hospital’s nonfraternization policy had been put in place for a reason and he intended to abide by it. But God, he was attracted to her. And if knowing that wasn’t enough to shake his world, then he didn’t know what would. At that moment he thought he could even feel the floor shift under his feet. Yes, he was definitely standing on shaky ground.
Jaclyn nibbled on her bottom lip as she read Mr. Aiken’s most recent lab report. Dr. De Winter had been right in suggesting that blood be drawn from the man’s toe. The report clearly indicated bacteria in Mr. Aiken’s body. Bacteria of an unknown source.
Now she had to determine what was causing it. As she read the report again the main question circling around in her head was why the bacteria hadn’t shown up in a routine lab test.
“You’re too pretty to be frowning.”
Jaclyn glanced up and smiled at Ravi Patel, another intern. With his tall, slender build, long wavy black hair, dark eyes and dark skin, he made a reality of the old cliché tall, dark and handsome.
All the female interns, nurses and patients alike drooled over the American-born East Indian. Even Miss Thang seemed taken with him and would blush like a silly schoolgirl whenever Ravi was near. What Jaclyn most admired and respected about Ravi was that he was quick to let the admiring ladies know that he was an engaged man. His fiancée, a woman from India, was an intern at a hospital in Miami. The two planned to marry in a few years.
“Hi, Ravi. I was going over one of my patient’s charts.”
“His condition is serious?”
“FUO earlier, but thanks to Dr. De Winter I was finally able to find something in his blood. There are bacteria. Now I’m trying to determine the cause.”
“If you need help, this might be something to bring before the others in our group session with Dr. De Winter in the morning.”
Jaclyn nibbled on her bottom lip. She of all people knew when the group of interns would meet with Dr. De Winter in a classroom setting. She looked forward to those once-a-week sessions when he would take center stage at the front of the class. Those were the times when she could sit in the back and ogle him to her heart’s delight and come across only as a very attentive student.
More than once he had glanced her way and caught her staring and she appreciated that he wasn’t a mind reader. He would have been appalled at some of the things she’d been thinking at the time. “I might do that. Thanks for suggesting it, Ravi.”
Ravi glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “There’s Dr. De Winter. We can ask him now.”
Before Jaclyn could stop him, Ravi had gotten Dr. De Winter’s attention. Jaclyn released a deep breath. She hadn’t quite recovered from their earlier meeting when they had touched. Now he was about to get all into her space again.
“Doctors Patel and Campbell. Is there something I can help you with?” he asked, his gaze passing between them.
“Yes, sir,” Jaclyn said. “Thanks to your suggestion I was able to pinpoint bacteria in Mr. Aiken’s blood. But now I’m concerned with the cause. I’ve done tests to rule out several abnormalities, but these bacteria are determined to remain in certain areas. I’m still concerned that we could not detect it in a routine blood test.”
“I thought this would be something she could bring before the group in the morning,” Ravi interjected.
“I agree with Dr. Patel. This is something we can give the group as a think tank question, Dr. Campbell. In the meantime, how is Mr. Aiken? What are we doing for him?”
Before Jaclyn could respond, Ravi glanced at his watch and then said apologetically, “Sorry, I need to go check on one of my patients.”
He then quickly walked off leaving her alone with Dr. De Winter. She forced her gaze from Ravi’s retreating back to Dr. De Winter. For the next few minutes she provided him with the answer to his question. He didn’t interrupt and every so often he would nod slowly. It was hard not to get absorbed in the tingles of awareness that were going through her body from his standing so close to her.
At one point while she was talking, their eyes held for a moment. Her mind went completely blank and it was only when he’d said in a warm tone, “You were saying, Dr. Campbell?” that she realized she had stopped talking in mid-sentence. She swallowed hard and began talking again, knowing with her fair skin that her blush of embarrassment was easy to see.
So okay, now he knew one of his interns was taken with him. The man was sexy and handsome so there was no doubt in her mind she wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last. Although flattered, he was a professional who wouldn’t encourage her. He probably considered her one of those silly little interns with hormonal problems. For her it went beyond that. Oh, she would love to jump his bones if given the chance, but her crush on him was growing by leaps and bounds each day.
When she finally finished her spiel, he met her gaze and asked in what she thought was a husky voice, “Why did you zone out on me a few moments ago?”
She hadn’t expected him to ask her that. Did he honestly expect her to tell him the truth? Even worse, did he suspect the truth? She drew in a deep breath and decided to lie through her teeth. “No reason, sir. I merely lost my train of thought for a second.” And please don’t ask me why.
He slowly nodded and as if he could read her mind and was privy to her last thought, he took a step back. “I’ll see you at the group discussion in the morning, Dr. Campbell.”
And then he walked away.
Chapter 3
Jaclyn had known the moment she entered the meeting room the next morning and saw how everyone was clustered together and talking in whispers that word was out about the Matthews lawsuit.
It had been bad enough when everyone had found out about Terrence’s termination last month. Speculation had run wild as to the reason for it. Now his family was bringing things out in the open and letting everyone know what was going on and that the hospital would pay for what they saw as a grave mistake.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked a fellow intern by the name of Tamara St. John as she slid into the seat beside her. She’d liked Tamara from the first day they met and found her to be a down-to-earth person.
Tamara leaned closer and whispered, “Word is out as to the real reason Terrence was kicked out of the program. Rumor has it that he had a drug problem. His family is suing the hospital and saying the charges against him are false.”
Jaclyn swallowed deeply. “What will the hospital do?”
“I hear they feel they have a good case against Terrence. Someone on staff came forward with the goods on him and provided enough proof to make the hospital take action. Now everyone is trying to figure out who among us talked.”
A muscle tightened in Jaclyn’s stomach. “Does it matter, especially if the allegations are true?” she asked.
“Doesn’t matter to me. I can’t help admiring the person for doing it. Some people who are born into wealth think they can get away with anything. Terrence acted like too much of a snob to suit me anyway.”
Tamara glanced beyond Jaclyn and smiled. “Here comes Dr. De Winter. We’ll talk later.” Tamara then straightened in her seat to chime in with the others when they said, “Good morning, Dr. De Winter.”
“Good morning, everyone,” the husky voice replied.
Jaclyn hadn’t been one of those to coo out the greeting, yet she thought his gaze deliberately settled on her as he passed her seat to walk toward the front of the room. It was then that she overheard a female intern sitting in front of her whisper to another woman, “That doctor is way too fine. I just love watching him strut his stuff.”
Jaclyn thought the same thing. She liked seeing him strut his stuff as well, but that was something she wouldn’t dare share with anyone. She watched and listened as he went through the regular routine of asking how things were going and if anyone had had any challenges for the week to share with the others.
She knew that was her cue and she raised her hand. He glanced over in her direction. “Yes, Dr. Campbell?”
She spoke up and presented Mr. Aiken’s situation to everyone. Some fellow interns asked questions while jotting down notes. Several threw out possible diagnoses for her to consider and she wrote those down as well. It was nice getting feedback from her peers. More than once she glanced at Dr. De Winter and saw him watching and listening with interest. He was letting them work as a team. A few times it seemed after scanning the room his gaze would come to settle on her. And each time it did, her breath would get caught in her throat and she would swallow deeply to force the air down.
“So, Dr. Campbell, do you think you have enough possibilities to work with?” he asked, his eyes homing in on hers in a way that made blood rush through her veins.
She took a deep breath and then responded, “Yes, and I’m going to narrow it down to the best three.”
He nodded. “Time might not be on your side,” Dr. De Winter then said. “I understand Mr. Aiken’s fever spiked overnight.”
She wasn’t surprised that he was well aware of what was going on with each of the intern’s patients under his charge. How he kept up with it all she didn’t know. There were fifteen of them and each had been assigned five to seven patients.
“Yes, sir, but so far we’re keeping the temperature down.”
He nodded. “But what we want is to get rid of it all together.”
Jaclyn moistened her lips with her tongue thinking she could have taken his words as a put-down. Instead she took them as a challenge. A patient’s health was on the line and her job as a doctor was to not make him comfortable but to get him well. “Yes, sir.”
He straightened from the podium he’d been leaning against and then looked out over the group. “Good job, team. Now go out there and take care of your patients.”
Lucien remained behind in the empty meeting room. Things with Jaclyn Campbell were still not going well. Hooking up with a woman, getting to know her, developing a relationship both mentally and especially physically, was one of those simple pleasures in life that all men looked forward to experiencing.
He dated, although it had been a while since he’d dated anyone seriously. He always enjoyed a female’s company, but in most situations he tried avoiding dating women in his own profession. More often than not their conversations would center too much around the medical cases they were up against.
The last woman he’d dated had been in the education field and he enjoyed learning about her work and the challenges she faced. The only bad thing about Shawnee Powers was her inability to stop placing herself on some sort of pedestal. There was nothing wrong with someone believing in themselves, but for Shawnee it had begun getting downright ridiculous. He’d put up with it until he’d noticed her jealous streak. She had begun questioning him when he didn’t call or when he didn’t immediately text her back. It had been ten months since they’d broken up and at no time had he been tempted to call her. Ten months.
That had been when he’d seen Jaclyn for the first time. He would always remember that day. There had been twenty residents and now they were down to fifteen. One had gotten seriously sick and had to leave the program, three hadn’t been able to cope the first six months and one he’d had to terminate.
His mind shifted to Terrence Matthews, the one he’d had to terminate. The young man, although somewhat brash at times, had had a promising future. He had started off sharp as a whip, up on every assignment and possessed a bedside manner all the patients appreciated. Then Terrence began being late to group meetings, going MIA when he was supposed to be visiting patients and falling asleep during group discussions.
Lucien had mentioned Terrence’s behavior to Dr. Dudley who at first hadn’t wanted to rock the boat; after all the man was a Matthews. But Lucien had been making his own notes and observations when Jaclyn had come to him about Terrence’s drug use.
Without Terrence aware he was being observed, she had witnessed him stealing drugs from the hospital pharmacy. A replay of the pharmacy’s surveillance camera had backed up her claim, and a random drug test confirmed Terrence’s drug use.
Lucien shook his head when he recalled the day he had summoned Dr. Matthews to his office. The man didn’t deny the charges. Instead he said because he was a Matthews and his family had given so much to the hospital, he felt anything he did should and could be overlooked.
Even the offer that he take a temporary leave and go into drug rehab was laughed off with Terrence saying to do such a thing would be an admission of guilt. Lucien had ending up terminating Terrence’s association with the hospital that day.
Although he’d backed up Lucien’s actions, Dr. Dudley had predicted there would be a backlash from the Matthews family. The old man had been right.
Drawing in a deep breath Lucien walked to the window and glanced out at downtown Alexandria. Below, the brick-paved streets were lined with shops and boutiques of early eighteenth and nineteenth century architecture. And in the distance, across the Potomac, was the nation’s capital in all its glorious splendor. He enjoyed where he worked and loved living in Georgetown, far enough from the hospital on the D.C. side to appreciate the days he had off work.
He knew Jaclyn lived in Virginia, and the only times their paths had crossed after hours had been that Sunday when he’d decided to do his grocery shopping at a store in Alexandria.
He rubbed his hand down his face and turned away from the window. Although she had been sitting in the back of the room today, his gaze had sought her out anyway. He had looked for her. Found her. And had felt his attraction to her intensify. When she’d opened her mouth to speak, his pulse had accelerated and his ability to breathe had become affected.
What the hell was wrong with him?
It had taken all of his control to keep his features neutral, void of expression. Each and every time he was around her he risked the possibility of giving something away. The interns under his charge were bright, observant and astute. They would hang on to his every word, decipher his every action.
Jaclyn made it hard for him to think straight at times. Like today when she had been explaining Mr. Aiken’s condition to everyone. While she talked about the man’s fever, Lucien had begun imagining a fever of a different kind—the typed generated in the heat of passion between a man and a woman. Namely, him and her. He could envision her lush body, naked and hot, extremely hot, writhing beneath his while he thrust in and out of her making nonstop love to her.
Those thoughts had been the last thing that should have been flowing through his mind, but they weren’t. Even now those kinds of thoughts were uppermost in his mind and determined to get the best of him. It might be wise to consider placing as much distance between him and Jaclyn as possible, and the only way he could do that was to suggest she transfer to another hospital. He knew there was no way he could do that. It wouldn’t be fair to her to disrupt her position here just because he was the one with a libido problem.
As he gathered his belongings, Lucien knew what he had to do. He had to get a grip. No matter what, he could not lower his guard around her.
By lunchtime Jaclyn had heard so many versions of what was going down with the Matthews lawsuit that she wondered where was rumor control when you needed it. The only good thing was that so far no one knew the identity of the person who’d snitched on Terrence and for that she was grateful.
She hadn’t known what to expect when she’d made the decision to come forward to report Terrence’s drug abuse. But her parents had raised her to do the right thing, and knowing about the abuse and the harm it could cause her fellow doctor had been the determining factor in making her talk. No one knew she was the one responsible for Terrence losing his job. Not even her roommate Isabelle.
No one except Dr. De Winter.
Just the mention of his name made a picture of him flash in her mind. He was so drop-dead gorgeous. Most of the other female staffers felt the same way, too. She’d heard the comments, and she’d noticed that several of them would cook up any excuse to go up to his office, only to return with what they considered the same disappointing news. Dr. De Winter had suspected them from the first. In other words, he’d seen through their attempt at shrewdness and wasn’t having any of it.
Thoughts of Dr. De Winter still took up residence in her mind hours later at the end of her shift. But they’d been pushed to the background after she’d overheard some interns trying to figure out who had nailed Terrence. They had what they termed a snitch among them.
They’d claimed if they’d known about Terrence, they would have implemented a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Who in their right mind would want to go up against the Matthews family? they’d asked. Hadn’t the snitch caused the hospital more harm than good now that the family was withdrawing its financial support?
As far as Jaclyn was concerned things were getting out of hand. What if Dr. Dudley was wrong and she was identified as the person who’d come forward about Terrence? She could see some of the interns turning on her and making her life at Hopewell unpleasant.
She knew the one person she needed to talk with and found him standing at a nurse’s station writing in a patient’s chart. Taking a deep breath she walked over to him. “Excuse me, Dr. De Winter, may I speak with you privately?”
Lucien stopped writing at the sound of the soft feminine voice. He didn’t have to glance up to see to whom it belonged. He forced the air from his lungs as he turned and looked into Jaclyn’s face. He immediately saw from the look in her eyes that she was troubled by something. But he had to play it cool, remembering he couldn’t jump at the chance to be alone with her any more than he would any of the other interns.
He stuck his pen into his pocket and lifted a brow. “I’m about to call it a day, Dr. Campbell. Is it something that can wait until tomorrow?” he asked in a no-nonsense, very professional tone, knowing his words had been overheard by Nurse Tsang who was all ears.
As usual her radar was on high alert. The woman had a tendency to mind everyone’s business but her own. “No, sir. It can’t wait.”
He glanced at his watch. “Very well, then. We can go to my office.”
They walked side by side toward his office at the end of the corridor. And with every step he took he inhaled her scent. The tropical fragrance of jasmine reminded him of the night-blooming flower from the island where he’d been born. She was wearing it well and it made him recall sultry summer nights.
As he walked beside her, he racked his brain for something to say that wouldn’t come out as too forward. He glanced over at her. With her exotic features and dark hair, she could pass for an island girl if it wasn’t for her fair skin. She was a beauty. He’d thought so the first time he’d seen her and he thought so now.
He increased his pace and she managed to keep up with him. Lucien could imagine those long legs beneath the slacks could do so with ease.
It had been a quiet day, no emergencies that had needed his attention beyond the norm and for that he was grateful. He had been about to call it a day, had hoped he could quietly slip out without seeing her more than he already had that day. But now it seemed he would be in close quarters with her. As long as he kept things on a professional note he would be fine.
At least that was his prayer.
But his prayer didn’t help him a few minutes later when they’d reached his office and he held the door open for her to enter. She brushed past him and her scent had made him tremble.
He knew at that moment he had no business bringing her to his office. The space was tight as it was and having her in it would make it even more confining. And as he stepped into the cramped room behind her and closed the door, he knew he was in trouble.
Deep trouble.
Jaclyn glanced around the office, remembering the first time she had been here. That had been her first week at the hospital and Nurse Tsang had reported to Dr. De Winter that she hadn’t turned in her end-of-the-day report on time. Jaclyn had argued that her report had been turned in on time, but Nurse Tsang’s watch had been set two minutes early. Dr. De Winter had calmly suggested that to eliminate confusion in the future she get her report in five minutes early. What he hadn’t said and what she clearly understood that day was that the head nurse enjoyed making everyone’s lives miserable and she’d have to avoid getting caught in her trap.
Jaclyn took a deep breath when she remembered the last time she’d been in his office. It was last month when she had reported Terrence’s drug use. She had done a lot of soul searching before requesting a meeting with Dr. De Winter and now it looked like the decision she’d made that day might be coming back to haunt her.
“Please have a seat, Dr. Campbell.”
“Thank you.” She sat in the chair next to his desk and she watched as he sat down as well.
“If you’re here regarding the remark I made earlier today in the group session, it wasn’t made to call you out or to make it seem as if you didn’t know what needed to be done.”
She shook her head. “Yes, I know, but that’s not why I’m here,” she said softly.
He nodded. “Then why are you here? You said whatever you needed to talk to me about couldn’t wait until tomorrow.”
She inhaled deeply again, wondering why the man had to look so heartthrob sexy. She’d been around good-looking men before, but there was something about Dr. De Winter’s looks that could literally take a woman’s breath away. She wondered if he knew the effect he had on women and decided yes, he had to know.
“Dr. Campbell?”
She blinked, realizing he was waiting for her to say something. “They are talking.”
He raised his brow and a guarded look appeared on his face, and she wondered the reason. “Who’s talking?”
“Everyone. They know. Or they think they know and those who don’t are trying to figure it out.”
He leaned back in his chair and simply stared at her, but it was a stare that made tiny flutters appear in her stomach. “I think you need to tell me just what you’re talking about,” he said in a gentle tone, so gentle it made her want to tell him everything, especially her misgivings about letting him know about Terrence and how everyone was trying to figure out just who told. But she wanted to go even farther and spill her guts about how she felt about him, how she dreamed about him at night and how she often envisioned him naked. Most important, how her desire and love for him kept taunting her day in and day out. However, she knew she couldn’t tell him any of those things. She wouldn’t dare.
“I’m talking about the Matthews lawsuit,” she finally said. “That’s all everyone has been talking about all morning. They’re determined to find out who snitched on Terrence.”
“They won’t.”
“Can you be absolutely sure of that, Dr. De Winter?” she asked in frustration, fighting back tears that threatened to fall any minute. When she’d come to him to report Terrence’s problem she had hoped that in addition to protecting the hospital in the long run she would be protecting Terrence as well. He needed help. She knew firsthand what drugs could do to a person and didn’t want an addiction to rule his life like it had ruled her brother’s, Kevin’s.
“Yes, I can be absolutely sure of it, Dr. Campbell. You are protected by the privacy act. What you told me was in confidence and that is equivalent to doctor-patient privilege. I don’t have to reveal my source to anyone. Besides, it doesn’t matter. He didn’t pass the random drug test that was given to him that day.”
“I know, but what if their attorneys force the issue? Then what? I thought I was doing the right thing in telling you about it, but now I—”
“You were doing the right thing. You knew one of your fellow interns was involved in something unethical and you brought it to my attention. I repeat, you did the right thing.”
There was something in his gentle and understanding tone that pushed her to the edge. There were so many emotions she was trying to deal with. The issue with Terrence was just one of her problems. But beside all that, her feelings for the gorgeous doctor was another issue all together. She’d always been pretty level-headed when it came to men, but she felt way out of her league with Lucien De Winter, mainly because she knew she’d fallen in love with him the moment she’d set eyes on him. She was too old to consider it merely a schoolgirl crush. She’d stop thinking of it in those terms months ago. She was experiencing the wants, desires and needs of a woman with the man she loved.
Now there was no telling what would happen. Once word got out she was the snitch, the hospital would probably have to send her away to downplay all the negative publicity. That meant she wouldn’t see Lucien ever again. She would leave without his having a clue how she felt about him. But what did it matter? she asked herself. Her feelings weren’t reciprocated.
“Look, maybe I should not have requested this meeting today,” she said standing, unable to fight the tears any longer. The do-gooder didn’t always save the day, she reminded herself. Not all the time. “I have to go,” she said swiping at the tears falling from her eyes.
He stood as well. “No, not this way. Not with tears. I don’t want to see you cry.”
In a move that surprised her, he stepped around his desk and pulled her into his arms. The moment he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a shoulder to cry on, she took it and began sobbing.
“Shh, things are going to be all right. You’re going to have to trust me. The Matthewses will eventually discover that money can’t buy everything.”
Jaclyn knew for her to be standing here sobbing her heart out in her supervisor’s arms was inappropriate, but she couldn’t pull away. He smelled good and the way his hand was gently stroking her back felt wonderful.
And then, as if he realized where they were and what he was doing, his hand stilled. She swallowed and lifted her head from his chest to take a step back. But instead of letting her go, he reached out and tenderly cupped her chin in his hand and forced their gazes to connect.
The look she saw in his eyes had her senses reeling. At the same time sexual tension, as thick as it could get, began surrounding them, capturing them in a mist that was saturated with desire. She felt it and knew he had to feel it as well. If it wasn’t for the beat of her heart marking the passage of time she would not have known how long they’d been standing there, staring at each other with deep hunger entrenched in their gazes and heat radiating between them.
He moved closer and slowly began lowering his head until his warm breath fanned across her lips. She wanted to blink but couldn’t. His hot, possessive gaze was keeping her eyes wide open and glued to his. Her pulse quickened with every inch closer to her mouth that his lips came.
The room was charged with something she’d never experienced before, a kind of static electricity that increased the flow of blood rushing through her veins, made her world turn upside-down, then right-side up. His hand on her chin began moving, allowing his knuckles to tenderly caress the side of her jaw. Her vision blurred when a heated sensation took over her senses and every part of her body.
He lowered his head still more and his mouth came within a breath of taking possession of her lips. Suddenly the alarm on his desk sounded and they knew what that meant: 911 in E.R.
Without saying anything they both rushed toward the door.
Chapter 4
Lucien glanced around. E.R. was in chaos. Doors were flying open with people being wheeled in on stretchers. He stopped one of the nurses. “What do we have?”
“Twelve-car pileup on the interstate. There were four casualties on impact—three of them children in different families. Life flight is on its way and rescue is unloading others as we speak,” she said.
“We need all hands on board. Contact all medical staff, even those off duty,” Lucien said. He then raced off to assist an injured teenager. Jaclyn was right on his heels. Lucien treated one patient after another, seeing to everyone’s needs, and making sure those needing surgery were taken care of.
He glanced over at Jaclyn and saw she was busy as well and couldn’t help admire how she was handling things. He had a feeling this would be a long day.
It was close to four in the morning before things had settled down in the E.R. Jaclyn thought it was so quiet the place appeared eerie. Of the thirty-four people who’d been involved in the twelve-car accident, six hadn’t survived and four were still in critical condition. The others had been fortunate to receive minor injuries.
She couldn’t help but be proud of her fellow doctors and how they had handled each patient swiftly, confidently, compassionately. Then there had been the media who had swarmed inside looking for a story. And then the family members who’d come to see for themselves that their loved ones were all right. Through it all, she admired the way Dr. De Winter had handled himself and the entire situation. Now she knew why he was one of the top physicians at the hospital and especially why he was in charge of the interns. They respected him and when it counted they had pulled together to make it happen and had saved lives.
She felt good. Exhausted but good. This was the career she had chosen and helping others gave her a high.
A shiver ran through her when she recalled what had almost taken place in his office, right before the alarm had sounded. She refused to believe she had imagined the heat and the desire she had seen in his eyes. It had been real. And he had come within seconds of kissing her.
She pulled her tired body out of the chair beside a patient’s stretcher. Ten-month-old Stacia Minestrone, the youngest survivor of the multicar accident, had only minor injuries but was waiting for a bed in Pediatrics. Even though she was presently under Tamara’s care, Jaclyn had agreed to observe the precious little girl while Tamara touched base with family services. Stacia’s mother hadn’t survived and the little girl’s father who lived in Wisconsin had been notified and was on his way.
Jaclyn glanced up when Tamara returned. “Thanks for watching her for me. I guess you’re ready to leave this place about now.”
Jaclyn stood, stretched her muscles and glanced at her watch. She was to have gotten off work more than eight hours ago. Tamara had been spared the initial arrival of E.R. patients because she’d been assisting in O.R. But like the others, once she’d arrived she had quickly joined in to do what was needed to be done.
“Yes, I can’t wait to get home to my bed,” Jaclyn said. “I’m going to the locker for my backpack and then I’m out of here.”
It didn’t take her long to gather her things. She was on her way out the hospital’s revolving doors when Dr. De Winter called out, “Dr. Campbell, wait up.”
She turned around and the moment she did so, her pulse quickened at the sight of him jogging toward her. He had removed his lab coat and was wearing jeans and a shirt. She wondered if he was aware of the effect he had on women, especially the effect he had on her.
The man exuded so much raw masculinity that she simply stood there while memories came flooding down on her. She couldn’t help but recall that moment in his office when they’d almost kissed. Now that the crisis in the E.R. was over, she fully understood her predicament. No matter what almost happened in his office, which she still hadn’t gotten over, she was an intern and Dr. De Winter was her boss. She would do well to remember that and not do anything to put her job and her career in jeopardy. That was probably why he was in such a hurry to talk to her.
She knew what he was probably going to say. She’d been crying and he’d only taken her into his arms as a way to comfort her and nothing else. Anything else that she assumed she saw or thought transpired was a figment of her imagination.
When he came to a stop in front of her a lock of hair fell in her face and she pushed it away at the same moment she shifted her backpack to another shoulder. “Yes, Dr. De Winter. Is there something you need me to do before I leave?”
Lucien thought that was a loaded question if ever there was one. He could easily respond by saying yes, there was something he needed her to do before she left. Returning to his office so they could finish what they’d started earlier would be nice.
Then he could take her mouth, make love to it, mate with it without any distractions or interruptions. Or if she didn’t want to go to his office, they could go anywhere. She could name the place and he wouldn’t hesitate to take her there.
“No, there isn’t anything I need for you to do,” he said, studying her features. She looked tired, but exhaustion in no way detracted from her beauty. “You did a hell of a job in there today. I appreciate everything you and the other interns did. The group was awesome.”
One thing Lucien subscribed to was that it didn’t pay to bully his group of interns. He was not one who believed in group spankings. He dealt with those individually who did not pull their weight. On the others he didn’t mind bestowing compliments when they were due. After what had gone down in E.R., praise was certainly called for. He would tell her now and the others when he saw them again.
Although he’d given her a compliment, what was on his mind more now than anything else was the kiss they’d almost shared in his office. A part of him knew in a way he should be grateful it didn’t happen and regret that it almost did. But the truth of the matter was that the memory of holding her in his arms, inhaling her scent, bringing his lips so close to hers sent a flood of heat rushing through his veins and made his breath catch in his throat.
“Thanks,” she said. “You did an outstanding job yourself. It amazes me how well you do what you do and know just when to do it, seemingly without thought.”
He chuckled. “It comes with practice, trust me. Don’t forget I was an intern once and made my share of mistakes. Thankfully none of them cost anyone their life, but still. One day you’ll look back at these years and smile and accept them as your growing period.”
She smiled. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am.” He glanced at his watch. “I can’t believe how late it is—or how early, depending on how you look at it. We never did finish our discussion from earlier today.
I know a coffee shop across the bridge that stays open twenty-four hours. This time of morning there won’t be a lot of people around so we’ll be able to hold a private conversation.”
He paused when she hesitated in accepting his invitation. He didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable and think she had no choice in meeting with him, so he added, “Of course I’ll understand if you prefer going home. You’ve pulled a double today so I’m sure you’re tired.”
Jaclyn couldn’t help but smile. She doubted she could ever be tired enough to not want Lucien’s company, regardless of the reason. “No, I’m fine and yes, we can finish our conversation from earlier.”
In a way finishing up their conversation wasn’t what she really wanted. She believed she had done the right thing in turning Terrence in, and she figured the stress, frustration and all kinds of emotions had gotten the best of her earlier and had driven her to a mental meltdown. The activities in E.R. had revived her, given her an adrenaline rush.
“You sure?” he asked.
She felt her heart slamming against her ribcage with his question. Was she absolutely, positively sure when she didn’t know what he would say to her? For all she knew he might criticize her for giving in to a crying spell earlier today. But she would take her chances. “Yes, I’m sure.”
He smiled. “We can take my car.”
“All right.”
Lucien wasn’t surprised they couldn’t make it out of the hospital and to the parking lot without encountering someone he’d rather not have seen. Nurse Tsang was walking toward them as they were leaving. She stopped, causing them to do the same.
“Good morning, Ms. Tsang,” he said, his tone formal.
“Dr. De Winter.” The woman then glanced over at Jaclyn with a speculative eye. “Dr. Campbell.”
“Good morning,” Jaclyn acknowledged.
“The two of you are leaving?” the woman then asked.
Lucien lifted a brow. “Yes, we’re going to get coffee. I think we’ve earned the right because we’ve been here for the last eighteen hours. We had one hell of an emergency.”
“So I heard,” Ms. Tsang said drily. She then looked over at Jaclyn and then back at Lucien. “Need I remind the two of you of the hospital’s nonfraternization policy when it comes to managers and their subordinates?”
Lucien looked down at the woman. He smiled a little, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “No. Just like I’m sure I don’t have to remind you of the hospital’s contact policy whenever an emergency occurs. I understand no one could reach you yesterday, Ms. Tsang. Nor did you call in.”
Her gaze sharpened. “It was my long weekend and I caught the train to New York. That’s why I couldn’t be reached.”
“I’m sure you had a nice time,” he remarked.
“Yes, I did.”
“Glad to hear it. Now if you will excuse us.” He didn’t wait to see if she would excuse them or not, nor did he care. He and Jaclyn walked off, leaving the woman standing there staring at them.
The woman had a problem with sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. He had mentioned it several times to Dr. Dudley, especially when the interns had come to him complaining, but it seemed the chief of staff always found some excuse or another for Ms. Tsang.
“If you want to cancel our having coffee, I’ll understand, Dr. De Winter,” Jaclyn said.
He glanced over at her and he knew the smile he gave her was a lot different than the one he’d bestowed upon Ms. Tsang earlier. This one not only reached his eyes but it also spread throughout his entire body like a beacon of light. “There’s no way I’m going to let Nurse Tsang’s nosiness dictate what I do and how I handle my business.”
He opened the car door for her, paused a moment and then asked, “I guess I’m the one who should be asking you if you still want to share a cup of coffee with me.”
She smiled up at him as she slid onto the leather seat of his car. “Yes, I still want to share a cup of coffee with you.”
He held her gaze. “You sure?” She nodded. “I’m positive.”
Jaclyn knew without a doubt that Lucien had no idea just how positive she was. Regardless of Nurse Tsang’s remark, she had no intention of turning down Dr. De Winter’s invitation to go someplace where they could talk. It didn’t matter that the only discussion they would have was about the Matthews lawsuit. All she cared about was that she would be sharing his space again somewhere across the bridge that hopefully wasn’t frequented by their colleagues.
“I like your car,” she said after she’d buckled her seat belt and waited for him to do the same. It was a silver 1980 Trans Am, all shiny and clean and expensively upholstered.
“Thanks.”
“And it sounds good. So what’s under the hood?”
He glanced over at her and chuckled. “This baby was a limited edition Indy car. Turbo, 210 horsepower, 4.9 cubic inch motor and it rides like a dream.”
“I hear. What’s the torque?”
“Three hundred forty-five pounds.”
“Um, four speed manual, V-8 and an 8-trac player that plays CDs. Very impressive, Dr. De Winter,” she said.
He took his eyes off her to return to the road. “Thank you, and because we’re away from the hospital a first-name basis suits me just fine.” He glanced back over at her. “Is that okay with you?”
She nodded, swallowed deeply and said, “I have no problem with it.”
“Okay, so tell me, Jaclyn, how do you know so much about muscle cars?”
“My dad made a living as an auto mechanic, but not just any auto mechanic. Back home people came from far and wide just to get him to look under their hoods. He was known as the Muscle Car King.”
“Now I’m impressed. Where is back home?”
“Oakland, California.”
“Any siblings?” he asked her.
“A brother who’s four years older.”
“The two of you are close?”
She chuckled. “Yes, but he stopped counting when he married a woman who became the sister I never had and they gave me a niece who everyone thinks is mine. It’s uncanny, but she looks just like me when I was her age.”
“Then she must be cute as a button.”
“Thanks.” Had he just given her a compliment? Was he insinuating he thought she was cute? She shifted positions in the seat while thinking she should probably take a chill pill because all her thoughts were wrong. He’s probably being nice to you because he doesn’t want to say anything to make you burst into tears on him again.
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