Judy Duarte - Daddy On Call

She merely stared at him, as though wondering why he’d stopped by. And he was just as perplexed as she was. After all, twelve years ago she’d made no secret of the fact that she no longer considered him a friend, let alone a lover. And he’d never been one to plead or beg.

But there was something drawing him to her. Something that was unsettled, unfinished. Unsaid.

So he made an excuse for stopping by. “I just got off duty and wanted to check on her before heading home.”

That reason ought to fly, especially since Leilani had no way of knowing that wasn’t his usual style.

“You work nights?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“Must be tough.”

Not for Luke. “I like the action. More gunshots, stabbings.”

“I suppose you’d find that exciting.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant. He hoped she wasn’t referring to his early years, when he’d gotten into his share of scuffles. Or that month he’d spent at juvenile hall. Actually, he was talking about having the opportunity to practice emergency medicine, to use the skills he’d perfected.

“I never expected you to become a doctor,” she added.

Neither had Luke. It had taken tragedy, heartbreak and a lucky draw like crossing paths with Harry Logan for him to make that kind of a turn. But he supposed she wouldn’t care to hear about it. “I’ve always had an aptitude for science.”

“I know. You tutored me in chemistry, remember?”

He remembered everything. The scent of her as she leaned over him in the library, the way her hair sluiced over his cheek. The difficulty he had focusing on the problem at hand, rather than his raging hormones. “Thanks to me, you got an A.”

“No. I believe it was a B-plus. But it would have been an F without your help.”

God, it was strange, skating around the past. But he wasn’t ready to jump head-first into it, either. So he decided to use a little humor to take the edge off the reality. “I had to knock several honor students on their butts in order to have a chance to tutor the pretty new girl.”

Actually, there was a lot of truth to that. The moment he’d laid eyes on her, he’d been swept off his feet and would have done anything just to be alone with her.

He wanted to ask if she’d ever gone on to college, like she’d planned. Whether she’d gotten a degree of any kind. But that would only lead them to the reason she’d left town.

And the reason she’d never talked to him again.

Instead, he nodded toward the sofa. “I see you spent the night here.”

“Carrie doesn’t have any family, so I felt as though I ought to stay.” Leilani combed her hand through her hair, her fingers snagging on a tangle before busting free. “And I agreed to be her baby’s godmother and promised to look after him if…anything happened to her.”

“Dr. Gray has managed to stave off contractions,” he said, figuring Arlene had already told her the baby’s chances of survival if it was born now.

“I know.” She bit down on her bottom lip, something she used to do when they were friends.

And lovers.

At the time, Leilani’s heart was as big as the Pacific, although little good that did him. Once her brother died, she’d refused to hear Luke’s side of the story, refused to let him apologize. Would she now? Had enough time passed?

Had anything changed?

Not on the part of his hormones. He couldn’t help being drawn to her.

It was amazing. Even after all she’d been through and then dozing all night in a chair on top of that, she looked damn good. Prettier than ever, he decided. And just as out of reach.

He wasn’t crazy enough to think that they could ever be lovers again, but he wanted her to know how sorry he was about her brother’s death, about his part in it.

“Leilani,” he said, hoping to get her away from a hospital setting. “Would it be all right if I bought you a cup of coffee?”

She didn’t respond right away, and he wasn’t sure what to expect when she did.

Was it too much to hope that she might find it in her heart to forgive him?

If so, he might be able to forgive himself.

How about a cup of coffee?

Leilani opened her mouth to decline, but at the same time she was eager to learn more about Carrie, to hear the E.R. doctor’s opinion.

“In fact,” Luke added, “you could probably use some breakfast.”

She was torn. She hated to leave her friend’s side, yet was desperate for Luke’s prognosis for both mother and child. “All right. But I’m afraid I look a mess.”

“No, you don’t. You look like a concerned friend.” He stepped aside, allowing her to exit first, then escorted her down the hall and to the elevator.

It felt weird walking with him again and was reminiscent of the times they’d strode the halls when they were seniors in high school. As much as she dreaded being alone with a man she’d loved once upon a time, she struggled with the same attraction, the same excitement his rebellious smile provoked.

The fact that they had a son together only heightened her discomfort.

Her heels clicked on the linoleum as they strode through the corridor, and inadvertently, her shoulder brushed against his, warming her from the inside out. Funny how, after all this time, his touch could still do that to her.

The various medical personnel they passed along the way—lab techs, nurses’ aides, RNs—either greeted Luke with a smile or nodded in respect. Leilani couldn’t help noting that several of them eyed her with curiosity.

When they reached the cafeteria, he led her to the buffet, then grabbed a couple of trays, one for each of them. He started by taking an extra-large glass of orange juice for himself and offering her one.

“No thanks.”

“By the way,” he said, “the breakfast burritos are really good. And filling.”

“That’s nice to know, but I’m just going to have tea and a bagel.”

As if she’d never said a word, he picked up a bowl of fruit and placed it on her tray. “If you’re going to hang out here, sleeping on chairs, you’ll need something more substantial than that to eat.”

In the past, Luke had always been assertive with his friends, but he’d seemed to tiptoe around her, letting her call the shots. Apparently, that wasn’t the case any longer.

He poured himself a large coffee and waited while she chose an herbal tea bag and filled a cup with hot water. And when they reached the breakfast food that had been placed under warm lights, he took a burrito. “Are you sure I can’t tempt you with this?”

He’d always tempted her—in more ways than one. But they were adults now, older and wiser. And with a past that separated them rather than bonded them together.

“I’m sure,” she said.

When they reached the cashier, he tried to pay, but she refused to let him do so. For some reason, it had seemed too much like a date, too reminiscent of days gone by. And quite frankly, she preferred they keep a respectful distance.

Luke led her to a corner table in the rear of the room where they took a seat. So much had changed, yet the past hung over them like a black storm cloud that threatened to burst in an angry downpour.

Her brother, Kami, had only been fourteen when he’d died, run down in the middle of the street by drug dealers. Had Luke not broken his promise, Kami would have been home and safely tucked in bed.

And Leilani still would have him.

But she’d be darned if she’d mention anything that would open up a conversation about the tragedy that tore them apart. Or the fact that Luke had not only led her brother astray, but led him to his death.

Instead, she broached the subject of Carrie’s baby boy. “Dr. Gray is trying to ward off contractions until the medication that assists lung development kicks in.”