Janice Lynn - The Doctor's Secret Son

Ms. Perez shook her head. “My daughter is out of town with work and my son lives in Chicago with his wife and kids. I’m by myself.”

He gestured to her leg. “You need to stay off that ankle.”

“I was looking forward to volunteering in the food tent. I’ve not missed a year there since CCPO started these events.”

“There’s no way I can okay for you to serve food.”

The woman perked up. “Maybe I could volunteer in a different way? One where I could still keep my foot up?”

Trace didn’t want to burst the woman’s bubble, but she was going to be in quite a bit of pain and wouldn’t be able to put any weight on her ankle for several days. Not with the amount she’d injured the tissue.

Stepping back into the exam area, Chrissie assisted the woman in propping up her foot and then put the woman’s ice pack back on her ankle. “Is there anything I can get you? We have a few magazines if you’d like, and I brought a stack of books I’ve finished if you want to take one.”

The woman shook her head and held up her cellular phone. “I have books on this thing to keep my mind occupied for times such as these.”

Patting the woman’s hand, Chrissie smiled. “That’s good.”

The medical tent had been slow most of the evening.

Trace liked being busy, and felt restless. He was used to having more to do than time to do it.

Alexis was seeing a gentleman who had come into the tent with some indigestion. The other volunteers were not quite twiddling their thumbs but none of them were busy, either.

Trace compared it to where he’d been not so long ago, in the midst of mayhem and a war-torn country where there had been more ill and injured than hands to care for them, with problems much worse than a sprained ankle.

He closed his eyes. There were other assignments he could take with Doctors Around the World. Less dangerous places. He didn’t have to go back to the places he’d gone before, but he chose to.

“You okay?”

He opened his eyes, surprised Chrissie had initiated a conversation with him that didn’t have something to do with a patient or the event. For the most part she’d ignored him or given him the cold shoulder when he’d attempted conversation.

“Fine.”

Appearing torn, she eyed him. “You didn’t look fine. You looked like you didn’t feel well.”

“Had a flashback,” he admitted, shocking himself that he’d said the words out loud. He hadn’t talked to anyone here about the things he’d seen or done. DAW had required he go through psychological evaluation. He’d passed with flying colors, but that wasn’t to say that the things he’d lived through and seen hadn’t affected him. He’d never be quite the same. “No big deal.”

It wasn’t a big deal. Nothing he couldn’t cope with.

“What kind of flashback?”

“Not one of you,” he teased, unwilling to tell her the nitty-gritty details, “so it wasn’t good.”

She smirked. “Ha-ha. Too funny. Seriously, you turned a bit green there for a few seconds.”

Maybe he’d been green at how stand-offish she was around him. He wanted to go back to the way she was four years ago.

He suddenly longed for at least a glimpse of more carefree times. Even if just a short one.

“You want to go play in the bubbles?”

Her jaw dropped at the same time her brow rose. “What?”

He gestured around the medical tent. “We’re not busy and might not get another chance to catch more of the events. The bubbles are new this year. Agnes was excited about them.”

The more he said, the more he wanted her to say yes. He wanted to play, to let loose and have fun. With Chrissie.

“But...we can’t leave. Ms. Perez,” she reminded him, looking a little panicked.

“You should go,” the woman called from a few feet away, obviously listening to their conversation. “Don’t mind me. I’m fine and can have one of these other folk help me out of here.”

First mouthing “thank you,” Trace grinned at the woman. “See, Ms. Perez wants us to go check out the bubbles. We’ll share a dance in her honor.”

“That would be absolutely lovely!” the woman exclaimed, clapping her hands together and obviously playing cupid. “I insist you go.”

Chrissie still looked hesitant.

“Hey, Gianakos?” he called to Alexis, who had just finished with the only other patient in the tent and sent him on his way with an antacid and instructions to cut back on spicy foods. “Will you check on Ms. Perez’s ankle in a few? She’s got about another ten minutes of icing, then have one of the guys take her to wherever she wants to go. Chrissie and I are going to the main area for a while.”

Alexis shot an envious glance toward Chrissie, then nodded. “No problem.”

“Perfect. See, I’ll be fine.” Ms. Perez shooed them away. “You two go have a little fun.”

Before she could find another excuse, Trace grabbed Chrissie’s hand and led her out of Medical. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Not kicking and screaming the whole way. I needed to get out of there for a few.”

She looked as if she still might kick and scream, then her expression morphed into one of confusion. “Trace, what were you thinking about back there?”

He shook his head. “Nothing important now. Let’s go check out the bubbles.”

Her hand was still inside his. He didn’t want to let go so he held on tightly as he led them toward the bubbles. Her hand felt warm and comfortable in his.

As if it belonged there.

Without thought he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the top. Because that felt warm and comfortable, as if it belonged in that moment in time.

“Trace, I...” Chrissie’s voice trailed off as she came to an abrupt stop and stared up at him. “You shouldn’t.”

She was right. He shouldn’t, but he was glad he had. They stood behind the medical tent on the path leading toward the main event area. They were alone, but someone could come up the path at any time.

“Probably not.” He was only home for a short while, had nothing to offer her beyond the weekend. Which was too bad, because from the time he’d seen her he’d known what he wanted, what he needed. Chrissie.

“Yes.”

But her eyes said something different and that fueled him forward to say what had already been in the back of his mind, tempting his conscious thought and actions.

“We were good together. We could be good together again.”

Her expression tightened.

And then he’d take off for parts unknown, for who knew how long, before he’d be home for another few weeks’ hiatus from his reality? Maybe he should let the attraction go but, for whatever reason, he pushed. Whatever it was about Chrissie seemed to be dictating his every move from the moment he’d laid eyes on her that afternoon.

“I can tell you’re still attracted to me,” he pointed out, as if that were breaking news.

“Doesn’t matter.” Her exasperation was palpable, and yet she still didn’t pull her hand away from his, just kept staring at where their fingers intertwined.

“Sure, it does.” To prove his point, he bent and pressed his lips to hers. Gentle, to where she could push him away with ease if she wanted to.

He hoped she didn’t. Her lips were so sweet.

She didn’t stop him or push him away, but he felt the struggle within her and that gave him pause.

He pulled back, stared down into her wide eyes.

Her wide, slightly dazed eyes.

Her eyes that were filled with desire so sweet it punched him in the gut.

This was why he hadn’t been able to resist kissing her.

Because her kisses were addictive and powerful. He craved what being with her promised.

“You taste good, like the sweetest wine, making me want to drink until I’m intoxicated,” he admitted. “Let me, Chrissie. We both know you want to.”