Carol Marinelli - Hot Docs On Call - Surgeon's Seduction

Mindy was still on a high after safely delivering the mono-amniotic twins. This was her third delivery of mono-amniotic twins and thankfully the second successful delivery. In the first year of her fellowship Dr. Guild had delivered a pair, but sadly the cord restriction had been so bad that one twin hadn’t made it.

It had crushed Mindy, breaking her heart. She’d almost walked away from maternal-fetal medicine. Who needed that kind of heartbreak every day? But Dr. Guild had talked some sense into her.

“Next time we catch it sooner. Next time we perfect the skill, so that next time we save a life before the life needs to be saved.”

Mindy hadn’t been able to walk away from her specialty then. She’d thrown herself into it, because the more she’d learned, the better she’d got and the more lives she’d saved.

Life was short sometimes and it sucked, but that’s what drove Mindy to rise above that. To find another way to save more lives.

It’s why she had one of the lowest mortality rates for a surgeon who was so young.

Saving lives. Precious lives.

“I saw Dr. Napier scowling in the gallery. I’m surprised you didn’t have him in the OR with you, Dr. Chang,” Mindy remarked as they scrubbed out. The neonatologists had whisked the babies off to the NICU in stable condition and Mindy had finished with Ms. Bayberry and she was in Recovery and stable as well.

Dr. Chang had stayed until the end, asking questions about the procedure.

Dr. Guild had always said it was a mark of a good surgeon to never stop learning and Mindy was a big believer in the Socratic method of teaching. Even if she was teaching a world-renowned and respected pediatric surgeon such as Dr. Amelia Chang.

“Professor Langley didn’t want him in the OR, so I told him that there were too many people in the OR.”

Mindy was confused. “Why would he not want Dr. Napier in the OR?”

Dr. Chang snorted. “Probably because Dr. Napier’s mother complained to him about how many hours her son was getting in OB/GYN, seeing how she finds both our practices of medicine to be a waste of talent.”

“Who is his mother?”

“Another surgeon. He doesn’t like to say and I’m not in a position to divulge her name. Dr. Napier is pretty private.”

“I get that. We all have secrets.”

Dr. Chang cocked an eyebrow. “Yes.”

“Does his mother have the same last name?”

“No, he has his father’s name. His parents were married for a short while. I knew Dr. Napier’s mother when she married Frasier Napier. I really liked Dr. Napier’s father, never cared for his mother too much.”

“I don’t blame you. She sounds like a real…”

“Pain?” Dr. Chang laughed. “Yeah, she is.”

“I’m surprised that Dr. Napier never told me who his mother is.”

“Now, that you’ll have to ask Dr. Napier about. I doubt you’ll get any answers from him, though. He’s a private person. I don’t even know why he keeps it to himself, but I respect his wishes.” Dr. Chang finished scrubbing up and then left the scrub room, tossing her surgical cap in a receptacle on the way out.

Mindy finished her scrubbing and headed out too.

There were many more layers to Dr. Samuel Napier than met the eye. In the course of her career she’d met other physicians who’d had famous parents in the medical field and they had been quite proud to boast about that. Yet Sam didn’t really talk about his mother much. He’d mentioned his father and family in Scotland with fondness, but nothing about his mother.

Don’t pry .

She didn’t want people to know about her humiliation in California.

That was her business and apparently Sam wanted to keep his secret about his mother private too and she respected that.

Besides, who was she to go prying? She was just an attending at the hospital he worked at and she was just someone he’d slept with once.

They weren’t friends; they were no longer lovers. If he’d wanted to tell her about his mother, he would’ve.

Mindy scrubbed her hand over her face and headed toward her office, where she could dictate a report of the successful delivery of Ms. Bayberry’s mono-amniotic twins while it was still fresh in her mind.

As she passed the skills lab, she could see someone hunched over a simulated womb, trying to insert a needle through to the fetus. Of course he was failing, because the sensors were going off and Sam was cursing in a very thick Scottish brogue.

Just leave him .

Only she couldn’t. She was his teacher after all.

“Bloody hell.”

“Is something wrong?” Mindy asked, as she shut the door to the skills lab behind her.

Sam glanced up. “Sorry, Dr. Walker. Did you need the skills lab?”

“No, no. I just happened to be walking by after Ms. Bayberry’s surgery and saw you in here. Is everything okay? You didn’t stay for the whole surgery.”

“I’m fine. Once I saw the twins were going to make it, I left. My shift was over.”

“Why didn’t you go home?”

Sam shrugged. “It’s lonely at home and I thought I would practice some other skills.”

Mindy nodded and headed over to him. “Is there a particular reason you’re cursing at this simulation?”

“Just a wee bit frustrated.”

“Here, I can help.” Mindy placed her hand over his and then paused, removing her hand. “How about I show you?”

“Aye, that would be good.” Sam handed her the catheter and needle and stood, moving out of the way so she had access to the simulation on the table.

Once again Mindy was very aware that Sam was standing very close to her. Why did she keep putting herself in the way of temptation?

Because you’re weak .

“It requires a certain bit of skill to do this. The womb is strong but fragile, as is the life it holds inside. Are you watching?”

“Aye.” Sam leaned in closer.

“Good.” Mindy cleared her throat and then proceeded to show Sam how to do the procedure. “Keep your hands steady but firm. One wrong move…”

“I know. Can you do that again?” he asked.

“Of course.” She removed the needle and reset the simulation. As she prepared to show him again, his hands slipped over hers, causing a zing of excitement to course through her as she recalled the way those strong hands had felt on her body, in her hair. “What’re you doing?”

“I want to feel. Do you mind?”

Yes .

“No.” Mindy’s voice caught in her throat as the words came out. “Not at all.”

His touch made her tremble slightly but she regained control of herself. The last thing she wanted to do was mess up the procedure or let Sam know how he affected her.

“Amazing,” Sam whispered, his hot breath fanning her neck, causing gooseflesh to break out on her skin and down her back.

“It is. Do you want to try again?”

“Yes.” He moved away from her and she got up. Sam took her place and she reset the simulation.

“You can do it.” Mindy stood back and watched the monitors as Sam expertly copied the procedure. “See, I knew you could do it.”

Sam nodded. “Thanks for your help, Mindy.”

She frowned. “I don’t think—”

“I know. You don’t think I should be using your first name, but in the last month you’re the person I’ve talked to most and I believe I am your only friend in New York.”

“We’re friends?” Mindy asked.

Sam smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. “I’d like to think so. We can be friends, can’t we? Coworkers can be friends. Just as long as you don’t show me favoritism, we’re okay.”

Mindy chuckled. “Yeah, I think we can be friends, Dr. Napier.”

“Sam.”

“Sam.” It felt right to say it again, but also wrong. She couldn’t let him in. She was afraid.