Susan Carlisle - Hot Docs On Call - His Christmas Wish

“It wasn’t really a throw-up, but I heaved and there was bright red blood mixed in with the stuff that came up.”

Bright red blood. Abdominal pain the woman described as severe.

“Have you ever had an ulcer?”

Edith shook her head. “Not that I know of, but my memory isn’t what it used to be.”

“I’m going to get some labs on you and will decide from there what our next best step is. I may need to admit you, at least overnight, to see what’s up with that bright red blood.”

Speaking of labs, she needed to log in and see if her labs from the other night were available online. George had told her they should show up on Monday. She should be notified of the mayor’s results today, too.

Although there would still be some risks involved, once she had the mayor’s negative ones, she’d breathe much easier. Assuming the mayor’s results were negative.

She prayed they would be.

She hadn’t allowed herself much downtime to consider the ramifications of her actions. How could she when she’d been so distracted by a certain doctor’s kiss? But this morning when she’d run she’d not been able to keep the pending results out of her head. She’d run and run and hadn’t wanted to stop when she’d had to turn back or she’d have been late into work.

McKenzie examined the frail little woman in her examination room, then filled out the lab slip. “I’ll see you back after your blood is drawn.”

She left the room, gave the order to her nurse, then went into the examination room.

An hour later, she was heading toward her office when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen and recognized the hospital’s number. She stopped walking.

“Dr. Sanders,” she answered.

“Hi, Dr. Sanders. This is Melissa from the lab. The ER doc looked over your results and wanted to let you know that all of your labs came back negative, as did those of the subject whose blood you were exposed to. He thought you’d want to know ASAP.”

Almost leaning against the clinic hallway wall, she let out a sigh of relief. “He’s right and that’s great news.”

“You know the drill, that you and the person you were exposed to will both need to have routine repeat labs per protocol?”

She knew. She finished the call then clicked off the phone, barely suppressing the urge to jump up and yell, “Yes!”

“Your labs were good?”

She jumped at Lance’s voice. She hadn’t heard him come up behind her in the hallway.

“Don’t do that,” she ordered, frowning. Mostly she frowned to keep her face preoccupied because instantly, on looking at him, she had a flashback to the last time she’d seen him.

On her front porch when he’d kissed her and completely rewired her circuitry.

That had to be it because she didn’t fantasize about men or kisses or things way beyond kisses, yet that’s exactly what she’d done more often than she’d like to admit since Friday night.

“Sorry.” He studied her a little too closely for her liking. “I didn’t realize I’d startle you or I would have made some noise when walking up.”

She stepped into her office and he followed, stomping his feet with each step.

She rolled her eyes.

“So your tests are all negative?”

She nodded without looking at him because looking at him did funny things to her insides.

“Thank goodness.” He sounded as relieved as she’d felt. “The mayor’s too?”

She nodded again.

“That is great news.”

She set her laptop down on her desk then faced him. “Was there something you needed?”

He shook his head. “I was checking to see if you’d heard anything on your labs.”

She waved the phone she still held. “Perfect timing.”

He waggled his brows. “We should go celebrate.”

Not bothering to hide her surprise, she eyed him. “Why?”

“Because you got great news that deserves celebrating.”

She needed to look away from those baby blues, needed to not think about his amazing smile that dug dimples into his cheeks, needed to not stare at his magical lips that had put her under some kind of spell.

“My great news doesn’t involve you,” she reminded him, not doing any of the things she’d just told herself to do.

“Sure it does. I was there, remember?”

How could she ever forget? Which was the problem. So much about that night plagued her mind. Lance acting so protective of her as he’d driven her to the hospital and stayed during her blood draw. Lance taking her home. Lance kissing her.

Lance. Lance. Lance.

Yeah, he had definitely put her under a spell. Under his kiss.

Her cheeks heated at the memory and she hoped he couldn’t read her mind. Her gaze met his and, Lord, she’d swear he could, that he knew exactly where her thoughts were.

Don’t think of that kiss. Don’t think of that kiss. Just don’t think at all.

“My news doesn’t involve you,” she repeated, reminding herself that she worked with him. She wasn’t like her father who’d drag any willing member of the opposite sex into his office for who knew what? A relationship with Lance would be nothing short of disastrous in the long run.

Plus, there was how she couldn’t get him out of her head. What kind of stupid would she be if she risked getting further involved with someone who made her react so differently from how she did to every other man she’d met? To do so would be like playing Russian roulette with the bullet being to end up like her mother. She was her own person, nothing like her parents.

“You’re a stubborn woman, McKenzie.” He sounded as if that amused him more than upset him.

“You’re a persistent man, Lance,” she drily retorted, trying to look busy so he’d take the hint and leave. She wanted out from under those eagle eyes that seemed to see right through her.

Instead, he sat on the desk corner and laughed. “Just imagine what we could accomplish if we were on the same team.”

“We aren’t enemies.” Maybe that was how she should regard him after that treacherous and oh-so-unforgettable kiss.

His gaze held hers and sparked with something so intense McKenzie struggled to keep her breathing even.

“But you aren’t willing to be more than my friend.”

She wasn’t sure if he was making a comment or asking a question. Her gaze fell to her desk and she stared at a durable medical equipment request form she needed to sign for a patient’s portable oxygen tanks. Her insides shook and her vision blurred, making reading the form impossible. They did need to just be friends. And coworkers. Not lovers.

“I didn’t say that.” McKenzie’s mouth fell open. What had she just said? She hadn’t meant to say anything and certainly not something that implied she’d be willing to share another kiss with him.

She wouldn’t, would she?

“You are willing?” He asked what was pounding through her head.

“I didn’t say that either.” She winced. Poor man. She was probably confusing the heck out of him because she was confusing herself.

Despite her wishy-washiness, he didn’t seem upset. Actually, he smiled as if he thought she was the greatest thing since sliced bread. “You want to go get frozen yogurt tonight?”

Totally caught off guard by his specific request, she blinked. “Frozen yogurt? With you?”

Was he nuts? It was December and thirty or so degrees outside. They were having a serious conversation about their relationship and he’d invited her to go get frozen yogurt? Really? That was his idea of celebrating her good news?

Why was she suddenly craving the cold dessert?

“They’re donating twenty percent of their take to the Sherriff’s Toys for Tots fund tonight. We could sit, eat frozen yogurt. You could tell me about your half marathon on Saturday morning. I heard you won your age division.”