Heart and Soul by Carrie Elks

6

“Are you okay?” Rich asked softly, looking up as he finished sewing Isla’s foot. He’d been in and out of the consult room four times. First sending her for an x-ray to make sure there was no glass left in the gaping wound on her foot, then to reassure her as he cleaned her wound up.

And now he was holding Isla’s foot gently in his strong palm, and she was staring at him adoringly. Meghan had a feeling that most of his patients had the same reaction to him. There was something about his cool competence, and his gentle bedside manner that sent shivers down her spine.

What did they call it when you crushed on your doctor? Transference? ER Syndrome?

Maybe it was a normal reaction to seeing somebody make your kid feel better. That would be understandable, wouldn’t it? A mixture of gratitude and fawning for the knight in shining armor.

Whatever it was, she was hoping it didn’t last. She was way too cynical to fall for the hot doc who lived next door. She knew from experience that entanglements like that didn’t make life any easier.

They only complicated everything.

“You’re the bravest girl we’ve had in today,” Rich said as he passed the equipment he’d been using to the nurse next to him. “Probably all month, if I’m being honest. You should hear the way some of them scream.”

The nurse gave a little chuckle.

“I cried all the way to the hospital,” Isla whispered, looking almost embarrassed at her confession.

“Crying’s okay,” Rich assured her. “I would have cried, too.”

“And screamed,” the nurse said, giving Meghan a wry smile. “He’s definitely a screamer.”

Isla giggled, and it made Meghan’s heart feel warm. “You don’t scream, do you?” she asked Rich.

His eyes met Meghan’s, and a familiar shot of electricity pulsed through her. Dammit, why did he have to be so good looking?

She was trying to start a new life here.

“I prefer not to scream,” he said, pulling his gaze away. “It frightens the neighbors.”

Isla started to laugh again. “I’m your neighbor, silly.”

“You’re neighbors?” The nurse looked at Meghan for confirmation.

Meghan nodded. “We moved in the other week.”

“Nice.” The nurse placed a little sticker on Isla’s top. “You got your own hot doc next door.”

Rich rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

Meghan tried not to laugh. Or to tell him that’s how their neighbors described him, too. He looked embarrassed enough at the nurse’s words.

“Okay. You need to keep the wound dry for a couple of days,” the nurse said, passing a leaflet to Meghan. “And Mommy will need to keep checking it to make sure there’s no infection. Keep it clean and no swimming until the sutures come out. If there are any problems, you can call us or…” she glanced at Rich, “just knock on your neighbor’s door. He knows what to do.”

“Are you trying to reduce my billable hours?” Rich asked her. Then he looked at Meghan. “But yeah, just hit me up.”

“Can I walk on it?” Isla piped up.

“Not for a little while. You need to keep your weight off of it to help it heal,” Rich told her. “We can give you some crutches to help you move around. They’re a little more useful than hopping.”

Isla laughed again, her eyes shining as she stared up at him.

A knock at the door made them all jump. The receptionist pushed it open. “Miss Hart? Your father’s here. Is it okay to send him in?”

Meghan’s chest tightened. She’d sent a message to her parents as soon as they’d arrived at the hospital. She knew they’d be worried about Isla.

“Sure.” She nodded. “He can come in.”

“Grampy’s here?” Isla asked, beaming. “For me?”

“I guess so.” Meghan tried to smile. She hadn’t seen her parents since their embarrassing visit last weekend. And now she was all too aware that she hadn’t apologized to Rich for their behavior. Maybe if she was lucky, he’d leave now and she could face her father alone.

But instead he lingered, even as the nurse started to put everything away.

When he walked in, Meghan’s dad headed straight for Isla, kissing her cheek and stroking her hair, asking how she was feeling.

“I stepped on some glass at the beach,” Isla told him, her face animated now that her wound had been sewn up. “It went right up inside my heel. The doctor had to take it out. And then I went for a ray.”

“An X-Ray,” Meghan corrected softly. Her dad didn’t look at her at all.

“And now I’m all better except I have to have crutches. Everybody’s going to think I’m so cool at school.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling okay, sweetheart.” Her dad kissed Isla again. Then he turned to look at Meghan. “Can I have a word with you outside?”

She nodded, her mouth dry, following him out of the room and into the corridor. He stopped next to an unused monitor on wheels and sighed, his lips pursing together as he looked at her.

“How could you let that happen?” His voice was low.

“It was an accident. She was skipping and not looking where she was going.” Meghan ran her tongue along her dry lip, remembering Isla’s scream. “She was picking up shells. That was all.”

“And where were you?”

“Sitting about six feet away from her.”

“And not watching her.” He shook his head, his face reddening. “I told you something like this would happen. Maybe we should be thankful Isla didn’t go near the water and drown.”

“I was keeping an eye on her.” Meghan shook her head. Why was it he could rile her as easily now as he did when she was a teenager? “It was a horrible thing that could have happened to anybody. And she’s fine. The doctor said so.”

“It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t moved here. I knew you should have stayed in White City. Isla never got hurt there.” Her dad frowned. “I wish my mom had never left you that money.”

Meghan exhaled heavily. She was so thankful Grandma Louise had put the money into trust for her and Isla’s futures. For the first time in a long time, she felt free of her parents’ protectiveness and expectations. And yes, they loved Isla like nothing else, but she couldn’t live like this anymore.

Always knowing they were shadowing her a few feet behind.

“Isla’s fine,” Meghan said again. “Don’t make me regret calling you.”

“Are you going to start lying to us as well?” Her dad’s voice rose up. “We brought you up better than that.”

“Is everything okay?” Rich came to a halt beside them, his arms folded firmly in front of his scrub-covered chest. His bicep muscles bulged as he looked at her father with a frown. “Is there something you need to talk about, Mr. Hart?”

He was so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his arms, making her own skin heat up.

“I was just discussing my granddaughter’s safety.” Her dad’s eyes were like flint. “I don’t like the sound of this beach. What kind of people leave broken glass laying around?”

“The beach is perfectly safe.” Rich’s voice was firm. “It was an unfortunate accident.” He glanced at Meghan, his eyes soft. “Nobody was to blame. And Isla is perfectly fine. She’ll heal in no time. The nurse is just finishing up and getting her set with crutches. If you’d like, you can go in and help your granddaughter get ready to leave.”

Meghan’s dad nodded. “Yes. I’d like to make sure she’s okay.”

He went back inside the consult room, leaving Meghan next to Rich.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his head tipping to the side. The sympathy on his face made her want to melt into the floor.

“I’m fine. My parents are just a little…” She inhaled sharply. “Over protective.”

“I got that impression.” He shifted his feet, a half-smile playing on his lips. His eyes were clear, observant as he looked at her, taking everything in. For a moment there was silence, but it felt loaded.

“And now you probably know why I moved to Angel Sands.” She lifted her brows. This was so damn embarrassing, but he was making it easier for her.

He shrugged. “It’s none of my business why you moved here. As long as you and my patient are okay, then I’m happy.”

“We’re fine.” She said it firmly, but with a smile. Did he have to be so sweet?

His lips twitched, as though he could hear her internal thoughts. “Good. Now go home and get some rest. You look shattered.”

“It’s been a long day.” She blew out a mouthful of air.

“I know.” He inclined his head at the door her father had walked through. “You want me to get rid of him for you? I can call security.”

She could imagine the fuss. “It’s fine. He won’t stay long. They have dinner at six on Sundays, and he’d never miss that. I’ll let him fuss over Isla for a while and then he’ll leave. He’s not dangerous or anything. Just…”

“Annoying.”

Biting down a laugh, she gave him a nod. “I guess you see every kind of person come through these doors.”

“We do. But at the end of the day the patient is always my number one concern. And when a child is involved, the patient includes their parents. So one word from you, and he’s gone.”

“I get it. Thank you.”

“Dr. Martin? We have an ambulance coming in. Code four.” The assistant was breathless, as though she’d been running.

“I’ve got to go.” Rich gave Meghan a final look.

“Thank you for everything.”

He blinked, his thick lashes sweeping down. “It’s a pleasure. Call me if you need anything.”

She didn’t have his number, but she nodded anyway. He spun on his heels, rushing through a door marked ‘staff only’, the blur of his green scrubs disappearing as it swung closed.

Taking a deep breath, Meghan turned and pushed at the door to the consult room, ready to take her daughter home.