The Doctor Prince and the Outsider by Cami Checketts

CHAPTERTWO

Dr. Steffan August, Chief Medical Officer of Traverse Hospital, thrived in his hospital, and especially his emergency department. It was rare a case stumped him, a patient wasn’t immediately his friend, or even a nurse or female patient annoyed him fawning over him being a prince.

Today he felt completely off kilter. It was all because of his ‘Jane Doe,’ or rather ‘Angelica.’ Thankfully Keri had stood there patiently and hadn’t flinched or called him out for his unprofessionalism. As a personal rule, Steffan was friendly and warm with his patients, but flirting with one … not on his watch. It had never happened or been a temptation before, but he had never looked into a pair of deep-brown eyes that alluring. Angelica hadn’t seemed confused or blank like an amnesiac patient usually did. Every case was different, especially when sedation was involved, but he couldn’t help but wonder if she remembered but was pretending not to for some reason.

It was hard to think straight when he was close to her. There was some crazy tingling in his brain and connection sparking between them. Even strapped down to a spine board with smudges of dirt and scrapes on her face, Angelica was exquisitely beautiful—smooth, tanned skin, rosebud lips, high cheekbones and a cloud of dark hair surrounding her beautiful face.

Stop it, he commanded himself, hurrying to deal with a broken arm in partition four. Poor little man, only three years old. He was brave and a cute kid, both his parents right there, holding him, loving him, looking at him with concern and affection in their eyes. It made Steffan miss his mum, but that was nothing new. He had missed her every day since she’d been murdered seven months ago.

He shook that off and moved on to a finger that needed stitches, an older lady who’d sliced it open cutting chicken. She was a sweetie. She did make a fuss about him being a prince, but most did. It was fine.

His phone buzzed. Dr. John from radiation. He left the nurse to clean up and discharge the patient, raising a hand in farewell and grinning at the lady’s profuse gratitude.

“Hi, Dr. John.”

“Dr. Steffan. The CAT scan results for our Jane Doe came back clean. No spinal injury. Brain looks good. I’ve emailed them to you.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” He hung up, strode to his office, and clicked on his computer, downloading the scans. Pulling a water bottle from his fridge, he drank a long swallow as he looked over Angelica’s spinal cord and brain. John was right, as usual. The cord looked perfect.

If his intriguing patient didn’t have amnesia, she could probably be released. Where to let her go, though? It was odd she’d been alone, strapped into a paraglider, and nobody had come asking for her. The farmer thought she’d come from the Switzerland side of the mountains, but somebody had to have helped her into the paraglider. If that woman was in his life, he’d move heaven and earth to find her.

He called the nurse’s station. Brandy answered. “Hi, Dr. Steffan.”

“Hi, Brandy. Are you over our Jane Doe?”

“Yes, sir.”

“She’s been cleared of any spinal risk or brain injury, so we can let her get up and move around. Can you help her get cleaned up, changed into some scrubs, and comfortable? We’ll have her stay at the hospital tonight, maybe longer depending on her memory recovery. Hopefully her memory will return or a friend or family member will come to claim her.”

“Sounds great. Are you … available for dinner tonight? I get off at seven.”

“Sorry, no, but thank you for asking. I’ll come check on our patient in a bit.” He hung up before she could respond. Dang. He got asked out so often he had a lot of automatic responses, but Brandy was a great nurse, and he didn’t want any romantic notions messing up their relationship. He’d implemented the old, no dating coworkers’ policy for himself within days of finishing his residency and starting at the hospital. Did he need to have Emily remind the nurses of the policy? The older nurse was great and watched over him like a mother hen.

It was after six. After he made sure Angelica was comfortable, he should probably go home for the night. But why? What did he have to go home to? A huge, gorgeous home that was empty. He could head the half an hour south through the mountain pass to the palace to see Ray, Macey, T, Kiera, and his dad. As T’s primary care physician, it’d be good to check on his burns. But T had two of the best burn care doctors in the world checking in on him. He could have Ray and Macey hike or dirt bike with him up to Curtis’s cabin and see Curt and Aliya. Those two made him laugh. He loved Aliya’s ‘southern sass.’ Angelica had a similar sound to her voice, minus all the hilarious expressions Aliya loved to sprinkle her speech with.

He didn’t want to leave the hospital. He needed to help Angelica figure out who she was, but how?

He snapped his fingers, downed the rest of his water bottle, and pulled out his phone. He shot Jensen a quick text.

I’ve got a Jane Doe with an odd situation. I don’t think she’s in danger, but nobody was with her on a paragliding accident and nobody has come for her. Can you help me do a bit of research and figure out who she is and who she belongs to? Make certain she’s not in danger.

He pocketed his phone and headed out of his office. He’d go check on Angelica and make sure he didn’t miss any little injuries, see if she had any memory returning. Jensen would help. He should’ve thought of that hours ago.

His phone buzzed in his pocket before he made it down the hallway. Jensen.

Sure thing. I’ll head over after dinner. Gorgeous blonde who wouldn’t take no for an answer, or I’d come right now.

Steffan chuckled. Jensen was his brother Ray’s closest friend, but all the family thought of him as family. Jensen and Steffan had gotten close working out together most mornings and collaborating on different cases from the E.R.

Jensen was the chief of their police at the young age of thirty and singularly impressive. The only case Steffan knew that he hadn’t solved was his mum’s murder, but even Ray, his brilliant military brother and Macey, his future sister-in-law and a computer genius from the famous Sutton Smith’s team, hadn’t made any headway on that one.

He sent a thumbs up, then walked down the main corridor to the staircase and up to the second floor. He was checking on a patient, nothing more. Why, then, was his heart racing quicker and quicker? It couldn’t have anything to do with climbing a set of stairs. He was in good shape and lifted weights and sparred every morning with Jensen and some of the other policemen and firefighters who lived in the city.

Heading down the hallway toward the patient rooms, he found himself counting door numbers to calm his mind. He knew every inch of the three-story hospital as well as his own mansion or the castle he’d grown up in. He thrived in large spaces. Not sure what that said about him, but if he wasn’t at the hospital, he was at his spacious house, the open gym, or hiking, mountain biking, or dirt biking the mountains.

A door opened. Right in front of him. Door 234. The door of his beautiful Jane Doe … Angelica, because the brown-eyed beauty was adverse to the name Jane.

She eased out into the hallway, clutching the hospital robe at the back to keep it from flapping open. Her feet were bare, with pink-painted toes. Legs revealed by the thin robe were tanned and lean, with a few nasty scratches and bumps on her shins from her ordeal.

Her gaze darted straight to him. She stopped abruptly, looking both annoyed at the interruption to her escape from her hospital room and intrigued by him. “Oh … it’s you. What’s up, doc?”

He laughed—she’d made her voice sound just like Bugs Bunny. He stopped right in front of her. Close. Maybe a little too close, but he got close to all his patients. She arched her head to meet his gaze. She was taller than he’d thought, maybe five-eight. The way she was clutching her robe so tight in the back revealed her shape. She was just as fit as he’d thought. Her hair was longer, dark and wet against her back. Her face was washed clean, and her smooth, dark-toned skin and big brown eyes were alluring. She must be fresh out of the shower.

That was not a thought he should dwell on right now.

“Just coming to check on my favorite patient.”

“Ah …” She winked at him. “I bet you say that to all your female patients who’ve literally lost their minds.”

“You know, I think it’s the first time I’ve said it to a beaut … beat-up female patient who’s lost her mind.” He luckily didn’t say a ‘beautiful female patient.’ Favorite had been bad enough. What was he thinking? He was the one who’d lost his mind.

“Ah, good catch there, doc.” She looked him over. “So I look ‘beaut … beat-up’?” She arched an imperious brow.

He really, really liked her. Dang. He rested a hand on the door frame above her head and found himself … leaning. “Yes, you do.” His voice was far too deep and husky.

She looked him over. “You’re pretty … ‘beat-up’ yourself.”

His heart was beating too fast again. How could he restore her memory and get her out of this hospital so he could get to know her better? It wasn’t as if anyone could reprimand him, but he had his own strict code of ethics.

Their gazes met and held. Steffan was amazed at the connection sizzling in the air between them and the intelligence and appeal in her deep-brown eyes.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, straightening away from the wall and dropping his hand. He needed to know how she was doing, what she was doing sneaking out into the hallway, and he needed to get himself under control. Once her memory was restored and she was no longer his patient, he could get to know her better.

Unless she skipped the country as soon as she could.

But that was a silly thing to worry about. Why had he even thought that? Augustine was insanely beautiful, but there weren’t as many hotels or rental homes as most other top tourist destinations, plus their border control was more intense than most European countries, so not as many tourists came through. She’d want to stay and explore. Of course she would. Unless she had a busy job or a family that needed her. What if … his gaze darted to her ring finger. Empty and no tan line.

Please don’t let her be married or involved with someone.

“I’m okay. Headache is still there, and I’m going to be bruised and achy tomorrow, I’m sure. Do you know where my clothes are?”

“I can check. Did the nurse take them away?”

“I guess so. She helped me into the shower and when I came out, only this dang gown was sitting there. I need my clothes and my Sorrels, and then …” She broke off and looked away.

“And then?”

Her gaze met his, and he wondered again why she didn’t look blank or vacant like most amnesiac patients he’d treated. Aliya hadn’t looked blank with her amnesia case, but she’d only lost one day due to a traumatic event. Angelica couldn’t remember her own name.

She studied him as if trying to determine how trustworthy he was. There was obviously a reason she was sneaking into the hallway.

He leaned closer. “Angelica, you can trust me. Let’s get you a good night’s rest and you’ll feel much better. I promise I’ll help you figure out who you are.”

Her eyes shuttered. “I really need to leave.”

“Leave? Where would you go?” He didn’t want to point out the obvious, but she had no money, no passport, no knowledge of who she was, and no clothes or shoes.

“Um.” Her eyes darted down the hallway. “Away?”

A door opened and a nurse walked out. Ah, shoot. Of course it would be Shaylie. Steffan wasn’t one to believe in bad luck, but right now it felt like a curse of it.

Easing back a step, Steffan waited for the inevitable.

Shaylie saw him and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She hurried down the hall and stopped much too close, brushing his arm with hers. Her floral perfume made his nose twitch.

“Hello, Prince Steffan,” she purred. No matter how he tried to gently correct, she refused to call him doctor instead of prince. “My shift is almost up. Have you had dinner?”

“I’m not available.” He tried to make his voice firm but kind.

Her shoulders slumped. “Can I do anything for you?”

“Yes, thank you.”

She straightened, and her grin returned. “What do you need, Prince Steffan? Anything, truly. Don’t hesitate to ask.”

Angelica let out a disbelieving guffaw. Steffan glanced at her, fighting to hide a smile.

“I’d like you to find Angelica’s clothes and shoes for her.”

“Who is Angelica?” Shaylie blinked in confusion.

“This is Angelica.” He gestured. “She has amnesia and can’t remember her name.”

“Oh. Jane Doe, you mean?”

Angelica flinched. “Please … Though I seem like a head case and have lost my mind completely, I know that I do not want to be called Jane.”

Steffan smiled. She simply had that spice he liked.

“Thank you, Shaylie. If you could just bring the clothes and shoes to Angelica’s room, that would be great.” He reached above Angelica’s head to push the door open. She gave him a grateful smile and shuffled back into the room, taking care not to let the flap at the back of her gown pop open. He’d seen many unclothed women as a doctor but appreciated her attempt at modesty.

She eased over to the bed, and he shut the door behind him before turning to her. “Would you please sit on the bed so I can check you out?”

Her eyes widened slightly.

“I don’t mean it like that.” His face was suddenly hot. “I mean I’d like to examine you.” He shook his head. “I’m not … forgive me. I’ve never had trouble like this with a patient.”

She stayed standing next to the bed. “Like what, doctor?”

“Well, you can probably tell.” He should bite his tongue, but he found himself admitting, “I find you extremely attractive.”

She blinked up at him and then she said, “Will you get in trouble for hitting on a patient?”

He should have a nurse come in while he examined her. He only wanted to talk to her alone a little longer. “I run the hospital and am one of the royal princes, so unless I did something untoward or that upset you, I doubt I’d get in any trouble.”

“Hmm,” was all she said.

“Have I upset you?”

“No.” She studied him. “I’m sure Nurse Shaylie would agree that flirting with Prince Steffan isn’t too upsetting. Unless he’s ‘not available’ for dinner. But if you need anything, Prince Steffan, anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” She batted her eyelashes and then licked her lips. He knew she was teasing, but both moves were tantalizing when she did them. He could only imagine the force Angelica would be to reckon with if she knew who she was and had her own clothes on.

He smiled and shook his head. “Will you please sit on the bed? You were in a bad accident and unconscious earlier today. I don’t want you to overexert yourself.”

“Well, I just want to get out of here, so we are sadly at odds now.”

He cocked his head. She couldn’t go anywhere. Even if she wanted to leave against medical advice, he was obligated to prevent it due to her altered mental status. Did he need to put a guard at her door to protect her from herself? “Do you have issues with hospitals and the name Jane?”

She flinched. “Yes, I do. Both, actually.”

“Are you remembering something?”

She flinched again and gave him a very practiced smile. Even fake as it was, it was beautiful. “Nope. All a blank slate.” She passed her hand in front of her face.

“Complete amnesia?” He raised his eyebrows. “Let’s start with a couple simple questions. What’s your birthdate?”

“No idea, doc.”

“Where do you live?”

She only shrugged.

“Can you tell me where you are right now?”

“Augustine. You told me that, remember?”

He smiled. “Okay. Do you know what day of the week it is?”

Was she lying to him? Why would she do that? The EMTs had told him how she’d fought them so hard they had to sedate her. When he’d said his name, her reaction had been unexpected and intense. Was there some reason she didn’t want to be here, besides hating hospitals? Had one of his brothers dated her and ruined his chances? He was grasping at straws now, since she’d never been in Augustine before yesterday.

“Nope. I know nothing. Now can I go?”

“Please sit, Angelica. Dinner should be coming in soon. You can eat, relax, rest.” Maybe he could get some answers. Thankfully, Jensen would be here before too long.

“I don’t know what hospitals in Augustine are like, but anywhere else in the world, the dinner would be cardboard or rubber and there would be no relaxing or rest happening for this old broad.”

He laughed, wrapping his hands around the ends of his stethoscope. “I pride myself on my hospital food being a cut above the rest, and though the nurses will check on you, it should be quiet and relaxing. Just maybe not the Four Seasons.”

“I think I’m the type of gal who prefers the Four Seasons.”

“I’m sure you are.” He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. “Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have some answers and be able to get you released and checked into the Four Seasons. It is strange no one has come for you.”

“Very strange.” She gave him a dirty look. “Maybe I’m just obstinate enough that nobody wants me around.”

“I doubt that very much.” He could only imagine the long string of men lining up who would like her far too much, far more than he was comfortable with. A knot of unfamiliar jealousy tightened his gut.

He forced that away and focused on the details of helping her. “I have a friend coming in after he finishes dinner who can help us get some answers. Chief Jensen Allendale is smart and resourceful and—”

“Jensen!” she shrieked. Then she put her hand to her head and sank down onto the bed. “Side note—don’t go into shock or scream like a banshee when you have a bad headache.”

Steffan was even more confused. He felt he had to act the part of the doctor and detective. He had to figure out why the name Jensen had just set her off worse than his own name had. Had she dated Jensen or one of his brothers and was lying to him about not knowing who she was? Was she a convict, or lying to him for some other reason? All these questions and her either refusing to answer or not knowing the answers wasn’t a great combo.

“Let’s get you into bed.” He schooled himself not to feel anything as he lifted her legs and helped her adjust in the bed, pulling the thin sheet and blanket over her. It didn’t work. He felt plenty of emotions and warmth simply touching her smooth legs and being close to her.

When she was settled, he relaxed and hoped she did too. “Okay. I’m going to have the nurse bring you some dinner and we can get some Tylenol in you for the headache. Are you experiencing pain anywhere else?”

He pushed the button on the edge of her bed to call for the nurse.

“Just achy like I hit a tree or something equally immovable.”

He smiled. “That’ll do it.”

“Yes?” the nurse asked over the speaker.

“This is Dr. Steffan. Can you please send a tray of dinner and Tylenol to Room 234. Thank you.”

“Of course. Be there soon.” The voice was crisp and no-nonsense.

Melanie. One of his married nurses who didn’t have a crush on him. Small blessings.

He pulled off his stethoscope, put the earpieces in, and pressed it against her heart with his left hand. His right automatically went to her back. He’d touched patients’ backs through the thin hospital gown hundreds of times. Why did he feel so aware of how firm and smooth and womanly curved her back was? He pushed those unprofessional thoughts away.

“Can you take a deep breath in?”

She sucked in a loud breath.

“And out.”

She pushed it all out.

Steffan frowned. “Your heart is racing. We might need to do an—”

“Prince Steffan.” She put her hand on his arm, fixed those big brown eyes of hers on him, and suddenly his heart was racing. “I think my heart is fine. It’d be fifty beats per minute if it wasn’t you touching me.”

His eyes widened. He moved his hand from her back, wrapped the stethoscope around his neck, and stepped away from the bed. Looking at the wall, he tried to sound clinical. “Your charts show that everything physically is checking out. Your CT scan didn’t show any damage to the spinal cord, and it also didn’t show any bleeding on the brain or cerebral contusions from your accident. So that’s all good news.” He clutched at his stethoscope. “You should heal up just fine. Usually the amnesia is temporary, and once you have a moment to rest and recuperate, you should remember who you are.”

“Okay,” she squeaked.

“Like I said, my friend Jensen, the chief of our police department, is coming.”

“Chief? He’s a Chief?”

“Well,” Steffan admitted, “he’s actually the Chief. Of the National Police Force.”

“Oh no. Please not Jensen,” she begged, grabbing onto his arm and distracting him from all of his intentions of not being attracted to her. Her dark eyes pleaded with him. “You seem like such a nice guy. Please, please do me a solid and tell Jensen not to come.”

“You have an issue with Jane, hospitals, and Jensen?” He cocked his head to the side, wondering what was going on inside her head. She seemed very with-it. What was she playing at? He didn’t want to say her amnesia wasn’t real, but it didn’t feel real. She felt real. Far, far too real. She also seemed to be hiding something—hiding a whole lot.

“Yes. I don’t know why, but that name fills me with dread.” She flung a hand over her eyes and said dramatically, “Dread filling my poor, cankered, evil soul.”

Steffan smiled. She was acting dramatically and somehow it fit her. Why was her drama so appealing? Usually he got plenty of drama with the emergency room and didn’t go for it in women he was interested in.

He could not be interested in her. Not only was she hurt and his patient, but she seemed to be hiding vital information from him. Maybe even outright lying to him.

A rap came on the door and Melanie pushed it open with her hip, carrying the tray of food with a little cup with Tylenol.

“How’s our beautiful Angelica feeling?” Melanie asked, smiling warmly.

“Fine.” Angelica smiled in return. “Thank you for the food. Now if you’d both like to leave, and make sure Jensen does not come see me, I’ll eat my dinner, take my Tylenol, and sleep the night away.”

Steffan and Melanie exchanged a look. They’d just been dismissed. There was something about Angelica that made her seem like royalty and the rest of them were at her service.

“Well, then.” Melanie set the tray down. “Buzz me if you need anything.”

“Thank you.” Angelica nodded to her. “Good evening, kind nurse.”

Melanie gave him one more glance as she pushed out the door. Steffan turned back to Angelica.

“Thank you. Good evening, kind doctor.”

Her proper farewell made him smile. It didn’t fit her American accent. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to her, but most of them might not fit with the doctor and patient relationship he needed to somehow maintain.

“I’ll let you eat and check back in when Jensen comes.”

Her face blanched, but she kept her smile. “Perfect. I’ll look forward to that.” The sarcasm was practically dripping from her voice. It fit her much better than the formal ‘good evening.’

Steffan lifted a hand and walked out the door. He found he could breathe a little slower without being in the same room as her, but the sharp sting of not being close to her, seeing her smile, looking in her dark eyes, wondering what she’d say next, unnerved him.

Melanie was waiting. “Is our patient’s head injury … worse than we think?”

“Or not as bad?” He arched an eyebrow.

“Oh. I see.”

“I think she’s a flight risk. Without any identification, money, clothes, and maybe her memory, that could be dangerous. Can you keep an eye on her? I’ll be back soon with Chief Jensen to try to figure out who she is.”

“Sounds good.”

“Thank you.” Steffan nodded to his competent nurse and set off down the hallway. Could his sister-in-law Macey help him figure out who Angelica was? She’d probably find something. If he had a picture of Angelica to send to her.

He puzzled how to take a picture of his beautiful patient as he headed back to his office. Jensen would be here soon. That would help. He hoped.