Czytaj książkę: «One Summer In Santa Fe»

Chapter One

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

“YOU want me to what?” Dr. Taylor Jenkins asked his sister. He’d do anything for her. Except this. This was impossible and entirely beyond his abilities. He was a physician, not a—

“Please, Taylor. I’ve never asked you for anything. After all the things we’ve been through together. I need this.”

Caroline walked forward and placed her hand on his, her pale blue eyes begging. Pleading. Working on the guilt he strongly resisted. For so many years, guilt had ruled his life, and he had vowed long ago to elude its poison. No commitments, no guilt. It was that easy. He lived his life his own way, followed no one’s rules but his own.

“I can’t send him to Mom and Dad. You know that.”

“What about—”

“José? No. His father is off on weekend military camp and could be deployed at any time.” She waved that suggestion aside. “I can barely get him to take Alex one weekend a month. I couldn’t comfortably leave Alex with him for that length of time.”

“But…” Panic clawed up his throat and tried to strangle the life out of him. He was a well-respected professional. He would figure a way to get out of this situation Caroline was presenting him with. There was no way he could—

“You can do this. I trust you completely. And it’s only for six weeks, not forever. He’s old enough to be by himself some. I have babysitter names for you, too, and his cousins will want to see him over the summer. Carmelita’s been very helpful since I divorced José. She doesn’t want her kids to lose touch with him, despite her brother’s problems.” She stepped closer and kept her gaze locked with his.

Damn. Somehow, she sensed he was caving in. Women had an extra sense about those things and used them to their advantage against the men of the world. Resistance was futile. He was going to be assimilated.

Taylor hauled out a long sigh and placed a hand over his face as his shoulders slumped. He just knew he was going to regret this. The idea that he could care for a child, his nephew, for weeks at a time was preposterous. He simply didn’t have it in him to care for another living creature for longer than a few hours. He didn’t even have a plant or a fish in his house.

“I knew you would do it! He’s going to be so excited. Thank you, Taylor. Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.” She hugged him and nearly bowled the two of them over. If he hadn’t leaned against the desk, they’d both be on the floor.

“You promise you’ll be back in six weeks, Caroline? Not a day longer?” Putting his life on hold for six weeks was about all he could cope with. By the end of it his tolerance would have run out.

“Yes, yes, yes. This is going to help me build a solid future for Alex and me. The company provides everything, so the only cost there is my food, but they absolutely refuse to allow children during the focus training session in California.” She took a deep breath. “It’s the only way I can do this. Believe me, I’ve thought of everything else.”

Sadness crept into her eyes, and Taylor knew he was doing the right thing for his sister. Just didn’t know if it was the right thing for him. His life was about freedom, about adrenaline, and physical challenges, testing himself, testing what he could accomplish after the next challenge was met. Would he have any time for his own life while he was caring for his nephew? If he’d wanted to be a parent, he could have been one by now.

“Anyway,” she said, and playfully slapped him on the shoulder, “it’s about time you got to know your nephew better.”

“I resent that. I know my nephew.” Didn’t he?

Caroline snorted and flung a few tears away from her face. She never cried. “You know his name, his birthday, and stuff like that. But you really don’t know the young man deep down inside him.” Again, she touched him. “Alex needs you right now. His father has let him down so many times that I don’t know if he’ll ever recover. Kind of like you in that way with Dad.”

“I know. I know.” Taylor thought of the times when his father hadn’t been there for him. Had been off doing something more important than getting to know his own son. Pushing those memories away, he focused on Caroline and gave a long, long sigh. “When do you leave?”

“Next Monday. Early.”

“Bring him over Sunday afternoon, and we’ll go through everything I need to know about being a parent for six weeks.”

“Thank you so much, Taylor. Somehow, I’ll make it up to you.”

“Right.” Was there anything that could truly make up for this lost time? Then again, was six weeks that much to sacrifice if he could help out his sister and nephew? He wasn’t that selfish.

“Sure I will. When you have kids, I’ll be the best auntie they’ll ever have.”

“Having kids of my own seems pretty farfetched at this point in my life.” There were no guarantees that he’d be a better parent than his own and childhoods like theirs should be avoided at all costs.

That should be avoided at all costs. Caroline was certainly trying to give Alex a good home and a stable life despite the challenges of being a single parent. No, he’d be better off just living his life single and being a good uncle to his eleven-year-old nephew.

“If you ever stop jumping out of airplanes and climbing mountains by yourself, you might meet a woman that intrigues you enough to keep your feet on the ground.” She patted his shoulder and gave him a look that made his stomach knot. “Then it will be easy.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Didn’t we have this conversation when you tried to fix me up with that nurse friend of yours?” The memory of the disastrous arranged date made him shiver. Never going there again.

“We did, but repetition helps. Someday you’ll get it.”

Doubtful, Taylor ushered her out the door and returned to the ER where it was safe.

Nurse Piper Hawkins walked into the ER on the first day of her new travel assignment to pure chaos. Before introductions could even be made, she shoved her purse under the desk and dove into the fray. Adrenaline pumped through her system, and she was ready to tackle anything. At her best in the midst of an emergency, she just hoped the other staff would accept her help quickly. Every assignment was different, and she hoped this one would be a good one. First impressions were always important, and she was about to make one right now.

“I’m new here, but someone give me a job to do,” she said at the first trauma room. With only one doctor and one patient present, Piper figured this was as good a place to start as any.

“You a nurse? Glove up. I’m going to have to intubate this guy and get him off to surgery.” A tall man in green scrubs spoke to her from behind protective mask and goggles. Only his eyes were exposed, and they were intently focused on the trauma patient in front of him.

“Got it.” Piper grabbed gloves from the box on the wall rack and put them on, then a pair of goggles from her pocket. Automatically, she looked at the monitor and assessed the patient’s vital signs. Blood pressure was low, and the heart rate was erratic. “I’m Piper Hawkins, your new travel nurse,” she said, and grabbed the suction setup and cleaned the patient’s mouth.

“Taylor Jenkins, ER doc on today.”

“Tell me what you need.” While noise and movement went on all around them, Piper felt as if she and Dr. Jenkins were in a world all their own. Just the two of them focused entirely on the patient in front of them. This was why she was a nurse, stepping right into the chaos and knowing exactly what to do to save a life. This was what she had trained to do.

Dr. Jenkins nodded to a cupboard behind her as he struggled to keep the oxygen mask on the patient’s face. “Intubation tray, in there.”

“You okay with me helping on this?” Piper asked, knowing some physicians preferred to work with certain nurses, but in an emergency situation, that didn’t always work.

“You qualified?” Taylor asked, and paused to shoot her an inquiring look.

“Absolutely,” Piper promised confidently.

“Then I’m good. Open the tray.”

Nerves still made her hands shake, and she almost dropped the tray on the floor, but managed to catch it and keep it sterile. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She was such a klutz sometimes and a blush lit up her cheeks and neck.

“It’s okay. Just relax a little,” Taylor said. “Take a deep breath.”

The sound of his deep voice and the reassurance he was trying to give her did help. She gave a worried glance at him, but he was as calm and relaxed as he sounded and some of the tension left her shoulders. Some doctors would have just barked at her not to be clumsy, but Dr. Jenkins hadn’t. He must have nerves of steel. That alone calmed her own nerves somewhat, and she connected with the cool energy that seemed to roll off him, trusting him immediately as they worked on the patient together. Confidence like that didn’t come along every day. This wasn’t the first day on the job she had envisioned, but it was the one she was receiving, and she was going to do her best to focus on the task at hand.

Piper tore open the sterile intubation tray and assisted Dr. Jenkins to place the breathing tube through the patient’s mouth and into his lungs. The tube helped to control the airway and allowed the doctor or anesthetist to place the patient on a mechanical ventilator. After the airway was secure, they could deal with the rest of his injuries.

She looked down at the man, who appeared to be in his midfifties. He was unconscious, his face covered in lacerations that oozed blood. A hard plastic neck collar kept him immobilized to prevent injuries to his neck until he could be taken to Radiology for films. He was, in short, a mess. She bit her lip, knowing that he was in serious, if not critical condition. She hoped that their rescue attempt today was going to pull him through and that he had the stamina to survive. The snap of a memory tried to intrude, but she pushed back the unwanted thoughts. Now was not the time to relive the traumatic deaths of her parents. Focusing on the patient right in front of her was her priority.

“Can you keep the suction in his mouth? I’m ready for the tube.” Keeping his gaze focused on the patient’s airway, he held out a hand to Piper.

“Yes, Doctor.” Piper gave him the needed item with one hand and kept the suction in place with the other. She stood beside Dr. Jenkins as he crouched over the patient’s head and slid the tube into place. The tension between her shoulders released. Once the airway was secure, the first hurdle was over.

“That was the smoothest intubation I’ve ever seen,” she said, and secured the tube into place, amazed that it had gone so well as they’d never worked together before.

“Thanks. I did consider a career in anesthesiology, but ER was more to my liking.”

“Well, you certainly are good at it. If I ever need intubation, can I call you?” she asked with a quick laugh.

Dr. Jenkins laughed, too. “Sure.”

She listened to the patient’s lungs. “Good breath sounds, tube sounds like it’s in place. His heart sounds are kind of muffled, though,” she said as she listened to the rest of the man’s chest. “Can you have a listen to be sure?”

Dr. Jenkins applied his stethoscope and listened, confirming her suspicions. “You’re right. He’s had blunt force chest trauma, so I’m sure we’re not out of the woods yet.” He glanced at the monitor and watched for a few seconds.

Piper wiped her forehead with her forearm when the procedure was over. “Where is everyone?”

“We had four traumas come in at once, so everyone’s tied up.”

“Wow. I didn’t think this ER was going to be as busy as my last assignment.” Now she understood why her company had offered such a hefty bonus for this job. She was going to be on her toes from the very start.

“We’re the closest hospital to a major freeway system, so we have all the trauma you could ever want. Today was an unfortunate tragedy.” His jaw clenched and he fell silent.

Though Piper didn’t know this man, she sensed he was disturbed by the events that had taken place today. Those who cared the most often seemed to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

“Want to fill me in?” Offering to listen was one of the things she did best. Though she often couldn’t change things, listening helped. Stress was an everpresent issue for healthcare workers. Venting could help.

“Head-on crash. Damn drunk driver going the wrong way on the highway access.” He shook his head and reached for a suture kit.

“Oh, my.” The nerves that had been rumbling inside her now shot to every corner of her mind and heart. A few seconds passed before she had control of the emotions that wanted to go wild. Her parents had been killed by a drunk driver when she’d been twenty years old, her sister twelve. An incident that had turned her instantly into the main carer of her young sister. Each time she dealt with the situation again, she had to keep her emotional distance to get the job done. Some wounds never healed completely and this was one of them.

Looking down at the patient between them, she stroked his hair back from his face with a hand that trembled. “In those sorts of crashes, everyone suffers, don’t they?”

The cardiac alarm rang out, and Piper’s gaze flashed to the monitor. Her heart rate accelerated along with the patient’s. Something was going on that they hadn’t picked up on yet. “He’s having EKG changes.”

“Sixty-cc syringe with a cardiac needle—now.” Taylor moved out from the head of the stretcher to the patient’s left side. “No time for niceties, just get it ready.”

“Here.” Piper placed the syringe into his open hand. Urgency hummed through her, and she hoped that Taylor’s efforts could save the patient. Even in the right place at the right time with all of the best medical care available, people still didn’t make it.

Without a word, Taylor placed the tip of the needle between two ribs below the man’s left armpit and inserted it as far as it would go. Blood immediately flashed into the syringe and Taylor extracted excessive blood from the pericardial sac, which was causing pressure on the heart. This was why the heart sounds had been muffled.

“He’s bleeding into the pericardium. We really need to get him to the OR.”

“Are they expecting him?” The alarm continued to screech, and Piper reached up to silence it, the noise making her nerves jump more than they already were.

“Yes. We put them on alert when we got the call.”

Glancing at the monitor, Piper was pleased to see the lethal rhythm resolving. The patient wasn’t out of danger, but at least the immediate crisis was over. “Nice one, Doc.”

“He had a chest contusion, so it was expected. Let’s get this guy to the OR.” Dr. Jenkins removed his goggles and mask.

Piper paused for a brief second, then continued to pack the patient’s IV for transport. When she’d looked up at Taylor, a shock of electricity had shot through her. He was simply the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Even with a two-day growth of beard, the shape of his strong jaw was clearly visible. His full mouth curved up slightly as if he were reacting to some slight amusement. But it was his eyes that devastated her the most. Blue, crystal clear, and piercing, they were look-right-into-your-soul eyes.

She had to focus on the patient and not on the flutters that rolled in her stomach. She hadn’t reacted this way when his face had been covered, so why should she now? He had been just another doctor she’d worked with, right? But unmasked? Oh, he was absolutely gorgeous.

“Piper? Are you ready?” Taylor asked, and shrugged into his lab jacket.

“Yes, Doctor. Just finishing.” She clamped the transport monitor onto the rail of the stretcher.

“It’s Taylor, please.”

“Okay, thanks.” She smiled at him and swallowed down the bubble of attraction that wanted to surface. “Ready to go, but you’ll have to lead the way. I don’t know where the OR is.”

“Happy to.” Taylor grabbed a rail on the stretcher and assisted Piper to push the patient down the hall where an OR team waited to put him back together again. Taylor gave his verbal report to the surgeon, and Piper gave hers to the anesthesiologist.

After handing the patient off, Taylor was ready for a break. The new nurse had certainly had her trial by fire and survived, so he was sure she could use a break, too.

“Ready for a cup of coffee?” he asked, and led the way back to the ER and to the staff lounge.

“I should really check in with the charge nurse and let her know I’m here.”

They entered the staff lounge. Someone had brewed a fresh pot, as the bright fragrance of exotic coffee hung in the air. Piper sniffed appreciatively, and her eyes went soft. “Oh. I suppose one cup first won’t hurt, will it?”

“Hardly.” Taylor poured for them, and Piper fixed hers with milk and half a packet of sweetener. “It’s not like you weren’t working. Emily just didn’t know it.” “Emily is the charge nurse, then?” Piper asked, and plopped down into a chair.

“Yes. She was with one of the other traumas that didn’t survive.” He hated that. Hated that he couldn’t fix each and every patient that came through his doors no matter the cause.

“Oh. It’s tough to lose patients that you work hard on, isn’t it?” There was something in her eyes that was vulnerable, painful, but it wasn’t any of his business.

“Yes, it is. Especially when the problems could be prevented.” Taylor sat beside her and tried not to think of the two patients he’d lost that morning. Though the odds had been stacked against survival from the start, he still felt like a failure when patients under his care died right in front of him. He didn’t like to lose.

His cellphone rang.

“Dr. Jenkins.”

He listened for a moment with his eyes closed and a finger pinching the bridge of his nose. “And just how messy is it, Alex?”

Pause as he listened. “Can you clean it up by yourself?”

More listening. Bigger headache forming behind his eyes.

“I’ll come home at lunch. Don’t worry about the stain on the carpet. Or the walls. Or the couch. It’s okay. See you at lunchtime.”

Amusement fairly sparkled off Piper as he looked at her.

“What?” There was nothing amusing about his end of the conversation.

“Nothing.” She sipped her coffee, but couldn’t hide the gleam in her eyes. “Your son home alone?”

“Nephew. Staying with me for…” he looked at his digital watch “…five more weeks and six days.”

“Not counting down the days, are you?” she asked.

“No, just the seconds.” He showed his watch to her and the time counting down every second of that period.

“You’re serious. You’re really counting down the time like that?” Her blue eyes widened as she looked at him in surprise.

“I’m doing my sister a favor, and that’s when the favor ends.” Not one moment longer. He had a life to live, airplanes to jump out of and mountains to climb, all before the summer ended. Putting his life on hold was a temporary measure. Very temporary.

“I take it you aren’t happy your nephew is with you?” she asked, then paused. “Not that it’s any of my business, I realize.”

“It’s not that I’m not happy. It’s just a completely different way of life than I’m used to. People here are taking bets on how long it will be before I drag my sister home from California to take Alex back.” He leaned his head on the back of the couch and groaned. There were headaches and then there were headaches.

“Oh, that’s so sad,” she said, but laughed.

“No, what’s sad is that he opened a grape soda on my couch, carpet and walls.” Not that it was a huge deal, but it was going to be on the couch and carpet for a very long time. From his memory of being a kid, grape stains came out of nothing.

“They aren’t white, are they?” Piper asked, and a sneaky little smile curved up the corners of her lips.

Was she psychic or something? “Not everything. Just the walls and beige carpet. Couch is light brown.”

“Oh, dear.” Her eyes widened abruptly. “You can’t let that sit, or you’ll never get it out. Call him back. Do you have any peroxide or seltzer water at the house?”

“Peroxide, I think.” He was hardly there, so he really didn’t know what might be in his cupboards. Hadn’t he bought a bottle of peroxide about a year ago when he’d sliced open his hand on a piece of broken climbing rigging?

“Call him back and tell him to pour half the bottle on the carpet stain and half on the couch. The walls should be okay. At least you can paint over them.”

“Why?”

“Getting purple stains out is like getting blood out of your clothing. Peroxide might take it out.”

He opened his mouth to protest and then thought of how much more difficult it would be to argue. “I’ll call him.”

Piper stood. “And I’ll check in with Emily. Thanks for the coffee.”