comeback meant to shut him down. No, she did not want to earn a place on his long list of meaningless one-night-stands or have her name tossed into the hospital’s gossip channels as his latest conquest. But now, things weren’t so clear. He was different than she’d first thought. A caring doctor. A nice guy. A father trying to be a better parent. Maybe—
Loud male voices interrupted her thoughts seconds before two men turned the corner into the back hallway.
“Damn you, Cade,” the older of the two men said, pushing the other man up against the wall. “Do you hear what’s being said about me? People are questioning my integrity and my skill as a surgeon.” Both tall and handsome with dark hair, they could have passed for brothers. “I give you a job and this is how you repay me by trying to ruin my reputation?”
Before they noticed them, Lewis pulled her into an alcove outside a closed janitorial closet door. “This has been brewing for weeks,” he whispered. “Let’s give them a few minutes to work it out.”
“Who are they?” Scarlet whispered back, trying to ignore his close proximity and oh so yummy scent, and the feel of his big, solid, warm body touching hers in so many places.
“The older one is Dr. Alex Rodriguez, the somewhat new head of pediatric neurosurgery,” he said quietly, his mouth right next to her ear, his hot breath making it difficult to concentrate. “The other one is his half-brother, Dr. Cade Coleman, a prenatal surgeon.”
Scarlet peered around the corner.
“Get your hands off of me,” the younger one—Cade—yelled, twisting out of his brother’s grasp. “I didn’t know it was a secret. What’s the big deal? You were cleared of the charges. Nothing sticks to you.”
She turned back to Lewis. “What charges?” she asked quietly.
“From what I’ve heard, Alex was named in a malpractice suit a few years ago after one of his patients died.”
A voice she now recognized as Alex’s yelled, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You always come out on the plus side of things,” Cade replied. “Something bad happens, things gettough you walk away clean and leave others to deal with the mess.”
“So that’s what this is about? Me leaving? You still haven’t forgiven me?”
Scarlet leaned in toward Lewis and whispered, “I don’t think we should be listening to this.”
“If we leave now we’ll interrupt.” Did he have to breathe so hot and heavy with every response? She tried to ignore the warm flush spreading along the right side of her face, down her neck to her chest. “And they’ll know we’re here.”
Alex said, “I couldn’t take it anymore, the verbal and physical abuse. You were so young and your dad loved you so much. If I’d had any idea he would turn on you after I left, I would have stayed. I promise you that.”
“A lot of good that did me then,” Cade said, sounding worn out. “And it means little to me now.”
“There’s nothing I can do to change what happened other than to apologize. I know it doesn’t change anything, but from the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry. For leaving. For everything you had to endure because I wasn’t there to protect you or help you.”
Scarlet whispered, “How horrible for both of them.”
Lewis nodded. “Now you understand why I didn’t want to interrupt?”
She nodded. When no one spoke Scarlet peeked around the corner. Both men stood there not looking at each other. Then Alex said, “Can we get past it?” He held out his hand.
Cade looked at it.
Scarlet wanted to scream, “Take it. He’s your brother for heaven’s sake.” Oh how she’d wished for a sibling growing up.
Eventually Cade shook his brother’s hand, and Alextook the opportunity to pull him into a hug. “I love you,” he said.
Cade didn’t reply, but he did pat Alex on the back.
When the men broke apart, they turned and started to walk in her direction. Scarlet ducked back into their hiding spot, sucked in
Loud male voices interrupted her thoughts seconds before two men turned the corner into the back hallway.
“Damn you, Cade,” the older of the two men said, pushing the other man up against the wall. “Do you hear what’s being said about me? People are questioning my integrity and my skill as a surgeon.” Both tall and handsome with dark hair, they could have passed for brothers. “I give you a job and this is how you repay me by trying to ruin my reputation?”
Before they noticed them, Lewis pulled her into an alcove outside a closed janitorial closet door. “This has been brewing for weeks,” he whispered. “Let’s give them a few minutes to work it out.”
“Who are they?” Scarlet whispered back, trying to ignore his close proximity and oh so yummy scent, and the feel of his big, solid, warm body touching hers in so many places.
“The older one is Dr. Alex Rodriguez, the somewhat new head of pediatric neurosurgery,” he said quietly, his mouth right next to her ear, his hot breath making it difficult to concentrate. “The other one is his half-brother, Dr. Cade Coleman, a prenatal surgeon.”
Scarlet peered around the corner.
“Get your hands off of me,” the younger one—Cade—yelled, twisting out of his brother’s grasp. “I didn’t know it was a secret. What’s the big deal? You were cleared of the charges. Nothing sticks to you.”
She turned back to Lewis. “What charges?” she asked quietly.
“From what I’ve heard, Alex was named in a malpractice suit a few years ago after one of his patients died.”
A voice she now recognized as Alex’s yelled, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You always come out on the plus side of things,” Cade replied. “Something bad happens, things gettough you walk away clean and leave others to deal with the mess.”
“So that’s what this is about? Me leaving? You still haven’t forgiven me?”
Scarlet leaned in toward Lewis and whispered, “I don’t think we should be listening to this.”
“If we leave now we’ll interrupt.” Did he have to breathe so hot and heavy with every response? She tried to ignore the warm flush spreading along the right side of her face, down her neck to her chest. “And they’ll know we’re here.”
Alex said, “I couldn’t take it anymore, the verbal and physical abuse. You were so young and your dad loved you so much. If I’d had any idea he would turn on you after I left, I would have stayed. I promise you that.”
“A lot of good that did me then,” Cade said, sounding worn out. “And it means little to me now.”
“There’s nothing I can do to change what happened other than to apologize. I know it doesn’t change anything, but from the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry. For leaving. For everything you had to endure because I wasn’t there to protect you or help you.”
Scarlet whispered, “How horrible for both of them.”
Lewis nodded. “Now you understand why I didn’t want to interrupt?”
She nodded. When no one spoke Scarlet peeked around the corner. Both men stood there not looking at each other. Then Alex said, “Can we get past it?” He held out his hand.
Cade looked at it.
Scarlet wanted to scream, “Take it. He’s your brother for heaven’s sake.” Oh how she’d wished for a sibling growing up.
Eventually Cade shook his brother’s hand, and Alextook the opportunity to pull him into a hug. “I love you,” he said.
Cade didn’t reply, but he did pat Alex on the back.
When the men broke apart, they turned and started to walk in her direction. Scarlet ducked back into their hiding spot, sucked in
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