on the edge of her desk. She immediately picked up the scent of his crisp and expensive cologne. An impeccable dresser, his pinstriped shirt and flashy patterned tie was the perfect complement to the dark gray slacks. And, sheesh, without even trying, his hair looked great, waving in all the right places, with an unintentional clump falling across his brow.
“It does involve a kid,” he said. “My kid brother, to be exact.” He raised a finger before she could protest. “But here’s the deal. I need to scope his lungs and I need to do it tonight, and I need some extra hands and credentials to make it legal. You in?”
She stared at him.
“It’s not like you’d be babysitting. Think of it as a technical procedure, and I need your help. That’s all.”
“That tracheobronchomalacia business?”
He nodded. “I want to get it documented and refer him for CPAP immediately.”
“What about your dad and stepmom?”
“I finally got their verbal consent over the phone, and while Robbie’s with me, I have medical consent.”
“I know nothing about pediatric conscious sedation,” she said.
“I’ll take care of everything. I just need you to monitor Robbie and inject the drugs while I scope him. I’ll recover him and you can leave as soon as I’m through.”
She considered his request, but made the stupid mistake of glancing into his eyes, which watched and waited and reminded her of the ocean last Saturday at high noon. He ramped up the pressure by tilting his headand giving a puppy-dog can-we-take-a-walk expression. If Phil handled everything, and all she had to do was administer drugs and do the technical monitoring, maybe she could help him out.
“What time?”
“I’ve got to pick him up from day care in ten minutes. Mmm, how about in half an hour?”
That didn’t give her much time to think it over, or change her mind. She pulled out her drawer and, having learned from her snack expedition the other night with Robbie, found a pack of peanut butter with cheese crackers, tore it open with her teeth, and tossed the first one into her mouth.
“You’re on,” she said, sounding muffled.
As naturally as old friends, he kissed her cheek. “You’re the best,” he said, and took off, leaving her chomping on her snack, blowing cracker flakes from her mouth when she sighed. And there was that damn feeling he brought along with him every time they talked—flustered.
The new and state-of-the-art procedure suite at Midcoast Medical provided the perfect setting for Robbie’s examination. Jason had had the equipment installed after a successful second-quarter report. Every penny they made beyond salaries went right back into their clinic with upgrades and added services. Phil no longer had to rent space at the local hospital to perform his bronchoscopies, taking him away from the clinic, and making his nurse able to increase her hours to full-time as a result.
But this examination was after hours, and he’d lined up a great replacement for his regular nurse—Stephanie.
She hadn’t bargained on Robbie being awake whenshe arrived, and Phil had to do some quick talking to make her stick around.
“I can’t do this on my own, Stephanie. Please. Five minutes. It will only take five minutes. I promise.”
She looked pale and hesitated at the procedure-room door, but something, maybe it was Robbie looking so vulnerable and unsuspecting, made her change her mind.
Robbie fought like the devil when Phil tried to insert an intravenous line, and he thought she’d bolt right then and there. Surprisingly, she held the boy’s arm steady, and with her help they got the IV in and the keep-open solution running. She’d been an unexpected decoy with her medley of wacky kids’ songs. Robbie even giggled a few times. If she didn’t do kids, how did she know all those children’s songs?
Gowned, gloved and masked, Phil watched Stephanie draw up the quick-acting, deeply sedating medication. He knew there was a
“It does involve a kid,” he said. “My kid brother, to be exact.” He raised a finger before she could protest. “But here’s the deal. I need to scope his lungs and I need to do it tonight, and I need some extra hands and credentials to make it legal. You in?”
She stared at him.
“It’s not like you’d be babysitting. Think of it as a technical procedure, and I need your help. That’s all.”
“That tracheobronchomalacia business?”
He nodded. “I want to get it documented and refer him for CPAP immediately.”
“What about your dad and stepmom?”
“I finally got their verbal consent over the phone, and while Robbie’s with me, I have medical consent.”
“I know nothing about pediatric conscious sedation,” she said.
“I’ll take care of everything. I just need you to monitor Robbie and inject the drugs while I scope him. I’ll recover him and you can leave as soon as I’m through.”
She considered his request, but made the stupid mistake of glancing into his eyes, which watched and waited and reminded her of the ocean last Saturday at high noon. He ramped up the pressure by tilting his headand giving a puppy-dog can-we-take-a-walk expression. If Phil handled everything, and all she had to do was administer drugs and do the technical monitoring, maybe she could help him out.
“What time?”
“I’ve got to pick him up from day care in ten minutes. Mmm, how about in half an hour?”
That didn’t give her much time to think it over, or change her mind. She pulled out her drawer and, having learned from her snack expedition the other night with Robbie, found a pack of peanut butter with cheese crackers, tore it open with her teeth, and tossed the first one into her mouth.
“You’re on,” she said, sounding muffled.
As naturally as old friends, he kissed her cheek. “You’re the best,” he said, and took off, leaving her chomping on her snack, blowing cracker flakes from her mouth when she sighed. And there was that damn feeling he brought along with him every time they talked—flustered.
The new and state-of-the-art procedure suite at Midcoast Medical provided the perfect setting for Robbie’s examination. Jason had had the equipment installed after a successful second-quarter report. Every penny they made beyond salaries went right back into their clinic with upgrades and added services. Phil no longer had to rent space at the local hospital to perform his bronchoscopies, taking him away from the clinic, and making his nurse able to increase her hours to full-time as a result.
But this examination was after hours, and he’d lined up a great replacement for his regular nurse—Stephanie.
She hadn’t bargained on Robbie being awake whenshe arrived, and Phil had to do some quick talking to make her stick around.
“I can’t do this on my own, Stephanie. Please. Five minutes. It will only take five minutes. I promise.”
She looked pale and hesitated at the procedure-room door, but something, maybe it was Robbie looking so vulnerable and unsuspecting, made her change her mind.
Robbie fought like the devil when Phil tried to insert an intravenous line, and he thought she’d bolt right then and there. Surprisingly, she held the boy’s arm steady, and with her help they got the IV in and the keep-open solution running. She’d been an unexpected decoy with her medley of wacky kids’ songs. Robbie even giggled a few times. If she didn’t do kids, how did she know all those children’s songs?
Gowned, gloved and masked, Phil watched Stephanie draw up the quick-acting, deeply sedating medication. He knew there was a
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