a short while.
Abby had put in eight hours of nonstop running from one patient to the next. Every bay had been full, witha rapid rate of turnover as patients were triaged into admission or treated and released.
The day shift would be arriving soon. Thank goodness. Her lower back ached and she felt more tired than she recalled feeling in a long, long time.
Surprised to find there wasn’t another patient waiting, she took advantage of the unexpected reprieve. Just a couple of minutes to disappear into the break room, lean against the wall and close her eyes, then she’d recheck the pneumonia patient in bay five.
“Things are starting to slow down. You should go home and get some rest. You look tired.”
“Dirk.” Abby’s eyes shot open, surprised to see that he’d followed her. Not that she’d really expected otherwise, but he’d been the consummate professional all night. Not once had he let on that there was anything between them other than a doctor-nurse relationship, not once had he let on that had they not been interrupted they’d have made love most of the night.
Not once had he mentioned that when she’d come out of her bedroom, he’d left, breaking her heart into a thousand tiny shards that he’d left her without so much as a word.
“The others can handle the remainder of the shift.” His tone was brusque, paternalistic. “Go home and get some rest, Abby. You look tired.”
“I am tired, but I’ll be fine until the end of shift.” She would. Already, just looking at him, she could feel her energy level rising. Or maybe that was her hurt and anger coming to a head. “Are you coming back to my place?”
He sighed, raked his fingers through his dark hair,and glanced around the otherwise empty break room. “We need to talk.”
Trying to read his expression, Abby searched his face. “I understand if you’re too tired. It’s just, well, I wanted you to know that if you want to come back, that’s good by me. I could cook us something.”
At least, she could cook him something. The thought of food made her stomach recoil. Or maybe it was the thought that he’d left her and she knew she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
His jaw worked back and forth. “I’ve been thinking about last night.”
“Me, too,” she admitted unsteadily. She couldn’t quit thinking about last night, how they’d touched.
He grimaced. “Not like that, Abby. I’ve been thinking about what you said at the party about me needing to be sure before we went any further.”
A feeling of impending doom crawled up her spine. Doom that made her stomach pitch so high it could have capsized a tanker.
“And?” she asked, not really wanting to hear his answer. Why was he backpedaling? She’d thought they’d come so far last night. Had everything only been physical? Was she really so naive as to have misread his looks, his touches so drastically?
“You were right to say that.” He didn’t meet her eyes, stared somewhere to her right at the wall. “If we continue on that path, I will hurt you and that’s not what I want. I think we should just be friends.”
“You’re kidding, right?” She could tell by the look on his taut face that he wasn’t. Friends? “If your phone hadn’t rung, what we’d have been doing was a lot morethan what just friends do,” she pointed out, not willing to let him backtrack so easily.
“Which means we shouldn’t have been doing what we were about to do. Fate stepped in.”
Chin lifting, Abby’s hands went to her hips. How could he be so dense? “Fate had nothing to do with that gas leak.”
“But fate did rescue you from making a mistake, Abby. I have nothing to offer you beyond friendship. Nothing.”
Did he really believe that? Looking at him, she realized he did, but not because he didn’t want to offer her more, just that he didn’t believe himself capable. What had happened to make him so cynical? To make him see the glass as half-empty? How could
Abby had put in eight hours of nonstop running from one patient to the next. Every bay had been full, witha rapid rate of turnover as patients were triaged into admission or treated and released.
The day shift would be arriving soon. Thank goodness. Her lower back ached and she felt more tired than she recalled feeling in a long, long time.
Surprised to find there wasn’t another patient waiting, she took advantage of the unexpected reprieve. Just a couple of minutes to disappear into the break room, lean against the wall and close her eyes, then she’d recheck the pneumonia patient in bay five.
“Things are starting to slow down. You should go home and get some rest. You look tired.”
“Dirk.” Abby’s eyes shot open, surprised to see that he’d followed her. Not that she’d really expected otherwise, but he’d been the consummate professional all night. Not once had he let on that there was anything between them other than a doctor-nurse relationship, not once had he let on that had they not been interrupted they’d have made love most of the night.
Not once had he mentioned that when she’d come out of her bedroom, he’d left, breaking her heart into a thousand tiny shards that he’d left her without so much as a word.
“The others can handle the remainder of the shift.” His tone was brusque, paternalistic. “Go home and get some rest, Abby. You look tired.”
“I am tired, but I’ll be fine until the end of shift.” She would. Already, just looking at him, she could feel her energy level rising. Or maybe that was her hurt and anger coming to a head. “Are you coming back to my place?”
He sighed, raked his fingers through his dark hair,and glanced around the otherwise empty break room. “We need to talk.”
Trying to read his expression, Abby searched his face. “I understand if you’re too tired. It’s just, well, I wanted you to know that if you want to come back, that’s good by me. I could cook us something.”
At least, she could cook him something. The thought of food made her stomach recoil. Or maybe it was the thought that he’d left her and she knew she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
His jaw worked back and forth. “I’ve been thinking about last night.”
“Me, too,” she admitted unsteadily. She couldn’t quit thinking about last night, how they’d touched.
He grimaced. “Not like that, Abby. I’ve been thinking about what you said at the party about me needing to be sure before we went any further.”
A feeling of impending doom crawled up her spine. Doom that made her stomach pitch so high it could have capsized a tanker.
“And?” she asked, not really wanting to hear his answer. Why was he backpedaling? She’d thought they’d come so far last night. Had everything only been physical? Was she really so naive as to have misread his looks, his touches so drastically?
“You were right to say that.” He didn’t meet her eyes, stared somewhere to her right at the wall. “If we continue on that path, I will hurt you and that’s not what I want. I think we should just be friends.”
“You’re kidding, right?” She could tell by the look on his taut face that he wasn’t. Friends? “If your phone hadn’t rung, what we’d have been doing was a lot morethan what just friends do,” she pointed out, not willing to let him backtrack so easily.
“Which means we shouldn’t have been doing what we were about to do. Fate stepped in.”
Chin lifting, Abby’s hands went to her hips. How could he be so dense? “Fate had nothing to do with that gas leak.”
“But fate did rescue you from making a mistake, Abby. I have nothing to offer you beyond friendship. Nothing.”
Did he really believe that? Looking at him, she realized he did, but not because he didn’t want to offer her more, just that he didn’t believe himself capable. What had happened to make him so cynical? To make him see the glass as half-empty? How could
Similar Books
