last thing he wanted to do was to introduce Katerina to his brother, especially when he was intoxicated. Luis had been doing fairly well recently, so finding him like this was more than a little annoying.
What was Luis thinking? If he lost the olive farm, what would he do for work? Or was this just another way to ruin Miguel’s chance to follow his dream? He was tired of trying to save the olive farm for his brother while taking care of his patients. He was working nonstop from early morning to sundown every week. It was past time for Luis to grow up and take some responsibility.
“Go home, Luis,” he advised. “Before you make a complete fool of yourself.”
“Not until I meet your lady friend,” Luis said stubbornly. “She reminds me a little of our mother, except that she has blonde hair instead of red. Are you going to change your mind about going to Africa? She may not wait for you.”
Miguel ground his teeth together in frustration. “No, I’m not going to change my mind,” he snapped. He didn’t want to think about Katerina waiting for him. No matter how much he was still attracted to her, having a relationship with an American woman would be nothing but a disaster. His mother had hated every minute of living out on the farm, away from the city. And far away from her homeland. He was certain Katerina wouldn’t be willing to leave her home either. “Katerina’s sister is in the hospital, recovering from a serious head injury. She’s not interested in having a good time. Leave her alone, understand?”
“Okay, fine, then.” Luis shook off his hand and began walking toward the bar, his gait unsteady. “I’ll just sit by myself.”
“Oh, no, you won’t.” Miguel captured his brother’s arm and caught sight of his old friend, Rafael, who happened to be a police officer. “Rafael,” he called, flagging down his friend.
“Trouble, amigo?” Rafael asked, getting out of his police car.
“Would you mind taking my brother home?” He grabbed Luis’s arm, steering him toward the police car, but his brother tried to resist. Luis almost fell, but Miguel managed to haul him upright. “I would take him myself, but I’m on call at the hospital.”
“All right,” Rafael said with a heavy sigh. “You’ll owe me, my friend. Luckily for you, I’m finished with my shift.”
“Thanks, Rafael. I will return the favor,” he promised.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Rafael muttered with a wry grimace.
Miguel watched them drive away, before he raked a hand through his hair and turned back towards Katerina. As if the fates were against him, his pager went off, bringing a premature end to their time together.
“My apologies for the interruption,” he murmured as he returned to the table. “I’m afraid I must cut our meal short. There is a young boy with symptoms of appendicitis. I need to return to the hospital to assess whether or not he needs surgery.”
“I understand,” Katerina said, as he paid the tab. She gathered up the papers he’d given to her. “Thanks again for translating Juliet’s chart for me. I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Of course.” When she stood, she was so close he could have easily leaned down to kiss her. He curled his fingers into fists and forced himself to take a step backwards in order to resist the sweet temptation. “I will make rounds between nine and ten in the morning, if you want an update on your sister’s condition.”
“Sounds good. Goodbye, Miguel.” She waved and then headed for the metro station, located just a few blocks down the street.
Back at the hospital it was clear the thirteen-year-old had a classic case of appendicitis and Miguel quickly took the child to the operating room. Unfortunately, his appendix had burst, forcing Miguel to spend extra time washing out the abdominal cavity in order to minimize the chance that infection would set in. Afterwards, he made sure the boy had the correct antibiotics ordered and the first dose administered before he headed home to his three-bedroom apartment located within walking distance of the hospital.
It wasn’t until he was eating cold leftover pizza for dinner that Miguel had a chance to think about Katerina, and wonder just what she’d thought was so important to tell him.
CHAPTER THREE
“LOOK, it’s a shopping mall!” Diana exclaimed. Then she frowned. “I almost wish my luggage hadn’t shown up this morning, or I’d have a good excuse to go buy new clothes.”
Kat nodded ruefully. She was surprised to find Seville was a city of contrasts, from the modern shopping mall to the mosques and bronze statues straight out of the sixteenth century. “A little disappointing in a way, isn’t it?” she murmured.
“Hey, not for me,” Diana pointed out. “I mean, the history here is nice and everything, but I’m all in favor of modernization. Especially when it comes to shopping.”
They’d walked to a small café for breakfast, and found the shopping mall on the way back to the hotel. “Maybe you can explore the mall with Tommy this morning while I’m at the hospital, visiting Juliet.”
“Sounds good. Although don’t forget we plan on taking the boat tour later this afternoon,” Diana reminded her.
“I won’t forget,” Kat murmured. Sightseeing wasn’t top of her list, but it was the least she could do for Diana as her friend spent a good portion of every day watching her son. Besides, sitting for hours at the hospital wasn’t going to help Juliet recover any quicker.
“Here’s the metro station,” Kat said. “Call me if you need anything, okay? I’ll see you later, Tommy.” Kat swept him into her arms for a hug, which he tolerated for barely a minute before he wiggled out of her grasp.
“We’ll be fine,” Diana assured her, taking Tommy’s hand in a firm grip.
“I know.” She watched them walk away towards the mall, before taking the steps down to the metro station to wait for the next train. Despite the fact that she still needed to break the news about Tommy to Miguel, she found she was looking forward to seeing him again. Last night, before she’d fallen asleep, Miguel’s words had echoed in her mind, giving her a secret thrill.
I’ve thought of you often over these past few years.
She doubted that he’d thought of her as often as she’d thought of him, though. Mostly because of Tommy since he was the mirror image of his father. Yet also because Miguel had taken a small piece of her heart when he’d left.
Not that she ever planned on telling him that.
She needed to let go of the past and move on with her life. Whatever her conflicting feelings for Miguel, she couldn’t afford to fall for him. They wanted different things out of life. She wanted a home, family, stability. Miguel wanted adventure. He wanted Doctors Without Borders. He wanted to travel. The only time they were in sync was when they had worked as colleagues in the O.R..
And, of course, during the night they spent together.
Walking into the hospital was familiar now, and she greeted the clerk behind the desk in Spanish. “Buenos dias.”
“Buenos dias,” the clerk replied with a wide grin. One thing
