of sniping back, Alejandro took Saoirse’s hand in his and kissed her knuckles. “Sorry for not sticking around too long, so let me say felicitaciones les deseamos a ambos toda la felicidad del mundo.”
Saoirse’s brow furrowed. “Congratulations...wishing both of you...”
“All the happiness in the world.” Alejandro kissed her hand again.
“Suficiente idiota!” Santi said, slapping Alejandro upside the head.
“Ow, I’m not an idiot.” Alejandro winked at Saoirse, who was laughing, obviously enjoying the show of them tormenting Santi.
Dante snorted and Rafe rolled his eyes while Alejandro grinned at Santi, who was busy shooting daggers at him.
“Well, I guess we should be happy he kept speaking Spanish after Mami and Pappi died,” Dante groaned. “But does he have to upstage us?”
Alejandro winked at Dante. “Always, old man. Always.”
He left the bodega before his older brothers started a brawl. He waved to Carmelita, who’d run the business since he was eleven. She waved back, but was focused on her work.
Outside the bodega the heat was oppressive, which was strange for a spring day. It was always hot in Miami, but this was like summer. Moist, sweltering heat. Palm trees lining the street of the old neighborhood were swaying, but the wind didn’t suppress the cloying heat. A storm was brewing to the south.
Fitting.
He’d heard people refer to Dr. Bhardwaj as the Wicked Witch of the East, so it was only fitting her arrival be marked by a storm.
As he walked to his motorcycle a group of boys playing soccer in the street kicked a ball toward him and he kicked it back, waving at them. He knew most of the kids because their parents were people he’d gone to school with. People who had never left the old neighborhood, which comprised a tight-knit community of people from Heliconia, a small island nation in the Caribbean. He’d never been there as his parents had fled the country because of the horrible conditions long before he’d been born.
Only that didn’t matter. Everyone here in this neighborhood was family. Everyone stayed together.
Only he had left.
His apartment was in South Beach. He was disconnected from this place because it reminded him of his parents dying, his brothers sacrificing so much of their youth for him.
It was also the place he’d first met Ricky at a scuzzy samba bar where he’d danced with lonely women. Ricky had started in the more lucrative exotic dancing, just so he could make his own way in the world.
Don’t think about it. That’s all behind you. Focus on now.
He had to keep his head in the game. He’d worked hard to become an attending in pediatric transplant surgery at Buena Vista Hospital. There was no way he was going to let some new head of pediatric surgery force him out.
He usually wouldn’t be so worried, but apparently Dr. Bhardwaj wanted to make changes.
And changes meant cuts. He had no doubt the arrival of Dr. Bhardwaj was down to Mr. Snyder, current president of the board of directors. Ever since Snyder had taken over he’d been looking for a way to cut every single department’s pro bono fund.
It was a fairly easy ride from Little Heliconia to Buena Vista. The only change was the darkening clouds rolling in.
Yes. Definitely a storm.
“Where have you been?” Dr. Micha asked the moment Alejandro walked into the attendings’ locker room.
“My brother Santi just got married,” Alejandro replied casually. He didn’t really want to engage in conversation with Dr. Micha today.
“Mazel tov,” Dr. Micha said sarcastically. “The witch is on her broom, by the way.”
Alejandro cocked his eyebrow. “Oh, yes?”
Usually he ignored Dr. Raul Micha’s gossip. The man was a paranoid worrywart and thankfully worked far from Alejandro, in Pediatric Dermatology, but for some reason Raul thought he and Alejandro were best friends forever.
“She’s made cuts to my program already.” Dr. Micha shook his head. “Cuts, can you believe it? Snyder is behind it, I’m sure. Snyder was friends with Dr. Bhardwaj’s mentor up in New York, Dr. Vaughan.”
Alejandro was impressed as Dr. Vaughan was a world-renowned pediatric surgeon. So at least Dr. Bhardwaj should know what she was doing, but then he recalled the word that sent a chill down his spine.
“Cuts?” Alejandro’s stomach churned. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of.
“Yes. She’s slashed all I’ve worked for.”
“Buena Vista is a wealthy hospital. It’s not like Seaside. Why is the board making cuts?”
“Buena Vista was wealthy,” Raul said in a snarky voice. Then he peered out the door. “Oh, man, here she comes. You’re on your own.”
Alejandro rolled his eyes as Raul slipped out of the locker room. He pulled off his street clothes and pulled out his scrubs. Before he’d slipped his scrub top on the door to the attendings’ locker room opened. Alejandro glanced over his shoulder and then did a double take as he stared into the dark eyes of the one who’d got away.
Kiri.
His one and only one-night stand from his days as an exotic dancer was standing right in front of him. He’d finished the private show five years ago and she’d kissed him. Alejandro knew he should’ve pushed her away, only he’d been unable to.
“Please, don’t think badly of me, I’ve never done this,” she whispered. “Never slept with a man I just met.”
“I don’t do this either.” He ran his hands through her hair. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in a long time.”
Her mouth was open, her eyes wide behind those dark-framed glasses she still wore. She recognized him. This was bad.
“What...? I...” She was at a loss for words.
“Sorry,” he apologized, slipping on his scrub top. He held out his hand. “Dr. Bhardwaj, I presume?”
He was going to pretend he didn’t know her.
Which was a lie.
He knew every inch of her. It was still fresh in his mind five years later. The taste of her skin, her scent and the way she’d sighed when he’d nibbled her neck just below her ear.
This was bad.
“Uh. Yes.” She was still staring at him like he was a ghost, an unwanted ghost at that. She took his hand and shook it quickly before snatching it back. “Yes, I’m Dr. Bhardwaj.”
He nodded. “I’m Dr. Valentino. Senior Attending on the pediatric transplant team.”
*
