training.
Although the leg injury worried her...
Sometimes her work took them out into the wilderness, and they had to hike from where they could land the plane. And then there were natural disasters. If he couldn’t keep up, then what would happen?
“Okay,” Ruby said cautiously. “But he knows that this is my team, right? He knows that I’m in charge? The Aran I remember from our resident days was very headstrong.”
Jessica nodded and smiled. Ruby could see the relief on her face.
“Yes, he knows that.”
“When does he arrive?”
“He’ll be here in five minutes. I know you’re tired...”
“It’s fine,” Ruby said, though really it wasn’t. She needed to sleep. She’d been up too long, But she had to stay and talk to her husband of five years.
That thought made her chuckle to herself.
She was really tired.
There was a knock, and then the door opened and Ruby turned in her chair, expecting to see the same man from all those years ago.
Instead it was a very different man from the one she’d last seen five years ago who walked through the door.
It was shocking what war could do to change a person. The jovial, confident and arrogant man she had known was gone.
Aran was thinner, and instead of the short, buzzed and clean military hair he’d had on their wedding day his dark brown hair was longer, and there were a few grays mixed in there. A scar ran down the side of his face—faint, but still somewhat fresh. The cleft in his chin was hidden by a short-cropped beard and his bearing was not so ramrod-straight as it had once been. He seemed to bear his weight on his left and favored the right leg.
It threw off warning bells. If he couldn’t physically handle working on her team he’d be useless to her. Still, Aran was handsome as ever—like on the first day she’d met him. In spite of herself, her heart skipped a beat...
“Dr. Cloutier, you will work with Dr. Atkinson on post-operatives.”
Ruby groaned and looked through the throng of residents. Figured that she would get the new guy. The son of the president of the board of directors. She’d heard he was cocky and privileged.
And then she saw him.
He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. And when those blue eyes settled on her, her pulse kicked up a notch. She had to control herself. She wasn’t going to fall for his charms.
“Hi, Dr. Cloutier. I’m Dr. Atkinson.” He held out his hand.
She crossed her arms and looked him up and down, but she said nothing. Just grabbed the charts she’d been assigned and walked past him. She didn’t have time for any of the kind of games he had to play.
“Okay, then. You’re a bit of a hard nut to crack,” he said, keeping up with her pace.
She rolled her eyes and handed him a pile of charts. “Here are your cases.”
“Thanks,” he muttered, and then stood in front of her. “Look, I think the key to a good medical partnership is to at least be friends. We can be civil to each other, can’t we?”
Ruby felt guilty for being so cold to him. She was so used to pushing people away. “I suppose... I’m sorry.”
He smiled brightly at her. “There—that’s better.”
She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “Just do your job and do it well, then we won’t have a problem.”
“Aran, glad you could finally make it.”
Jessica got up and went to embrace her son. He hugged her back, but Ruby could tell that it was grudgingly. In fact, it looked as if her touch caused him pain.
Jessica moved away. “Have a seat, Aran. I was just talking to Ruby about you joining her trauma team.”
Ruby watched as he limped to the chair beside her and took a seat. He winced slightly as he sat, but didn’t look at her. He was obviously annoyed she hadn’t gone down to San Diego, despite what he’d told her. Still, it was the discomfort he was in that worried her. Military man or not, if he was this stiff, in this much pain, he couldn’t be on her trauma team. He wouldn’t be able to keep up.
“I’m sorry, Jessica,” Ruby said.
“For what?” Jessica asked, surprised.
“Aran, you’re an excellent surgeon, and your military training would be an asset, but clearly you’re not healed enough to be on my team.”
She glanced over at Aran and saw he was finally looking at her. His expression was that of a broken man who had seen too much violence. She felt bad, she truly did, but he had to be able to handle tough situations. Extreme weather...rough conditions... And she wasn’t certain that he could. She hated hurting him like this, but he just wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“I can move fine, Ruby. I was just on a very long flight from San Diego to Juneau, then a flight to Anchorage and a cab ride here. Once I start moving I’ll be able to perform my duties adequately,” Aran said stiffly.
“Ruby, the board of directors wants Aran on your team. It would be in your best interests—”
“I’m sorry, Jessica.” Ruby stood up. “He needs to be in better physical condition. I’m sorry.”
Ruby couldn’t look at Aran as she left the office. And she didn’t get very far before she felt a hand slip around her arm and turn her around. It was Aran and she was surprised.
“Is this fast enough for you?” he asked.
She could see the anger in his eyes. She shook out of his grasp. “So I misjudged your physical endurance...”
“Yes, I’m stiff. Yes, I’m still recovering from my injury. But I can keep up with the work on the trauma team. I can help your team if you just give me a chance.” He scrubbed his hand over his face and his expression softened. “Besides, you owe me this. You owe me a favor, remember?”
* * *
Aran held his breath as he looked down into the dark black eyes of his wife and now potentially his boss. When he’d been injured and honorably discharged, he’d been surprised when his mother had showed up in San Diego. She’d never left Alaska—not even when her marriage to his father had been at stake. His mother loved the north.
He’d been glad she’d come, but he’d been disappointed that Ruby hadn’t shown. Even though he’d told her she didn’t need to come, he’d thought they were friends as well as fake spouses.
He’d always cared for Ruby. Always had a soft
