words with Vivian here in front of his patient and residents. He had to work with her and he was professional. Besides, there was nothing left to say. It was all in the past.
Is it?
“Well, I better make myself better acquainted with the neurosurgical staff and find my office. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Trainer.”
“Gary please, Dr. Maguire.”
“Gary, then.” She shook his hand and glanced up at Reece. “Dr. Castle, I’ll speak with you later, I’m sure.”
Reece didn’t answer; he just nodded quickly. He watched her walk out the door, feeling slightly guilty about how cold he’d been to her.
She’s the competition.
He had to remind himself that, even if he wasn’t particularly interested in going after Dr. Brigham’s job, he hadn’t worked all these years pouring his blood, sweat, soul and tears into the neuro program at Cumberland Mills to have someone like Vivian waltz in and take it over. She had to prove herself to him. He had Dr. Brigham’s ear. And if she wanted to run the surgical program she had to prove to him and everyone else she was here for the long haul.
Vivian had left for greener pastures years ago. Back then she didn’t see Cumberland Mills as much. Just a stepping stone. Reece really knew what this hospital was about. He didn’t know why she was back other than to take Dr. Brigham’s job.
Your job.
He shook that thought away. He’d been offered the job but he didn’t want it. He didn’t need it and didn’t want to live up to Dr. Brigham’s reputation. Some shadows were too big to step out of and Reece’s dad had made it clear time and time again he didn’t have what it took. It wasn’t his job, nor was it hers.
Vivian’s return to Nashville was just a blip. An annoyance. She was not a threat, she was not competition and definitely she was no longer a temptation.
Keep telling yourself that.
“WELL, I NEVER thought I’d see your face here again.”
Startled, Vivian glanced up to see Reece standing in the door of her office, his arms crossed and leaning casually against the doorjamb. Those dark eyes were trained on her, but the sparkle he once shared with her was gone. Still, he was just as handsome as ever. Something about him made her heart beat just a bit faster. She’d thought that being apart from him would dissipate the attraction she’d always had for him. She was wrong.
So wrong.
Which was probably why any relationship she’d had since had been fleeting and not worth a second glance because now, staring at Reece, she knew no man could ever affect her the way Reece had.
She hadn’t heard him come into her office but, then again, he always had a way of sneaking up on her, or nurses, or doctors. As if he moved at the edge of the shadows, unnoticed until he wanted to be seen.
When she’d asked him about it once he’d said offhandedly he’d learned to do that as a child, but never really elaborated further on that. Of course, Reece never did elaborate much on his past. She only knew he was from Nashville. That was it. And she never went on about her past. All he knew was she grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and he didn’t. Though he’d never specified and that was the way they wanted it.
“Past is past, Vivian. Let’s focus on the now.”
“Neither did I,” she answered, folding her hands on the desk in front of her as if that would help protect her from him. “I am surprised to see you’re still here...”
“Well, I wasn’t offered a chance to study under Dr. Mannheim.” There was a hint of bitterness to his voice, but really she wasn’t surprised. Over the years working as Dr. Mannheim’s protégée she’d dealt with a lot of people who were envious of her position.
People who also voiced their opinions that she didn’t deserve it.
That she didn’t earn it.
That she’d slept her way in, but none of that was true. They would know it wasn’t true if they met Dr. Mannheim’s life partner.
Still, there was always an undercurrent of jealousy. Working with Dr. Mannheim had been a huge honor and she wasn’t sorry for taking it. She’d needed to get away from Nashville. She had to protect her heart.
“You could’ve had a similar opportunity, but you never pursued anything. In fact I’m surprised to see you still here. I thought you would’ve moved away. Find a greener pasture for your surgical skill to flourish.”
Reece’s eyes narrowed. “I was needed here. I never wanted to leave Nashville. As I recall, you were the one who was ready to leave this place at a moment’s notice. Greener pastures never impressed me much.”
“I didn’t come back here to argue with you,” Vivian said. “I don’t regret leaving. I came here to work.”
His expression was like thunder and she instantly regretted her words. Reece shut the door and then took a seat in the one and only chair that didn’t have a ton of papers or a box on it.
“Of course. You’re right, Vivian. Whether we like it or not, we’re working together on this. Past is past. Let’s focus on the now and our patient.”
She nodded, relieved but also disappointed...
What was that about?
She was here to work, not dredge up the past. Coming back home to Nashville was bad enough; she didn’t need old feelings getting in the way.
“So why don’t we get to work, then?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said, leaning back in the chair. “What would you like to talk about?”
“Why don’t you fill me in on Mr. Trainer’s case?”
“Signs and symptoms point to Parkinson’s, but...”
“His test came back negative, I take it?”
Reece nodded. “Yes, even though really it’s too soon to tell and hard to diagnose Parkinson’s in the early stages.”
“Do you know when the symptoms first started? Has he given you a history?”
Reece nodded. “He did and the symptoms only started out of the blue the other day when he collapsed on stage. That was two days ago.”
“Sudden onset?” she asked, confused, as the thousands of possibilities swirled in her brain.
“Yes. He collapsed during a performance with what looked like an epileptic seizure. As you can tell from his MRI.” Reece handed her a computer pad, an MRI on the screen. “It’s clear of epileptic seizure activity.”
Vivian stared at the MRI, instantly assessing the images in front of her, like she’d done a thousand times before. Like she’d done about three months
