the hallway.
“Were you hurt?”
“No. I’m fine, thanks to Mr. Wright.”
“Mr. Wright, I’m very grateful you were here.”
“So am I,” Mr. Wright murmured, angling his head her way.
Pretending to be busy, she refused to meet his gaze directly.
Gathering his supplies, Dr. Cortez worked quickly. Once the wound was closed and covered with a large gauze bandage, the doctor applied an ointment to the burn then stripped off his gloves. “You’ll need to keep that dry for the next forty-eight hours and have the stitches removed in ten days. I’ll give you a prescription for the ointment. Apply it three times a day. When was your last tetanus shot?”
“I don’t remember. It’s been a while.”
“More than ten years?” When Donovan nodded, he said, “You’ll need to get one. I’ll call one of the nurses to take care of it.”
“I’ll do it,” Simona said.
The doctor nodded. “Mr. Wright, thank you again. Consider your bill paid in full.”
“Thanks, Dr. Cortez.”
After the doctor left, they stared at each other in silence. Simona was so busy gawking that it took her a moment to remember she was supposed to be giving him a tetanus shot. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
As soon as she stepped out of the room, two nurses rushed over and asked about what happened. Apparently news traveled fast. After recounting the story two more times, she said, “I really need to get back to my patient.”
Before returning, she ducked into an empty room. Knowing she had only a minute, she pulled out her cell and dialed. “Hey, Eve.”
“Hi, Simona. What’s up? I thought you were getting off at eleven.”
“I was. I can’t go into it right now, but I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“No problem. I’m just sitting here working on my essay. Are you okay?”
Simona blew out a long breath. “Yeah. How is she?”
“Sleeping peacefully. Everything is fine.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Eve. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay.”
Simona didn’t know how she would have managed over the past four weeks without her neighbor’s help. She didn’t easily trust, but Eve Thompson, with her direct speech and compassionate heart, had won Simona over almost immediately.
She disconnected, put the phone in her pocket and retraced her steps to where Donovan waited, stopping first at the cabinet where medications were stored and reminding herself to remain professional.
* * *
Donovan sat on the examination table thinking about Simona. Earlier, his concern had been for her safety. Now, in the light and with the threat removed, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was stunning. Braids swept up into a ponytail that gave him an unobstructed view of her coffee-with-cream complexion, wide dark brown eyes and bow-shaped lips, perfect for kissing.
He shook his head. Damn, I must be tired. No, if he were honest, fatigue had nothing to do with it. He was attracted to his nurse, plain and simple. He lifted his left arm, studied the dressing and shook his head. Donovan looked up when Simona entered the room with a syringe and sheet of paper on a tray.
She handed him the paper. “Here’s the prescription for the ointment.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s really late, so let’s finish up and get you out of here,” Simona said. “Which arm would you prefer? You might have some pain and stiffness for a couple of days, as well as some redness or swelling.”
“May as well do it in the left. No sense in having both arms messed up,” he said wryly.
Soft laughter escaped her lips.
The warm sound filled the room, and the shy smile curving her mouth did something to his insides. Despite her flustered state earlier, she was now poised and in control.
She swabbed the area with alcohol and injected him. “Okay. All done. You can put your shirt back on. Do you need some help?”
“Nah, I’m fine.” He carefully maneuvered his arm through the sleeve and buttoned the shirt. Coffee stained the left sleeve and down the front.
“So...um...you’re free to leave now,” she said, depositing the needle in a container affixed to the wall and removing her gloves.
“Aren’t you off?”
She turned back to face him. “Yes.”
He slid from the table. “Then, come on. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’m sure the security guards are waiting to walk me out.”
A man rushed into the room before Donovan could reply. A doctor, he guessed, judging by the white coat and stethoscope hanging around his neck.
The man rushed over to Simona and placed his arm around her shoulder, which she promptly shrugged off. “Simona, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?”
“Fine, Dr. Harris. I was just leaving.”
“Great. I’ll walk you out.”
“I got it, doc. I’m sure you need to get back to your patients,” Donovan said, picking up on the obvious tension between the two. “You ready, Simona?”
“Yes. Thank you, Donovan. Good night, Dr. Harris.”
The doctor looked ready to explode, and Donovan chuckled inwardly. Placing a hand on the small of her back, he guided Simona out. “Have a good evening, doctor.”
Neither spoke as they made their way out of the building. A few steps outside, she slowed.
“Which way is your car?”
She gestured to the right. “I appreciate you walking me out.”
“Simona, there’s no way I’d let you walk out here alone. Do you normally get off work this late?” Donovan didn’t see a security guard, and it more than concerned him.
“No. I get off at seven. Tonight I was covering part of another nurse’s shift because she called in sick.”
“So, what’s the story on you and the doctor? Are you two dating or something?”
She angled her head to look up at him and paused before saying, “No, but not for lack of trying on his part.”
Donovan was secretly elated by that fact.
