Becca punched the air. “Please.”
Two days later, Becca was back to doing the work she loved. No, it wasn’t the precision work of being next to Seth in the O.R., but it was satisfying nonetheless. Best of all, it kept her mind engaged and busy, as well as her hands. The edge was taken off her frustration.
Becca liked Dr. Carter at once. Nearing sixty, he was still in excellent physical shape, and still handsome. She could just imagine how attractive he must have been to the female population when he was young.
He appeared to live alone, as Becca heard no mention of a wife, nor was introduced to anyone. Curious, she asked Sue about his possible marital status.
She was happy to clarify. “John married his college sweetheart right after graduation. He brought her home with him. Apparently, she had other dreams of life being married to a doctor. She lasted not quite two years, then she packed up and left.” She grimaced. “So far as anyone knows, except to sign the divorce papers her lawyer mailed him, John hasn’t heard a word from her since.”
“And no local lady friend?”
“Oh,” Sue said. “John has lots of female and male friends, but no lady friend in the way you mean.”
“Skittish, huh?”
“Yeah, and it’s a shame. He’s a great guy.” Sue sighed and walked away, ending the discussion.
Becca watched her, curious. Her sigh had not only a note of compassion, but a touch of longing as well. Hmm, she thought, interesting.
As Sue had explained Becca’s situation to John, he agreed to her working three half days a week to begin. She was tempted to argue for more time, but gave in gracefully, as she somehow knew she wouldn’t win, anyway.
By Saturday, working her third half day of the week, Becca had settled in as if she had worked in the small clinic for years. She was back in form and loving it.
* * *
It was hot and humid in Philadelphia. Summer was hanging on to the east coast like a leech to a blood vessel. There were frequent storms; with each one, the air seemed to get hotter and more humid.
Seth was tired. He was tired of the heat. He was tired of the humidity. He was damn sick of feeling tired. He knew most of his problem was mental, not physical.
Physically, Seth was feeling pretty good. He wasn’t back to performing surgery yet, but he had been helping his practice partner, Colin Neil, by doing hospital rounds checking on the progress of Colin’s pre-and post-surgical patients.
No, the problem wasn’t physical…except in one particular and vulnerable part of his body. But, sexual frustration aside, his health was much better than when he had left Africa weeks ago.
Truth to tell, Seth felt fine as long as he was inside the hospital. Talking to patients, checking charts, reading test results along with discussing individual patients with Colin kept him too busy to think or brood about other, personal matters.
Actually, there was only one matter, and that matter’s name was Becca. The moment he stepped through the hospital doors at the end of the day, her name filled his mind and senses.
Thinking about her, wondering about her—how she was feeling, what she was doing, who she might be meeting—was driving him nuts. And underneath the relentless, nagging thoughts was an emotion he refused to recognize.
Seth had tried evasive action. He did something he had never done before. He had dated another doctor. Her name was Kristi and she was doing her internship. He had agreed to let her trail behind him, observe as he did his daily rounds.
That had been a few days after Becca had left. Seth had hoped having an intern with him, answering her questions, explaining his and Colin’s procedure, might keep his mind centered.
And it had worked, so well that he figured if it worked during the day, maybe…
Anyway, Seth had asked Kristi out to dinner. She didn’t so much as hesitate—she said yes immediately.
All well and good, Seth figured. They could share a nice dinner and possibly, very probably, some professional conversation. He fully expected her to pick his brain, and why not? He didn’t mind.
Kristi was a very attractive woman. Any man would be proud to be seen with her. She was pretty, slender and petite, very feminine.
She was also very bright, which was what appealed to Seth even more than her looks. In his opinion, she would make an excellent physician. In addition, she had a good sense of humor. All and all, Seth found her a wonderful dinner and conversational companion.
On seeing her home, Seth had even kissed her, not a friendly peck but a real kiss.
He felt nothing.
Oh, it wasn’t horrible or even unpleasant. But it was bland, ho-hum, not at all the shockingly erotic physical and emotional impact he had experienced when he had kissed Becca.
Dammit.
It wasn’t her fault. Kristi simply wasn’t Becca. The most ridiculous part was he had actually felt as if he had cheated on Becca.
Talk about being tired.
He missed Becca and Seth was, in a word, miserable. Still, he soldiered on, making rounds, checking charts, answering Kristi’s questions.
Seth lasted until near the end of the third week after Becca left. Then he caved to the urge gnawing inside him. He had to see her, be convinced she was taking care of herself, resting, eating, getting well.
On Friday of that week, he told Colin he would be leaving town for an end-of-summer vacation, and that hopefully he would be ready to go back into active practice when he returned. His partner agreed it was an excellent idea, and that he’d hold down the fort…so to speak.
Packing enough clothes to last about a week, Seth set out for West Virginia near dawn on Saturday morning.
The trip was long and tedious, with a short break for breakfast. Finally, around lunchtime, he brought his car to a stop at the cabin. Some cabin, Seth thought, shaking his head in near disbelief at the beautiful structure. But then, it belonged to a billionaire, he should have suspected more than a mere cabin in the woods.
Leaving the car, he mounted the steps to the wide porch and knocked at the solid oak door. The door opened to reveal a sober-faced, middle-aged woman.
“Yes?” Her eyebrows rose.
Seth smiled. “Hi, I’m Seth Andrews. I’m looking for Rebecca Jameson,” he said. “Is she here?”
“You’re Dr. Andrews,” she said, smiling back. “Becca didn’t say she was expecting you.”
A funny sensation trickled through him. “Has she mentioned me?”
“Oh, yes.” She nodded. “Said you worked together in Africa.”
“That’s right…and before Africa.” He frowned. “Isn’t she here?”
“Oh…my
