What the Doctor Didn't Tell Her (2 page)

She gave Daniel credit for doing his
best in a difficult situation. That didn’t ease her concerns about
today, though.

After working in a small town, Daniel
had expressed a desire to brush up on his microsurgery skills. Luke
had responded that Sarah was the best surgeon on their staff, and
volunteered her to supervise.

Now she hurried along the hall toward
the surgical suites, hoping to scrub in before he did. That way,
she could confine their interaction to the operating
room.

The familiar scent of spice and pine
soap alerted her a few seconds before he rounded a corner, and she
had to sidestep quickly. Daniel steadied her, his strong hand
catching her shoulder.

“
Sarah.” His voice
caressed her name. “Are you all right?”

“
I’m…fine.”

How foolish, standing frozen while
electricity tingled through her traitorous body. She ought to paste
on an impersonal smile and brush past.

“
Thank you for agreeing to
mentor me,” Daniel said, releasing her. The two of them fell into
step, heading for the operating room.

“
You’re a terrific
surgeon,” Sarah responded honestly. “I’m surprised you let your
skills lapse.”

Daniel’s mouth tightened. “There were reasons
for moving to Arizona. Good reasons. But never mind
that.”

“
None of my business, I
suppose,” she muttered.

“
That’s not what I
meant.”

Too late for clarification. They’d
reached the surgical suite, and nurses were waiting to assist them
with scrubbing in, gowning and masking.

Sarah felt as acutely aware of Daniel’s
nearness as she had six years ago. During their residency, being
around him hadn’t seemed a distraction; instead, it had
strengthened her love of medicine. Discussing procedures had been
valuable for them both, and when they’d made love, they’d been
keenly attuned to each other.

She had to admit, she’d been the first to ease
off, but only because, months after being approved as an egg donor,
she’d finally been chosen by a couple. After treating so many
infertile women who longed desperately for a family, Sarah had been
happy to volunteer. Spending a few months taking hormones,
coordinating cycles with the recipient—who’d remained anonymous—and
undergoing the egg transfer had seemed little enough to sacrifice
in order to give life.

She’d been forbidden to have intercourse
during that period, due to the risk of accidentally becoming
pregnant with multiple babies. Had the awareness that she was
undergoing this process proved a turnoff for Daniel? If so, he’d
been cowardly not to tell her. Also, , if he was that finicky, what
a poor bet he’d be as a future husband and father.

Steeling herself, Sarah entered the operating
room just ahead of him. With their hair hidden beneath sterile
caps, neither of them was likely to make anyone’s heart beat
faster, she thought with a smile.

The procedure was a reversal of a woman’s
tubal ligation so that she could have children with her second
husband. Sarah spoke briefly to the patient, assuring her that they
had a high likelihood of success. When she introduced Daniel as a
skilled surgeon whom they were lucky to have with them today, the
woman gazed at him gratefully.

Once the anesthesia took effect, Sarah made
the first incision. An operating room was a busy place, with the
anesthesiologist, scrub nurses, technicians and a circulating
nurse, but she was mostly aware of Daniel across from
her.

It was a painstaking procedure that involved
opening the blocked ends of the Fallopian tube segments that had
previously been tied off. They then threaded in a stent to hold
them open, drew the tubal openings together and sutured them. The
stitches had to be precisely aligned.

She and Daniel coordinated their tasks
smoothly. Because they’d trained together and often thought alike,
they were able to hand off tasks. At first, since he was out of
practice with the
surgical microscope
and specialized tools, his motions were slower than usual, but he
quickly regained his confidence.

How well Sarah understood. She, too, loved the
challenge of surgery, and this procedure gave the woman an eighty
percent chance of having a successful pregnancy in
future.

Above his mask, excitement shone in Daniel’s
eyes. “I’m glad to be back.”

“
I’m glad you are, too.” Sarah
hoped he didn’t misinterpret her words as anything more than
professional respect. “Well, I’ll leave you to finish. I have to
prepare for another surgery.”

“
Thanks.” He stayed focused on the
task.

Outside the O.R., Sarah saw that they’d been
in surgery less than two hours. Since the operation had been
uncomplicated, that was typical for the procedure.

After speaking reassuringly to the patient’s
husband, she took a short break, then went to her next surgery. To
put in hours of standing and concentrating, a surgeon required
plenty of stamina and steady nerves. Sarah had both those
qualities, as did Daniel.

He had patient consults for the rest of the
morning, she’d noticed on the office schedule. Around 2 p.m., when
she finally arrived at the hospital cafeteria for lunch, she was
surprised to find him sitting in the nearly empty room. When he
waved, Sarah realized he must have come on purpose to meet with
her.

They might as well talk. This morning had
broken the ice, and besides, they had to function as colleagues.
Not to mention that dodging him at her house was wearing
thin.

She selected a pastrami sandwich with a side
salad and joined him at the table. “Good job this morning.” It
seemed a safe topic.

“
I’m glad to be here,” he said
earnestly. “Listen, I didn’t mean to be rude when you asked why I
moved to a small town in Arizona.”

“
It really isn’t my business.”
Sarah tackled her sandwich hungrily.

“
The truth is….” He paused. “Let’s
start with part of the truth. Neither of us has all
day.”

“
Fair enough,” she
mumbled.

Daniel leaned back, his long legs bumping
Sarah’s. With his dramatic dark coloring and soulful air, he was
almost painfully handsome, she thought, and shifted so they were no
longer touching.

“
Shortly after Nina’s birth, my
brother Fred got laid off his job,” he began.

What did that have to do with moving to
Arizona? Sarah wondered, but kept quiet. No doubt he’d make the
connection soon.

“
He started binge drinking,” he
went on. “When he got a job managing a motel in northern Arizona,
Misty—my sister-in-law—wasn’t thrilled, but she went
along.”

A couple of nurses carried their trays to a
table that gave them a good view of Daniel. He didn’t appear to
notice.

“
When I learned that the local
clinic had an opening for an obstetrician, I decided to take the
post for a year to keep an eye on things,” he went on. “I hoped my
brother would stay sober now that he had a job and a
baby,”

“
Did he?”

Daniel gave a resigned headshake. “He and
Misty quarreled frequently, and then she started drinking heavily,
too. I took care of Nina as much as I could.”

All these years, he’d been sacrificing for his
niece? “She’s a sweetheart. But that must have been hard on you
and
her.”

“
I encouraged them to join
Alcoholics Anonymous, but it was a lost cause,” he said. “They
wouldn’t even acknowledge the problem. Then one night there was a
fire.” He broke off, breathing hard.

They’d died in a fire, Sarah recalled. “What
happened, exactly?”

“
One of the motel guests heard
Nina screaming and pulled her out of the manager’s apartment before
the firefighters arrived.” He clenched his hands on the table.
“Fred and Misty died from smoke inhalation.”

“
That’s awful.” And horrifying,
especially for the little girl. “What caused the fire, if you don’t
mind my asking?”

“
The investigator said it started
in the kitchen. Possibly unattended cooking equipment.” Daniel’s
chest rose and fell rapidly. “My niece has blocked that whole
night. She doesn’t remember any specifics. I hired a therapist,
hoping to help Nina face what happened so she can heal, but it
hasn’t worked.”

“
You stayed there another
year?”

“
Until the adoption was final.
Then I heard about this job and it was perfect.”

He still hadn’t said why he’d withdrawn from
their relationship. If it had to do with his brother’s problems,
there’d be no reason to keep it secret.

Yet Sarah wondered if she’d been too hard on
him. Or was his magnetic pull clouding her judgment?

If so, she’d better get over it.
Soon.

Chapter Three

That afternoon, Luke
Van Dam called Sarah’s name as she walked past his private office.
When she stopped in the doorway, he said, “Thanks for supervising
Daniel today. My wife tells me you two had some issues from the
past. If I’d been aware of that, I wouldn’t have volunteered
you.”

“
No
problem.” Since he didn’t appear reassured, Sarah added, “We’ve put
that behind us.”

“
Glad to
hear it. And it’s great that your mom’s able to watch his little
girl.” Luke was a striking man in his own right, despite a slightly
crooked nose from an old football injury. “I remember how hard it
was when Zoey was a kid, after the divorce. My ex-wife
travels—she’s a singer, and that involves a lot of touring. Until I
married Jane, I struggled to find good sitters.”

“
It
doesn’t appear to have hurt Zoey.” The twelve-year-old had sailed
into adolescence with considerable self-assurance. She was popular,
athletic and a good student.

“
Kids need
a mom, especially girls.” Luke gave her a wry grin. “Despite my
medical specialty, there are some areas of Zoey’s development that
I’m happy to leave to Jane. The way women react to Daniel, he
should have no trouble finding a new mom for Nina.”

“
You think
it’s that simple?” Sarah asked sharply. “Just find the right
interchangeable mother and….sorry, Luke. It’s been a long
day.”

“
I did
make it sound like that, didn’t I?” he said. “Came out
wrong.”

“
Not that
I care.” Sarah was protesting too much. Best to change the subject.
“My last two patients canceled, so I’m off early.”

“
Thanks
again.”

With a wave, she
stepped out. Down the hall lay the receptionist’s counter, behind
which Edda Jonas leaned forward, beaming at Daniel. They were both
chuckling, apparently over a shared joke.

“
He should have no trouble finding a mom for
Nina.”
Luke’s
remembered words sent a pang through Sarah.

Catching Daniel’s
attention on her, she mustered a polite nod and hurried off. So
what if he was flirting with Edda? None of her business.

The walk cleared
Sarah’s thoughts, and she arrived home in a cheerier mood. She
found her mom and Nina emptying the dishwasher. The little girl
solemnly placed silverware in a drawer, matching forks to forks and
spoons to spoons.

Eight years ago, after
Sarah’s father died of a heart attack, Betsy had been left with
enough insurance money to pay her bills but little left over for
travel or theater tickets. To bring in extra, she’d started
baby-sitting for acquaintances. Discovering that she enjoyed caring
for other people’s children as well as earning extra income, she’d
develop this into a steady business.

It required
flexibility to accommodate different families’ schedules, Sarah
knew. Some children came before and after school, while others
showed up later in the morning and left in the early afternoon.
There was a mixture of ages, from babies up to ten-year-olds.
Although the license allowed Betsy to care for as many as six
children at one time, she rarely supervised more than
four.

Betsy stifled a yawn
as she regarded her daughter. “You’re home early.”

“
Patient
cancellations.” Although she’d meant to lie down, Sarah could see
her mom was tired. “Why don’t you rest before dinner? I’ll watch
Nina till her dad gets here. I can fix dinner, too.”

“
That
would be lovely, if it’s okay with Nina.” Betsy turned to the
little girl. “What do you say?”

“
Yes!”
Dropping the last spoon into place, Nina ran to Sarah and held up
her arms for a hug. Flattered, Sarah scooped her up, and the
five-year-old clung to her.

“
She
doesn’t do that with me,” Betsy said. “What’s your
secret?”

“
My
charming personality, of course.” Sarah lowered the little girl
gently.

Nina took her hand.
“Can we play Go Fish?”

“
Sure.”
Card games were instructive as well as fun. Sarah fetched a deck of
cards and they sat at the table. “Do you know how many cards we
start with in our hands?”