A Doctor's Promise Read online

  A Doctor’s Promise

  Laura Scott

  Readscape Publishing, LLC

  Copyright © 2018 by Laura Scott

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Untitled

  A Doctor’s Secret

  Also by Laura Scott

  1

  Symptoms range from stunted growth to multisystem organ failure and ultimately death.

  The words echoed over and over in her mind like a mantra. Flight nurse Shelly Bennett slipped unnoticed from the debriefing area, seeking the relative peace and quiet of Lifeline’s lounge. She sank onto the sofa and rubbed a hand over her gritty, bloodshot eyes. Nausea still churned in her stomach four days after learning about her five-year-old son’s abnormal lab values. As a result of hearing the news, she’d stayed up late every night, surfing online and devouring every bit of information she could find on pediatric renal failure.

  She closed her eyes against an overwhelming surge of helplessness. Please, God, he’s just a little boy. Please keep Tyler healthy.

  “Good morning.”

  Her eyes snapped open at the deep male greeting. A tall, blond-haired stranger with a square jaw and brilliant blue eyes, wearing a one-piece navy blue flight suit exactly like hers, stood a few feet away. Shelly frowned and quickly stood. Who was this guy? Had she missed something over the past few days in her concerned haze over Ty?

  The stranger didn’t seem to notice her confusion. “Ah, I was hoping to find fresh coffee here.”

  “Good morning, Jared.” Kate, one of her fellow flight nurses, entered the debriefing room. Fluffing her short blond curls, Kate stepped forward with a bright smile. “How was your move from Boston? Are you finally settled?”

  “I still have things in boxes, but for the most part, I’m moved in. The condo is very nice and affordable compared to Boston.” He helped himself to a cup of coffee from a pot on a nearby counter, then turned toward Shelly, extending his free hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met. Jared O’Connor, new Medical Director here at Lifeline Air Rescue.”

  Oh yes, she remembered now. Shelly nodded and forced a smile as she took his hand in greeting. Despite her worry over her son, a tingle of awareness skipped down her spine as she shook hands with her new boss. Dr. Jared O’Connor’s palm radiated a gentle strength as it held hers, and she found herself oddly reluctant to let go.

  His distinct East Coast accent reminded her of Ty’s father’s family, especially since Mark’s last name had been O’Connor, too. She’d encountered one other O’Connor in recent years, no relation to Mark. This was likely the same situation, but the coincidence jolted her just the same.

  Abruptly nervous, she cleared her throat. “Shelly Bennett, Flight Nurse. Pleased to meet you, Dr. O’Connor. Welcome to Lifeline.”

  “I’m happy to be here, but please, call me Jared.” He eyed her over the rim of his cup. “Shelly. You’re one of the pediatric nurses, aren’t you?”

  She flushed at his intent perusal, wondering if she’d somehow betrayed her unexpected flash of awareness. “Yes.”

  “Good to hear, my expertise is pediatrics, too. Explains why we’ve been paired to fly together.”

  “Lucky duck,” Kate muttered under her breath.

  “Great.” Shelly tried to hide her inner dismay. This was the worst time for her long-ignored hormones to wake up over some man. There was only room for one male in her life, her son Tyler. Unfortunately, Lifeline was small enough to make avoiding the handsome doctor difficult. Knowing they both worked pediatrics made it practically impossible. Being stuck in the sardine-like confines of the helicopter with Jared O’Connor was a complication she didn’t need.

  Was it possible he was related to Mark’s family? Trying to control a flash of panic, she searched his features for a sign of family resemblance. She’d only met Mark’s parents once and that was more than enough, thank you very much. Mark hadn’t gotten along with his family very well. No big surprise there.

  Mark had brown hair, golden brown eyes, and a lighthearted attitude toward life. Jared’s blue eyes were solemn, his blond hair thick. He was taller than Mark and more than just physically attractive—there was an intensity about him that called to her on a very basic level. Her unwelcome reaction was so foreign, she took an automatic step back, nearly tripping over the sofa behind her.

  Squaring her shoulders, she forced herself to think logically and to ignore Jared’s subtle attempt to grab her if she had fallen. There were hundreds of O’Connors in Boston. Mark’s father was a lawyer; in fact, Mark had been in law school when they’d first met.

  Before he’d died.

  Calmer now, she relaxed, keenly aware of how Jared watched her. Their previous medical director, Dr. Frank Holmes, had been from Boston, too. No doubt Jared O’Connor’s presence here was a result of his working with Holmes in the past, nothing more.

  Now if she could just ignore her ridiculous attraction to him, she’d be fine. Honestly, she needed to get a grip. She subtly searched for a wedding ring, hoping Jared was happily married and completely unavailable.

  “Can either of you give me some idea which restaurants are good around here?” His question included her and Kate, but his gaze didn’t leave Shelly’s. “I’m not big on cooking for myself.”

  “Oh, is your wife moving later, then?” Kate’s wide gaze belied her innocent question.

  “I’m not married.” His tone didn’t invite questions.

  Shelly’s hopes plummeted and crashed to the floor at her feet. So much for him being unavailable. She pasted a smile on her face and hoped her warring dismay and attraction didn’t show.

  “Well, there’s lots of places to eat, La Fluentes if you like Mexican . . .” Kate continued enumerating various restaurants, blatantly announcing her interest in easing his solitude.

  Jared’s gaze finally unlatched from Shelly’s and swung toward Kate. Shelly let out a soundless sigh of relief, grateful for her co-worker’s outgoing nature. No doubt Jared would be more interested in a cute willowy blonde than a round, curvy rather plain brunette like herself. She glanced at her watch and noted it was almost time for their training session. Edging toward the door, Shelly figured she’d better head out to the hangar to make sure their pilot Reese Jarvis had everything ready.

  She wasn’t needed here.

  Kate Lawrence held Jared O’Connor in the palms of her very capable hands.

  Jared frowned when Shelly slipped away, leaving him with the loquacious blonde. Thankfully, Kate’s name was printed in block letters on her name tag secured next to the gold wings of her flight suit or he might have forgotten it.

  “Thanks for the information.” He took another sip of his coffee and glanced at the door Shelly had disappeared through. “I missed morning report but noticed there’s a training class scheduled today.”

  “Yes. Because we’re affiliated with the medical school, we teach several emergency-trauma classes to the new residents coming on board. As flight nurses, we get first crack at them, before we turn their very green hides over to you.” Kate smiled, and he was abruptly struck by how young she was. She was so full of life she remind
ed him painfully of his younger brother. Mark had been the same way, intent on living life to its fullest. At least until the moment he’d driven his car at the estimated insane speed of eighty-five miles an hour into a concrete freeway divider.

  Pushing aside the constant ache of guilt, Jared followed Kate outside. “Hope you don’t mind if I watch.”

  “Of course not!” Kate looked pleased. “It’s a beautiful September day, may as well enjoy it while we can.”

  His gaze instinctively sought out Shelly. There was something about the pediatric flight nurse that intrigued him. Maybe it was the air of fragility in her heart-shaped face. Or the sorrow darkening her pretty green eyes that made him wonder who or what had put those shadows there.

  Kate reminded him of his brother, but Shelly was more like him. Her eyes were mirrors of deep anguish, heartache, and loss.

  Similar chords resonated in his heart.

  Jared didn’t bother listening as Kate rambled on about the training they were preparing to do. His attention was riveted on Shelly who was speaking quietly to Reese, the pilot on duty today. Were the two of them close? He frowned, staring at them intently. There was nothing in the way they stood together to suggest anything other than friendship. Shelly didn’t wear a wedding band—not that the absence of a ring meant much these days. Still, he couldn’t imagine a woman as beautiful as Shelly not having a man in her life. If not Reese, then someone else.

  Why did he care? He was a loner, always had been. More so since that horrible crash six years ago that had taken his brother’s life.

  His fault. Jared had learned to live with the knowledge that his argument with Mark had caused his brother’s death. The gut-wrenching guilt wasn’t fresh but existed deep in his soul, a constant ache that would never go away.

  There was nothing he could do to give Mark his life back, but he could dedicate his life to saving others. And to finding Mark’s runaway fiancée and child.

  But that wasn’t the only reason he’d traveled halfway across the country. He’d worked with Frank Holmes, the former medical director of Lifeline, during his residency. When Frank’s position had become available, he’d jumped at the chance to take it. Director positions of medical transport operations didn’t open up on a regular basis. The fact that the position was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was an added plus.

  His hope of finding Leigh Wilson was slim, but he wouldn’t give up. Not the way their useless private investigator had. Milwaukee wasn’t as big as Boston, but trying to find Leigh Wilson would be akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. A cliché? Yep. But accurate all the same.

  Restaurants were a place to start. Leigh had been working as a cocktail waitress at Stephan’s, an elite club in Boston when she’d met his brother. Six years was a long time, but the one thing the PI had confirmed was that Leigh Wilson had moved to Milwaukee.

  And then had disappeared.

  It was the only lead he had. The idea of a single mom, struggling to make ends meet without the benefit of a college education, gnawed at him. Mark hadn’t spoken much about the woman he’d wanted to marry, and Jared wished he’d pushed for more.

  His attention was snagged by a group of four residents, split equally male and female, entering the hangar. Kate and Shelly greeted them and introduced themselves.

  “Welcome to Lifeline.” Shelly took the lead. “First, the basics. Lifeline provides a transport service with two helicopters and one ground transport vehicle. We log over a thousand flights per year. You will need to pass several classroom training sessions prior to being allowed to fly. Each of your flights will be performed under the supervision of an attending MD until you’ve been approved by that attending to fly solo.”

  Distracted by the gentle curve of Shelly’s neck, he stopped listening. She was unconsciously graceful. His blood simmered, responding to the picture she made. Confident in her position, yet seemingly vulnerable at the same time, her smile was sweet but never quite met her eyes. Dark brown hair waved gently around her shoulders. He curled his fingers into fists, wishing he had the right to find out if her hair was as soft and silky as it looked.

  He averted his gaze. What was he thinking? Women in general were off-limits, but Shelly Bennett in particular. It wasn’t smart to date women you worked with.

  Besides, he didn’t have room in his life for a woman. Not unless that female happened to be Leigh Wilson.

  And even then, all he wanted was to meet her and her child. His long-lost niece or nephew.

  The call came in just as Shelly wrapped up her portion of the resident training session.

  “Shelly, we’re up.” Jared waved her over.

  “What’s the call?” She jogged to his side.

  “Eight-year-old girl with severe hypothermia. She’s up at Cedar Bluff, and they’re requesting an immediate transfer to Children’s Memorial.”

  There was no time to be nervous about her first flight with her new boss. She nodded, and they both hurried into the hangar.

  Reese already had the chopper revved up and ready to go. Jared grabbed his helmet and ducked inside. She followed, closing the lightweight aluminum door behind them. Once their helmets were connected to the intercom, they listened as Reese briefed them on the weather conditions. The interior of the helicopter was tight but compact, the small shelves lining the walls were stuffed with medical supplies. Everything had a place, which was helpful when dealing with emergencies. They buckled themselves into the parallel twin seats.

  The ear-splitting drone of the engine, muffled by the helmet she wore, had the strange effect of making Shelly hyperaware of Jared’s presence beside her. He seemed larger, with broader shoulders than any other doctor she’d worked with. When he shifted in his seat, his elbow bumped into hers. She tried to make herself smaller, hunching her shoulders and clasping her hands in her lap, giving Jared plenty of room.

  Neither spoke, although their helmets contained microphones and headsets specifically designed for communication. Her gut clenched as the chopper rose from the landing pad and then banked in a steep curve. She’d been flying for two years, but the sensation never failed to give her a thrill. Adrenaline zipped through her bloodstream, and she forced herself to relax and focus on their mission.

  Specializing in peds had been her choice long ago. But now, with her son’s illness lingering in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder if she could maintain her objectivity. Sick kids were difficult yet usually very rewarding to take care of.

  If she could keep her emotions in check.

  She shivered, hoping the eight-year-old girl would remain stable until they arrived.

  The trip seemed to take forever instead of twenty minutes. When they landed, Shelly was surprised when Jared helped pull the gurney out of the hatch. Many of the doctors didn’t bother with menial tasks. They both ditched their helmets and then ran alongside the gurney as they headed inside.

  “Thanks for getting here so quickly.” A harried female doctor greeted them from the young girl’s ICU bedside. “Amy Rawson fell off her family’s boat into Lake Michigan. Thankfully, she was wearing a lifejacket, but despite warm September weather, the water barely gets above fifty-five degrees. She was in the water for thirty minutes, and her core temp is dangerously low. We intubated her and put a warmer on. But she’s not doing well.”

  Shelly swallowed hard and went to work switching everything over to their portable equipment. The girl’s parents were at the bedside, the mother sobbing as her husband held her tightly. Shelly identified only too well with the mother’s pain. It took all of Shelly’s concentration to block a sharp wave of empathy and focus only on Amy.

  The girl was small, barely thirty-two kilos. Shelly slid an arm under Amy’s bony shoulders to help move her. Jared broke off his conversation with the critical care physician and reached over to help. His fingers brushed hers as they seamlessly shifted Amy to the gurney.

  There was no reason on earth to be so aware of the purely accidental touch of Jared’s
hand. Annoyed, she fastened the safety straps with a decisive click.

  “Ready?” Jared glanced at her questioningly.

  She nodded. “You have the transfer paperwork?”

  “Yeah. Let’s go.” He pushed the gurney forward.

  “Wait! We want to come with you!” Amy’s mother broke free of her husband, clutching the frame of the gurney as if to hold her daughter there.

  “I’m sorry.” Jared’s gaze softened with regret. “Our policy prevents you from flying with us. Frankly, there isn’t enough room. You need to let us take care of your daughter. I promise you can see her as soon as you get to Children’s Memorial.”

  Shelly’s heart broke when the mother’s face crumpled. She understood the woman’s anguish only too well. If the situation were reversed, there would be no way she’d let her son go off alone without a fight.

  Amy’s father grasped his wife’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Shh, it’s okay. We’ll drive down. Give us time to pull ourselves together. Amy needs us to be strong, Grace. She needs us to be there for her.”

  At least Amy’s mother wasn’t facing this on her own, Shelly thought as she tucked the warming blanket more closely around Amy’s shoulders.

  In wordless agreement, she and Jared wheeled Amy through the hospital to the elevator that would take them to the helipad. Once they stored Amy safely inside the chopper, they donned their helmets and jumped in beside her. Jared gave the thumbs-up sign to Reese who quickly lifted off.

  They worked together as if they’d been doing this for years rather than for the first time. Jared’s spicy aftershave pierced the usual scent of jet fuel.

  “Core temp up to thirty-two point five,” she informed him to the headset. “I’ve switched to warmed IV fluids.”