LITMIR.BIZ

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      Charlie scrambled down from the gurney with a guiding hand from his mother and went over to his friend. Danny didn’t speak and Charlie didn’t know sign language, but it was clear to her that the boys still managed to communicate with each other just fine between Charlie’s words and Danny’s gestures.

      Moments later, the transport team came to pick up Danny for his tests.

      “Let’s get this place cleared up. We’ll put Danny in a regular room in the arena when he gets back,” Leila said to Amy, the nurse in charge for the day.

      “Okay. What do you think is wrong with Danny that he won’t talk?” Amy asked, as she began to clear the area.

      “I don’t know and it’s not any of our business one way or the other,” Leila said in a tone meant to squash the rumor mill. She headed over to the nearest workstation to finish documenting Danny’s assessment.

      Although as she completed the necessary paperwork, she couldn’t help wondering the same thing. Why on earth didn’t Danny talk? Especially if he could hear and understand perfectly well?

      Since Quinn had purposefully kept quiet about Danny’s situation, she figured he wasn’t going to tell her just to satisfy her idle curiosity.

      It was an hour and a half later before Danny’s leg was put in a cast, the X-rays having revealed a clean break in his left tibia. The bright lights had started to bother him, though, so as soon as the boy’s cast had been applied, Quinn had shut down the lights.

      Leila entered the room, holding the report containing Danny’s CT scan results. “Danny’s CT scan is clear, Quinn, but I have to tell you, I’d feel better if we kept an eye on him here overnight. Jadon agrees with me on this.”

      Quinn read the results and then glanced down at Danny. “I don’t know if that’s necessary. I can keep an eye on him at home just as well.”

      He was right. As a medical professional he knew exactly what changes to look for. Still, he was also Danny’s father and if she sent Danny home, Quinn would get little if any sleep.

      “Yes, you could,” she admitted, “but Danny does have a concussion and rather than put the burden on you, I’d prefer to keep him here so that we can keep a close eye out for any subtle neurologic changes. Besides, with that cast he’s going to need some decent pain management during the night, too.”

      When Quinn still hesitated, his expression torn, she put a reassuring hand on his arm. “Stay for one night. By the morning he should be feeling better.”

      He stared at her hand and then slowly lifted his gaze to her face. Just as before, a strange undercurrent of awareness tingled between them and she saw a flash of desire in his eyes before it vanished so quickly she might have imagined it.

      “All right. We’ll stay.”

      “Great.” She dropped her hand from his arm, and tried not to cover her confusion. She didn’t understand why she reacted this way to a man who was nothing more than a colleague. She turned toward the door. “I’ll tell Jadon to arrange for a bed.”

      “Leila?” His deep husky voice saying her name stopped her in her tracks.

      Her mouth went dry. She nervously licked her lips as she turned to face him. “Yes?”

      “Thanks.” His serious gaze bored into hers. “You were wonderful with Danny.”

      “You’re welcome.” She smiled and then went out to the arena to ask Amy to arrange for Danny’s transfer upstairs.

      Once the task was finished, she went to relax in the lounge, letting Jadon take over the management of the ED. As she let her eyes drift closed, she tried to figure out why loathing Quinn Torres had been so much easier than liking him.

      Quinn’s forearm tingled from Leila’s innocent touch long after she’d left. He took several deep breaths, trying to ignore the sensation, but to no avail. Of course, it didn’t help that a hint of her jasmine scent lingered in the air.

      Admit it, he told himself harshly, you’re sexually attracted to her, no matter how much you wish you weren’t. Quinn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He would have preferred his hormones to stay in their deep freeze rather than flowing hotly, urgently through his bloodstream like heat-seeking missiles aiming for the closest female within touching distance.

      He closed his eyes, trying to slow his racing heart, knowing that Delores was probably right. He’d been alone for too long. Thank heavens she wasn’t here as he didn’t think he’d hidden his reaction to Leila very well and she would have pounced on the attraction with a barely restrained glee.

      He wasn’t interested in a relationship. Would never again open himself up to the pain and agony of marriage. But he wasn’t a monk either. Apparently his body was letting him know that he needed sex.

      Leila’s image bloomed in his mind, instantly causing his groin to tighten with need.

      No. Not Leila. Not anyone here in Cedar Bluff. Small-town secrets were an oxymoron because there simply weren’t any. Everyone always knew everyone else’s business. He’d been amazed that he’d been able to hide the truth regarding Danny’s muteness for as long as he had. Although he suspected it was just a matter of time before someone became curious enough to search through back newspaper articles to discover the truth.

      Not Leila. As much as he didn’t particularly like the idea, he’d be better off going to Chicago, losing himself in the anonymity of the big-city bar scene. Normally, he wouldn’t even entertain the idea, but what choice did he have? Long-term relationships were out of the question, so he’d have to make do with a quick fling, where no one would get hurt. Women seemed attracted to him and he knew he wouldn’t have to go home alone if he didn’t want to.

      “Dr. Torres? Danny’s room is ready now.” Amy, the cheerful nurse who’d helped minister to Danny’s needs, smiled at him. Annoying to realize he didn’t feel one iota of desire for her. So much for his theory about responding to any woman within touching distance. What was wrong with him? Why was he so acutely aware of Leila?

      “Thanks.” He unfolded his lean frame and stood, stretching the kinks out of his neck. Danny didn’t like the bright lights, but tolerated the ride upstairs to the fourth-floor children’s wing well enough.

      “Is there anything else you need before I go?” Amy asked, her smile a tad too bright. He had the sense she was way too curious about Danny.

      Maybe she’d be the one to do the Internet search. The knowledge made him tense and scowl. He would do anything to protect his son.

      “No,” he said bluntly, not caring if he sounded rude. Rudeness helped keep people’s curiosity at bay. When she left, he settled into a chair next to Danny’s bed. Seconds later, a young pediatric nurse named Elizabeth came in to perform an admission assessment on his son. He dreaded having to explain about Danny’s inability to speak all over again, but Amy must have done a good job of handing over care because Elizabeth didn’t pry for more information, but kept her questions to Danny easy so he could simply respond with a nod or headshake.

      Danny didn’t want the television on, even with the cartoon channel playing his favorite movie, so Quinn sat in the quiet darkness, forcing himself to relax.

      Which wouldn’t be so difficult if his thoughts wouldn’t persist in returning to Leila.

      Chicago. Maybe Delores was right about him needing to get out there. He could use the New-Year weekend to go to Chicago. A night of mindless sex would certainly help erase Leila from his mind.

      He must have fallen asleep for a while, because all too soon the nurses brought dinner in for Danny. He watched as they did a very comprehensive neuro check, asking him questions that he helped answer through interpreting Danny’s sign language.

      “Dr. Torres, we have a parent kit here if you’re planning to spend the night,” Elizabeth offered.

      “Thanks.”

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