LITMIR.BIZ

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might have realized that.”

      At least he looked contrite, and much too cute. “Sorry. I’m pretty damn tired at the moment.”

      “That will make one a little cranky.”

      He sent her a crooked smile. “So you think I’m cranky?”

      Cranky, and gorgeous. “Maybe just a little bit.”

      “Could we settle for mildly out of sorts?”

      Joanna couldn’t help but smile back. “I suppose we could compromise with out of sorts. As long as we drop the mildly.”

      His grin deepened and he opened his mouth to speak but before he could, a harried middle-aged woman approached him. “Dr. Madrid, the Gonzaleses have no insurance. I need to make payment arrangements with them. If they can’t pay, we need to transfer—”

      “She’s not going anywhere.” His voice brimmed with barely contained anger. “I’m going to do an emergency cesarean in about ten minutes, and her husband’s going to be with her. End of conversation.”

      “But hospital policy states—”

      “I don’t give a damn about policy.” He lowered his voice, his jaw clenched tight. “I know you’re just doing your job, but I don’t have time to argue. Have your supervisor call me after the surgery if there’s a problem. I’ll handle it.”

      The woman walked away, shaking her head.

      Joanna smiled. “Bravo, Doctor. I’m impressed.”

      His grin came slowly and unexpectedly, but Joanna’s reaction was fast and hard to ignore. “The bureaucracy around here sucks.”

      “I have to agree with you on that, too.” She glanced toward the cubicle. “Well, I guess I should wish the Gonzaleses luck so you can do your job.”

      He rubbed a hand over his shadowed jaw. “Do you want to scrub in with me?”

      Joanna was totally taken aback by the offer. “I’d love to, if it’s okay with the hospital.”

      “I’m giving you my permission, and that’s good enough. Let’s get going.”

      After Dr. Madrid had made appropriate arrangements, Joanna followed him to the labor and delivery unit to change. She dressed and scrubbed then found him waiting for her in the operating suite. Stopping at the head of the table, Joanna exchanged a few encouraging words with the nervous couple, then moved past the drape to join the crew at the table.

      “I assume you’ve scrubbed in on one of these before,” the doctor asked, the scalpel poised in his hands.

      “Plenty.”

      “You’re not doing them at the center, are you?”

      That might have made Joanna mad had he not said it with amusement. “Not hardly. But I have had several opportunities during my training.” More than a few in her checkered past. She’d put her career goals on hold when she’d become pregnant her second year of medical school, soon forced to settle back into the role of nurse because of finances. Then later, Adam had completely robbed her of her dreams of becoming a doctor. He had robbed her of a lot more than that.

      Joanna tamped down the bite of resentment to watch the obstetrician in action. His skill was apparent with the first cut, his hands deft, his movements flawless as he worked quickly to deliver the baby. Joanna and the doctor smiled at each other in unison when the little girl released a loud cry of protest during her entry into the world outside the womb. A wonderful sound, Joanna thought. She would never get over the miracle of birth, no matter how many times she witnessed it. And from the satisfied look on Dr. Madrid’s face, she imagined he felt the same.

      Joanna had done little more than observe until he held up the umbilical cord and asked, “Do you want to cut this?”

      “Sure.” Joanna complied, pleased that he thought to involve her at least this much.

      Before handing the baby over to the attending pediatrician, Dr. Madrid held up the infant for the new parents to see and said, “Usted tiene una ninña hermosa.”

      Joanna couldn’t deny that, when she turned from the table to watch the pediatrician examine the child. The baby girl was beautiful with her thick cap of black hair and her round cherub’s face. She looked plump and healthy, her coloring good.

      Children were truly a blessing, and that concept made Joanna think of her own son and how much she missed him, cherished him. How much sadness had been a part of her life over the past few months without him.

      “Ms. Blake, please see Mr. Gonzales to the nursery while I finish up here.”

      The concern in Dr. Madrid’s voice drew Joanna’s attention from the infant. “Okay.”

      As she walked to the head of the table, Joanna noticed the doctor’s dark brows drawn down with concentration, and beads of sweat dampening the front of the blue cap covering his head. She heard him give the order for several meds, and other muttered comments from the staff about too much blood.

      Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

      Joanna instructed Mr. Gonzales to follow her, trying her best to alleviate his distress with a calm voice. He kissed his wife’s cheek, then stood. Once in the hallway, the pediatrician signaled the new father to come with her and they walked away behind the portable crib, leaving Joanna behind, hoping to find out what had gone wrong with Mrs. Gonzales.

      Joanna removed her gloves and mask and remained outside the O.R. suite, glancing in the door’s window to try to discern the problem. She couldn’t see anything for the flurry of activity surrounding the table.

      After what seemed like an interminable amount of time, Dr. Madrid backed away from the table, looking relieved. He stopped for a moment and spoke to Mrs. Gonzales, then headed for the exit while the staff prepared to move the patient.

      He yanked the gloves off his hands, the mask off his face and raked the cap from his head, tossing them into the refuse container. He then pushed through the double doors to join Joanna outside the room.

      “Is she all right?” Joanna asked.

      “She had a bleeder, but I’ve got it under control.”

      “You didn’t have to do a hysterectomy, did you?”

      “No. I’ve managed to save her uterus. They’ll give her a couple of units of blood. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

      “I’m glad. I was worried.”

      “So was I.” He leveled his golden gaze on her. “Do you want to grab some coffee after I make sure Mrs. Gonzales is settled?”

      That sounded like a plan, one she didn’t dare consider. “I really need to go. I have to call the center then get home. I’ll check on Mrs. Gonzales before I leave.”

      His sultry smile crept in. “Not even one cup of coffee? Just ten minutes of your time?”

      “Actually, I’m in a hurry.” In a big hurry to get away from those tempting topaz eyes, that drop-dead smile.

      His grin deepened. “Are you always in a hurry?”

      An odd question. “Most of the time I’m running on full speed. Aren’t you?”

      “Yeah, but I’m about to give out.” He surveyed her face, his gaze zeroing in on her lips before he again locked on her eyes. “Are you sure I can’t change your mind?”

      Oh, he could, but she wouldn’t let him. Joanna started backing down the hall while she slipped the robe away from her shoulders. “I really do need to go.”

      He watched her the same way he had at the gala before she’d made her escape. The man must have excessive pheromones, she decided. Right now they were working on her in some not too unpleasant ways. Head to toe chills traveled downward and heat settled low in her belly. It would be all

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