Perched on a hilltop that overlooked the Pacific, Oceana General Hospital was located about twenty minutes north of downtown San Diego. The large white stucco building had an old-world, Spanish style, with a flower-lined walkway and a stone-crafted water fountain bubbling at the entrance.
Luke liked the way the lights shined upon the water at night, which is why he chose to enter through the front door and not the emergency room.
After parking his SUV in the lot assigned to doctors, he pushed through the double glass doors into the lobby. He walked past the ladies dressed in pink who were members of the hospital auxiliary and headed down the walkway to the ICU. His shift would start soon, but he wanted to check on Carrie—again.
His interest in the beaten pregnant woman went against the grain, he supposed. Whenever any other cases had tugged at his frayed heartstrings, he’d always been able to successfully fight off the urge to get involved. So he didn’t know why he hadn’t done the same with this one.
Sure you do, an adolescent voice whispered.
He cursed under his breath. Okay, so it was Leilani who had the hold on him—her and that damn guilt he still carried.
Upon punching in the code that allowed him into the ICU, he proceeded to the nurses’ station, where he learned that Carrie had been assigned to Bethany Paige, an attractive redhead he’d dated a while back. The shifts were about to change.
“How’s Carrie Summers doing?” he asked.
Bethany arched a brow, obviously surprised to see him out of the E.R.
Okay, so it was common knowledge he didn’t often follow up on a patient.
He shrugged. “Ms. Summers is a friend of a friend.”
“Oh, yeah?” Bethany crossed her arms as though making some kind of assumption she had no business making. “Not much has changed. She’s having some intermittent contractions, but nothing productive.”
“Is she still unconscious?”
“Yes. There’s been some brain swelling, but Dr. Wofford has been keeping a close eye on it.”
“Good.”
Bethany blew out a sigh. “I hope they put away the guy who did this to her for a long time.”
“So do I.”
The brief relationship he and Bethany had shared was over, yet the memories, few that they were, filled the air between them.
“You know,” she said, “I don’t have any hard feelings about…well, you know.”
Luke smiled. “I’m glad. You deserve someone who can commit and give you the white-picket-fence dream. I’m afraid I’m just a loner at heart, a guy who thrives on working nights and sleeping days.”
“I’d thought maybe that might change—if you met the right woman.”
He tugged gently at a red lock of hair. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that. I’m too set in my ways.”
“Yeah, well thanks for being honest and up-front about it. I appreciate that.”
He let the curly strand go, losing the fleeting connection that reflected the intimacy they’d shared for a couple of weeks.
At first, Bethany had claimed she wanted a no-strings-attached affair, too. But as they spent more time together, she began to press for more, so Luke ended things.
Some men might have let it go on longer, but he’d learned a lot of things from Harry Logan, especially the meaning of integrity. Life was far less complicated when people were honest with each other.
“Will you mention to the night-duty nurse that I’d like to know if there’s any change in her condition?”
Bethany nodded. “Sure.”
Luke tossed her a thanks-for-understanding smile, then turned and left the ICU. He headed to the waiting room, where he expected to see Leilani. Maybe this time, he’d get a chance to tell her what he’d meant to say before.
When he paused in the doorway, he found her seated on the sofa, her shoes kicked off and on the floor, her bare feet tucked under her.
“Isn’t it time for you to be heading home?” he asked.
At the sound of his voice, Leilani looked up, uncurled her legs and quickly slipped on her shoes. “Sorry. I got a bit too comfy.”
“Good. You spend enough time here that you ought to make yourself at home.” He shot her a grin. “In fact, why don’t you come with me to the cafeteria? I’ve got a couple of minutes before I have to head to work.”
“Thanks, but I can’t.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I heard Dr. Wofford is going to be making his rounds soon, and I want to be here when he does.”
Something rigid inside him warmed and waffled, and he took a seat beside her.
“Is this all normal?” Leilani asked.
Luke didn’t want to tell her there was a chance Carrie wouldn’t wake up. Leilani was worried enough, and he didn’t want to add a stress about something that might not present itself.
He went on to explain some of the medical tests and treatments in layman terms. She seemed to appreciate the time he spent with her. More than once, he wanted to reach out to her, to take her hand, but he didn’t want to force an intimacy they no longer had.
Luke had never gotten the chance to tell her how sorry he’d been that Kami had died. And a part of him wondered if he’d ever be able to find forgiveness in her eyes.
He could understand why he might not.
Her brother’s death had been devastating, the details ugly. The poor kid had been young and as innocent as they came. When his death had been declared drug-related, it had cast a sordid cloud over his memory and had shamed his religious family.
Of course, Luke wouldn’t bring any of that up now, not at the hospital. Instead he would drive by her aunt’s house on his next day off and talk to her there.
Assuming, of course, that her aunt no longer had the shotgun she’d threatened to fire at him if he ever showed up at her door again.
Chapter Three
The next morning, when his shift ended, Luke stopped by the ICU again, and the fact that he did bothered him more than ever.
Why couldn’t he let Leilani go?
Damned if he knew. He might be a doctor, but he sure as hell didn’t know the first thing about curing a worn-out case of puppy love. Or whatever it was he still felt for his old lover.
Sympathy maybe?
A misplaced sense of loyalty?
After checking in on Carrie and hearing the latest, he went by the waiting room, only to see that Leilani wasn’t there. A sense of disappointment settled over him, which he found even more annoying.
He ought to be happy she was taking care of herself and getting some rest. That’s what he should be doing.
On the way out of the hospital, he walked through the lobby and kept his eyes peeled for Leilani on the outside chance she would be coming while he was going. And, much to his relief, he spotted her just outside the glass doors.
She wore a pale-yellow sweater and a pair of black jeans today. Her hair was loose and curled under at the shoulders. When she cast a friendly grin at the ladies dressed in matching pink smocks and seated at the information desk, greeting them warmly, he realized she was not only as lovely as ever, but she was just as kindhearted.
When her gaze landed on him, his pulse skipped a beat, then rumbled to life.
Strange