His mind shifted to Terrence Matthews, the one he’d had to terminate. The young man, although somewhat brash at times, had had a promising future. He had started off sharp as a whip, up on every assignment and possessed a bedside manner all the patients appreciated. Then Terrence began being late to group meetings, going MIA when he was supposed to be visiting patients and falling asleep during group discussions.
Lucien had mentioned Terrence’s behavior to Dr. Dudley who at first hadn’t wanted to rock the boat; after all the man was a Matthews. But Lucien had been making his own notes and observations when Jaclyn had come to him about Terrence’s drug use.
Without Terrence aware he was being observed, she had witnessed him stealing drugs from the hospital pharmacy. A replay of the pharmacy’s surveillance camera had backed up her claim, and a random drug test confirmed Terrence’s drug use.
Lucien shook his head when he recalled the day he had summoned Dr. Matthews to his office. The man didn’t deny the charges. Instead he said because he was a Matthews and his family had given so much to the hospital, he felt anything he did should and could be overlooked.
Even the offer that he take a temporary leave and go into drug rehab was laughed off with Terrence saying to do such a thing would be an admission of guilt. Lucien had ending up terminating Terrence’s association with the hospital that day.
Although he’d backed up Lucien’s actions, Dr. Dudley had predicted there would be a backlash from the Matthews family. The old man had been right.
Drawing in a deep breath Lucien walked to the window and glanced out at downtown Alexandria. Below, the brick-paved streets were lined with shops and boutiques of early eighteenth and nineteenth century architecture. And in the distance, across the Potomac, was the nation’s capital in all its glorious splendor. He enjoyed where he worked and loved living in Georgetown, far enough from the hospital on the D.C. side to appreciate the days he had off work.
He knew Jaclyn lived in Virginia, and the only times their paths had crossed after hours had been that Sunday when he’d decided to do his grocery shopping at a store in Alexandria.
He rubbed his hand down his face and turned away from the window. Although she had been sitting in the back of the room today, his gaze had sought her out anyway. He had looked for her. Found her. And had felt his attraction to her intensify. When she’d opened her mouth to speak, his pulse had accelerated and his ability to breathe had become affected.
What the hell was wrong with him?
It had taken all of his control to keep his features neutral, void of expression. Each and every time he was around her he risked the possibility of giving something away. The interns under his charge were bright, observant and astute. They would hang on to his every word, decipher his every action.
Jaclyn made it hard for him to think straight at times. Like today when she had been explaining Mr. Aiken’s condition to everyone. While she talked about the man’s fever, Lucien had begun imagining a fever of a different kind—the typed generated in the heat of passion between a man and a woman. Namely, him and her. He could envision her lush body, naked and hot, extremely hot, writhing beneath his while he thrust in and out of her making nonstop love to her.
Those thoughts had been the last thing that should have been flowing through his mind, but they weren’t. Even now those kinds of thoughts were uppermost in his mind and determined to get the best of him. It might be wise to consider placing as much distance between him and Jaclyn as possible, and the only way he could do that was to suggest she transfer to another hospital. He knew there was no way he could do that. It wouldn’t be fair to her to disrupt her position here just because he was the one with a libido problem.
As he gathered his belongings, Lucien knew what he had to do. He had to get a grip. No matter what, he could not lower his guard around her.
By lunchtime Jaclyn had heard so many versions of what was going down with the Matthews lawsuit that she wondered where was rumor control when you needed it. The only good thing was that so far no one knew the identity of the person who’d snitched on Terrence and for that she was grateful.
She hadn’t known what to expect when she’d made the decision to come forward to report Terrence’s drug abuse. But her parents had raised her to do the right thing, and knowing about the abuse and the harm it could cause her fellow doctor had been the determining factor in making her talk. No one knew she was the one responsible for Terrence losing his job. Not even her roommate Isabelle.
No one except Dr. De Winter.
Just the mention of his name made a picture of him flash in her mind. He was so drop-dead gorgeous. Most of the other female staffers felt the same way, too. She’d heard the comments, and she’d noticed that several of them would cook up any excuse to go up to his office, only to return with what they considered the same disappointing news. Dr. De Winter had suspected them from the first. In other words, he’d seen through their attempt at shrewdness and wasn’t having any of it.
Thoughts of Dr. De Winter still took up residence in her mind hours later at the end of her shift. But they’d been pushed to the background after she’d overheard some interns trying to figure out who had nailed Terrence. They had what they termed a snitch among them.
They’d claimed if they’d known about Terrence, they would have implemented a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Who in their right mind would want to go up against the Matthews family? they’d asked. Hadn’t the snitch caused the hospital more harm than good now that the family was withdrawing its financial support?
As far as Jaclyn was concerned things were getting out of hand. What if Dr. Dudley was wrong and she was identified as the person who’d come forward about Terrence? She could see some of the interns turning on her and making her life at Hopewell unpleasant.
She knew the one person she needed to talk with and found him standing at a nurse’s station writing in a patient’s chart. Taking a deep breath she walked over to him. “Excuse me, Dr. De Winter, may I speak with you privately?”
Lucien stopped writing at the sound of the soft feminine voice. He didn’t have to glance up to see to whom it belonged. He forced the air from his lungs as he turned and looked into Jaclyn’s face. He immediately saw from the look in her eyes that she was troubled by something. But he had to play it cool, remembering he couldn’t jump at the chance to be alone with her any more than he would any of the other interns.
He stuck his pen into his pocket and lifted a brow. “I’m about to call it a day, Dr. Campbell. Is it something that can wait until tomorrow?” he asked in a no-nonsense, very professional tone, knowing his words had been overheard by Nurse Tsang who was all ears.
As usual her radar was on high alert. The woman had a tendency to mind everyone’s business but her own. “No, sir. It can’t wait.”
He glanced at his watch. “Very well, then. We can go to my office.”
They walked side by side toward his office at the end of the corridor. And with every step he took he inhaled her scent. The tropical fragrance of jasmine reminded him of the night-blooming flower from the island where he’d been born. She was wearing it well and it made him recall sultry summer nights.
As he walked beside her, he racked his brain for something to say that wouldn’t come out as too forward. He glanced over at her. With her exotic features and dark hair, she could pass for an island girl if it wasn’t for her fair skin. She was a beauty. He’d thought so the first time he’d seen her and he thought so now.
He increased his pace and she managed to keep up with him. Lucien could imagine those long legs beneath the slacks could do so with ease.
It had been a quiet day, no emergencies that had needed his attention beyond the norm and for that he was grateful. He had been about to call it a day, had hoped he could quietly slip out without seeing her more than he already had that day. But now it seemed he would be in close quarters with her. As long as he kept things on a professional note he would be fine.