“Is the doc on the way to see Cameron, Stephanie? Who is it?”
“Well, as I was about to see who’s on call, James phoned. He told me Cameron contacted him while she was on the helicopter to tell him to send her own doctor, because she’s convinced Dr. Crane is our best. But she’s out of town, so James asked a good friend of his who’s in L.A. visiting to come see her. A Dr. Rafael Moreno.”
“What?” Gabby stared at her, not comprehending. “Some friend of his? What do you mean?”
“I guess he’s some world-renowned OB, and not only that but the prince of some Mediterranean principality, if you can imagine. Isn’t that exciting?” Stephanie’s eyes were shining, which seemed ridiculous to Gabby since the woman saw superstars in this hospital all the time. “Said he has privileges in hospitals all over the world, including here in California, and thinks Cameron would appreciate the status of having a prince taking care of her.”
Gabby gaped. What in the world? A prince OB? Just visiting the U.S.? That was who James thought was the best person to care for this very demanding and famous patient?
She loved working at The Hollywood Hills Clinic but just might have to point out to James Rothsberg that, exclusive and prestigious or not, the number one focus at this hospital still had to be on premier medical care and not the royalty status of some doctor from another country he happened to be besties with. And, yes, she knew James had founded this hospital with that philosophy, demanding every patient receive the best medical care available, but had to wonder about this particular decision.
“Well, send him in as soon as he gets here, please.” She headed back to the room, pondering if she should call James right then to talk to him about the seriousness of Cameron’s situation and ask about this doctor and his qualifications—if he was really “world renowned,” or just famous for being royal.
“The doctor’s on the way, Cameron,” she said as she got the items she needed. “I’m going to start your IV now.” For the moment, she had to ignore the last of the mess in the room she hadn’t finished cleaning up yet until the doctor arrived and she was certain Cameron had been stabilized.
“It’d better be Dr. Crane,” Cameron said, looking away at the wall with a dramatic wince and yelp as Gabby got the IV needle placed in her arm. “She already knows all about me and my past health scares and situation and I only want to see her.”
“I know you do.” Gabby tried to find reassurance in the fact that Cameron’s voice had become the petulant one she often used when she felt normal. At least she wasn’t getting real contractions yet or freaking out. Gabby conjured her own acting skills and infused her voice with enthusiasm, bracing herself for the woman to get upset at the news her doctor was unavailable. “Unfortunately Dr. Crane is out of town. But this doctor is a personal friend of James Rothsberg and is not only an excellent OB but apparently a prince too.”
“A prince?” Surprise lit Cameron’s face before it relaxed into a pleased smile, thank heavens, instead of outrage. “Well, how nice. If Dr. Crane can’t be here, at least a prince will understand how important my baby is to the world.”
Because a prince and a self-absorbed actress’s baby were more important to the world than most other human beings? Emotions crowded Gabby’s chest—disbelief that Cameron obviously genuinely believed that. Annoyance with that attitude. And deeply buried pain. Because every person’s baby was the most important child on earth to them.
She swallowed before she spoke. “I’m not sure when Dr. Moreno is going to get here, and we shouldn’t wait to get your mag sulfate drip started. Is your belly still hard and tight? Still feeling crampy?”
“Well, yes. But not too bad. I think we should wait for this prince-doctor.” She picked up the television remote, clicked to a movie channel, and beamed the famous megawatt smile she normally reserved for the cameras. “Oh, look, it’s one of mine! I loved this one!”
“Cameron.” Gabby worked to keep her patience. “Giving you the sulfate drip certainly isn’t going to hurt, regardless of what Dr. Moreno has to say, and timing can be critical. Up to three courses of steroids are recommended for the baby’s lung health, but have to be given at least twenty-four hours apart, and the sooner we give the first one, the sooner we can give the second one.”
“I admit I’m still nervous. I know you’re good at what you do. If you think you need to start it now, then let’s do it.” Cameron’s smile disappeared, and Gabby’s frustration with her patient evaporated when she saw the tension etched on her face. Probably her wanting to wait and watch the movie, all smiles, was some coping mechanism, telling herself everything was fine now that she was here at the clinic. Deluding oneself was all too easy to do, as Gabby knew firsthand.
She patted Cameron’s arm, then gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll get it started right now. And I bet the doctor will be here any moment.” As though her words had willed it, a brisk knock on the door sounded, and she turned as it opened.
To reveal the most physically beautiful man she’d ever seen.
His dark hair was cut fairly short and impeccably groomed, and his olive skin was tanned a golden brown which looked even more swarthy in contrast to his white doctor’s coat. The blue dress shirt he wore was crisply starched but left open at the collar without a tie, and it was obvious that beneath it lay a very well-built physique. But the most riveting thing about him was the startling color of his eyes, nearly the same hue as springtime in Seattle after rains had turned the landscape a vivid green.
She felt a little as though all the oxygen had been sucked from the room as those eyes met hers. Though the contact was brief, his gaze seemed to both assess her and dismiss her at the same time. Then his attention moved around the room in a careful scan of the space before finally focusing on their patient.
A smile transformed the aloof expression on his handsome face. “Buenos días.” He stepped to the bed, reached for their patient’s hand and, to Gabby’s astonishment, lifted it to his lips. Since when did doctors kiss their patients, even if it was just on the hand? “I do not have to ask if you are the famous Cameron Fontaine. I would recognize your stunning face anywhere. I am Dr. Rafael Moreno.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Doctor,” Cameron practically cooed.
“I understand your very special baby is demanding some unexpectedly early attention. I’m told your little one is a girl—what a lucky child. She’ll no doubt be as beautiful as you are.” Lord. Gabby had to wonder if he’d intentionally ratcheted up the charm, or if it just oozed naturally from the man. “Let us see what she has in mind, shall we?”
“Yes. I’m so anxious to hear what you think is going on and what to do about it.”
Cameron’s expression could only be described as coy and flirtatious, and Gabby caught herself about to shake her head at the whole scene. Dr. Moreno had instantly sized the woman up, that was for sure, and Gabby was torn between admiration and disgust at how quickly and easily he’d had her eating out of his hand. While not even bothering to introduce himself to Gabby or ask who she was. The man was royal, all right. Royally rude.
“Tell me what’s been happening.” He sat and directed his attention solely to Cameron, as though Gabby wasn’t even there, and the actress told him all about her symptoms as he looked at the vital signs Gabby had recorded. He took his time speaking with her, acting more like they were at a cocktail party than in a hospital room. But of course Cameron, who was always more than happy to talk at length about herself, basked in the attention as he asked all kinds of questions about her life and career in addition to the ones related to her health.
As the minutes stretched on, Gabby fidgeted, wondering when in the world he was going to get on with what needed to be done and have her administer the meds Cameron needed. At the same time, she had to grudgingly give him credit for completely relaxing their patient.
Then that credit evaporated when he reached for gloves, obviously planning to give her an internal exam.
“Excuse