One Night With The Army Doc. Traci Douglass

forget about the loneliness, the doubts. Doubts that if he hadn’t been enough for Kellie, why should he believe he’d ever be enough for anyone else?

      One more reason to stick with short-term flings.

      No muss, no fuss, no commitment. No chance for heartbreak and disappointment.

      Yeah, perhaps if circumstances had been different, and he and Molly had met at some bar on a lonely night, they might’ve shared more than a medical case. Jake might’ve let her get a glimpse of the man locked behind those staunch barriers...might’ve let that instant connection between them evolve into something more.

      But not now. Now he’d consult on Bobby’s case, be his advocate. That was all.

      The elevator dinged and Jake climbed on board, ignoring the niggle of regret that bored into his chest.

      Once he reached the first floor, he headed to his office near the ER and the inbox full of patient files awaiting his attention.

      Yawning, he took a seat and grabbed the top chart, scanning the lab reports and papers inside before making his notations. Work kept him busy and sane. Work also kept him distracted. The constant hustle and bustle was part of the reason he spent so much time here. The other part was the fact that he didn’t have much going on outside of this place.

      Determined to stay on track, Jake worked his way through the stack of charts until they were finished, then grabbed his keys and did a final check on the condition of his patients at the nurses’ station. Once that was taken care of for the night, Jake headed home.

      He climbed behind the wheel of his truck and cranked the engine, squeezing his tired eyes shut. Bobby’s words during that firefight in Kandahar were ringing in his head like a clarion call.

      “We’ll make it, bud...”

      And they would No matter what trials and temptations Dr. Molly Flynn might pose.