Last First Kiss (46 page)

Red shrugged, before launching into an explanation. “When he’s better, they’ll have a big celebration to have it blessed; the first one is just to make it legal. This is the second marriage for both of them. Their spouses died in a pile-up on I-10 about eight months ago.”

“
I remember that. I didn’t sleep for twenty-four hours. It was one surgery after another.” She frowned as she wrote something on a chart. “I knew someone who was killed in that wreck.”

“
Oh, I’m sorry. Was it a friend, or relative?”

“
Neither, actually. More like a thorn in my side,” she murmured. “She wasn’t very nice, and didn’t care whose husband, or fiancé, she slept with.”

Red stared at her. “Are you talking about Chloe Broussard?”

She popped her head up to face him. “You knew Chloe?”

“
Not in the biblical sense,” he snorted. “Although I hear plenty of other men did.” He jerked his head toward the door. “Jackson’s wife...You only
thought
you had problems.”

Her hand flew to her mouth. “I didn’t know. I knew she was married, but I never knew to whom. Did you say they
both
lost their spouses in the wreck?”

Red nodded. “Giselle’s husband was killed instantly. They had a wonderful marriage, and two beautiful daughters. It was rough on her for the first few months, losing her husband so suddenly. Jackson, on the other hand, well, let’s just say it set him free.” He looked directly at her, and shrugged. “I guess you can tell I didn’t think highly of her.”

She sighed. “I thought when she passed away that my life would get easier. Turns out, it didn’t even put a dent in my situation.” She shook her head and gave her throat a delicate clearing. “How long have they been in there?”

“
Long enough, but I’d knock if I were you, just in case.”

She knocked quietly, waited a few moments, and entered the room. “Hey, I can see both of your big, blue eyes now. That swelling has really gone down since this morning. Let’s hope the rest of your injuries heal that quickly.”

“
Did you hear the news, Doc? I’m getting married as soon as you spring me.”

“
Yeah, your friend just told me. Congratulations, although I don’t know what kind of a honeymoon you’ll have,” she said, chuckling. She smiled at Giselle. “I need to change his dressing. You can stay or leave, whatever you prefer.”

“
I’d like to stay, if you don’t mind,” Giselle told her. “That way I’ll know what to do.”

“
That’s fine. How about you?” she asked Red.

“
I’ll stay.”

“
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s not pretty.” She washed her hands before removing the old dressing, and then donned sterile gloves and began examining the wounds carefully. She poked and prodded, checking the wound.

“
How’s it look, Doc?” Red asked, peering over her shoulder to watch her work.

“
It looks good, no oozing around the area or on the bandage. It smells okay, color’s good, warm to the touch, but not hot...So far, so good.” She applied more topical antibiotic to the affected area with a sterile applicator.

Red was looking closely at the strange looking pieces of metal protruding from Jackson’s leg. “What’s this called?”

“
It’s an external fixation system.”

“
So, how’s it attached to the bone exactly?” Red asked.

“
Holes are drilled into the bone and these pins are inserted at different angles. The brace uses forced compression and distraction at the fracture sites to fuse them together.”

Red nodded. “That’s impressive...do you do many of these?”

“
I perform the bulk of them in this area. Especially injuries this serious, most wouldn’t have attempted to save it.”

“
I’m glad you were around to do it, then,” he commented.

“
Oh...just doing the job I was paid to do,” she replied.

Red cringed, hearing his own words thrown back in his face. He backed slowly away from the bed.

When she’d finished, she turned to Jackson and Giselle. “I’ll see you in the morning to check it again, and change the dressing. It’s looking good. Is the pain medication sufficient?”

“
It’s fine, doc. Thanks again.”

“
Are you finished for the day?” Giselle asked her.

“
I sure am. It’ll be nice to make it home before dark. I’ve almost forgotten what my back yard looks like.”

Red watched her pull her disposable gloves off with a snap, and throw them in the trash before he slipped through the open doorway to wait for her. She walked out, chart in hand and waited, staring up at him.

He stood tall and swallowed his pride. “Look, Dr. Leblanc...I really want to apologize for getting us off on the wrong foot a few days ago. I swear, I meant you no insult. I just thought you looked too young to have gone through twelve years of schooling already.”

“
It’s fine, I should be used to it by now,” she said, flipping the page on her clipboard to write something.

“
No, it’s not fine. All five of my sisters are in the medical profession, and my calling you a nurse wasn’t meant as an insult, I assure you. I’m very proud of my sisters’ accomplishments.”

“
Five?” she asked, finally looking up at him. “I thought you said two?”

“
I only mentioned two. We also have a Registered Nurse, Respiratory Therapist, and Physical Therapist,” he boasted.

She nodded. “Did I hear someone say your last name is McAllister? Did any of your sisters go to LSU?”

“
We all went to LSU...It’s a family tradition,” he said. “I had some classes with two McAllister sisters back when I was in the nursing program, Melissa and Bailey McAllister.”

“
Yep, that’s two of my sisters,” he boasted.

She gave him a tight smile. “They were so funny and sweet, it’s hard to believe they’re
your
sisters.”

Red pursed his lips and frowned, looking off to the side. “I guess I deserved that.”

“
I guess you did,” she said. “Melissa, Bailey and I hung out a lot my freshman year, then I switched from nursing to pre-med and got too busy to do anything but study and work.” She frowned in concentration. “I know they weren’t twins, but I can’t remember which one was older.”

“
Melissa is thirty-seven and Bailey is thirty-six.”

“
They got their degrees, then?”

Red nodded, thrilled with the chance to have a pleasant conversation with the good doctor for a change. “Melissa is the physician’s assistant, and Bailey is the nurse practitioner.”

Red wasn’t at all prepared for the brilliant smile Dr. LeBlanc flashed solely at him.

“
That’s wonderful, but I’m not surprised. Neither of them looked the type to quit something before they were done,” she said.

Unfortunately, Red heard little of her comment. He’d been too busy staring at the way her beautiful doe eyes crinkled when she smiled. He spent the next few seconds wondering if he’d look like a dumbass for not answering some question she may have asked him.

“
Tell them Tiffany said hello, would you? It’d be really nice to see them again,” she said, tucking her clipboard under her arm.

Red nodded, trying to get his cool back by taking charge of the conversation. “Do you have any siblings, Tiffany, or are you an only child, like Jackson is?”

“
I’ve got one brother, Drake, who’s two years younger than I am...Mr. McAllister,” she added.

“
Is he also a doctor?” Red asked, totally aware that she’d established a boundary and he wasn’t to cross it.

“
No, he’s a lawyer.”

“
A doctor
and
a lawyer—your parents must be pumped.”

“
You’d think that, wouldn’t you?” she murmured. “Give your sisters my message, would you?”

“
I will, Dr. LeBlanc.” He watched her make her way down the hall, wondering if she’d show some interest by turning back to take another look at him. He watched as another woman in scrubs stopped her in the hallway to talk. He jumped when Giselle opened the door.

“
Red, I need to run an errand. Will you stay with Jackson while I’m gone?” she asked. “I won’t be long.”

“
Sure,” he said, looking back at Dr. LeBlanc just in time to see her ponytail disappear around the corner.

Disappointed, Red rejoined Jackson in his room after Giselle left in a flurry.

“
She’s going to marry me, Red. How did I get so damn lucky?” Jackson asked his buddy.

“
You nearly killed yourself. She only said yes because she felt sorry for you.”

“
Your ass!” Jackson returned, launching a pillow at him with his good arm.

Red caught it and threw it on the sofa. “Nah, this one really loves you. I’m a little jealous, but I’m happy for you.”

“
What’s this? The career bachelor is jealous?”

“
Hey, if I can find someone to make me as happy as you are, I wouldn’t mind settling down and having a couple of cute kids.”

Jackson gave Red’s shoulder a friendly slap. “That would make your mom ecstatic.”

“
It may even earn me a reprieve from all that nagging for awhile,” Red agreed.

“
I don’t have a mom to pester me about things like that, so excuse me for not feeling too damn sorry for you. So get busy and start looking. How about that good-looking doctor of mine? Is she available?”

Red shook his head. “She’s Tanner’s fiancé.”

“
Oh, hell no! We need to warn her.”

“
It seems she already knows.” Red proceeded to tell Jackson about the conversation he’d overheard as well as the one he’d just had with her. “Why the hell would a woman with her talent and looks put up with a class A jerk, like Tanner?”

“
Maybe you ought to do something about that,” Jackson said.

“
Oh no...I have rules. I don’t break up couples, and I sure as hell don’t date women on the rebound. Those relationships never work out. Besides,” he said, trying to stretch out his long legs on the vinyl covered couch, “I don’t have the time for that. I did find out she went to LSU with two of my sisters, though.”

“
LSU, huh?” Jackson said, giving his head a slow nod. “That explains why she’s so good at what she does.” He cleared his throat loudly. “Too bad you didn’t know
that
before you practically accused her of being incompetent,” he scoffed, throwing a second pillow at Red. “Smooth move, McAllister.
Beaucoup
smooth.”

<><><>

The next Monday, Tiffany Leblanc was in Jackson’s room, giving Giselle instructions on how to care for him.

“
A home health nurse will go once a day to tend to him, but you have to make sure he doesn’t try to do too much. I can already see how he is,” she said, glaring at Jackson. “I’m sending him home with crutches and a wheelchair. Hide the crutches from him until the arm cast comes off in two weeks. It’ll be strictly wheels until then.” She glanced up at Red when he walked into the room. “Will you have help, once you get him home? He’s kind of a big guy for you to handle all alone,” she said, addressing Giselle again.

“
I’m going to be there with them most of the time,” Red told her. “I can handle him.”

Tiffany looked at Jackson, then at Red, and nodded. “You’ll do, Mr. McAllister,” she said.

“
Is it okay if we stop at the court house before we go back home?” Giselle asked.

“
As long as you can get him into the wheelchair and keep him in it. You’re still going through with the wedding?”

“
If she’ll have me,” Jackson told her. “Red is my best man, but we’ll need one more witness. Hey Doc, is this your last stop of the day?”

“
It sure is.”

“
We were wondering if you’d do us the honor of attending our ceremony at the court house. I know it’s a lot to ask, but, we’d really like you to be there. We owe you so much.”

Tiffany smiled at the couple. “I’d be honored, as long as you give me enough time to change. I draw the line at attending weddings in scrubs. It should take at least another hour or so for your discharge, so how about if I meet you there?”

Jackson beamed at his doctor. “Perfect...Thanks Doc.”