The Rebel Doc Who Stole Her Heart (8 page)

Michelle’s heart caught and fluttered back into rhythm. Maybe there was more to Ty than she’d given him credit for. At least her mother was happier than she’d seen her in a long time. For that alone Michelle could tolerate him for an evening.

She followed her mother back into the kitchen. Michelle came to an abrupt stop, causing Ty to bump into her. His hand touched her waist briefly, steadying her.

Her mother had set her father’s place for Ty.

“You okay?” he asked next to her ear. If her mother turned round now she’d think there truly was something between them. They stood so intimately close.

“Yeah.”

“Ty, this is your place.” Her mother indicated her father’s chair.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Ty said as he sat. “This looks wonderful and smells even better.” Michelle sank into her chair. She watched as Ty’s well-manicured hands picked up his napkin and shook it out then placed it in his lap.

His hand touching hers under the table jerked her attention to his eyes. She smiled and shook off the melancholy. He removed his hand. It was past time to let her father’s place go. Maybe even other things about him. Her mother certainly needed to move on after so many years. Had they both been caught up in a void that they needed to get beyond?

“Michelle, why don’t you serve Ty some roast?”

Ty picked up his plate and offered it to her. His eyes still held a concerned look. He saw things about her that others never noticed. Far too often.

She dished up the meat and her mother passed him the bowl of mashed potatoes. The two of them carried on a conversation as if they were old friends, leaving Michelle time to observe Ty.

He might be the most handsome man she’d ever seen. At first she’d thought his hair was too much but the better she got to know him the more she thought it suited him. Combed back, the ends curled around the back of his neck. Tonight he was wearing a collared shirt of tiny green plaid that made his eyes seem darker. His pants were well-pressed tan cotton twill. She couldn’t fault his appearance in any way.

Even in the OR she’d started to look forward to seeing what kind of outrageous scrub cap he might wear next. She’d also noticed his original lime-colored clogs were exchangeable for bright orange ones on occasion.

“Michelle…” Her mother’s note of irritation implied she must have called her name more than once.

“Why don’t you clear the dishes and bring that apple pie over here? There’s also ice cream in the freezer.”

“Okay, how many nights of the week can I eat here?” Ty asked.

Michelle almost dropped the dishes.

Thankfully her mother just giggled, instead of telling him Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Michelle placed the pie in the middle of the table and returned for the ice cream as Ty said, “You’re a great cook, Mrs. Ross. That was some of the best food I’ve ever eaten.”

“I love to cook. I even thought about opening a tearoom when Michelle was a small child but there never seemed to be time.”

That was news to Michelle. A tearoom. Her mother hadn’t cooked for herself in weeks. Michelle had thought she’d forgotten how until tonight.

“I’m sure you would’ve made a success of it.”

“I’m too old to do that now but I do still love to go to tea.”

Michelle had forgotten about that as well. Before she’d become sick her mother had gone out with her friends regularly. These days she didn’t go out except when she had a doctor’s appointment.

Soon after dessert Ty said he must be going. Michelle wondered if he had someplace else to be or someone else he was meeting. He didn’t strike her as a home body who spent a lot of time by himself. Why she cared she didn’t know, but she did.

“Michelle, why don’t you see Ty to the door?”

She made an effort not to roll her eyes.

Ty graciously thanked her mother and followed Michelle out of the kitchen. She opened the front door and Ty brushed her arm as he moved his large body past hers. A tingle of heat went through her as if she had been branded. She had to stop overreacting to his slightest touch.

She stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind them. “I’m sorry about tonight. I had no idea that she was going to put you on the spot.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I enjoyed being here. There’s nothing wrong with a parent caring about their child and showing it. Your mother just wants you to be happy.”

“I know, but tonight’s show said that we’d stepped back thirty years or more in dating time.”

“Didn’t liked me being pushed at you, did you?” He chuckled.

“I was mortified.”

“It was a compliment.”

He really was understanding about a number of things now that she’d thought about it. “Well, I appreciate you being okay with it. My mom seemed to enjoy having you to dinner and that’s something she hasn’t done in a long time.”

“And how about you? Did you enjoy having me?”

He made the question sound so suggestive that she felt as if her temperature had spiked. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Ty’s eyes studied her for far longer than was comfortable before he said in a low, rusty voice, “I think you probably do but don’t want to admit it.”

It was exciting to have Ty’s complete attention. He made her feel things long locked away, even those she’d never felt before. Would it really be so bad to have a fling with him? After all, he would be gone in a few weeks.

His attention was captured by something behind her. “Your mother is looking out the window. Let’s not disappoint her.”

His arm circled her waist, bringing her against him. Michelle didn’t even try to struggle, her hands going to rest lightly on his shoulders. With her height, Ty was only a few inches taller than she was. He had a slight grin on his mouth as he looked into her eyes and brought his lips down to touch hers. Ty smelled of apples, cinnamon and coffee. Her breath slowed as his full and mobile mouth pressed firmly against hers.

Heat flowed through her blue-flame hot. When had been the last time she’d been kissed? Had any kisses ever made her feel the way this one did?

Her fingers dug into his shoulders. Ty’s tightened his arm, bringing her closer. His other hand rose to circle the back of her neck. He guided her head so that he captured her mouth more fully.

Just as Michelle began to press closer he pulled away. Disappointment swamped her. She wanted more. Stumbling slightly, Ty steadied her.

“That should make your mother happy.”

What?
Michelle sucked in her breath. She’d experienced the kiss of her life and Ty had only done so to make her mother happy! Could she be more insulted?

She jerked out of his arms. “If I didn’t care that my mother was watching, I’d slap your face.”

With that, she re-entered the house, leaving Ty standing on the porch.

CHAPTER FOUR

T
Y’S
GAZE
LIFTED
away from the blood-pressure monitor to Michelle. She was engrossed in watching the resident remove the cannula running to the heart-lung machine as they took their patient, a sixty-three-year-old female, off bypass in the OR.

He didn’t understand her reaction two nights before when he’d kissed her. He’d made a mistake somewhere. Not usually so out of tune with a woman, Michelle’s response to his kiss had thrown him. He’d thought she’d been enjoying it. He certainly had been. With her mother watching, he hadn’t been able to take it as far as he wished.

The ice queen had returned, North-Pole cold this morning. She wouldn’t even look at him and if she did it was to ask a question necessary to patient care only. Normally he’d have shrugged her displeasure off and moved on but Michelle had gotten to him on a level he’d never known before. He didn’t like things not being right between them.

The resident tipped the heart up to get a look at the suture line on the back.

“BP dropping. Eighty over sixty. That’s enough,” Ty called.

The resident put the heart back in place.

“BP coming up. You guys know that makes me nervous when you do that.”

Michelle and the resident weren’t really listening to him. They had their heads together, looking intently into the chest of the patient.

“Where is that blood coming from?” she asked no one in particular. “What is the ACT?” she demanded, without looking at him.

“Normal range,” Ty answered, letting her know that the activated clotting time was fine. Before he’d started the patient on bypass, using the heart-lung machine, he’d given her blood thinner. When the patient had come off bypass he’d had to reverse it by giving protamine.

“Do more factors need to be given?”

“No. Platelets and FFP are in range,” Ty responded. He checked again. Nothing indicated fresh frozen plasma was needed.

“What does the TEG show?”

The TEG was a research tool that told him what part of the clotting cascade was deficient. “Numbers are good.”

“Then we are prolene-deficient,” Michelle announced.

Ty jerked his head up to look at her. More sutures were required. Her voice was higher than normal. She was rattled for some reason.

“Let’s find this thing,” she snapped. “We need to know if it’s the suture line or a vessel.

“Pack it with sponges and see what we get.”

The resident began to place sponges around the heart. Then they waited.

For the first time her eyes met Ty’s. Her gaze remained long enough for him to see the terror in her eyes.

“BP?” she asked.

“Dropping slowly.”

“Let’s get them out,” she said, referring to the sponges.

The resident removed one from behind the heart. It was bright red. “Got it.”

“The arterial suture line,” Michelle said, with less confidence than she usually showed. “I thought I’d put in enough stitches.”

He couldn’t see her eyes but her breathing had become more rapid. Ty checked the monitors to make sure all was well on his end before he looked up. This was supposed to be a straightforward bypass case, something that Michelle could do in her sleep.

Done with adding stitches, she stood, her eyes transfixed on the chest of the patient. She didn’t move. Didn’t say anything.

“Michelle,” Ty said in a firm tone.

She blinked then turned to the resident. “Can you close?”

He nodded.

Ty could see moisture filling her eyes. Why had this case gotten to her so? He didn’t miss the shock on the faces of the other team members.

Jane, her scrub nurse, asked, “Dr. Ross, are you okay?”

Michelle didn’t answer as she exited the OR.

“Call the scrub desk and have Dr. Marcus come in and finish up for me,” he told his nurse.

Ty was only minutes behind Michelle. He found her in the locker room, sitting on a bench. She had removed her mask and tears showed on her cheeks. Michelle looked around as if she didn’t know which way to go. She wouldn’t like the staff seeing her going into meltdown. He jerked his mask off and grabbed her wrist. “Come with me.”

He led her out of the OR suite to the employee elevator and pushed the up button. Thankfully they didn’t have to wait long for the elevator doors to open.

“Where’re we going?” Good. She was coming back from that dark place.

“I’ll show you.”

“Ty, this isn’t the time for one of your games. I just want to be left alone.”

“This isn’t one of my games.” He was glad to see they had reached the top floor. When the doors opened he took her hand. She didn’t make any attempt to refuse it. That alone told him how upset she was.

When she started to speak he said, “Hush and follow me.” He circled around the elevator and pushed open the door to the roof.

“What’re we doing here?”

“I always find a place to go just so I can breathe. This is my place and I think you could use it today.”

“How do you get past Security?” The pragmatic Michelle had returned. That was an encouraging sign. For a second there he’d been concerned for her emotional health.

“I made a deal with Jimmy.”

“Figures. Why’re you doing this? You’re not my new best friend,” she said, pulling her hand out of his. This feistiness was better than what he’d seen in her eyes earlier.

“What happened in there?”

“Nothing. We had a bleeder. We found it. All in a day of surgery.”

That statement was too flippant, coming from Michelle. “I know better. Spill. Is it your mother?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Sixty-three-year-old female. Could have died. That’s who our patient is. Sound like any one you know? I don’t have to be a mind-reader to get the connection.”

“All brilliant deductions, Doctor. Yes. This one hit a bit too close to home,” she said with disgust.

Whether or not it was the situation or her, he didn’t know. He moved to where he could look out over the city, pleased she followed. If he could get her to talk, maybe he could help. He may be taking an interest in Michelle’s problems, but he wouldn’t be there for her for the long haul. She didn’t need to come to depend on him.

When she came to stand beside him he said, “Makes you feel like the king of the mountain to be up here. As if you have some control over someone’s life if not your own.”

She glanced at him. “What do you know about not having control? You go through life as if it is a fun ride at a carnival.”

“Take my word for it. I know it isn’t. Talk to me, Michelle.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She kicked at the gravel covering the top on the roof with the toe of her shoe. It reminded him of a little girl on the playground unsure if she should climb the monkey bars.

“But I think you need to. What gives?”

“What gives? Are you a hippy?”

“No, but I was raised by some hippy wannabes. But that isn’t what we are here to discuss.”

“What do you want to hear? I fell apart in the OR because the patient reminded me of my mother. Happy now?”

“Okay, but why?”

“Stop pushing, Ty.”

“Why? Your mother is getting better.”

She rounded on him. “Because I’m afraid she might die. I’ve already lost a father. I don’t have anyone else.”

She had isolated herself so completely that she had no one to turn to. “Your team has no idea your mother has been sick, do they?”