The Surgeon's Favorite Nurse (16 page)

“Dammit. I was afraid of that.” The angry words were spoken through clenched teeth. “I couldn’t get to you. The guy was losing a lot of blood and we had to get him into the O.R. right away.”

“I know.” How could she not be in love with this man?

“He caught a couple of bullets, but the one in his abdomen nicked a couple of organs. It was touch and go, but we stopped the bleeding and repaired the damage. The next twenty-four hours are crucial.”

“You went from hostage to hero in a heartbeat. Most people wouldn’t understand how you could be held at gun-point one minute, and the next be in surgery battling for
the life of the man who threatened you and a lot of other people.”

“Crazy, huh?”

“He could have just as easily shot you.” Her mouth trembled and she caught her top lip between her teeth.

“I don’t think he’s a bad guy.” Sympathy swirled in his gray eyes. “His wife left him and took his daughter. To Oregon. He snapped. The working theory is that he wanted to commit suicide by cop. I really don’t think it was his intention to harm anyone else.”

“You saved him,” Hope said, in awe of what he’d done.

“Now he has a chance to get the mental health care he needs and straighten things out. Life is precious.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. I know that better than anyone.”

He got her drift and shook his head, clearly angry at himself. “I’m sorry, Hope. I was afraid you’d blame yourself for sending me off to a dangerous situation.”

“Don’t be sorry. You did what you had to do, what you do best.”

“Still, I—”

“And just so you know? I didn’t blame myself. Not even close. The only thing I blamed myself for is not telling you I love you when I had the chance.”

Jake looked surprised. “You do?”

No more running. No more hiding. If she’d blown everything with him, so be it. But not having a chance to tell him how much she loved him was the worst mistake she could make. She met his gaze and nodded. “Yes, I’m in love with you.”

“Well, you’re not the only one who had an epiphany. Looking death in the eye makes you think.”

“About regrets?” she asked.

He nodded. “You know what they say about your life flashing before your eyes when in a dangerous situation?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s not true.”

“No?”

“At least not for me.”

“What were you thinking about?” she asked softly.

“You.” He drew in a shuddering breath. “All I could think was that I love you more than life and I might never have the chance to tell you.”

“Oh, Jake—” Her voice caught as emotion grew thick in her throat.

“Since I was a kid, homeless and hungry, all I could focus on was security. To me that meant wealth. I forgot that money can’t buy happiness. That the best things in life are free.”

She took a step forward, close enough to feel the heat from his body. His breath stirred the wisps of hair on her forehead.

“I couldn’t agree more,” she said.

“For so long I’ve been putting all my energy into work and getting appointed medical director. Now that it could be off the table—”

“Oh, please,” she interrupted. “Havens wouldn’t dare fire the hero of the hour, the man who got between a crazed gunman and innocent bystanders.”

He grinned. “There is that.”

“The press would crucify him. I think he’ll be eating crow. The only question is how he’ll grovel when he has to get you back.”

“More important than that…” The honest intensity in his eyes was incredibly compelling. “The thing is… What I’m trying to say…” He thought for a moment, his gaze locked
on hers. “Rich, poor or somewhere in between, whatever time I have on this earth, I want to spend in your arms. I’m completely in love with you. Marry me, Hope.”

Her heart filled to the rim and overflowed with happiness.

She smiled and touched his face. The scruff on his jaw scraped her palm and it was the best feeling in the world.

“I so wasn’t looking for love, but it managed to find me. And I learned the best lesson of all. Life is full of surprises—both good and bad. Love gets you through the rough patches.”

“Is that a yes to my proposal?” he asked impatiently.

“That’s a big, fat, try-and-stop-me yes.” His wonderful grin made her heart beat faster. “Thanks to my favorite doctor, I learned that every day is precious and every second of every day should be lived to the fullest.”

She stood on tiptoe, her mouth almost touching his. Before kissing the daylights out of him, she whispered, “My hero.”