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The man opened his eyes and stared up at him, his mouth open, obviously having trouble breathing. “Hard to get air.”
“I know. I just gave you a little more oxygen, which will help.” Damn. Might not be waiting until tomorrow to send them to the Elias Sophia hospital, if they both continued to struggle like this. Andros turned to Laurel, but, before he had to say another word, she obviously got his unspoken message, since she quickly turned to Tom.
“I’m going now, so you two can rest and get better. Real quick, though, is there anything important I need to know about the cave dig that the volunteer crew can’t tell me?”
“Just that we found some human bones. Exciting. Planned…” His chest heaved a few times before he continued. “Planned to share at the next meeting. I think they’re older than the artifacts at the mountain site. Probably… Minoan, but… don’t know… for sure yet.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to the crew and have them bring me up to speed. Don’t worry about a thing.” She patted his shoulder, and Andros stepped behind her to wrap his hands around her lower arms. She looked over her shoulder in surprise, but he couldn’t risk her touching her eyes or pulling down her mask before she’d thoroughly washed her hands.
Her soft hair and enticing scent tickled his nose as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “I want you to wash your hands before you touch anything, especially any part of your body. Okay?”
She stared at him, then nodded slowly, saying a quick goodbye to both patients. Still holding on to the delicate wrist of her unbandaged hand, he led her across the room to the sink, squirted soap and stuck her hand under the faucet to wash it.
“I know how to wash my hands, you know.”
“Except you’re a bit handicapped right now. Can’t wash the way you normally would, with one hand bandaged.” As his fingers moved around and between hers, it struck him what an interesting contrast her hand was, like the woman herself. Slender, delicate, feminine fingers that were also hardworking and strong. “I want to make sure it’s clean. The skin exposed on your other hand too, before I change the bandage.”
“Change it? You just put it on.”
“‘Know Thyself’ is one of the famous inscriptions at the temple.” He kept washing, slowly now, enjoying too much the sensual feel of their hands soapily sliding together as he looked up at her, noticing the interesting flecks of green and gold in her questioning blue eyes. “My yiayia used to call me Kyrie Prosektikos, which means Mr. Careful. I believe in thinking things through and being appropriately cautious.” Which had been true except for one notable aspect of his life he was determined to change. “So, yeah, I’m going to put on a new bandage.”
“I’d say three bandages in an hour is careful, all right. If that doesn’t sterilize it, nothing will.”
He liked her smile. That she didn’t roll her eyes or argue with him told him she trusted him, at least a little, to know what he was doing. “Glad to see you aren’t doubting my doctoring skills anymore. Some of the tourists who come to this clinic never are convinced I know what I’m doing.”
“What makes you think I’m convinced? Maybe I can just see you’re hard-headed and bossy, and I don’t have time to argue with you.”
“Smart woman. You’re right that I’d damned well get tough with you if I had to.”
“Just remember I can get tough too. If I have to.”
“Somehow, I don’t doubt that for a second.”
They stood there looking at one another, small smiles on their faces, before Andros realized he was just holding her hand in his, now, fingers entwined. He managed to refocus his attention on the job at hand instead of her captivating face and eyes, and very kissable lips.
Dried off and newly bandaged, Laurel paused as she was about to head out of the clinic door. “I’m worried, Andros.”
He realized he liked the sound of his name on her tongue a lot better than the formal Dr. Drakoulias. When she looked up at him, her face filled with concern, he wished he could tell her she didn’t need to be. But he was worried as well. “I know. I’m doing everything I can and will let you know how they are tomorrow. I’m planning to spend the night here to keep an eye on them. You have a cell-phone number I can call?”
“Reception is sketchy at the dig, but if you leave a message, I’ll be able to get it when I’m back at the hotel.” She scribbled her number on a piece of paper and pressed it into his palm, lingering there. “Promise to call me?”
“I promise.” He folded his fingers over hers, squeezing gently to reassure her. It took effort to release her soft hand, to let her go. He stood there, motionless, to watch her walk to her car. Watch the gentle sway of her hips, the way her dress swung sensuously with each step of her drop-dead gorgeous legs. Watch the way her long silky ponytail caressed her back, until she’d gotten in her car and driven away.
He tucked the paper into his pocket and had a feeling he’d be tempted to call just to talk to her more about the dig. Just to hear her voice.
Which was foolish. The Wagners had told him the dig would be permanently over in just a few weeks and they’d be gone. She’d be gone.
Why did it have to be Laurel who was the first woman he’d felt this kind of interest in since he’d come home? The kind of interest that had his mind and body all stirred up. The kind of interest that made him want to take her to dinner, to wrap his arms around her, to touch her and kiss her and see where it led.
He squeezed the back of his suddenly tight neck and sighed. He had every intention of living the life of a model citizen—and a good father—putting behind him the wild reputation of his youth. Last thing he needed was attraction to a woman who would be leaving soon, tempting him to enjoy a quickie affair that would grease the town gossip machine all over again. Gossip he didn’t want his daughter to have to hear about her dad.
He’d keep his distance. But he couldn’t deny that the thought of spending even a short time with interesting and beautiful Laurel Evans sounded pretty irresistible.
“I know it’s early, Dimitri.” Andros paced up and down the hall of the clinic as he spoke to the infection specialist, barely noticing the dawn that rose over the mountain, filling the sky with pink and gold. “I wish I’d sent them last night. I wanted to give them time to possibly stabilize, but their respiratory rate’s gone to thirty and forty breaths per minute. New chest films show dramatic worsening to progressive multilobar pneumonia.”
“What’s their oxygen saturation?” Dimitri asked.
“Both were hypoxic when they arrived. Now pulse ox says their sats have gone from ninety to eighty, even after giving them four liters of oxygen. This is acute respiratory failure, Di, and they may need intubation.”
“Nikolaos will be here in an hour, and I’ll send him right out.”
Andros nearly slammed his hand to the wall. “We can’t wait until the hospital’s driver feels like rolling out of bed. Get him out here with portable oxygen now, or I’ll bring them there. If they code on me, it’ll be on your shoulders, since I don’t have damned IV hookups in my car.”
“All right, all right. He’ll gripe like hell, but I’ll have him there in an hour and fifteen.”
“Good.” He stopped his pacing to stare out of the window. “Get a blood test for fungal infection when they get there. I’m going to talk to the hotel management, and the archaeological crew they’ve worked with. See if I can figure out if there’s some environmental cause.”
“You think there might be?”
“Maybe. It’s strange that they both fell ill days apart with the same symptoms. So make sure Nikolaos and the EMTs use infection control precautions, just in case.”
“Will do. Talk to you after they get here.”
Andros shoved his phone into his pocket, called Christina to come in early and keep a close eye on the Wagners, then caught up on paperwork in his office. He tried not to constantly check his watch. After forty-five minutes that felt like hours, he decided to make sure the Wagners were ready to go the second Nikolaos got there. He took a quick right out of his office, practically knocking down Laurel Evans, who was standing just outside his door. How had he missed her presence, when he’d been so acutely aware of it yesterday?
“Whoa, sorry!” he said, grabbing her arms to steady her. “Didn’t see you there. Hope I didn’t bruise you.”
“No bruises. Though I did wonder for a second if I was on a football field instead of in a medical clinic.” Her hands rested on his biceps as though they belonged there, and he had to stop himself from tugging her closer. “Now I see your real MO. Forget chasing ambulances. You injure people, fix them up, then bill them.”
He smiled. “Not my MO. But I did play football in college in the US. Glad to know I still have the moves.” Though knocking her down wasn’t the move he’d like to make on her. “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t sleep. So I came to see how they’re doing.”
The pale smudges beneath her eyes didn’t detract one bit from her pretty face, and he again nearly pulled her against him instead of letting her go. To comfort and reassure her, of course.
“Not good.” He gave her arms a gentle, bolstering squeeze before dropping his hands. “I’ve called the Elias Sophia hospital, which is about an hour away. The ambulance is coming to get them now.”
“Oh, no!” Her hands flew to cover her heart. “They’re worse?”
“I’m afraid so.” He didn’t feel it was necessary to tell her exactly how much worse they were. With any luck, they’d soon be fine and she’d never have to know the seriousness of the situation. “Sometime today, I’d like to talk to some of your people who’ve worked in the caves.”
“To see if there’s something there that made them sick.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes.”
“I’ll be heading up when I leave here. The crew should be there soon, and I need to talk to them anyway. If you have time, you can come with me.”
“Once the Wagners leave for the hospital, I can go. Even though Melanie hasn’t been up there recently, it’s worth asking a few questions.”
“If it’s contagious, just being in the same hotel room might have exposed her to it, right?”
“Right.” He’d considered the same thing. The woman was smart, no doubt about that. “I’m also going to check with the hotel management, see if any tourists were ill, or if any staff that live elsewhere have been out sick.”
“Can I see Mel and Tom now?”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.” Andros managed to temper the vehement hell, no he’d nearly responded with. But her being exposed to them again wouldn’t accomplish anything. “Talking is difficult for them right now. After they’re settled in at the hospital, we can go see them there together.”
She tipped her head sideways and seemed to study him. Was she wondering if he had some ulterior motive in wanting them to go together? Again, smart woman. He hadn’t said it for that reason, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, the small rush of anticipation he felt spelled out loud and clear that, even if they were just driving to see his patients, and despite his concern for them, he’d more than enjoy the time with her.
“All right. But—”
“Dr. Drakoulias!” Christina came hurrying out of the doors of the hospital wing. “The hospital transport is here.”
“Finally.” He turned to Laurel. “Stay here. I’ll be back shortly.”
With Christina’s help, he, the EMT and Nikolaos got both patients loaded in a matter of minutes. About to shut the ambulance doors, the scent of sweet citrus reached his nose. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Laurel standing right behind him, waving to the Wagners as they lay inside on their gurneys.
“Don’t worry about a thing,” she said, the smile on her face obviously strained. “I’ll come see you with updates.”
He shut the ambulance doors, yanked down his mask, and barely stopped himself from raising his voice at the woman next to him. “What part of ‘stay here’ and ‘possibly contagious’ are you not understanding?”
“I was a good six feet from them. It seems to me you’re overreacting a little, since you don’t know if they’re contagious or not.”
“There’s a difference between overreaction and caution.”
“Maybe that’s just something you tell yourself.” She folded her arms and stared him down. “Are you going to be bossy like this when we go up to the caves?”
“I’m only bossy when I have good reason to be.” In spite of his frustration with her, he nearly smiled at the mulish expression on her face. She was toughness all wrapped up in softness. “So the answer is yes. I’m staying outside the caves and you are too.”
“I’m an archaeologist, Dr. Drakoulias. Detective work is part of what we do. The Wagners are my bosses and my friends, and I’m going to do whatever I can to help. The caves are part of the excavation I’m doing my dissertation on, and, with Mel and Tom sick, I’m in charge now. I have to learn exactly what they’re doing there and maybe in the process spot something that could have made them ill. Since I’m pretty sure you don’t own Mount Parnassus, I’m going into the caves.”
“You say I’m bossy? How about I say you’re stubborn?” He let out an exasperated breath. “If there’s a fungal contagion, possibly connected to the caves, no one should go in who hasn’t been there already. Hell, no one should go in there, period, until we have some answers. But if they have to, they need to wear masks. Which I’ll provide. You, though, have to stay out for now.”
“Are you afraid Apollo’s python may be lurking in there too, ready to strangle me?” Her voice was silky sweet, at odds with the sparking blue flash in her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring my bow and arrows just in case.”
Clearly, the woman had serious issues with being told what to do. “Listen, Laurel, you—”
“Daddy!”
He swung around in horror when he heard his daughter’s little voice, and the sight of her standing just inside the door of the hospital wing with his sister and nephew, smiling her big bright smile, sent his heart pounding and adrenaline surging. His baby could not be in there when God knew what contagion might be in the very air. “Cassie. You can’t be here right now.”
“Why, Daddy?” Her eyes shone with excitement. “Is there really a python? I want to see!”
CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_e6a8e9a2-42c3-5632-8f6b-23844d34c3b6)
LAUREL HAD BARELY blinked in shock at the little girl calling Andros “Daddy” when he’d strode to the child, snatched her up in his arms, hustled out the woman and little boy, too, and shoved the hospital doors closed behind them.
Heat surged into Laurel’s face when she realized the man she’d been thinking of as dreamy Dr. Drakoulias, the man she’d been having some pretty exciting fantasies about all last night when she couldn’t sleep, was apparently a married family man.
Why in the world had she just assumed he was single? Clearly, her instant attraction to him, along with wishful thinking, had blotted any other possibility from her mind.
Disgusted with herself, and, okay, disappointed too, she watched Andros crouch down next to the little girl. Surprisingly, he spoke to her in English. Why wouldn’t the child speak Greek, instead?
“Cassie. There’s no python. The pretty lady was just talking about the old story of god Apollo slaying the python dragon with arrows. Remember it?” The little girl nodded and Andros flicked her nose. “Know what, though? Remember when you didn’t feel good with your tummy bug? There might be some germs in the clinic I don’t want you to be around. I want you to go back with Petros and Thea Taryn, and I’ll be home later.”
Thea Taryn? Laurel didn’t know a lot of Greek words, but she did know thea meant aunt. Which presumably meant the attractive, dark-haired woman was either Andros’s sister or sister-in-law. Not that Laurel cared one way or the other, she thought with a twist of her lips. Married was married, and the thought of tromping over Mount Parnassus with him to talk to the crew together didn’t seem nearly as appealing now.
Despite what she’d boldly stated, the truth was she didn’t have a clue how to look for a fungus or whatever else could cause the kind of illness Mel and Tom had. She hadn’t been in a lot of caves, but weren’t most filled with all kinds of biological life she didn’t know much about? Probably, she should simply focus on getting the excavation finished and hope no one else got sick. Getting it done was critical for a number of reasons, and Mel and Tom would doubtless want her to concentrate on that as well.
The cute little girl wrapped her arms around Andros’s neck as he folded her close. Laurel’s throat tightened as she watched the sweet moment, thinking of her own dad and all the times he’d held her exactly the same way. Thinking of how much he’d loved his four daughters, and how much they’d loved and admired him. Thinking how lucky the child was that Andros seemed to be a supportive and involved dad. One whose work enabled him to be with her all the time, and not away for months as her own parents had been.
She began to turn away at the same time Andros’s head came up, and his eyes—dark and alive—met hers. He gestured to her to come over. She hesitated, then realized it was silly to feel embarrassed at her former hot fantasies. After all, he didn’t know about them, thank heavens, and she was already over it. It wasn’t as if she had time for any kind of relationship anyway, hot doc or not.
He stood. “Laurel Evans, this is my sister, Taryn Drakoulias, and her son, Petros.”
That answered that question, she thought as they shook hands, though she should have seen the resemblance. Same dark hair, nearly black eyes and a slightly amused smile that implied maybe they both were privy to secrets no one else was privy to. His daughter had the same dark eyes, but her hair was a much lighter brown.
Laurel wondered if Taryn was divorced or had been a single mom, since she still used her maiden name. Or if she’d simply kept her name, but that seemed less likely, since Greece was still a very traditional country.
“This is my daughter, Cassandra.” Andros smiled down at the girl, his eyes and face softened from the intense concern that had been on it just a moment ago. “Cassie, I’d like you to meet Laurel. She’s an archaeologist, working on the dig up the mountain. You’ve learned a little about that, haven’t you?”
“Yes! I have!” The child’s eyes, so like her dad’s, stared up at her. “Have you found lots of statues and gold treasures?”
If only. “Many things that are treasures to archaeologists, but not much gold, I’m afraid. Like father, like daughter, I see.” Laurel smiled up at Andros then turned back to Cassie. “Do you dig holes trying to find ancient treasure, Cassie, like your dad said he used to do?”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head, her chin-length hair sliding across her cheeks as she did. “Fairies are scared of big holes. I don’t want to scare them. I want them to sleep under our plants so they’re in the shade and live in the little houses they build in the ground under special rocks. They stay cool that way.”
“I see.” Laurel’s smile grew, remembering how much she’d loved pretend things as a little girl. Probably part of the reason she still loved classical myths today. “Have you seen the fairies?”
“Oh, yes.” She nodded, very serious. “Sometimes they dance at night when there’s a moon, and you can see them better. Sometimes they dance on my bed too, when they think I’m asleep.”
Laurel looked at Andros again to see what he thought of his daughter’s imagination. The lips she’d fantasized about were curved, and his eyes had attractively crinkled at the corners again.
No. Not attractively. Married, remember? Then again, he wasn’t wearing a ring, so maybe he wasn’t. That thought perked her up so much she nearly chuckled at how ridiculous she was being.
“We’ve made a fairy house out of stones, haven’t we, Cassie? Have you seen any go in yet?” Taryn asked.
“No.” Her little voice was filled with regret. “I think maybe I need to move the furniture around. Or put in something else. I don’t think they like it the way it is.”
Petros, who looked to be about five, chimed in, speaking Greek, but his mother stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “English, please. It’s good practice for you, and I don’t think Ms. Evans speaks Greek.” She turned to Laurel. “Do you?”
“Not much, I’m afraid. Trying, since I expect to spend a lot of time in various parts of the country on future digs, but it’s not as easy as I’d hoped. I plan to study it more when the dig is over and I’m back at the university.”
“Your work must be very interesting.”
“It is. It also can be hot and dirty and takes a lot of patience, but the reward is worth it.”
“Hot and dirty sounds like fun!” Petros exclaimed.
