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Cedar Bluff only had one hospital, and they provided the only level two trauma services within a seventy-five mile radius. They stayed busy—especially in the height of the tourist season.
Seth swept a pointed glance around the momentarily empty trauma bay. “Your choice.”
She narrowed her gaze, but nodded. “Give me a minute to talk to my partner, then.”
He could wait, and he watched as she went back to talk briefly to the short guy who’d brought the patient in with her. Actually, now that the resuscitation was over he couldn’t even remember noticing the other paramedic at all, only Kylie. Perky ponytail and youthful face aside, Kylie had certainly taken the lead in the situation.
He was glad she’d stopped by to talk with him.
She returned a few minutes later. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Great.” He tried to soften her up with a smile. “My office is just down the hall.” He waved to a short hallway off to the right.
She preceded him down the hall, and he had a hard time pulling his gaze from her swinging ponytail. He found himself thinking how to best approach her—because he was interested in getting to know young-miss-paramedic-liaison better.
And, as he knew only too well, life was too short not to go after what you wanted.
Kylie was far too conscious of Dr. Seth Taylor following behind her as she made her way to his office.
Maybe he was a good-looking guy, with his broad shoulders, dark brown wavy hair and deep brown eyes, but she wasn’t interested. She’d just moved to the quiet rural town of Cedar Bluff from the crime-laden city of Chicago, and she didn’t have time for men.
Of course if he knew she was the single mother of a six-year-old Kylie had no doubt Seth Taylor would back off in a hurry. Most men did. Which suited her just fine.
She found his office and walked in through the open door, taking a seat as he made his way around to the other side of his desk.
“So, Kylie.” His smile lit up his whole face. “How can I help you?”
His smile was lethal, and she was shocked to feel the impact all the way down to her toes. She licked her lips and struggled to remember why she was here. Seth Taylor had the uncanny knack of making her feel like she was in high school again, garnering the attention of the quarterback of the football team.
Focus, Kylie. Focus. She cleared her throat. “One of my goals is to revamp our training program, and I guess I’d like your opinion on any deficiencies you might have noticed in the crew.”
“Deficiencies, huh?” Seth drummed his fingers on the desk. “One area we can all stand to review is how women suffering an acute MI present differently than men. Today was a prime example.”
She nodded. “Yes, I’ve already made a note of that—considering how Jim thought I was crazy to think along those lines.”
Truthfully, she hadn’t been too impressed with Jim’s performance today, and hoped he wasn’t an indication of how all the paramedics in Cedar Bluff worked. If so, she was in for a long haul to bring their skills up to what she considered an acceptable level.
“What about intubation techniques? You questioned my placement of the ET tube.”
“Kylie, don’t take it personally,” he chided gently. “Double-checking endotracheal tube placement is routine for any resuscitation, especially if the patient is experiencing persistent hypoxia. If you’re asking me if I’ve seen many tubes placed incorrectly by the paramedics, I’d have to say no, I haven’t.”
“Then what have you seen?” she challenged. “There must be some areas for improvement you’d like to discuss.”
“There are, actually, several areas of improvement needed.” Seth leaned forward, shooting another of his dazzling smiles. “But I’ll need some time to get my thoughts together. Maybe we can talk about this later—say, over dinner tonight?”
What? Her mouth dropped open. Was he actually hitting on her?
“I’m sorry, I’m not available this evening,” she said coolly. As a professional, she didn’t appreciate his assumption she’d be willing to drop everything to go out with him. What was it with some men? Ben’s father had been charming, too, but look how that had turned out. Not good. “However, I’d be happy to reschedule this meeting to another time that’s more convenient for you.”
Seth stared at her for a long moment, and then flashed a cajoling smile. “I suppose lunch tomorrow is out of the question, too?”
She narrowed her gaze, not finding his self-deprecating humor the least bit amusing. Seth Taylor was handsome, and obviously, from what she’d seen in the trauma room, a very capable ED physician. But why ask her out? Did he see her as some sort of easy mark? Or was he like this with all women? “Dr. Taylor, I’m not interested in sharing a meal with you. All I want to know is what areas of improvement you see for education and training in our paramedic crew.”
“Okay.” He lifted his hand as if in surrender. “Let me think about this for a minute.”
She was glad he dropped the flirtatious smile and sat back in his chair. He idly doodled on the slip of paper in front of him.
“One thing that I’d personally like to see is for the paramedic crew to start using hypothermia on all resuscitated patients.”
“Hypothermia?” Kylie sat up straighter, her interest piqued in spite of her annoyance. “In what way?”
Seth lifted a shoulder. “There are devices that can be placed over a patient right in the field to start bringing their temperature down.”
They’d been talking about instituting a hypothermia protocol in Chicago when she’d left. How amazing to discover that even small-town Cedar Bluff was up on the latest resuscitation techniques. “I’d love to institute some sort of protocol. Do you have one already written up?” “Not yet. But I’d be happy to work on one with you.”
His smile wasn’t entirely innocent, yet at the same time she couldn’t let such a fantastic opportunity pass by. “I’d love to help create a protocol. Anything we can do in the field to save lives is worth the effort.”
“I agree.” Seth raised a brow. “I’m not trying to cross your boundaries—clearly you’re already involved in a relationship—but my schedule is tight. We may need to meet over a lunch hour, since that might be the only available option.”
Kylie stared at him suspiciously, wondering if he was really being sincere or if he was simply probing for more information. Either way, it didn’t really matter. This job was a promotion for her, and since her sole reason for taking the job and moving to a safe, rural area was to provide a better home life for Ben, she wasn’t about to do anything to mess it up.
Which included falling for Seth Taylor’s not-so-subtle charm.
“I do have a man in my life,” she said, playing along with his assumption. The man was her six-year-old son, but Seth didn’t need to know that. “I’ll try to be as flexible as possible, though, in order to meet your needs.”
“Great. You’re a beautiful woman, Kylie, and I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” Seth pulled out his PDA and scrolled the buttons on the tiny screen. “Okay, how does next Monday work for you? Say about twelve-thirty?”
Beautiful? He’d actually called her beautiful? No man, not even Ben’s father, had ever used that word to describe her. Cute—pretty, maybe, in a girl-next-door type of way—but never beautiful.
Seth Taylor was charming, and she was just beginning to realize how dangerous his smooth charm really was—especially when she was feeling at her most vulnerable. Living in a new town, with people she didn’t know, wasn’t easy. And she’d been so focused on helping her son adjust to his new day care that she hadn’t done anything for herself. Luckily she wasn’t interested in relationships, or she might have been tempted.
She found her voice. “Monday at twelve-thirty is perfect. Thank you.”
As she stood and moved to leave, he called out, “Kylie?”
She turned. “Yes?”
“I hope the man in your life realizes how lucky he is.”
She doubted Ben would think so. At least not in the way Seth meant. But she nodded and quickly escaped before she blabbed the truth.
If Seth knew she didn’t really have a man in her life outside her son, Ben, then he might just continue his charming assault on her defenses.
And she wasn’t too certain she possessed the strength to withstand a second attack.
CHAPTER TWO
SETH finished the rest of his shift and then made his way to the cardiac cath labs located on the third floor, hoping he’d run into Michael. He wanted to know how their cardiac patient, Marilyn Warner, was doing.
His colleague, dressed in scrubs, walked out of the cath lab door as Seth came in. “Hey, Seth.”
“Michael.” Seth tucked his hands into the pockets of his lab coat as he turned to fall into step with Michael. “I’ve come to find out how Marilyn Warner is doing.”
“You mean our patient from this morning?” When Seth nodded, Michael grimaced. “Not so good. She needed emergency surgery, so I had to send her off to Trinity Medical Center in Milwaukee via Air Flight.”
Damn. Emergency surgery was not a good sign. Especially emergency open heart surgery, after a full arrest and resuscitation. Seth’s shoulders slumped and he scrubbed a hand over his face. “I see. I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from the cardiothoracic team in Milwaukee yet?”
Michael shook his head. “No, but I’ve been busy. I just finished my last case for the day.”
Seth understood. He’d been busy, too. The hospital census had been jumping lately, and the ED in particular had been one nonstop revolving door.
“Seth, she’s not your mother,” Michael said softly.
“I know.” His sharp response caused Michael to raise his brows in surprise. Michael, along with many other hospital staff members, had attended the funeral. Seth had appreciated his colleague’s support through the difficult time. “My mother didn’t die of a heart attack. She had an aneurysm in her brain. But Marilyn is the same age, and I just wish we’d been quick enough to save her.”
“You were.” Michael clapped his hand on Seth’s shoulder in a reassuring gesture. “We’ve given her a chance, Seth. Not just once, after you brought her back in the ED, but now again, in surgery. She could have died in the ambulance on the way over, or in the ED, or in the cath lab—but she didn’t.”
“Yeah.” Yet with each setback her chances of survival grew slimmer. Seth knew his friend was right, but he couldn’t get over the feeling that their efforts hadn’t been good enough. Second-guessing yourself wasn’t always helpful, though, so he tried to change the subject. “I hope you’ve been practicing your pitching. The big baseball game is only a week away.”
Michael grinned. “As a matter of fact I have. Don’t worry, we have a good chance of winning.”
The Cedar Bluff Hospital’s annual baseball game had become a highly competitive event. Each year the nurses challenged the physicians, and despite the gender differences—there were generally more women nurses than men, and more male physicians than female—the games were very close. The winning team got free meals in the hospital cafeteria for a month. Not that he really cared about the food, but Seth did like to win.
His motto was to live in the moment. Because life was too short for regrets.
“Do you want to head out to the batting cage?” Michael asked.
Seth glanced at his watch. “Not tonight. Maybe this weekend, though.”
“You’re on,” Michael agreed. “See you later, then.”
“Later,” Seth echoed as he turned and strode toward the parking lot.
On the way home Seth’s thoughts lingered on Kylie Germaine. He didn’t like to be conceited, but it wasn’t often he was shot down so completely at a first meeting. Women generally liked him. Too bad she was already in a relationship, because he hadn’t felt that spark of attraction for anyone in a long time.
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he headed for his condo, located just ten minutes from the hospital. He needed to forget about Kylie. There were always plenty of women to go out with. He’d never stayed with anyone for more than a few weeks anyway. There was a new nurse who’d started recently—what was her name? Cherry? Or Cheri? But even as he tried to picture the new nurse working up on the second floor he couldn’t seem to dredge up his usual enthusiasm.
For some peculiar reason his libido seemed stuck on a particular honey-blonde who clearly wasn’t interested.
Kylie woke up feeling a bit grumpy as she’d suffered a restless night’s sleep—which was all Seth’s fault, since his wicked smile had haunted her dreams.
Seth? Seth? What was wrong with her? What had happened to Dr. Taylor? She always addressed physicians by their formal title of Doctor—mostly because she felt that four years of premed, followed by four years of medical school, followed by even more years of residency and fellowship training meant they’d earned the title and deserved every bit of respect that went along with it.
So when had Dr. Taylor become Seth in her mind?
Muttering “Dr. Taylor” under her breath several times, in an effort to get his proper title embedded in her memory, she quickly showered and dressed.
Ben was eating a bowl of dry cereal when she dragged herself into the kitchen. “Don’t you want some milk with that?” she asked.
Ben gave a good-natured shrug. “Okay.”
She smiled and reached into the fridge. She was so lucky to have Ben. He was easygoing and happy to help himself to whatever food he wanted without being too picky about it.
“Am I going to day care today?” Ben wanted to know, once she’d doused his cornflakes with milk.
“No, I thought we’d stay home, since I have the day off.”
For the summer, she’d enrolled Ben in a day care learning center, hoping he’d get to meet some of the other kids prior to school starting in just a few weeks. But, thanks to the shift she’d picked up last Saturday, she had today—Thursday—off. Her plans were to spend a couple of hours researching hypothermia protocols, so that she would have something ready to show Seth—Dr. Taylor—when they met next week. She’d thought it would be nice to work from home for a change.
For a moment Ben almost looked disappointed about not going to day care, but when he finished his cereal he scampered into the living room to turn on cartoons.
She ate a small bowl of cereal, too, while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. She poured herself a steaming mug before heading to the small office she’d set up in the third bedroom. With any luck she could discover what other hospitals and paramedic units had done before Ben tired of the Cartoon Network.
Thank heavens for cable.
Ben showed up in the doorway fifteen minutes later. “Mom, can I have some apple juice?”
She glanced up from her computer and nodded. “Yes. But don’t forget the rule. All food and drinks stay in the kitchen.”
Ben rolled his eyes and left. No more than five minutes later he was back. “Mom, the top of the pitcher is stuck. I can’t get the apple juice out.”
“I’ll get it for you.” She saved her work on the computer before heading into the kitchen. After prying up the stuck lid of the pitcher, she poured Ben’s glass of juice and then returned to her office.
“Mom, can I go outside to swing on the swing set?” Ben asked a few minutes later.
She stifled a sigh. Ben was only six, and a short attention span came along with the territory. Besides, she could see the swing set in the front yard from her office window. She smiled at him. “Sure, but make sure you wear a jacket.” Cedar Bluff was located close to the shores of Lake Michigan, and often the breeze off the lake was cooler than inland temperatures, even now in late summer. Knowing her son, he’d wear the jacket, but shed it the first chance he got.
She heard his footsteps go to the coat closet, and then heard the door slam behind him on his way outside. She breathed a little sigh of relief. Okay, now that Ben was outside maybe she could get this protocol started. When she heard the door slam again, a few minutes later, she braced herself.
“Mom, can I go over to Joey’s house to play?”
She hesitated. “Is Joey’s mom there to watch you?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll ask.” Ben turned as if to rush out.
“Wait a minute, I’ll come with you.”
There was no sense in sitting there while Ben ran out and then back in again. She followed Ben outside. Joey Clairmont’s house was the next house over to the right. She could see Joey riding his bike in the driveway, and also noted that Joey’s older sister, Jenny, was sitting outside on the front porch, playing Barbies with another little girl.
Then she saw Missy Clairmont sitting outside in a lawn chair, chatting with someone on her cell phone. They’d met when Kylie had moved in last month, although she hadn’t seen much of her chatty neighbor since starting her new job two weeks ago. Kylie waved at Missy, who acknowledged her with a smile and a wave back.
Satisfied that Missy was there to supervise the kids, she granted her permission. “Sure, Ben. Go ahead. You can play with Joey.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Ben ran over to Joey. The boy got off his bike and the two of them began talking, their heads close together, no doubt comparing notes on their latest trading cards.
She headed back to her office, feeling a little guilty over her plans to work. Maybe she should just scrap the whole idea of starting on the hypothermia protocol and spend the day with Ben instead?
Sighing, she rested her chin on her hand. Okay, the hypothermia protocol needed to be done—not to mention revamping the entire paramedic training program. She was being paid extra to have this level of responsibility, and that meant she needed to live up to her bosses’ expectations. She’d give herself a couple hours to work on it this morning, and then make it up to Ben later. Maybe she could take Ben and Joey to the movies? There was a Disney film that had come out a week or so ago that Ben would love to see. Maybe they’d even splurge and ruin their dinner with a huge bucket of popcorn.
