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Something shifted and stretched in his chest and the feeling made him acutely uncomfortable. A doctor wasn’t supposed to become personally involved with a patient, but some had a way of sneaking through his defenses. Janie Albright could easily be one of them.
“Did your mom tell you that Dr. Ella fixed your arm and that’s why it’s in a cast?” When she nodded, he said, “It’s going to be good as new.” He chose his words carefully. “There are doctors who can make your face good as new.”
“Really?” Courtney asked, hope chasing the wariness from her eyes.
“Really.” He looked at the little girl. “And I need to tell your mom all about that, but it’s pretty boring. Is it okay with you if we go over there?” he asked, pointing to a spot just inside the door. “You can still see her and we’ll be right here if you need anything. How would that be?”
“Okay, I guess,” Janie said uncertainly.
“Do you hurt anywhere?” he asked.
“A little.” She glanced at the cast on her wrist. “My arm.”
“They gave her something for pain a few minutes ago,” Courtney told him.
He nodded. “Give it a few minutes, kiddo. You’ll feel better. I promise.”
“Okay,” Janie said.
David moved away from the bed and Courtney followed, cradling her injured arm.
“You promised to tell me like it is,” she reminded him, as if she didn’t believe he would keep his word.
“And I have every intention of doing that.”
She nodded and winced at the movement. “Okay. How bad is her face? Will she really be all right?”
“Yes,” he said firmly. “Before I get specific you need to know that she will look normal again.”
“Thank God,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief.
“But it’s going to take work.”
Instantly, worry snapped back into place. “Please, explain.”
“The damage needs to be repaired in two phases. There’s a long deep gash in her chin and her ear needs repair. Also a nick near her eye. With facial trauma we like to suture the damage within six hours of the initial injury or the repairs need to be done in surgery.”
Courtney glanced at the clock. “Then there’s still time.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “The second part comes later. Her cheekbone is shattered and the right side of her face needs to be realigned.”
Her mouth trembled, and she caught her top lip between her teeth, composing herself as if by sheer force of will. “Go on.”
“Instead of trying to piece together the bone fragments, it’s my opinion that she’ll have a better outcome with an implant.”
Courtney considered that for a moment. “She’s only six. She’s still growing. Will she need more surgery in the future?”
“Possibly. But let’s take it one step at a time. And the first step is repairing the superficial damage. Since I’m here, I’ll take care of that.”
“I don’t mean to sound mercenary, especially with my daughter’s welfare in question,” she said. Her chin lifted a notch as if fierce pride was in major conflict with her survival instincts. “And I’m grateful that you were able to examine her, but it would be best for Janie to have a doctor who’s covered under my insurance plan here at work.”
“They can do it,” he agreed. “But without a specialist’s training, the results won’t be as favorable. If you want the best possible outcome for Janie, a plastics guy is the way to go. My brother has extended me temporary privileges here at Walnut River General.”
“Does that mean my health insurance would cover your services?”
“No.” But he was here and this child needed his help now. “But I’m the best man for the job, and there won’t be a charge.”
She stiffened. “Charity?”
“Your independent streak is showing. I just want to help Janie.”
A range of expressions crossed her face, all the way from wariness to resignation. She sighed and said, “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
She looked fragile, vulnerable and more worried and desperate with every word that came out of his mouth. “How long until phase two?” She took a deep breath. “The implant?”
“After the swelling goes down. My best guess is about three to four weeks.”
“Tell me it’s not more complicated than phase one,” she said.
He met her gaze head-on. “She’s going to need surgery.”
“That’s complicated.”
“And someone who specializes in reconstructive surgery,” he confirmed.
“Okay. Three to four weeks.” She nodded and glanced at her daughter, clearly trying to process the information as rationally as possible. “Then I’ll have time to check out my health-care coverage.”
David knew for a fact that there wasn’t a doctor in Walnut River who could do the procedure. “I’d be happy to recommend someone good who’s as close to Walnut River as possible.”
“So there could be more out-of-pocket expenses,” she said absently, almost as if she were thinking out loud.
“It’s possible.” Ella had told him she was a single mother. That probably meant divorced. He wished he could be indifferent to the fact that she was unattached but there was a part of him that couldn’t seem to work up a proper level of regret. Still, divorced parents came together for their children. “Surely Janie’s father will help—”
“Hardly.” Unexpected bitterness filled Courtney’s gaze. “Her father was a soldier.”
Too late now to wish he’d paid more attention when his sister had told him about a single mom who had big trouble. “Was?”
“He died in Iraq. Unfortunately he wasn’t as conscientious about military dependent’s benefits as he should have been.”
“I’m sorry.”
About that and so much more. He was an idiot. An idiot who made assumptions. An idiot who felt himself being sucked in by big brown eyes and a pair of dimples that wouldn’t quit. Courtney Albright desperately needed his help.
The last time he’d become involved with a desperate woman it had cost him everything.
Chapter Two
Courtney held her little girl’s small hand while they both watched David snap on his latex gloves, then inspect the metal tray full of medical tools beside him. She was pretty sure her own eyes were as wide as her daughter’s and the fear factor was up there for both of them. If only she was the one facing the procedure. That would have been so much easier than watching Janie go through it. And that wasn’t the end of the ordeal. There was still a surgery, but she couldn’t deal with that now. One trauma at a time.
David had changed into blue scrubs and it was disconcerting that he looked just as good as he had in his jeans and leather jacket. How stupid was she for even thinking that?
“Okay, beautiful, are you ready?” David asked.
She assumed he meant Janie since he was looking at her. “Do you have any questions, peanut?” Courtney questioned.
“Is it gonna hurt?” Her mouth trembled as she looked at him.
He looked at Janie. “I’m going to give you some medicine so it won’t hurt. A small pinch and then nothing.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
“What else is gonna happen?”
“I won’t lie to you, Janie.” David met her gaze. “I’m going to tell you exactly what’s going on.”
“No medical doublespeak requiring a translator?” Courtney asked.
“Honesty is always the best policy.” He must have seen the skepticism in her eyes because he added, “Especially with children. They always know when something’s not right. It’s my goal to keep her calm. If she’s not prepared for this she’s going to get agitated. Agitation is quickly followed by restlessness, then tension and stress. None of that is helpful.”
That made sense. “I see your point.”
He nodded, then focused on the child. “You’re going to feel a little pulling. Do you think you can be very still for me? More still than any other six-year-old girl ever?” When Janie nodded solemnly, he smiled. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Courtney squeezed her daughter’s fingers while David picked up a swab and dabbed it over the area. He’d already explained that it was a topical anesthetic to take the edge off the injection that would numb her for the procedure. Now was where she did her mom thing. She needed to distract Janie while David worked.
“I think a six-year-old who can be more still than anyone ever deserves a special prize,” she said.
“What?” Janie asked, her attention snagged as hoped for.
“It’s got to be pretty special. What’s the most special thing you can think of?”
“What about ice cream?” David suggested.
“I like vanilla ice cream,” Janie said. “Milkshakes are best. But I think a toy would be good, too.”
“What toy?” Courtney asked.
“Maybe a doll. With a stroller.”
“Okay, Janie. It’s time to hold still for me. Then we can get serious about that doll-and-stroller thing.”
Janie tensed and whimpered when he did the injections but she barely moved a muscle.
Several moments later he announced, “All finished with that part. And it’s the worst. I promise. Now we wait for the medicine to do its work.”
“Do I win the prize?” Janie wanted to know.
“Hands down,” he agreed.
“Are you finished?”
He shook his head. “I still have a little more to do.”
“What?” Janie asked. She glanced at the tray of instruments beside him. “Where’s the needle?”
Courtney winced and felt David’s gaze on her. “I think everything the doctor is going to use is wrapped up there on the tray.”
“Why?”
“To keep them sterile,” David explained. “To keep the germs off. Did you ever have a scratch or scrape that got infected?”
The little girl pressed her lips together. “One time. It got really red and hurt. Mommy had to pour this stuff on—”
“Hydrogen peroxide,” Courtney said when Janie glanced at her for clarification.
“Then she put on cream and I got a Band-Aid.”
“Your mom did just the right thing,” David said.
Courtney felt the power of his praise course through her but that made no sense. Why should it make any difference to her whether or not he approved? And yet it did. How irritating was that? The good news was that Janie had been successfully distracted.
“You’ll heal faster if these cuts don’t get any germs in them,” he explained.
“You have to sew up my boo-boo?” she asked.
He thought for a moment. “I have to pull the edges together so it heals neatly.”
“Are you gonna use a big needle? Like the one my mommy uses to fix my jeans?”
His face was intensely serious as he answered the question. “I’m not sure what your mom uses for that,” he said, “but for what I’m going to do we need everything as small as possible.”
“’Cuz I’m small?”
Courtney’s throat tightened with emotion. Her child was too small to go through this, she thought. She knew she should say something, but couldn’t get anything past the lump in her throat. Some pillar of strength she was.
David’s sharp-eyed gaze seemed to pick up on her state of mind. “Janie, even if you were as big as Shrek I would use very tiny stuff.”
“How come?”
“Because tiny stuff will make the scar almost invisible.”
“So that stuff is magic?”
“In the right hands it is.”
