The Doctor's Undoing

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Telling himself he would just laugh it off if she brought it up this evening, turning the whole incident into a self-directed joke as he always did, he exited his vehicle. She probably wouldn’t even mention it, unless she felt compelled to give him another bracing pep talk.

As he walked toward her door, he found himself hoping she’d made that chocolate pity cake. He wouldn’t turn down chocolate, no matter what the motive behind the offering.

Already wearing his usual practiced grin, he rang her doorbell. The grin faded when he saw her face. She was smiling, and her makeup looked freshly applied—neither of which deceived him. He knew her too well. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Come on in, I made that cake I promised you.”

Even cake couldn’t distract him from this. “You’ve been crying. What happened?”

She sighed. “I didn’t think you would be able to tell.”

He closed the door behind him without ever taking his gaze from her face. “I can tell. What’s wrong?”

If she told him this was a personal problem and none of his business, he supposed he would have to let it go. But he wanted her to know he was here for her if she needed a shoulder.

He saw her throat work with a swallow and sensed her internal debate. And then she sighed and shrugged. “Kylie Anderson called me a few minutes ago. Mr. Eddington went into cardiac arrest and died suddenly this afternoon. Half an hour after I left the hospital.”

Ron grimaced. “I’m sorry, Haley. I know he was one of your favorites.”

She blinked rapidly. “Yes. He was a sweet guy. Always smiling and teasing. Though he knew he didn’t have long, he was hoping to go home in the next few days to spend a little more time with his family.”

He rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. But don’t forget the burn-out lectures we’ve heard. You have to leave it at the hospital. You can’t bring it home with you.”

She shook her head. “I know. And I’m not going to let it affect my work. It’s just sad, that’s all.”

Ron had always believed Haley would be an excellent physician. His only concern had been that she would take it all too personally. Get too involved with her patients, fret about the ones who wouldn’t take care of themselves, and grieve over the ones who lost their ultimate fights. That was just Haley’s personality—all heart. And hearts, he had learned long ago, were too easily broken.

“So you’re okay?”

She smiled. “I am. Thanks for asking.”

Not entirely convinced, he shook his head. “You are going to have to guard against burnout, you know. You care too much.”

Her left eyebrow rose slightly. “I happen to think a doctor should care about her patients.”

“There’s caring. And then there’s caring too much.”

“Okay, I get your message. Now how about some cake?”

At least she didn’t look so sad anymore, he decided before letting her sidetrack him. “Chocolate?”

The look she gave him was wry. “Would I make you any other kind?”

Laughing, he tapped her chin with his knuckles. “What a pal.”

She moved quickly toward the kitchen. Had he caught just a glimpse of a flush on her cheeks before she’d turned away— and if so, how had he embarrassed her this time? By catching her at a weak moment? Seemed like that was only fair, since she’d seen him in a few.

After only a momentary hesitation, he followed her into the small kitchen, reaching into his pocket as he walked. Haley was already slicing into a thickly frosted, dark chocolate cake that made his mouth water just to look at it. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, mingling with the chocolate aroma. Though he’d eaten dinner earlier, he was suddenly hungry again.

“That looks really good.”

She smiled and set a plate holding a good-sized slice of cake on the table. “Coffee or milk?”

“Milk now. Coffee later.”

She nodded and started to turn toward the fridge. He stopped her by catching her arm with his left hand. “Haley. I brought you something.”

Her eyebrows rose when she looked up at him. “What did you bring?”

Feeling a little foolish, he held his right hand out to her. A bracelet of polished pink stones strung on elastic cording and tied with a jaunty little bow lay on his palm. “I know it’s not like the one you broke, but I saw it in the hospital gift shop and I thought of you.”

She blinked a couple of times, her long lashes sweeping down to hide the expression in her eyes. “You bought me a bracelet?”

Resisting the urge to scuff his toe on her floor like an embarrassed schoolboy, he shrugged. “I was buying a candy bar—needed my afternoon sugar fix, you know—and I saw it displayed on the counter. It wasn’t all that expensive, but I thought it was kind of nice. The hospital auxiliary always needs money and you broke your bracelet and you’ve been helping me study, so…Anyway, it won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t like it.”

She plucked the bauble from his hand with a smile that wavered a bit. “I like it very much. Thank you, Ron.”

“I don’t know what the stones are, or what they mean or anything like that. Don’t know if they’ll ground you or bring you wisdom or whatever. I just thought they were kind of pretty.”

“I think so, too.” She slipped the bracelet on her wrist and twisted her hand to admire it there. “Very pretty. Thanks again. I’ll get your milk.”

The doorbell rang. Ron started a little, then laughed at himself as he shook his head. “That’ll be Hardik. Guess he got away earlier than he expected. I’ll let him in. You’d better cut another big piece of cake.”

“I’ll do that.”

The stones were pink opal. A stone of peace and tranquility. A healing stone.

A stone of love.

Ron wouldn’t have known any of that, of course, Haley mused as she pulled the bracelet lightly between her fingers later that evening. He’d bought the bracelet because he’d thought it was pretty. Because he’d thought she might like it.

Because she had broken the one Kris gave her.

She set the bauble on her dresser and pulled a pair of silky pajamas from the top drawer. She and Hardik and Ron had put in a solid three hours of studying. Worthwhile, but draining.

Closing the drawer, she touched the bracelet again before turning away to get ready for bed.

Haley was glad to move on to the outpatient diagnostic clinic at the end of the month. She had a new resident, a new attending and new duties. Every morning she was assigned one patient for whom she conducted a full history and physical. Her resident then did a more focused physical based on the patient’s complaints, and then created a treatment plan.