FRESHLY showered, Blake sat on the hotel room bed. Humming to himself, recalling how Darby had clung to his every word the night before when he’d sung for her, he pulled on his black Italian shoes.
They’d gotten back from Pea Ridge about fifteen minutes earlier. They’d stayed at the hospital with Cindy, Mandy and Trey until Bobby had been admitted to a room on the surgery floor. He’d have surgery early the following day, to pin the broken pieces of his ulnar and radius bones.
As Darby had gone into the emergency room with Bobby and the boy’s mother, Blake had been left in the waiting area with Mandy and Trey. That hour had been one hell of a long wait.
Making Blake happier than they could have possibly realized, Mandy and Trey had stayed at the hospital, rather than ride back with them.
On the drive home, Darby had looked spent and closed her eyes. He’d encouraged her to lie down on the bed to rest while he took his shower. When he’d come out of the bathroom she’d been on the phone, not surprisingly, and was firing question after question about what was going on at Knoxville Memorial Hospital regarding their patients.
When finished, she clicked her cellular phone closed. “I called and checked in with Dr. Kingston. He discharged Evie Mayo this morning, along with both of your patients.”
His patients had been simple dehydration cases, so he wasn’t surprised they’d been released to go home. He’d expected as much. Darby didn’t sound sure about her patient.
“You don’t think he should have discharged Evie?”
“We still don’t know why her liver enzymes were so elevated. He says they’ve dropped to below a hundred and she was fine.”
Blake had reviewed the woman’s chart, examined her, and hadn’t been able to offer Darby any suggestions other than perhaps the woman had an unusual virus. Her white blood cell differential had been slightly shifted, with an increased lymphocyte count, indicating the possibility of a virus.
“Evie was okay with the discharge?”
Darby shrugged. “He says she was ready to go home.”
“He’s a good doctor.”
“Yes.” Glancing at her watch, she nodded. “I should get ready. Thank goodness we only have to go downstairs.”
She stood from the ornate chair, gathering her clothes to take into the bathroom with her.
“Darby?”
She turned, her gaze colliding with Blake’s.
“Are you going to tell me what happened between you and Mandy before we go downstairs?”
She shook her head.
“How about what happened between you and Nix?”
“We’re going to be late if I don’t get my shower.”
He sighed. He’d hoped she’d tell him last night, but she hadn’t. She’d seemingly shared everything with him except whatever her connection was to Trey and Mandy. “When you’re ready to talk, I’m here for you.”
Before turning her back on him, she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“I know,” Darby said. Blake had always been there for her. Not that she’d needed him often, but when she had he’d been there without hesitation. Like when she’d had the flu. He’d not only covered for her in the office and at the hospital, but he’d brought her a basket full of edible goodies and stayed with her in case she’d needed anything.
Her hand on the bathroom doorknob, she paused, spun to face him. “Why are you so good to me, Blake?”
His dark eyes clouded with confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Why are you here with me this weekend? Surely you had better things to do than go to my high school reunion?”
“You blackmailed me, remember?”
Her grip tightened on the doorknob. “Blackmailed?”
“Blackmailed might be a bit strong,” he admitted, humor evident in his voice. “I owed you a favor so I’m here.”