“I see you’re following the instructions so far.” I couldn’t resist smiling down at him. “You might be out of here faster than you think.”
“I hope so, doc,” he said, giving me a stare before turning to face his daughter. “I can’t wait to get out and spend some time with my daughter.”
“Hmm, I understand. But you must know it’s important not to push beyond your limits and tell the nurses when you feel any discomfort.”
I reached for his arm to check his vitals.
“Thank you, doctor.” Ella’s voice sent a thrill of energy through me. I smiled at her, looking into her eyes. The fact that she remembered my name made me wonder what else she remembered from our night on the terrace.
Fuck. I had to hold my shit together. After her initial surprise in the office, she’d acted normal since we met. I would have thought she didn’t remember anything about our New York escapade if her surprise hadn’t taken the better of her in the office. Now she seemed focused on her father, our past possibly pushed to the back of her mind. I needed to keep the same energy. Her father was my patient, so I needed to stop this shit and focus on being Dr. Pierce.
Having an unwavering focus and my ability to be calm in chaotic moments made me one of the best medical practitioners around and now I needed to use that coolness.
“When do you think I’ll be able to leave, doc?”
I looked at my patient. He had the same honey-colored eyes as his daughter. “Well,” I started evenly. “Hopefully soon, if I keep getting reports like I have been getting on you.” I pointed at his charts for emphasis. “You’d also need to work with your nurse to set up your cardiologist appointment.”
Ella shifted to face me. “Appointments?”
I nodded. “We need to keep him under watch for a while.”
“Does that mean anything dangerous?” Ella sat perfectly still in worry. “Is this going to happen again?”
“Heart attacks can be caused by several factors, namely pre-existing conditions, stress, food, lifestyle, things like that. We’ll do a bit of further evaluation to rule out any unexpected health concerns and go from there. I will be taking you as a new patient,” I answered, turning to smile at Logan, who smiled back.
“Can we have some other doctor?”
“Ella!” Her dad almost jumped up. “What’s that nonsense?”
“It’s… I…” she stuttered.
The question came as a shock to me, but understanding quickly followed. It was much understandable that Ella would prefer not to have me care for her father because she was uncomfortable with what almost happened between us. Because Logan was her father, I was hesitant to leave him in anyone else's care, but I had to respect Ella’s wishes.
“If you’d prefer another doctor, Dr. Brown could have him as her patient. That would be no trouble. I can inform her.”
“No!” Logan exclaimed. His daughter turned to look at him, and I saw him shake his head. “I’d prefer to have you, doc. You’re the best in the business, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say…” I trailed off when he gave me a hard look. “I’m the best on the East Coast, yes sir.”
I looked at Ella. She nodded in agreement with her father, obviously reluctant but not having the wherewithal to contest her dad.
“Alright, Mr Smith. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I said.
He gave me a thumbs-up and a thank you, doc.
I walked out of the room, refusing to glance back at Ella, who was staring at me with apparent discomfort. I deserved that after being some fucking fool flirt who'd she’d been ready to fuck, and then suddenly walked out her because of Sarah’s tirade, without so much as giving Ella an explanation. How was she expected to take me seriously days later, when she’d walked into a room to find me in scrubs, announcing to her that her father was OK.
When I was back in my office, I brushed the back of my fingers over my forehead in frustration. It should all be quite simple, really. I’d do my job and keep the father in good health while I have little to nothing to do with the daughter. The only problem with my plan was that the night in the open air was still stuck in my mind, and I wanted to finish what we started.
I doubted she would be interested in that.
One thing she would be interested in was her father's welfare, and I was almost as invested as she was in getting her father well. It was more than just my instincts as a doctor, my desire to care for her father was born out of much more.
Maybe I was doing it because I’d been stuck wishing I'd never left the terrace that night for Sarah’s false alarm. I hadn’t forgotten any detail of how lovely Ella looked that night. How she captivated me in a way no one else had. She’d owned my attention completely, and it seemed like it would lead to something special, something more.
I could only keep my fingers crossed and see where all of this lead.
CHAPTER 5