“Well, Mr.Morrow. I’m Doctor Freeman. I’ll take care of you tonight.”
The man looked at her, as if trying to dig deeper inside her soul, most probably trying to decide if she was friend or foe. It saddened her that he had to be on his guard like that. Not that she was naive enough to think that all was fluff and sugar in this world—being a doctor proved the contrary day after day—but not being able to find peace or solace must be difficult. Maybe untenable.
“Please lie down, Mr.Morrow.”
Something shifted in his eyes. “Please, Doctor, call me Tom.”
Helping him on his back, Tessa arched an eyebrow. “Well, you had parents with a great sense of humor, Mr.Tom Morrow.”
“I seriously doubt it, Doctor.”
He clearly didn’t want to get personal, and that suited her just fine. First point of order, the blow to his head.
Bringing the instrument tray closer, she cut the bandage and removed the ice pack to examine the wound. It definitely hadn’t been done by a fist.
“Did you lose consciousness following the blow?”
“No.”
Gently touching the purple and blue distended skin, Tessa saw him hold back, but his breath hitched nonetheless.
“I’m sorry.”
Tessa didn’t think she had spoken out loud, but when the man turned his head his lip quivered slightly. Instead of responding, he lifted his hand and touched a stray curl of her hair. She’d always hated her locks, the brown mess of corkscrews that never stayed in place and took forever to dry. People made comments all the time and many were curious, wanting to touch it.
“You look tired, Doctor.”
Gently, he placed it behind her ear and looked at her face again with his light eyes. Kicking herself, Tessa resumed her examination, and again, only her training kept her on track. How could she be sidetracked so easily? He wasn’t the first handsome man she had seen in her life!
Making a note to kick herself after getting enough sleep, she finished her examination and added a few notes.
“I’ll send you for an MRI, just to make sure you don’t have a concussion.”
“I’m fine.”
Ignoring him, she sent the request and dragged over a small stool, so she was eye level with the dressing on his left side.
Ever so slowly, she started peeling it away and saw two slashes going from his waist to just below his armpit. Upward slashes that were most probably from a knife fight. The cuts were clean but would require a couple of stitches. He had been lucky.
Gathering what she needed, Tessa felt his attention on her every movement, as if she was about to attack him with a stashed weapon. A side effect from his previous attack most probably. What surprised her about him was his lack of tattoos. Normally, someone who was part of a gang or a criminal organization had a large number of symbolic ink all over their skin. There were scars though, some small and a couple quite large—cuts and one from a bullet. As she set the sterile stitching tray beside her and put latex gloves on, her eyes went to his legs, clad in dark wash denim. Strong legs. The man trained, and it showed in the most delicious way.
“Are you hurt anywhere else, apart from your side and head?”
The man, his fascinating eyes never wavering, shook his head. “Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.” His voice was deep and steady.
Tessa put the dressing aside and started preparing the area. “I know from experience that emergency stretchers are not conducive to a good night’s sleep. But when I get the scan results, and if nothing is abnormal, I can give you something to relax.”
“I have to stay here?”
“Yes. You have a nasty hit to the head. It’s better to keep you under observation for the night. You’re probably suffering from a concussion, and I want to make sure before you leave.”
Tessa took a syringe and was about to inject him with a mild painkiller when his hand circled her wrist. At his touch, her body reacted, heat spreading inside her at a surprising speed.
“What are you doing?” The contact was gentle, but his voice was low and suspicious.
“It’s only a painkiller, Mr.Morrow. What I’m about to do will cause you a serious amount of pain. I just want you to avoid suffering unnecessarily.”
Opening his hand, resignation passed in the pale eyes. “It’s too late for that. I’m used to pain. No painkillers, no numbing of any kind, Doctor. Just do your work.”
