Breaking the Doctor
Breaking the Doctor
Victoria Pinder
Contents
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Also by Victoria Pinder
About the Author
This book is dedicated to my husband, my medical physics resident. No one ever knows what that is except the radiation oncology department. While you’re treating cancer without patients even knowing what you do, I try to offer hope as life is beautiful with you and our daughters (even if I’m cranky sometimes.)
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Chapter 1
Patti Davies’s heart was in her stomach as she listened to her six-year-old little sister answer the white-coated doctor’s questions. Three hours ago, Rose’s temperature had spiked after an exhausting week of the flu. Patti had bundled her protesting sister into the car and drove like a demon to the ER. Rose had passed out in the back seat, her face white. The ER sent her straight to pediatrics and now Patti waited for the diagnosis as the doctor helped Rose get comfortable in the bed.
Six months ago their parents had died, giving Patti full custody of Rose—she’d failed their trust in allowing her little sister to get so sick. What if something happened to her?
Every penny she’d scraped together was about to disappear, just when she thought she had the money part under control. Daycare was expensive and Patti didn’t earn a lot. The sale of her parents’ house after the liens were paid was all in a trust for her sister’s education, which left them flat broke right now.
None of that mattered.
Her sister was all she had.
Crisp white sheets covered the hospital bed, and long windows overlooked palmetto trees and the parking lot. A TV bolted to the wall next to the whiteboard provided background noise in the sterile room near midnight.
Rose had her own room, something else that probably raised the cost of her care.
One day she’d be better off financially, and Patti’s lack of income shouldn’t hurt her sister. She’d have to figure this out.
The doctor closed his chart. Her pulse went up slightly when the doctor crooked his finger for her to join him. Sexy dark eyes, perfectly sculpted body, and olive skin.
She’d never seen such a gorgeous man. Lust wasn’t something she could afford right now. Patti marched to the foot of her sister’s bed and took a deep breath. Once she was sure she could speak normally, she asked, “What’s wrong with my sister?”
“You’re her guardian?” He opened his chart to read again.
Rose shut her eyes, her blonde hair spread on the pillow and her arms hooked up to the IV. “Yes.” Patti crossed her hands in front of her. “I’m all she has now.”
The doctor, green scrubs beneath his white jacket, tapped his chart and gave her a smile full of sympathy and desire. Her body hummed with attraction, though she’d probably made up the desire on his part…the sexy doctor had to be married, and she had other things to think about—like her sister, who had already fallen asleep. Patti lifted her chin, prepared for the worst. “Rose has pneumonia and I’m admitting her for overnight treatment,” the doctor said. “I want to aggressively attack the infection before it reaches her heart.”
Pneumonia? Patti brushed aside his clipboard and took his hand. That sounded dangerous! She pulled back at the too-familiar contact, her cheeks hot. “Thank you so much. I can’t lose her too.”
Patti fixed the blanket over her sister’s foot. She’d use the money from the sale of her parents’ house to stave off the current disaster and figure out her sister’s future college education later.
The doctor scanned Rose’s chart.
How her parents had helped her with Julliard, she had no idea. Family was expensive. South Florida was expensive. No wonder her friends avoided having their own kids, or left the state to find better paying jobs. She straightened her shoulders and briefly considered what else she might sell to make a few extra dollars, like those paintings of her mother’s in her crowded apartment.
“One more question,” the doctor said.
She batted her lashes and then lowered them. Flirting wasn’t going to get her anywhere. “Yes?”
“Has Rose been in counseling since your parents…”
“No, not really.” Her eyes lifted and she answered the unfinished question, swaying just a little. “I’ve tried to talk to her about our parents, but she shuts down.”
The doctor wrote on his notepad. “I can request a psych evaluation for her. Our hospital has a great psychiatric program.”
Probably true, but she shook her head. “I already called. My insurance doesn’t cover mental health.”
The doctor crossed his arms and held the chart to his side, then he stepped back, his gray Adidas sneakers not making a noise on the linoleum. His sympathetic smile shot tingles straight through her. “I’ll call your insurance and see if we can get the evaluation covered.”
His broad shoulders suggested strength to hold a woman tight. She glanced at his ring finger—bare. Whoever he dated would be lucky. He nodded at her and, with a flush of awareness, she read the name badge on his muscular wall of chest. “Thank you, Dr. Moradi. Whatever you can do.”
“I’ll see you soon, Miss Davies.” He waved as he left the room.
She called out, “Patricia. Patti Davies.”
If she was going to fantasize about the doctor, it would be nice to hear him say her name.
Patti took a seat next to her sister’s bed as Rose slept; her normally plump cheeks now gaunt, and purple shadows under her eyes.
She should have taken her sister to the doctor days ago, but Rose had sworn she’d be better soon. Patti assumed it was just a bad flu, which had been going around.
As her sister’s fever had grown, Patti realized she’d made the wrong call.
She fixed her sister’s pillow and smoothed Rose’s hair out of her face. Thanks to the medicine, Rose was sleeping soundly.
Rose would be better soon. She had to be. Otherwise Patti was a total failure at family too.
Another hour ticked past and Patti took solace in watching the liquid go into the IV and her sister’s arm. Sleep didn’t matter for herself. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d gone to work tired.
Hopefully Rose would be fine and they’d get out of here first thing in the morning so Patti might make her shift.
Finances were secondary in this situation though the reality of paying for the hospital stay inched up her spine like a cold metal rod.
Her silence was interrupted when a nurse with short red hair and big green eyes walked into the room and smiled at her before she erased the current nurse’s name from the whiteboard, and wrote Elayne. Her wedding ring sparkled. “So, your sister was seen by Dr. Hottie?”
Patti wasn’t the only one’d who noticed the man’s good looks. Any female with eyes would wonder what his hands felt like on their body. Her face heated as she lowered her head and adjusted her sister’s blanket. “Dr
. Moradi… yeah. He’s hot, and nice. I don’t normally meet men like that.”
Working in the baggage section of the airport she saw travelers not paying any attention to her or other employees as they went on their way.
The nurse checked her sister’s IV and wrote down numbers on a tablet. “None of us do.”
Patti combed with her fingers a blonde lock of her sister’s hair out of her face.
The nurse changed out one of the medications in the IV machine. “Rumor is that his mother wanted to send him over a bride now that he’s officially a doctor and not a resident, but with the ban….”
“The ban?” She blinked as her mind focused on something other than her sister.
The nurse scanned the new medication into her tablet and then added it to her sister’s IV. “He’s Iranian. He’s friends with Zahra, another nurse from his country who’s been here for twenty years. So, all the single nurses on the floor come by to “help” when he’s working, to try and get his attention.”
Any single woman with a pulse would probably want a chance. Her pulse spiked at the memory of his compassionate smile. She took a sip of the water left for her sister when she woke up, then refilled the glass. “Will that interfere with my sister’s care?”
The nurse shook her head no and read the chart. “She’s stable, and resting is going to help. The nurses assigned to your room are listed on the board and nobody else should be allowed inside. My name is here, Elayne Cody.”
With a nod, Patti took note of the time on the clock. She’d have to call in to work soon. “Check names. Thanks.”
The nurse recorded Rose’s vitals and left.
A few more hours past though it was still dark without sign of any dawn.
Her boss had written her up for taking another day off.
Not that it mattered right now.
She glanced out the window, and the moon was still bright in the sky. Patti decided to sneak down the hall to get a cup of coffee from the vending machine. As the coffee poured into the paper cup, she hoped it was at least drinkable. She never had luck with vending machines that cost almost as much as gourmet coffee she’d get from a coffee shop.
Patti started back to Rose, the hard bright light left almost no shadows in the quiet nurse’s station near the room, but her body tensed when she saw Dr. Moradi walking toward her sister’s room. Awareness rushed through her and she dashed forward so fast she almost collided with hard muscles when he suddenly stopped. He stepped back and waved her inside. Her hand trembled so she put the cup down on the tray table before it spilled.
Dr. Sexy rubbed the back of his neck and closed the door. Her heart pounded as she checked on her sister who was still sound asleep in her bed. Patti turned her attention toward the doctor as he motioned for them to sit on the visitor chairs in the room. “Miss Davies?”
“Patti.” If he said her name, she’d have yummy dreams to fill her nights.
He leaned forward and folded his hands between his knees. “I booked the psych evaluation and ensured it would be covered, though they mentioned a deductible.”
Thousands of dollars for someone to tell her that their parents’ death was hard on her sister. Patti sighed. Somehow she’d make her bills work, she had no choice. She picked up her paper coffee cup that scalded her hand and said, “That’s sweet of you. You’re very kind. But I can’t afford the deductible. Thank you for trying though.”
One sip told her plenty. This coffee was horrible. Bitter and burnt at the same time. Yuck. She put it back down as Doctor Moradi gave her a clean-shaven smile that melted her heart. She’d remember every detail of his thick lips, and square jaw. “I’m just doing my job.”
Silence clung in the air. Electricity raced through her though she tried to focus on her sister. Rose needed to be okay. Sexy brown eyes shouldn’t mesmerize—but if she didn’t say something to Dr. Moradi, he’d walk away, the next doctor’s shift would start, and she might never see him again. She took another sip of her sister’s water to cool herself down, and then looked into the clear liquid. She’d never met anyone from Iran before. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“What is it?” The doctor sat straighter and his white jacket still framed his perfect frame that was topped off with his aware of everything brown eyes.
Most doctors had no time for their patients’ family and left the talking for the nurses. She scooted closer and their arms brushed against each other. “Do you miss your home country, and culture?”
“I came here when I was young and I really like America, though sometimes I miss the food.”
The only food from the midEast she knew were kabobs and rice, though kabobs were delish. “The food must be amazing. Was it hard to leave Iran and start over without family?”
His brown eyes grew big and he sat back and asked, “How do you know I’m Iranian? Most Americans think I’m Italian.”
“I understand why. You don’t have a definitive accent.” He had that sun-kissed, molded-by-the-ancient-gods-to-fulfill-a-fantasy look to him. She pointed to the names on the whiteboard. “The nurse told me.”
“My accent comes out when I’m rushed or upset.” He let out small sigh. Their arms touched and awareness raced through her as he said, “And yes, it was hard, but I wanted a better life for myself, helping people, which brings me back to your sister. The infection is in her lungs, and the next twenty-four hours are critical. Your insurance-”
“Sucks.” Right. She wasn’t the type of woman who lusted after men normally. Actually, she never saw straight, single men at her job for more than thirty seconds before they took off for parts unknown. She crossed her legs and met his eyes. “Please do whatever you can for her. I’ll find a way to pay for it.”
“I’ll do everything in my power.” His voice was firm and his gaze direct.
She believed him.
Patti never believed in promises made by total strangers. No one helped anyone without a reason. Her breath caught in her throat but she nodded and folded her hand on his. “Thank you, Doctor Moradi.”
“Call me Reza.” He stood and leaned back against the doorframe, staring at her.
If they were anywhere else, she’d swear he was checking her out, but that was silly and impossible. “Nice to meet you, Reza.”
He glanced at the bed where her sister slept and then back at her. Patti’s heart skipped a beat at his attention. “Your sister needs her sleep and she’s sedated,” he said. “Have you eaten anything?”
She hadn’t actually, all day. She’d meant to cook dinner but her sister had her so worried she’d skipped meals. Her stomach growled as the thought of toast floated in her mind though she held up her cup and said, “I just bought a coffee.”
He frowned at her and shook his head. “Coffee’s not food.”
This time her stomach churned so loudly she was sure he heard the rumble. Her cheeks were hot as she said, “I am hungry.”
Reza pointed toward the door with his thumb. “I’m going on my late-night dinner break. Want to join me in the cafeteria? I’ll buy.”
Her eyes narrowed. She wasn’t a complete charity case. She had ten dollars in her pocket from a tip the other day. There were people here worse off so she crossed her arms and said, “You don’t have to buy.”
He tapped the side of her sister’s bed. “You haven’t eaten and you should keep your strength up. You’ll be vulnerable to pneumonia unless you’ve had your shot.”
Shot? Patti hadn’t had one of those in a while, and didn’t remember when her last physical had been. She didn’t even have the sniffles, but she couldn’t afford to be next. She stood. “Okay. I’ll join you for dinner in the cafeteria.”
“My treat,” he said fast. “I insist.”
Arguing with the doctor didn’t get her much. She nodded as they walked down the hallway together. Nurse Elayne stopped in her tracks at the nurse’s station and her green eyes widened as they passed.
Hopefully Reza didn’t notice the nurse, who gave he
r a thumbs-up.
They arrived at the elevator bank and he pressed the button to call it. She hugged her sides as she wondered if her feelings were one sided.“How come you’re being so nice to me?”
The doors opened and he said, “I understand where you’re coming from.”
“How?” she asked as they entered. He pressed the lobby button.
As the doors closed, he said, “My sister died a month ago too.”
She clutched her heart that beat wildly as she looked at the lobby light and her sister’s floor. “You think Rose will die?”
“No.” Reza shook his head fast, sounding surprised. Her heart beat returned to almost normal as he explained, “I’m sorry. I clearly said the wrong thing. Your sister will be fine.”
She laughed with relief as the doors opened. This was the first time she’d laughed in a week and she knew she shouldn’t but she needed Rose to be okay. Once she calmed down she said, “Oh. That’s good. What were you saying about your sister?”
She walked beside him as they followed the symbol on the ceiling that pointed toward a cafeteria. “My sister Naomi was married to Joe Reed, an American, and had my niece. They died three months ago, and now I find myself being a sudden parent, like yourself, to my four-year-old niece.”
This must be why his mother wanted him to get married, not that she understood his culture, but it would give his niece a family. They passed through the door into the cafeteria that had a surprisingly large selection of sandwiches, pizza, or a hot bar with various prepared foods. Her stomach again rumbled telling her to eat. Reza’s words clicked into place. “So you get how hard it is to be suddenly in charge.”