Breaking the Doctor Page 3

  “It isn’t your fault that she got pneumonia.” He sipped his tea and the room brightened from the sunshine behind their head. Hopefully Rose would wake up soon. “Patti, did you go to college?”

  Back when she didn’t worry about everything... “Juilliard. I was supposed to be a singer/ songwriter, or play flute in an orchestra, though I always preferred my guitar.”

  He nodded like he was impressed—but he had no idea her trials. Reza’s profile showed a hard jaw and strong nose. He finished his small sip of tea and shrugged a muscular shoulder. “My parents wanted me to be a doctor since I was Rose’s age, maybe younger.”

  “And you did it.” Patti heard her sister moan in her sleep.

  She instantly turned and hope swelled in her chest that her sister would wake up and stare back. Nothing happened, and Rose remained asleep. Her shoulders sagged in disappointment as she glanced at Reza.

  He patted her back.

  Goosebumps grew on her body but she settled down as Reza said, “I’m the only boy, and now the only child, with my sister’s accident…”

  “I’m sorry.” She squeezed her hand on his knee.

  He gave her a half-smile that made her heart skip as he said, “You didn’t do it.”

  “Still.” She curled her hand over his. Perhaps it was wrong to be so familiar, but he was here, and she needed him right now. “You’re a dedicated doctor.”

  He pivoted closer to her and murmured, “I might have to stop my practice for a while if I don’t get help.”

  “Oh no.” Reza was her shelter in a storm. Her gaze narrowed as she asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Sara.” He lowered his head.

  “Your niece?” A four-year-old was a reason to work and earn money, not quit being a doctor. But who knows—maybe he’d saved enough to take time off? She’d never worked in his pay grade.

  He traced the skin on her hand that held his and a warm spike washed through her as he said, “She needs me. If I don’t offer her stability where she can grow, the courts could award her to a cousin she’s never met.”

  Huh? She blinked. She’d learned from recent personal experience that the courts tried to keep families together, and Reza was Sara’s uncle. Her eyebrows lifted. “A cousin?”

  He sipped his tea, nodded, and took a deep breath. “An American-born first cousin of her father who can’t have her own children.”

  Even if the cousin was full American, that shouldn’t matter. “I thought your closer family relation would matter more.”

  He shifted his head to the side and somehow she understood from that that simple movement he agreed. “I have a green card and come from a country Americans think is horrible—they get their information from an old movie in the early 80s.”

  Ah. That might be true. She sipped her tea. “The news we hear isn’t good.”

  Reza stared her straight in the eyes and didn’t blink as he said, “I don’t judge all Americans based on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, though that was supposedly a true story.”

  Yeah. She wrapped her arm in his and pulled him closer for a hug. He smelled so good, like cedar trees and cooking spices that made her mouth water. “I get that. I also understand wanting to help your family. I make minimum wage, have horrible insurance, and I can’t provide my sister what she needs.”

  He shifted so she could lean on his shoulder better as he stared at her sister’s bed. “What does she need?”

  “More attention and a decent school,” Patti answered fast. If she had a better job, she’d get Rose into a better school district, but even then she’d have to work.

  How her mother had stayed home for her she had no idea, not in this economy.

  Reza surprised her by asking, “And what about you?”

  “What about me?” she asked as a way to ignore the zip in her veins. Honestly, she wasn’t that interesting.

  He traced her arm and she felt safe again as he asked, “What do you need?”

  She let out pfft sound and pointed across the room. “Currently, my sister to wake up, infection free.”

  He nodded. “It will happen soon.”

  “I trust you.” She sipped and believed him that everything would be well. Why? She had no reason, because she hadn’t trusted anyone in a while. But Reza went the extra mile, clearly giving the best care possible.

  This close to him she saw how his dark, thick eyelashes made her own seem invisible. People paid money to have lashes half as nice as his natural ones and he sipped as well. “What else do you want?”

  “Want, or need? They are two different things.” She heaved her chest a little. Her own wants no longer mattered. She’d never needed more than music before and now even that had been mostly subdued.

  He shrugged and continued drinking. “Either.”

  Okay. She tucked her hair behind her ear and chewed on her bottom lip. What did she want or need? The old version of her probably wanted her shot at producing music, but she no longer had the luxury to volunteer for a year to learn the ropes. She focused on her sister, sleeping, sipped, and had her answer. “I need to figure out how to do more for Rose. I want to not come home and be so exhausted that I can’t be there for her. She’s so young.”

  He glanced at her and then her sister putting his empty cup down. “How come there is such a huge age gap between you both?”

  Her sister moaned again.

  Hopefully Rose would awaken soon. She finished her own lovely tea too. For now she turned her attention back to Reza and those full lips of his. “When I went off to college, my mom decided they weren’t done being parents so they had Rose.”

  He folded his hands between his legs and she noticed a small tick between his eyes as he asked, “So you want to be the best replacement mom you can be?”

  She blinked. Had she said the wrong thing? Her hand had pins and needles wishing he was still holding her as she traced her neck. “Yes.”

  He swallowed and his Adam’s apple bounced as he stared at her sister. “What about more children?”

  Something about him had shifted. What was he thinking? She looked at her sister and replayed their conversation. He’d mentioned childcare help. Patti sipped her tea and let her mind connect the dots. “Are you offering me a job, Reza? I’d love to help you out with Sara though I need to make money. I couldn’t do it for free.”

  “I see.” He pivoted toward her and for a moment their legs touched, but he jumped out of his seat and peered down at her. “I have an unusual request, and feel free to tell me to get lost.”

  She rose, noticing the tension in his body. Maybe he felt whatever coursed through her too. “What is it?”

  “I’m trying to adopt my sister’s baby.” Most people’s white lab coats were loose, but his stretched across his broad shoulders when his muscles became rigid and hard.

  Ah. She walked over to her sister and adjusted long blonde locks away from her face while she slept. Rose looked like their mom. So did she probably but she lacked her mother’s gentleness. She turned toward the doctor and smiled. “You told me, and I get it. Taking my own sister in was hard but she’s all I have left of family. I can see you feel the same.”

  For a moment he didn’t move or blink. She ran her hand down his arm, ignoring the usual boundaries. Whatever was wrong, he needed help and she’d do what she could. As her hand brushed his fingers that were curled into a fist, he said, “Except I’m not a citizen yet, and my sister’s baby is. My lawyer said it would be easier if I have a wife. You need good insurance and a better job.”

  Shock burned. She took her hand and covered her heart as she stared up at him. This sexy, smoking hot doctor could have anyone he wanted. Her mind raced but then she asked, just to be sure, “Are you asking me to marry you?”

  Reza’s cheeks had a red tinge. He looked at her sister’s chart rather than her and then put it back as he said, “It would be temporary—just until the paperwork goes through for my sister’s daughter. In exchange I’ll pay for the medical bills your sister might accrue. When you move in, Rose would be in the best school district of Miami, or you can choose private for her and I’ll cover tuition. Rose will get everything you said she needed, and for watching Sara, I’ll pay you a salary. The nanny we hire will be happier to work with two parents and two children as she’ll have a better schedule. I also have a chef, so you won’t need to cook.”

  Pay for everything? Then she could leave the money from the sale of her parents’ house in the bank for Rose’s college. Her parents had hoped Rose would go to Harvard or Yale and Patti would honor their wishes and pay for Rose’s future. All the stress would be erased. Her pulse raced but she didn’t blink as she said, “Yes.”

  “You don’t want to think about this for twenty-four hours?” Reza stepped away. “You have a job and even though this feels desperate now, you’re smart and will figure out what to do.”

  “Rose needs help now.” She glanced at her sister with hope. Rose’s cheeks had natural, fever-free color to them for the first time in days. He was right that she’d get up soon. Patti had light in her heart as she turned to Dr. Moradi aka Sexy and placed her hand on her chest. “I’ll do my best for Sara, too.”

  “This was easier than I thought. I half-expected you to slap me.” He remained at the foot of Rose’s bed. “I’ll talk to my lawyer. Patti, don’t tell anyone, especially the nurses, about this until all the paperwork is done.”

  Her name sounded sexy from his lips. She shook off the thought and called out as he took a step to go, “Wait.”

  He signed something on the bottom of her sister’s chart as he asked without looking at her, “Change your mind?”

  Pride. She recognized his hesitation. She stepped closer and could smell his cedar cologne that filled her nostrils. She wished h
e’d hold her but this was just business. Patti lowered her head. “Reza, somehow this makes me happy and I’ve not had much of that in a long time.”

  “We’ll plan a small trip for the four of us to let Rose and Sara get to know each other.” He opened the door.

  “Us too. Sounds good.” She tilted her head and followed him.

  He stepped into the bright hall. “I’ll be back in less than an hour with all the paperwork. Thank you.”

  Good. If this worked out and he didn’t change his mind, then this solved more problems than she’d considered. She held the frame of the door as he left the room. “Can’t wait.”

  Then Reza walked away. She watched his backside until he was out of the picture. Everything seemed surreal, but somehow she had her answer on how to help Rose. She slipped back in the seat beside Rose and whispered to her sleeping body, “Sis, whenever you wake up, you’re not going to believe this.”

  Patti had a hard time believing his proposal herself. She was about to marry a total stranger and the memory of his gaze burned into her soul. She wasn’t at all nervous. A hum washed through her and she imagined Reza touching her. Maybe this could be more than just about saving her sister.

  Chapter 4

  Reza paced his small office in the pediatric wing that he mostly used as a dressing room as he did most of his paperwork on his tablet these days. His shift had ended hours ago, but it wasn’t unusual for a doctor to be working when he wasn’t scheduled.

  Normally the room felt claustrophobic with the door closed, but today he needed privacy to speak to his lawyer on the phone. Harry Hughes had been his undergraduate roommate who’d gone on to law school and he’d been working on Sara’s case since the beginning. Harry said, “When I told you today to find a citizen to marry, I assumed you’d ask one of the nurses at your hospital, or Leila.”

  Leila had crossed his mind briefly as she’d be easy to ask and likely to answer yes. She was an American citizen, born to Iranian parents. But just because they knew each other, didn’t mean they should live together. He straightened his spine and remembered his niece squealing to be held by him whenever Leila was present and avoiding her attention.

  However, he’d compromised his own ethics when he’d asked Patti to marry him.

  Patti’s blonde hair, curvy body and blue eyes made her his American dream girl. Since moving to the states, and now Miami, he thought blondes held mythical beauty. Patti Davies ignited a spark that had been dormant for a while.

  Compromising his ethics though… that had been desperate and stupid. He couldn’t tell this to Harry. He plopped down in his seat and lowered his head to the cool metal table top, hoping to chill out. “Sara doesn’t like Leila and I need a mother figure. I know I broke ethics in asking a patient, and I almost didn’t.” He remembered his graduation oath to do no harm. “But there was something about Patti.”

  Harry said, like all the angst in Reza’s head wasn’t there, “I’ll get your marriage license taken care of, and my secretary is talking to the hospital chaplain. This can all be tied up in an hour in the chapel.”

  His heart slowed down at his lawyer’s words and he sat up, taking a deep breath. If everything went as planned and nothing happened…. But then his mind went to the next step. He’d bring both Patti and her sister home with him.

  Sara wouldn’t get a chance to have an opinion about this marriage he was doing for her sake. Sara’s father had been American and hopefully the familiarity would help her relax into their new lives. He stood as he heard his phone beep with updated information. He read it as he said, “You mean my new reality begins in an hour. I don’t want to take Patti away from her sister so it’s best if we meet in Rose’s hospital room for details.”

  “Okay.”

  Right. He texted but then his phone beeped. He needed to go—the hospital knew he was here so he was on call. He opened his office door and headed into the illuminated white halls as he said, “I’ll finish my extra rounds and see you then.”

  Over the next hour, Reza wrote orders for his overnight patients and took himself off the on call list. He had enough PTO earned to take time off, but that required signatures.

  The hour flew past as the emails came in that his leave was approved. Finished, he headed back toward Rose’s room, hoping to find her much improved from her pneumonia.

  Patti stood from her place at her sister’s bedside, and the blonde, blue-eyed bombshell stole his breath away. His lawyer, Harry, stood next to Zahra, and the hospital chaplain. He ignored the visitors and checked on Rose, who remained fast asleep.

  The medication was doing its job. Her cheeks were starting to get a healthy color back. Any moment now Rose might open her eyes. He’d crossed too many lines. He put the chart down and took Patti’s hand, leading her toward the window. She didn’t need to marry him. He’d find another way. Somehow. He placed his hand on her back so they faced the window and not his friends. In a low voice he said, “Patti, if you want to pull out and forget about our last conversation, I completely understand. I broke boundaries.”

  “No,” Patti said right away. “We’re going to be a team.”

  Harry said clearly too close, “For the adoption process, this is likely a two-year commitment.”

  “Well, that’s good to know,” Patti said. “And not a problem.”

  Two years of her future, stolen for his own plans. He started to speak, but Patti took his hands and squeezed them. “We’re both helping each other. I’ll be a good temporary wife.”

  “And I’ll ensure everything in your life is taken care of.”

  “It will be nice to have your shoulder…”

  A small voice called out, “Patti, what’s happening?”

  Patti dropped his hands and ran toward her sister’s bed. She smiled and the pretty blonde girl that looked like Patti stared around in confusion.

  “It’s all right.” Patti ran her hand through her sister’s hair and hugged her. Patti sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “Rose, this is your doctor, Reza Moradi. We’re getting married.”

  The young girl’s eyes widened and she glanced at him again. She slowly sat up. “You’re marrying my doctor, right now?”

  “We were going to go to the chapel,” Harry said.

  “It would be great here too, if we can.” Patti kissed Rose’s cheek and a tear went down her face as she smiled. “I’m so glad you’re awake.”

  The girl reached to the side of her bed and picked up the cell phone that had been charging all night. “Me too. I’ll record this with your phone.”

  Record this?

  Reza’s neck felt tight.

  Patti tried to take the phone as she said, “You’re too weak.”

  “I can hold a cell phone.” Her sister tugged her hand back. “I want to remember this forever.”

  Reza glanced at the chaplain, Zahra, and his lawyer. Patti clasped his hand and he told the room of people,, “Now that Rose is awake, I can find out when she’s free to be checked out of the hospital.”

  Rose nodded at him like she trusted him. His neck was so tight he wondered if he’d choke, when Patti simply said, “I’m ready to do this.”

  He turned when the door opened and the efficient nanny and quiet as a mouse Sara walked into the room. The nanny closed the door while Sara ran right into his arms.

  Sara smelled like cinnamon and vanilla cookies, and he was marrying Patti to provide his sweet girl, with a round face and soft brown hair who was almost a replica of his sister, a home.

  He’d do whatever he was necessary. He put Sara down and she rushed over to Zahra, accepting her outstretched hand. Zahra visited them every week since Sara had come into his home, and read her bedtime stories.

  The chaplain signaled that he was ready to begin the ceremony. Reza cupped Patti’s waist and promised himself to somehow find a way to thank her in the future. “Patti, you have a kind heart.” And she was stunning, not that he’d tell her out loud in front of others.

  “Thank you, Reza.” She turned her full attention to the chaplain. “With my sister now awake and Sara here, today feels blessed.”