The Bridge Repair. Misty MaloneЧитать онлайн книгу.
he gave her phone to her. “I'm Nick Sherman, by the way.” He held his hand out to her.
She reached out and shook it. “Kara Kerrington. Nice to meet you, Dr. Sherman.”
“Nick.”
“Okay. Nick.”
“I'll let you get some rest now and see if I can get you some dinner.”
“Will you be back in later tonight?”
He'd turned and started for the door, but her question stopped him. “Do you want me to, or do you want to rest?”
“I'd like to talk a few minutes, if you have the time.”
“Then I'll be back. You rest now.”
“Okay,” she said, yawning. “I am kind of sleepy.”
“Anesthesia will do that to you,” he said with a chuckle before he left.
Kara closed her eyes and thought about Dr. Nick Sherman. She wanted to talk to him about the accident. He didn't look the same here as she remembered from there. Of course, there she was probably somewhat in shock, and she was in pain, and she admitted she'd been knocked out, was temporarily unconscious.
She didn't remember him looking as handsome as he does now. He was a tall man, over six feet, she was sure, and built more like an athlete than a doctor. She had to smile at that comparison. She'd always pictured a doctor as an old short, fat man. Dr. Nick Sherman was definitely not that. And she definitely didn't remember his sexy smile at the accident. Now, the dark blond hair and blue eyes, she must have been in a lot of pain to not notice those.
She was thinking back to the accident when she drifted off to sleep. When she woke Nick was sitting in a chair next to her bed, while the nurse, Stella, was checking her IV. She looked over at Nick, who smiled at her. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” she said after several moments. “My head doesn't hurt as much.”
“That's good. Any pain from your foot?”
She shook her head. “No, not really.” After a moment she added, “And it wasn't even painful when I shook my head just now.”
“I'm glad to hear that. I brought you some dinner. Are you hungry?”
“Yes, I am,” she admitted. “But first—” She paused and glanced at Stella, who was checking her blood pressure. She thought a moment. “Yes, dinner sounds terrific, once the nurse is done.”
Nick saw her hesitancy, and walked over to look at Kara's chart. “Everything looks good, Stella. Anything you want me to take note of?”
“No, her vitals are good.”
“All right, good. I'm going to stay and visit a few minutes and check her foot. I'll be here if she needs any help with her dinner, and I'll call you if I need anything for her foot.”
“Okay, very good, Dr. Sherman.” Stella gave Kara a final instruction. “Remember to push this button if you need anything, my dear.” She turned and left.
Nick waited until Stella was out of hearing distance, then moved closer to Kara and again spoke quietly. “Okay, what did you want to say or ask this time?”
Kara giggled. “You have a good bedside manner, Dr. Sherman.”
“Nick. Thank you. What do you want to talk about?”
“What kind of car do you drive?”
Nick's eyebrows shot up and he studied her a minute. “A black Lexus SUV.”
She nodded, and paused a moment. She looked at him and quietly asked, “Do you have a yellow Mustang?”
“No.”
He watched her as her head dropped. A couple of tears fell from her eyes, and he had to listen carefully to hear her. “The guy that ran into me today did.”
Nick was sitting on the side of her bed in an instant, pulling her gently into his arms, her head against his chest. “I know he did, Kara.”
“I'm so sorry, Dr. Sherman.”
“Nick. You don't have anything to be sorry for, honey. It was the concussion.”
“But you had a blood test and everything, all because of me.”
He chuckled softly as he tried to comfort her. “That's not a big thing to me, Kara. Really. I am glad to hear you remember it that way now, though. I hoped your memory would come back on that. It makes it a lot easier for me to ask you out for dinner now, once you're released.”
“I'm sorry; what?”
“I'd like to take you out for dinner, get to know you a little. Could we do that, please?”
Chapter 2
Kara was still leaning against Nick's chest, enjoying the feel of his arms around her, when he surprised her by asking her out to dinner. She moved back enough to be able to look into his eyes. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am,” he said with a reassuring smile.
“After the way I treated you, you would still be willing to get to know me better?”
“The way you treated me was due to a concussion. The way you apologized when you remembered what actually happened was genuine, and I believe it was the real Kara. I would very much like to get to know the real Kara better.”
She leaned back against his chest, and wrapped her arms tentatively around him. When his arms pulled her tighter against him again she melted in next to him. “Thank you.”
“I'm confused. What are you thanking me for?”
“For understanding and not hating me. I really did think it was you.”
“I know. I could tell you were being honest.” While he still had her in his arms he rubbed her arm. “And I'm being honest when I say I'd like to take you out for dinner.”
Kara laughed as she turned her head so she could see his eyes. “Your bedside manner really is fantastic. Do you do this with all your patients?”
Now it was Nick's turn to laugh. “Not the men.” When he saw her look at him with her eyebrows raised he couldn't hold back a little chuckle. “Actually, only the feisty little brats who won't answer my questions. Will you have dinner with me?”
“I'd love to, Nick. Can we go in your Lexus SUV?”
“We sure won't be going in a yellow Mustang.” After another laugh, he helped her lay back against her pillows. “Are you ready for your dinner?”
He made sure she was comfortable and then sat with her while she ate. Afterward he checked her foot and was about to ask if she needed more pain medicine, when Stella came back in.
“Oh, Dr. Sherman, I didn't know you were still here,” she said, though she didn't sound real convincing to either of them. “I came to check Kara's vitals again.”
“I think you'll find her blood pressure up a bit. She needs more pain meds; I can tell by her face. She should have had them sooner.”
“She didn't ring us and ask for any.”
“She is to have them regularly for 24 hours after surgery.”
“I'm sorry, Doctor. I'll go get them now.”
“Thank you.”
After she left, Kara sounded a little worried. “Nick, I don't want anyone getting into trouble because of me.”
“She's not getting into trouble because of you, Kara. I'll explain why I did that after you're released, okay?”
She looked at him curiously, but didn't push it. “Okay.”
Stella