Florida Fling with the Single Dad, page 6
“I’m not your boss, I’m a fill-in. I think of myself more as your preceptor,” Dylan said as he took the last dish from her.
“I don’t need a preceptor. I’ve been the preceptor for more crew members than you have staff here.” She tried to keep the bite out of her voice, but she was getting tired of being treated like a newbie. Her pride had taken enough of a hit after she’d been injured on the job. She didn’t need someone making her feel even more of a failure. She thought he understood that.
“Okay, let’s say I’m more of your mentor. Everyone needs a mentor at some point, right?” he said.
He turned around and was leaning against the black granite countertops. Why was he so determined to help her? And why did it infuriate her so?
But when she didn’t say anything, he moved closer. His hand came up and pushed a lock of hair that had come loose from her ponytail behind her ear.
The room was quiet except for the hum of the air-conditioning unit. Her heart began to race and her breaths came more quickly. Her thoughts turned back to the first time they had met in the flight quarter’s kitchen when his arms had come around her and her body had immediately reacted. They’d both been strangers then. In some ways, they still were.
“I didn’t mean to make you feel inept. Your record shows that you’re a good flight nurse.”
She tried to concentrate on his words, on the anger she had felt earlier. But it was gone. All she could think about was his touch, his body so close to hers. What would he do if she moved closer? If she reached up with her lips and touched his?
Her hand went up and pressed against his chest before she could stop it. His heart beat a fast rhythm against her palm as hers did when he covered her hand with his own.
“Do you feel it?” she asked him.
What was she doing? This wasn’t her. She didn’t approach men. Not like this. Instead, she waited until they showed an interest in her before expressing her own.
“Katie, I...yes, if you mean do I want to take you in my arms and kiss you, and more, right now. Yes. There’s an attraction between the two of us, but...” Dylan took a deep breath then stepped back from her, leaving her feeling empty and alone. “You’re only here for a few weeks. I make it a rule not to get involved with anyone that’s only here temporarily.”
At first his words didn’t make sense to her and then she thought of his daughter. “Because of Violet? Or because of Lilly?”
“I’m still trying to get this whole father thing down. But yes, it’s best if we don’t confuse Violet.” Dylan took another step away from her.
Was that disappointment she saw? Or was that just her wounded pride being wishful? It didn’t really matter, did it? She’d just come on to a man for the first time, only to be shot down. And he’d been her, sort of, boss. There wasn’t anything that was going to make this any less awkward.
“If you think you can handle the rest of this, I’m going to head home.” As she turned toward the entrance, she tried to leave with her chin up. How was she going to face this man the next day? Or the next? She’d made a really bad misstep here and she didn’t know how to recover. She didn’t want Dylan’s pity. She’d had enough of that after being shot. It had made her feel weak and helpless, two things McGees never accepted.
“Katie—” Dylan caught her hand as she started to open the door “—don’t leave. Not like this.”
She made herself turn around. She made her lips curve in a smile, made her eyes hold back the embarrassing tears that she felt forming. She wouldn’t let him know he had hurt her. Besides, it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t have the same feelings that she did.
“My daughter gets attached to people very easily and she’s spent most of her life having to leave the people in her life behind as her mother dragged her from one city to the next. And then her own mother left her. I’m not likely to bring a woman into our home for a long while.”
“I understand. It’s not a big deal. I just...” What could she use as an excuse for that stupid confession of her attraction to him? “I’m sorry. I was out of line. I understand that things are more complicated for you now.”
And with that admission she was out the door and halfway back to her rental before she could say anything else that would embarrass the two of them and make things even worse. Not that she thought they could. Not when she had to get up in the morning and face Dylan again with the both of them knowing that there was an attraction between them even though he couldn’t act on it.
* * *
Dylan had finished cleaning up and was headed to bed when he glanced out his window and saw that Katie’s light was still on.
He had so many mixed feelings where she was concerned. He was almost glad that she had forced him to admit his attraction to her, though he didn’t know why. It certainly hadn’t made it easier to let her walk away when all he’d wanted to do was take her into his arms and kiss her the way he had dreamed of since the night she’d shown up on his front porch with that smile that had awakened something inside him.
And now he’d hurt her, even though that had been the last of his intentions. And he’d ignored her suggestion that it was his feelings for Lilly that kept him from becoming involved with her.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket. At least that was something he could set straight.
It’s not Lilly. At least not any feelings I have left for her.
It only took a second for her to respond.
Are you sure?
Yes. After she left I was pretty messed up. I didn’t understand how she could just walk away like that. It was hard on my ego to accept that I had only been someone to pass the time with while Lilly planned her next big adventure. While I’d been making plans for the future, she’d been on her way out the door.
You were hurt. It’s understandable.
I was young and innocent then.
You make yourself sound like an old man.
I feel old sometimes.
When she didn’t text back, he went to bed. He was just turning off the lights when his phone dinged.
Thank you for telling me. I’m not like Lilly, but I do understand you wanting to protect your daughter. You’re right. Things would never work between the two of us. I’ve only got six more weeks before I return to New York. I wouldn’t want to hurt Violet when I left.
She didn’t have to say that she wouldn’t want to hurt him either. It was understood.
Good night, Katie.
Good night, Dylan.
* * *
The radio went off waking Katie up with a start from her nap in her quarters. She had her flight suit and shoes on and was rushing out the door before she could open her eyes enough to check the time, and she was surprised to see the sun coming up when she climbed into the helicopter. She was even more surprised to find Dylan occupying the seat beside her.
“Where’s Max?” she asked as she buckled herself into her seat. There wasn’t really time for idle conversation, but she couldn’t help but be confused. When she’d gone to bed at 2 a.m. after a call for a scooter accident victim who needed to be flown to a Miami hospital where a plastic surgeon would try to fix the patient’s many facial fractures, Max had been there.
“I came in early and found him in the lounge nursing a headache and upset stomach. I told him I’d cover till the next shift came on.” As Dylan was going through their scene bag, she noticed that he was adding more bandages.
“I missed hearing the dispatch. What’s the call?” she asked.
“Self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Fire and rescue on scene clearing a space in the parking lot of Zachary Taylor fort. EMS is on the scene with the patient,” Roy said over the headset. “ETA eight minutes.”
Her stomach clenched at the word gunshot and refused to relax. “Are we sure it was self-inflicted?”
“We’ll let the police make that judgment,” Dylan said. “Are you okay? You aren’t coming down with what Max has, are you?”
“I’m fine,” she said, determined not to let her mind get ahead of her. This would be fine. She just needed to keep her mind off the fact that someone had been shot. Instead, she would concentrate on their patient, who would need all of their attention if they were going to keep them alive long enough to get to a neurosurgeon, which was about all they could do for this type of head injury.
She spiked a bag of Lactated Ringer’s. She considered also preparing a bag of the O negative blood that they had recently begun stocking for traumas such as this one, but she decided this would be a fast “drop, package and load” job so it would be best to wait until the patient was strapped in and headed to the hospital before starting a transfusion.
In what seemed like seconds, they were landing in a parking lot that had been blocked off by the other emergency responders. The second the skids touched down they were out and moving toward a firefighter who she recognized from the earlier scene that morning.
“He’s this way,” the man said as they followed him down a sandy path that led them out to a beach where she could see EMS working on their patient. Katie looked around the scene, anxiety sending a boost of adrenaline through her.
They were in the open, with only a small group of early-morning runners gathered around a young woman dressed in a tank top and runner shorts who was visibly upset. Was this the person who had found him? Or had she seen the man pull the trigger?
Or was this really a suicide? Could there be a shooter in the crowd? Her stomach churned at the thought.
She was being paranoid. There was no risk here. I’m safe, Katie told herself. This is not New York. There is no place for a shooter to hide here.
A police officer stood close to the EMS, snapping pictures of the crime scene. It only took one look at the sand beside the patient to notice a small revolver.
The sight of the gun and the smell of gunpowder set her stomach churning again. She could see the pool of blood under the man’s head as it soaked into the wet sand.
For a moment she was back in New York as she watched her own blood as it flowed onto the asphalt, mixing with the rainwater that streamed across the parking lot. It was the sight of her own blood that she remembered the most about that night.
“We need to get an airway before he goes into respiratory arrest. Katie, you help them with that bandage and keep his head supported while I get this guy intubated,” Dylan told her, breaking the hold of fear that had gripped her.
“Sure, okay,” she said and moved to help support the man’s injured head as a collar was secured around his neck. They were unable to see an exit wound, so it was possible the bullet had traveled into his cervical spine.
In the next few minutes it took to get the man packaged and loaded in the helicopter, Katie ignored everything that was going on around her except for what was happening with her patient.
Once they were back in the air and headed toward Miami, she quickly got a second IV line started as Dylan started the neurological assessment. The cabin was quiet while they worked together to stabilize their patient.
“He’s going into shock. I’m going to increase the fluids and start some blood,” she told Dylan as she took the first unit of O negative blood out of the cooler and began the task of prepping it. Once she had the tubing attached and primed, she hooked it into the second line she’d started and opened it up. After seeing the amount of blood at the scene, there’d been no doubt that this man had lain there and bled for a while before someone had come along and found him. If it had been another thirty minutes their services wouldn’t have been needed. Even with their help in getting him to a trauma unit that could provide neurosurgery, his chances weren’t very good.
“Pupils are fixed and dilated. Glasgow Coma Scale of five,” Dylan said as he started his report to the Miami trauma unit.
In minutes they were landing and unloading their patient. As they entered the overcrowded emergency room, she took over manually ventilating the patient so that Dylan could give report to the trauma doc that had been waiting for them.
They both made quick work of transferring their patient onto the trauma stretcher where he was immediately surrounded by qualified staff that would try to keep the man alive. After washing down the stretcher, they stopped in the lounge set up for the emergency responders and they each fueled up with a cup of coffee before heading back to the helipad with a cup of the thick, black liquid for Roy.
The flight back to base was quiet. Dylan didn’t comment on her loss of concentration at the scene earlier and she was not going to be the one to bring it up. She’d made it through the flight and he couldn’t find any fault with her patient care.
“What’s the chance of that guy making it?” Roy asked them once they had landed.
“Better than the chances he had if we hadn’t been there to transfer him,” Dylan said.
“That’s what you always say,” Roy said.
“Because it’s always true, though for this guy I don’t know that there’s much they’re going to be able to do for him,” Dylan said.
“It’s a shame, isn’t it?” Roy said. “That guy was so young.”
“No one knows what demons drive someone to do the things they do. If he’s lucky and survives this, the hospital will make sure he gets some help,” Dylan said as he opened the door and they all walked in to find their relief enjoying a breakfast of eggs and bacon. “I hope you cooked enough for all of us.”
“I’m not hungry. I think I’ll just head home.” Katie hurried toward her room to get her backpack. It had been a long twenty-four-hour shift and she wanted to get out of there before Dylan had a chance to corner her. She was sure they’d eventually talk about what had happened at the scene that morning, but she wasn’t up to dealing with it now.
“Katie,” she heard his voice call from behind her. They’d avoided each other the past week while at home. It seemed best after the awkward incident the night of the party. Unfortunately, avoiding him wasn’t really an option here at work.
“Hey,” Dylan said, catching up with her, “are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just tired.” She wasn’t about to admit to him how much seeing that gunshot victim had triggered something inside her. She’d held it together. Maybe he hadn’t noticed how she had become too absorbed in her own reactions to the scene this morning.
“Good, I won’t hold you up, then. I hate to ask you this, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”
Katie stopped where she stood, the doorknob of her assigned room in her hand, unable to imagine what Dylan could want from her. Was he going to ask her to keep away from him and Violet when she was home so he didn’t have to worry about her attraction to him? It hadn’t just been her avoiding him. She’d noticed there hadn’t been any trips by Violet over to her house.
“Okay,” she said as she prepared herself. No matter what it was, she would be professional. She had a room full of coworkers just outside that hallway. She still had some pride left.
“I just got a call from my babysitter who’s been keeping Violet for me this week so I can work later and she can’t make it today. Would it be okay if Violet came over this afternoon when she gets off the bus? It will only be for an hour. I’ve got a late online meeting that I don’t want to miss.”
Katie let go of the breath she was holding and for the first time that day she felt a smile tug at her lips. “Of course I can watch Violet. I’m going home to take a nap this morning, but I’ll be up by the time she gets home. I’ve seen the bus out there so I know the time, though you might want to send a note to the school just so there’s not a problem with me getting her.”
“Thanks, Katie. I appreciate it. And Violet has been giving me fits about wanting to come visit you.”
After assuring Dylan that she would enjoy her visit with Violet, she grabbed her things and quickly left the building.
But it was impossible for her to sleep. She worried about how the scene that morning had not only affected her but kept winding its way through her mind. She’d fought her way back to being physically capable of doing her job, and while she knew that the patient’s care had not been compromised by her reaction, she had to admit that it had left her shaken.
Getting out of bed, she sent an email to the counselor she’d been avoiding. It was time she faced her own demons. As much as she tried, she had to accept that she couldn’t just pretend everything was okay. She had tried to ignore all the signs, but the flight this morning had scared her. It had been a wake-up call.
CHAPTER SIX
DYLAN HEARD THE laughter coming from Katie’s back porch. He would recognize the giggles of his little girl anywhere. But there was another sound, one that he wasn’t sure he’d ever heard before. The sound of Katie’s laughter was as pleasant as Violet’s and it warmed something inside of him.
Ever since the night he had admitted his attraction to Katie, he’d felt as if a part of himself had turned cold and distant. As if inside him was another man, one who wasn’t happy with his decision to turn Katie away.
Which made absolutely no sense. It hadn’t been the first time he’d explained his solid rule on not dating someone who was just passing through his life. It had never bothered him before. And now, with Violet, he had even more reasons uphold this rule. Unlike her mother, he knew that Violet needed a stable home, which didn’t include people rotating in and out of her life.
Still, he knew something about the way he reacted to Katie was different or could be different if he let them have a chance.
A crash came from the deck and he picked up speed. What were the two of them doing that would have furniture crashing to the floor?
The sight of Violet and Katie collapsed on the ground did nothing to ease his fears until he realized they were both rolling around in a fit of giggles instead of pain.
