Heart Surgeon, Hero...Husband?. Susan Carlisle

stood at one side of the lobby, talking on his phone, when Hannah approached a few minutes later. As if he sensed her arrival, he turned and looked at her. He ended the conversation and started forward.

      Watching him saunter down the long corridor of the hospital used to be a favorite pastime of hers. She still found it absorbing.

      As he approached, he smiled. “Your carriage is waiting.”

      Taking her elbow, he ushered her out the sliding glass doors at the front of the hospital. Waiting beside one of the hospital’s vans was a security guard.

      “Hannah, this is Oscar. He’s going to be escorting you home.”

      The large, toothy man smiled. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Hannah. Climb in.” Oscar opened the door nearest her then went around to the driver’s side.

      “I thought I was taking a taxi.”

      “Hush and appreciate the ride. Oscar believes he owes me a favor, so this is my way of letting him think he’s paying me back.”

      “I’m grateful for the ride, but I don’t understand why you’re going to so much trouble.”

      “Let’s just say I need to do it for me more than you. This way everyone wins.” Scott helped her into the van. “You get a safe ride home with someone I trust, and Oscar gets to feel good about what he’s doing. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll keep an eye on Jake and let you know if you’re needed. Trust me.”

      Trust him? She’d trusted him one time with her affection and her body. He’d disappointed her. Could she trust him with Jake’s life?

      Oscar returned to her house early the next morning to bring her back to the hospital. He informed her that Dr. Mac expected it. Hannah agreed to the service, not wanting to hurt the sweet man’s feelings.

      At the hospital, she killed time in the waiting area until she could visit Jake. Her heart skipped when she saw Scott. She stepped toward him, pushing panic away, and asked, “Has something happened to Jake?”

      His hand cupped her shoulder. “He’s fine. I’ve spent most of the night in the unit, so I’ve been close by. He was sleeping when I left. You can go back to see him just as soon as shift change is over.”

      Hannah released an audible breath.

      Scott held out a box of donuts. “I was hoping to find you. I thought you might like these. The ‘Hot’ sign was on.”

      “Did you go out especially to get these?”

      “Yeah, but the bakery is just a few miles away. I promised the nurses I’d bring them some today. And I remember how crazy you were about them.”

      Hannah took the box. “You are really going above and beyond the call of duty on this being-a-friend thing.” She looked up at him. “I really can use one right now. Ah, and they’re still warm. Thanks for remembering.” She brought the box up to her nose and inhaled deeply.

      “I remember everything about you.” He smiled, as a pensive look came over his face.

      Heat rushed to her cheeks and she avoided his gaze. She didn’t want to be sucked in by his charisma again, but he was making it awfully difficult not to be. “I thought you could use a blast of sugar to keep you going today. I’ve got a couple of minutes before I have to be in surgery. How about sharing those …” he nodded his head toward the box of donuts “… and a cup of coffee with me?”

      “Sure, the parents’ lounge has a coffee machine and a table and chairs. How about we go there?”

      “Sounds great.” He grinned.

      It was still early enough in the day that they had the lounge to themselves. Scott’s bulk filled the small area, making her conscious of how large a man he was, his scent reminding her of being outdoors after a rainstorm.

      He sat at the small table after her. Hannah placed the box of donuts in front of him, and grinned as he struggled to work his long legs under the table. He gave up and stretched them out in front of him.

      Sharing an intimate breakfast with Scott was something she’d expected to do that morning after they’d made such passionate love. By a twist of fate, instead she was sharing a meal with him years later in a pitifully utilitarian room of a hospital with nothing more than tentative friendship between them. She forced the emerging hurt to one side.

      She crossed to the automatic coffee machine and poured two cups of coffee.

      “You don’t have to pay?”

      “No, this is here for the parents.” She smiled. “Maybe they’d let you get a cup here the next time you’re out of change and I’m not around.”

      A disquieted look came over his face for a second, and then he said, “That’s a thought. I’m going to remember this place.”

      Placing their cups on the table along with some napkins, Hannah took a chair at the table. She really looked at Scott for the first time that morning. Absorbed his appearance. He looked incredible, even after a night with little sleep. He’d always been intriguing, larger than life, and that hadn’t changed. If anything, he’d become more appealing.

      Dressed in jeans that had seen better days and a yellow snug-fitting T-shirt with “Come Paddle with Me” printed in bright red letters across his chest, Scott looked nothing like the white-coated doctor she knew him to be. His hair was a crowd of unruly waves, with a lock falling over his forehead.

      Did he still spend his days off kayaking and rafting? He’d loved the water and adventure when he’d been in school. After rounds, he had sometimes come by the nurses’ station and told her a funny story about something that had happened on one of his trips down the river. She’d always looked forward to those stories, because he’d shared them with such flair, making her wish she could go with him some time.

      “You’re not dressed like you’re going to work. More like you’re going to the river.”

      Somehow the thought that he might not be around for the rest of the day bothered her. What if Jake needed him?

      His soft laugh filled the room. “These are my spare clothes. I keep them in a locker for nights like last night. Nothing was wrong with Jake.”

      Relief filled her. He wasn’t going anywhere.

      “You must be getting plenty of time in down the river because you haven’t changed much in the last eight years.”

      “Why, thank you for noticing.” He dipped his head in acknowledgement. “I don’t kayak as much as I’d like but that’s where I usually spend my days off.”

      “I see your ego is still in good shape.”

      “It isn’t as large as you might think,” he said softly.

      Had something happened that had damaged his confidence? “Was your night so difficult that you didn’t go home?”

      “Not bad, just constant.”

      From his causal demeanor, she would have never guessed he’d spent the night at the hospital. “We got a new patient.”

      It made her chest tighten to think how the parents of the child must be feeling. Had it just been yesterday morning that she’d been in the same spot?

      Scott opened the green and white box containing the donuts and pushed it toward her. “Ladies first.”

      Hannah picked out one sugary ring. She took a healthy bite and shoved the box toward him.

      “You know what I’ve been doing for the last few years—how about you?” He picked out a chocolate-covered one.

      Hannah didn’t want to talk about the last few years. The future was what she was interested in, one where Jake was better and at home. She’d tell Scott the bare facts to satisfy him, and hope he’d leave the subject alone.

      “Well,