The Nurse He Shouldn't Notice. Susan Carlisle

patronize me and don’t give me the party line. From what you’ve seen today, can you think of another medical facility that needs help more?” Her voice rose with her ire.

      He found Maggie even more interesting fired up and fighting. “To be honest, I need to spend more time here to answer that question.” He brushed his hand across his forehead slick with sweat, even in the night air. All he wanted right now was a bath and bed.

      “Cop-out,” she huffed. The words hung between them for a second before she asked, “By the way, are you on the foundation board?”

      He took a deep breath. She wasn’t going to like his answer. “Yes, I’m the acting CEO.”

      Her shoulders squared and her back went straight as a pole. “So you knew the foundation had turned the hospital down before you came here.” She almost spat the words.

      “I did. I also read your appeal letter. It’s why I’m here.” Her impassioned plea for the foundation to reconsider its decision had touched a chord in him. He’d decided to come and see for himself if all she’d written was true, if perhaps he could finally do some good. Still, he had no intention of telling her the other reasons he’d come to this desolate place. Like making a decision about whether or not to continue practicing medicine. “I thought I’d see what the hospital’s needs were for myself. The foundation receives numerous applications for assistance but we can’t fulfill them all. Not every request has merit.”

      “I can assure you ours does.”

      “I’ve yet to make that determination.”

      She looked him square in the eyes. “Then I’ll have to convince you.” She glanced away, then said, “You don’t practice medicine?”

      “I’m a trained pediatrician but I’ve taken a leave of absence. The foundation takes all my time right now.”

      He’d stopped practicing when he’d allowed a little boy and his parents to suffer for his inattentiveness. The boy now lived with brain damage, just as Court’s brother had. Court should’ve gone when he’d been paged but he had been too busy with foundation business, trying to make points with his parents. Trying to fill some juvenile need to be noticed. Even thinking about it disgusted him. A grown man should’ve gotten over it by now. But he’d hurt a child. Everyone said that Jimmy’s reaction to the meds wasn’t his fault but they would never convince him. Either way, there was still a child living as his brother had because of him.

      “Really?”

      “Why the sound of surprise?”

      “You were good enough with the girl today, but you don’t act like the typical ped doc.”

      Ouch, Missy Maggie was way too perceptive. He’d thought he’d covered up how anxious he’d been while seeing to the child. “How’s that?”

      “I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve seen all kinds of doctors come through here and I can usually tell by how they interact with a patient what field they’re in. I’ve not missed one in a long time.”

      “Well, it’s nice to know that there’s still some mystery to me.”

      Maggie shrugged before she started down the worn dirt path toward a copse of squat, low-canopied trees. “The bungalows are out this way.”

      He watched the soft sway of her hips under her long cotton skirt. All the women here wore some type of flowing skirt or dress. Hers was too lengthy to give him any more than a glimpse of well-formed calf. She wasn’t waiting to see if he followed.

      “Have you worked here long?” he asked as he caught up with her.

      “I’ve been working in the Teligu Hospital for a little more than two years.” The words flowed over her delicate shoulder.

      “And you’re already the head nurse?”

      She chuckled low in her throat. “Yeah, and sometimes nutritionist, health inspector and ward housekeeper. Around here we do it all.”

      Her dry mirth punctuated her earlier anger. “We all pitch in. Locals are hired to do some of the work but there’s always something needing to be done. Like today.”

      “How many are on staff?”

      She turned round, her eyes having gone serious. “Including you and me? Not enough.”

      “Why not?”

      “For the same reason you’re only here for a short while.” She looked out across the compound as if taking it in for the first time. “Lack of supermarkets, malls and night life …” Her voice trailed off into a soft, accepting voice, which told Court she’d run out of energy to fight.

      He said nothing for a while. For some reason he wished he could commit to staying forever just to see her happy. That was an odd thought. “So what does the hospital need most?”

      “Doctors. Not for a couple of weeks or months. Staff willing to commit to staying for a year or more. Pharmacists, nurses, a hospital director, or any other medical professional you can think of, we could use them all. And the money to encourage them to stay longer and …” she paused for effect “… a children’s clinic.”

      “What about doctors and nurses local to the area?” He would continue to pepper her with questions as long as she agreed to answer them.

      “No native doctors. For pretty much the same reason others don’t stay.” Her voice strengthened, a steel edge entering it with her passion for the subject. “If they get out of the villages, they find they like the life at the coast. And the money. There’re five full-time nurses. We’re training local women, and some go off to school with the help of the government.”

      “Doctors?”

      “Just Dr. Roberts full time, we fill in with visiting doctors. For the next couple of weeks it will be Dr. Roberts and you. But Dr. Roberts will take a few days of vacation next week. He’s not had any time off in months.” She finished with a flourish.

      The more she spoke, the more animated Maggie became. He couldn’t take his eyes off the petite woman who spoke like a lioness protecting her young. What would it be like to have someone who loved so unconditionally in his corner?

      Court leaned back. “We’ve more help. Another doctor flew in with me.”

      “Really?” She seemed excited by the news. “Great. We’ll be able to do the clinic in one of the neighboring villages after all.”

      They’d reached a simple, cinder-block structure, covered by a tin roof. She opened the screen door and held it for him. He stepped into the tile-floored room. A lamp illuminated two well-used chairs and a small bare table in the sitting area. A ceiling fan produced the only air circulation.

      “There’s a small kitchen area, bedroom and bath through there.” She pointed in the direction of a dark doorway.

      Her skirt brushed against his cargo pants as he moved to tug on a light pull so he could see down the hall.

      She shifted, putting distance between them. “You can fix your own meals or we’ve a mess hall. Since there’s no food stored here, I’ll be by at six-thirty in the morning to show you where you get breakfast. If we have a few minutes before rounds, I’ll take you around the hospital. Clinic starts promptly at seven-thirty.”

      Her words were all but rolling over each other. Did he make her nervous? He would’ve never imagined anyone could rattle this unflappable woman.

      Stepping out the door, she warned, “Be sure and latch the screen before you go to bed.”

      Maggie was running. And she wasn’t half as impressed with him as he’d like. She certainly shared no love for his family’s philanthropic endeavors. Missy Maggie reminded him of his favorite kind of candy, hard on the outside, gooey in the center. He’d like to find out what other surprises she hid.

      The