Christmas With The Best Man. Susan Carlisle

father winced but did as she asked.

      “Now, Mr. Kakasides, I have to look under your shirt. Can you raise your arm?”

      He hissed as he brought his arm up. Moving the shirt away, Helena could see a dark blue hematoma spreading out along his left side. The fall had definitely been hard.

      “I’m going to need to step out and have a look at your chest X-ray,” she announced. “At the least you’ve broken a few ribs but I need to make sure there isn’t more. Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do for broken ribs. They’ll have to heal on their own. You can take an anti-inflammatory for the pain.”

      They rejoined Elijah as he was saying, “Okay, Louis, I need to have a look at your leg. I see the nurse has already done her worst with your pants.”

      The material had been cut away so that it flapped back, exposing the leg. There was a large bump with redness and bluing around it.

      “Yep, that looks like a broken leg. You and your father sure know how to have a good time in the snow.”

      The boy gave Elijah a weak smile. “He fell on me but I know he didn’t mean to.”

      Elijah patted him on the shoulder and winked. “I’m sure he didn’t. Maybe next time you can save him.”

      The boy’s smile was brighter this time.

      Good with kids, Elijah would make a great father. But he was also “good” with women, which would not make him a great husband. Fortunately, that wasn’t an issue. He’d never approached her and that suited her fine. Just watching him in action with the other female staff was enough for her to know he wasn’t what she was looking for in a man.

      Elijah gave a reassuring smile to the boy’s father. “Radiology should have sent the pictures over by now. Let us review them. Dr. Tate and I’ll be back in soon.”

      “Thanks.” The father looked at her and then at Elijah. “To both of you.”

      On their way back to the unit desk Elijah was stopped by one of the nurses with a question. Helena didn’t wait on him. At the desk, she pulled up the X-ray for Mr. Kakasides. His eight, nine and tenth ribs were cracked. He would be in pain for a few weeks but would recover. She had the X-ray Elijah needed to review up on the screen by the time he arrived. He slid into the chair beside her.

      “Thanks, Helena.”

      “No problem. As maid of honor, I think it’s part of my duty to remind the best man he needs to get out of here as soon as possible.”

      He studied the computer screen. “Well, Louis has a break to his femur.”

      “His father is going to take it hard. He feels bad enough as it is.” Helena stood and checked her watch again. “I’m going to give him instructions about his ribs and get ready for a wedding. You need to do the same.”

      Elijah rolled back his chair. “Yes, Doctor. I’m right behind you. First, I need to call Lloyd up in Ped Ortho and have him come in on the case. The boy will need surgery to put a rod in.”

      “Then I’ll let the father know you’ll be in to speak to him. I’ll see you in the park.”

      “Yeah, in the park.” There was a dry note in Elijah’s voice.

      “Don’t sound so excited.” Helena grinned back at him as she circled the desk and headed down the hall. “Remember, weddings aren’t contagious.”

      * * *

      Elijah sure hope they weren’t. He wanted nothing to do with one.

      Forty-five minutes later, he left the unit desk and headed down the hall toward the locker room. He had plenty of time to shower, put on his tux and make it to the park. At least the hospital was just across the street, but Central Park was a huge space. Just to walk to the Shakespeare Garden would take time.

      Charles would never let him forget it if he was late to the ceremony. Grace would be upset and nothing Elijah said would make that okay in Charles’s eyes. The ER had been so busy Elijah had seen two more patients before he’d felt he could call his shift done. It had then taken another fifteen minutes to bring the doctor taking over for him up to speed on the patients being seen.

      Elijah admitted to himself that he was dragging his feet about the whole wedding thing. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be there for Charles or that he didn’t like Grace. He did. He wished them both the best. Was truly happy for them. It was just that the “wedded bliss” idea didn’t appeal to him much. He’d seen little of that in his parents’ marriage. Knew he wouldn’t be good at it.

      He was halfway down the hall when one of the two swinging doors at the end opened. Helena came toward him. Elijah stopped dead in his tracks. She was a vision of loveliness like he’d never seen. Her curly, shoulder-length auburn-colored hair was now pinned up, the waves flowing randomly about her head. A red poinsettia was fixed behind her right ear. She wore a long forest green dress that hugged womanly curves usually hidden by loose scrub shirts. The top of the dress dipped, giving him a hint of cleavage that only made him want to see more. Short sleeves cupped her creamy shoulders. The skirt swirled about her legs as she came toward him, drawing his attention to her hips.

      His heart picked up a beat. Not to mention the stirring south of his beltline. Heaven help him, Helena was breathtaking. Why hadn’t he noticed before?

      They had been working together for a couple of years. More than once she and a few other of the staff had gone out to eat as a group after a shift but he’d never thought of her in any way except as a colleague. She’d always been pleasant but seemed closed off somehow. She gave off the vibe that she wasn’t someone who played around. With her wholesome southern drawl and gentle smile, she wasn’t one of those women who gave him a come-hither look he had no trouble obeying. Everything about her said serious, down-to-earth, love me forever. That was the type he stayed clear of. Maybe that’s why it had never registered that Helena could be so completely stunning.

      Whatever the cause, it had been lifted from his eyes. He was noticing her now. Big time.

      He needed to snap out of it. Had Helena said something to him? He blinked.

      “Elijah, are you only now going to get dressed? You have less than an hour before we’re supposed to be walking down the aisle. Grace is going to have your hide.” She stepped closer.

      Her wonderful aroma filled his nostrils. Nothing like the antiseptic smell of the hospital but something warm and earthy, intriguing. He was acting like a fool. Working to get a grip on himself, he grinned. He focused on a point just over her shoulder to get beyond how enchanting she looked. “It’s a good thing you’re a doctor. At least you’ll be able to patch me up.”

      She lowered her chin and gave him a speculative look. “I don’t think I have enough medical training to save you from Grace’s wrath if you’re not there on time.”

      He laughed. Helena did too. It had a sincere ring that sounded as if it came from her heart. He’d always liked that about her. She had a sense of humor. “Then I guess I need to get moving.” He started down the hall.

      “That would be my suggestion.” She headed the other way.

      Elijah stopped and looked back, his attention drawn to her hips. It was a shame her scrubs had been disguising those full curves for so long.

      Minutes later he was under a hot shower. He was surprised he hadn’t needed a cold one after seeing Helena. How spectacular she’d looked still amazed him. At least he’d managed not to make a fool of himself. This sudden interest—no, infatuation—in Helena was crazy. He’d seen many woman in formal clothing yet had not reacted this way.

      He was probably overtired from covering for Charles when the ER had been impossibly busy. Or maybe it was due to the wedding hoopla he normally stayed clear of. There was something out of sync with the universe for him to have had such an intense reaction to Helena. Especially when she was clearly not his type.

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