Page 16 of The Candle Palace (Jamison Valley 6)
I skirted around the bed, giving Kirk and Teresa a nod on my way out. I didn’t look at Milo. I wasn’t brave enough to see the disappointment and anger lurking there.
Couldn’t he see? I had to draw that line. I had to at least pretend I hadn’t already crossed a different one. Ugh. What was wrong with me? I shouldn’t even be in this position.
Dr. Vernon held the door and let me walk out first. Then he closed it behind him as he came into the hallway, crossing his arms over his chest. The white coat he wore stretched across his arms.
“Is there something going on between you and your patient?”
“What? No.” Oh my God, my face was on fire. I was a terrible liar.
How could I have been so dumb? Dr. Vernon could report me to Human Resources. I could lose everything. And for what? A handsome patient I’d known only a week and who lived in Montana. There was no future there. Milo and me—
No. Stop. What was I thinking? There was no Milo and me.
“He’s my patient,” I told Dr. Vernon. “I was keeping him company.”
“You hover over him.”
“I’m trying to keep him comfortable. He’s in pain and his injuries . . .” More excuses came to mind but I left them unsaid.
Dr. Vernon studied my face with the scrutiny of a tenured interrogator. It took every ounce of willpower not to cower and admit to my crush on Milo, but somehow, I managed to hold strong.
“He’s had a rough week,” I finished. “I want to help.”
Dr. Vernon stayed quiet, that level gaze traveling all over my face. Until finally, he looked over my shoulder to Milo’s door. “Be careful. Patients can become attached to their c
are providers. I’ve had female patients develop feelings for me before and it’s always hard to maintain boundaries.”
I nodded. “Okay. I’ll keep that in mind, Dr. Vernon.”
“Greg.” He stepped so close the front of his lab coat brushed against my scrubs. I could smell the soap on his skin, and the spicy, overpowering odor made my nose burn. “You can call me Greg when we’re alone.”
Greg? No way. He would stay Dr. Vernon and I would reinforce that professional boundary. I moved away, forcing a smile. “Thanks for the advice.”
“Anytime, Sara. Between us, it’s much easier to fall for a coworker than it is a patient. We can simply change jobs. Move units in the hospital. No one has to quit.”
“Right.” Wait, what? Did he just admit he’d fallen for me? Or was he talking about a coworker from the past? My mind whirled as I kept replaying the director of Human Resource’s new-employee orientation. She’d reminded us three times about the no-fraternization policy.
Only a week ago I’d decided to cut Dr. Vernon some slack, and things had been great. But his last statement brought back that familiar twitch and it was stronger than ever.
“I, um . . . I better go check in on Luna.”
He nodded. “See you in a while.”
I sidestepped him and walked toward Luna’s door. Three steps away, an itchy feeling crawled down my spine. Glancing over my shoulder, I caught Dr. Vernon’s eyes darting for the ceiling. Had he been checking out my ass?
Resisting the urge to tug my scrub top lower, I quickened my pace and darted into Luna’s room. The moment I was out of Dr. Vernon’s sight, I shivered from head to toe like I was trying to shake off a bug.
When I looked up to meet Luna’s gaze, she was covering a smile with her hand.
“How are you?” I walked over to her bedside.
“Fine.” She snorted. “What was that?”
“Nothing.” I waved her off. “I had the creepers.”
“Dr. Vernon?”
“What?” My eyes bugged out. I leaned in closer, checking over my shoulder, then whispered, “How’d you know?”
