She leaned in close and whispered, “I hope the nurses aren’t throwing themselves at you.”
He raised a brow. “The nurses?”
“Yes. They’re nice enough, but none have any real ambition. If they had, they’d be doctors.” She smiled smugly.
Parker stared at her, wondering where she got her nerve. But then, he knew a lot of people thought the way she did. His mother, Candace Stanhope, once had a similar attitude, thinking a lot of herself and not much of others. It had taken almost losing the love and respect of her only brother Grady, whom she adored, as well as a life-threatening bout with cancer, to make her realize that regardless of race, creed or color, all people bled red.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Dr. Nestor. I happen to appreciate nurses for the professionals they are. They do things we don’t, and our patients are lucky to have them. But regardless, I’m much too busy to have a social life right now. I’m still learning my way around.”
“I’ll be glad to show you everything you need to know.”
Parker caught the double meaning in her offer. He was about to tell her that she didn’t have anything he wanted to see when his beeper went off. Pulling it out of his jacket pocket, he looked at it and said, “Sorry, I’ve got to run.” Then he quickly walked away, not feeling sorry at all.
A few hours later, after getting his patient’s condition stabilized, Parker entered his office and closed the door. He appreciated peaceful moments, no matter how infrequent they were. It was hard to believe he’d been here almost a week already. So far, he liked this hospital although it was a lot different from Boston Harbor Medical Center. It wasn’t as big but was just as busy.
And staying busy was a good thing. Then he wouldn’t have to think about his confusing feelings for his housemate. He hadn’t seen Sebrina in a few days. After they had spent time that first day together, he’d only caught sight of her twice on her way home.
She had explained that since her shift was from eleven at night to seven the next morning, she usually slept from around two in the evenings until it was time to get dressed for work.
He had enjoyed spending time with her that first day. Especially at lunch and while they had decorated the Christmas tree. Their conversation had been comfortable, light-hearted and relaxed, and he’d felt like they’d made a connection. But he hadn’t yet had a chance to find out if there was more to it.
Parker would often hear the sound of the garage door when she left at night for the hospital, and on occasion he would spot her car on the road while driving to work when she got off and was headed home. They were like ships that passed in the night. On his second day in town, he’d been away from the house for hours running errands—updating his driver’s license, getting new license plates for his car and establishing a post office box for his mail.
He had gone grocery shopping, stocking up on food as well as spices. The kitchen cabinets had been almost bare—with the exception of several bottles of wine—but the freezer was filled with microwave dinners and ice cream. He intended to do something about both.
Still, he loved the layout of the kitchen. It was spacious and he could hardly wait to put it to good use.
Two nights ago, Parker had been in bed watching television when he’d heard Sebrina move around downstairs, getting ready for work. He’d decided to come out of his room to say hello and remind her she was welcome to anything he cooked.
She had thanked him, then given him a smile as she’d headed out the door. He hadn’t been able to get that smile out of his mind since.
Dr. Miller, the Chief of Neurology, spoke highly of Sebrina. He’d told Parker that she was a fine heart specialist who cared about her patients, and whose talent at handling patients, as well as their families, was almost legendary. She was well liked by the nursing staff and maintenance crew, and he wished there were more doctors like her.
Although Parker hadn’t shared a whole lot of time with Sebrina, he thought she was pretty wonderful, too. Evan always claimed Parker had a knack when it came to reading people.
Glancing at his watch, he saw that he had time for a long overdue call to his good friend, Dr. Sean Crews. Sean was Chief of Surgery in the Orthopedic Division of Boston Harbor General, and his wife Liz was Chief of Surgery in the Cardiac Division. Sean and Liz were two of the nicest people Parker knew, ranking them right up there with Rae’jean and Ryan. The couple had a set of four-year-old twin girls, Kaylee and Haylee, and a two-year old son, Sean, Jr. Grabbing his phone, he pulled up his contacts list.
“You’re calling me in the middle of the day, Dr. Stanhope. Does that mean you’re bored already?”
Parker threw his head back and laughed. “Hardly.”
“So how are things working out at St. Paul General, Parker?”
“I’m fitting right in, but I miss Boston.”
“Just remember there’s a reason you left here. You’re securing your future in medicine. You’ve been given an opportunity of a lifetime and will only be in St. Paul a year. Then you’re off to sunny Florida to work under the renowned Dr. Robert McIntyre. That’s not bad for a thirty-four-year-old. It took me a lot longer than that to reach where you are. I swear, you and Liz have all the luck.”
Sean was a few years older than Parker and Liz. A couple of years ago, Liz had been selected to be Chief of Surgery in the Cardiology department. “I’m sure your wife told you luck had nothing to do with it. We worked hard for it.”
Evan had as well. In fact, they’d all worked hard to be where they are. And it had paid off. A few years ago, in a show of goodwill, President Obama had created a task force filled with some of the most noted medical doctors in the country. Their job was to travel together around the world and perform acts of medical goodwill for individuals living in impoverished countries. Sean and Liz had been part of the first wave, and Parker and Evan had been part of the second.
Sean chuckled. “Whatever. But seriously, how are things going?”
“At the hospital? Fine.”
“And when you’re not at the hospital?”
“Temptation at its hottest. I’ve only met one of my housemates, but I have to say, she’s a knockout.”
“You’ve dated plenty of knockouts before. What makes her different?”
“I’m not sure, but I need to keep my hands to myself. She’s Rae’jean’s cousin, after all.”
Although Rae’jean worked at a different hospital in Boston, they were all part of the same local medical community that met occasionally during the year for both formal and informal gatherings.
“That might be a good idea, especially if your intentions aren’t good,” Sean said.
Parker lifted a brow. “I’ve never not had good intentions when it comes to women.”
“Oh, come on. Are you saying that you didn’t leave any broken hearts behind you when you left Boston?”
“If there were, it’s because those women thought they could change my mind, even though I’d warned them up front that I didn’t want a relationship.”
Parker heard a beeper go off and since it wasn’t his, he figured it was Sean’s. “You have to go. Give the family my love.”
“Will do,” was Sean’s quick reply before ending the call. Parker stood and went over to the window and looked out. St. Paul was a beautiful city, but then he’d thought the same thing when he had moved to Boston. The only difference was that he wouldn’t be in St. Paul long enough to let any grass grow under his feet. By this time next year, he would be moving to Florida.