Merry Christmas, Paige (2 page)

She chuckled. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m just passing through.” By tomorrow afternoon she would be back on track and far away from Kauai.

They stopped before the nurses’ station, and a plump Polynesian woman with dark skin raised her head. “Ilana,” Dr. Waters said. “This is Dr. Weston. She’s offered to assist us tonight.”

“Oh thank goodness.” Ilana popped up from her seat and quickly moved around the desk to greet Paige with a hearty handshake. “Welcome. Welcome.”

“Ilana will make sure you have everything you need, and she’ll assign someone to contact the airport to check on the next flight to Fiji. Now if you’ll excuse me,” he said, “I need to prep for another surgery.”

“Guess you might as well start at the top and work down. Let’s see.” The head nurse glanced at the dry-erase board. “Four-year-old girl with a laceration on the bottom of her right foot.” She pulled a white jacket from beneath the desk and handed it along with the child’s chart to Paige. She pointed down the hall. “Room five. A surgical tray has been set up. Teri will be in shortly to assist you.”

No time like the present to get started. Paige slid her arms into the jacket, before starting off down the hall. Her sandals slapped against the vinyl flooring. She stopped at the door and knocked before entering. Peeking her head in, she said, “Hi. I’m Dr. Weston.”

She couldn’t help but notice how pretty her first patient was. Dark, shiny ringlets framed her petite face as big tears flowed down her cheeks. A young woman in her late teens or early twenties wrapped her arms around the child who sat on the examination table. Gently she rocked back and forth in an attempt to calm the girl.

“I want my daddy.”

“Shhh, sweetheart. He’ll be here in just a little bit.”

Paige began to wash her hands. “So what do we have here?” She dried her hands on a paper towel.

“We were at the beach and Cami started to climb the rocks. They were wet from the rain, she slipped.” The woman nervously brushed back her long brown hair. “It was an accident.”

“Of course it was.” Paige stepped on the foot pedal of the trash can, the lid rose and she tossed the towel inside. When the door jerked open and struck the wall with its force, she startled. A man barreled through the doorway, his attention pinned on the child.

For a mere second the blood in Paige’s veins froze. From the back he looked like— What was she thinking? It couldn’t be Nathan, but that didn’t stop her heart from pounding.

“Daddy,” the little girl whimpered.

The man took the child in his arms and whispered, “Baby.”

Oh God. The air in Paige’s lungs escaped in one gush. She knew that deep, sensual voice.

“Janis, what happened?” Nathan asked.

As Janis explained the incident, the palpitations in Paige’s chest began to pound with a vengeance. Her vision dimmed. She couldn’t breathe. Just the sight of him made her knees weak. Rational thought escaped her as well. She had to get out of the room. She couldn’t bear to see Nathan again.

Trembling, she moved quickly toward the door, stopping when the voice she’d dreamt about for five years said, “Paige?” Her entire body tensed. “Is that you?”

She clutched the doorframe like it was a lifeline. For one moment she felt she’d fall completely apart, and then she turned to meet her past eye to eye.

He smiled as if he was meeting an old friend. “Oh my God. I can’t believe this.”

“Daddy?” The tearful voice of the little girl forced Paige’s attention from Nathan.

Cami was Nathan’s daughter.

A sharp pain shot to Paige’s chest. She swayed and the room spun. She attempted to hold onto her professionalism, but it was like holding water in her hands. “I can’t do this.” She spun around and fled through the doorway.

Paige was halfway down the hall when a hand on her shoulder pulled her to a stop. Her arm flailed as she jerked away.

Ilana’s eyes narrowed with interest. “Dr. Weston, are you okay?”

Paige pressed her hand to her mouth to restrain the cry being ripped from her diaphragm. The weight on her chest nearly suffocated her. If she didn’t know better, she’d say it was a heart attack, but she knew this pain. It had become a part of her the day Nathan had walked out. Night after lonely night she had played the scene of his ex-girlfriend announcing she was pregnant a week before Paige and Nathan were to be wed.

Ilana waved Cathy over. When the nurse Paige had met earlier approached with a wheelchair, Ilana said, “Sit.”

“Please.” Paige’s voice broke in short gasps as she bent at the waist, her palms on her thighs. She had to hold it together. “Give me a minute.” She released the air from her lungs slowly in an attempt to steady herself, but the agony of seeing Nathan again threatened to pull her deeper into despair.

Ilana took the chair from Cathy and nudged it closer. “Why don’t you have a seat while you catch your breath. You’ve been through a lot today. I’ll let Dr. Waters know you’re unable to continue—”

“No.” The response came almost as fast as Paige snapping into a standing position. She wiped angrily at her tears. How humiliating. She had never dropped the ball on one of her patients.

You are a professional. You have a job to do
.

She sucked in one breath and then another. She had to get a grip. Like it or not, Cami Cross was her patient. After a few agonizing minutes, she squared her shoulders.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Doubt reflected in Ilana’s concerned expression.

“Yes.” Truthfully, Paige was anything but okay, but that was beside the point. She was a doctor. She could do this.

“Paige.” Nathan’s voice almost eradicated her brief moment of confidence.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and blinked hard, drying her tears. The beginning of a headache pushed at her temples.

“Paige?”

Heart in her throat, she turned to face her past. “Nathan.”

Five years had a way of changing a person, but not him and not the electrifying effect he had over her. Her damn body went haywire, breasts tingling, as his gaze swept over them. The normal rhythm of her heart had yet to return, and now a heat wave flared across her skin. She couldn’t take her sight off his handsome face. Broad forehead, lazy bedroom eyes and lips that were made for kissing taunted her. He had matured into an even better-looking man.

The urge to touch him was so great that she fisted her hands, gluing them to her side. Her nose tingled with the start of tears forming, but she had to stay strong. Somehow she had to get through this night without breaking down or losing the last bit of dignity she had.

Paige cleared her throat to steady her nerves. The sooner she finished up with Cami, the sooner Nathan would leave and be forever gone from her life, again. The thought was bittersweet, but she had no choice. He belonged to another.

“Paige, I’m so s—”

She silenced him with a raised hand. Without a word she hurried past him and headed for the examination room.

You can do this
. She slipped through the open door and her feet pulled her to an abrupt stop. The sweet face of Nathan’s child sent another wave of sorrow over her. His daughter had his blue eyes and ebony hair. Her teeth clenched at the sting of tears. She swallowed hard.

Damn. Damn. Damn. She isn’t your child and never will be. Let it go
.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. To hide the emotion, she spun on her toes and headed to the sink.
You can do this.
She slid her hands beneath the warm water and scrubbed, maybe a little too long, but it was all she could do to refrain from running back out of the room. With a fragile grip on her control, she eased her foot off the pedal that activated the water before drying her hands. When she turned around, Nathan stood silently beside his daughter. His presence sucked the air from the room, making it difficult for Paige to breathe.

“My foot hurts,” Cami whimpered.

“I know, baby,” he said.

Paige closed the distance between them. Gently, she raised Cami’s foot and examined the two-inch laceration.
Don’t look at him. Focus on your patient
. It was difficult, but she did just that. The wound required stitches. “Did it bleed much?” Bleeding served as a natural way to cleanse the cut.

“Horribly,” Janis said.

Janis was probably the child’s nanny, because if she remembered correctly Nathan’s wife was a haughty woman of wealth. Tall. Gorgeous.

Okay. That’s enough
. She mentally shook off the picture of the statuesque brunette. “Shots up-to-date, including tetanus?”

“Yes.” Nathan moved to look at the injury.

She took a step backwards. His close proximity unsettled her in a way that made her want to flee again. What she’d like to do was bar him from the room, but that would be ridiculous and his daughter needed him. The logic didn’t stop her from trembling. “Why don’t we have the little princess lie down so I can get a better look?”

“Daddy, she called me a princess.”

“She did, didn’t she?” His deep voice raked over Paige’s skin, making it prickle with goose bumps.

“Dr. Weston.” Paige glanced over her shoulder to see a redheaded nurse enter. “Can I be of assistance?”

“Yes. Thank you. You must be Teri.” Paige focused her attention back to Cami, but all she could see was the child that should have been hers and the man that would never be.

She pinched her eyes closed.
God give me the strength to make it through this night
. Then she raised her eyelids and went to work.

Chapter Two

Fuck
. Nathan’s hands were sweating, while Paige had an amazing calmness to hers. Nathan had always known she would be an outstanding doctor. She had a magical voice and touch. The way she spoke seemed to lull Cami into a sense of security and trust. Yet he knew what that voice was like when it turned dark and sexy, the heat in a mere whisper or the depth of emotion when she cried out in ecstasy. Her body arching against his as he—

Dammit. What was he thinking? He looked down at Cami and gave her a reassuring smile, but like a magnet his gaze was drawn back to Paige.

She hadn’t changed, except for the maturity in her blue eyes and the sexy-as-hell way her curves and voluminous breasts filled out the T-shirt and jeans she wore. Light spilled over her beautiful features, including her full lips. He’d never forgotten how soft they were or the sweetness of their taste.

He still couldn’t believe she was here—in Kauai—the place where he had met and fallen in love with her that summer five years ago. It must be fate.

Since his divorce would be final in a few days, he had purchased an airline ticket to Denver for the first week in January. He’d planned to surprise her.

Surprise her? Hell, what was he saying?

He hadn’t called her before now because he was afraid she’d hang up on him. More than ocean lay between them. A phone call would make it too easy for her to dismiss him. He had to see her in person, beg her to forgive him, or at least listen to him.

Her reaction at seeing him again and the fact she avoided looking at him now only confirmed she hadn’t forgiven him. And who could blame her? But why had she moved to Kauai? To torment him?

He willed her to meet his gaze, but she refused.

Did her hand tremble as she picked up the syringe?

Perspiration beaded his brow. He pushed his fingers through his hair. Truth was he had torn her world apart, but he had suffered too. Night after night, he’d dreamt that the woman lying beside him was Paige, not Sylvia. Sometimes he felt like a trapped animal needing to break through the invisible chains that held him.

Look at me, baby. Give me some sign that you still love me.

This time she raised her eyes and met his gaze head-on. Instead of the reassurance he sought, she held up the shot needle. He knew instinctively she had done so to alert him to the possible struggle they would have on their hands with Cami.

He leaned over his daughter as his palm moved to brace her right knee. “Do you remember when you fell off your bike and scraped your hand?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Remember how the medicine burned for a moment and then you started to feel better?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Dr. Weston needs to give you some medicine in order to make you feel better. Okay?”

Cami tensed. She jerked her leg to no avail. “Daddy. No.” Her chin began to tremble.

Damn. He hated that she had to go through this. “Ah, baby. Please.”

Paige took a seat at the end of the examination table. “Cami, do you know the words to this song? Five little monkeys jumping on the bed.” Did her voice shake?

The nurse joined in with a smile. “One fell off and bumped his head.”

“Momma called the doctor,” Cami whimpered, “and the doctor said.” When the needle touched her wound, she jerked her leg, but he held her still. Big tears filled her eyes and spilled over her rosy cheeks.

“No more monkeys jumping on the bed,” Paige finished up, patting Cami’s leg and brushing his hand in the process. She quickly pulled away. “Uh. Or in this case no more monkeys climbing on the rock.” This time he was sure her voice quivered. She set one syringe down and chose another. When her gaze rose, it met his. For a moment she looked lost for words, and then she shook her head as if erasing him from her mind. “C-Cami, can you count to twenty real slow?”

Cami nodded. “One, two…”

“Slower.” Paige cleansed the wound thoroughly, before retrieving the suturing needle. Deft fingers moved confidently. By the time Cami reached twenty, Paige had snipped the last stitch and set her equipment down. Without missing a beat, she stood and stepped around the examination table across from Nathan, but her attention was narrowed on Cami. “Gift wrapping your foot is the only thing left. Teri, can you please take over?”

The nurse smiled. “Of course.”

Paige extended her hand to Cami and helped her into a sitting position. “Miss Cross, it was a pleasure meeting you.” She paused. Her hesitancy and her edgy expression made him think she wanted to say more but couldn’t or wouldn’t. “Uh.” She bit her bottom lip. “Merry Christmas.” She released Cami’s hand and pivoted sharply, heading toward the door.

He couldn’t let her go. They had so much to talk about. “Paige.”

Hand on the doorknob, she glanced over a shoulder. Her eyes glistened with unshed emotion. “She’ll be fine. Keep the wound dry and clean. I’ll order a prescription for antibiotics. Just follow the directions on her release papers. Goodbye, Nathan.” She jerked open the door and rushed through it.

The finality in her goodbye sent Nathan into a tailspin. He needed to talk to her and dammit she would listen. Yes, this was all his fault, but he had suffered too. She had to know that he’d never stopped loving her.

As he headed toward the door, Cami whimpered, “Daddy?”

The desire to go to Paige was strong. It took everything he had to stop and turn around. “Yes, honey?”

“I want to go home.”

“We will.” He closed the distance between him and Cami. As he took her into his arms, he stared longingly at the door. “How long has Dr. Weston been employed here?”

Teri wrapped the pink elastic bandage around Cami’s wound. “Oh, she isn’t.”

He raised a brow. “What?”

Teri quickly explained the events leading up to Nathan’s surprise reunion with Paige. Another loop around his child’s foot and Teri smoothed the edges of the tape down. “Since she was stranded, she offered to help out. What a godsend. I believe she’s leaving tomorrow morning.”

No
. The silent demand echoed in his head. That meant he had less than twenty-four hours to apologize and ask for a second chance. “Where is she staying?” His question came out desperate, if Teri and Janis’s startled expressions were a gauge.

“Uh. No plans that I’m aware of, but we are a hospital, beds we have.” She yanked the glove off one hand, before dragging the other down. “I’ll see if Cami’s release papers are ready.” She disposed of her gloves and left the room.

In five minutes Teri was back with the release papers and a wheelchair. Surprised by the speed of Cami’s release, he couldn’t help wondering if Paige wanted him gone as quickly as possible.

Hell. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to see she didn’t want to speak to him, but that was unacceptable. If there were no other choice, he would follow her to Fiji and let her know how miserable he had been these five years without her.

“As Dr. Weston said, keep the wound clean and dry. Here’s the prescription. You should visit your family doctor in about ten to fourteen days to remove the stitches. Now how about a ride?”

He took the papers from Teri. “Janis, can you take Cami home? I’ll get the prescription filled and be there soon.”

“Daddy?”

“Maybe we can stop for ice cream on the way.” Janis dangled the offer like a carrot.

Cami perked up. “Yay. Ice cream.”

He raised her from the examination table, kissed her softly on the forehead and placed her in the wheelchair. “You girls be good.” He watched as they disappeared through the doorway.

What if Paige had someone special waiting for her in Fiji? The thought pulled him up short, made him dizzy with jealousy. Heat singed his ears. Would he stand a chance to win her back? Emotion tightened his chest and burned his eyes. So close to the only woman he had ever loved, and yet an invisible wall stood between them. Stepping out into the hallway, he saw Paige standing at the nurses’ station. She glanced up and then away. As she hurried down the aisle, he caught up with her.

He placed a hand on her arm to draw her to a stop. “Can we talk?”

She swallowed hard, licking her lips like she always did when she was nervous. “There’s nothing to say.”

“I’ve missed you,” he blurted.

He wasn’t expecting a burst of laughter, but that’s just what he got. “Yeah. I’m sure you have.” Nor did he expect her sarcastic tone, which was uncharacteristic of her.

“Things have changed. I need to talk to you.”

“Changed or not, Nathan, we’re not the same people we were five years ago.” She jerked her arm, but he held on tight. “Please let me go. I have work to do. There are people who need me.”

She didn’t slap him, but he felt the verbal blow and released her. Without another word she walked away.

Was he too late to mend the damage between them?

He sucked in a weighted breath. No. He wouldn’t give up. This was just the beginning.

As she disappeared into a room, an old friend of Nathan’s walked briskly past the nurses’ station. “Hey, Jerry.” He waved Dr. Waters down. “May I speak to you?”

“Nathan.” The doctor shook his hand. “It’s good to see you. Don’t tell me your little one is here again.”

Nathan shrugged. “Cut. Stitches.”

The elderly man who played golf with Nathan and his father from time to time shook his head. “Kids. You got to love them.”

“Tell me about it.” Nathan cleared his throat. “Can I speak to you about Dr. Weston?”

A frown pulled at the corner of Jerry’s mouth. “Everything okay?”

“Yes. I was just wondering if you could do me a favor.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

A second chance, Nathan prayed, as he shared his plan with his old friend.

One a.m. and Paige’s feet and back ached. She collapsed into a big comfy chair in the physician’s lounge. The fresh scent of flowers caressed her nose. The
rat-a-tat-tat
of rain pelting the windows announced the weather had intensified. Her eyes felt leaden, her heart even heavier. A chill swept across her bare arms. She rubbed her palms up and down her goose-bump-covered flesh, not finding the warmth she craved.

Between patients she had called the airport about her purse only to discover that all flights flying in or out of Fiji were cancelled due to unexpected weather, including the one Ilana had booked her on today. Threat of a hurricane near Fiji had everyone unsettled. According to the airlines, even Kauai and all the nearby islands were experiencing the fringes of the rain and wind. The authorities had suggested locking things down tight as a precautionary measure.

She’d thought hurricane season was over.

“Paige, your luck just keeps getting better,” she muttered, closing her eyes. What the hell was she going to do now? What about her mother and sister? Talk about a screwed-up vacation.

“Tired?”

She pried her eyelids open to see Dr. Waters standing over her. So exhausted, she hadn’t even heard him come in. “A little,” she admitted.

“There’s a taxi outside of the emergency lobby to take you to your hotel, courtesy of the hospital.”

“You didn’t have to do that. I can sleep in this chair.” It’s not like she hadn’t done it before.

“Uh-uh.” He offered his hand and helped her to her feet. “Not on your life. If there is even a minimal chance you might stay with us, I’ll make sure you’re treated right. Besides, we islanders pride ourselves on our hospitality.”

“I appreciate it, but it really isn’t necessary.” All she needed was a couple hours of sleep, and then it would be late enough to call her mother and sister. Maybe she’d catch a plane back home, spend Christmas by herself.

“Yes. It is. Now get out of here. Perhaps you’ll come visit us in the morning.” He grinned ear to ear. Instead of shaking her hand he gave her a big old bear hug.

How could she not accept his gift? Besides being emotionally drained, she could use the solitude to lick her wounds. “Thank you. Oh crap.”

“What?”

“My luggage. I don’t have anything to wear.” No toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, clean underwear, pajamas, nothing.

He glanced toward the table where a bulging plastic bag sat. “That’s been taken care of. Teri raided our supplies and the gift shop. Remember, around here you don’t need much more than a bathing suit and suntan lotion.”

“And an umbrella, judging from outside.”

He chuckled. “It usually doesn’t last long. Now, get out of here.”

Paige had to admit a soft mattress would feel better than a chair or the stiff beds that a hospital offered.

She thanked him and took the bag. On her way out she saw Ilana. “How’s Landon doing?”

The woman looked up from her paperwork. “Sleeping. They moved him to his room.”

Paige smiled with relief. Even the tension strung tight across her shoulders seemed to ease.

They exchanged good nights and Paige made her way toward the exit. The minute the glass doors swung wide the scent of rain hit her. There wasn’t a star in the dark sky, only heavy clouds. The rain had lessened to a drizzle.

A roly-poly man in a floral shirt jumped out of the taxi in the driveway. “Aloha, Dr. Weston.” A big grin greeted her. “My name is Feleti. Welcome to Kauai.” As he approached, he slid open the umbrella in his hand and held it over her.

“Aloha.” She dashed to the car with Feleti in tow. He opened the door and she ducked inside, placing the bag on the seat beside her. Quickly, he moved around the car and sat behind the wheel. Engine running, he shifted the car into gear and they were off.

Polynesian music played a lively tune on the radio. The steel drums and marimbas painted a seductive picture of the ocean, sand and swaying palm trees. Five years ago she had become drunk on the exotic music, Kauai and Nathan. Now, none of them held any excitement. She still couldn’t believe he had insisted they speak. What was there to say?

“Vacationing?” the driver asked.

“Just passing through.” She didn’t elaborate.

“Unlikely.” His deep laugh of disbelief held a rich tone. “Everyone falls in love with Kauai.” He started to whistle to the music.

Who whistled at one thirty in the morning?

Headlights bounced off the wet road, the glow mesmerizing. Her last thought was
Where the heck is he taking me?
before she fell asleep.