The Doctor's Devotion (Love Inspired) (9 page)

Chapter Ten

“C
arrottop, I’m gonna ask you to do something for me.” A long
zzzssshing
sound broke predawn stillness on Eagle Point Lake the next morning as Lem zipped a fishing line over his head. The lure plunked in the water thirty feet from where their boat bobbed leisurely on glassy sapphire water. “It might be tough.”

Excitement welled in Lauren like the sunrise about to break over the lake. Maybe he’d let her tackle some of the items on the to-do list he’d given Mitch. Then she’d have more time with just Grandpa. And lighten Mitch’s load. “Anything. Just ask.”

“Anything?”

“I’m pretty handy with a hammer, and I wield a mean wrench.”

He chuckled. “I know. But the only kind of hammer you’d need for what I’m gonna ask of you is one of those little rubber ones you bang on people’s knees with.”

Her heart thumped hard, paused then thudded back into rhythm. She cast her fishing line. “Oh?”

“I want you to seriously consider taking up nursing again.”

“Wow. You drive a hard bargain.”

“I know you have it in ya. You’re a good nurse. Mitch even calls you exemplary, and he’s a man of sky-high standards.”

Hearing that did not help matters. “Grandpa, why do you care about his opinion so much?”

Grandpa reeled in his line. “Because he cares about me.”

Well. What could she say to that?

“I suppose he does. Do you care about him more than me?”

A scowl came across Grandpa’s face. “Of course not. That’s not a fair question to begin with. And it’s silly for you to assume.”

“Sometimes it seems like you do.”

“Lauren, you mean the world to me. All these projects I’m having him do, all this maintenance and upkeep, is for you.”

Dread filled her stomach. “Why? What do you mean?”

“We both know my pa and grandpa died soon after seventy.”

She stood. The boat wobbled. She promptly sat. “You’re not gonna.” Tears flooded forth. “I forbid it.”

He chuckled then grew serious. “Carrottop, if anyone could stop it, you could. But stubbornness and love aren’t enough to keep a person here if God thinks it’s their time to go.”

“I think you should stop assuming He does.”

“I’m just planning for your future.”

“My future won’t mean anything without you in it. Grandpa, I promise I will come see you every few months from now on.” Her voice had been reduced to begging, but she didn’t care.

She needed him. Who else on earth did she have? Her business partner and best friend, but that was a tough one since she was also sister to her ex.

“I won’t be here forever. I want to make sure you’re left all right. I’m leaving part of the property to you. The house’ll be yours, too. I hope you never sell it because the memories won’t mean anything to anyone else. I never could change my cabinet doors because you cut your teeth on them, and the itty bite marks are still there.” Now he blinked tears.

Overcome with emotion, Lauren set aside her pole and knee-scrambled across the boat to hug the stuffing out of him.

Tears flowed freely down both their faces. Emotion welled to the point that hiccups tried to convulse her throat.

Never in her life had she felt so confused and dismayed.

She’d planned her future all out to be in Texas, with plans to simply visit Grandpa. But more and more, the thought of leaving him caused panic, depressing thoughts and profound sadness.

How had she gotten her life in such a mess?

Rash decisions. That’s how.

“I don’t want to come to this lake, your house, your property if you’re not here, Grandpa. That’d be too hard.”

“Which is why I’m willing part of the property to Mitch.”

She gasped. “He’s not family. Your sister’ll throw a fit.”

“Let her. She never treated you right and you know it.” His eyes looked about to boil, and his false teeth clacked like a war drum.

She slowly sat. “You know?”

“Yes. Your cousins filled me in. Had I known how miserable you were and how she never treated you kindly, I’d have fought for full custody and raised ya myself. But in my blind grief, I didn’t see the whole picture. I will always regret that. I wouldn’t have been a half-bad dad, ya know.”

“You
were
a dad to me, Grandpa. You were everything I had. I always felt loved and secure with you.”

“Then come back. Live here. Work as a nurse with Mitch.”

“I wish I could. But even if I did, Mitch and I aren’t compatible.” To her dismay, she discovered she really meant what she said about wishing she could stay. Furthering that dismay was her sudden dislike for how incompatible she and Mitch were.

If Grandpa knew, he’d flip out of the boat and swim laps around the lake with joy as his lone propeller.

“He’s just hurt right now, Lauren. Mark my words, once you two bleach out your stubborn streaks and let your guards down, you’ll be amazed at just how compatible you are. I love the two of you more than anything, and I want you both to be happy.”

If that was meant to make her feel better, it didn’t. Because Grandpa was essentially saying Mitch was equal to her in his eyes. Equal care. Equal love. Equal receivers of property.

She didn’t want to be Mitch’s equal. Not in Grandpa’s eyes.

“At least consider it.” Lem brought in his pole.

She reeled in hers, too. “What, Mitch?”

“All of it.” He peered at the sun. “We’d best get back. He’ll be arriving soon for breakfast and to work on the deck before he has to round at the center.”

At the dock, Lauren helped Grandpa onto it. “Be careful.” Once he made it safely to land, she secured the boat.

“You be careful too, carrottop. Flooded rivers have flushed out snakes.” Grandpa eyed the ground diligently. “Watch your step.”

She would. Not just with snakes. She’d watch her steps with Mitch, too. Because if she weren’t careful, one of Cupid’s arrows might get through and make Grandpa’s words come true. Mitch could be charming, for sure.

She popped open the fish bucket. “Look! Enough for a Friday-night fish fry.” Seeing Grandpa’s grin at their catch made her feel better. She wanted to make him happy. Ease his worry.

“Grandpa, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ll try.”

“Try what?” His face beamed as he lifted the tackle box.

“To work as a nurse. At least while I’m here for the summer.”

“That’s it?” He frowned.

She gave him a wry look. “That’s all I can promise for now.” She had responsibilities in Texas, and in fact needed to call her contractors today to check in with them. See how renovations were going. Which reminded her that her life was in Texas.

Fishing with Grandpa this morning had almost made her forget. If she weren’t careful, Grandpa would talk her into moving back. She couldn’t let her friend down. Lauren had given her word, which was her honor. One of many things Grandpa had taught her. To have integrity, a hard work ethic and, most importantly, to never, ever, go back on one’s word.

* * *

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Lauren muttered to herself after Mitch came in later from repairing a good portion of Lem’s deck. Mitch tried his level best not to grin while Lauren glared at her nursing certifications printing on Grandpa’s fax machine.

“Hey, where did the other day’s good mood go?”

“It flew the coop the second your truck pulled up. You intruded on my morning with Grandpa again.” She grinned.

Lem poked her shoulder. “Whoa, little miss. Where’d those manners that I taught you go? It just so happens I invited Mitch to breakfast. So if you’re gonna have a hissy, have one at me.”

She let out a long-suffering breath, yanked Mitch’s stethoscope from his pocket and draped it around her neck.

Mitch could
Yeehaw!
the corn out of Lem’s field. He restrained himself lest she become annoyed and change her mind.

“So you’ll send for your permanent Illinois license?”

“Temporary. I’ll help out today. That’s it.”

“And if you enjoy today, you’ll drop by the office to apply for a vacant nurse position?” He treaded carefully.

She flipped around and issued the same stare Lem did right before he kicked tractor tires. “Don’t push it.”

His hands flew up like two wise white flags. “Fine. I’ll take what I can get.” Some of his inward smile must’ve escaped.

She narrowed sharpening eyes at his sudden vigor. “And why do you look suspiciously not dead-dog tired anymore like you were when you dragged in this morning?”

He shrugged. “Lem’s orange juice kicked in?”

“Uh-huh.” She inclined her head. “Just how much time did you spend sleeping in your call room last night as opposed to operating on trauma patients? Hmm?”

He grinned and politely evaded her question. “Thanks for helping today, Lauren.” He didn’t call her Nurse Bates because he really was thankful and didn’t want to rile her out of helping today.

He had Refuge helpers he could call on. But his gut said to keep after Lauren. He just hoped his gut was hearing from God. Otherwise this could get mighty messy.

Because, for Lauren’s disillusionment with nursing and her laying down her calling and walking away, it was life or death. This was it.

Mitch knew it. And so did Lem, who was not shy about saying how he felt. And he felt Lauren was still meant to be a nurse. One more reason for Mitch to keep chipping away at her about it.

“Grandpa, I’m going with Mitch to help at the trauma center,” Lauren said when Lem stepped outside with a drink tray.

“Oh! That news is sweeter than this sun tea!”

Mitch didn’t know if Lem was happier about Lauren going with him and the two being together, or Lauren utilizing her nursing skills again. Maybe both, if Lem’s hefty grin as he handed them two glasses of tea before they left was any indication.

“Kate has extra scrubs in her locker,” Mitch reminded her when they arrived at the center after a half hour of awkward conversation in the truck. Mitch attributed it to a combination of his in-your-face attraction and her nervousness at helping today.

Mitch took every opportunity to reassure her and answer any technical or logistical questions she had.

“I promise, I’ll be right there with you,” Mitch said.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she said, then laughed.

He didn’t know what to make of that.

When Lauren returned, she wore a new pair of scrubs and a scowl. “Your circulating nurse decided to leave me a gift.” She plucked the hem of a uniform top he’d never seen on Kate.

Understanding dawned. “Kate bought that for you?”

“Yep. Left it with a key to what she assigned as my new locker and a
very
interesting note.”

One that obviously left Lauren perturbed yet contemplative.

“I’m dying to know what the note said.”

She pointed to a corridor no one liked walking. “Morgue’s that way.”

In other words, she wasn’t giving up the info.

And after withholding vital information from Kate, he highly doubted she’d miss this opportunity to torture him with the aggravation of dearly wanting to know what was said yet not having the satisfaction of finding out.

Yet. He
would
find out.

Ian approached. The look on his face meant Mitch wasn’t going to like this. “We have a motorcycle crash victim on the way. You okay handling it?”

Mitch felt the familiar suffocating sensation that came over him every time an injured biker was mentioned. “I’m good.”

Ian nodded. Lauren peeked up but kept counting instruments. She looked scared but willing. He realized just how confident he was in her nursing skills. Did she?

It suddenly hit Mitch how brave Lauren was. Every time she helped at the center, she faced her fears. He drew strength from knowing her as the pre-op crew rapidly wheeled the patient in. Mitch pushed the past aside and poured every bit of grit and skill into giving the young man the future his dad never had.

Not only had the accident been life-or-limb damaging, the surgery was going to be dangerous. Did Lauren know how much so?

Her hands weren’t quaking, and she wasn’t nearly as ashen as he imagined he’d been when the word
motorcycle
had come out of Ian’s mouth. So she’d be fine. Plus Kate was here, and another crew slept in the call room should complications arise.

Thankfully, they didn’t. Mitch helped the orthopedic doctor close incisions they’d made to repair multiple fractures.

“I’m confident he’ll make a full recovery,” Mitch said.

“Indeed. Thankfully he had his helmet on,” the orthopedic guy replied while finishing, before meeting Mitch’s gaze with professional respect. “Fortunate for him this center was right here. Otherwise…” He trailed off when Ian shook his head in a withering motion. Mitch and Ian were close—like brothers. They had each other’s backs, both here and on the battlefield.

Mitch nodded his thanks to Ian. The third doctor looked from one man to the other.

Kate cleared her throat. “Mitch is the last person who needs to hear how minutes matter. His dad was in a motorcycle crash and made it to Refuge Hospital mere minutes too late.”

“My apologies.” The doctor’s tone carried respect anew.

Mitch nodded his acknowledgment. Gratitude overwhelmed him.

Lord, thank You for leading us here. Bring capable help and funding so we can expand to meet the full needs of this community.
Mitch finished the prayer as the last suture went in.

The O.R. door swung open. “Don’t go anywhere. We’ve got another bone trauma en route,” the director said.

The crew scrubbed out, then back in, and regowned. Lauren didn’t seem fazed, though this surgery took longer than the last. Afterward Mitch faced Lauren. “Meet me in the doctors’ lounge when you’re done?”

She nodded and continued to carry out her tasks with Kate, who smiled like an elated little sister at the pair.

Mitch flashed Kate a visual warning. Yet he couldn’t deny that the blush on Lauren’s cheeks above her mask drained the strain and fatigue out of his tired muscles and feet.

“Orthopedic surgeries are slower than molasses,” Lauren said once in the lounge after surgery. She stretched her back.