Prescription for Desire (4 page)

“
Dr. Arrington, you can’t
promise that.”

“
Dr. Phillips,” she began
in a loud, stern tone, but remembering where she was—especially
when all eyes glanced her way—she lowered her voice, “Mrs. Gonzalez
is concerned for her baby. It’s my responsibility to be concerned
for both. I’m going to ask you to leave so I can do my
job.”

Taken aback, he stepped away from her.
“You can do your job, but I’m not leaving.”

“
Fine, but stay out of my
way.”

A few hours later, Raven sat alone in
the break room of the hospital sipping coffee. It was almost six
‘o’clock in the morning, and she was wired from her normal
adrenaline rush after bringing life into the world. She was
thrilled that the mother and baby were doing fine, even though the
baby would have to stay a little while longer to gain a few extra
pounds before going home.

The door creaked open and confident
footsteps on the tile floor behind her drew near. She sighed
reluctantly. Unfortunately, she recognized the same walking pattern
from when he approached her at the sink in the birthing
room.

Armand slid into the chair in front of
her, popped a mint into his mouth, and stretched back, resting his
hands across his chest.

“
You need something, Dr.
Phillips?” she asked in a curt tone.

He let out a nervous chuckle. “No. I
just wanted to check on you. Things got a little
heated.”

“
I’m fine, but never
question my judgment again,” she answered in a stern
manner.

“
Look, Dr. Arrington, I
wasn’t questioning your judgment, but as doctors we know not to
make promises that may not happen. I didn’t want Mr. Gonzalez
getting his hopes up considering she was falling fast,
and—”

“
I completely understand
that. However, have a little faith sometimes. I’ve had patients in
the same predicament before. And I wasn’t going to let her die. The
baby needs her …” Raven stopped when she found herself becoming
emotional, leading her to thoughts of her own personal struggles of
wanting a baby. Blocking it from her brain, she focused on the
issue at hand.

“
Dr. Phillips, while I’m
here for the next few months, I would appreciate it if you would
let me do my job. I don’t need a young,
fresh-out-of-doing-his-residency doctor telling me what to
do.”

“
Oh really?” He stood as
his voice rose, and she stared at him in complete shock. “So you
think age and how many years experience I have has something to do
with my knowledge and understanding of medical procedures? Sure,
you’re older and have many more years of working in the medical
profession on me, but what you don’t have is the type of
experiences that I’ve encountered by working with Doctors
Unlimited, as well as Doctors Without Borders. Your brother
wouldn’t have made me the chief of staff if I wasn’t qualified for
the position. And if it wasn’t for your brother, I would send you
packing back to Memphis. We’re a team around here. I thought you,
of all people, would be a team player considering you work at your
family’s private practice.”

Raven stood directly in his personal
space, and glared up at him with one hand on her hip and a finger
pointing at his chest. “Oh trust and believe if it wasn’t for my
brother I would gladly leave right now instead of working with an
arrogant, egotistical ass like you!” She turned on her heel,
grabbed her coffee, and stormed toward the door. The sexy way he
looked when angry was a turn on, and the last thing she wanted was
to feel any type of sexual desire to a conceited jerk. She couldn’t
even fathom why she felt some type of attraction to him in the
first place. Sure he had a handsome face, amazing smile, and
strong, big hands …

He shouted after her, “Well, you’re
stuck here for the next two months, so get used to it!”

She turned around and faced him. He
wasn’t going to get the best of her. She shook her head of her
unbelievable thoughts. Her late husband had been a down-to-earth
guy that rarely raised his voice and didn’t have one arrogant bone
in his body. The man standing in front of her now was the complete
opposite and nowhere near her type of man.

“
I’m not stuck anywhere.
I’m here because I want to be. I’m just as dedicated as you are to
the medical profession, so never question my experiences. You don’t
know me.”

A look of realization crossed his
face. “You’re right. I don’t. However, I do know how I run this
clinic, and one of the things we never do here is raise our voices
or argue in front of patients.”

She nodded her head in understanding,
for she knew where the rule came from. Her father had made the rule
at their practice, and of course Cannon would pass it on to Doctors
Unlimited.

“
That was totally
unprofessional of me, and it won’t happen again.”

“
See that it doesn’t, Dr.
Arrington.” His tone was authoritative and in control.

Raven was about to make a smart alec
remark, but decided against it. She had to remember he was the
chief of staff, and she was Cannon’s sister. She didn’t want her
attitude to have an effect on how much everyone admired and
respected her brother. She bid Armand good night and turned toward
the double doors that would lead her to the elevator.

She stopped dead in her tracks and
patted her pockets, pulling out everything except what she needed.
The scan card. Without it she couldn’t use the elevator or
stairwell to get back to the third floor. She had her room key, but
that wouldn’t do her any good.

Great. Just
great.

Clearing her throat, she turned back
toward him. He had sat back in the chair, leaning back with his
tall legs wide and one of his hands under his chin, a contemplative
expression on his face. She tried to remember she was mad at him,
but all she kept imagining was straddling his lap and kissing his
inviting mouth.

“
Yes, Dr. Arrington?” he
asked calmly, but still in the same manner as earlier.

“
I don’t have my scan card
on me,” she quietly replied.

He raised an eyebrow and a wicked
smile crossed his handsome face. He moved toward her, and she
stepped back. Reaching in to his pocket, he pulled out his card.
“You’re in luck. I’ll walk you to the elevator.”

“
Thank you,” she said
softly and turned away from him. They walked in silence, but Raven
swore she felt his hot, minty breath on her neck. When they arrived
at the elevator, he pressed the button and the doors opened.
Stepping in, she leaned against the corner while he stretched his
arm around to the silver plate to scan the card for the third floor
as his eyes met hers. He looked as if he wanted to say something,
but instead he inhaled and backed out of the elevator. As the doors
closed, his heated eyes locked with hers.

Raven exhaled once she made it back to
her apartment. She grabbed the scan card from the dresser and
placed it inside of her badge holder, which she was required to
wear, and clipped it on her white coat. Therefore, she was prepared
for the next day, or rather in a few hours, since she was supposed
to meet Kay for the tour at ten o’clock that morning.

She tugged off her scrubs and hopped
into the shower, letting the water cascade down her head as the
tears started to silently fall. She’d promised herself before the
trip that she wouldn’t mourn over Howard and their babies who were
now in Heaven together. She hadn’t given it a thought until now,
and she felt guilty about it because Dr. Armand Phillips was
invading her thought process, and that scared her. She never wanted
to forget her late husband and the love she had for him, but being
away from Memphis was making the pain a little easier, as well as
trying to get on with her life in general. She had started dating
again a year after Howard’s death, but no one had piqued her
interest long enough to feel some sort of attraction toward them.
Now she found herself thinking about a man she couldn’t tolerate to
work with, much less even think about being with. Besides, he was a
wet behind the ears doctor who had been given a little power and
now he thought he was the man. Not her type of guy. He’d seem
pleasant in the airport, but apparently that was just a smooth
façade he displayed with women he found attractive, considering he
flirted with her as soon as he’d met her.

She turned off the shower, towel
dried, and made a mental note to avoid him as much as possible
during the next few months. She thought that could be possible
because according to the work schedule that Kay had given her
earlier, Armand worked mostly nights in the hospital and her
schedule was mostly during the day to see patients. Unless, of
course, it was baby time, which could happen at any time. According
to Kay, there were only a handful of pregnant women at the moment,
and they weren’t due anytime soon, but that didn’t mean anything
either.

Sighing, Raven downed the rest of her
coffee, which was now cold, and said a little prayer that she could
make it through the rest of her time in Ghilaua.

During the next week, Raven met quite
a few patients for various reasons. Some pregnant, or others with
female health concerns. Her schedule wasn’t as busy as it was in
Memphis, for the town only had about five thousand people.
Therefore, she spent her free time hanging with Kay, or going to
the shops and eateries in the small downtown area where the medical
facility was located. She’d managed to avoid Armand whenever
possible, except for an occasional nod or information for a
patient.

One afternoon Raven sat in one of the
outdoor cafés sipping coffee and eating an empanada. She was slowly
becoming addicted to the tasty chicken and vegetable filled pastry,
and the lady who owned the café would knowingly smile and nod as
Raven walked in to order three.

She munched on her second one as her
eyes perused the book she was reading on her ereader.

“
Good afternoon, Dr.
Arrington,” a familiar male voice greeted in front of
her.

She slowly tore her eyes away from the
words on the screen, which had jumbled together as soon as his
tenor voice filled her ears. She wasn’t in the mood to exchange
pleasantries with him; she just wanted to enjoy her first day
off.

“
Hello, Dr. Phillips,” she
said in an even, calm tone.

“
I see you’re enjoying the
empanadas. I did too when I first arrived here, but I’ve had to cut
back on them. They can be fattening.”

“
I’ll remember that,” she
said in a dismissal manner, hoping he would leave.

He stepped back from the table and
placed his hands in his pocket. “So … um, I’m going to go inside
and grab my order that I called in earlier, and then I’m off to the
orphanage.”

“
What orphanage?” Her ears
perked up, and for once during their brief conversation, she became
interested in what he had to say.

“
There’s one in Buenos
Aires that I volunteer at on Fridays.”

“
You do medical
exams?”

“
Sometimes, but I bring
treats and read books. Play games. Help with homework. Whatever
they need.” He shrugged and stepped closer to her, placing his hand
on the opposite chair.

“
How old are the
children?”

“
All ages, including a few
babies, but I mostly work with the toddlers and elementary aged
ones. I’m teaching them English as a second language because a lot
of the adoptions are from the States or other English speaking
countries.”

“
How long have you been
doing this?” she asked, becoming even more interested. Her family
had always been very philanthropic—thanks to their father
encouraging them to always give to those less fortunate or lend a
helping where need be—which was why Cannon started Doctors
Unlimited.

“
A little over a year, but
not just me. A few other staff members as well. Maybe you can check
it out one day.” He paused for a moment with a strained expression,
which cleared with a smile. “In fact, how about now? You’re off for
the rest of the day, right?”

The last thing she wanted to do was be
stuck in the truck with Armand for an hour or so drive to Buenos
Aires. However, something pulled at her when he mentioned the
children at the orphanage.

“
Okay.” She closed her
ereader. “I would love to go.”

“
Cool. I’ll just run and
grab the pastries.”

Moments later they were making the
drive to the big city as people in Ghilaua called it. She pretended
to read her book as he listened to a Nina Simone CD. She tried to
concentrate, but his manly scent was a pure distraction. He had the
makings of a five o’clock shadow, and Raven had always found a
beard on a man sexy, as long as it was neatly trimmed. Armand was
usually fresh shaven, but she figured he would look just as
handsome with a beard next to his honey skin.

A warm sensation rushed through her
when he glanced from the corner of his eye, and she realized she’d
been caught staring.

He tried to muffle a smile. “You see
something you like, Dr. Arrington?” he inquired in a lazy,
seductive way.

Oh hell no. She’d have to play this
off.

“
I was just looking at the
scenery, Dr. Phillips,” she answered, placing her eyes back on the
ereader screen.