Heaven Sent Husband. Gilbert Morris

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СКАЧАТЬ for you to leave all care of your patient to indulge yourself in it.”

      Ket swallowed. She felt her cheeks flush. She’d always been a favorite of Dr. Bjelland, but she was now discovering how it felt when the keen blade of his sarcasm slashed out. She had seen others demolished, cut off at the knees practically, when this had happened, but she had never found herself under the knife.

      “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “It won’t happen again, Dr. Bjelland.”

      “I should hope not!” Bjelland glared at her for a moment, and for a moment she was afraid he was about to deliver another harsh word. But instead, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt Jared’s gentle touch on her arm; it lasted but a moment, just long enough to signal his silent support.

      “I’m not sure I heard your question that clearly, either, Dr. Bjelland.” Jared’s voice was confident and steady, despite the senior doctor’s intimidating manner that had the other interns shaking in their boots. “There were some orderlies passing with a cleaning cart. It was quite noisy on this end of the room.”

      Dr. Bjelland cast him a doubtful look, but Ket noticed that Jared’s gaze did not waver. She’d been so lost in thought herself, she honestly couldn’t say now if a cleaning cart had passed or not.

      “A cleaning cart, eh?” Dr. Bjelland shook his head. He wouldn’t give in so easily. Not to an intern. “I thought she was perhaps considering what color of lipstick she might wear on her date tonight.”

      “She don’t date,” Denny Ray countered.

      The exchange drew a burst of nervous laughter from the group. All except Jared, Ket noticed. She felt her cheeks glow even redder, though she didn’t think it possible. She knew Dr. Bjelland was looking at her again, but didn’t dare meet his gaze.

      “She doesn’t date? Well, that’s good. The rest of the young women around her are all chasing men fulltime. This hospital is just a happy hunting ground for them.”

      Ketura hoped the discussion of her social life would end there, but she wasn’t going to be that fortunate, she realized. Bjelland looked back at the boy saying, “So, she doesn’t date. How do you know?”

      “She told me.”

      “I see. Well, you two must be pretty close friends for her to speak so intimately to you. Is that right?”

      “Sure, she comes to see me all the time when she’s off-duty.”

      Dr. Bjelland turned his head and did not speak for a moment. Ket, however, knew him well and saw the approval in his steady eyes, but he only said, “Very commendable. Well, I guess that’s all for you this morning. Maybe I’ll come back and visit you myself on my off time. Will that be all right?”

      “Sure, Doc.” Denny Ray nodded cheerfully. “I bet I can beat you at checkers.”

      “I bet you can’t. We’ll see.”

      The procession filed out and as Ket left, she glanced at Denny Ray. He winked at her, and whispered, “Come and see me!”

      Ket mouthed the words, “I will,” and left.

      Ketura was walking down the corridor, headed for the nurses’ station when she heard Dr. Bjelland call out to her.

      “Just a minute, Nurse Lindsey!”

      She turned, took a steadying breath and waited for him to catch up. What now? she wondered with dread.

      “I guess I was a bit hard on you back there in Denny Ray’s room,” he admitted gruffly.

      “It’s all right, Doctor. I was woolgathering. It won’t happen again.”

      Bjelland stared at her. “You’ve always been my favorite new nurse. Maybe I haven’t told you.”

      Ket’s lips curled upward. “No, you haven’t exactly overburdened me with compliments. That’s not your way, though.”

      “No, it isn’t.” He hesitated then ran both hands through his shock of gray hair. “I’m worried about that boy Denny Ray.”

      “What’s your real opinion?”

      After listening carefully to a rather pessimistic report from Bjelland, Ket’s heart sank. “You think it’s that serious, then? He doesn’t have any chance at all?”

      “Of course he’s got a chance. You believe in miracles, don’t you?”

      “Yes, I do.”

      Dr. Bjelland was himself an outspoken Christian, one of the few on the staff. “I do, too,” he said. “We’re going to do all we can. You, and I, and everybody else, but in the end I’m trusting God to do a work in this boy. We’ll pray about that, won’t we?”

      “Yes, sir.”

      “All right, on your way.”

      When she reached the nursing station, Ket found Maggie and Debbie waiting. “Did he take your head off, honey?” Debbie grinned.

      “No, not at all.”

      Maggie was staring at Ket. “What’s wrong with you? You’re supposed to be the most dedicated brain around here, and you’re walking around like you’re in a dense fog.”

      “I don’t know,” Ket said defensively. “Just thinking.”

      “You can’t kid us.” Debbie grinned impishly. “You’ve been in a daze all morning. I believe you’ve met somebody and won’t tell. Come on now. Who is it?”

      “I had the same feeling. Come on now, Ket. Tell,” Maggie said.

      The young women stared at her and Ket didn’t know what to say. They were a close-knit group and two of the best friends Ket had in the world. Did she dare admit the thoughts that had been distracting her today?

      Maggie suddenly lifted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Well, there he goes. Look at him. Is he a cutie or what?”

      Ket lifted her glance and the other two followed suit. They watched as Jared Pierce walked by dressed in hospital greens.

      “What was he like when you were in school with him, Ket?” Debbie asked.

      “Well, he used to play baseball. I used to watch him play when we were in high school. He was an all-American at the University of Texas. I saw him play once on that team, too. When Texas won the national championship. He was a wonderful athlete.”

      The young women watched as the tall intern moved on down the hall. “He’s been dating Miss Texas,” Ket remarked.

      “You mean Lisa Glenn!” Debbie exclaimed. “She’s beautiful!”

      “Yes, everybody says she’ll be Miss America this year,” Maggie replied. She grinned suddenly and her eyes crinkled with amusement. “I think I’ll take him away from her.”

      “You won’t do that,” Debbie replied. “He’d be crazy to turn her down.” СКАЧАТЬ