His Long-Awaited Bride. Jessica Matthews

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СКАЧАТЬ sure you would,” she said quietly, “but if you stood in my shoes, wouldn’t you want to be in the middle of things, too? Lucy is important to me, which is all the more reason why I will do whatever it takes to see her well.”

      “I understand but—”

      “I can do this,” she urged. “I know I can. Don’t do this to me. Or to Lucy.”

      He hesitated. Lucy had always been vocal about disliking hospitals. Given the choice, she’d want Marissa taking care of her. Hell, he’d want Marissa taking care of him, too, if he were seriously ill. But if Lucy went into convulsions or suffered other complications, he didn’t want to worry about Marissa being too distraught to keep her wits about her.

      “Have I ever fallen apart on you before?”

      Her gaze was steady and he couldn’t lie. “No.”

      “Then I won’t this time, either.”

      The ER nurse halted next to the nurses’ station counter. “Where do you want us?”

      Marissa’s gaze didn’t waver from Justin’s. “Room two,” she told her colleague. As soon as the nurse began wheeling the gurney in the right direction, Marissa tapped her foot. “Well?”

      His resolve wavered. “Okay, but if it looks like you can’t handle whatever happens—”

      “I’ll voluntarily step aside,” she finished quickly.

      He studied her expression. Although he knew that Marissa had never been anything but honest, he wanted everything spelled out clearly to avoid a misunderstanding. “You’re certain.”

      “I’m positive. Lucy’s health comes first.”

      “No arguments?”

      “No arguments,” she promised.

      “Then let’s get to work.”

      Let’s get to work. As if she were the one who’d been holding up the process, Marissa thought with exasperation as she hurried to catch up to her new patient. And yet, with each step forward, she was grateful that she’d won the battle to look after the woman who seemed more like her mother than her own.

      Lucy’s face appeared pale under the tan she’d already earned this spring, and her mouth was pressed into a line, as if she were in pain. She was a small woman, but Marissa never thought of her in terms of size. Her spirited personality had more than compensated for her petite frame as she puttered in her garden and engaged in enough volunteer activities to send a person half her age to bed. Right now, she hardly made a bump under the coverlet. Part of Marissa wanted to gasp in dismay, but the man she was trying to ignore would only see her reaction as a sign of weakness.

      “Sorry to be such a bother.” Lucy smiled wanly as she spoke in a quivery voice that was completely unlike the vital woman Marissa had known for several years.

      Marissa forced herself to act cheerfully. “No bother at all. We’re here to take care of you. In the meantime, we’re going to move you to a real bed, but I don’t want you to do a thing. Just lie there and let us do the work.”

      On the count of three, they transferred Lucy carefully onto the other mattress. As soon as the ER nurse left, Marissa hurried to make Lucy as comfortable as possible with an extra pillow and warm blankets, conscious of Justin watching from his place near the foot of the bed.

      As Marissa hooked Lucy to the usual monitors and checked her vital signs, she quizzed the elderly lady. “How long have you been feeling poorly? You should have said something to me last night,” she chided gently, noting the woman’s elevated temperature.

      “It’s nothing really.” Lucy tried to wave her hand, then stopped, as if the motion required too much effort. “I’ve had a terribly bad headache that won’t disappear, as well as a stiff neck that’s gotten worse over the last day or so. Some nausea, too. I think it’s just a bad case of the flu, although no one will listen to me.” She cast a baleful glance in Justin’s direction.

      Marissa knew that his suspicions ran to something more serious than a touch of influenza, which was why he’d ordered the spinal tap. “We’ll find out if it’s the flu or not,” she said cheerfully.

      “I’m going to check on your lab results from the ER,” Justin interrupted, “and then I’ll be back. Okay?”

      Lucy nodded as she closed her eyes. “I believe I’ll nap in the meantime.”

      “Go right ahead.” He met Marissa’s gaze and inclined his head toward the door in a silent request for her to follow.

      “Keep a close eye on her,” he said in a low voice as soon as they stood in the hallway. “The ER staff reported that she seemed confused at times. You’ll know better than anyone if she shows the same signs here.”

      Marissa nodded, feeling guilty because she hadn’t noticed how sick Lucy had been the previous night. She almost said as much, but kept silent. She wouldn’t give Justin any grounds for replacing her as Lucy’s nurse.

      Justin laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault, you know.”

      His uncanny perception caught her off guard. “What?”

      “It’s not your fault,” he repeated. “Don’t feel guilty that you didn’t see how ill she’s been.”

      “Who said I did?” she prevaricated.

      “No one. I can tell by the look on your face.” He paused. “Lucy is one of those people who suffer in silence, so don’t beat yourself up for not noticing her condition. Okay?” He tipped up her chin so that her gaze met his.

      “Okay,” she agreed.

      “Good.” He sounded satisfied. “As soon as you’re ready, I’ll get started.”

      She nodded. “Give me a couple of minutes to set up.” By the time she’d returned with the supplies, Justin had the latest lab report in his hand and was explaining the procedure to the elderly lady.

      “It won’t be very pleasant,” he warned with an apologetic smile.

      Lucy closed her eyes and nodded. “I’m not feeling particularly chipper right now, so anything you do will just blend in with all the other aches and pains.”

      He patted her forearm as he stared down at her with the compassionate gaze that Marissa had seen him give his patients so often. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. I promise.”

      “Thank you,” Lucy whispered, before her eyes glimmered with unshed tears and she sniffled. “You’ll think me a silly old woman,” she said in a wobbly voice that testified how strongly his conviction had touched her heart.

      “You’ll be weeding those petunias before long,” Justin said with a wink.

      A lump formed in Marissa’s throat as she set the LP tray on the bedside table. She’d always dealt with her patients and their problems objectively, but it bothered her to see this seemingly unstoppable woman in such a state. Justin’s fierce determination was as reassuring to her as it clearly was to Lucy. Fighting the urge to СКАЧАТЬ