Hot Docs On Call: His Christmas Wish. Susan Carlisle

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СКАЧАТЬ D-dimer if her BNP is elevated.” McKenzie agreed with his suggestions. “Anything else you can think of?”

      He shook his head. “Maybe a sputum culture, just in case, but otherwise I think you’ve covered everything.”

      Not everything. With the human body there were so many little intricate things that could go wrong that it was impossible to cover every contingency. Especially in someone Edith’s age when things were already not working as efficiently.

      They stayed in Edith’s room for a few more minutes, talking to her and trying to ascertain more clues about what was going on with her, then spoke with Edith’s nurse to check on the reason for doing the portable chest X-ray rather than having it done in the radiology department. Apparently, the machine had been having issues. Edith’s nurse was going to check with the radiologist and text McKenzie as soon as results were available.

      “Anyone else you need to see before we go?” she asked Lance.

      He shook his head. “I went by to check on the mayor prior to going to Edith’s room.”

      “Oh,” McKenzie acknowledged, glancing his way as they crossed the hospital parking lot. The wind nipped at her and she wished she’d changed from her lab coat into her jacket. “How is he doing?”

      “He’s recovering from his surgery nicely. The surgeon plans to release him to go home tomorrow as long as there are no negative changes between now and then.”

      “That’s good.”

      “You saved his life.”

      “If I hadn’t been there, you would have done so. It’s really no big deal.”

      “He thinks it is a big deal. So does his wife. They are very grateful you were there.”

      McKenzie wasn’t sure what Lance expected her to say. She’d just been at the right place at the right time and had helped do what had needed to be done.

      “He wants us to ride on his float in the Christmas parade.”

      “What?”

      “He invited us to ride on his float this Saturday.”

      “I don’t want to be in the Christmas parade.” Once upon a time she’d have loved to ride on a Christmas parade float.

      “You a Scrooge?”

      “No, but I don’t want to ride on a Christmas float and wave at people who are staring at me.”

      Ever since her fighting parents had caused a scene at school and her entire class had stared at McKenzie, as if she had somehow been responsible, McKenzie had hated being the center of attention.

      “That’s fine,” he said, not fazed by her reticence. “I’ll do the waving and you stare at me.”

      “How is that supposed to keep them from staring at me?”

      “I’m pretty sure everyone will be staring at the mayor and not us.”

      “I hope you told him no.”

      The corner of his mouth lifted in a half grin. “You’d hope wrong.”

      She stopped walking. “I’m not into being a spectacle.”

      She’d felt that way enough as a child thanks to her parents’ antics. She wouldn’t purposely put herself in that position again.

      “How is participating in a community Christmas parade being a spectacle?”

      She supposed he made a good point, but still…

      “Besides, don’t people stare at you when you run your races?”

      “Long-distance running doesn’t exactly draw a fan base.” She started toward his car again.

      “That a hint for me to come cheer you on at your next run?”

      She shook her head. “I don’t need anyone to cheer me on.”

      “What if I want to cheer you on?”

      She shook her head again. She didn’t want him or anyone else watching her run. She didn’t want to expect someone to be there and then them possibly not show up. To run because she loved running was one thing. To run and think someone was there, supporting her, and them not really be, well, she’d felt that disappointment multiple times throughout her childhood and she’d really prefer not to go down that road again.

      Some things just weren’t worth repeating.

      “I tell you what, if you want to come to one of my races, that’s fine. But not as a cheerleader. If you want to come,” she challenged, stopping at his car’s passenger side, “you run.”

      He opened the car door and grinned. “You’re inviting me to be on your team? I like the sound of that.”

      “There are no teams in the races I run.”

      “No? Well, maybe you’re running in the wrong races.”

      “I’m not.” She climbed into the seat and pulled the door to. She could hear his laughter as he rounded the car.

      “You have yourself a deal, McKenzie,” he said as he climbed into the driver’s seat and buckled his seat belt. “I’ll run with you. When’s your next race?”

      “I just did a half marathon on Saturday morning.” She thought over her schedule a moment. “I’m signed up for one on New Year’s Day morning. You should be able to still get signed up. It’s a local charity run so the guidelines aren’t strict.”

      “Length?”

      “It’s not a real long one, just a five-kilometer. Think you can do that?” she challenged. He was fit, but being fit didn’t mean one could run. She’d learned that with a few friends who’d wanted to go with her. They’d been exercise queens, but not so much into running. McKenzie was the opposite. She was way too uncoordinated to do dancing, or anything that required group coordination, but she was a boss when it came to running.

      His lips twitched with obvious amusement at her challenge. “You don’t have the exclusive on running, you know.”

      “I’ve never seen you out running,” she pointed out.

      “You’ve never seen me take a shower either, but I promise you I do so on a regular basis.”

      Lance. In the shower. Naked. Water sluicing over his body. She gulped. Not an image she wanted in her head. “Probably all cold ones.”

      Maybe she needed a cold one to douse the images of him in the shower because her imagination was going hot, hot, hot.

      He chuckled. “Only lately.”

      That got her attention. “You’re taking cold showers because of me?”

      “What do you think?”

      “That СКАЧАТЬ