Forgotten Memories. Laura Scott

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       FOUR

      Gabby woke up, momentarily confused by the darkness. When she figured out she was in a twin-size bed, she surmised she was in a call room rather than at home. She turned over and peered at the tiny alarm clock located on the bedside table. The red numbers read eleven o’clock, but was that morning or night? Without a window for natural light, it was difficult to tell. Especially since she couldn’t remember what time it had been when she’d returned to the call room in the first place.

      She turned on the lamp located next to the clock and slid out of bed, running a hand through her tangled curls. Her stomach cramped with hunger and her mouth was desert dry, so she headed into the small bathroom.

      Fifteen minutes later she felt more human, even though without a blow-dryer she was forced to let her curly red hair air-dry. She checked her pager, to make sure she hadn’t missed any calls, before opening the door to leave.

      She took one step and tripped over the prone figure of Shane lying on the floor across the doorway.

      “Oomph,” he grunted as she landed, without much grace, directly on top of him.

      “Sorry, sorry,” she muttered, shrinking away from him as much as possible as she tried to disentangle herself from his large, muscular frame.

      “My fault,” Shane assured her, managing to shift her to the side so he could rise to his feet. He offered her a hand up and she struggled to hide her reaction to him. “You look better this morning, Gabby, but how are you feeling?”

      “Fine. Hungry,” she added as the events from the night before came rushing back. Staring into his mesmerizing blue eyes, she visualized everything with distinct clarity. Had she really allowed Shane to carry her into the hospital like some fairy-tale damsel in distress? What was wrong with her? She hadn’t gotten to where she was, the youngest trauma surgeon on staff at Trinity Medical Center, by being weak. Her colleagues would never respect her if she continued to allow that sort of behavior to happen.

      Time to get back on track. She wasn’t the timid, vulnerable girl she’d been as a new resident. Damon had taken advantage of her innocence, but no way would she allow that to happen again.

      “Let’s grab some breakfast,” Shane suggested.

      The thought of sharing a meal with the strikingly handsome deputy filled her with a strange sense of panic. “Oh, I’m sure you have work to do, and so do I,” she hedged.

      “I don’t have anything pressing and we need to talk,” Shane said, his expression grim. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Someone broke into your house last night.”

      “What?” She’d assumed he had been with her the entire time since Nate had driven them back to the hospital. “When? What happened?”

      “Let’s eat, and then talk,” Shane said, placing his hand in the small of her back. “Which way to the cafeteria?”

      She didn’t appreciate his evasiveness, but she was too hungry at the moment to argue with him. “Follow me,” Gabby said, heading down the corridor and then taking a series of turns. She knew all the shortcuts and took a back staircase that came out right near the cafeteria.

      The place was busy since it was eleven-thirty in the morning and the lunch crowd was already packed in. She longed for breakfast, her favorite meal of the day, but the hospital cafeteria stopped serving bacon and eggs by nine-thirty, so she settled for a grilled-chicken sandwich and a salad.

      Shane ordered a roast beef sandwich and then followed her to the checkout line. He pulled out his wallet, but she waved him away. “I’ll put this on my ID badge,” she murmured.

      “No, I’m paying,” Shane said in a clipped tone. He pinned the cashier with a stern look and of course the woman was happy to accept his cash.

      Gabby grimaced, belatedly realizing she must have offended his pride, although that certainly hadn’t been her intention. In the world of medicine, she was accustomed to colleagues paying for each other regardless of gender.

      Besides, she didn’t want to give Shane the impression that this was personal.

      “Thanks,” she said when they carried their trays to one of the few empty tables in the back of the room. “I really appreciate it.”

      Shane gave a curt nod, glancing around as if looking for somewhere more private. Unfortunately, there weren’t many open spaces, much less anything offering privacy.

      They took their seats and Shane closed his eyes and bowed his head for a moment before he picked up his roast beef. She was a little surprised by his quick prayer but didn’t say anything as she dug into her salad with gusto. Neither one of them spoke as they concentrated on their food.

      Once her stomach was full, she eased back in her seat, feeling like her old self. Amazing what sleep and food could do. She pushed her empty plate aside, grimacing when she realized that she’d finished her chicken sandwich and her salad, while Shane was still eating his roast beef. Working in health care, she tended to eat at warp speed in case she was interrupted by a trauma call.