Page 3 of Sweet Heart

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

I should feel offended at that. I know. She is a stranger. She can’t talk to me like that. So why do I find myself smirking again? Maybe because Dr. Durand doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would react this strongly, which means that I make her feel something. And I like that idea.

I dutifully open my mouth and let her administer the glucose gel between my gums and cheeks. She uses her gloved finger to massage it in while I stare up at her. Her eyes are trained on my lips, a glint of worry in them. The artificial flavor of intensely sweet oranges overpowers all my senses, and I crinkle my nose in disgust, but I keep myself from gagging. When the doctor removes her finger, she raises one eyebrow before glancing at the clock.

“Try not to swallow.”

“I don’t tend to do that in general.”

The quip startles her, and for a second, her eyes narrow in question. Oh? The look vanishes as quickly as it came when she lifts her chin.

“Stay where you are. Lie down if you get dizzy or if your sight narrows. I’ll be back to check your levels in ten minutes. I’ll have a nurse stay close by. Call for her if anything changes.”

Wait. She is leaving? Of course she is leaving. She is a doctor. She has better things to do.

“Sure thing, doctora.”

The reply falls from my lips just as she reaches the door. She freezes and then gazes over her shoulder. Her lips are pressed tightly together, but a faint pink blush betrays her real feelings. I grin victoriously when the woman turns, places her hand on the handle, and walks out, her heels clicking against the floor like my new favorite theme song.

Well, that was something…

Chapter 02

Cat

I walk away from the exam room and clench my jaw so hard that it hurts. It takes all my self-restraint not to slam the door. This stupid, stupid woman. Just strolling into my ER with twitching fingers and those full lips turning pale as if it were just any other day. How she remained standing is beyond me. Her body should’ve folded. I need to have a serious conversation with the triage nurse. She should have seen it the moment Mary walked in.

¿Cómo? I blink.

The moment the patient walked in.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I register that my hands are hurting, and when I gaze down, I see that I’ve balled them up into tight fists. My eyebrow lifts. Where is this reaction coming from? I don’t even know her. She is just a random patient—Mary—who walked in here having a hypoglycemic episode. It really is any other day, at least for me.

“Cat? Hold up!”

Carmen’s melodic voice pulls me straight from my thoughts, and my head snaps sideways toward the sound. She bounces toward me with that ridiculously light step of hers while her worried gaze takes me in. I take a deep breath and will myself to relax. This is nonsense anyway. There is literally no reason for me to have such a visceral reaction to a woman I don’t even know. Maybe my own sugar is low, or there is something in her pheromones that my brain responded to. Whatever it is, there is a scientific reason for it. If there is a scientific reason for it, it means it will pass.

“Hermosa, what’s wrong? Didn’t you hear me?”

Her forehead is crinkled, and she narrows her eyes. I so don’t have time for this. If Carmen hears even the slightest sliver of this…this…confusion, she will haunt me until she gets to the bottom of it. And there is no bottom to it because there is nothing happening here.

“Might I remind you that we are at work, Nurse Rodrigues,” I snarl while staring her down.

“Ay, Cat, must you always be like that?”

I hold her gaze and slowly raise one eyebrow. Carmen just rolls her eyes and shrugs. Good. She is like a sister to me, but she needs to know that there are boundaries at work that cannot be crossed. Calling me hermosa is one of them. I am the Chief of Trauma, her direct boss, and that title should be respected. If she wants to hassle me, she can try it outside the hospital.

“But seriously, Doctor Durand,” she emphasizes the title with a smirk. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, Carmen. As a matter of fact, I have a patient to check on.”

“Oh?” She instantly tilts her head, scanning the hallway for trauma cases. “I didn’t hear about any trauma coming in?”

“It was an acute case in the waiting area,” I rebuke with an edge to my tone.

I feel a slight flush creeping up my neck and curse myself instantly. Carmen sees it before I can walk away, and she instantly grabs my wrist.

“Do tell, doctor.”