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“Give me a few minutes.”
She switched off the lights and closed the door on the sleeping angel. In the living room, she turned on the fireplace and relaxed on the sofa, smiling at her phone’s screen.
“All yours now,” she said.
“How I wish.”
She gasped and couldn’t repress a smile.
They indulged in a long chat, she updating him on her recovery’s progress, he relating his day—surgeries, rounds and dinner—with ... damn it, Dr. Ella again, and an administrator.
Not daring to ask if this doctor was a young and pretty one, Sienna tiptoed around the question.
“Is Dr. Ella a new physician?”
“New? Are you kidding? She was a friend of my grandfather’s. She’s the one who created the Pediatric Unit here in the seventies. The woman’s a dynamo who refuses to retire.”
“Really? I would love to meet her.” Relief bubbled in Sienna’s chest. “You can learn a lot from her.” As far as she was concerned, Sienna wished he would eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the venerable pediatrician.
Somehow their chat delved into the past. Tyler was an expert at leading her into remembering fun moments or proud episodes of her life with John. Smiling, she shared her fondest memories of the man she’d loved.
Since she’d started her chats with Tyler, Sienna realized that talking about John came more easily to her and didn’t trigger a depressing flood of tears. Amazingly, rather than separating them, John was bringing her and Tyler closer. She was sure these two men would’ve been friends.
On Friday, the day started with an onslaught of white, blinding, freezing rain and snow paralyzing the city. Would Tyler be stuck at the hospital all day and night again?
In the morning, he texted that he had two surgeries booked, and then she didn’t hear from him again. No calls, no texts. Was he always so busy?
“Mommy, Doc has been at the hospital Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.” Dalia counted the days on her fingers. “Three days.”
Too long.
“Where does he sleep?”
“In a small room whenever he finds the time between patients.”
Considering Tyler had decided to move into his new apartment on Saturday, Sienna had been hoping he would come home today or this evening. He’d stayed in regular contact, even when extremely busy and exhausted, so why the sudden silence?
The lack of news terrified her and brought with it the memory of the night John had lost his life.
***
When he’d left Sienna’s house three days ago, Tyler had decided he needed to stay away and allow them both some space. He was attracted to her, and their proximity in her house lent itself to an easy flirtation, the worst possible thing right now. He couldn’t use her to forget his disappointing experience with Beverly, and he didn’t want to be a substitute for the man she still loved.
His presence at the hospital had benefited several patients who’d arrived by ambulance and needed immediate treatment. He’d used his rare free time to chat with Sienna. Her curious inquiries about his meal companions had amused him. Obviously she cared about him and couldn’t conceal her budding jealousy, but was she ready for a new love?
He’d encouraged her to share fond memories of John, hoping to help her shed the sadness of her loss but retain the joy of her past life.
After three days away from her, Tyler couldn’t wait to get back. Tomorrow, he would move into his new place and wouldn’t feel obligated to keep his distance from his generous hostess.
Determined to surprise Sienna and Dalia, he didn’t text to announce his arrival. He’d hoped to leave after his morning surgery, but as he shed his surgical gown, a call came in from the ER requesting his presence. A two-week-old infant, brought in by ambulance, needed immediate attention.
He changed gowns and scrubbed as they rolled the baby into his OR. By four o’clock, he released an exhausted sigh of relief, hoping his efforts would pay off. In a couple of hours, he would check on the infant and assess the results of the surgery.
Meanwhile, he did his rounds, examining his young patients and thumbing his reports into his phone. An hour later, he ran down to the cafeteria for a very late lunch or early dinner and lingered in his chair, relaxing over a cup of coffee and musing about his reunion with Dalia and her mommy.
On second-thought, he decided not to worry Sienna with his unusual silence and texted.
Long day. Emergency surgery. Will be home tonight.
