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Still, the jaded, scarred part of him that had always relied on himself warned him not to be so trusting so fast. Periods of flux sometimes had people swimming for what they thought was the surface, but when it was too late they realized they were actually heading in the wrong direction.
“Aren’t you having a good time?” Becca asked.
“I’m having a great time. But I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“That’s very sweet,” Becca said. She touched his hand, and the urge to kiss her again had him lacing his fingers in hers.
The way she looked into his eyes made him believe that she wanted that, too. And for a moment he’d almost forgotten about Zane, who’d made a detour through the dining room to flirt with the other women, no doubt. They were married women, but the guy didn’t seem to care.
For a moment Nick gave the guy the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was just one of those men who loved women. Couldn’t fault him for that. Especially since the detour seemed to indicate that he must have gotten the hint that Becca wasn’t available—at least not tonight.
And then the guy made his presence known.
“Hey, what are you two conspiring about? The way you have your heads together makes me wonder if there’s something I need to know.”
You need to know what we’re talking about is none of your business. You need to know that you should back off. You need to know that Becca obviously isn’t into you—
“How about those beers, guys?” Becca said, her voice a lot perkier than it had been just moments before.
Nick held up a hand. “Thanks, but I’m good. I don’t need to drink any more tonight, since I’m driving you home.”
He wished he could take back that last part, but he couldn’t help saying it. When would Zane finally get the hint? The guy had asked her out, and she hadn’t answered; he’d noticed that the two of them had had their heads together in private conversation; and now Nick had made it very clear that he was the one taking her home.
Anyone with half a brain would catch the hint.
“I didn’t even introduce you two,” Becca said, suddenly all good manners and charm. “Nick, Zane is a good friend of Pepper’s husband, Rob. He has been a big supporter of the Macintyre Family Foundation. He has sponsored a couple of fund-raisers for us. Zane, Nick is new in town. He’s a doctor in the emergency room at Celebration Memorial. He’s been here less than a month. I know I can count on you to make him feel welcome.”
After a long pause, Zane extended his hand. “Welcome to Celebration, Nick. It’s a great place.”
As Becca got a beer out of the refrigerator, Liam entered the kitchen, carrying four empty beer bottles.
“There you are, Nick. It’s halftime. Tell me more about your thoughts on the Hastings kid.”
Nick watched Becca hand the bottle to Zane.
“Austin Roberts told me the boy has been in twice for chest pains over the past ten days,” Nick said. “In between ER visits, he was treated by his family doctor, who diagnosed an upper respiratory infection. I heard that he was back in the ER last night. Was he tested for aortic dissection?”
Liam placed the bottles on the counter near the sink and turned back to Nick, a solemn expression on his face.
“I don’t know. He’s only sixteen years old. That disorder is not very common in people so young.”
“Any family history of aortic dissection?”
“I couldn’t tell you without his chart here in front of me, but I’ll contact his pediatrician and see if he thinks tests are warranted.”
“I suppose that’s all we can do right now, since he has a pediatrician.”
It went against protocol to question another doctor’s practices and procedures, but this disorder, which caused a tear in the lining of the main artery for blood leaving the heart, wasn’t common and went largely undiagnosed.
It could be spotted with medical imaging equipment and could be treated, but if undiagnosed, it could be deadly.
If Nick were his pediatrician, or if he’d been on duty last night when the boy came in again, he would’ve automatically ordered the tests.
Not that he didn’t trust Liam to follow through, but he made a mental note to make sure somebody followed up with the boy’s doctor. He just didn’t want to leave anything to chance.
He’d learned the hard way that sometimes if you looked away for just a moment you didn’t get a second chance to make things right. Even if the tests came back negative, he’d rather rule out the deadly condition than have the boy suffer the consequences.
