AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She heard her name, not from the staff seated behind the clinic desk but from somewhere behind her. She swiveled in her seat. Surprised, she gaped at Alec's tall, broad shouldered frame. He was casually dressed in jeans and polo shirt, a serious expression carved into his features.
“Shannon?” She shot to her feet, imagining there could only be one reason for Alec to be in the hospital on his day off. “What happened to Shannon?”
He tilted his head, giving her a puzzled look. “Shannon is fine. She's spending the morning with Andrea’s kids Bethany and Benjamin.”
Shannon was fine. Not a patient at Children's Memorial Hospital. Alec’s daughter was fine. She let out her breath in a whoosh.
“Good. I'm glad.” She frowned. I don't understand. What are you doing here? “
Alec stepped forward, took her arm and gently eased back into her seat. He met her gaze steadily. “I came here to be with you. I saw the test information on your desk the other day. You mentioned this was a painful procedure and I didn't want you to face it alone.”
CHAPTEREIGHT
Jillian stared at Alec in dazed wonder. He'd purposefully glanced at the note on her desk, memorizing the date and time of her testing. He had come in on his precious time off work just to be with her.
Ridiculous tears threatened once again, burning the backs of her eyelids. A lump formed in her throat, making speech impossible.
“I'm sorry I didn't have time to talk to you Sunday or Monday,” Alec continued. “I took time off work to spend a few days with Shannon.” He wrinkled his nose. “Andrea and I took the girls on a train ride to Chicago, to visit a large doll store. We stayed the night in a hotel then came home the next day.” He grinned. “You'll be glad to know that next to her new doll, Shannon has claimed your doctor's bag as her favorite gift.”
“I'm glad.” She managed to force the words past her constricted throat. “Sounds like you had a great time.”
Alec relaxed back in his seat, his expression wry. “I can't say the doll store was at the top of my list of places to visit, but it was worth the trip to see the excitement in Shannon’s eyes. She and Bethany were in doll heaven.”
“I’m sure she was thrilled.” Alec was a good father to Shannon. First he'd taken her to the children's tent at the festival of arts, had a birthday party at his house and then topped the little girl's birthday weekend off with a trip to Chicago. Imagining him knee deep in a myriad of dolls and frilly clothes made her smile. She loved her father, but she'd lost him too young. She missed him. Missed the closeness Shannon shared with Alec.
“Jillian Davis?” A woman wearing scrubs stood in the doorway of the clinic, looking at her expectantly.
“Yes. I'm here.” She stood, disconcerted when Alec rose to his feet, too. Clearly he'd been serious about accompanying her. She flushed. “Don't feel is if you need to come in with me.” She was a bit embarrassed that she'd been such a chicken about this test. “I'm sure I'll be fine.”
“Don't argue. I'm coming in with you, and that's that.” His chin was set at a stubborn angle that reminded her of Shannon.
“Okay.” She gave up trying to fight him, especially since her nerves were on edge. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped forward walking past the front desk toward the woman standing in the hallway. She reminded herself that the shocks were only a little painful, but that didn't really ease her anxiety. Having Alec close at hand would certainly serve as a distraction.
The clinic nurse led them to a room at the end of a long hallway. Inside there was an exam table, two hard plastic chairs, and a large machine. She knew about evoked potentials but had not witnessed one being done during her medical training. It was a diagnostic test that was never performed in the emergency department.
“Please have a seat.” The nurse smiled as if to assure her the test would be all over in a jiffy.
Jillian reluctantly sat on the exam table. “Do I need to wear a gown?”
“No, you’re wearing shorts and a T-shirt. That should be fine.”
Jillian nodded in relief.
“Dr. Juran will be here in a minute to explain the details of both a visual and sensory evoked potential testing. After that, I'll be back to start the procedure.”
“Thank you,” Jillian murmured.
When the nurse left them alone in the room Alec reached for her hand, his long fingers engulfing hers. “Nervous?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Yes, a little.” She stared at their clasped hands, unable to convince herself to let go.
“Don't worry.” His voice was low and reassuring. “I'll be with you the entire time.”
She was touched by his kindness.
Within moments Dr. Juran knocked on the door and came in. “Jillian, how are you?”
She tugged her fingers from Alec’s so she could shake his hand. “I'm fine.” When she noted his gaze darted curiously to Alec, she introduced them. “This is a friend of mine, Alec Monroe. Alec, Dr. Juran, Chief of Neurology here at Trinity Medical Center.”
