Masquerade Read Online Free PDF Page B

condition.
    Adopting what she hoped was a voice he wouldn’t recognize she listed out the injuries.
    “Twenty-four-year-old male motorcyclist presenting with suspected fractures to his skull, left femur, and tibia. More than likely a crushed pelvis.” She took a breath before continuing with the list. “Significant blood loss, saline IV attached. Bloods are on the way. The patient was also given a shot of morphine at the scene. We’ll know the full extent of his injuries once he’s stable enough to be taken up to x-ray.”
    She couldn’t avoid it any longer — she had to face him. It would be career suicide if she ignored a doctor. She didn’t want to be reported to the new director of emergency, either. How ironic if the new nursing unit manager was reported on her first day on the job. Déjà vu all over again.
    Imagining her spine was made of unbending steel, she raised her eyes and met his penetrating gaze head on.
    She saw the shock filter across his face before it was quickly blanked out. She thought for a moment she’d imagined it. He turned his attention back to the other doctor.
    “I’ll take it from here,” he commanded, slipping his stethoscope from around his neck and placing it on the victim’s chest. His brow furrowed at what he was hearing.
    She watched as he flicked the stethoscope out of his ears. His nimble fingers began to palpate the patient’s stomach. She remembered how they’d felt as he’d feathered them across her skin.
    Stop it. You have a potentially dying patient and you’re remembering the feel of his fingers on your skin. Concentrate.
    “I don’t like the feel of his abdomen, his breathing is shallow. How’s his pressure?” Alex’s impersonal tone dragged her out of her inner thoughts.
    Now wasn’t the time to be dwelling on things she had no control over. Calling on her professional training, she did what she was trained to do — put a patient’s needs above her own.
    “Not good, he needs to be in theater, not down here.”
    Sophie glanced up and her eyes met Alex’s, the expression in his gaze unreadable. His voice washed over her again. “Then let’s get him there.”
    Sophie pulled herself together as she worked side by side with the man who could, potentially, ruin her career. How she kept her cool, she had no idea. They worked together in perfect harmony. Every time she anticipated Alex’s every move, question and request, she could hear the respect growing in his voice. Clearly, he hadn’t expected her to be able to deal with an emergency. What was his impression of her on New Year’s Eve?
    Did he think she was purely a socialite? It was highly likely he did — most people thought she flitted around the social scene the first time they met her.
    But here she was, showing her worth and providing him with information he needed even before he asked. It was as if they had been working together for years, not twenty minutes. Perhaps they’d connected in more than just a physical way that night.
    She shuttered her thoughts. She didn’t want to go there. Not yet. She knew the night had to be dealt with — if left alone it could, like a simple scratch, fester into something more serious.
    “Right, let’s get him upstairs.”
    Again Alex’s voice penetrated her thoughts as finally the patient was stable enough to be transferred to x-ray. His prognosis didn’t look hopeful but she sent a silent prayer to anyone who may be listening that the young patient would make it. She also gave silent thanks that Alex had accompanied the patient, giving her some breathing space. Some time to collect her thoughts before the inevitable confrontation between them happened.
    Ripping off her bloodstained gloves, she threw them into the trash, thankful her shift was finally over. If only she could solve her other problems like that. Rip them off and throw them away like a pair of soiled gloves.
    She should be elated. She’d survived her first shift in her new position as