Stubborn Heart Read Online Free PDF

married.”
    “Wow. It must be kind of sad being all alone,” Trevor sympathized.
    “Yeah, well, I’m kind of used to it,” Mark replied, looking away briefly. “So tell me about your school and training.”
    Mentally, Trevor acknowledged the shift in conversation and tucked it away for later. He told Mark about his time in college before starting his actual physician’s training, internship, residencies, and the six months he had spent as a cardiothoracic fellow at Boston General. Trevor’s face and expressions were very animated as he talked. It was obvious that he was very passionate about his chosen profession and enjoyed the work.
    “So you’ve always wanted to do open-heart surgery?” Mark asked when Trevor stopped talking.
    “Yep! As far back as I can remember,” Trevor answered with a grin. “You open up the vessels, you open up the heart. I know it sounds corny, but I like the idea of fixing broken hearts. You know, like the song goes?”
    “Oh yuck!” Mark mocked, rolling his eyes. “That is corny. Now I’ll have that song in my head all afternoon.”
    Trevor laughed and stood up to leave. “On that note, I’d better go make sure the residents are done sewing up my patient.”
    As Mark watched him walk away, he could have sworn he heard Trevor singing that James Taylor song. Shaking his head, he got up and went back to the unit.

Chapter 4

    O NE of the benefits of working twelve-hour shifts was more days off. Mark had spent the past four days shopping, cleaning, exercising, and catching up on movies. Now it was Monday morning and he was back at work, feeling rested and rejuvenated. To make life even better, he wasn’t the charge nurse. He would have a normal patient care assignment and maybe, just maybe, a peaceful day. Or perhaps not, he mused as he glanced up and saw Carla standing in the doorway. She looked like the cat that had eaten the canary. Mark could immediately tell something was up.
    “It’s about time you decided to grace us with your presence,” she said cheerfully, walking in the room and then pushing the door partway closed.
    “It’s good to see you too,” Mark replied, tucking in the covers around the shoulders of his sleeping patient. “Besides, I get days off too.”
    “I wouldn’t know about all of that.” Carla smirked, crossing her arms across her chest. She stood quietly, staring at Mark. Her eyes were beaming. It was obvious she wanted to say something, but was waiting for the right cue.
    “Fine.” Mark rolled his eyes. “I’ll bite. What gives?”
    “Your boyfriend has been looking all over for you.”
    “You know as well as I do that I don’t have a boyfriend. What are you babbling about?”
    “You know, Dr. Hot Pants,” Carla answered with a giggle. “He’s been finding reasons to ask where you were for the past four days.”
    “First of all, he is not my boyfriend. Second, I told you to stop calling him that.” Mark shifted his focus away from Carla and sighed. “Great. Now I have a stalker.”
    “Stalker, hell. That man is prime boyfriend material.” Carla’s face became serious. “Are you going to tell me you’ve had a better offer in the past four days?”
    “Carla, we work together,” Mark explained. “Even if I were interested, it would be a bad idea.”
    “ If you were interested?” Carla mimicked, raising her voice for emphasis. She gave Mark an impish grin. “I’ll take him if you don’t want him.”
    “You have a husband, you greedy woman.” Mark scowled, shaking his head.
    “Oh, I can trade him in.” Carla smiled and shrugged as if getting rid of the husband would be no big deal.
    “What about your children?” Mark asked, continuing their back and forth banter.
    “They go with the husband. It’s a package deal,” Carla said with a wave of one hand. “My job was to have them. His job is to take care of them. Besides, what would I be like, trying to raise three kids all by myself?”
    “Probably even more