Dating Impossible (6 page)

Putting her patient first, JJ ignored Cruz’s remark as the
accusation and hurt in his voice hung heavy between them. “Jake, let’s get this
bad boy knocked out. Give him twenty of the etomidate followed by a hundred of
sux…”

Chapter Six

Anger clashed with reason. Cruz had searched everywhere for
JJ before she’d just waltzed right in and taken over. Besides, she wasn’t supposed
to be at the top of her game today. She was supposed to look like hell and feel
even worse after all that booze last night. What had he thought? That she’d
actually ask him to take care of her this morning? How dense was he? He was a
fool, all right. Especially since he’d made up a light breakfast tray and
ibuprofen for her.

 
Most of all, he was
furious with himself for being irrational. She’d been correct all along in her
assessment of the situation with Ralph Hankle. Without being properly sedated
and ventilated to protect his airway, there was no possible way to start his
IVs and perform the tests needed to diagnose exactly what was wrong with him
besides the obvious alcohol ingestion.

Why was he taking things so personally? It’s not like this was
the first time he’d slept with a woman he worked with. He’d always presented
his Mr. Cool demeanor during morning afters, even though they were a tad
awkward. Cruz would never admit that awkwardness or even show it. He’d die
first.

Women!
Always
expecting a relationship after a few drinks, dinner, and sex. A derisive snort
escaped him. Except for JJ. It seemed that was the furthest thing from her mind.
So what the hell was his problem? Okay. So, she bailed after they’d had the
most incredible sex of his life. Big deal. Or so Cruz kept telling himself.

As soon as he’d seen JJ, all sexy, self-assured, and exuding
a radiance he couldn’t quite identify, something burst inside his chest. The
walls of his entire neat and orderly world shifted and he wanted more than a
one night stand.
With JJ?
The idea
seemed ludicrous. He’d known her just about his entire life. He shook his head,
bewildered.

Cruz intended to get JJ alone and speak to her in private. Things
must be sorted out before the situation spun even more out of control. An extra
bounce in his step, he went back to exam room two to see if she was still there.
What he needed was to take her for a real date. Once they were out, enjoying
themselves like the old friends they were, everything would be back to normal.

He found JJ where he thought she’d be. She stood alone at
the top of the gurney where an unconscious and sedated Ralph Hankle lay with a
breathing tube hanging from his mouth and hooked to the ventilator. The only
sound in the small room was the occasional beep of the heart monitor as old
Ralph’s heart threw an aberrant beat here and there along with the breathing
machine as it worked to give the unconscious man oxygen. JJ’s eyes were closed
and she held her palms out, framing either side of his face. Impossibly long dark
lashes fanned her high cheekbones. Her delectable pink, glossed lips moved
without sound, almost as if she were praying. Memories of last night rushed
back as Cruz stared. That perfect mouth wrapped around his Johnson, licking,
sucking, and tasting. His cock hardened in response. Not a good start to
getting things back to normal between them.
Shit!
He shifted uncomfortably.

“
Now
what the hell
are you doing?” he demanded, voice harsher than he intended, but
God damn it!
He was only human.

JJ’s eyes snapped open. She snatched her hands away from the
sides of Ralph’s head and grabbed Ralph’s chart from the counter to scribble
notes. “Nothing.”

“Were you praying for him?” Cruz asked.

“It’s really none of your business what I was doing or how I
take care of my patients,” JJ said with exasperation. “You’re not my boss…yet.”
She pulled on a fresh pair of non-latex gloves and motioned for Cruz to come
over. “Quit acting like a hurt puppy for a minute and take a look.”

She lifted Ralph’s eyelids simultaneously. Instead of the
pupils retracting and becoming smaller with the overhead exam light shining brightly,
they stayed still, non-reactive. “And that’s not all,” JJ said. Turning Ralph’s
head to the side, she pointed to a small area of clotted blood that matted his
long, stringy graying hair. “Obvious sign of head trauma. He needs a stat CT of
his head. I think he’s got a subdural hemorrhage. Probably happened when he
passed out and fell or he could have been assaulted. Who’s the neurosurgeon
taking ER call today?”

Ralph had a head bleed and Cruz had missed it? He rarely
missed anything. He knew he was one of the top emergency room doctors in the
state of
Arizona
.
He’d let personal shit get in the way of his professionalism and that was absolutely
unacceptable. Time to get his shit together, especially if he was going to get
that promotion as the director of the ER.

“Look, JJ,” he began, intending to apologize for being such
a dick.

“Cruz,” she said with a clear warning in her voice. “Don’t
fucking say a word. It is what it is. Forget it. Forget
all
of it. As far as I’m concerned, last night never happened.” She
shed her soiled gloves and walked over to the sink to wash her hands. “We work
together. I don’t date co-workers or sleep with them. Last night was just…” JJ
pulled a couple of paper towels from the stainless steel bin mounted on the
wall beside the sink. “A temporary lapse of judgment on my part. I will admit I
was lonely. You were there. I knowingly took advantage of your reputation with
women. It won’t happen again.” She tossed the used paper towels in the trash
and headed for the door. “I’d appreciate it if you’d just leave it at that. I
like this hospital and I don’t want to have to leave. Especially since I just
started working here.”

Cruz stared at her retreating back, speechless. A sharp pain
jabbed him in the middle of his chest. Her cavalier attitude about their night
together stung.
A temporary lapse of judgment?
Knowingly took advantage of your reputation with women?

There had to be more. Much, much more. With purpose, he
strode after her. Raised voices in the middle of the nurses’ station caught his
attention, especially since one of those angry voices belonged to JJ. She was
in a shouting match with one of the general surgeons on staff at PGH, Dr.
Xavier. They faced each other, faces inches apart, JJ on the tip of her toes,
hands on her hips. She was absolutely magnificent! Dr. Xavier could be a real
prick. He was proud of JJ for holding her own.

“What seems to be the problem here?” Cruz said, smoothly
stepping between them.

“I was called for a surgical consult and the testing hasn’t
even been completed. There’s no CT or X-ray reports to even suggest a surgical
consult. This is a complete waste of my time,” Dr. Xavier said.

JJ inhaled a sharp breath. Cruz’s gaze was glued to her
chest as she did so. The thin material of her dark blue scrub shirt did little
to hide her magnificent breasts.

Focus. Look
somewhere else, man!
He lifted his gaze to her face. Lucky for him,
she was too pissed at Dr. Xavier to have noticed where he’d been staring.

“Cruz,” JJ said patiently, “the CT of her abdomen should’ve
been done about an hour ago. I ordered it. Besides”—she glared at Dr. Xavier— “if
he’d just go in and examine Mrs. Hayden, he will find she has an acute abdomen,
high fever, and her liver enzymes are elevated. You don’t exactly need a CT for
that
.”

“True,” Cruz said. “Dr. Xavier always requires any radiological
exams to be completed before the surgical consult is called.” He turned to Dr.
Xavier. Cruz had become an expert at smoothing this man’s ruffled feathers over
the years. “You will have to forgive JJ, Dr. Xavier. She is new here.”

JJ opened her mouth. Cruz fastened his hand around her elbow
and squeezed. She clamped her lips together, jaw tightening.

Green surgical cap askew on his balding head, Dr. Xavier’s
features relaxed a bit as he eyed his opponent. “See that it doesn’t happen
again, Dr. Avery.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the ER.

Shaking off Cruz’s light grasp on her arm, JJ rounded on the
nurses’ desk where Angie stood watching the entire show. “Where are my orders
for Mrs. Hayden? And why wasn’t the stat CT of her abdomen done an hour ago
like I asked?” she hissed between clenched teeth.

Angie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, blue eyes wide.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said defensively. Her gaze flew
to Cruz. “I don’t need this crap. There are currently fifty patients in this ER
that I’m in charge of. Not to mention the ones we’ve either treated and
released, or already admitted to the hospital. If she can’t keep track of the
handful she’s responsible for, then maybe she doesn’t belong here.”

“Why you little…” JJ took a menacing step toward Angie. If
the desk hadn’t been in the way, she would’ve gotten her hands on Angie before
Cruz could intervene.

He grasped JJ’s elbow once more, halting her advance. “Enough.
Both of you,” he said. “JJ, you wrote the orders for Mrs. Hayden?”

Her sea green eyes flashed and she clenched her fists at her
sides. “Yes. And I specifically told Angie what those orders were over an hour
ago. Right before she sent me in to see Mr. Hankle. Now her chart is missing. I
called Radiology, and they have no orders for a CT so the test hasn’t been
done.”

“Angie?” Cruz asked.

The nurse shrugged. “I have no idea what she’s talking about.
I’ve been on the phone or the radio most of the morning triaging patients. You
know we don’t take verbal orders anymore, Cruz because of the chance for
medical errors. She should know that.”

“Where’s
Alice
?”
Cruz asked. “She’s processing orders today. Maybe she knows where the chart is.
In the meantime, Angie, take a verbal order from me just this once for the CT
of the abdomen for Mrs. Hayden and you take her over there right this minute. Once
it is done, call Dr. Xavier back and let him know the CT has been completed. Losing
charts is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

Not in his ER.

Angie narrowed her eyes and glared at JJ and then turned
that glare on him, opening her mouth.

“Now, Angie,” Cruz said before the petite blonde could
protest. “I will check back with you in fifteen minutes to be sure it is done.”

Cruz turned his attention to JJ. “A word with you in my
office, please.”

“You bet your sweet ass, we’re gonna have a word,” JJ spat. She
stormed away from the nurses’ desk in the direction of his office.

Uh-oh.
JJ looked
like she wanted to kick his “sweet ass.” Despite the tense situation, a smile
spread across his face as he followed her. He wouldn’t miss this exchange for
anything in the world.

Chapter Seven

Anxiety clawed at JJ’s gut. This could not be happening. Not
again. She should never have slept with Cruz. A self-inflicted booze haze and
girlhood crush aside, there was a reason why she no longer became involved with
colleagues. She couldn’t believe Angie had blatantly lied like that.
What the fuck? JJ’s confidence wavered.
 
She had told Angie verbal orders as the nurse
was answering the phone.
 
The last time
she’d seen the chart was when she’d place it in front of
Alice
for processing.
 
Doesn’t exactly mean Angie had been to
blame…but still…

JJ entered Cruz’s office and whirled around to face him. She
crossed her arms over her chest, trying to reign in her temper. After all, this
wasn’t exactly his fault. Not when she’d practically begged him to have sex
with her. Inwardly she winced. Awesome sex or not, there was this whole humiliation
factor she hadn’t forced herself to fully consider.

The object of all her girlhood fantasies sauntered in looking
absolutely gorgeous. It was hard not stare. Black hair slicked to the side in
his usual preppy style. Dreamy gray eyes framed by dark lashes. Chiseled jaw. He
no longer wore his white doctor’s coat and his dark blue Armani shirt sleeves
were rolled up to his elbows, showing off his muscular forearms. Mouth suddenly
dry, JJ gulped.

What had she been about to say again
? Focus, girl. Focus
. She directed her gaze toward the framed
credentials from the med school he’d attended which hung on the wall just beyond
Cruz’s left shoulder. The words were a complete blur, but at least she wouldn’t
obviously be drooling over him. As if he needed his ego stroked any more than
she had last night. She snorted.

“Now, JJ,” Cruz began, mistaking her rude noise for anger, “what
exactly happened out there?”

She opened her mouth, then immediately clamped her lips shut.
What was she supposed to say?

“Angie has a
thing for you and she’s pissed that we slept together so she fucked with my
patient to make me look bad?”
came to mind, but she remained silent.
 
There wasn’t any proof of that.
 
And why would she? Lots of
 
bullshit goes on between co-workers. But no
one would actually mess with a patient’s life.
 
That was ludicrous.