Lightning Strikes Part 2 (36 Hours) (4 page)

D
amn Malcom Riley.

Residue from his skirmish with his co-worker still lingered in Noah’s mind, keeping his temper on a short fuse. No doubt the hospital needed another surgeon’s help, but— It was the “but” he couldn’t get past. He wished someone besides Riley had been able to best the weather and get to the hospital.

Still, he couldn’t afford to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Riley was all he could get, he’d take him, though he damn sure wasn’t going to take any more of his bull.

Noah didn’t know how long this moment of unplanned indulgence would last. For now, no one was scheduled for surgery. In a blink of an eye, that could change. If so, then Riley could sure as hell take over, earn his keep for a change.

Noah knew he’d more than earned his. Someone else’s patient had started hemorrhaging internally and he’d just left surgery after opening him back up and repairing the bleeder. Now, after shrugging off another set of soiled greens, he once again stepped into the shower.

The hot sting of the water felt good, though he didn’t dare dally. Five minutes of shut-eye was what he really needed, then he’d be ready for the next round of emergencies, just in the event that Riley cut out on his responsibilities, which he very well could. After all, Riley wasn’t on call, nor was he the main reason for Noah’s ill humor.

Hell, he could handle his competitor, despite the fact that Riley had sworn to get even. In retrospect, Noah couldn’t believe he’d blown up so quickly. While he’d never had patience with him, the thought of actually belting the other man in the jaw had never been an option.

If Amanda hadn’t interrupted…

Thank God she had, or he might have been called on the carpet by the board for conduct inappropriate for a surgeon. Hell, he still might, if Riley had his way.

A bitter twist rearranged Noah’s lips. He’d worry about that later. Right now, he had another more pressing problem. Amanda. She was the source of his discontent.

He ought to be ashamed, too, and he was. Yet he couldn’t seem to leave her alone even though he knew he should. His body had taken on the personality of an out-of-control roller coaster. He was powerless to do anything other than ride it out, knowing he was heading for ultimate disaster.

What he ought to be doing was concentrating on his job, keeping his mind sharp for the other tragedies that were sure to come. Even as he soaped himself, Noah heard the blaring sirens. Also, there was his missing sister and frantic mother. He should be agonizing over them, rather than over a situation he couldn’t change.

Instead, he was knee-deep in self-recriminations over Amanda. When she had first admitted there was someone else in her life, he’d been pea-green with jealousy. Realizing how juvenile and asinine that emotion was did nothing to temper it. It was there, inside him, ripping him up. She was a beautiful woman any man would be proud to call his own.

If only…

Put a lid on it, Howell, he told himself. He had lost her due to his own mess-up. Someone else was reaping what he’d taught her. He groaned out loud. When they had first made love, Amanda hadn’t been a virgin, though she might as well have been.

Later, she had told him the only other man in her life hadn’t taken the time to please her, only himself.

“I’m glad,” Noah had whispered thickly, gazing down into her lovely uplifted face.

“Why?” Her voice had been as breathless as her eyes were wide. “I…I thought you’d be disappointed.”

“Never. In fact, I’m glad I was the one who showed you how great making love could be.”

She’d been a perfect student, too. Underneath that shyness, he’d found a hotbed of need that matched his own, a need he’d unleashed with his tongue and his lips.

After that first marathon night of making love, they couldn’t seem to get enough of each other. Every time he had been with her, all he could think about was how it felt to be inside her, with her on top, riding him until they were both drained.

He wished that was happening right now.

An expletive rivaled another groan. He wanted her. But dammit, he didn’t want to want her, knowing she would never forgive him for what he’d done. Noah leaned his head back against the shower stall, letting the hot water continue to hit his flesh like tiny whiplashes.

Then he smiled, suddenly, remembering a particular time they had showered together. As soon as his shift had ended, he’d gone to her house. She’d been on her day off. When she hadn’t responded to the doorbell, he’d gone inside, straight to the bedroom. That was when he’d heard the sound of water.

Grinning, he’d scrambled out of his hospital garb and walked into the bathroom. She’d been facing the opposite direction and obviously hadn’t heard him, which had been to his advantage.

For a moment, he’d stood there and stared at the perfection of her shoulders, her narrow waist, her hips, her buttocks, all of which he’d touched and tongued the evening before.

Stifling a moan, he’d walked to the shower and eased open the door, his arousal hot and aching. Swinging around, Amanda had stared at him with parted lips. Then, lowering her eyes, she smiled and held out her arms.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered against her wet, hungry lips.

“So are you.”

“I missed you.”

She smiled. “I can see.”

“That’s what I had in mind,” he responded with a chuckle.

“In mind?”

His chuckle turned into a full-fledged laugh. That was when she latched onto his tongue and drew it into her mouth. Feeling as if she’d just struck a match and tossed it into his gut, his hands slid down her sides to her buttocks, where he molded her against him, wanting her to feel the ever-hardening pressure, demanding that she know how much he wanted her.

Again she took control, choosing that moment to suck on his tongue with the same eagerness he’d shown as he’d sucked on her nipples. His head spun and his ears rang. But more than that, an emotion overtook him that he had never experienced. He knew then he never wanted to be without her.

“Noah!”

“Me, too!” He matched her needy cry by lifting the cheeks of her buttocks, encouraging her to circle his thighs with her slippery legs. The timing was on target; he entered her high and strong.

“Oh, yes,” she whimpered, her lips melting against his.

Thrusting her back against the Fiberglas wall, he moved inside her hard and deep. Following several deep grunts, they both exploded at the same time.

Their hard-hitting breath, mingled with the sting of the water, surrounded them as they searched for the energy to move. At last, Noah found the wherewithal to scoop her into his arms and carry her to the bed.

Once there, he had every intention of kissing her into another frenzy when she shook her head, then pushed him onto his back. “It’s my turn.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded, bent over, then took him in her mouth. He stood the heat of her lips and tongue as long as he could, then he reached down and pulled her on top of him.

Lifting himself onto his elbows, he surrounded a nipple with his mouth, and they began to move. Only after the momentum reached a feverish pitch did he let go of her nipple, grab her hips, as flesh pounded against flesh.

“God, Amanda,” he said in an awed tone, after she was sprawled across him in an exhausted heap, “I couldn’t bear it if you ever left me.”

She stared at him out of glazed eyes and whispered, “What are you saying?”

“That I love you.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Are you sure it’s not just lust?”

He kissed her hard. “Oh, it’s that, too. But, since I’ve never asked a woman to marry me, it’s more than lust. Trust me on that.”

Amanda made a strangled sound and her eyes widened. “Is that a proposal?”

“I’m asking you not only to share my bed, but my life, and my career.” He smiled. “What d’ya say?”

She dug her hands into the hair on his chest. “You got a deal, buster.”

“Let’s make that a done deal.”

A month later, that done deal became a
dead
deal.

Suddenly, Noah shook the water out of his eyes, which had the desired effect and brought him out of the past.

Cursing, he turned off the faucet and stepped out on the rug. He reached for the towel when the phone rang. Naked, he trudged into his office and snatched up his cell phone.

Static greeted him.

“Hello,” he said in a loud voice.

“Noah!”

Randi!
Thank God.

“Noah?” she repeated, her voice sounding as if she was in a well.

“Speak louder, I can’t hear you.”

More static.

“Randi, can you hear me? Are you all right?”

“Noah, I—”

The dial tone suddenly bit him in the ear.

“Dammit!” he cried, then slammed down the receiver, only to stand and stare at it, willing her to call back.

She didn’t. He called her back, but it went straight to voicemail. At least she wasn’t dead. Although he hadn’t let himself admit that thought, it had occurred to him. Now, though, he could let his mother know he’d heard Randi’s voice.

His phone dinged. Text message. “ER STAT.” Damn. He’d have to call Melissa later.

He tore out of the room toward ER.

T
hank goodness for the reprieve, Amanda thought, lifting her aching shoulders up and down. She was tired; she couldn’t remember ever being this worn-out. Every muscle in her body screamed for relief in the way of a hot shower and sleep.

That wasn’t going to happen, not anytime soon. She had decided the shift was interminable, and she knew everyone else did, too. Still, the lull was a blessing, and the ER team was taking advantage of it.

“That was the longest night of my life,” Liz was saying, “I swear it.”

Dr. Karen Sloane smiled but with lax enthusiasm. “Me, too. I feel like someone’s made me walk a thousand miles on a stair climber.”

Doris Conner made a face. “Holy cow, that thought’s worse than actually staying here.” She held up her hand before anyone had a chance to comment. “I know, I need to walk the StairMaster, but guess what?”

“You’re not,” Amanda said, smiling for the first time in a long while.

“You got that right.”

“I’ll tell you what I want,” Beth put in, “is a stiff drink. I don’t care if it is 10:00 a.m.”

Karen gave a thumbs-up. “I hear you.”

“Me, too, whatever it is.”

The four women focused their attention on Noah, who strode into the trauma room where they were gathered. For a second, Amanda’s heart kicked in her chest, a reaction she wondered if she’d ever get past. But then, Noah had always affected her that way from the first time she’d met him. That was why she had fallen instantly and completely in love.

Had.
Key word, here. She had to keep that in the forefront of her mind, especially during the harrowing hours that lay ahead. To do so wouldn’t be a piece of cake, either. Already, it had turned into a monumental endeavor. The knowledge that she wouldn’t be at Vanderbilt much longer gave her comfort. There was no longer room for both her and Noah.

If that was taking the coward’s way out, then so be it. She
was
a coward, and she’d admit it.

“We were discussing how appealing a drink would be about now,” Doris said, filling the short silence.

Noah half grinned. “I could use a few beers myself. Damn, is this shift ever going to end?”

“Man, listen to us,” Doris said. “We sound like a broken record.”

“I feel like one, too,” Bethany said in a grumpy tone.

“Is this weather ever going to let up?” Liz asked. “That’s what I want to know.”

“Same here,” Doris retorted, “especially since I’m giving this place my time for free, gratis. But it still looks as dark as midnight out there.”

Amanda’s eyes remained on Doris so as not to look at Noah, who was so close he was almost within touching distance. Yet she didn’t have to look at him to be aware of him. Every nerve in her body was attuned to his presence and the fact that he was as worn-out as the rest of them.

What provoked her was that his body appeared to have suffered no outward ill effects from the wear and tear. He had the makings of a heavy beard that highlighted his jawline, and his hair hadn’t seen a comb in a while. But those flaws didn’t detract one iota from his clean good looks. Amanda bit softly on her mouth.

“What brings you back down here, Noah?” Doris asked.

He shrugged, then said in a noncommittal tone, “It’s pretty quiet up in OR. Anyhow, Malcom’s there.”

“Then you should go home,” Liz said.

“Can’t, not when I’m officially on call. Anyway, home would be the last place I’d go. I need to look for my sister.”

“No word, yet, huh?” Amanda asked, feeling as if she had to say something instead of standing mute like a tongue-tied ninny. However, she managed to skirt around Noah’s direct gaze.

“Actually, my sister Randi called, but the damn line was so bad, I couldn’t hear her, then it went dead.”

“Well, at least you know she’s all right.”

“I’m not so sure about that. She sounded frantic.”

They were looking at him with sympathetic eyes when Jerry, the aide at the desk, stuck his head around the corner. “Line one for you, Dr. Sloane.”

“At least we know the phones are working again,” Noah said.

The room fell silent as Karen reached for the receiver. Seconds later, all eyes turned to the intern as she cried, “Oh, my God, no!”

“Karen, what on earth?” Amanda crossed to her side and removed Karen’s fingers from the superhuman lock she had on the phone.

The resident’s face was the color of chalk, and her lips were blue and trembling. “It’s…Victoria…she’s gone.”

Amanda blinked. “Gone?”

“Yes, gone! That…was Cassidy—”

“Go on,” Noah encouraged, walking to Karen’s side and taking charge. He led her to the nearest chair.

“She was out watching the storm with Wanda June and she slid into a cave. It wasn’t there before…the rain must have uncovered it.”

“Jeez Louise,” Doris said, rolling her eyes. “This storm is more dangerous than anyone suspected. But I’m sure the rescue crews will be able to get to Vicki.”

“I have to go home,” Karen said in a dazed tone.

Noah turned and faced Jerry, who lingered in the doorway. “Get Anderson—he has a four-wheel drive—to take Dr. Sloane home.”

“Will do,” the attendant said.

“I’ll get Cassidy to come get me,” Karen said.

“No, you won’t,” Noah countered. “You’ll lose too much time that way.”

Karen didn’t argue.

“Are you going to be all right?” Amanda asked, her features pinched with concern.

Karen’s chin wobbled. “Right now, I’m not sure about anything. But Cassidy will know what to do.”

Amanda wished she could be that sure. Cassidy was Karen’s husband, who would probably blame his wife for the mishap, especially if something happened to the child. He was against Karen working, thought she should be a full-time mom.

“Let us know,” Amanda said, giving her a quick hug.

After Karen had left, the room fell into a depressed silence.

Then Bethany headed for the door, where she paused with a shiver. “The thought of that precious child out in this mess—”

“I know.” Amanda’s voice was tight.

Doris tugged at the neck of her wrinkled uniform. “This storm’s fast turning into a chamber of horrors.”

Amanda curbed her mounting frustration. “Let’s just hope nothing else terrible happens.”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t hold my breath,” Doris chimed in.

“Well, I’ve got to get back to the preemie,” Beth said. “At least he’s hanging on.”

For some reason she couldn’t identify, Amanda chose that moment to steal a glance at Noah. While he remained rather stoic, she saw the fleeting pain that leapt into his eyes, then disappeared. What was there about that baby that continued to affect him?

She wished she didn’t give a damn, but she did. Pride. That was the demon working inside her, a demon she couldn’t seem to let go of.

The sudden sound of an ambulance wailing in the distance brought an outward sigh from Liz. “Uh-oh, we’d best get prepared. The siege is about to start all over again.”

“Why don’t people stay home in bed?” Amanda muttered, her tone filled with impatience.

“Hey, honey,” Doris said, “you oughta know by now that’s when the ‘crazies’ come out of hiding.”

“She’s right, you know,” Noah added. “I—”

He got no further.

Jerry’s shrieking voice rocked the room. “Hey, wait a minute!”

“What the hell’s going on now?” Without waiting for anyone to answer, Noah charged out of the room.

Amanda eyes darted to the other women, who looked as stunned as she was.

“Reckon what that’s all about?” Doris asked.

“I’d best find out,” Amanda said, moving to the door.

Doris joined her. “Not by yourself. I’m coming, too.”

“Come on, then.”

It was in that exact moment that the sound of shattering glass brought Amanda up short, a shiver going through her. For a split second, she didn’t move.

Only after Doris nudged her forward, did she say, “Sounds like someone’s out to destroy trauma three.”

“And we’d best find out who,” Liz said.

Amanda charged out the door and down the hall. She didn’t slow her pace until she reached the room.

“Amanda, stay out!”

Noah’s harsh warning was too late. She crossed the threshold and stared into the deranged eyes of a man whose chest was saturated with blood.

“What’s going on here?” she asked, her peripheral vision picking up Noah’s tense, strained expression.

“Drugs!” the wounded man bellowed. “Gimme some drugs now!”

“What you need is help,” Amanda said in a calm tone, though her heart was pounding like a jackhammer.

Noah moved out of the shadows. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him, only he won’t listen.”

“Don’t you come any closer!” The man took a hand off the wound, then grimaced.

Not only had the vagrant been knifed, Amanda noted, but he was higher than a kite on the Fourth of July, which made him more lethal than ever. With that thought in mind, she assessed the situation.

Thank heavens there was plenty of help on hand, including another male, though Amanda wasn’t sure how much they could count on Jerry. His face had no color, and he looked scared out of his wits. Hopefully, though, he’d alerted security.

Amanda knew his fear had merit. While situations like this weren’t uncommon, they weren’t a part of the ER’s regular day, either. One wrong move could set this idiot off like a grenade.

“All we want is to help you,” Noah said in his calmest voice.

Amanda sensed that he was anything but calm. His gut must be churning just like hers, but no one would ever know that, least of all the wounded man.

“Stay away from me!” he bellowed again. “Give me what I want and I’m outta here.”

“We can’t do that,” Noah said.

“The hell you can’t!”

That was when it happened. Without warning, he moved quicker than the lightning outside and grabbed Amanda from behind, jerking her hard against his bloody chest.

Noah bulldozed toward the two of them.

“Stop or I’ll break her neck!”

Noah stopped cold. Then, when he spoke, his voice was steady but hard as concrete. “Let her go.”

Although Amanda tried to prevent her teeth from digging into her lower lip, she couldn’t. The salty taste of her blood almost gagged her. She couldn’t utter a word, even if the wild man hadn’t had the choke-hold on her throat. The stench coming from the man’s bloody, dirty body robbed her of both words and breath.

Noah inched forward while motioning behind him for the others to keep their distance. “Come on, man, let us help you.”

“The only way you can help me is to get them drugs outta that cabinet.”

“Let her go, and we’ll talk about that.”

The man gave his head a violent shake. When he did, his long, wet hair struck Amanda on the cheek. Sour juices rose up the back of her throat. Please, God, she prayed, don’t let her lose control.

Noah’s eyes were filled with black rage. Yet he kept his cool. Amanda could almost see his mind at work. She had no doubt Noah would get her out of this mess, though it was apparently going to take some fancy talk and footwork on his part.

“The drugs! Now! Or I swear, I’ll pop her neck like a rotten twig.”

All eyes in the room were riveted on Amanda. However, hers were on Noah, who was smiling at her, a confident smile at that. He was up to something, but what? She had to trust him, and again, she did. Still, her spine and legs were like jelly.

“Okay, you win,” Noah said, and walked to the cabinet, which placed him within arm’s length of her and the man.

Amanda watched as Noah turned the key in the cabinet, but
felt
the man shudder, sensing that he was in severe pain. Suddenly, she slouched against him, pretending to faint.

Even though she didn’t weigh much, the fact that she’d unexpectedly turned into deadweight caught him off guard. Noah lunged, latched on to the man’s shoulder and shoved him back against the wall.

“Ah, man!” the druggie cried, thrashing in pain.

“Shut up!” Noah thundered, his eyes swinging to Amanda. “You okay?”

She licked her parched lips. “I’m…fine.”

Noah turned his attention back to the man, his face grim. “Consider this your lucky day, fellow.”

“Let’s get him on the stretcher,” Amanda ordered, only the remnants of a tremor remaining in her voice, “and up to OR.”

* * *

Amanda heard the tap on the door but chose to ignore it.

Seconds later she still didn’t turn around, even though she heard it open and knew who was behind her. She hugged herself for protection.

“He’s going to make it,” Noah said in a hoarse but reassuring tone.

While she should have been concerned about the patient, she wasn’t. She was concerned, however, about being alone with Noah. She wished he hadn’t come. She had taken off her soiled coat, which somehow left her feeling naked and vulnerable. That was absurd, of course, as she was fully dressed, except for a bra.

“I’m…glad,” she said in a small voice, her back still to him. She was standing by the window, the flashing lightning providing a glow in the room that otherwise would’ve been completely dark.

Noah made a sound like he was clearing his throat. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

She refused to turn around for fear he’d see the tears on her face. Instead, she nodded.

For a moment, all was quiet. Too quiet. Had he left?

His warm breath suddenly caressed her ear. “If you’re all right, then why are you crying?”

Her voice caught while a chill feathered her spine. “I’m…not.”

“Oh, yes, you are,” he whispered. “But that’s okay, after what you’ve been through.”

“Please, Noah, go away.”

“I’d rather hold you.”

Her breath caught again, especially when he slowly turned her around, then closed his arms around her, drawing her against his solid chest. “Noah, don’t—”

“Shh. You talk too much. Besides, it’s okay.”

No, it’s not okay!
Yet she didn’t move. She made the mistake of looking up at him with parted lips.

“God, I want you,” he muttered huskily.

“Noah—”

He touched one side of her tearstained cheek just as another streak of lightning brightened the room, followed by a boom of thunder. She cried out, and his hot, moist mouth claimed hers.