Page 17 of Doctor Frost

“What is it? If you pulled me in here to tell me you don’t want to call Mrs. Johnson, that is too bad. I have asked you to do it, and I’m not taking no for an answer,” he sternly replied.

Dalton had been in a terrible mood for most of the week. He’d worked late every night, well past his usual time. I’d have thought that after he’d shared things about his wife with me, he’d have been different, but I’d been wrong about that too.

“What is wrong?” I questioned, cutting right to the chase instead of dancing around it.

“Nothing.”

“Oh no, Dalton, it’s not nothing. You have been horrendous lately. Worse than usual. Poor Charlotte has been afraid to do anything, and in case you didn’t notice, no one even looked your way today while you were in the cafeteria. People are avoiding you more than ever.”

“Good, I’m glad they are avoiding me. They at least know what is good for them, unlike you.”

I crossed my arms and glared at him. This was Dalton at work. This wasn’t the man I’d shared dinner with less than a week ago.

“Dalton, just stop. Now, something is wrong, because the man I shared dinner with—”

“Whoa, you shared dinner with me and my family, and that will be the end of that talk. I don’t need rumours spreadingaround the hospital about me fraternizing with one of my staff,” he barked.

“There isn’t a non-fraternization policy here, Dalton. Besides, just because two people share dinner together does not mean they are in a relationship of any kind aside from a friendship,” I said. “So what gives?”

Dalton looked at me and then turned around. I saw his shoulders rise and fall in a deep sigh.

“Today is…”

His voice was barely audible, and I strained to hear what he was going to say next. I waited, only he said nothing.

“Today is what?” I questioned.

He was quiet, his shoulders rising and falling. “Today is the anniversary of my wife’s death,” he finally answered.

Heat flooded my body as his words hit me. What on earth was he doing here? He should be at home, spending time with the kids, learning how to deal or cope with whatever was running through his head.

“Why are you here? You should be at home with Claire and Tommy,” I cried, realizing that those kids were alone.

“I can’t,” he quietly murmured.

“You can’t? Why not?” I questioned. “Your children need you. They need to be with you, not be alone, or with their nanny.”

“You don’t understand.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. He was right; I didn’t understand, but I knew those children needed their father probably more today than ever, and it was bloody selfish of him to be here with his patients than to be at home allowing those kids to cope.

“What I understand is that you are being an ass,” I bit out.

Dalton whipped around and looked at me. The look in his eyes almost ripped my heart out.

“I can’t be there for my kids, because I do not know how to even handle how I feel, never mind how they feel.”

I saw the vulnerability in his eyes and immediately wanted to hug him. Once again, I wanted to take away his pain because it was more than obvious to me he was definitely in pain, only I didn’t dare. Who knew how he’d react?

“If you will excuse me, I have patients I need to see,” he said and turned and stepped out of the office, leaving me there alone.

I’d just hungup the phone when Dalton dropped another patient file on my desk and left the office . He took off across the hall and stood at the elevator, pressing the button.

I turned to Charlotte. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, just going to grab a coffee.”

“Sure.”

I grabbed my purse and took off out of the clinic and over to the elevator where Dalton stood. I was about to say something when the elevator door opened. We both stepped inside and waited for the door to close.

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