Page 59 of Sensual Nights

She sat up and put her feet on the patio across from his. She sat as he did, with her elbows on her knees and her cup in her hands. "You said at first."

He nodded. "You're good at that. Remembering things."

She chuckled. "Right. Now you think you want to get back into medicine?"

"They've offered me a unique position at the hospital here. It would be more consultative in nature and include follow-up. I wouldn't have to perform surgery if I didn't want to. I'm not sure I'm ready for that, but they would be open to it if I change my mind."

She set her cup on the table next to the cookies. Her heart raced and her stomach twisted. He seemed distant and sad. "Why does this seem like you're letting me down easy?"

His eyes jumped to hers instantly and he shook his head. "I'm not." He set his coffee cup on the table next to hers. He took her hands in his and stared into her eyes for a long time. "I'm not letting you down easy. I hope I'm not letting you down at all. However, I am interested in exploring this position. It would mean leaving the Sandbar, though. And Jace has been good to me."

She squeezed his hands and stared into his eyes. She loved his eyes. They were the most beautiful brown. "Jace will tell you he wants the best for you. He will also understand your decision."

He swallowed, then took another deep breath. "I don't want to let you down either."

She chuckled. "How is this letting me down?"

He swallowed again. "What if I can't do it?"

"You ask Jace for your job back, you see a counselor and we'll chat about it."

"It makes me look weak."

"It makes you look strong. Trying to step back into something you know you love, no matter what demons you battle, is the bravest thing anyone can do. You know the struggles you had in the past, but you're willing to go back and try again."

"Counseling is a requirement according to Dr. Borders."

"I think that's a great idea." She squeezed his hands again. "Why is Dr. Borders so interested in you? I mean besides the fact that he likes your bedside manner."

Mason chuckled. "Paramedics told them how I saved you when you were shot."

Her brows shot up in the air. "You saved me?"

He nodded slowly. "Your lung was filling with fluid, and you were coughing up blood. You couldn't breathe. I had to insert a tube into your chest to drain the blood until we could get you to the hospital." He pointed to the spot on her chest where she now had a small scar that would likely disappear in the months ahead. "I still carried a medical kit in my truck. You were running toward my truck when you were shot. It was Mitch DeMario who shot Layton Terry. He'd shot you, and Mitch saw him ready to shoot again. You fell to the ground, and instinct took over. I grabbed my medical bag, and without thinking, I did what was needed."

She cocked her head and the flood of memories rushed back to her. She saw his face. She heard words she didn't understand. Then his face disappeared. She couldn't breathe. "I remember bits and pieces of you there. When I finally regained consciousness, I thought I'd dreamed you up."

His right hand framed her cheek and his thumb brushed across her face softly. "I thought I was going to lose you. I worked as fast as I ever had and it was perfect. Perfect procedure. I saw you and knew I wasn't going to let you die. No matter what, you were going to live."

A tear slipped from her eye. "Thank you."

His thumb brushed it away. "I haven't had a nightmare since then. Isn't that weird?"

"No. I'm not a psychologist, but it seemed that you were haunted by patients of the past. I was a patient and you wanted to save more than anything, and you did."

"But I wanted all those other patients to live too."

"Of course, you did, but they weren't meant to live, or they were too badly damaged. It wasn't your skill or lack of it; it was the situation at hand and..." She shrugged her shoulders. "God's will."

He huffed out a breath. "Why would God make people die?"

"He didn't make them die, evil did. There are lessons in things. Some are horrible things like those patients you lost, but some are wonderful things like the birth of a child or the badly injured patient you save. If you were not on your learning journey, we wouldn't have met."

He leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. "I love you, Carley Page."

Her heartbeat increased, and the tears flowed once more. "I love you, Dr. Mason Thompson." She kissed him softly but chuckled. "But, for the record. I also love bartender Mason Thompson and his Sandbar Punch."

Mason laughed. "That's not my recipe."

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