Page 3 of Tropical Heat

Two

Zak

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I cringed. My previous interactions with Dr. Lewis had been limited to handing off patients to her care. After working up the courage to talk to her, ‘Don't you ever leave here?’ was the best I could do? She probably thought I was an idiot.

This was a mistake. I should get out of there. Before I embarrassed myself any further. But she turned around and blessed me with that beautiful smile of hers. “You're a fine one to talk, Zak. What are you doing back here so soon?”

She knew my name. Did that mean she'd been asking about me? Was it possible this beautiful woman was as interested in me as I was in her? Still looking in my direction, she gave a slight head tilt, and I realized she was waiting for me to respond.

“MVA up at mile marker 72,” I said, hoping I did not sound as nervous as I felt. “Clive and I got the call right after we dropped off the OD.”

“MVA? Is it serious?” I had never seen her look anything but calm and confident. But when Morgan looked towards the ER doors, her expression turned grave. “I better go back there and see if I can help.”

“It's okay, just a tourist with a case of whiplash. He's going to be fine.” I was relieved to see her relax. “The guy was on his phone as soon as we got him in the rig, demanding his attorney get him a huge settlement.”

“Oh, I see. That’s good, then.” Her breathing returned to normal. I thought for a moment she was going to say something more, but she looked at the nurse behind the desk, who was pretending like she had not been listening to every word. “I should probably let you get back on the road.”

“Would you like to grab a coffee?” I hoped she didn’t hear how desperate I sounded.

Before she could speak, Elenora said, “That's a wonderful idea, Zak. And don't worry doctor, I'll page you when your consult shows up.”

I held my breath while the two women exchanged a look. Then Morgan put her hands in her pockets and led the way to the cafeteria. “What about your partner? Won’t he wonder where you are?”

“He’s probably already asleep in the back of the rig.” I explained that Clive and his wife were expecting their first child and he was working as much overtime as possible to save up money.

Her left eyebrow arched. “Won't he get in trouble for that? Sleeping on the job?”

“I'm sure he would in some places if somebody complained. But we have the best response times in the entire department.” I added our supervisor was also ex-military, which helped. I noticed her looking at my lips as I spoke. She did that a lot. I wondered if she might be hearing impaired and spoke more slowly. “They taught us in the service to eat and sleep whenever you get a chance, because you never know when you will get another opportunity to do either. Clive’s got his radio with him. Trust me, if a call comes through, he'll be at the wheel before I even get there.”

She gave me another dazzling smile. “Zak, I think those are the most words you've ever said to me that didn't involve a patient's injuries or vitals.”

I could feel my face turning red. “I just don’t want you to think poorly of Clive. He’s a terrific paramedic, and the best partner I’ve ever had.”

She mimed locking her lips. “Your secret's safe with me.”

I tried to pay for her coffee, but she swiped her card before I got the chance. We found a table near the window and I asked what led her to a career in medicine.

“Even as a child, I knew I wanted to help people. My friends asked Santa for Bratz dolls, but I wanted a real stethoscope. In middle-school, while my girlfriends idolized Britney Spears or Hannah Montana, I wanted to be the next Meredith Grey. In junior high, when other kids were trying out for sports and cheerleading, I knew working as an assistant to the athletic trainers would look better on med school applications.”

“It sounds like you have always been very driven.” I took a sip of coffee and watched her expression.

“My mom would tell you, I am too focused on my career.” She rolled her eyes. “Even though I graduated Summa Cum Laude from WVU and scored 525 on the MCATs, she’s more interested in when I am going to settle down and give her grandchildren.”

“And you don’t want children?”

“Maybe someday, but it has been a long time since I’ve been in a relationship.” She hesitated, as if trying to decide how much she was willing to share. “What about you? Any little Zak’s running around?”

“God no. I don't think I would make a very good father. I can be pretty self-centered.” It sounded better than the truth.

“I think you're being modest, Zak.” She said it in such a sincere way, I asked what she meant. “The way you came to the defense of Clive, for one thing. That you were in the military for another. Plus, you're a paramedic for crying out loud. Every day you have people's lives in your hands. These are not the actions of someone who cares only about themselves.”

Dang, this woman was making me sound pretty good. And she was embarrassing the heck out of me. To change the subject and satisfy my curiosity, I said, “I’ve been meaning to ask how you knew my name? I don’t think I ever told you.”

“Deputy Garcia told me.”

I wondered what else Deputy Blowhard had told her. “It was his own fault he got bit. If he’d only let me do my job, it would have never happened. But he’s a complete control freak who always has to be in charge. He has a strict sense of black and white. There's no flexibility with him.”

“It sounds like you two have had run-ins before.”

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