From Hawaii to Forever Read online

  “Yes, I could tell he was very competent. But I made it clear to him that I was a doctor and he still flat-out ignored me and did everything his own way.”

  “You’re too used to medical hierarchy,” Selena told her. “Here we’re more egalitarian. We make our decisions with everyone’s input rather than automatically deciding that whoever’s in charge knows best. It’s a team approach. It takes some getting used to, but it’s one of the things I love most about practicing here. And I think you’ll learn to love it, too.”

  Selena’s eyes grew mischievous.

  “And maybe you’ll fall in love with something else as well. Someone else...with blue eyes and dark hair and—”

  “Oh, my God, Selena, let it go!” Kat held up one of the sofa pillows, threatening to throw it at her friend. “Jack and I are not going to happen. Maybe if he were the last man on this island I’d consider it. But only then.”

  Selena’s eyes twinkled. “We’ll see,” she said. “It’s a pretty small island.”

  Kat cleared her throat. “Is there perhaps something we can discuss besides my love-life? Something involving medicine?”

  “Right!” said Selena. “The whole reason you’re here. The virus outbreaks.”

  Selena sat behind her desk and pulled out several files for Kat to examine.

  “Because of its location, Hawaii is vulnerable to all the strains of virus that sweep through Asia, so we try to keep an eye on what’s happening there in order to be prepared for what could happen here.”

  She drew Kat’s attention to one of the files.

  “We’re calling this one H5N7. There have been a few isolated cases on Oahu. Catching the signs early and keeping people quarantined to prevent the spread of infection has been key. But our hospital is too small to handle a major infectious disease event. My biggest worry is that a larger outbreak would strain our resources to such an extent that we wouldn’t be able to provide effective care to patients who would otherwise be cured.”

  Kat nodded. “On the mainland you can rely on the resources of other hospitals, but here you can’t simply call in for reinforcements or send your overflow of patients to another hospital nearby.”

  “Exactly. Sending patients to hospitals on the other islands can be a huge hassle. And even if we could, the only Level One trauma center for all the islands is located right here in our hospital—there’s two thousand miles of ocean between us and the next nearest one. So we’re observing very strict contamination procedures with any patient who comes in.”

  Kat passed the files back to Selena. “As far as I can tell you’re doing the best you can to stay ahead of this thing,” she said. “What’s the status of any potential vaccine?”

  “We’re working with a team at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to see what can be done. So far their results are promising. In the meantime we’re following the strictest quarantine procedures for any patients brought into the hospital with signs of flu, or any health workers who have been exposed. That means full haz-mat gear when we’re working with affected patients. I’ve put a policy in place stating that any hospital staff members who come into contact with potentially infected patients will be housed here at the hospital, in a secure holding area, until we can confirm whether or not they’ve been exposed to the illness. If blood tests do confirm exposure, then it’s a mandatory 10-day quarantine so that we have time to observe whether symptoms manifest, and so we can start treatment immediately if necessary. Bottom line, make sure you’re taking the standard universal precautions with every patient, but be on the lookout for the rash and other symptoms so that you can be extra-careful with affected patients. So far, none of our staff have been exposed yet, and I intend to keep it that way.”

  Kat nodded. “Like I say, sounds like you’re doing everything you can.”

  “We are,” said Selena, “but I feel better now that you’re here.” Selena squirmed uncomfortably. “Actually...you may have to communicate quite a bit with Jack on this.”

  “Why? He’s a paramedic.”

  “Exactly. If the outbreaks do increase, paramedics and EMTs will be at the greatest risk. They’re the ones who will be exposed to the victims first. So it’s essential that they keep us abreast of any risk of the flu spreading because they’ll be the first to know.”

  Kat sighed. It seemed that avoiding Jack Harper would be harder than she’d thought.

  * * *

  After several weeks Kat began to settle into a rhythm at the hospital. She worked with the researchers from the University of Hawaii on the flu virus and shared ER shifts with the other doctors. They were a relaxed, easygoing bunch. And as Kat got used to the hospital’s informality she began to appreciate the casual atmosphere.

  She made friends with Kimo, the shift coordinator, who would bring in extra kalua pork sandwiches his mother had made. She got to know Marceline, a cardiologist, who would regale Kat with lurid stories of her former life as a webcam girl. “Modeling” skimpy outfits in front of her computer had helped Marceline pay for most of medical school. And one of the surgeons, Omar, was rumored to be royalty in his home country, but he was very clandestine about it. Kat had the feeling that he allowed the rumor to continue because it added to his air of mystery and seemed to improve his dating prospects quite a bit.

  It was a colorful cast of characters, and nothing at all like the strait-laced, buttoned-up doctors she’d worked with back home.

  The patients were different, too. Kat was used to seeing patients who were seeking second or third opinions on the prognosis of serious or rare illnesses. People came to Chicago Grace Memorial Hospital when other physicians had reached the end of their knowledge and were unable to provide more guidance, and Kat had typically used her expertise there to make hard-to-call diagnoses of illnesses that were extremely rare or difficult to treat.

  Oahu General Hospital ran itself more like a small general practice. She saw children who had stuck innumerable crayons up their noses, and tourists with sprains or fractures because they’d taken risks while hiking.

  She also saw entirely too much of Jack.

  Somehow she always seemed to be on shift when he was bringing in patients. As if that wasn’t bad enough he seemed to be constantly flirting—with everyone except Kat. Every time Kat saw him he was flashing his hundred-watt smile at the receptionists, or sharing private jokes with the nurses, or twinkling his eyes at patients.

  She wasn’t sure why Jack’s behavior should bother her so much. She didn’t care who he flirted with. After all, she wasn’t interested in him, and he wasn’t interested in her. She simply felt that one should maintain a professional attitude at work. A casual atmosphere was all well and good, but people could take these things too far. There was no need for Jack to go winking his ocean-blue eyes at everyone in sight, or giving his bright white smile to every woman who crossed his path.

  Good God, she thought one day, when Jack smiled at a nurse who’d helped him lift a heavy patient off a gurney. Even his teeth are perfect.

  It was all very distracting. And that was the problem, thought Kat. Jack’s flirting with other people didn’t bother her the least little bit. It was simply annoying to be constantly distracted by his tanned skin or his muscular arms. Why did he have to wear such tight shirts?

  She’d tried to avoid him, but working at such a small hospital made it difficult to avoid anyone. He brought her just as many cases as he brought the other doctors—if not more. But he seemed to delight in bringing her the most ridiculous cases he could find. And then he wouldn’t simply leave, the way most paramedics did. Every time he brought in a case, he would linger, as though he wanted to see how she would handle things.

  When she’d challenged him on it he’d claimed that he was merely staying nearby in case she needed additional assistance. She didn’t believe him for a minute. She was certain that he was sticking around so he could watch her reaction�
�which, in her opinion, proved that he was bringing her preposterous cases on purpose.

  She dealt with it the only way she knew how—by maintaining a distant, cool, professional demeanor. And for his part Jack seemed to have no trouble keeping his face completely deadpan. Even today, as he pulled back one of the ER privacy curtains to reveal a young couple on a gurney. The woman sat upright, and her boyfriend was lying on his side.

  Kat listened to their story.

  “So where are you saying the zucchini is now?” she asked patiently.

  After the couple had left, with a treatment plan and some stern words of warning about the inadvisability of placing vegetables in bodily orifices, Kat grabbed Jack and pulled him behind the curtain.

  “I know what you’re doing and it needs to stop,” she hissed.

  He blinked at her innocently. “I’m just doing my job. It’s not my fault if I’m bringing patients to the ER while you happen to be on shift.”

  “There are other doctors on shift! Find one of them! The other day you had an acute appendicitis case and you brought it to Omar. But what kinds of cases do you bring me? College students who stick vegetables God knows where! A toddler who’s pushed thirteen marbles up his nose! An elderly woman with dementia who ate all the little cakes her granddaughter made from Play-Doh because she thought they were real!”

  “Hey, I thought she was sweet.”

  “She was sweet! That’s not the point. You’re doing this on purpose!”

  “Doing what on purpose?” he asked innocently.

  “Giving all the weird cases to me.”

  He shook his head. “Why on earth would I do that?” he said.

  “I have no idea. Don’t ask me what the motives of a sociopath are. But I’ve got news for you, pal. I’ve seen just about every crazy ER case in the book. Marbles are nothing—you wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve seen kids stick up their noses. You’re not going to shock me with anything.”

  He held his hands up. “I believe you—I’m sure that you’re unshockable. But I swear I’m not doing this on purpose. You’ve had a run of strange cases lately, I’ll admit, but I promise I’m just bringing the patients as they come in.”

  As he spoke Kat realized just how close she and Jack were in physical proximity to one another. What had she been thinking when she pulled him behind a curtain? They could have had this conversation in public. Once again she’d ended up getting herself caught in close quarters with Jack. How did that keep happening?

  She yanked open the curtain, deciding that it would be best to get out of the enclosure as quickly as possible—but she was stopped short by the small crowd of hospital staff that had gathered just outside.

  There were several orderlies, as well as Marceline, Kimo and Omar. They tried to act casual, but they’d clearly been listening to her argument with Jack. Great, thought Kat. If their moment in the ambulance hadn’t been enough, then rumors would definitely be flying about the two of them after this.

  * * *

  Jack really wasn’t trying to hand off the most bizarre patients to Kat—it was simply a matter of bad timing. He knew they’d gotten off on the wrong foot. But he wasn’t used to having his decisions questioned or challenged while he was trying to save lives. And yet, as argumentative and challenging as Kat had been, there was a strong air of feistiness about her that he admired. She didn’t seem like someone who gave up easily, whatever the circumstances.

  He might have come off as bossy, but hadn’t Kat acted the same way? He had been trying to provide her with medical care, while she’d been trying to convince him that she knew best by waving her credentials in front of his face—as though she couldn’t possibly trust his expertise over her own.

  Did she think he should be impressed by her credentials rather than her competence? It was the same kind of thinking he’d often noticed among his family members, who seemed to value the achievements and connections of medical professionals more than the skill they demonstrated.

  Now that he’d spent a few weeks working with Kat he could tell that she was one of the most competent doctors he’d ever worked with. But he’d had no way of knowing that before.

  And, just as he’d thought, Kat had started trying to implement changes at the hospital right away. Some changes had gone down better than others. First she’d required the EMTs and paramedics to switch from a three-point to a five-point triage system, and even he had to admit that it had been a good change. But her most controversial decision had been to ask all hospital staff to spend eight hours a month working at the hospital’s nonprofit walk-in clinic.

  Granted, she’d adjusted everyone’s schedules so that this didn’t impact too much on anyone’s working hours.

  But, while he might be able to acknowledge that Kat’s changes so far were an improvement on an intellectual level, he still felt frustrated. Kat’s ideas might be good, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that she was a big-city doctor who thought she could just walk into a little hospital—his little hospital—and turn his job and his emotions upside down.

  At first he’d tried to keep his distance, to give his feelings a chance to subside. But, if anything, avoiding Kat had seemed to intensify his attraction toward her, and he’d constantly found himself wondering how she was adjusting to her new job, whether she was talking to the other staff members, or if she was wearing that green blouse that offset her eyes so well.

  To make matters worse, as he continued to work with Kat he became increasingly certain that he wasn’t just attracted to her—he liked her as well. She had a wry sense of humor, and she seemed to possess wells of infinite patience and compassion with even the most difficult patients. She had a warm and ready smile, and she smiled often—just not at him.

  So he’d decided to change tactics. Instead of avoiding Kat, he’d started to make a point of being sure to acknowledge her each time their paths crossed. He’d been trying to keep their encounters polite and casual. But that strategy had become more complicated when the hospital had suddenly been hit with a run of cases that bordered on the absurd.

  Jack wasn’t surprised that Kat thought he was bringing her weird cases on purpose, but he wished there was a way to convince her that it was just a coincidence that her caseload of late had been a bit unusual.

  At least she’d never brought up their almost-kiss in the ambulance. His hunch was that she was just as eager to put that incident behind them as he was. He wondered if it would be possible for them to have a fresh start. The sooner he could convince her that he wasn’t bringing her strange cases on purpose—that he did not, in fact, have any special interest in her, in any way—the sooner he could start trying to convince himself of the same thing.

  He wasn’t quite sure how, but he’d find a way.

  * * *

  A few days later, the doors of the elevator in the hospital’s parking garage were just closing in front of Kat when a hand reached out to stop them. They automatically shifted open again, and Kat was surprised to see Jack standing in front of her.

  “May I?” he said, motioning inside the elevator.

  Kat shrugged. “Plenty of room,” she said.

  He got onto the elevator with her, and they began their ascent from the basement to the trauma unit. But Jack surprised Kat again by pushing the emergency stop button.

  Before she could speak, he said, “Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I just wanted to clear the air. Back in the ambulance, I...um...”

  Oh, no, thought Kat. Was Jack was about to bring up their almost-kiss? She needed to take control of this conversation, and fast.

  “I was a jerk,” she said quickly. “You were just trying to help, and I argued and fought you every step of the way. I blame the hypothermia. You were just doing your job.”

  “That’s true,” he said. “But I have to admit that I’m not used to treating patients who have medi
cal experience...just like you probably weren’t used to being in the patient’s role.”

  He was trying to offer her an olive branch. Maybe she should take it. They did have to work together, after all. She’d tried desperately to deal with her attraction by avoiding him, but that strategy didn’t seem to be working. If anything, she thought about him more than ever.

  Maybe the problem was that she wasn’t seeing Jack as a real person. The distance between them was causing her to focus too much on his physical attractiveness. Maybe if she spent more time with him, got to know him as a normal person whom she had to see every day, whom she had to work with, then he’d lose some of his luster. This man with his dark, wavy hair and perfect teeth was sure to have some flaws—she simply hadn’t been around him enough to notice any of them. Maybe once she discovered a few of them her heart and stomach would stop doing flip-flops every time she saw him.

  And it would be nice to stop being so distracted by his scent, as well. How did he always manage to smell like the beach? It filled the elevator now—the scent of sunblock, saltwater, and pure masculinity. Maybe she’d get desensitized if she were around him enough...

  “I really haven’t been bringing you the weird cases on purpose,” he was saying. “I don’t know why all of the odd ones have been coming in during your ER shifts, but I promise I haven’t been giving them to you intentionally.”

  “Hmm...” she said. “Not even that toddler who swallowed the voice box from his teddy bear, and we could all hear Teddy’s disembodied voice coming out of the kid’s lower abdomen every time he pressed on his stomach?”

  “Especially not that one.” Jack shuddered. “That was creepy.”

  Suddenly Kat found herself laughing. The case really had been ridiculous. And anyway, even if he had been bringing her odd cases on purpose, dealing with the unexpected was part of the job.

  His relief at her laughter seemed sincere, so Kat thought that his apology probably was as well. “All right, Jack,” she said. “How about a truce?”