Chapter 15 #2
“Thank you.” She punched the button for the fourth floor, and they rode in silence, the car stopping every few seconds to let people off.
She finally stepped out onto the fourth floor and made her way to the nurses’ station.
A young man was just writing Mr. Cross’s name on a whiteboard behind the desk when he caught sight of her and lifted his chin. “Can I help you with something?”
“I’m Dr. Audrey Stanton, here to see John Cross.”
“Oh,” the young nurse said, “he’s mine.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Great, so far,” he responded. “Tests show it was pretty mild, but he’s had a series of them, spaced pretty close together.”
“Do you mind if I check in on him?”
“Go right ahead,” the nurse invited. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Audrey nodded to him, then headed down the hall toward room 416. Inside, the television played softly, but she was surprised that his family hadn’t arrived yet. She rapped her knuckles on the doorjamb before stepping inside.
Mr. Cross’s head swiveled in her direction, and his eyes lit with a combination of surprise and pleasure. “Dr. Stanton. What are you doing here?”
“Stella told me you called into the office, said it sounded like a heart attack, which it was. Just wanted to come check up on you.” She lifted his chart from the bin attached to the wall and flipped through it as she approached the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Old,” he quipped.
Audrey chuckled softly, then set the chart on the small wheeled table before pulling a chair up to the side of the bed. “Apparently the tests show that you’ve had a series of mini heart attacks recently. Have you been stressed out, overexerting yourself?”
He let out a little sigh. “No more than usual.”
Audrey studied him for a long moment. “It might be better if you stayed with a family member for a while, just in case anything happens. Do you have anyone close by?”
“My boy is on his way here,” he responded less than enthusiastically. “I guess I could ask him.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” she encouraged.
A scuffle in the doorway dragged her attention to the man there, and her eyes widened. Carter looked dumbstruck as he paused midstride. Audrey sat riveted, as helpless as a deer caught in the headlights, watching a series of emotions flicker in his dark eyes. Surprise. Pleasure. Lust.
She couldn’t rip her gaze away from his, and her heart skipped a beat in her chest. God, he looked good. Had he looked this good a week ago? Of course he had. That was precisely why the brunette at the bar had practically climbed into his lap.
A faint buzzing filled her ears, and her mind felt curiously blank as she tried to process the turn of events. Why was he here? Unless…
“Well, don’t just stand there,” she heard John say, completely oblivious to the tension crackling between Carter and Audrey. “Come on in, son.”
Oh, God. Swallowing hard, Audrey dropped her gaze to the floor. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t figured it out before now. Carter Cross was John Cross’s son.
She watched a pair of shiny leather shoes cross the floor until they were directly in front of her. She glanced up, expecting to find those dark eyes on hers, but Carter’s gaze was instead fixed on John. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine, fine,” the older man commented, waving one hand toward the extra chair. “Carter, this is Dr. Stanton. Doc, this is my son, Carter.”
Carter didn’t make a move except to slant a look her way. Audrey’s breath suspended in her lungs as he stared down at her. “How are you?”
“Good, thanks.”
After a painfully long silence, Audrey pushed up from the chair, careful to avoid brushing against Carter in the process. “Well, I should be going. Take care of yourself, John.”
He offered a little wave, and she departed the room like her heels were on fire.
She’d just made it to the elevator when a strong hand wrapped around her wrist, halting her progress.
Not hard enough to hurt, just enough to get her attention, there was no mistaking who the hand belonged to. Slowly, she turned to face Carter.
He released her arm and let his own fall to his side. He just stared at her. Why did this man affect her so badly? There never seemed to be any middle ground with him—he made her feel too much. Too much passion. Too much pain.
She steeled her heart as she peered up at him. “Do you need something?”
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then snapped it closed again. “It didn’t mean anything.”
Audrey’s heart cracked at his admission. Hearing him say out loud that their time together meant nothing hurt more than she thought it would. She couldn’t even muster up the ability to speak over the lump in her throat. She started to turn back toward the elevator when his voice stopped her cold.
“That woman—she meant nothing. I... We didn’t…” He let out a harsh sigh. “Nothing happened.”
Honestly, she didn’t know whether to believe him or not. He looked sincere enough, but she was well aware of how conniving and manipulative people could be when they wanted to be. “Okay.”
“I just wanted you to know,” he said softly. “There hasn’t been another woman since you.”
Audrey’s heart leaped in her chest, and she fought to control her expression as he continued to speak, his voice low, his eyes serious. “I promised I’d wait for you, and I will.”
She wanted so badly to believe him. She wasn’t honestly sure what scared her more—her intense reaction to him or his avowal to win her over. Either way, it seemed like a losing proposition for her. She’d fall and have her heart shattered once more. She couldn’t let that happen.
The elevator arrived with a quiet ding. Without a word, she stepped inside and turned. Carter’s eyes remained locked on hers until the doors closed, just like the walls surrounding her heart.