everyone on his team to be like he was. But when they were here, he expected them to be present. Especially when it was a certain person’s first day on the job.
Things had been so rushed getting into the surgical suite that he hadn’t had a chance to introduce himself, although he’d been told the new nurse’s name as he’d scrubbed in: Lindolynn Franklin. So maybe someone had told her his as well. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little chat with her after they were done here.
And do what, Zeke? Confront her about looking at the clock?
He looked too, but it was to keep track of whether things were going as expected.
Maybe Nurse Franklin was doing the same thing. Somehow he didn’t think so. Those glances had seemed furtive and once, when she’d caught his eye afterward, color had flooded into the portion of her face visible above her surgical mask. The sight had turned his stomach inside out. That certainly hadn’t helped.
Returning his attention to his patient with an irritated shrug, he busied himself with reconnecting the pulmonary artery, making sure each tiny stitch he placed was secure. The last thing he needed was to close this little girl’s chest and have the repair leak.
A half-hour later he was done, giving a nod to each of his team with murmured thanks. Then he left the room and stripped off his gloves, relief washing through him. He’d done this particular surgery dozens of times, but each time he cracked open a child’s chest, a moment of doubt threatened to paralyze him. He’d always gotten over it, his muscle memory taking over until he could get his mind back in the game. Maybe that’s what had happened with the new nurse. The only thing to do was feel her out.
He propped a shoulder against the wall outside the double doors as the surgical team slowly filed out, many of them congratulating him. That wasn’t what he was waiting for, however. He was searching for an unfamiliar face.
There. Her eyes connected with his for an instant before she attempted to veer off in the other direction. Good try. He fell into step beside her. “Sorry. I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself before we got started.”
He held out a hand. “Ezekiel Bruen.”
“Oh, um, I’m Lindy Franklin. I’m new here.”
Lindy. That fit. As did the rest of her face, now that her mask was gone. Delicate bones and the subtle curve of her cheeks gave her a breakable air that made him uneasy, and he had no idea why.
“So I’ve heard.” He thought for a second she was going to ignore his outstretched hand, but then she stopped walking and placed hers in it, the light squeeze reaffirming his musings and making him hesitate. Maybe he shouldn’t say anything.
And if it had been another member of his team?
He stiffened his resolve, determined to keep things professional. “I noticed you were in a rush to get out of surgery. Not happy with where the administration placed you?”
“What? Oh...no. I mean yes.” That vibrant color he’d seen in the operating room reappeared, only this time he was actually able to watch as it flowed up her cheeks before receding like an ocean wave. “Why would you think I was in a hurry to get out of there?”
He ignored the quick tightening of his gut. “You were watching that clock pretty closely.”
The pink returned, darker this time, and white teeth sank into a full lower lip. “I was just...” She paused as if trying to figure out how to explain herself. “I didn’t realize I was. And I’m perfectly happy with where I’ve been placed.”
So she wasn’t going to let him in on whatever had kept her mind so occupied.
Well, if that’s the way she wanted to play it... “As long as you’re up to the demands of working with the surgical staff.”
Her back stiffened, and her chin angled up. Light brown eyes rimmed with dark lashes met his head on. “I am quite up to the demands. Thank you for your concern, though.”
That show of strength made him smile.
It wasn’t a true thank you, and they both knew it. But he’d gotten his message across. Time to revert to his normal, friendly self. If it even existed anymore.
“Have you been in town long?”
“I was born and raised here in Savannah.” The slightest flicker of her eyelids said there was something more to that story.
“So was I.” He studied her for a second. “Did you transfer here from one of the other hospitals?”
“No.”
So much for being friendly. He guessed it was none of his business where she’d come from. She could have just graduated from nursing school for all he knew. But the way she’d handled those instruments said she knew her way around an operating room. That kind of self-assurance only came with experience. But if she hadn’t transferred from one of the local hospitals, where had she gained that experience? Unless she actually did have something to hide. Some kind of mistake that hadn’t shown up on her résumé? He didn’t want to go digging through her past or call her previous place of employment, but maybe he should. Just so he’d be aware of any issues before they cropped up and became a problem here. Or maybe he should just ask her outright.
“Where did you practice before this, then?” He could have asked Human Resources, but he wanted to see if she would balk about answering.
She named a place in the heart of Savannah.
“I thought you said you didn’t transfer.”
“I didn’t.” She gave a quick shrug. “I took a few years off and then decided I couldn’t live without nursing.”
She’d taken a few years off...
It hit him all of a sudden. His glance went to her ring finger. It was empty, but he was pretty sure there was an indentation there where a ring had once been. So she’d been married, but wasn’t any longer? She could have taken some time off during that relationship, but he had a feeling he knew what had caused her inordinate interest in that clock. “I take it you have a child.”
Her mouth popped open and then closed again, the color that had seeped into her face disappearing completely. “How did you know?”
“Just a hunch. The clock-watching had to be for a reason. And you took ‘a few years off.’ I wasn’t trying to pry.”
“It’s okay. She’s three. It’s my first time leaving her with anyone for this length of time.”
Including the child’s father? Something about that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, although it was ridiculous. Maybe the man had traveled so much that there’d never been time to leave her with him or with anyone else. Or maybe the mark on her finger was a figment of his imagination.
It was also none of his business.
She gave a quick shake of her head as if reading his thoughts before meeting his gaze again. “Well, it was nice working with you, Dr. Bruen—”
“Call me Zeke. Everyone does.”
“Okay...” She drew the word out like it made her uncomfortable. Did she think he was hitting on her? Damn. Nothing could be further from the truth, despite that quick jerk to his senses after seeing her without her surgical mask for the first time. He hadn’t felt that since... Well, in quite a while.
Time to put her mind at ease, if that were the case.
“We’re pretty informal here at Mid Savannah.”
“I guess I’m not used to that. You can call me Lindy, then.”
“What’s your daughter’s name?” He had no idea why he asked that, and the last thing he should be doing was talking about baby girls with anyone. He never encouraged his colleagues to talk about their children, and most of the old-timers knew why. Maybe it was because of how reticent she’d been