The problem was the “poor kid” had been him, and he’d heard every word those other surgeons had said about his mother. It still stung to this day and he refused to be lumped in with his mother, even though he seriously doubted Mindy was as much of a jerk as the professor was. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Dr. Chang was at West Manhattan Saints he would never have applied to the surgical program.
He avoided Langley as much as he could, because he was one of the reasons his parents had split up. Why his mother had a reputation that followed her brilliance. Why people admired her, lauded her, but talked behind her back.
Sam didn’t want that.
“Thank goodness!” Mindy exclaimed, breaking through his morose thoughts. “We’re finally going to be on dry land.”
Sam chuckled. “There, now the sharks can’t get you. Unless I push you off the island.”
Mindy turned toward him. “You do that and, like at the subway station, I’m going to take you with me. You’re bigger, they’ll eat you first.”
Sam grinned but didn’t respond as he took her outstretched arm and they headed down to the lower deck to get off the boat and check out the Statue of Liberty.
He tried to keep his mind off the fact he was with one of the most beautiful women he’d seen for a long time and instead focus on the interesting museum in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
Okay, the museum was not that interesting and he’d been to it before, but Mindy seemed engrossed in looking over everything.
“You’re absolutely and utterly bored, aren’t you?” Mindy asked, peering over a display, not looking at him.
“How can you possibly know that? You’re not paying attention to me at all.”
She smiled to herself. “I know when someone is bored. You’ve been shifting your weight on the balls of your feet, whistling and just trailing behind me.”
“Okay, the museum isn’t my cup of tea. I’ve been here before.”
“I figured as much,” she said. “I do appreciate you bringing me.”
“Not a problem.”
“Should we race to the top?” she teased.
“Are you kidding? It’s like over two hundred stairs to the top.”
“It’s three hundred and fifty-four, to be precise, but of course you would’ve known that had you read what I just read.” And for good measure she made a superior face.
“Why, you little…”
Mindy laughed and raced to the stairwell, taking the stairs quickly while Sam chased her. They didn’t run the whole way, they took breaks and stopped their mad chase when they came across others who were tackling the spiral staircase at a more leisurely pace and probably thought they were out of their gourds, racing around a national monument.
When they got to the top Sam leaned against the wall to catch his breath for a moment, so he didn’t sound too winded in front of her.
“You’re such an old man,” Mindy teased.
“I’m younger than you.”
“Low blow, old man Napier. Very low blow indeed.”
Sam grinned and came up beside her so they could look out over the water. Even though it was chilly out, the brilliant morning sun reflected against the water like diamonds.
“It is beautiful,” Mindy admitted. “I’m glad you brought me out here to see this. Even if it’s cold.”
“You’re welcome.” He glanced at her, actually he couldn’t take his eyes off of her, watching her delight in their trip. “Well, we’d better head down if we’re going to get to our next destination in time.”
Mindy cocked an eyebrow. “Next destination. No, we don’t need to go anywhere else. This was great.”
“I won’t hear any arguments. We’re going to the Empire State Building.”
“What is with your obsession with tall buildings today?”
“I’m taking you to all the touristy spots, like I said I would. I can’t help it that a lot of touristy spots are tall buildings. Well, two are for sure.” And he winked at her. “You’re at my mercy today, Mindy.”
Mindy just rolled her eyes and then laughed. “Whatever you say.”
Sam chuckled as he followed her down the endless steps back to the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. He kept his hands firmly jammed in his pockets so as not to reach out and pull her into his arms.
The idea of having her at his mercy excited him.
Stop thinking that way or you’ll be in trouble.
It seemed to him that he had to keep reminding himself of this fact.
Frequently.
It was hard not to, though. There were so many things he liked about Mindy. Even though she seemed to have her own walls firmly in place, keeping him out, she still was this bright, shiny and happy person. Her brilliance, her enthusiasm for everything she put herself into appealed to him.
She had fire in her. When residents or interns displeased her, especially when working on a fragile case, when a mother and her unborn baby’s lives were at stake, she was a fierce protector of her patients.
Dr. Mindy Walker was someone you didn’t want to cross professionally, but sometimes he got the feeling that she wasn’t always like that. That the fierceness was a defense mechanism, part of the walls.
He’d done a bit of research about her, read some of her papers. She’d had a very lucrative practice in California. What would make her sell it, pack up her life and move to a place where the air hurt her face?
Sam chuckled again to himself as he thought of her saying that a couple times since they’d left her apartment.
“Why am I living where the air hurts my face?”
And then she would make a pouty face.
“Ugh,” she groaned, as they stepped outside and headed toward the dock to pick up their ferry back to Battery Park.
“Yeah, yeah, the air. It hurts.”
Mindy punched him in the arm. “Smart aleck.”
They boarded the ferry and soon they were pushing off away from the Statue of Liberty. This time they sat on the benches inside. He leaned back against the bench, his arms spread, and she leaned back into his arm. She didn’t snuggle in but she didn’t move away either.
It was nice.
“So, why did you move here again?”
Mindy cleared her throat. “I told you. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Professor Langley made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
Sam snorted at the mention of the chief of surgery. “I see.”
“You don’t really like Professor Langley, do you?”
“What do you mean?” Sam straightened up and crossed his arms.
“Aha, so you have some secrets too.”
Sam shrugged. “We just don’t get on, that’s all.”
“That’s funny, because I could’ve sworn that he mentioned to me that you were one of the residents to watch.”
The compliment just slid off of him. He didn’t care if Langley thought highly of him. If it had been Dr. Chang that would’ve been different. He respected Dr. Chang. In fact, he respected most of the surgeons as West Manhattan Saints except Langley, because he’d ruined his parents’ marriage.