shocked to see the state of this room, which is, well, I must say, terribly disorganized. I’m frankly very surprised by this, considering the stellar reputation of The Hollywood Hills Clinic and knowing James Rothsberg’s perfectionism.”
The irritation that had been simmering in her chest burst into a full conflagration of anger that surged through her blood and made her brain burn. Who did this guy think he was? Friend or no friend of James, prince or no prince, he had no right to waltz in like he owned the place, give it his version of the white-glove test, then criticize her without knowing a thing about the patients and medical situations she’d been taking care of for the past ten hours.
“I was in the process of cleaning and reorganizing it from an earlier, lengthy delivery when Cameron arrived in what might have been an emergency situation. I deemed taking care of her and her baby was a lot more important than tidying and prepping a room that could be tidied and prepped later. And the meds are ready.”
She stalked to the counter, gathering the items together and wishing she could throw them at his arrogant, judgmental face. He reached for them, his hand briefly touching hers, and it ticked her off even more that the feel of his skin brushing hers sent some kind of weird electric shimmer up her arm. The sensation could have been mistaken for attraction, if there had been anything attractive about the man.
Well, there were all those superficially attractive things, but she wasn’t a woman interested in slick, glossy men. Or any kind of man anymore, really.
With grudging respect, though, Gabby did have to admire how quickly and efficiently his long fingers administered the drugs, all the while keeping up a smoothly distracting conversation with their patient.
“All set,” he said to Cameron, giving her a warm and reassuring smile. “Now we wait, keep you comfortable, and check baby periodically through ultrasound and monitoring.”
“Thank you, Rafael. I’m so glad you and Gabby are the ones taking care of me.”
And Gabby was glad the next shift midwife would be arriving soon to deal with Cameron and Dr. Moreno. Not to mention that she was way overdue for a major nap.
“How about deciding what you’d like to have for dinner?” Gabby said as she brought her another sparkling water, along with a menu of options for her meal. The onsite Michelin-starred chef was amazing, and even the pickiest patients loved the elegant and trendy foods he prepared. “The midwife on the next shift will be checking on you throughout the night to make sure you’re comfortable. Then tomorrow morning I’ll be back to take care of you. In the afternoon it’ll be time to administer another steroid dose.”
“But I don’t want another midwife,” Cameron said, a twisting pout on her lips that had Gabby wondering how in the world she managed to still look so pretty doing it. “I want you to stay here with me tonight, Gabby.”
The fatigue Gabby had felt earlier was back in spades. She had a feeling if she closed her eyes she might fall asleep on her feet like a horse, and the vision of curling up in her own comfy bed and getting a solid night’s sleep nearly had her moaning, but she knew Cameron. And Cameron’s expectations. The Hollywood Hills Clinic was known for its exceptional medical care, and that included going above and beyond in every way.
Which meant she’d be spending the night here again.
“I appreciate you wanting me with you, Cameron. I—”
“Your staying here is important, since you are familiar with our special patient and her physical condition and worries,” Rafael interrupted smoothly. “Here is my contact information. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me for any reason.”
Did the man think he was boss of the world? Gabby felt like smacking that seemingly sincere smile from his handsome face as he handed her an elegantly embossed card, then turned to give one to their patient. When Cameron reached for hers, she clasped his hand along with it for a lingering moment, practically batting her long lashes at him as she smiled back.
“Thank you so much, Rafael. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help and expertise during this terrifying time.”
“It’s beyond my pleasure. It is my calling to help mamas and their babies, whether a pregnancy is smooth and uneventful or high risk and worrying. I promise to take care of you and bebé to the best of my ability.”
Whereas Gabby and most other nurses and doctors didn’t? The guy was pure egotistical arrogance in a white coat, absolutely no doubt about that. And Gabby intended to tell him so, though somehow she’d have to tone down the strength of the language she’d really like to use when she did.
“As I started to say a moment ago, Cameron, I’m more than happy to stay,” she said, giving Dr. Moreno a pointed look she hoped he interpreted correctly—which was to tell him to keep his guest-in-this-hospital nose in his own business. “I’ll sleep better knowing I can check regularly on how you’re doing, and hopefully me being here will help you sleep better too.”
“Thank you, Gabby. I will sleep better.”
“Why don’t you rest now and watch a little TV? I’ll be back in a few minutes to find out what you’ve decided to order for dinner.” She turned to Dr. Full-of-Himself and somehow kept her voice cordial. “May I speak to you privately in my office, Dr. Moreno?”
He inclined his head again, and she sensed him following her from the room and down the marble-tiled hallway, past large windows with beautiful views Gabby normally enjoyed, but not at that moment. Right then, she had only one thing on her mind, which was giving Rafael Moreno a piece of it.
She stopped in front of the open door of her office and gestured for him to go inside but he stopped with her.
“Ladies first,” he said as he mirrored her gesture.
A man with good manners was usually appealing, but this didn’t feel like good manners. It felt more like he was just being controlling again, wanting things to be the way he wanted them and not giving her respect for the fact that it was her office. Which meant she should be calling the shots at that moment, even if it was something as simple as who entered the room first.
The smile she stuck on her face was stiff and fake and she didn’t care if he saw through it. While part of her knew it wasn’t something worth arguing about, he’d irritated her so much already she found herself digging in her heels. “No, I insist. You are a guest here at the clinic, after all.” And if that didn’t give him a strong hint that he’d overstepped his bounds, she was about to tell him so much more directly.
Those silky eyebrows rose at her, and their gazes clashed for several heartbeats until he inclined his head and stepped into the room. She shut the door behind her, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation, and when she turned to look at him she had that oxygen-sucked-from-the-room feeling again. His height and the breadth of his shoulders made the room seem to shrink, and his erect posture and the utter self-assurance of his demeanor compounded the effect until she felt she couldn’t breathe.
Except breathing was necessary to give him a piece of her mind. Her mouth suddenly dry as sandpaper, she hoped he couldn’t sense her discomfiture as she stepped behind her desk instead of having them sit in the two chairs side by side, wanting to send another message that she was in charge of the maternity wing and its midwives and he should treat her accordingly.
“Please sit,” she said as she perched herself in her swivel chair.
But of course he didn’t. He simply stared down at her, and she suddenly felt like a bug-eyed hamster being eyed by a hawk. Rafael Moreno, standing there all confident and imperious, had utterly ruined the message she’d tried to send by sitting behind the desk, so now what was she supposed to do? Sit there craning her neck up at him while giving him a dressing-down? Or bob back up like a jack-in-the-box? Either one would make her look foolish and, worse, completely lacking in power and authority.
Damn the man.
“What is it you wish to discuss with me, Ms. Cain?”
She