One Summer in Santa Fe - By Molly Evans Page 0,4
other traumas that didn’t survive.” He hated that. Hated that he couldn’t fix each and every patient that came through his doors no matter the cause.
“Oh. It’s tough to lose patients that you work hard on, isn’t it?” There was something in her eyes that was vulnerable, painful, but it wasn’t any of his business.
“Yes, it is. Especially when the problems could be prevented.” Taylor sat beside her and tried not to think of the two patients he’d lost that morning. Though the odds had been stacked against survival from the start, he still felt like a failure when patients under his care died right in front of him. He didn’t like to lose.
His cellphone rang.
“Dr. Jenkins.”
He listened for a moment with his eyes closed and a finger pinching the bridge of his nose. “And just how messy is it, Alex?”
Pause as he listened. “Can you clean it up by yourself?”
More listening. Bigger headache forming behind his eyes.
“I’ll come home at lunch. Don’t worry about the stain on the carpet. Or the walls. Or the couch. It’s okay. See you at lunchtime.”
Amusement fairly sparkled off Piper as he looked at her.
“What?” There was nothing amusing about his end of the conversation.
“Nothing.” She sipped her coffee, but couldn’t hide the gleam in her eyes. “Your son home alone?”
“Nephew. Staying with me for…” he looked at his digital watch “…five more weeks and six days.”
“Not counting down the days, are you?” she asked.
“No, just the seconds.” He showed his watch to her and the time counting down every second of that period.
“You’re serious. You’re really counting down the time like that?” Her blue eyes widened as she looked at him in surprise.
“I’m doing my sister a favor, and that’s when the favor ends.” Not one moment longer. He had a life to live, airplanes to jump out of and mountains to climb, all before the summer ended. Putting his life on hold was a temporary measure. Very temporary.
“I take it you aren’t happy your nephew is with you?” she asked, then paused. “Not that it’s any of my business, I realize.”
“It’s not that I’m not happy. It’s just a completely different way of life than I’m used to. People here are taking bets on how long it will be before I drag my sister home from California to take Alex back.” He leaned his head on the back of the couch and groaned. There were headaches and then there were headaches.
“Oh, that’s so sad,” she said, but laughed.
“No, what’s sad is that he opened a grape soda on my couch, carpet and walls.” Not that it was a huge deal, but it was going to be on the couch and carpet for a very long time. From his memory of being a kid, grape stains came out of nothing.
“They aren’t white, are they?” Piper asked, and a sneaky little smile curved up the corners of her lips.
Was she psychic or something? “Not everything. Just the walls and beige carpet. Couch is light brown.”
“Oh, dear.” Her eyes widened abruptly. “You can’t let that sit, or you’ll never get it out. Call him back. Do you have any peroxide or seltzer water at the house?”
“Peroxide, I think.” He was hardly there, so he really didn’t know what might be in his cupboards. Hadn’t he bought a bottle of peroxide about a year ago when he’d sliced open his hand on a piece of broken climbing rigging?
“Call him back and tell him to pour half the bottle on the carpet stain and half on the couch. The walls should be okay. At least you can paint over them.”
“Why?”
“Getting purple stains out is like getting blood out of your clothing. Peroxide might take it out.”
He opened his mouth to protest and then thought of how much more difficult it would be to argue. “I’ll call him.”
Piper stood. “And I’ll check in with Emily. Thanks for the coffee.”
CHAPTER TWO
PIPER had survived her first very long day at the hospital. The high desert capital city of New Mexico was lovely with its classic southwest architecture and way the city seemed built into the cliffs and hills rather than taking over the landscape. No highrises here. Living at 7000 feet was going to be a challenge for her, having come from sea level at her last assignment. The air was much thinner at elevation and would take some getting used to.
Piper sighed. Exploration would have to wait for another day as she was scheduled for three more days of