Saving Forever - Part 5 (Saving Forever #5) Read online

  “Thanks.” He reached over and pulled up a white plastic bag.

  “There’s two, sweetie,” Helen said.

  Elijah held the handled bag up and shook it slightly. “This one’s ours. I ordered the other one for you.”

  Helen spun her chair around and giggled. “You’re such a sweetheart! I’ll have it on my lunch break shortly.”

  A spicy sweet, aromatic scent filled Charity’s nostrils. Her stomach growled in agreement. Curry, garlic, chilis, maybe lemongrass and definitely chicken. She inhaled again, almost tasting the flavors. “Pad Thai?”

  “For you,” Elijah said and headed down the hall to his office. “Red curry for me.” He glanced down at her belly. “Or we can share. I don’t want that thing growling at me.”

  She tapped his shoulder playfully. “Did you get something for my dad, too?” They paused at her father’s office which was directly across from Elijah’s.

  “I didn’t.” Elijah pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his door. “I asked, for the record. Apparently he brought in a salad today.”

  Charity hesitated before following Elijah inside. She didn’t know whether to believe her dad. The man did not eat salad as a meal. Maybe as a side but never as the main course, even after his heart attack. “Should I ask him if he wants some of this?”

  Elijah waved his hand. “You just want to check up on him.” He smiled and set the bag of food on the table near the far wall. “He’s not in his office. He showed me his lunch when I stopped in before to ask if he wanted anything. He has surgery scheduled for right now.” He chuckled. “You can verify it for yourself.”

  The sweet aroma of lunch heightened as Elijah opened the containers. “I believe you.” She reached for the plastic dish he offered her.

  “Uh-huh.” He pulled the dish just out of her range and leaned in. “Kiss first.”

  She didn’t argue. She ran her tongue over her lips to wet them and then pressed them against his. Her eyes instinctively closed as she felt his soft mouth with just the right amount of teasing scruff around it touch hers.

  He rested his forehead against hers. “I missed you.”

  “I’m the one who had to wake up in your bed alone.”

  He groaned. “Seriously, you want to go there right now?” He kissed her again, this time with more urgency and hunger.

  She leaned against him, letting her hand slide up his chest, over his shoulder and down his arm. She curled her fingers around the bowl of Pad Thai still in his hand. “I’ll take that,” she whispered.

  Elijah pulled back. “What the—?”

  Charity stuffed a forkful in her mouth and as she chewed she said, “I’m starving!” She tried covering with her hand. “It’s crazy! I’m back in med-school… so behind on sleep and food, I can’t think straight anymore.” She stuffed another bite in her mouth.

  “Maybe you should slow down.” Elijah glanced at her stomach but apparently didn’t want to say why he thought.

  “I don’t need to take it easy. The baby’s doing fine.” Her last appointment with the OB had shown the baby growing and doing well. She set the food down on Elijah’s desk. “We talked about this. My goal is to get most of my intern done before the baby’s born.”

  Elijah rested his butt against the arm of a leather chair. “I know. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to do this.”

  She wasn’t sure what he meant. She began feeling very guarded. “I’m not quitting.” Her hand made fists against her hips as she set her feet slightly apart.

  Chapter 2

  Elijah raised his hands as if raising a white flag. “I never said that.”

  “But you’d probably prefer if I did.” She was treading on thin ice, she knew it. However, she was exhausted, pregnant and by the growling of her stomach, still hungry.

  “You’re putting words in my mouth!”

  “It’s obvious that’s how you feel.” She wasn’t sure at all if that was how he felt – or how she felt and she just didn’t want to admit it. “You think it’s too much. I shouldn’t have gone back or I should have waited until after the baby’s born.”

  “That’s not how I feel. You’re jumping to assumptions.” Elijah sighed. “Can we just eat? Maybe once you have some food…”

  Charity hated it when he took the doctor tone of voice when he spoke to her. “I’m not quitting.” She stole another bite of food before crossing her arms over her chest.

  Elijah pointed to her food. “You can’t give me crap while standing there eating the food I just bought for you! That’s not fair. That’s just plain rude!”

  She stared at him and then burst out laughing. The look on his face, and the fact that he tried to stop the argument brewing with food, struck her as humorous. As she chuckled, her eyes filled. She blinked rapidly, refusing to let the tears fall. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, just to compose herself. She hated the sudden up and down mood swings. They were so annoying!

  She opened her eyes and met Elijah’s tender gaze. She didn’t trust herself to talk yet. Instead she walked toward him, purposely taking another bite before she moved. Instead of stopping in front of him, she passed to the left and went to the table. She grabbed his plastic container of curry and opened it. Flipping the basmati rice lid off, she took a spoonful and dipped it into his red curry before stuffing it into her mouth. The warm juices of the curry sauce mixed deliciously with the Pad Thai.

  “Now you’re eating mine?” Elijah stared at her with wide eyes. A smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth, giving his teasing away. “You’ve got some nerve.”

  She stole another bite. “It’s magnificent.” She went to dip another spoonful of rice into the curry.

  Elijah’s hand curled around her wrist. He forced her to lift the spoon and stuff it into his mouth. A dribble of curry ran down his chin. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. “It is good.” He moved around and grabbed her container off his desk and brought it over. “You willing to share?”

  She nodded, not trusting her voice again as her throat formed a painful lump. A stupid tear slid down her left cheek.

  Elijah wiped it away with his thumb and offered her a bite of noodles and chicken.

  She opened her mouth to eat and he quickly pulled the utensil away and ate it himself. She laughed. “You bugger!”

  He shrugged. “You deserved it.”

  “I did… I mean, I do. Sorry.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t be.” He handed her the Pad Thai. “Sit down and eat. It’s better for you. And me. Better for people. To sit and eat their food. Not stand up. That’s what they say.”

  She smiled, enjoying his attempt to cover his tracks and protect himself from getting verbally shot down by her again. “Who’s they?”

  He shrugged. “They… Them… Everyone. Especially doctors. They know the most.”

  “You’re sad. Very sad.” She settled into the leather chair in front of his desk and rested her feet on top of the edge of the desk. “Thank you for lunch.”

  He sat down beside her. “You’re welcome.”

  They ate for a bit in comfortable silence. When three-quarters of the Pad Thai had disappeared into Charity’s belly, Elijah leaned over and gave her some of his red curry. She then gave him the remaining Pad Thai. The food made her feel normal again, or at least seemed to settle her fluctuating hormones. “I’m sorry about before.”

  Elijah waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

  She set the bowl down on his desk. “I do. It’s not fair you have to put up with my mood swings. I don’t lash out at the other interns or doctors.”

  “They’re not married to you.”

  She nodded in agreement. “That’s true. They didn’t knock me up.”

  “Hey!” He blinked in surprise, probably unsure if she meant it as a joke or was serious.

  “I’m kidding! I just didn’t realize it would be so much work. I mean, I knew doing my residency would be a lot, but I didn’t think being pregnan
t at the same time would be so exhausting.” She rubbed the tiny bump forming.

  “Doing your residence is exhausting even without a little peanut growing inside you.”

  She rested her head against the back of the chair. “I know, and I’m not twenty. I’m almost ten years older than these kids.”

  “Kids?” Elijah chuckled.

  “They want to go out and party and drink. I just want to go home and crawl in bed. They go on and on about all the hot doctors and Mandy’s always asking me how much you and I are screwing around on our breaks. At least she doesn’t ask me details.”

  Elijah leaned forward. “She’s seriously asking you that?”

  “Of course. I’m freshly married to the hottest doctor on the medical staff who is the nicest, with the sexiest accent. Trust me, even the guys are asking.”

  “What do you tell them?”

  She lifted her head. “Dr. Bennet, are you asking me if I brag about you?”

  He had the decency to drop his gaze to the floor. Then a second later he brought it up again. “So, do you?”

  She laughed as she shook her head. “All the time. And I only tell them when we fool around in the on-call room. I never say anything about your office, the staff room, the empty hospital bed, the car on our way to work…” She bit her lower lip. The images in her head began creating a sweet torment deep inside. “We’re just married. It’s perfectly natural to be all over each other.”

  Elijah smirked. “You seem to be all over me a lot more. I’m trying to be polite.”

  She balled up a napkin and threw it at him. “Whatever. Our sex is a two-way street.”

  “I seem to be coming and then you go.” He pressed his lips tight, his face giving away nothing. “Like off to rounds or surgery or something.”

  She laughed despite the terrible joke. “That’s bad.”

  “Yup. I’m bad. You know it.” He jumped up and proceeded to do a few Michael Jackson dance moves.

  Charity covered her eyes with her fingers. “Stop! Please!”

  Elijah pulled her hands away from her face and knelt down so his face was level with hers. He brought his head close so their lips were barely an inch apart. As he spoke, his warm breath caressed her skin. “Let’s go home tonight together. I’ll finish my shift when you finish your rounds. I want to be with you in our bed this evening. Not apart.” He looked around his office. “Or here.”

  “I’d like that.” She shifted so her legs rested on either side of him. When he leaned forward to kiss her, his warmth pressed against her inner thighs and sent shivering sensations through her. She moaned and opened her mouth so her tongue could slip inside his. “We have about fifteen minutes before I gotta go,” she murmured.

  The palm of his hand curled to cup around her breast. They had grown heavy since she had become pregnant and seemed to really enjoy it when Elijah teased them. The nipple ached and hardened as he let his fingers rub against it. Her lab jacket had opened, but he still had her shirt and bra material to put up with. Her breast didn’t seem to notice the material. The nipple strained to get closer to his touch.

  Elijah’s mouth found its way to her neck and hungrily nuzzled her skin. The heat from his breath and his touch was a bittersweet torment. He brought his lips to her ear. “How ‘bout we finish this tonight? Then no one can inter—”

  His desk phone began ringing as if on perfect cue. Elijah groaned and dropped his head on her shoulder in defeat. “Sometimes I wonder why I even open my mouth.” He sighed and stood up to answer it. “Hello?” He pointed to the phone and mouthed, ER. “Okay. I’ll be down in five minutes. Get the leg X-Ray finished and have her prepped for surgery.” He set the phone down on the receiver and grabbed a pack of gum from a desk drawer. “Want one?” he asked Charity.

  “No thanks.” Since she was pregnant, whenever she tried to chew gum it made her feel like throwing up. “I have peppermints and I’ve got to wake Mandy up before we start rounds again with Dr. Fulton. I’ll brush my teeth when I’m down there.” She stood. “Duty calls?”

  Elijah smiled. “Always.” He grabbed his iPod off the desk and stuffed it in his chest pocket. “Want to walk with me?”

  “Of course.” She followed him out of the office and waited for him to lock the door. As they headed back down the hall toward the elevator, she said, “So Dr. Fulton let me lead the surgery today.”

  “Appendix? Gastro?” he guessed.

  “Heart. He let me lead from start to finish.”

  A single eyebrow rose. “Impressive. How’d it go?”

  She never bragged or made any comments around the other interns, but around Elijah she could speak matter of factly and he never took it as showing off.

  “Amazing! It was challenging, don’t get me wrong, but I totally got it. Everything just seemed to click into place.”

  He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed them. “You’re going to be an excellent surgeon.” He pressed the elevator button. “Looking forward to when you are on my service.”

  Helen popped her head up from the nurse’s station. “Thought I heard you. Fantastic lunch! Thanks again, sweetie!”

  Elijah waved and then shrugged when Charity smiled at him. “She’s like my grandma.”

  “Sure.” Charity giggled. “Whatever you say.”

  He tapped the air with his finger in her direction as he leaned back against the wall of the elevator. “Watch it. I won't let you scrub in with me if you tease me.”

  The elevator door closed and it was just the two of them in the small box. Charity moved to Elijah and pressed her body against his. She rotated her hips slightly to get them even closer. “Is there something I can do to get on your good side?” She grinded her hips gently against his again. “Anything?”

  Desire filled Elijah’s sexy blue eyes. “I-I’m s-sure I can think of something.”

  His sensual smile with the slight need-to-shave shadow captivated Charity. She jumped back when the elevator beeped and then slid open to let someone one. She tucked a chunk of hair behind her ear, only to have it slip free again as her face burned. She knew it wasn’t because of embarrassment. How Elijah appeared completely calm and unperturbed drove her crazy. She was going to have to figure out a way to ruffle his feathers one time. Just to make it even. Or something.

  He began asking the gentleman, who had just walked on, what floor he needed. Charity grinned when he winked at her. Yeah, she needed to figure out a way, or at least learn his secret.

  Chapter 3

  Elijah’s phone began beeping and as he reached for it out of his pocket, Charity’s phone vibrated against her hip. She pulled her cell out to look at it.

  “Multi-vehicle accident,” Elijah said. “Five minutes out.” He tapped the first-floor button of the elevator trying to make it go faster.

  Charity sent a text to Mandy, double-checking that she received the update. “Guess we’ll be hanging around each other a little longer.” She glanced at Elijah and teasingly shrugged. It could be worse.

  The gentleman on the elevator with them stepped back to let them get off first. “Good luck,” he said as they rushed past him when the doors slid open.

  They race walked side by side to the Emergency department.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be finishing a twenty-hour shift?” Charity asked as she grabbed latex gloves from a box on the wall and began putting them on. She handed the extra pair to Elijah.

  “Duty calls.” He pulled a thin yellow gown overtop of his hospital garb and stepped ahead of Charity. “Can you tie this, please?”

  “Sure.” She tied the two strings at the top and by his waist as they continued down the hall.

  “I hope my wife doesn’t mind I may have to cancel out on her again.”

  “She’ll understand. What else are you going to do? It’s part of the job.” Charity shrugged.

  “You’re probably right. I was just really looking forward to an evening with her in our bed.” His eyebrows raised.

  “You�
��ll make it up to her, I’m sure.” She winked at him. They neared the bustle of activity of the medical staff. “Where do I need to be?”

  Elijah glanced around. “Right by me.” He pointed to the sliding doors where a pair of paramedics were bringing in a gurney. “Who do we have here?”

  The female paramedic handed Charity a wallet. “This is Peter Michaels. We the first?”

  Elijah nodded as they pulled the gurney inside. “What happened?”

  “Peter was in the front seat. His buddy was driving and texting. There're two girls from the back seat coming in as well, and the driver.” She said it all in one fast breath. “Peter injured his back. He’s alert and in a lot of pain. We’ve stabilized his neck and spine, but he doesn’t have any feeling in the lower limbs.” She rambled on about the injuries and issues as Charity and Elijah pushed him into Emergency.

  “Thanks. We’ll take it from here.” He leaned down. “Peter? This is Dr. Bennet. You’re at Scott Thompson Hospital. I need you to do something for me. Can you wiggle your toes?” He dropped his head down to Peter’s feet. “Do you hear me, Peter? Can you wiggle your toes?”

  “I’m trying!” Peter whispered hoarsely.

  Elijah straightened. “It’s okay, Peter.” He turned to Charity. “You need to book a CT, MRI – and make sure there’s a myelography prior to the scans so we can check everything out.”

  “Okay.” Charity grabbed a tablet and began scheduling the procedures.

  “We need to book an OR now, if there’s a spinal injury that isn’t just swelling. We can’t wait.”

  “Okay. Who do you need with you?”

  “You. Find Dr. Fulton and tell him you’re with me now. Get a hold of your father and make sure he knows we need top priority at the moment.”

  “Will do.” She didn't know if her father would listen to her, but she wasn’t about to voice her concerns to Elijah at the moment. She rushed off to get the rooms booked.

  Two hours later she stood beside Mandy scrubbing for surgery. Elijah had suggested Charity ask anther resident to help, citing the surgery would be an excellent learning experience.