Resigned, he nodded. Okay, but Im here if you want to talk.
Just as she had always been for him, Alix thought fondly. Fighting to rally and regain control over her emotions, she placed her hand over his and gave it an affectionate squeeze.
Ditto.
Reese shook his head. Im not the one who just turned whiter than fresh snow at Big Bear.
And he wasnt the one who had lost his heart, utterly and completely, to the man at the front of the room, she thought. A wave of bitterness struggled to take hold of her.
Terrance McCall had been her first love, her truest love, in the days when she believed that love made you invincible and that happy endings existed beyond the pages of fairy-tale books.
What are you doing here, Terrance? After all this time, what the hell are you doing here?
Willing herself into an almost coma-like state, Alix stared straight ahead and tried to listen to what was being said. Words kept bouncing off her ears, refusing to enter or register.
Dr. Clarence Beauchamp, whose skills as a surgeon, luckily for his patients, far surpassed his oratory abilities, was still meandering his way through the introduction.
and Boston Generals loss, of course, is Blair Memorials gain.
The tall, portly man addressed the clichéd observation to both the young doctor standing beside him and the audience being held captive before him. Beauchamps small lips struggled to widen into the smile that was always larger than he was actually capable of accommodating.
Of course, we show no
favoritism here at Blair. All created equal and that sort of thing. His clear blue eyes sparkled at what he must have deemed a display of wit. Which means in your case, Dr. McCall, that you will be treated like a cross between a god-like healer and a fledgling intern. A situation, he hastened to add in case he was ruffling the pediatricians feathers, if your record is any indication, that will change quickly, Im sure.
However, for the time being you are going to need someone to show you the ropes, so to speak. Dr. Beauchamp looked pointedly around the sea of faces before him. Someone in your department, of course. To that end, I have reviewed all the likely candidates and decided that your best betand ours he beamed again, his thin lips straining, all but disappearing into his smile is Dr. Alix DuCane.
Surprise speared through Terrance.
He managed to retain the easy smile on his lips. But that had come from years of training. Years of knowing that one false, unguarded moment could cost him not only the success of the operation he was involved in, but perhaps even his very life. Or worse, the lives of others depending on him.
Alix DuCane? Here?
Alix is one of the finest young physicians on the staff, Beauchamp was saying. No small compliment, considering that Blair Memorial was voted one of the finest hospitals not just in Southern California, but in the entire country. But you undoubtedly already know that, or you wouldnt have chosen to transfer here in the first place. Am I right, Dr. McCall?
Absolutely, Terrance agreed readily.
Beauchamps voice droned on like so much well-intended noise in the background as Terrance scanned the small, crowded room and the occupants who sat almost shoulder to shoulder in the twelve rows of chairs arranged before the podium.
Accustomed to zeroing in on his target with skilled precision, Terrance found Alix in less than two beats of his admittedly agitated heart.
For a split second everything around him froze as he looked at her.
She was sitting beside a dark, good-looking man. From his vantage point, Terrance could see her hand was covering the mans.
Friend?
Lover?
Once, hed been both of those to her and more. So much more.
But that was in the past, Terrance reminded himself sternly, and this was the present. A present where he couldnt afford to allow his emotions to get in the way of thingsthe way he had once allowed his emotions to bring him into this chosen profession of his. A profession that had forced him to turn his back on everything and everyone else who had been important before.
A profession that had forced him to turn his back on Alix.
She looked pale. Shock. Small wonder if it was in response to seeing him. He felt the same way about seeing her. It was only his survival instincts that prevented him from showing it.
Even pale seemed to suit her, Terrance couldnt help thinking.
God, was it possible that Alix had grown even more heart-stoppingly gorgeous than when he had left? It appeared that the wildflower had bloomed into an exquisite orchid.
Whose life did she adorn?
Not your concern, he told himself. Hed given up the right to know, when hed left town.
When hed left her.
With effort Terrance roused himself, forcing his mind back to the droning voice beside him and the man who was trying his level best to make the transition easier for him.
If Beauchamp only knew.
But he didnt. A great many people had gone through a great deal of pain to ensure that. Beauchamp, along with the others, was going to be kept in the dark until the operation was over. With any luck, that would be soon.