A Doctor's Reunion: A Sweet and Emotional Medical Romance (Lifeline Air Rescue Book 5) Read online

  A Doctor’s Reunion

  Laura Scott

  Readscape Publishing, LLC

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  To Love

  Copyright © 2019 by Laura Scott

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  1

  Flight Nurse Kristin Page was seated in the Lifeline staff lounge, cradling a cup of coffee and scrolling through a website on her phone searching for an affordable apartment, when she was distracted by a deep male voice.

  “Krissy? Krissy Page? Is that you?”

  Krissy? No one had called her Krissy since her dreadful high school days. Prissy Krissy. Ugh. She glanced up with a frown, then paled as a blast from the past hit her squarely in the face.

  Holt Baxter.

  “W-what are you doing here?” she sputtered.

  Holt was as tall as she remembered, with wavy dark hair and the all-too familiar mesmerizing green eyes. A nanosecond later, she realized he was dressed in a one-piece navy-blue jumpsuit.

  Just like hers.

  For a long moment, she couldn’t breathe. Holt worked here at Lifeline Air Rescue? How? Why? Since when?

  “I’m one of the new residents assigned to the Lifeline rotation.” He smiled warmly, approaching her as if they were long-lost friends instead of enemies. “Wow, it’s great to see you again.”

  No, it wasn’t. There was nothing great about it, at all. She felt a flush of embarrassment creeping up her neck toward her face. Her gaze darted around, seeking an escape route. But of course, there wasn’t any way to avoid the inevitable. Finally, she blurted, “No one calls me Krissy. My name is Kristin.”

  His green eyes widened, and his smile faltered. “Oh, okay. Sorry about that. I’ll do my best to remember.”

  Mortified at her behavior, she wanted to curl into a ball and disappear from sight. What was wrong with her? That fateful day at Carlson’s Custard had been nine long years ago. Another lifetime, really. So what if his younger sister, Heidi, had humiliated her in front of Holt? Her ridiculous crush didn’t matter after all this time.

  She was a different person now.

  And Holt was different, too. Apparently, he was an emergency medicine resident, soon to be a successful doctor. To say she was surprised was an understatement. Not that Holt hadn’t always been smart, because he was. But she’d never heard that he’d gone to medical school. Seeing as she’d worked critical care at Trinity Medical Center, she was grateful they hadn’t crossed paths before now.

  “I’m impressed you’re a flight nurse,” Holt went on. “Very cool.”

  Was that a subtle reference to the fact that she’d been anything but cool during high school? She knew only too well that she’d been the chubby girl with thick glasses and braces who had never been as popular as his beautiful sister, Heidi.

  A fact Heidi and her mean-girl cheerleader friends had mercilessly plagued her with on a regular basis.

  Stop it. She was being ridiculous. Nine years ago, remember? She forced a smile. “I’m actually fairly new here, just started a few months ago.”

  “Really?” He looked relieved. “Then maybe we can learn together. I’ve gone through the training program Shelly O’Connor provided, but this is my first flight. I have to say it’s pretty intimidating to think about providing care miles in the air with no way to get additional help.”

  “Yes, it can be challenging, but it’s exciting, too.” She tilted her head to the side, regarding him thoughtfully. Holt sounded sincere and not the least bit arrogant, the way some residents were. Was it possible he’d forgotten about what happened nine years ago? As soon as the thought entered her mind, she rejected it.

  No way. He was just being nice, acting as if they were friends back then rather than two teenagers who’d once worked the custard stand together until she’d been called out as a love-sick moron in front of him. She knew full well it was no coincidence he’d quit his job three days after the incident.

  “It will be fun to fly with you.” Holt’s comment startled her. “You were always calm and cool under pressure.”

  Huh? What in the world was he talking about? The only pressure they’d been under back then was when their local sports games had ended and the mass of spectators mobbed the custard stand for a post-game treat. Maybe they had worked together just fine, before Heidi had humiliated her, but still. From what she could tell, Holt was taking the whole we had fun times together pretense a bit too far.

  “We’d better head in to get the report from the off-coming shift.” Kristin set her coffee aside and moved to push up off the sofa. Holt rushed forward to offer his hand.

  She hesitated, then accepted his unspoken offer, knowing it was better to remain polite and cordial since they’d be working together. His fingers were warm around hers, and a shiver of awareness rippled up her arm.

  Oh boy. She pulled away as soon as she could, hoping Holt hadn’t noticed her involuntary reaction to him. Bad enough that she’d had a huge adolescent crush on him nine years ago, but now? Uh-huh. No way. Not happening. She refused to be stupid enough to repeat the mistakes of her past.

  Guys like Holt Baxter were so not her type.

  “Thanks.” She hurried toward the debriefing room.

  “Kris-Kristin, wait. You forgot your phone.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, nonplussed to realize he was right. Her phone with the rental site app was still sitting on the sofa cushion where it had dropped from her nerveless fingers. Holt picked it up and brought it over to her.

  “Apartment hunting?”

  “Um, yeah.” She didn’t plan to elaborate on the fact that her fiancé had left her several months ago and living in the same oak Terrace apartment building shared by Greg and his new girlfriend had become intolerable. She took her phone and entered the debriefing room. Their oncoming pilot, Nate Landry, was already there, along with Reese Jarvis, the off-going pilot. Another resident she didn’t recognize was seated there, a pretty blonde who reminded her a bit of Holt’s sister, Heidi, and Ivan Ames, one of their long-time paramedics.

  “Hey, Kristin,” Ivan greeted her. He was happily married with a young daughter, and the most cheerful guy she’d ever worked with. “Oh, and you must be Dr. Baxter.” Ivan rose and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Call me Holt.” Holt shook hands with Ivan and the two pilots. He nodded a greeting to the blonde. “Hey, Paulette. How are you?”

  “Fine.” The blonde’s tone was clipped, making Kristin wonder if they had a history of some sort. She wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to find out that Holt Baxter left a trail of broken hearts in his wake.

  Including hers.

  “Any transfers pending?” She looked at Ivan and Nate since Paulette was staring down at her phone.

  “Nope. Weather is good, sunny and warm for October, so no incoming storms to worry
about either.” Ivan waved a hand. “We had a transfer from Plymouth earlier in our shift, then an early call for a car versus tree. Otherwise, it’s been quiet.”

  “Sounds good.” She glanced again at the female resident. “Anything to add, Doctor?”

  “What?” The blonde glanced up in annoyance, then shook her head. “No. If that’s all, I’m heading home. Good night.”

  “Good night, Dr. Yost,” Ivan said.

  Paulette Yost. The name didn’t ring a bell, but Kristin knew it was her own fault for not paying closer attention to the new batch of residents that had just come off training. If she’d bothered to look at the list more closely, she’d have noticed Holt Baxter’s name and wouldn’t have been caught off guard by seeing him again.

  And now she’d be flying with him.

  The entire mood in the room lightened after Paulette Yost left. After they chatted for a few minutes, Ivan sighed and rose to his feet. “I need to get outta here. Hope you guys have a good shift.”

  “We will.” She infused confidence in her tone, despite her misgivings. “Sleep well and give your daughter, Bethany, a kiss for me.”

  Ivan’s grin widened. “I will. Good night.”

  “I need to get home, too.” Reese rose to his feet. “Gabe hasn’t been sleeping well, and I know Samantha is exhausted.”

  Reese Jarvis and his wife, Dr. Samantha Jarvis, had welcomed a baby boy a month ago. Gabriel Jarvis was adorable with red fuzzy hair just like his mother’s. Sam brought him in for a visit, and Kristin had held him close, battling a wave of sadness in knowing motherhood was far out of her reach. Her destiny was to live alone.

  “Now what? We just wait for a call to come in?” Holt asked.

  “Yep.” She dropped into the seat across from Nate. “You may as well help yourself to coffee or tea. Waiting is the hardest part of the job.”

  Holt hesitated, then shrugged and made his way back into the lounge where the coffeepot was located. She leaned forward and dropped her voice so Holt wouldn’t overhear.

  “What’s up with Dr. Frost?”

  “You mean, Yost?” The corner of Nate’s mouth quirked in a lopsided smile. “She got airsick. Ivan was a good sport about it, but she still got upset when he tried to give her advice.”

  “Ah.” She could understand; the first time she’d flown, her stomach had turned upside down, too. “Well, I’m sure she’ll get over it.”

  “Maybe.” Nate lifted a shoulder. “If she’s smart, she’ll follow Ivan’s advice and take Dramamine prior to her next shift.”

  “She will. She didn’t strike me as the type to appear weak in front of others.” She shrugged, straightened, and changed the subject. “Sounds like Reese and Sam are doing well.”

  Nate nodded. “Yeah, they are. I need to check on the bird. Mitch was tinkering with her earlier, and I want to be sure there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Let me know if there’s a problem. We have to notify the paramedic base if we can’t fly.”

  “Will do.” Nate disappeared out to the hangar.

  Kristin sat for a moment, dreading the idea of going back into the lounge with Holt.

  Flying with him would be torture enough, but sitting and chatting about the past?

  Yeah, she’d rather have hot needles poked into her eyes than endure that.

  Holt Baxter sipped his coffee, reeling from the idea of working alongside Krissy Page.

  He remembered her well, a bit geeky, as he’d been, but easy to work with as they’d served countless cones and dishes of custard throughout the summer.

  Too bad his sister Heidi had poked her nose in where it didn’t belong, ruining their friendship. After the scene in the custard stand, he’d felt bad he hadn’t had the chance to talk to Kristin about it. It had been mid-August, and he’d already given his notice as he was moving into the dorms of the University of Wisconsin in Madison to attend college.

  He hadn’t spoken to Krissy—no, Kristin—until now.

  “This is a three-month rotation for you, isn’t it?” Kristin crossed over to retrieve her cup, then refilled it with coffee from the pot. He noticed she drank it black, the way he did.

  “Yeah.” He eyed her over the rim of his mug. Kristin hadn’t changed much, other than getting contacts and having her braces removed. She wore her walnut brown hair longer now, the glossy strands pulled back into a thick ponytail, her eyes a mixture of green and gray and brown. She’d grown into a beautiful woman, although he’d always thought her pretty and hadn’t understood why Heidi had decided to pick on her. “Honestly, I was glad to get the fall rotation rather than the winter one.”

  “Trust me, it will still be winter in November and December.”

  “True. But the weather always turns far worse after the holidays.”

  “Yeah, I have to admit, flying in the summer is much nicer than flying in the winter.”

  “I bet.” He inwardly winced at the inane conversation. He wanted to bring up what happened at the custard stand but sensed she was avoiding the topic.

  “You graduate in May, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I can’t wait.” He grinned. “It’s been a long road, and I’m glad it’s almost finished.”

  “You like emergency medicine?”

  “Of course. There’s always something new coming through the doors. And what about you? Where did you work before coming to Lifeline?”

  “In the surgical intensive care unit at Trinity.”

  He tried to hide his surprise. “Really? I had no idea you were a critical care nurse there.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s a big hospital with lots of employees.” She looked down at her pager as if she might be willing the stupid thing to chirp.

  The atmosphere in the room went tense, and he knew they couldn’t ignore the past for a moment longer. “Listen, Kristin, I wanted to apologize for my sister . . .”

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  “We have a call.” Kristin’s expression was relieved as she removed the pager and read the message. “A trauma alert, looks like someone jumped or fell off the roof of Greenland High School.” For a moment their gazes locked, and he knew they were both remembering their time together at Brookland High. “I’ll grab the supplies, and we’ll meet Nate out at the chopper.”

  Kristin hurried over and looped a large black duffel bag over her shoulder. He kept pace alongside her. As she headed through the debriefing room, she stopped long enough to grab a helmet, before walking out to the hangar. He took a helmet too and tried to keep a neutral expression on his face, despite the fact that he was internally grappling with the idea of going to the scene of a possible suicide.

  It wasn’t his first suicide patient, and since he’d chosen a career in emergency medicine, it likely wouldn’t be his last. This type of scenario shouldn’t catch him off guard; this kind of thing happened far more than it should. Yet each time he was faced with a potential suicide victim, he relived those dark days just over a year ago, after his sister’s attempt to end her life by downing vodka and a handful of narcotics.

  All because she’d found out her perfect life with her perfect husband hadn’t been so perfect after all.

  “She’s ready to fly,” Nate said as they approached.

  “Good.” Kristin opened the door and climbed inside the helicopter. Holt followed, pulling the door shut behind him.

  As they took their seats on either side of the gurney, he donned his helmet and tried to remember everything that Shelly O’Connor had taught him. There were controls on the seat handles to open communication channels between the flight team and the paramedic base. He also knew it would be a smart idea to get some sort of basic information from the emergency medical team at the scene.

  Kristin began jotting notes on a clipboard. Holt watched, feeling more than a little useless. Determined to do his part, he flipped the intercom switch. “Base, this is Dr. Baxter, requesting an update from the scene at Greenland High School.”

  There was no immediate response.
Kristin glanced at him, then reached over to flip the switch adjacent to the one he’d used. “This is the all comm,” she told him. “Now you’re connected to the paramedic base.”

  He told himself it was an honest mistake. He repeated his request and this time received a response.

  “Lifeline, this is the paramedic base. Patient is a fifteen-year-old male, unconscious at the scene with several broken bones, including spinal and head injuries from falling off the roof of the school. Vitals are not stable, and the paramedics on scene have been performing CPR.”

  “Ten-four.” He flipped off the intercom to the paramedic base, leaving just the internal one on, and glanced at Kristin. Her expression behind the face shield of her helmet was grim. “Doesn’t sound good.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” She paused, then added, “Nate? What’s our ETA?”

  “Less than five minutes.”

  Holt took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The ride would be much longer if they were in an ambulance, but knowing the paramedics were performing CPR, even five minutes seemed interminable.

  He peered through the window, searching the scene below. Even from up here, he could see the flashing red lights of the ambulance and at least three police cars parked in the front of the school.

  Hurry, hurry, he mentally urged Nate. Holt couldn’t shake off the lingering fear that despite the quick flight, they would arrive too late to save this young boy’s life.

  2

  Kristin felt tension radiating from Holt in waves, filling the small, cramped interior of the chopper. She wasn’t sure if it was related to this being his first flight. Or something more. As an emergency medicine resident, this couldn’t be his first trauma patient.