hear you’re fine!” The old man adjusted the collar of his jacket. “I’m lucky you didn’t send me smack into that iron bar, there, or worse, over it!”
Frowning, Wade looked from Patrice to the man and back again, then stepped between them. “Hey,” he began in a friendly voice, “it was just an accident, so if you’re not hurt, then I suggest we cut this short, because folks want to use—”
Until Wade brought it to his attention, the man didn’t seem to notice that several people were staring. “Mind your own bee’s wax,” he growled at the lot of them, then stomped down the steps.
Wade slid an arm around Patrice’s waist and guided her nearer the rail. “You okay?” he asked, searching her face as the small crowd passed by.
She took a deep breath, exhaled it. “Yes,” she snapped. “I’m fine.”
“What was that all about, anyway?”
“I already told you—I wasn’t looking where I was going and I walked into him. I said I was sorry, but he didn’t want an apology. The old grouch just wanted to argue.”
She followed Wade’s gaze to the entrance, one floor down, saw him watch the old man huffing his way toward the enormous revolving door. “Hard to tell what brought him here this early on a Saturday morning….”
As the fellow shuffled into the lobby, she realized that Wade was right. For all she knew, the poor man hadcome to Ellicott to visit a dying friend or relative, or to have an emergency consultation with a doctor for a serious condition of his own. A surge of guilt further reddened her cheeks. What an awful, mean-spirited person she was!
If she’d had a decent night’s sleep, or had taken time to eat a proper breakfast, or hadn’t run into a huge traffic snarl on the way to work… And if Wade wasn’t looking at her with a “poor little thing” expression—as if she were a lost puppy and he the guy who’d found her—she might have dismissed the incident as an unpleasant experience for both her and the old man.
As things stood, she had more than a little trouble keeping the tears at bay.
“What’re you doing here at this hour on a Saturday?” he asked.
She sighed. “There’s this…this thing, ” she said, waving a hand beside her head. “Children’s Health Week starts today, and three of the children’s wards are having parties. I have to—”
“When do the parties start?” he asked, his voice calm and reassuring, his smile warm.
“Not till this afternoon, but—”
“But nothing,” he interrupted, taking her elbow. “You have time for a cup of coffee.” He led her toward the steps. “What did you have for breakfast?”
“Didn’t.”
“What?” He shook his head. “Surely you’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
She glanced at her watch.
“Cut it out,” he scolded. “You have time for a bite to eat.”
Patrice stopped on the next landing. “What’re you doing here at this hour on a Saturday?”
“It’s nearly nine-thirty, and I have rounds to—”
Slump-shouldered, she groaned. “Well, Wade, I feel bad enough already, getting into brawls with old men and all, without making you late for your hospital rounds.”
He chuckled and started walking again. “It isn’t a requirement. I do it because…”
When Wade stopped talking all of a sudden, she looked up into his face. “Because what?”
He wouldn’t meet her eyes.
They’d reached the ground floor by now, and Wade held the door that led from the parking garage to the hospital’s main entrance. “So what’re you in the mood for?” he asked. “Scrambled eggs? Bacon? Bagel and cream cheese?”
Her own problems were quickly forgotten, replaced by concern for him. “Haven’t said I’d eat breakfast…yet,” she teased.
Wade slowed his pace. “You’d really let a hardworkin’ doc eat alone?” A silent whistle passed his lips. “I gotta tell ya, Patrice, that’s cold. Real cold.”
Pleased at the smile that replaced his
Frowning, Wade looked from Patrice to the man and back again, then stepped between them. “Hey,” he began in a friendly voice, “it was just an accident, so if you’re not hurt, then I suggest we cut this short, because folks want to use—”
Until Wade brought it to his attention, the man didn’t seem to notice that several people were staring. “Mind your own bee’s wax,” he growled at the lot of them, then stomped down the steps.
Wade slid an arm around Patrice’s waist and guided her nearer the rail. “You okay?” he asked, searching her face as the small crowd passed by.
She took a deep breath, exhaled it. “Yes,” she snapped. “I’m fine.”
“What was that all about, anyway?”
“I already told you—I wasn’t looking where I was going and I walked into him. I said I was sorry, but he didn’t want an apology. The old grouch just wanted to argue.”
She followed Wade’s gaze to the entrance, one floor down, saw him watch the old man huffing his way toward the enormous revolving door. “Hard to tell what brought him here this early on a Saturday morning….”
As the fellow shuffled into the lobby, she realized that Wade was right. For all she knew, the poor man hadcome to Ellicott to visit a dying friend or relative, or to have an emergency consultation with a doctor for a serious condition of his own. A surge of guilt further reddened her cheeks. What an awful, mean-spirited person she was!
If she’d had a decent night’s sleep, or had taken time to eat a proper breakfast, or hadn’t run into a huge traffic snarl on the way to work… And if Wade wasn’t looking at her with a “poor little thing” expression—as if she were a lost puppy and he the guy who’d found her—she might have dismissed the incident as an unpleasant experience for both her and the old man.
As things stood, she had more than a little trouble keeping the tears at bay.
“What’re you doing here at this hour on a Saturday?” he asked.
She sighed. “There’s this…this thing, ” she said, waving a hand beside her head. “Children’s Health Week starts today, and three of the children’s wards are having parties. I have to—”
“When do the parties start?” he asked, his voice calm and reassuring, his smile warm.
“Not till this afternoon, but—”
“But nothing,” he interrupted, taking her elbow. “You have time for a cup of coffee.” He led her toward the steps. “What did you have for breakfast?”
“Didn’t.”
“What?” He shook his head. “Surely you’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
She glanced at her watch.
“Cut it out,” he scolded. “You have time for a bite to eat.”
Patrice stopped on the next landing. “What’re you doing here at this hour on a Saturday?”
“It’s nearly nine-thirty, and I have rounds to—”
Slump-shouldered, she groaned. “Well, Wade, I feel bad enough already, getting into brawls with old men and all, without making you late for your hospital rounds.”
He chuckled and started walking again. “It isn’t a requirement. I do it because…”
When Wade stopped talking all of a sudden, she looked up into his face. “Because what?”
He wouldn’t meet her eyes.
They’d reached the ground floor by now, and Wade held the door that led from the parking garage to the hospital’s main entrance. “So what’re you in the mood for?” he asked. “Scrambled eggs? Bacon? Bagel and cream cheese?”
Her own problems were quickly forgotten, replaced by concern for him. “Haven’t said I’d eat breakfast…yet,” she teased.
Wade slowed his pace. “You’d really let a hardworkin’ doc eat alone?” A silent whistle passed his lips. “I gotta tell ya, Patrice, that’s cold. Real cold.”
Pleased at the smile that replaced his
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