Page 4 of Healing Her

She snapped out of her anxious, furious reverie. “No objections.”

“Good.” Jennifer Colton was still smiling. “That’s very good. Because we’re all going to have to work together very closely. I expect a high degree of collaboration and cooperation with my surgical teams. Lives are at stake with everything we do as surgeons, but most especially in the transplant field. Organ donation is a precious gift, and every second counts in a transplant procedure, from the time a donor organ is extracted to when it’s stitched into its new home.” Her smile grew wider and her eyes locked in on Ashley’s. “It’s like dancing. One little misstep and you never know what can go wrong.”

Bile set Ashley’s stomach on fire. Was the transplant surgeonpicking on her? That sort of behavior would be beneathanysurgeon in her opinion, but certainly it had to be beneath a world-renowned transplant surgeon of Jennifer Colton’s level.

“We’re looking forward to working with you, Doctor Colton,” came from Ashley’s left, and oh, ofcoursethat suck-up Majumdar was on board with this preposterous plan. Oncological surgeons were almost worse than transplant surgeons when it came to pushing the boundaries of modern medicine into the stratosphere. But Ashley could understand that when it came to cancer. To a point.

Her blood boiled and she barely heard the rest of the meeting. She only snapped back to attention when she realized people were squeezing past her to get out the door of the conference room. Turning, she tried to squeeze out with them.

“Doctor Proctor?” The calm, friendly voice of Jennifer Colton came from behind her, and Ashley reluctantly turned to face her. Up close, she was even more attractive, Ashley noted with extreme irritation. She clearly invested in excellent skin care, forone thing. But it was her eyes, those sparkling blue eyes, deep as oceans, full of wisdom and mirth—they were what made her face transcend prettiness. Ashley liked older women because of their eyes, the knowledge they held.

If only this older woman wasn’t… who she was…

She shook her head. “Yes, Doctor Colton?”

Gently, Jennifer guided Ashley out of the way of the departmental exodus. “I feel like we got off on the wrong foot, Doctor Proctor. I’m sorry about last night. I’m sure my drink stained your outfit, so please send me the dry-cleaning bill.”

Ashley raised an eyebrow. “That is the least you can do, so thank you, I suppose.”

“My, you’re a prickly one.” Doctor Colton chuckled. “Is there something else I’ve done to warrant this level of hostility?”

Ashley stopped to think. It was the kind of approach she always took, to actually stop and think before she spoke, and to choose her words with care. “It’s not hostility. I am, of course, upset about my clothing. I also don’t like how you decided to tease me in the middle of your speech about unity and cooperation.”

“It was just a joke,” Doctor Colton began, eyes widening in surprise.

“A joke I don’t appreciate coming from anyone, let alone a surgeon of your stature who is new to this hospital. If anything, I feel the hostilities began on your end first.”

Blinking, the transplant surgeon took a step back. “I don’t feel hostile towards you. And this is escalating far beyond a spilled drink and a silly joke. Why?”

Ashley fought back the rising irritation that just looking at Jennifer Colton caused her. She still managed to speak carefully. “You and I have vastly differing approaches to medicine. I don’t feel like we’re going to work well together at all. I would like to simply request that you stay out of my way from here on out.”

With an effort, she turned on her heel and left the conference room, Dr. Colton stunned in her wake.

4

“Tell me about Doctor Proctor,” Jen said to the chief as he showed her around the cafeteria.

“Whew…” He let out a long, low whistle. “You first, what’s going on there?”

“Nothing big, from my end. We went to the same bar last night. I got a little too into dancing, turned around too fast and bumped into her, spilled my drink all over her.”

“Oh, yeah, she wouldhatethat.” He chuckled. “Listen. She’s a great cardiothoracic surgeon?—”

“Iknewit,” Jen chortled. “I knew she was cardio.”

“She is. One of the best in the state.” Reaching for a coffee cup, Steve offered it to her. She shook her head. With a shrug, he filled it from the machine and tilted his head for her to follow him. “As a surgeon, she’s unmatched in her field. As a person, she’s…”

“Capable of pressing diamonds out of coal with her backside?” Jen asked sweetly.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that, Doctor Colton.” He winked. “But yes, I will admit that Doctor Proctor can be a little… oh, how can I put it? Standoffish. Rigid. Set in her ways.”

“Noted.” Spotting a fridge with an array of cold drinks in it, Jen grabbed a bottle of fizzy lemon water. “What’s her first name, anyway? You just call her Doctor Proctor and she wasn’t exactly forthcoming with a formal introduction when I tried to apologize to her.”

He laughed and picked up an absolutely enormous, very sticky-looking cinnamon bun. “Well, I’m afraid that tracks. She doesn’t easily forgive, that one. Anyway, she’s Doctor Ashley Proctor. Ashley, not Ash. Never, ever Ash. A resident tried that once.”

Now it was Jen’s turn to whistle. “Ballsy.”

“Indeed. You will be unsurprised to find out that he transferred out of our residency program and went all the way to Beth Israel.” He raised an inquiring eyebrow at her.

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