Page 8 of Healing Her

“Yes, in front of half our department and the patient you’re supposed to be cutting open today.” Elaine’s blonde eyebrowsnearly disappeared into her hairline. “What do you think that little display did to his confidence in you?”

Ashley winced. “I’m going to apologize to him personally.”

“I feel like it’s going to take a little more than that to calm him down before you get to slicing into him, but sure, good start.” Elaine’s eyes were full of worry. “When I said I didn’t expect you cared for Dr. Colton much, I didn’t know just how little you liked or respected her. That was a very unprofessional display on your part.”

“Well, I mean, she’s wrecked the surgical schedule for the rest of the day, that’s not very professional either,” Ashley countered.

“Yeah, I think you win the lack of professionalism sweepstakes for the day,” Elaine replied dryly. “You went a little far, and for the life of me, I can’t imagine why. In all the time we’ve known each other and worked together, I have never once seen anything like this from you.” She looked searchingly at Ashley, who squirmed under the scrutiny. “You’re lucky as hell the Chief didn’t see it, although I amcertainhe’s going to hear about it before the day is out.”

Oh no.Ashley cringed. “God.”

“So.” Elaine took her hands and guided her to sit on the stairs. “Tell me. What the hell caused all of that?”

“I don’t know, exactly.” Ashley sighed. “She does just rub me entirely the wrong way, Elaine. No, I don’t care for her.” Picking at her cuticles, she thought about how much, exactly, she should reveal. “We actually met before she was announced as the donations director here. Well, not met.”

“Do tell.” Elaine lifted an inquisitive eyebrow.

“I went to the Indigo Lounge to meet up with City. I was looking for her on the dance floor, Dr. Colton was out there dancing, we collided.”

Elaine frowned. “Okay. That happens.”

“She had a drink in her hand, it got all over me.” She blew out a breath. “The next day we had that meeting where she was introduced. Which was the first time we met formally. She did apologize to me and offered to pay for my dry cleaning. But she also teased me during the meeting.”

“She did?” Elaine’s frown deepened. “How? Oh, wait, the dancing remark?”

“I can’t believe you remember that,” Ashley groaned. “Yes. That. Look, she’s just so… cavalier about everything. I feel like she doesn’t fully comprehend the damage she causes, doesn’t understand the effect it has on people. You don’t think that’s dangerous in someone who says she wants to save lives? How far will she go? It’s like she thinks ‘better to ask forgiveness than permission’ has any validity in the surgical world.”

“She wouldn’t be the first or the last surgeon to believe that,” Elaine said, lightly. “Some would argue it’s how some of the greatest innovations in our field were discovered.”

“And that makes it okay? To risk people’s lives?” Ashley shook her head. “Never mind. I’m just going to get wound up again, and it’s past time for me to go up and talk to the Svenssons.”

Elaine got to her feet, brushing off her backside before reaching out to help haul Ashley up. “Ashley, can I make an observation? Without you biting my head off?”

“Um…” She didn’t like the way this was going, but she was dead curious. “Sure, okay.”

“You say that Doctor Colton rubs you the wrong way, that she just gets your back up.” Elaine tilted her head, a tiny smile playing on her lips. “But I’ve seen a lot of people get your back up over the years. Not like this, though. This is different.”

“I don’t follow.” Ashley rubbed at her temples.

Elaine stepped close and peered up into her eyes. “I just wonder if there’s something else buried deep under that anger of yours.”

Yep. She definitely didn’t like where this was going. “Still not following,” she hedged.

She didn’t expect the left turn and the pinpoint accuracy that came next. “When’s the last time you were seriously interested in someone?”

Heat washed through Ashley, and she hoped to God she wasn’t blushing. “What does that have to do with anything at all?”

“Oh, maybe nothing. Or maybe something. Only you can say.” That was definitely a twinkle in Elaine’s eyes. “Do you have anything you want to say about that?”

“Nope. Nope, nope, nope.” Ashley shook her head and began to ascend the stairs back up to the surgical floor. “Lovely chat, Elaine. I’ll be getting back to my patient now.”

Her mentor didn’t say anything else, but her amused chuckle followed Ashley all the way back upstairs.

8

“An investment in hyperthermic perfusion technology is an investment in our future as a leader in organ transplantation,” Jen recited, pacing around her office. She paused and glanced at her laptop to review her speech. “Perfusion pumps have been used to keep donor kidneys viable far longer than the typical 24-hour time frame, adding precious time to the transportation segment of the transplant process. These extra hours might not be needed… or they could be critical in the event of unexpected delays.”

She placed her hands at the base of her spine and arched backwards, sighing in satisfaction at the sound of her lower back popping. It felt like she’d been walking for miles and miles in her tiny little office. Well, she probably had been. She’d been rehearsing and rewriting this presentation for Oakridge investors for hours.

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