Page 3 of Stuck on Jude

Her eyes widen suddenly. Her mouth falls open as she gasps.

“Wait. Where am I?” she asks. Her eyes flicker around the room.

“You’re in my clinic,” I say gently. “Silas and I brought you in here so you’d be more comfortable. Do you remember what happened?”

She nods and winces. “Ouch. That hurt.”

“I’m not surprised. You have a pretty impressive goose egg on top of your head.”

She reaches up to touch and cringes again.

“Yeah.” She drops her hands to her sides. “Maybe I just won’t move for a little bit.”

“That’s probably a good idea. I’ll just finish my exam and we’ll get you out of here as soon as I can.” I clamp my mouth shut. I’m talking way too fast. In an effort to comfort her, I give her a thin-lipped smile. I reach for my clipboard. I fumble with it before it falls on the floor. “Crap.”

Reaching down, I pick it up and promptly drop it again. I’m usually not this clumsy. Hell, I’m a trained and board-certified surgeon. I’m good with my hands.

It’s just, right now they—and my mouth—don’t seem to be working properly.

I’ve worked with more patients than I can remember. But for some reason, I’ve only been with this woman a few minutes and she has me rattled. That’s not good. I’m a professional, damn it. I have to look at her like she’s any other patient and give her the care she needs.

But, she’s not just any patient. That much is clear.

Still, the sooner I complete this examination, the better. For both of us.

As I continue the exam, I repeat my earlier question. “Do you remember what happened?”

“I was walking down the steps. I wasn’t paying attention and I fell.” Her eyes widen. “How long was I out?”

“Just a few minutes. Now, where exactly do you feel pain.”

“It’s mostly in my head. Though, that’s not as bad as I might’ve thought considering I fell down a flight of stairs.”

“Fortunately for you, I think it was only a handful of steps.” My jaw clenches at the thought of her falling down a full flight. If she had, I’m not sure we’d be talking right now. “How about here?”

I move my fingers to her neck. I focus on keeping my breath and heartbeat regular instead of on how smooth her skin feels against my fingertips.

“Not really,” she says. “My legs and arms hurt a little. But just like bruises.”

I turn my attention toward her limbs. “It doesn’t look like anything is broken. But we should probably run some X-rays just to be safe.”

She gives a short, humorless laugh. “Just watch, it’ll probably turn out that I’ve broken both arms and legs?”

“Because I had a feeling I’d be the person who ended up in a cast on this girls’ trip.” She rolls her eyes but remembers not to shake her head. “That’s why I decided not to hit the slopes and stayed back to read.”

She gasps again.

My heart leaps into my throat. “What’s wrong?”

“I was carrying a pile of books. Where are they?”

“Don’t worry about them.” I pat her shoulder in comfort. But it’s a mistake. The soft fabric ignites a jolt of lust in my belly. Dropping my hand to my side, I clear my throat. “Silas picked them up while I carried you. They’re in a pile by the door.”

“You carried me?”

“I did.”

She sighs. “That figures too.”

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