Page 6 of Dr. Alaska
Before her life and career had imploded.
She hurried toward the hospital, pulling up the hood of her coat. No bloody gloves—talk about a bad impression. Instead, she shoved her hands into her pockets as her boots squeaked on a few inches of fluffy snow that hadn’t yet been plowed.
The slate blue and earth tones of the interior and gust of warm air welcomed her right along with the balding middle-aged man at the front desk.
“Can I help you?” he said with a smile.
“Dr. Tipton here to meet… um…” Dang it, she had left her printed itinerary in the car. She glanced over her shoulder, dreading another walk outside.
“Deirdre, the chief nursing officer.”
“Yes! How—”
“Psychic!” Another grin as he punched in a number on the phone. “We don’t get many new faces here, and she let me know our new doctor was coming in for orientation.”
She protested, “I’m only a temporary—”
He lifted his hand in a gentle gesture to wait. “Hi, Deirdre, this is Billy. Dr. Tipton is here.” Putting down the phone, he said, “She’ll be right out. How was your drive? Do you need anything? Restroom? Water?” He tilted his head, one eyebrow raised, and pulled a face. “Stiff drink?”
A laugh burst from her as she gave him her coat when he offered. “Restroom, thanks.” Lee ducked in and cleaned her hands once again. A stiff drink wouldn’t hurt. One to shore up her nerves for this massive dive into the unknown. When she was thirteen, she had jumped off a friend’s dock on Lake Windward, thinking the warm water was only a few feet deep. Instead, Lee went down, down, down until she finally touched the muddy, debris-strewn bottom of the lake ten feet below. Took an eternity to float back up through the warm greenish haze.
This hospital assignment had a lot of similarities to that no-air, too-deep type of situation. Lee sucked in a big breath, dried her hands, smoothed her work clothes, and pasted on what she hoped was a professional yet pleasant expression.
A woman who appeared around Lee’s age with bright blue eyes, a bob of chestnut hair, gray business slacks, and a casual blazer approached from the desk, hand already out. “Hello, Dr. Tipton. Deirdre Steen, so nice to meet you.”
Steen? Like the paramedic? What were the chances? “Ah, you, too,” Lee stammered, shaking her hand.
“We’re so glad you’re here.” She beamed. “Our two remaining doctors are pretty tired. We were short-staffed before, but now? Phew.”
Right, because Lee was covering for the third doctor who was out on maternity leave. “Happy to help.”
“Well. Ready for the grand tour?”
“Hope you like it here, Dr. Tipton.” Billy waved, then answered the ringing phone, “Yukon Valley Hospital, how can I direct your call?”
Deirdre handed Lee a badge and pager with a sheepish expression. “Cell phones aren’t always reliable. Good to have a backup means of communication. Though if you’re out in the bush, neither will work. Plan your call days accordingly.” She motioned. “Let’s start in the ED.” They badged through automatic double doors.
The buzz of light bustling activity greeted them.
At the nurses’ station, Lee asked, “Is Bruce here?”
The ED nurse frowned at Deirdre.
“I stopped to help him when his truck flipped on the highway,” Lee explained.
“Oh, that wasyou?” The nurse’s brows rose. “Mav said somecheechakowas climbing all over Bruce’s truck.”
Deirdre’s head whipped around with a hiss, and the nurse clamped her mouth shut.
“Sorry,” the woman said.
Mav?Chee-what?
An EMT with familiar broad shoulders who had brown hair peeking out from under his beanie was pulling an empty ambulance gurney out of a trauma bay. “Hi, Dee,” he called, glancing back. Then his big smile dropped into a frown as he turned to Lee. “What are you doing here?”
Her cheeks heated. Had all the various monitors stopped beeping in the ED? No one moved.
Deirdre motioned. “Dr. Tipton, Maverick Steen, my little brother and Yukon Valley’s head EMT. And sometime troublemaker.” She poked him in the ribs, and he yelped, swatting at her.
