(Complete) Brenna Reilly has one secret. She lied to her mother to go to a beach party when she was still seventeen. Twelve years later, she comes face to face with the nameless guy from the beach and hopes he doesn't remember her.
Noah Gentry is go...
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Twelve years later...
Noah Gentry ran his hands over his face. It wasn't ten o'clock and he could tell it would be a long night. Couldn't people go to their own doctors? The emergency department was no place for colds and sore throats.
Not that all his patients weren't appropriate for the setting. He had just performed a spinal tap on an infant who had suffered a febrile seizure. The poor, frantic parents clung to each other. Distraught parents brought a dark cloud over his head. Luckily, the hustle and bustle blew it away.
Noah had put every second of his life into becoming a doctor and his reward was he worked all the time. Most of his friends were already settled down. He rarely went out, because he had given up on drunk women a long time ago. Looking up, he saw a nurse showing a woman with long dark hair into a room.
Long dark hair always reminded him and brought back a sour feeling in the pit of his gastrointestinal tract. If he ever met his twenty-one-year-old self, he'd beat the shit out of him and he was not a violent man. Forced to grow up too soon, he was typically the responsible one, so why had he acted so irresponsibly?
It had been years, and he was still waiting for the shoe to drop. Any time he watched the news it reminded him it was never too late.
Stephanie approached him. "Dehydration from vomiting, room twelve. You look tired."
"Aren't we all?"
"You know me. I danced until one am and was here mostly on time at 7 pm."
He laughed because she was always mostly on time while he was always early. Did she really go dancing on a Tuesday night? Steph was his friend, although he'd bet his paycheck she wished they were more. She was cute with her blond curls, but he wasn't attracted to her. She liked to play hard, and he wasn't into that.
"Get some blood before you start the juice. I'll be right in."
"Will do. I'll notify her father."
"Why is she a minor?" They didn't notify family, unless it was more serious than vomit.
"Look who he is."
Glancing at the electronic record on his tablet, her father was a renowned surgeon on staff. "Steph, did the patient ask for him?" She shook his head. "Get permission. She's an adult."
He clicked on his tablet and ordered some labs — metabolic panels, blood alcohol, HCG level, tox screen. Then he stood to go evaluate the patient. Steph was inserting the IV catheter, when he walked in to greet his patient enthusiastically.
"Hello Ms. Reilly, I'm Dr. Gentry."
It was then his eyes reached her face. Frozen in his tracks, he took in those green eyes. It was the girl who held his future in her hands. She was lying in the bed. He blinked because he didn't want to think about his stupidity the last time he had seen her on a bed.
"Should I start the fluids, doctor?"
He put his index finger up. "So how long have you been sick?"
"Since last night." Her voice was weak. She turned her head and closed her eyes.
He should ask if there was any chance she was pregnant but couldn't bring himself to. He turned away. "Steph, start the saline. I'll prescribe Zofran and can you find out what she ate, please."
Outside the room, the deep breaths didn't help. Desperate to know how grave his mistake had been, he took a closer look at her medical record — non gravida, only surgical procedure was tooth extractions. Her age caught his attention. She hadn't even been a student at BU, at least not yet.
He remembered seeing the blood. He hadn't known she was a virgin. He panicked and told her to go back to the beach, then he sat up all night waiting for the police. He kept thinking he would break his mother's heart. Instead, one day went by and then two. Some days he was certain she said yes. Others all he knew was that she hadn't said no.
She was still beautiful. Noah had seen her the minute she stepped on the beach. He should have realized she was younger, but he was too busy admiring how she was reserved. He liked quieter, studious, and sensitive girls. As he spoke to her, he could tell she was all of those and more.
He had to pull himself together, as he checked on his other patients. A teenage boy with a dislocated shoulder. Together with a physician's assistant, he burned off a lot of nervous energy using his strength to pop the shoulder into place. The kid was brave and walked out with orders to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon and a sling he'd probably take off the minute he got home.
By the time he rounded to room twelve, the labs were back. Everything of concern was negative. The culprit had to have been something she ate.
When he entered the room, a tall man was standing by her bed. He turned and nodded. He had the same green eyes.
"Dr. Reilly, I'm Dr. Gentry."
"Did you do blood work?"
"Yes, all negative except for indications of dehydration."
"HCG?"
Noah paused before nodding.
"I have three children all in their twenties. I'm not naïve, but my Bren is the oldest. She's my rule follower, so I'd be surprised. You're my easy one, right Bren?"
Noah felt like shit. Brenna had tears in her eyes much like that night. He saw them and only felt worse.
"Brenna, what did you eat?" Her father asked.
Before she could answer, he scanned her notes. "My money's on the salad bar."
He sighed and turned to Noah. "I assume once she's hydrated, you'll let her go."
Noah nodded. He left father and daughter. He had other patients who needed him.
Much later, he went into her room. She was asleep, but he whispered to her. "I'm sorry, BU."
She didn't stir. He did something he had never even considered doing before. He wrote her phone number and put the slip of paper in his pocket.
At six am, she was sitting up and alert. Stephanie was taking her IV out as he addressed her.
"I'd recommend rest today and plenty of fluids. Eat bland foods, if you feel hungry. It may take a few days for your appetite to return. I would discourage any exercise until you're eating normal again. If you start to feel weak or light-headed take in more fluid. If you can't keep it down, then come back in and we'll hook you up again."
She looked at him and nodded. Her face gave nothing away. He really didn't know if he should acknowledge remembering her, but he couldn't say anything in front of Stephanie.
What would he say anyway? Remember me, I'm the jerk who took your virginity.
"Any questions?"
She shook her head. Stephanie began talking to her about the IV and then she gushed about the patient's father, as he slipped out the door.
He was busy with another patient when she left. The minute his replacement was up to speed, he flew out the door. He felt as if he barely survived his shift.
Returning to his place, he sat down to eat a bowl of cereal and fruit. He couldn't sleep without eating something. He also liked to check in with his mother to see she was okay. It was a dual purpose, because she liked to know he was home safe after his shift. Noah didn't feel smothered, and they never forgot to say I love you.
