Knocking at Her Heart (Conover Circle #1) by Beverly Long Read Free Book Online Page A

sheet down and studiously ignored her
soft skin and the bright blue bikini panties she wore. Her waist was narrow,
her hips slim, and her abdomen flat.
    Pressing down with just the tips
of his fingers, he made a series of small circles. When he pressed into the
soft flesh on the right side of her bellybutton and quickly released, she cried
out. He pressed and released again. She arched her back and pressed her lips
together.
    Sam pulled his cell phone off his
belt and pressed a couple buttons. “This is Dr. Jordonson and I have an
emergency. Page whoever is covering the OR tonight.” 
    Maddie struggled to sit up in
bed. Sam motioned for her to lie back down. “Relax,” he whispered, his mouth
turned away from the phone. “You’re going to be fine.”
    “The OR?” she repeated. “Why—”
    Sam held up a finger and turned
his attention back to the telephone. “Oh, good, Harry, I’m glad it’s you,” he
said. “I'm bringing in a female, late twenties, febrile, abdominal rebound
tenderness in the lower right quadrant.”
    “What?” Maddie interrupted him.
    “I’ll explain,” he mouthed to
her. He listened for a moment. “Fine. I'll bring her straight up to four. I’ll
see you in three minutes.”
    He ended the call and put his
phone back on his belt. “Maddie, I think you have a hot appendix. If I'm right,
you need to get to the hospital so that it can be taken out before it
ruptures.” Sam looked around the room, spied a pair of lightweight pajama
pants, and grabbed them. “Let’s get these on you.”
    He dressed her, like he would
Kelsie, but he was very aware of her slender legs and her round bottom. He
picked up a blanket that lay across the end of the bed. “I’m going to wrap this
around you. You’ve got a temp, and I don’t want you to get chilled.”
    When she hesitated, he said, “We
really don't have time to waste."
    She sat up. He helped her stand.
She wobbled and he could tell her legs were not steady. He hurriedly draped the
blanket around her and then bent down. In one quick motion, he put a hand under
the back of her knees, one in the middle of her back for support, and lifted
her.
    “You can’t carry me,” she gasped.
“Not all the way to the hospital.”
    It was the fastest way to get her
there.
    “Oh, good grief.” She turned her
head toward his shoulder and buried her face in his shirt as he carried her down
the stairs. They hit the last step, and she turned her head slightly and
whispered. “Carol is going to be so worried.”
    She amazed him. She was more
concerned about her friend than she was herself. He stuck his head into the
play area. “I think Maddie is having an appendicitis attack. Can you keep
Kelsie until my sister gets here?”
    For once speechless, Carol simply
nodded.
    “I’ll call her from the
hospital.” Sam walked a few more feet before stopping. “Don’t worry,” he added
over his shoulder.
    “Thank you,” Maddie whispered.
    *
    Her head felt as if it weighed a
hundred pounds. She closed her eyes. When she heard the sounds of electronic
doors opening, she turned her head slightly and looked into the bright-eyed
stare of a young nursing assistant.
    “Dr. Jordonson?”
    The girl’s breathless tone
matched her baby-blue eyes.
    “Evening, Sarah,” he said, never
breaking stride. “We’re going to do this admit up on four.”
    “Of course,” Sarah said.
    He pushed the elevator button with
his elbow. The doors opened and he waited while an elderly couple stepped out.
Then he stepped in and the doors closed.
    It was just him and her and three
feet of space.  
    “I’m sorry you got roped into
this,” she said, as the door closed.
    “Don’t worry about it,” he said,
looking down at her. Again with his elbow, he hit the button for the fourth
floor. "You're going to be fine,” he said. “Harry Hanover is an excellent
surgeon.”
    The elevator doors opened and
there was a short man wearing a white lab coat that came to his knees. He