Playboy Doctor by Kimberly Llewellyn Read Free Book Online

rare treat. This hardnosed surgeon was capable of deep emotion and possibly capable of great love. At least when nobody was looking. Astonished by what she saw she took a moment to gather her wits. She then gently knocked on the doorframe to announce her arrival.
    Shayne stood upright, cleared his throat. "Willow," was all he said.
    "How is he?"
    "Hanging in there. I was, just, ah, checking his reflexes, and his, ah, coordination."
    "Right, of course, reflexes." She tried to bite back a smile and beamed up at him.
    His attention went back to the infant and he emitted a low grumble. "I only wish we knew the family's history. Whether or not the mother was diabetic. Or malnutritioned. Or did she catch a virus while pregnant? It would help to know these things given the fact we're looking at a congenital heart defect."
    "It's certainly like putting pieces of a puzzle together," she offered, "but do we know which pieces are actually missing?"
    "In this case, the mismatched puzzle pieces include the greater blood vessels surrounding the baby's heart. The vessels are transposed, coming from opposite sides. We're looking at surgery if he can survive it."
    Although Willow gave thanks the infant's illness had been diagnosed, deciding to perform open-heart surgery on such a young, sick baby couldn't be taken lightly. If done too soon, the procedure could lead to a failing heart; if done too late, the defect could prove lethal.
    "I trust you're working on a surgical plan."
    Shayne gave a curt nod. "I spoke with the cardiologist and the CVT surgeon. I also put a call into the pediatric anesthesiologist. Once we firm things up on a surgical intervention, I'll let you know. I want to get this little nipper healthy and give him a fighting chance."
    "Yes, Doctor," she answered. Willow admired the surgeon's confidence at taking on this charitable task. She also admired the keen interest he took in this little guy.
    "Regarding surgery, our scheduled procedures begin first thing tomorrow. I want to be sure you're up for it."
    "Yes, of course.
    "Thank you, Willow. And good-night." His focus solely on the infant, he remained by the baby's side. The man wasn't going anywhere. Not yet anyway.
    She respected his intimate time alone with the baby and said good night. As she turned to leave, she noticed a new small gift box perched on the nearby table. A gift box she hadn't seen earlier when she stopped by.
    But was there now... with Shayne.
    A smile curled at the edges of her lips.
    * * *
    Willow gathered her things from the medical staff lounge, then headed toward the exit. She looked forward to getting home and getting a good night's sleep.
    Through the glass panes of the exit doors, a flash of white from a lightning bolt filled the darkening sky, startling her. She still wasn't used to the sudden storms manifesting at any given time.
    With the stormy weather and cacophony of thunder and wind running rampant through the area, she wouldn't be getting much sleep after all. Who was she kidding? If the storm didn't keep her up, then thoughts and feelings of Shayne would surely do her in. She stopped at the exit doors and peered out. Hard rain pellets beat against the glass. While she didn't mind getting wet in a downpour, she did respect the Florida lightning. Hopefully, a brief lull in the storm soon would allow her to get to her Toyota. Another lightning bolt flared through the sky. The ensuing thunder rumbled, vibrating the glass panes.
    The storm wasn't letting up any time soon. She groaned.
    Her cell phone rang. The caller ID revealed the number to her landlord, an older gentleman whom she rented a small bungalow from in the back of his waterfront estate.
    "Hello, Willow? It's Mr. Langdon. I have some bad news. We're flooded to kingdom come here. The pressure of the rising water from the storms caused a pipe to burst in your place. You're completely flooded out," her landlord yelled over wind gusts in the background.
    Confusion filled her.
    "My