Here I Am (Arabesque) - By Rochelle Alers Page 0,22
stilled, she glaring at him. “What part of no don’t you understand? No, Brandt Wainwright.”
“Is it because I am Brandt Wainwright?”
“No. It’s because you’re a celebrity athlete, and you can’t go anywhere without cameras following you. Every aspect of what you say and do is for public consumption.”
“And if I weren’t what you call a celebrity athlete?”
Ciara wanted to tell Brandt that she’d never dated blonds and in particular blond jocks with inflated egos but decided not to go there. “I’d have to think about it.”
While Ciara was thinking about it, Brandt decided to do something about it. He wouldn’t put undue pressure on her because that wasn’t his style when it came to women. He’d discovered his nurse was someone who intrigued him. Her appearance belied her lively personality. He hadn’t expected her to kiss him. He’d enjoyed the kiss, as brief as it was, and wanted to experience it again.
“I’ll accept that.” For now, he added silently.
Brandt maneuvered his chair behind Ciara as she pushed the serving cart down the hallway to the elevator and kitchen. Sitting in the wheelchair, he stacked dishes, glasses, utensils and serving pieces in the dishwasher after she’d rinsed them in the sink. Working together, they made quick work of cleaning up the kitchen.
She pushed him out of the kitchen and back to the bedroom. “After I take your blood pressure, temperature and check your heart and lungs, I’m going to give you your medication.”
Opening his mouth to protest, Brandt closed it quickly. He knew he had to cooperate with his nurse if he wanted to win her over. “I’d rather not take the pain pill until later.”
“Okay.”
Ciara stared at the thick, pale strands covering Brandt’s head as he pushed himself off the chair and onto the bed. He didn’t protest when she assisted him out of his shorts, leaving a pair of briefs and a T-shirt. She adjusted the foot of the bed until his legs were slightly elevated, and then the pillows cradling his back and head.
“Can you please give me the remote? The Mets are playing the Rockies in Colorado.”
Although she wasn’t into sports, Ciara knew baseball games ran an average of two and a half to three hours. That meant the game wouldn’t probably end until after midnight. She handed him the remote. “Do you think you’re going to get enough sleep, because I’m going to get you up at six in the morning.”
“I’ll be all right,” Brandt said, hoping to reassure his nurse that he was consciously ready to begin what he knew would become a difficult regimen of physical therapy.
“I’ll bring you your pain pill at eleven.”
“Eleven-thirty.”
“Eleven, Brandt,” she said in a no-nonsense tone. “The time is non-negotiable.”
He gave her a snappy salute as she turned and walked out of the bedroom. “Aye, aye, ma’am.”
Ciara had insisted on eleven because she needed to get at least six hours of sleep to be alert. Anything less would put her and her patient at risk of her making a mistake that could prove costly.
She returned with a small case containing a digital thermometer, electronic sphygmomanometer and stethoscope. In addition to his pain medication, Brandt’s doctor had also prescribed a multivitamin, an iron supplement and a blood thinner to reduce the possibility of blood clots brought on by his immobility. Any abnormalities were to be reported immediately
Her patient appeared oblivious to what she was doing because his attention was focused on the television screen. He seemed enraptured by the pre-game commentary as she handed him a glass of water from the carafe on the bedside table and then a pill until he’d taken all of them.
“Can you please adjust the air conditioning?” Brandt asked without pulling his gaze from the screen. “It’s too hot in here.”
Ciara did his bidding, left the bedroom and walked in the adjoining one. She half closed the connecting door. For the next hour or two she would shower, read, give Brandt his pain medication, then settle down to sleep for the night.
She wanted to forget that she’d kissed Brandt. What she couldn’t forget was how pleasurable it had felt. He’d kissed her cheek and she’d kissed his mouth. She and Brandt hadn’t known each other twenty-four hours, yet they’d crossed the line between nurse and patient.
Chapter 6
Brandt woke, unaware of time, day or place. The tightly woven shades covering the windows were raised and sunlight had inched its way over the parquet floor. It had been the first restful night’s sleep since he’d come home