you again, for everything.”
“You’re welcome.” This time he didn’t hesitate as he walked out of Ben’s hospital room.
She let out a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. Was she crazy to let a guy like Geoff Greenley walk away? She’d decided she didn’t need a man to make her happy, and she didn’t. Yet they still asked her out. From the brief interactions she’d had with the ophthalmologist she’d guessed he wasn’t a player, like Seth seemed to be. She’d bet Geoff hadn’t done anything to earn the nickname Romeo.
Tristan had hurt her, but she was smart enough to know that all men weren’t like her son’s father.
Maybe she would give Geoff a call when she had some free time. She still had his card.
“Kylie?” Seth’s husky voice caused her to glance up quickly.
Her pulse leaped when she saw him standing in the doorway. He looked uncertain, as if unsure of his welcome. Every nerve in her body tingled with awareness, and her stomach clenched with the realization that she hadn’t felt any of this tension, this sexual awareness and excitement, around Geoff.
Only for Seth.
She tried to cover up her body’s untimely physical reaction. “Hi. You just missed Dr. Greenley. Ben’s surgery went fine.”
“I saw him leave,” Seth admitted as he ventured further into the room. “I—uh—didn’t want to interrupt.”
Interrupt? She felt her cheeks flush and hoped Seth hadn’t overheard their conversation. At least not the part where Geoff had asked her out. How did she get into these situations, anyway? Time to change the subject. “Ben’s in the recovery area now. He should be transferred up here soon.”
“That’s good. I’m glad the surgery went well.” He wasn’t smiling. His hands were tucked into the deep pockets of his lab coat and he wasn’t meeting her gaze, at least not for more than a nanosecond. Why did she get the feeling he was trying to put some distance between them?
He was the one who’d kissed her this morning, not the other way around.
Seth didn’t do relationships, she reminded herself. Things would be better all round if they simply remained good friends. “Oh, before I forget, I have something to show you.” She crossed over to her laptop computer and turned it on, tapping her foot impatiently as it took a while to power up.
“Yeah?” His expression was perplexed as he came up to stand beside her.
“By the way, how’s your patient?” she asked, desperate for something to talk about while the computer program took forever to download. “The one from the car crash?”
“She and her baby are hanging in there.”
“Baby?” She gasped. “Good grief, your patient was pregnant?”
Seth nodded. “Yeah, but she was pretty lucky. Especially considering the paramedic crew didn’t feel her high blood pressure was anything to worry about. She’s okay from the crash, but is currently being treated in the OB unit for preeclampsia.”
“Oh, dear. I hope she and the baby will both be all right.” Finally the software program was running. “I’ll add OB pathophysiology to my list of topics to cover during our next paramedic training session,” she added as she clicked the buttons to bring up the Web page.
“Good idea,” Seth replied. He glanced at the article she’d pulled up and frowned. “What’s this?”
“An article about your biological father, Shane Andre.” The dark furrow between his eyes made her wonder if she’d made a mistake to bring this bit of news to his attention. Helplessly, she waved a hand at the screen. “I just thought you’d be interested to know your father is considered a hero.”
He didn’t say anything right away, his gaze riveted on the laptop screen. After a few minutes he glanced at her. “Thanks, Kylie. It was nice of you to do this. But I don’t know if it matters or not. The whole situation seems so surreal.” He turned away, as if he didn’t want to read any more.
“Seth, he didn’t leave you and your siblings on purpose,” she said softly. For some reason she wanted to help him come to grips with his past.
Seth let out a frustrated sigh. “I know you’re right. But for some reason it still feels like a betrayal.”
“A betrayal on your mother’s part? Because she didn’t tell you?” she asked.
He nodded, hunching his shoulders a bit. “I just wish I understood why she kept the secret, that’s all.”
Secrets were tough. Hadn’t she felt the same betrayal when Tristan had announced he was leaving the moment she told him she was in labor?