Internal Fixation - Tawdra Kandle Page 0,61

news, and I wanted to share it with you.” I leaned back in my chair. “I got an email this morning from the Journal of International Medicine. They’re publishing the paper that the pulmonologists, respiratory therapists, and acupuncturists wrote about the ventilator protocol that you suggested.”

“Oh, my God. Are you serious?” Emma’s eyes lit up and went wide. “This is amazing. Did you tell Donnie? He was so excited about being interviewed by the researchers. We talked about it quite a bit the last time he was an in-patient.”

“I called him as soon as I got the email.” I grinned. “And yes, he was thrilled to hear the news. I thought you might be interested to know that they included your name, too, as one of the doctors responsible for the initial trials.”

“They did?” She did a little wiggle dance in her chair. “Wow. I didn’t expect—well, that was very generous of them.”

“It should be great for your career. I forwarded the email to the board, and I think they’ll be very pleased about it. They may make you attend the next meeting in order to recognize your achievement, so I should probably be apologizing for that.”

Emma laughed, and something inside me shattered into a million tiny pieces. It had been a very long time since I’d heard that sound, and I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it.

“I think I can survive a board meeting, but thanks.”

“Yeah, you think that now, but . . .” I shook my head. “Trust me. I was at the meeting last week.” I paused, not sure if I should share what had happened with the board, but on the other hand, it was probably something she should know. “Of course, I was there for what turned out to be a reprimand, and you’d be going for accolades, so there’s that.”

“They reprimanded you?’ She cocked her head. “Seriously? You mean, because you went AWOL for a year? Imagine that.” Her words were harsh, but her tone wasn’t, and the truth was that I deserved it.

“I know. And you’re right.” It was surprisingly easy to admit that. “At first, I was kind of pissed that the board was giving me shit about it, but then I realized that they were justified. Their job is to protect St. Agnes, and part of that is making sure that doctors don’t just take off without any warning.”

“Huh.” Emma crossed her legs, making her skirt go even tighter, outlining the shape of her legs. At least with her sitting down, I couldn’t ogle her ass. “I’m sure that wasn’t pleasant, but I appreciate that the board made the move—and that you handled it well.”

“A rap on the hand is preferable to losing my job,” I replied. “When I told Gram and Pop about the board’s action, they both told me that it was better than I had any right to expect. The longer I think about it, the more I knew they’re right. So I’m going to keep a low profile for a little while . . . keep my head down and do my job, so that no one has any cause to complain.”

“You’re a gifted doctor, Deacon.” Emma leaned forward. “And you’re excellent at what you do here in this wing. I’ve told you that before. We had a wonderful team mentality before you left. I’m not going to lie and say you haven’t damaged that, but I think it can be repaired. It’s going to take some work, though.”

“I’m well aware.” I nodded. “By the way, the other reason the board wanted me there last week was because of Noah’s donation.” This was hard to do, but I needed to grow up and act like a man, not a jealous boy throwing a jealous tantrum. “The board and I will both be sending formal thank-you notes, but please pass on my gratitude. That was beyond generous. I know the rooms he’s endowing are going to make our wing even better.”

“Noah donated to the hospital?” Emma’s brow knit together. “I had no idea. He didn’t mention anything to me—but then again, why would he? I don’t need to know how he spends his money.”

I found it interesting that Noah’s gift had taken Emma by surprise. How close could they be if he hadn’t told her that?

“He earmarked the check to be used for a music therapy room and a second dedicated transplant suite. When I saw the note about the music therapy, I thought that had to