Shattered (Anderson Special Ops #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,1
Montana. It’s terrible when you love both worlds and are torn between them.”
“Yes, Montana is beautiful,” Joseph said. “I love it every time I visit, but I think your entire family should simply move here, and then we can all visit that lovely state a couple of times a year, preferably in the summer and spring. I’m not real fond of the cold winters over there.”
“Yes, my wife feels the same,” Spence said. “We’re the odd people out with hating snow. Most people get excited for the first snowfall even if they are sick of it by the end of the season. My wife and I see those first flakes falling and cringe.”
“If I’d been a skier, I might appreciate it more, but too many accidents happen when the roads get icy, and I’ve never seen the appeal in racing down a steep hill at the mercy of slick blades on my feet. That’s just a disaster waiting to happen,” Joseph told him.
“I agree. I’ve treated many patients who’ve been in skiing accidents. They aren’t pretty,” Spence said.
“But I do appreciate that we all love different activities. If we were all the same, the world would be far too boring,” Joseph added.
“I couldn’t agree more with you,” Spence told him. “But enough of this. I want to get a picture of that heart of yours and make sure it’s still beating.”
Joseph laughed as he clapped Spence on the back. “Oh, Spence, this heart will still beat even when I’m gone. It’s so filled with love, it doesn’t even need blood to operate,” Joseph told him.
“I might have to agree with you on that, Joseph. If anyone can get the best of mortality, you might be the man to do it,” Spence told him as they made their way down the hallway.
Joseph’s life was good, truly wonderful. The only negative he could think of was running out of people to match. His attention was focused on Smoke and Eyes at the moment, the only two Special Ops team members who were still single, but he’d already paired them with wonderful women, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they were standing at the altar.
A smile crossed Joseph’s lips as he and Spence entered a new room, and he was asked to put on a robe for his examination. Joseph’s first grandchild, Jasmine, was growing up fast. He was reluctant to let her go, but he was torn, because the thought of holding his first great-grandchild was a very appealing thought.
What to do . . . what to do . . .
Chapter One
Amira Ito walked into her idea of the perfect place in the world, the neurology department at the Seattle hospital she worked at. Just as she did every single morning, she stopped and smiled as she glanced around. She was reminded that dreams truly do come true, and if a person was determined enough, they could make anything happen.
She loved being the first to arrive, loved the few blissful moments of peace that settled over her as she walked the entire room, making sure everything was in place, as it always was. The staff who worked in this room never wanted to leave their positions — and there was a line of people waiting for an opening to work in the coveted hospital location.
Amira didn’t work in a traditional way, and though she’d given a few superiors headaches in her short, but distinguished career, they eventually accepted that life wasn’t black and white in the world of medicine, especially when dealing with the brain.
Amira had decided before she’d stepped foot into a college classroom that she was going to become a doctor, and not just any doctor but a neurologist. She’d sat with her grandmother day after day, night after night, and year after year, as the bold, vibrant, beautiful woman had lost herself a little more each day as the clock continued ticking.
Amira had been brokenhearted to see the vivacious light in her grandmother’s eyes dim as she’d forgotten the simplest things and the people she’d loved her entire life. Right then and there Amira had known she’d specialize in dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. She’d paid attention to what had and hadn’t worked with her grandmother, and she’d volunteered in senior homes after the loss of her beloved relative. She’d never give up on these patients who were often forgotten, and she’d make each and every one of them feel special.