Part 9 (1/2)
”Or that she had you. The doctors must have warned her against it,” Sara interjected around her mouthful of taco.
Melissa had never considered it before, but given the severity of her mother's anemia, having a child would have been an issue.
Most people would have guessed her mother had gone to the extra effort because she really wanted children, but Melissa couldn't accept that. Her mother had never had much interest in her child. And her father's attentions had always been elsewhere. Melissa had been a very distant third, or possibly fourth, considering how much time her father had given to his patients and students.
”Earth to Melissa. Come in, Melissa,” Sara teased.
Melissa shook her head in self-chastis.e.m.e.nt. ”It was a risk, although I never thought about it. We weren't close.”
”Mami and me...” A wistful tone crept into Sara's voice. ”It's like having a big sister. She always has time for me. Makes me laugh. Keeps me on the straight and narrow.”
”That must be great. I can understand why you're willing to try anything, only...Do you think my father's experiments had anything to do with my mother?”
”Definitely. It wasn't for the hospital or his cla.s.ses.”
”No, not his cla.s.ses.” Melissa had helped her father with those labs, which all consisted of preprepared histological samples for review.
”You know, Sloan might be able to help you out,” Sara said. ”He and your father were tight. If there's something to know, he's the one.” Although Edward and her father had been friends, Melissa hadn't gotten the sense that they'd shared much in the months before her parents' deaths. On the contrary, at the hospital gala just a month before the crash, she'd detected almost a chill between the two men, but had written it off as due to the compet.i.tive battling that sometimes went on in hospital politics.
Since her parents' deaths, Edward had been the soul of propriety and helpfulness. ”I'll see if he knows anything,” she said, although with the information Diana had given her earlier that day, she wasn't sure how she'd approach her father's old friend.
It was a dumb move to visit her at the hospital, Sebastian thought. It would accomplish nothing good. But after scanning what Melissa had said was her father's last journal and tackling some of the earlier ones, he'd had enough of working and not enough of seeing Melissa.
On the short walk from Ryder's apartment, he debated the wisdom of what he was about to do. Reminded himself that the most logical thing would be to go home. His work was almost done, and after that there would be nothing else to keep him close to Melissa.
Except that since he'd left her last night, Melissa was the only thing he'd been able to think about. The realist in him said it was because of the almost painful physical condition their encounter had left him in. The romantic in him fancied the thought that they could be happy together.
To which the realist replied that all he could do was hurt her because he could never be the kind of man she needed. Melissa was a complicated woman with even more complicated needs. Needs beyond his capabilities.
To which the rebel in him said-f.u.c.k you. Sebastian told himself the voice of the realist was just his father talking, failing to see what Sebastian was truly capable of.
Right now, with all the arguments in his head Sebastian was certain of only one thing-if he could make Melissa happy for just one moment, that was enough. Armed with that knowledge, he pulled his black leather duster tighter around him and continued his walk to the hospital.
He paused at the door for security to check him out and then strode to the hospital directory. There was a moment of pride at seeing her name posted at this prestigious hospital, where only the cream of the crop practiced.
At the nurses' station where he stopped to ask the way to Melissa's office, an attractive Latina raised her head from the chart, gave him a smile. ”May I help you?”
Sebastian peered at her name tag. Sara Martinez. The Sara Martinez, he realized, recalling her name. ”I'm looking for Dr.
Danvers.”
”Are you a friend?” she asked.
Was he? ”Maybe more,” he answered with a grin.
She responded with a broad welcoming smile of her own. ”That's good. Melissa could use more friends.” She leaned toward him until she could see over the top of the nurses' station. Pointing down the hall, she said, ”Right at the end of that hallway. It's the first door to your left.”
”Thanks.”
He arrived at Melissa's office to find she wasn't alone. She was sitting on the sofa with an older man, having some kind of discussion. They failed to notice his arrival, so he tapped softly on the open door to announce himself.
There was a moment of confusion on Melissa's face, followed by a smile so warm and inviting, it sent a blast of heat through him. ”Sebastian.” Melissa rose and motioned for him to enter.
The older man slowly got up from the low-lying couch. When the gentleman was standing, he held out his hand to Sebastian. ”Dr.
Edward Sloan. And you are?”
Ah, Sloan. The one with the missing time in his life. If that wasn't enough to give Sebastian pause, there was the man's restrained air, which bordered on hostile. He shook the doctor's hand. ”Sebastian Reyes. I'm Melissa's friend.”
”A friend?” Sloan questioned. He raised one gray and rather bushy eyebrow and glanced at Melissa. ”This is something new, isn't it?”
Definitely hostile. Sebastian waited, almost expectantly, for Melissa's reaction.
She didn't fail him. Slipping her hand into his, she smiled at the older man. ”Yes, Edward. It is. We've known each other for several months now.” Melissa glanced up at Sebastian and continued, ”Edward is an old friend of my father's.”
He strove for the right tone. Respectful. Courteous. Even though the look the man was giving him was anything but either of those.
”It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm sorry I never got to know Melissa's dad.”
”So young man. What do you do?” The question was accompanied by another dose of the hairy eyeball.
”Edward,” Melissa warned, but failed to dissuade the older man.
”My dear. With your parents no longer with us, I somehow feel as if-”
”It's okay, Melissa,” Sebastian said and gently squeezed her hand. ”I'm in computers. Security and programming, to be exact.”
”Hmm. My stockbroker tells me that's a rather volatile sector right now.”
Melissa stepped between the two men and motioned Edward to the door. ”If you don't mind, Edward. I didn't realize how late it is. Sebastian and I need to go, and I have a few things to finish up before I leave.”
With a polite incline of his head, Edward left and Melissa quickly closed the office door behind him. She faced Sebastian, a pained look on her face. ”I'm sorry.”
Sebastian waved off her apology. ”It's okay. In a way, the old guy is right.”
Melissa strode to her desk, where she shuffled a few files. ”He's got no say in my personal life.”
Her personal life, huh? Sebastian stood behind her, watching over her shoulder while she nervously made her piles of papers and files. ”Is it personal now?”
She whirled to face him. ”Don't you think? Considering how we left it.”
Sebastian tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. ”How did we leave it?”
”Unfinished?” She brought her hands up to nervously grip the edges of his leather jacket.