One Night Before Christmas

She turned to look at him.

Over her shoulder he saw a huge player barreling in their direction. His helmeted head was turned away as he looked at the ball in the air. Not thinking twice, Dalton wrapped his arms around Melanie and swiveled to the side so he would take the brunt of the hit. Slammed with a force he would later swear was the equivalent of a speeding train, his breath swooshed from his lungs. His arms remained around Melanie as they went through the air and landed on the Astroturf floor with a thud. The landing felt almost as hard as the original hit. He and Melanie ended up a tangle of legs and arms as the player stumbled over their bodies.

There was no movement from the soft form in his arms. Fear seized him. Had she been hurt? A moan brushed his cheek. At least she was alive. He loosened his hold and rolled to his side but his hands remained in place. Searching Melanie’s face, he watched as her eyes fluttered open. She stared at him with a look of uncertainty.

“What...what happened?”

Dalton drew in a breath, causing his chest to complain. He would be in considerable pain in the morning. “We got hit.”

“By what?”

“Doc Mel, you okay?” a player asked from above them.

Dalton looked up to find players and staff circling them.

A large man with bulging biceps sounded as if he might cry.

“I’m sorry, Doc Mel. Are you okay? I tried to stop.” If that had been his idea of slowing down, Dalton would have hated being on the receiving end of the player’s full power. Dalton returned his attention to Melanie. One of his hands rested beneath her shoulder and the other on her stomach. Her cheek was against his lips. “Do you think you can stand?”

“Why did you grab me?”

“Because you could have been hurt if I hadn’t.” Didn’t she understand he might have just saved her life?

“Hurt?” She turned her head toward him. Her eyes were still dazed. “You have pretty eyes.”

Dalton swallowed hard, which did nothing to ease the pain in his chest. She must have a head injury because he couldn’t imagine her saying something so forward.

“Lie right where you are,” one of the people above them commanded. “An ambulance is on its way.”

Dalton shifted. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

The trainer said, “Yes, it is. You both need to be checked out.”

“Look, I’m a doctor. I would know if I need...”

“Now you’re a patient.” A man with a staff shirt said, “Mel, where do you hurt?”

Dalton’s hand moved to her waist and gave it a gentle shake. “Dr. Hyde, can you move?”

“Melanie...my name is Melanie,” she murmured.

Three of the trainers shifted to one side of her and placed their arms under her, preparing to lift her enough to separate them.

“Melanie, they’re going to move you.” Dalton took his hands away.

She nodded then made a noise of acceptance and the trainers went to work. Dalton started to rise and a couple of the trainers placed their hands on his shoulders, stopping him.

A few minutes later the sound of the ambulances arriving caught his attention.

* * *

Melanie wasn’t clear on all that had occurred before she woke up in the brightly lit emergency room.

“What’s going on?” She looked at David, one of the trainers, who was sitting in a chair across the room.

“You were in an accident on the practice field.”

Before David could elaborate, a white-haired doctor entered. “So, how are you feeling?” He stepped close to the bed and pulled out a penlight.

Slowly the events came back to her. She started to sit up. “How is Dr. Reynolds?”

The doctor pushed her shoulder, making her lie back. “First let me do my examination, then you can go check on him.”

She settled back.

“I’ll be in the waiting room,” David said and went out the door.

“Now tell me what happened,” the doctor said as he lifted one of her eyelids.

Melanie relayed the events she recalled and finished with “and Dr. Reynolds took the impact of the hit.”

The doctor nodded thoughtfully. “That he did.”

“How bad is he?”

“If you’ll give me a few minutes to finish my exam you can go see for yourself.”

Melanie’s chest tightened. She hoped he wasn’t badly hurt. Thankfully, the doctor pronounced her well enough to go. The time that she waited for the nurse with the discharge papers only made her anxiety grow. Because of her, Dalton was hurt.

“What exam room is Dr. Reynolds in?” Melanie asked as she pulled on her shoes.

“Next door.” The nurse indicated to the right.

“Thanks.” Melanie rose slowly, still feeling dazed. She sat on the edge of the bed for a few seconds. Her body would be sore tomorrow.

Minutes later, she knocked on the glass sliding door to the exam room. At a weak, “Come in,” she entered. Dalton still wore his slacks but no shirt. He had a nicely muscled chest. She groaned when she saw the ice pack resting on his left rib cage. His eyes were glazed as if he were in pain and his lips were drawn into a tight line. Guilt filled her.

Another one of the trainers stood in the corner of the room, typing on his cell phone. When she entered he slipped out, giving her the impression he was relieved to do so.

“Hey,” she said softly.

Dalton’s response came out more as a grumble than a word.

Melanie stepped farther into the room. She had to let him know how much she appreciated what he’d done. “Thank you.”

He nodded but his jaw remained tight.

“How are you?”

“I’ve been better.” The words were uttered between clenched teeth.

A stab of remorse plunged through her. He was here because of her. She approached the bed and moved to put her hand on his shoulder, then stopped herself. That would be far too personal. “Don’t talk if it hurts too much.”

A nurse entered.

Melanie didn’t give her time to pick up the chart before she asked, “How is he?” She had to find out something about his injuries without him having to do the speaking.

The nurse looked at him. “Do I have permission to discuss your case?”

He nodded.

“The doctor has some bruised ribs. He’ll be sore for a week or so but nothing more serious.”

At least that was positive news. Melanie was already guilt ridden enough. “Then he will be released?”

“He’ll be released as soon as he has someone who can take him home and stay with him. He isn’t going to feel like doing much for a few days.”

“I’ll see that he gets the care he needs,” Melanie assured her.

Dalton’s eyebrows went up. “Plane...”

The nurse placed the blood pressure cuff around his arm. “You don’t need to be flying. I don’t think you could stand the pain.”

There was a knock at the door and Melanie looked away from Dalton to find John Horvitz, her father’s right-hand man, standing there.

“How’re you both doing?” Obviously he would be concerned about the visiting doctor being hurt on team time.

Melanie gave John a brief report. “He’s in so much pain, it’s difficult to speak.” Dalton gave her a grateful look.

John focused his attention on her. “Your father wanted me to check on you both. He had a meeting. I’ll be giving him a full report.”

And he would. That was always the way it had been. Her father sent someone else. When he’d coached, team issues took precedence. As the general manager, it wasn’t any better. His concern had always come through a subordinate. What would it be like to have him show he really cared?

“He’ll call when the meeting is over,” John finished.

“Who hit us?” she asked.

John grimaced. “I was told it was Juice.”

“He must have been flying!”

“Not ‘Freight Train’?” Dalton mumbled.

Melanie laughed. The poor guy. Maybe he did have a sense of humor. She wrapped her arms around her waist when the laughter led to throbbing.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” John asked her.

“Sore, but nothing that I can’t stand. Dr. Reynolds is the one we should be worried about. I think we would both like to get out of here.”

As if on cue, the ER doctor came in. “If you’ll give me a few minutes, I’ll see you have your discharge papers. There will be no driving or flying for two days.”

Dalton partially sat up, “Two days!” As if the effort was too much for him, he fell back, closing his eyes.

She owed him for making sure she hadn’t really got hurt but this was a busy time of the year and adding the Currents’ play-off game didn’t make it better. Now she was being saddled with taking care of him for two more days.

“The team will see that you are as comfortable as possible,” John assured him.

Dalton’s eyes opened but he said nothing.

John continued, “There’s a driver and a car waiting to take you both home. I have notified the Lodge to do everything they can to make your stay comfortable.”

“I’ll see that he’s well taken care of. Thanks, John,” Melanie said.

Half an hour later, Melanie sucked in her breath when she looked out the hospital sliding glass door. Snow fell so thickly that she could just make out the cars in the parking lot. “The snow has really picked up.”

Their driver waited under the pickup area with the engine running. Dr. Reynolds, always the gentleman, allowed her to get in the backseat first. Wincing as he bent to climb in, he joined her. He reached out to pull the door closed and groaned.

“Let me help.” She leaned across him. Her chest brushed his as she stretched. His body heat mixed with the air blasting out of the car vents, making her too warm. He smelled like a fir after a misty rain. She stopped herself from inhaling. Using her fingertips, she managed to pull the door closed. His breath brushed her cheek as she sat up again, causing her midsection to flutter.

The windshield wipers swished back and forth in a rapid movement but the snow continued to pile up on the glass. She glanced at Dr. Reynolds. His shoulders were hunched and he was peering out with a concerned look on his face.

“Normal?” The word came out with a wince.

“We get a lot of snow here. We’re used to it. Looks like we’ll have a white Christmas, with it only being seven days off.” She tried to make the last sentence sound upbeat. In pain, he took on an almost boyish look that had her heart going out to him.

He leaned back and closed his eyes. “Only thing white at Christmastime where I come from is the beach.”

That didn’t sound all that festive to her. Snow, a green tree, a warm fire and people you loved surrounding you was what she thought Christmas should be. She loved this time of the year.

The driver had the radio playing low and after the song finished the announcer came on. “Fellow Niagarans, it’s a white one out there. The good news is the roads are still passable and the airport open. But not sure it will be tomorrow. The storm isn’t over yet.”

Dalton moaned.

“I’m sorry for this inconvenience, Dr. Reynolds. Maybe in a few days you’ll be up to going home,” Melanie said in a sympathetic tone.

And she wouldn’t be nursemaiding him anymore. She needed to talk to her father about what her duties as team doctor entailed. It would probably be a waste of time; he’d never listened to her in the past and wasn’t likely to do so now.

* * *

Dalton questioned if the stars were aligned against him. He was stuck in Niagara Falls longer than he’d planned. Too long for his comfort. The driver pulled under the awning of the Lodge. Dalton opened the door despite the pain it brought and climbed out. It wasn’t until he turned to close the door that he saw Dr. Hyde getting out.

“What’re you doing?” he muttered through tightly clamped teeth.

“I’m going to stay and see about you tonight.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear the doctor? You need someone to check on you regularly over the next twenty-four hours.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“For heaven’s sakes, can we go inside to argue about this?”

Without another word, he turned and pulled open the door to the Lodge. He had to admit it required a great deal of effort to do so.

She came to stand beside him. “You obviously need help. I feel guilty enough about you getting hurt. The least I can do is make sure you’re okay.”

His look met hers for the first time since they’d left the hospital. He wasn’t used to seeing concern for him in anyone’s eyes. He tried to take a deep breath. Pain shot through his side. He reluctantly said, “I would appreciate help.”

“Then let’s go try to make you as comfortable as you can be with those ribs. The elevator is over this way.” They walked across the lobby.

“Not going to make me climb the stairs?” Each word pained him but he couldn’t stop himself from making the comment.

She glared at him. “I thought your ribs hurt too much to speak.”

He started to laugh and immediately wrapped his arms across his chest.

They rode the elevator up and walked to the room. At the door Melanie took out a room key.

“You have a key to my room?” Dalton asked with a hint of suspicion.

“I was given one when we knew you were coming so I could check on the room before you arrived.” She slid the plastic card in the slot and opened the door. “I’m sure you’re ready to lie down. I’ll call for some food.”

“Are you always so bossy?”

Melanie dropped her pocketbook into the closest chair. “I guess I am when it comes to taking care of my patients.”

Dalton started toward the bedroom. “I’m not one of your patients.”

“You are for the next twenty-four hours.”

He wasn’t pleased with the arrangements. Still, something about having her concerned for him gave him an unfamiliar warm feeling. He’d never had anyone’s total focus before. Mrs. Richie had been the only foster mother who came close to doing that, but he hadn’t been there long before he heard her telling the social worker that it would be better for him to move to another house. After that he’d never let another woman know he hurt or see him in need. He made sure his relationships with women were short and remained at arm’s length. All physical and no emotional involvement was the way he liked to keep things.

Dalton crossed the living space and circled one of the sofas that faced each other on his way to the bedroom on the left. There was another room on the opposite side of the large living area. He would leave that one for Melanie. Giving a brief glance to the minibar/kitchen area on the same side of the suite as the extra bedroom, he kept walking.

He ached all over. His jaw hurt from clamping his teeth in an effort not to show the amount of pain he was in. He’d learned as a child that if you let them see your weakness, they would use it against you. Now all he wanted to do was get a hot shower and go to bed.

Kicking off his shoes, he started to remove his knit pullover shirt and pain exploded through his side, taking his breath. For once in his life he had no choice but to ask for help. When his breath returned he opened the door and said, “Dr. Hyde?”

Melanie jumped up from the chair. She must have been watching for him. Hurrying toward him, her eyes were filled with concern, “Are you all right?”

“I need help with my shirt.”

She stepped close. “Why do you need to take it off? You could lie down with it on.”

“Shower.”

“Oh.”

“Help?”

“Sure. Sure.” She didn’t sound too confident as she followed him back into the room. When he stopped at the bed she reached for the hem of his shirt. Her blue eyes met his. There was a twinkle in her eyes when she said, “You know I’m usually on a first-name basis with people I help undress. You can feel free to call me Mel.”

Was she flirting with him? “You said Melanie.”

She gave him a questioning look.

“That’s what you told me to call you after we were hit. You can call me Dalton.”

“Dalton—” she said it as if she were testing the sound of it on her lips “—hold real still.” She gathered the shirt until she had it under his arms.

Pain must have really addled his brain because he liked the sound of his name when she said it. He was just disappointed he didn’t feel well enough to take advantage of her removing his clothes.

“Raise your hands as high as you can. I’ll be as careful as I can but I’m afraid it’s going to hurt.”

He followed her directions. She wasn’t wrong. It hurt like the devil as she worked the sleeves off. Sweat popped out on his forehead.

“I’m sorry. I’ll get you something for the pain as soon as I’m done.”

Dalton was exhausted by the time she finished.

“Let’s go to the bathroom to remove your pants.”

“I can do that.”

“What’s wrong? You afraid you have something I haven’t seen? I’m a doctor for an all-male football team. I think I can handle removing your pants.”

“You’re not my doctor.”

“Just as I expected. The double whammy. Who makes the worst patient? A male doctor.”

He sneered, then walked gingerly into the bathroom and closed the door.

“Just the same, I’ll be right out here if you need me,” she called.

If nothing else she was tenacious. With more effort than he would have thought necessary, he managed to get his pants down. In the shower he stood under the hot water until he was afraid he might need Melanie’s assistance to get out. That would be the ultimate humiliation—having to ask for help again. He already looked feeble as it was.

His clothes were not right for the weather, he was hurt and now he needed her help to undress. He had to get a handle on the situation.

He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. Melanie opened the door and entered just as he pulled a towel off the rack.

He stood motionless. “What’re you doing here?”

She met his gaze with determination. “I’m going to help you dry off. There’s no way you can handle that by yourself. If you’re afraid I’ll look, keep that bath sheet and I’ll use one of the others.”

Their standoff lasted seconds before he handed her his towel. He wouldn’t be intimidated. Standing proudly in front of her, he didn’t blink as she took the rectangular terry cloth. She circled behind him and ran the fabric across his shoulders then down his back.

His manhood twitched.

Melanie continued down his legs and up the front before she stepped around to face him. “Lean your head down.”

Her voice sounded brisk and businesslike, as if she dried men off all the time. He rather liked having a woman dry him. Despite the pain he experienced with each breath, his body was reacting to the attention. Melanie briskly rubbed his hair, then went over his shoulders and down his chest. When she passed over his ribs, he hissed.

She gave him a sad look. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to be careful.”

Going further south, her hands jerked to a stop and it was her turn to release a rush of air.

“I guess you weren’t careful enough,” he smirked.

Her wide-eyed gaze met his.

“I think I can finish from here.” He didn’t miss her gulp.

With a shaking hand she handed him the towel and left with the parting words, “There’s a robe hanging on the back of the door.”

Well, he’d won that standoff. Melanie wasn’t as unaffected as she would like to make out. He let the towel drop to the floor. No way was he going to make the effort to put a robe on when he was just going to crawl into bed.

Melanie wasn’t in the bedroom when he came out and he didn’t pause on his way to the bed. The effort alone had his side aching. He managed to cover his lower half before there was a light knock on the door. He was in so much pain he didn’t even make an effort to answer.

She pushed the door open enough to stick her head in. “You need help?”

He hated to admit again that he did. “Would you put some pillows behind me?”

Melanie hurried to him. She went around the bed, gathered the extra pillows and returned, placing the pillows within arm’s reach.

Dalton groaned as he tried to sit up.

“Let me help you.” Melanie didn’t meet his look as she ran her left arm around his shoulders to support him. With her other hand, she stuffed a couple of pillows behind his back. The awkward process put them close. Too close for his comfort. His face was almost in her breasts. She smelled sweet. Nothing like the aroma of disinfectant their profession was known for. Too soon she guided him back against the pillows so that he was now in a half-sitting position. “Is that better?”

He nodded and made an effort to adjust the covers so that his reaction to her assistance wasn’t obvious. Why was his body reacting to her so?

“Good. I’ll get you that pain reliever.” She stepped out of the room and soon returned with a bottle of tablets and a glass of water. Shaking out a couple of pills, she handed them to him, then offered him the glass of water.

Gladly he took the medicine and swallowed all the water. Closing his eyes, he was almost asleep when the covers were pulled up over his chest. He was being tucked in for the first time in his life...and he liked it!

CHAPTER THREE

MELANIE SETTLED IN to the overstuffed chair closest to the door to Dalton’s bedroom. Dalton. She liked the name. He wasn’t as much of a stuffed shirt when he was hurt. She would never have dreamed she would ever be babysitting the world’s foremost orthopedic surgeon. Here she was spending the night and him really just a stranger. That might not be technically accurate after she’d toweled him dry. She’d been aware he was a man before, but she was well aware of how much man he was now.

Heavens, after those eventful moments in the bathroom she was almost glad he was hurt. She wasn’t sure what she would have done had he leaned over and kissed her. Shaking her head, she tried to get the image out of her mind but it didn’t seem to want to go. Being a professional, she shouldn’t have been shocked or affected by his nakedness but somehow his body’s reaction to her ministrations made her blood run hot. What was she thinking? She wasn’t even sure she liked him. He’d made it clear he cared nothing about football and her life revolved around the game.

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