A Mummy For His Baby

Clearing her throat, she reined in those wandering senses of hers that appreciated a fine-looking man. Now wasn’t the time to be ogling anyone—let alone a good friend—no matter how broad those shoulders were.

She returned the embrace, trying not to gasp in pain. The strength of his arms, the pressure of his hug closed in on her, lighting up the injuries in her back like an electrical grid. A groan of discomfort escaped her throat.

“Did I hurt you?” He pulled back, his green eyes assessing, concern evident, and ran his gaze over her face, trying to determine what had happened.

“I’m sorry. I’m in quite a lot of pain right now—which is why I’m here to see you in the first place.”

Back to her original goal: to be pain and medication-free, to get her life back in order. Starting now.

“Pain? You hid it well during this whole thing.” He released her and gave her one gentle pat on the shoulder.

“Probably an adrenaline surge got me through.”

He lifted one hand and indicated that she walk ahead of him into the nearby patient room. “You’re my last patient of the day, so we can take our time—have a look at you and do some catching up.” The dark brows over his green eyes lowered, pinning her with a direct look. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I’ll give you the short version. Car wreck. Lots of back pain. I want to get off the pain medications.”

The last few months had been beyond brutal. A severe car crash had ripped her life and her relationship apart. Every time she told the story the pain surfaced—the emotional pain she’d gone through as well as the physical pain which was the reason for her visit today.

She handed him a folder with copies of her medical records. “The long version is in here. If you don’t mind, read it later. Right now I just want to see if you can help me with the pain.”

That was short, sweet and to the point. Rehashing her past wasn’t going to help her today. Telling him about the fight with her boyfriend—the reason for her car accident—was going to have to wait. The end of their relationship had come soon after the crash, due to her physical scars, and had destroyed her.

“That doesn’t sound very good.” He harrumphed and placed the manila folder aside and focused on her. “I’ll take a look at that later, for sure. Right now I want to look at you.”

“Thanks, Beau. I’m sorry, but I hate this pain. Every time I move something hurts, and then if I stay still too long I get stiff.”

The pain receded slightly as she walked along beside him, but the memory of it lingered.

“I can’t win.”

Tears pricked her eyes, but she pushed them back. Tears hadn’t been tolerated by her father, so she’d learned to suppress her emotions. Even now she had difficulty sharing them.

“You certainly can win—but winning may look a little different than you thought. You were in a serious crash. Getting through an experience like that takes time.” They entered the patient room. “Did you go through any physical therapy?”

“Yes. Two months of inpatient rehab. They said they did everything they could, but there’s got to be something else.”

Tears filled her eyes—tears she’d thought she’d finished shedding. Desperation circled her heart and squeezed hard. The pressure in her chest of the emotional pain focused there was like talons, digging in and not letting go.

“Though you did go through some rehabilitation, there’s still work to be done. Rehab facilities often focus on one modality, not on being open to other adjunctive aspects of care that can help people just as much as the traditional ways.”

“Really?” That statement perked her up. Somehow, deep in her gut, she knew there had to be alternative treatments, but she just didn’t know what.

“You came to the right place.”

The look in his eyes caused a surge of warmth through her. Hope pulsed in her chest. With the help of this man—her friend—she knew she was going to get through this tough time.

He peered at her with those intense green eyes that perfectly fit his streaked blond hair. He wouldn’t look out of place with a surfboard tucked under one arm and hanging out on the beach. Except there wasn’t a beach for three hundred miles.

“I’m so glad. You don’t know what a relief it is to hear that.”

Struggling with her emotions, she swallowed twice before she could speak again.

“It was awful. Having doctors telling me I’d never walk again, accept it. I think their sympathies ran out at the same time my insurance benefits did.”

She clutched her hands together to stop their trembling. The memory of the accident had faded somewhat, but she still felt the aftereffects.

“I’m trying not to think too much about that part of it. I’m moving forward, working on my physical abilities, but the pain is so intense at times I can hardly move.”

“You are one tough lady, Aurora—but you always have been.”

Beau pressed his hand against hers, this time offering comfort with a simple touch, and she appreciated the gesture.

“I can see you’re in pain. I’m a D.O.—Doctor of Osteopathy—and I perform manipulations of the body in addition to running the straight-up medical practice. That’s probably a little different than you’re used to.”

“Yes, it is, but I’ll consider anything that will get me where I want to be.”

“Where is that? What’s your goal?” The smile he gave lifted one side of his mouth, making him look like he had a secret.

“I want to be pain-free, off the medications, and back to my old self again. There has to be a way other than just taking more pills or different pills.”

What a relief, a joy, a gift it would be to have her old life back. Or at least to have her body back so she could take the rest of her life where she wanted it to go.

Right now she didn’t even know where that was. Working in a hospital again might not ever be possible due to her injury. Her job was on hold, her apartment had been packed up and put in storage... She looked at her friend, hoping he could really give her the help she needed when no one else had been able to.

“There’s always another way—no matter what the issue is.” Beau went on to describe several natural methods of pain control. “Massage would work. Yoga would be helpful, gentle, and it would provide the flexibility you need.”

“Yoga? I never thought of that.” She sighed as relief started to form in her mind. “I have to be back in action as soon as possible or my mother is going to drive me nuts.”

That was something Beau couldn’t do anything about. Her relationship and her problems with her mother were long term and would probably never change.

“How so?” He opened up a computer program, typing as they talked.

“I moved into her house with the intention of staying just a few days, until I can really figure out what I’m going to do. Unfortunately she’s determined to be my nurse, psychotherapist and nutritionist instead of my mother.”

Yeah, it was all or nothing with her. Always had been. Always would be. At her mother’s age, there would be no changing her.

Yet another reason she’d left home at such an early age. While growing up Aurora had felt like she’d been hatched or adopted. She hadn’t felt as if she belonged to her family. They’d had very distinct ideas on what she should be and what she should do with her life that hadn’t matched at all with what she’d wanted. Her needs, her wants, her dreams, had been squashed by her family.

The only solution she’d been able to come to had been to leave. To get away. Forge a life for herself elsewhere. So she’d broken out and left the state to fulfill her career goals at a large university hospital in Virginia.

At least she’d gotten that part right. A husband and family of her own had been more elusive.

Being in charge of her life was something that she would never change. But those ideas of building a life with someone, having a family, had begun to surface—then had crashed into oblivion after the breakup with her boyfriend and the car wreck. Eventually she’d figured out that he wasn’t a long-term kind of guy. Wasn’t in it for the long haul and didn’t have the fortitude to be the man she needed.

The first time he’d seen her scars he’d recoiled. That had been the end for both of them. All the plans she’d made for her future had come crashing down and she’d come home to Brush Valley to lick her wounds, heal, and recover from the accident and the breakup.

Here she was. Home again. Starting over. A new Aurora, reinventing her life.

Beau looked at her for a moment, contemplating. “I’m sure your mother was scared when you were hurt, right? She’s probably not over the shock of it, so you’ll have to cut her a break a while longer.”

That thought had occurred to Aurora, and she dropped her eyes away from the intensity of him, the truth in his words. “I know, and I appreciate her efforts, but if I hang around the house all the time she’ll feel compelled to wait on me. It won’t be good for either of us.”

Beau lifted his hands and looked around, as if suddenly struck by a bold new idea. “Well, as you know, I’m suddenly without a nurse and I need one immediately. I would love to have you help out as much as you can. If you’d be interested in working with me, that is?”

“What? Really?”

She hadn’t thought of working while she was in Brush Valley, let alone working with Beau. She hadn’t let her mind wander in that direction, but now it seemed like a great idea.

Her heart thrummed in anticipation, her throat constricted for a few seconds, and then her eyes widened. “I couldn’t work full-time yet, but I can answer phones, make patient appointments and work the triage line for you.”

The stress would be way less than working in the hospital, so she might be able to swing it. Could this be the answer she needed?

“What triage line?” Beau gave a sideways smile, lifting one corner of his mouth. “I bought the building a year ago...right before Chloe was born. A lot has happened since then, and I haven’t gotten everything in place.” He shook his head, but there was a smile there. “Maybe you can help me get caught up.”

“That would be fantastic! I could start any time. Like tomorrow.”

The idea of working with Beau, helping to get his business going and refilling her bank account were both very appealing.

“This would solve so many of my problems—just like that.” She snapped her fingers.

“For me, too. Agency nurses are hard to find this far out in the country, and I hadn’t even thought of looking for one yet because Cathy still had a couple weeks before she was due.” He snorted and shook his head, his eyes wide in self-deprecation. “Underestimated that one, big-time. But, if you’re serious, can you really start tomorrow?”

“Absolutely.” Joy lifted her mood immeasurably. “My temporary disability payments run out in a week, so working for you will be the perfect answer until I can figure out a more permanent solution.”

“Deal. You’re hired.” He looked away for a second, then back at her. “Do you want to return to Virginia and your job there? Or are you considering something else? You’ve been missed around here. By everyone.”

The look he gave her was pointed, and guilt filled the empty space in her gut. The people around here had once been her friends, her family, and she’d left them behind in order to have a life for herself elsewhere. Now...? Who knew what the future held, but returning here permanently hadn’t crossed her mind.

A sigh tumbled out of her throat. “I just don’t know. With hospital work there’s always a lot of lifting and pulling and tugging of patients or beds or equipment.” Her shoulders drooped as saying the words aloud made them more real. “I couldn’t physically do the job right now, which is really disappointing.”

“All the years you spent training and gaining experience feel like they’re going down the drain?”

Somehow, he’d hit it right on the head.

“Yes. Maybe it’s not true, but at this moment it sure feels like it.”

Sadness, grief for her loss, overwhelmed her for a second. She’d left this small town to create a life for herself, and now that life had been changed dramatically the first thing she’d done was head home—back to Brush Valley, where she knew she could recover. Could she leave again so quickly? It felt like a betrayal to think of leaving again and it made her very uncomfortable.

“So, be objective for a few minutes. What would you tell a patient if they were in your position?”

“I don’t want to play this game, Beau.” Being vulnerable was hard for her. Being vulnerable in front of Beau was even worse.

“That’s because you know I’m right. What I’m trying to do is get you to think outside of your pain. Come on—humor me. What would you tell a patient? If it helps, consider this a job interview question.”

Huffing out a sigh, Aurora closed her eyes for a moment, thinking, then opened them and looked at Beau. “I would tell a patient that this is a moment in time, and not to make any big decisions while still recovering, to relax about it.”

“Perfect!” He patted her on the knee. “Now you know exactly what I was going to advise you.”

He twitched his brows once at her and a smile found its way to her lips.

“Fine. You’re right. I’ll hold off on making any big decisions. At least for now. I’ll work with you and we’ll see how it goes, how my back does, and what other opportunities arise for my future—what I want to do, where I want to live.”

Saying it like that, all in a rush, sounded reasonable, but it was so hard to accept. Time marched on while she stood still. At least it seemed that way.

Maybe all she needed was a little more time, and Beau was right about that. Being driven, focusing on accomplishing her goals in life, had gotten her places. Having her goals and her life stalled due to injury was not the way she wanted to live. Doing nothing was incredibly frustrating.

“Good idea. Speaking of living situations, you mentioned your mom...? Think you’ll be okay there?”

Having lived alone for years, she valued her private space. “Although I love my mom, I can’t stay with her for long. Do you know of anyone with a room for rent? It doesn’t have to be much.”

“As a matter of fact there’s a small apartment upstairs you can use for free. It’s not fancy, but it would give you some privacy, and it’s a short commute down the stairs to work.”

He winked and some of the tension in her eased.

“I was going to rent it out eventually. For now, consider it one of the perks of working for me.”

“Oh, Beau. That would be fantastic.” Could this day get any better? “I would love that. And as my finances improve, I can pay some rent.”

This was the first time in ages she’d felt so excited about anything. Allowing hope to find a place in her heart had been an exercise in disappointment over the last months. Maybe now, maybe here, the time had come to take it out for a stroll.

“You’ll get turned around in no time. For now, I’m not going to worry about it. It doesn’t cost me anything for you to live there.” He waved away her protest. “What are friends for, anyway?”

“I can’t thank you enough. Just know that as soon as I can I’ll pay you back. I don’t want to owe you any more than I have to.”

“You’re a qualified pediatrics nurse, if I remember correctly—right?”

“Yes, but currently a semi-disabled one.”

That fact irritated her. Depending on others for jobs and apartments wasn’t the way she wanted to live her life. She’d made her own way in life since she’d graduated college.

“Semi-disabled temporarily.” He held up her file, then set it aside. “What’s contained in that file isn’t all of who you are. Remember, it’s a bump in the road and we’ll get you over it—or around it—one way or another. For now consider the apartment as part of your pay.” He picked up the file again and read a few lines. “According to your doctors you’ve made excellent progress.”

A snort of derision escaped her throat. “According to them, but it’s not enough for me. It won’t be until I get my life back.”

A grin split his face, lighting up his eyes and adding a sparkle to them she’d hadn’t yet seen today.

“Knowing you, you won’t be satisfied until you’re swinging from the rafters in your dad’s barn.”

That made her laugh—a genuine feeling that surfaced from deep within her, eliciting memories that hadn’t seen the light of day for years. The pleasure bubbled up from her chest and burst out of her. This expression of joy was unfamiliar. The last few months had been brutal. A good laugh was definitely called for today.

She wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands and took in a tremulous breath. “I guess you’re right. Those were good times, weren’t they?”

“They sure were.”

A haunted look flashed through his eyes. She’d seen fatigue in the lines of his face, how he rubbed his eyes when he thought no one was looking, and the look of pain when he’d handed the newborn baby to Cathy. Although she knew that his wife had died, she didn’t know all of the circumstances.

“You said the office is new, but I guess I didn’t realize how new your practice really is.”

Changing the topic away from things that were too personal for both of them seemed like a good idea. Now that she’d be working with him there would be plenty of time to get reacquainted. Right now she needed pain relief.

“After working for someone else in a large city clinic I figured out pretty quickly that it wasn’t for me. So I broke out on my own, bought the building and got it ready for business.” He winked and gave that charming grin of his. “I like to run the ship, not swab the decks. At this point in my life building my own business the way I want it seems like the way to go.”

The tension in the air that had been rising between them evaporated. They were back to an easy back and forth banter which eased her mind as well as some of the knots in her back.

“That doesn’t surprise me.” She looked around. “This seems more like you than working at a large clinic. I think you’re better suited to a rural setting, where you know your patients, than having huge numbers of patients run through your office every day.” She shrugged. “Not you. At least in my opinion.”

“Yes, you’re exactly right. I’m just getting going here, but I have high expectations. People have told me for years that Brush Valley needs a health clinic, so now we have one.”

Though he was saying the right words, there didn’t seem to be much passion in him—for them or for his new business venture.

“It’s a good thing. Maybe it will inspire more people to start businesses, too.”

“Then why do you look like hell?”

“That’s one thing I love about you, Aurora—you shoot straight and tell it like it is.” He gave a chuckle, but the laughter didn’t extend all the way to his eyes. “I appreciate it that you didn’t tell me I look worse than that.”

“You look like you haven’t slept in a year.” There was something going on with him—more than just running a new business.

“You’re almost right.”

He shoved a hand through his hair and his eyes darkened for a moment. The fun-loving Beau she’d known had had some hard times recently.

“Seriously?” She blinked, startled by the answer. “That’s a long time to go without a good night’s sleep.”

He nodded, his face grim. “It’s been a rough year.” He rubbed a hand over his face.

“Is it something you want to talk about?” She leaned forward, then cringed when her back tightened at the movement.

“You know that I have a child? A daughter... Chloe.”

“Oh, I see. If she doesn’t sleep, you don’t either?” She smiled. That explained a lot. In her pediatrics experience she’d heard that story many times from parents.

“Yes, well... Julie...my wife...died right after Chloe was born, so it’s always been just the two of us.” He dropped his gaze and cleared his throat, then picked up Aurora’s file from the desk again.

“Beau, I’m so sorry. Do you have someone to help you?”

Surely he wasn’t trying to cope with everything all by himself. Everyone needed help—especially in a situation like this. Grief for him cramped her heart. He had to be in such pain. No wonder he wasn’t sleeping.

Instead of answering her question, he looked away and cleared his throat. “How about for now we focus on you? We can talk about the disaster of my personal life another time.”

“Okay. Sure.” Now she reached out and placed her hand over his. As she did so the simple movement stirred a hot, burning sensation from her wrist to her hip. “Oh! Ow.” She cringed, unable to hide the grimace on her face.

“You really do need some body work done, don’t you?”

“Body work?” Her eyes went wide, then she frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Manipulation and massage.”

“Then let’s get to it.”

“Let’s get you into the treatment room and I’ll see what I can do.”

CHAPTER THREE

WHEN AURORA LEFT the clinic an hour later she was walking straight for the first time in months and she could take a deep breath of the fresh Pennsylvania air without pain. Awesome. All because of Beau.

For the first time since the crash she had hope. Beau had given that back to her.

After making the drive to her mother’s house, Aurora stepped through the door to the fragrance of her mother’s cooking. Instantly she was transported back to when her mother had given her cooking lessons as a child, when she’d had to stand up on a stool to reach the counter and the stove. Those were lessons she’d hated at the time, but she used them almost every day now. Go figure.

“Mom? Where are you?”

“In the kitchen.”

Walking through the living room to the kitchen, Aurora began to feel the stiffness that Beau had warned her about. She wanted to lean back on an ice pack, the way he’d recommended, and read on the couch for a while. Reading had saved her life as a kid, during the long Pennsylvania winters, and she hadn’t done nearly enough of it in the last few years. Today seemed like a good time to catch up a little, but first there was the task of telling her mother she was moving out.

“What are you making? It smells great.” Steam wafted up from every pot on the stove and a blast of heat caught her in the face.

“Making beef stew for dinner. It’s better if it simmers all day.” Sally looked at her daughter. “You didn’t forget that, did you?”

“No, I remember.” Her stomach growled in response to the fragrance. “Guess I need to eat something now, though.”

Opening a drawer, Aurora pulled a zipper bag out of the box that her mother always kept there. She moved to the refrigerator and filled the bag with ice cubes.

“How was your appointment with the doctor? Does he think he can get you straightened out?”

“Yes. Beau thinks he can get me fixed up and off the pain medications.” Now she was going to try ice on the hip he’d adjusted and go with an anti-inflammatory instead of the narcotic-based medicine.

“Beau? Do you mean Dr. Gutterman?” Her mother tossed a small glare over her shoulder and stirred some mysterious spice concoction into the brew. “You shouldn’t call him by his first name. It’s disrespectful.”

“I went to school with Beau. I’ve known him a long time. I can’t call him Dr. Gutterman now. That would be weird.”

She tried it out inside her head and it sounded like the name of some old doctor, ready to retire. So not the Beau she knew, who was young and vibrant and sexy as hell.

“Well, I’m going to call him Dr. Gutterman. It’s good to have a hometown boy bringing some business to the area. We need more medical people around here.” Sally inspected Aurora through fogged-up glasses and gave her a pointed stare.

Perfect introduction.

“That’s good, because he offered me a job.” “Offered” was a loose interpretation of their mutual arrangement. Desperately needed was more like it.

“What?” The expression on her mother’s face looked as if she said she’d just gotten a job at an exotic dance club, not a respectable healthcare business. “You can’t be working yet! You’re still recovering.”