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“But his seizures weren’t induced by the bright lights or the loud music. We had him in a controlled environment for two days.”

“Exactly. How controlled is an arena full of fans?”

Reece had to agree with her on that one. He remembered his father’s last concert. The screams from the fans were almost deafening. There was no way to possibly mimic the sounds and the feelings of being out on stage.

If it was the concert in that huge arena that triggered Gary’s seizures, at least the Opry was smaller and more intimate.

“Just one more test and if he passes we can discharge him,” she said grudgingly.

“Well, that’s if he agrees to it. When I checked on him thirty minutes ago he was chomping at the bit to leave. Why do you think Buzz is calling this early in the morning? I’m sure Gary was calling him to bring around his car.”

“Has he performed at the Opry before?”

“Yes and there were no seizures.”

Vivian bit her lip. “Yeah, but he’s been singing for a couple years and in stadiums.”

“I thought you didn’t know who he was?” Reece teased.

“I did my homework last night.” Vivian sighed. “He’s quite a rising star. They say he’s the next Ray Castille.”

Reece’s stomach knotted at the mention of his father’s name.

Don’t think about him.

“So what is the point you’re trying to make?”

“I’m saying that he’s been doing this for some time and never had a seizure before now. So what triggered these?”

“That’s the question we’re trying to answer.”

* * *

Vivian didn’t like the idea that they were letting Gary go. He was her first patient back at Cumberland Mills and Dr. Brigham had made such a fuss about him. When Reece and she walked up to his room, he was already up and about, back in his street clothes. When Vivian suggested another test he shot her right down.

“Look, I appreciate you two for saving my life, but I feel great. Perhaps it was stress related. I’m releasing an album later this week and I’m working hard for it to hit number one. The music industry isn’t the same as it once was when the likes of Hank Williams and Cash were walking around Nashville. It’s different. I’ve put in a lot of hours on social media and touring.”

Vivian frowned. “If you think it’s stress, then you need to take it easy.”

Gary grinned at her. “I can’t do that. As I said, I have an album dropping this week.”

“Gary, we don’t know what caused your seizures and that’s troubling,” Reece said. “What harm could come from running just one more test?”

Gary shook his head. “I appreciate it, Doc, I really do, but you had me hooked to those machines and I watched a flashing screen for hours and nothing happened. Nothing. I have to get back to work. I’m rested and I feel great.”

Reece frowned at her. He was feeling the same way about Gary’s discharge as she was. Gary might think he was fine, and medical evidence supported that he looked good, but there was something off.

There was something she couldn’t put her finger on, but she was powerless. They couldn’t keep a patient in the hospital against their will. Gary wanted to leave, so they had to let him go.

“Okay, if you’re sure, Gary. If, however, you don’t start to feel like yourself then you need to get back here as soon as possible so I can assess. You have to promise me.” Vivian would’ve got it in writing if she could have.

“I have an idea. I’m singing at the Opry tomorrow night. Why don’t you and Dr. Castle come, Dr. Maguire? That way you can be backstage and be on hand if something were to go amiss. Though I seriously doubt that.”

“The Opry?” Reece tensed right up. There was an odd hitch to his voice. “You don’t need us at the Opry.”

Vivian shrugged. “I’m game. I’ll go. I’ve never been to the Grand Ole Opry before.”

“I thought I heard you were a Nashville native?” Gary asked skeptically.

“I am. I grew up on the east side of Nashville.”

Gary winced. “That’s a rough part of town.”

“I don’t live there anymore, thankfully, so yeah, I never did get to the Opry. I guess everyone from Nashville has to experience it once.” Vivian looked over at Reece, but he wasn’t making eye contact with either one of them. He looked upset. Bothered.

“Reece, are you okay?” Vivian asked.

Gary paused in his packing to look up. “Doc, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Reece scrubbed a hand over his face. “Nothing. Just tired. I still haven’t had a chance to have a nap.”

“Well, go have a nap, but promise me, Doc, that you’ll be at the Opry.” He looked at Vivian then. “That both of you will be there.”

“Come on, Reece. It should be fun,” she suggested.

“I’ll think about it. If you’ll excuse me.” Reece left the room quickly without so much as a backward glance at them.

Vivian frowned and then she knew. It was because Gary had invited both her and Reece. Reece probably didn’t want to go with her and that ticked her off. Not because he didn’t want to go with her, but because he was ticked that they were invited together. Just because Gary had invited them both didn’t mean Reece had to avoid it all together.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night, Gary. Rest today.”

“I will, Doc. Thanks.”

Vivian left Gary’s room and headed toward her office. She found Reece sitting in an on-call room with the door slightly ajar.

He shouldn’t avoid the Opry because she was going to be there. He could go and she could go separately. Just because they shared the same patient didn’t mean they had to travel together. He didn’t even have to stand beside her backstage. He could pretend he didn’t know her. He was acting childish.

She didn’t even knock when she barged into the on-call room.

“Why don’t you want to go to the Opry?”

“I’m trying to get some rest,” he muttered.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Reece sighed. “It’s none of your business why I don’t want to go. I just don’t.”

“It’s because I’m going, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Reece said quickly. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea if we went together.”

“We don’t have to go together,” Vivian snapped. “Just because he invited us both doesn’t mean we have to arrive together or even talk to each other there.”

“Are you finished?” Reece asked.

“Yes, I think I am.”

“Good. Close the door on your way out.” He didn’t say anything more to her. All he did was lie down on the bed, covering his eyes with his arm as if she wasn’t even there.

His words stung, but what was she really expecting? So she shut the door behind her, trying to ignore the headache that was beginning to brew from lack of sleep, stress and frustration.

When it came to Reece Castle, she was going to have to keep reminding herself that she could no longer count on him for much of anything. Not even the benefit of the doubt. Whatever they’d had, even if in a brief moment they’d shared something, that something was gone.

CHAPTER SIX

“
I
T
’
S
OKAY
,
M
RS
.
B
OWEN
.
You’re okay. This is the MRI, remember?”

“Oh. Right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just relax.” Reece leaned back in his chair and the MRI tech started up the machine again. It was the second time that Vivian’s mother had begun to fidget and forced them to stop the machine. She needed to be reminded of where she was, why her wrist was bandaged and where her child was.

She thought that Vivian was a little girl and she was calling for her constantly. Though Reece didn’t imagine that being in the machine with a mask over her face would ease her anxiety.

Only Reece suspected it had more to do with the fact she was looking for her child. A mother who loved her child. He wouldn’t know much about that...

He’d run away once. Hid in his tree fort for two days. No one had looked for him. No one had cared he was gone. When he’d gone back to the house, his parents acted as if he’d never left. They hadn’t noticed his absence.

He was always an afterthought.

Vivian had told him she’d grown up alone like him, but he didn’t believe it. Not now. Not now he’d seen the way that Vivian cared for her mother and the way Sandra obviously cared for her.

“Images are up, Doc,” the MRI tech said.

Reece leaned over. “Damn. Can we get a deeper scan? Add some contrast.”

The tech nodded. “Sure.” And he got up to administer the gadolinium.

The Alzheimer’s was progressing quickly and it was going to be hard to tell Vivian that. Even though she should understand logically, given the fact that she was a neurosurgeon as well, he found that when it came to themselves or their loved ones doctors were the worst patients. It was going to crush Vivian.

And after the way he’d treated her about the Opry invitation, he didn’t want to be the further bearer of bad news. Besides, he should be here, working on his trial. Not gallivanting around Nashville.

Going with her to the Opry wasn’t the reason why he didn’t want to go. It was the fact that he would be recognized if he did go. His father’s pictures lined the halls with the greats at the Grand Ole Opry. It was the Mecca to country music.

Everyone who was anyone in the country music scene was at the Opry on any given night and all of them would know exactly who he was—and he didn’t like that one bit.

When Vivian had suggested she was the reason why he didn’t want to go to the Opry he hadn’t argued with her. He’d let her believe it and then he’d regretted it. He didn’t really want to hurt her.

Even if when she’d first left all those years ago he’d thought about hurting her the same way she had hurt him, but that was when the wounds were still raw and he was younger. Watching her in the OR the other day had made him realize that she’d probably done the right thing going to Germany.

He didn’t want to inflict pain on her, but he didn’t want to tell her why he couldn’t go to the Opry.

People in the medical circle didn’t know him from Adam. He was just a damn good surgeon and he wanted to keep it that way.

Once Gary or Vivian learned whose son he was, they were going to look at him completely different.

Face your fear and go to the Opry. What can it hurt?

It had been a long time since he’d graced those hallowed halls. The last time had been when his father was alive and he was just about to go into medical school. His father was getting out on stage to sing for the first time since Reece’s mother had died.

Reece had been so much younger then.

Maybe, just maybe, he could sneak in backstage and keep a low profile out of the spotlight. He didn’t know of many hiding spots at the Opry. Too bad Gary’s performance wasn’t at the Ryman auditorium. He knew of plenty of hiding spaces at the Ryman. It was a place he would hang out while his parents performed, but the Opry rarely performed at the Ryman anymore. Not since it moved locations.

He’d liked the Ryman.

He’d liked running around the top level. The half circle, while his father did his sound checks and his mother ordered people around.

And there were fleeting times he’d imagined himself up on the Ryman stage. Singing like his father because, even though he had issues with his father and being Ray Castille’s son, when his father walked out on stage he commanded a presence that not many people could imitate.

“Dr. Castle, Mrs. Bowen’s scans are coming up again,” the tech said, interrupting his thoughts. He hadn’t noticed the tech had returned and administered the contrast.

“Thanks.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. He had to get a control of himself, but since Vivian had walked back into his life memories were haunting him constantly.

The scans came up on the computer and Reece’s heart sank. So much had changed from Mrs. Bowen’s original MRI of just a couple of months ago. He had to start the protocol on her now or she would no longer be eligible for his trial.

Soon, whatever was left of Mrs. Bowen would be gone and it would invalidate the drug they were using.

“Where am I?” Mrs. Bowen’s voice was shaking over the intercom.

“You’re at Cumberland Mills, Mrs. Bowen. I’m Dr. Castle and we’re doing an MRI. Do you remember?”

“Oh. Oh, yes. Now I do. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Reece said. He was just glad Sandra Bowen didn’t remember him from seven years ago. The first time when she’d warned him off and the second time when she’d told him Vivian was gone and it was for the best.

“Am I done?”

“Yes. You’re all done. Nurse Rose is going to take you back up to your room.”

Reece sent the scans to his office. He had to find Vivian and get her permission to start as soon as possible. She hadn’t signed the consent forms because they’d been so busy since her mother was first admitted. Now he had to track her down and get her to actually sign the forms. He wanted to start the protocol for his trial today.

As soon as he had the forms signed he would take Sandra into the OR and inject the medicine in a delicate procedure involving some nerves at the base of her skull.

He found Vivian in the cafeteria, nursing a large cup of coffee as she read a medical journal.

“Mind if I join you?”

She didn’t look up from the medical journal she was reading. “Suit yourself.”

“Is that in German?” he asked, craning his neck so he could see the words better.

“Yes, Dr. Mannheim’s latest article. I like to keep up with his research.”

“You didn’t want to leave Germany, did you?”

“Do you want the honest answer?” she asked.

“Yeah, the truth, please.”

“No, I didn’t want to come back to Nashville. I didn’t have the best childhood. Bad memories.”

Bad memories
was like a slap to the face. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Why?” she asked, confused.

“I see the love between your mother and you.”

Vivian’s shoulders relaxed. “That’s not what was bad. It was all the times my mother worked night shifts and I was home alone, scared. And then when my father left...my mother checked out. So my bad memories are tied to that. Nothing else.”