On the Surface (In the Zone) (3 page)

“I believe we can noticeably improve your game,” Kyla added. “We’ve been working toward training you pros all along. I’d thought we’d start out getting some of the guys from the minors or the local amateur leagues but when Nick approached Jason at a personal appearance, Jason was nice enough to give us a chance. And today he really went above and beyond by bringing you guys...”

Jason put on his disgruntled I-don’t-like-being-acknowledged face. “I try to support small business. It’s my patriotic duty,” he muttered.

Tim chuckled.

“So, how about this?” Nick said. “How about you give us three weeks to tune you up? I know we can make a difference in your play. We’ll give you free smoothies for the duration in exchange for being our guinea pigs.”

Never one to pass up free stuff, Alex perked up. “I’m there,” he said. “Just don’t tell me what’s in them from now on, like that flax shit. That sounds like you threw some burlap in the blender.”

“You know, of course, that if you add rum to them you’ll be canceling out the benefits,” Jason said.

“You know, Jase? I already have a mother.”

“I’m in,” Tim said. “There’s nothing to lose and I want to kick ass as much as the next guy. Probably more.”

“Exactly,” Nick said. “We all want a chance to prove ourselves.”

Chapter Three

Erin Collier wondered if what she was doing could be considered stalking. Having minored in psychology, she didn’t think so, but denial was a powerful state of mind.

She entered the doctor’s lounge of Good Samaritan Hospital where she worked as a pediatric nurse and found it disappointingly empty. She’d been hoping to catch Dr. Oliphant. He loved coffee and could often be found there, getting a refill. She’d had a crush on the handsome pediatric surgeon ever since he got privileges at Good Sam two months ago. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only nurse who had her eye on him.

Once word got out that he had recently divorced, the single women who worked at the hospital began waging a silent war. There was little chance to attract him with a sexy appearance. Scrubs were uniformly unflattering, however, Jackie Kerstan managed to bimbify her look by wearing pants that were slightly see-through, gifting anyone walking behind her with a glimpse of her dark-hued panties. Erin might have written it off as a mistake, but it happened with a regularity that defied the odds.

Erin sincerely hoped Adrian—what a dreamy name—was above appreciating such slutty shenanigans. He didn’t seem to pay any more attention to Jackie than he did to anyone else. Still, Jackie was very pretty and fashion-model tall even in flats. At five feet three inches, an A cup and with girl-next-door looks, Erin felt like an awkward child when standing next to her.

And yet, Jackie couldn’t and didn’t cook.

Erin knew for a fact that Dr. O’s ex-wife didn’t either. Erin had been in line with him in the cafeteria once and he’d made a comment to that effect. At that moment, she’d formulated her old-fashioned plan to snag Dr. O’s heart by way of his stomach. She also knew he liked chocolate, judging from the cake he’d put on his plate that day.

Hence, the brownies.

Okay, they were from a mix, but hey, Jackie always bought stuff from the supermarket when they had a potluck. Plus, Erin’s sister had told her that adding cinnamon made them taste exotic. She felt certain if she harnessed her inner Julia Child, Dr. O would come to realize that lo, his perfect mate had been there all along.

She checked the time. Dr. O was usually here by now to do his rounds. She debated on whether to take the brownies with her and try again later, or just leave them and let the word get around that she’d made them. She settled on a compromise and took them back to the nurse’s station so she could slyly observe if he came by to eat one.

Her friend Tammy eyed the plate of goodies and raised one eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you made those for Dr. O...”

Tammy knew about Erin’s crush.

“Do you really think you’re going to win him over with baked goods?” Tammy asked with a sigh.

“It’s better than tempting him with tacky underpants.”

Tammy nodded. “Okay, you get points for class, but I really don’t think the guy is in the market for a wife.” Tammy sat down and made a notation on a chart.

Erin looked over the orders for the day. “That’s okay. I’ll settle for girlfriend with the option for upgrading to wife. Besides, admit it. If you weren’t married, you’d be gunning for him too.”

Tammy stopped writing. “Not like you are. Every time he turns the corner you start salivating.”

“I do not.”

Tammy looked beyond Erin and laughed. “Well, speak of the devil,” she said under her breath.

And there he was, looking so intellectually sexy in his lab coat. Erin had always been a sucker for a man in a lab coat, especially one who looked like Hugh Jackman.

She pretended to be immersed in her charts.

“Good morning, ladies,” Dr. Oliphant said.

Erin looked up, feigning surprise. “Oh, hey, Dr. Oliphant.”

“Morning,” Tammy said.

“Wow. Who made brownies?” he asked. “Can I have one?”

After glancing at Tammy, who coughed, then rolled her chair to the other side of the nurse’s station, Erin turned her attention to her target. “I made them, and of course you can have one.”

He grinned and took a big bite, and Erin lost herself for a moment in the deep dark brown of his eyes. He had gorgeous eyes, the kind that sucked you in and held you, like a predator’s. On second thought, not quite like a predator. She couldn’t imagine Dr. O ever hurting anyone. After all, as a doctor he’d sworn to do no harm. No, not a predator. More like a...a noble savior of humanity.

“D’lshush,” Dr. O mumbled, his eyes crinkling in appreciation. He swallowed. “These are terrific. Can I have another one?”

“That’s what they’re there for,” she said. Then, because a relationship had to be built on honesty, she added, “It’s just a mix.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “They’re great. Thanks.”

Walking on air, Erin headed toward Luke Jansen’s room and, miracle of miracles, Dr. Oliphant followed, popping the rest of his second brownie in his mouth. As another sign that he was a truly good guy, he often just visited with the kids to shoot the breeze. Luke wasn’t even his patient.

“Hey, Luke!” Dr. Oliphant said.

“Hi, Dr. O.”

Ten-year-old Luke had been born with a bum heart. He had beautiful hazel eyes, wiry, light brown hair, and two front teeth that were too big for his mouth. Erin hoped a transplant would allow him to grow into them because he had an amazing smile and the kind of cheerful outlook that was contagious. Anyone who went into Luke’s room feeling crabby or blue left with a smile on their face.

“How are you feeling?” Dr. O asked.

“A little tired.”

“Eat your breakfast. That’ll give you some energy,” Erin said.

“I will,” he said, having eaten about half.

“So,” Dr. Oliphant said, leaning against the bedrail, “you excited about meeting Hollander on Saturday?”

Luke beamed his high-wattage smile, his lack of energy forgotten.

They’d gotten word a couple of weeks ago that one of the players from the Barracuda hockey team was coming to visit the children’s ward. Erin had never heard of him, so Tammy had filled her in while they were getting coffee. “He played for the Blackhawks before he got traded back in July, two months ago, I guess.”

“And the Blackhawks are from...Montana?” Erin had asked, adding sugar to her cup.

Tammy had scoffed. “Montana doesn’t have a hockey team. The Blackhawks are from Chicago.”

“Oh, wait a second. I was thinking of the Blackfeet. Wrong tribe.” Erin took a sip of her coffee and sighed happily. “So this guy who’s coming, is he any good?”

“He’s a great scorer. Well, he used to be anyway. Even though his team won the Cup, he didn’t have that great of a season last year and he’s kind of old. But I think he still has some life left in him. We’ll see.”

Erin didn’t care either way. She was not a sports fan. She preferred watching just about anything over sports. But Luke, Tammy and Dr. O were a different story. If you gave them the choice between a visit to a chocolate buffet and a visit with a hockey player, they’d choose the hockey player.

Go figure.

“Is Hollander your favorite player?” she asked Luke.

He shook his head slowly. “Not really. But he’s a ‘Cuda now, so it’s different.”

“Do you like hockey, Nurse Erin?” Dr. Oliphant asked.

The lie rested on the tip of her tongue, ready for launch. Dr. O loved hockey. Surely he wanted his girlfriend to like it too.

But, she reminded herself again, a relationship had to be built on honesty.

“I don’t really know,” she answered truthfully. “Isn’t it über violent?”

“There are fights, yes,” Dr. O said. “And hits.”

“That’s my favorite part,” Luke said. “When they hit each other. My mom likes that too.”

That surprised Erin. Luke’s mom seemed like such a serene woman.

“There’s nothing like a nice, clean hit,” Dr. O said.

“Clean, as in no blood?” she asked, straightening the covers.

The two males laughed. “No,” Luke said, “clean like fair.”

“Not underhanded,” Dr. O added.

“You said fights
and
hits. Is there a difference?”

Luke sat up in bed. “Oh, yeah. A fight is, well, a fight. Guys punching each other like crazy. A hit is when you use your body against the other guy to knock him off the puck.”

“Ah. So no blood.”

“Oh, no, there’s blood,” Luke said. He turned to Dr. O, his eyes wide. “Did you ever see that video of Malarchuk getting his throat slashed?”

“During a game?” Dr. O asked.

Luke was tapping the screen of his tablet computer like mad. “Yeah. Another player’s skate came up and got him in the neck.”

Erin walked around so she could see the video clip Luke had pulled up. She watched two men skating toward a goalie. There was a collision and then the goalie went to his knees with a hand pressed to his neck. He flipped his helmet off and she could see blood flowing pretty freely. No doubt from the jugular.

“This was before they had neck protectors,” Luke said, after the short video was over.

“That’s pretty gruesome,” Erin said. “Was he okay?”

“Oh, sure,” Luke replied. “He was skating a week later.”

“I heard something like eleven fans fainted when it happened and three players vomited on the ice,” Dr. O said. “But don’t let that stop you from watching the games. That kind of thing is rare.”

“I’ve never watched a game.”

Both Luke and Dr. Oliphant stared at her in disbelief.

“Never? Not one?” Luke asked.

“What, is that a crime?” she asked.

“Yes!” they declared in unison. Luke seemed incensed, but Dr. O was smiling.

“So, I should watch a game sometime.”

“Yes,” they said.

“Maybe there’ll be one on tonight,” she said, hoping the good doctor would invite her over to watch it on TV. She’d bring food that she made especially for him, and the rest would be history.

Luke scoffed. “Nurse Erin, the hockey season hasn’t started yet.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, that’s right. Hockey is a winter sport.”

Dr. Oliphant laughed. “What are we going to do with her, Luke? She’s appallingly ignorant. Maybe we’ll have to punish her.”

“You mean like give her a spanking?”

Erin’s cheeks warmed when she and the doctor exchanged glances. She looked away, wondering if he was imagining spanking her like a bad little girl.
She
certainly was—him wearing horn-rimmed glasses and his lab coat and armed with a wooden ruler. Her wearing a very short plaid skirt, white blouse and knee socks, her hair in pigtails. She got a warm feeling down below when she thought about him applying that ruler lightly to her behind. She’d never been spanked before during sex, and she wasn’t particularly interested in trying it, but any contact Dr. Oliphant had with her behind was better than nothing.

If Dr. O was having similar thoughts, he hid them well with a laugh.

“No, Luke. We’d probably just put her in the sin bin.”

That sounded just as naughty. “What’s the sin bin?” she asked.

“That’s where they put the players when they do something wrong, like elbowing or high-sticking,” Luke explained.

“Oh, the penalty box,” she exclaimed. At their surprised faces, she said, “Hey, I’m not a complete hockey ignoramus.”

* * *

A couple of days later, Erin watched fellow nurse, Alana Levinson, volunteer to get a patient some more broccoli. Any time a child requested vegetables was a triumph, and they’d all been worried about Danny’s appetite. When she saw Alana return a full thirty minutes later, Erin spun on her heel and walked away so she wouldn’t be tempted to have it out with her in front of everyone. Alana never did anything to seriously jeopardize patient health, but snails moved faster than she did. And when God handed out initiative, he skipped that girl completely. She did the bare minimum, always. That meant whenever she was on duty, everyone else had to pick up the slack. Erin could usually deal with this. She believed in karma and that the universe was taking note of how much Erin went out of her way to do her job
and
Alana’s, but sometimes it just got old.

Tammy found Erin fuming in the room where they measured out the medications.

“I’m going to lose it, Tam. I swear to God. What was she doing down there? Growing the broccoli herself?”

“Seriously.”

“I just can’t deal with her anymore. I’m this close to shooting her up with 50 milligrams of move-your-ass.”

Tammy laughed. “Just breathe. Think about your transfer to L and D. When that happens, you’ll be able to go days or even weeks without seeing Alana.”

If only something
would
open up in labor and delivery. Erin found pediatrics rewarding. She loved making it easier for kids to endure whatever trials they faced so they could get back out there into the sunshine, back to their friends and their families, and she was damn good at it. But she also longed to help bring babies into the world. Nothing compared to holding a newborn in her arms or feeling their tiny hands grasping her finger. It would be wonderful to watch a couple become a family overnight. She had her RNC-OB certification. All she needed was for someone to quit, retire or move. She’d been waiting almost a year. She’d heard a rumor the nurse who had been there the longest was considering retirement. Every day Erin kept her ears pricked for news on that front.

“If I had a transfer date to look forward to, that might work, but I don’t. I need more immediate relief.”

“San Francisco then. The trip. We’ll be on the plane before you know it.”

She and Tammy were scheduled to attend a nurse’s conference there in a little over a week. Both of them needed thirty continuing education units to keep up their licenses, and conferences provided the perfect opportunity for that, along with a pleasant change of scenery. Plus, airfare to San Francisco wouldn’t break the bank.

“Still too far away,” Erin said. “I need something
right now
.”

“It’s almost lunch. Go on a burger run. Doesn’t a cheeseburger sound good? With some beer-battered onion rings and a nice, icy Diet Coke?”

“That does sound pretty good,” Erin admitted. Just the thought of that unspeakably fattening meal brightened her mood. “It might give me the strength to withstand the rest of her shift.”