healing-hearts (2 page)

As she pulled away from her office, she confirmed aloud to no one but herself, “You’re right, Blake, this will always be my burden to carry—because I married
you
.”

Doing what she normally would have done on her way to work, she pushed the CD into her player, turned her speakers up to full blast, set the song for repeat and pulled away with Mary J. Blige’s song
No More Drama
wafting on her trails.

~ML~

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Yasmine Sousa. I’m from Healthy Fit and I’ll be talking to you today about your health and fitness as it relates to your heart conditions. One of the things I want you to consider today is a lot of things you used to do before will have to change. In some ways you will need to begin a new life,” Yasmine began briefing the group of heart patients seated in the chairs in the conference room at Memorial Hospital.

She gave this speech every month. Yasmine did it so often she could accomplish it automatically, without thought of what to say next, which was what she was doing at that moment.

It was Blake...he always found it possible to screw up her day and life. Repeatedly she argued with herself not to let him get to her, but she couldn’t help it. It was as if he knew the right buttons to push, and did.

“We’re going to go around the room and I’d like everyone to give me their name, when you had your heart attack, and where you were when it happened.” She graced the room with one of her audience type smiles.

An elderly man, who looked as if he were roughly in his sixties, started the group off talking. “I’m George Rogers and I had my heart attack May third, the night of my daughter’s wedding. I was at home and on my way up the stairs to bed when it happened.”

After he finished the rest of the patients began to present themselves to the group in a traditional circular fashion.

The last person finished when a tall man entered the room. Yasmine turned to smile in the latecomer’s direction and came face to face with a man she could only describe as
sexy as hell—
if it weren’t for the scowl he wore.

“Is this the health class?” his voice taut, displaying his apparent disapproval at being in the class.

There’s always one in every bunch.

Yasmine looked down at her patient list. “Let me guess, Jason Richardson...” She let her voice trail off for a moment as she pretended to make an assessment of him. He stood at least six-two, his skin tone reminded her of pale honeyed leather—it appeared smooth but firm. The muscle tone of his forearms, bare below the short sleeves of his shirt, left no doubt he worked out often. She gave another quick glance at the trim, athletic runner type body, ignoring the urge to fan herself. “I would almost place a wager that you’re a business exec and probably had your heart attack at your desk or in the middle of a meeting.”

The glower increased. He placed his hands inside his pockets.

Yasmine’s gaze dropped to the front of his pants of its own volition. She raised her eyes just as fast, not before her mind imprinted the significant definition of his manhood outline in his pants. Heat spread between her thighs.

The man cocked his head to the side and a muscle leaped in his jaw, letting Yasmine know he noticed where she’d been looking.

Damn, caught red handed.

His voice broke into her chiding. “I guess I was wrong, this must be the psychic friends training course; which would make you...” He gave her the same perusal as she had given him, before saying, “
Sistah
Esmeralda.”

Yasmine had to bite her tongue quickly and take a deep breath. She used a fake laugh and threw one of the biggest smiles she could manage across her face. She had to remember that he wasn’t here when she originally started, so he didn’t understand the part of the
show
he had walked in on currently. Besides, it would have been very unprofessional for her to get upset in front of the twenty-four patients that had arrived on time.

“Mr. Richardson?” Yasmine awaited his nodded of affirmation. Once he gave it she continued, “You may sit where ever you feel comfortable. We just finished with the introductions. If you would like to briefly tell us what day you had your heart attack and where you were when it happened, then we’ll continue with the next phase of the class.”

Yasmine followed his progression as he decided on the seat in the first row directly in front of her.
Ahh, hell
.
Too close for comfort
. She hoped he would take one of the two available seats in the back.

Yasmine watched the single sable eyebrow arch above his left eye as he crossed his arms over his chest, clueing her into the fact he may have had open-heart surgery.

A deep timbre vibrated through his words. “May ninth at ten forty-three in the morning.”

Yasmine took that to mean everything she guessed about him had been correct. Not wanting to spar with him any longer, she decided to continue with the class.

~ML~

“So, Doc, when can I spring from this place?” Jason asked when Dr. Hudson, the resident cardiologist, walked into his room.

“Today. On one condition.” Dr. Hudson reviewed Jason’s chart at the end of his bed.

Cautious, Jason looked at the doctor. “What’s the condition?”

“I really want you to stay away from work and its activities for a few weeks.”

“Doc, you don’t know what you’re asking of me,” Jason spoke emphatically and then inhaled deeply.

“Yes, I do, Jason. The evidence of how important it is for you to take a few weeks off and rest, without all the stress, is proven in the breath you just took in trying to remain calm.”

Jason got up from the bed where he was sitting and stood up, facing the doctor. “Doc, I don’t think I can do this. It was hard enough on me to have to lie there motionless during the angioplasty procedure, then having to stay in bed another day because of it. Not to mention the two additional days in the hospital awaiting that health class. I’ve pretty much had all of the inactivity I can stand.”

The doctor’s voice was firm. “I understand that you’re a workaholic, Jason. But, you need to understand how close you came to getting your chest cracked open.” Softening his tone, Dr. Hudson continued, “All I’m prescribing is for you to stay away from work for a few weeks. Give your body adequate time to rest and adjust to the medication you’ll be on for several weeks.”

Jason realized his doctor was not going to budge, so he asked, “How many weeks exactly?”

“I’d tell you three if I thought you would seriously take them, but I’ll only recommend two. But, you have to promise to contact me if you start to have any of the warning signs we discussed.”

“I’ll do it, only because I don’t want to go through another angio if I don’t have to.” Absently Jason ran a hand across the top of his head and toward his face. “Any ideas what I can do over the next two weeks?”

“Go visit family. They’re always good for the heart.”

“Yeah, I guess I could. It’s been two years since the last time I was home and my mom has been asking me to visit.”

After scribbling down a few notes onto his chart, Dr. Hudson headed out of the room, then stopped. “I’ll give this to the nurse who’ll get your release paperwork together. I want to see you in two weeks,
before
you return to work.”

“I’ll be here.” Jason walked toward the small closet that held his clothes, preparing to pack up his belongings so he could leave promptly when the nurse brought in his paperwork.

“By the way, how did you like the health seminar?”

Thoughts of seeing his family soon occupied his mind. “‘Bout as much as I would enjoy tooth extraction.”

“Yikes, most of my patients usually have nothing but rave reviews about the class and its instructors. I guess you’re going to hate that I’m giving you a consult for two sessions with her over the next month.”

“Doc, you’ve got to be joking.”

Dr. Hudson just smiled and exited the room.

Jason watched the doctor’s retreating form as he shook his head, bewildered. Strutting over to the nightstand, he picked up the business card for Healthy Fit. “Yasmine Sousa.” He read the name off the card.

Instantly his mind conjured up an image of the nutritionist. He remembered the smile she had graced him with when he’d entered the room. For a moment it had stunned him, the feelings of unparalleled attraction arrested him unawares. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he made an effort to cover up his reaction to her. When her eyes had followed his movement, he clenched his teeth, trying to keep his arousal at bay. He was used to women being enthralled by him, but it usually didn’t happen the other way around. He had to admit to himself it bothered him that she read him so well when he walked into the room; which was probably what was behind him giving her attitude.

There was a part of his body saying that wasn’t the only reason.

“Okay, so she was good looking,” Jason confirmed as he looked down at his hardening crotch.

His mind chose then to replay the moment in the class when she had turned around to pick-up some pamphlets from the table behind her and he had gotten a full view of the tight curves of her back end. He had become very uncomfortable in his seat with the thoughts that he probably wasn’t supposed to be having as a cardiac patient.

Now, that’s how I’d like to spend
two weeks relaxing.while away two weeks.

Shaking himself out of his musing, he threw the card back onto the table, then went and pulled his suitcase out of the closet and began to fill it. He chalked up most of those thoughts due to inactivity—no work to keep him focused. He would go visit his parents, and then be back to work and in the swing of his life again.

~ML~

“How did the briefing go?” Leigh questioned, following Yasmine into her office.

Yasmine put the suitcase on the floor next to her desk and sat down. “It was fine—if you don’t count the touchy executive.”

“Someone gave you a hard time?” Leigh came fully into the office and took a seat on the corner of Yasmine’s desk, awaiting more details. “So, was he cute?”

The image of Jason Richardson flashed through her mind.
Cute is a great description for a puppy, but it doesn’t define Mr. Richardson at all.

“What difference does that make? If some guy is sitting directly in your face, arms all crossed and staring straight at you, it’s unnerving regardless.”

“Unnerved? That good looking, aye?”

Good looking, definitely.

“I didn’t say that—” Yasmine defended.

“Your face did. So, give me the skinny.”

“Look, just to shut you up. He was about six-two, broad shouldered, muscular, but in a trim kind of way and he had a short dark brown hair—tapered on the side and longer on top—hazel eyes, and if you were to describe his complexion in one of your crazy ways...” Yasmine’s voice took on a sultry dramatic tone. “It was like pale honey being poured slowly with the sun shining through it—liquid gold.” Her voice returning to normal, she asked, “Is
that
good enough for you?”

“Oh, yum. Or, maybe the color of coconut butter...smeared all over your body.” Leigh closed her eyes and inhaled an exaggerated breath. “I hope open heart surgery didn’t scar his chest too bad.”

Yasmine shook her head at her friend’s theatrics. “I don’t think he had it.”

Both of Leigh’s eyebrows went up, the expression on her face shouting—
do tell.

“He kept his arms crossed practically the whole time. Common sense would say there wasn’t a scar there. Besides, most of the patients who’ve had open heart tend to subconsciously touch the center of their chest. He didn’t show any of those signs.”

“So, if that hunk of manliness wasn’t enough to disturb you, then...what’s with the nerves?”

Oh, it disturbed me
. However, she’d never hear the end of it if she told Leigh, so she changed the subject. Releasing a slow breath, Yasmine said one word, “Blake.”

Yasmine watched as all the coy playfulness left her friend’s face. Leigh had been with her through the entire relationship and had been as close to what happened to her in the marriage as anyone could be.

“What got you thinking about him?”

Yasmine’s voice lowered. “He called to remind me about the baby’s birthday.”

Leigh jumped off the desk in abrupt anger and began her normal tirade at the mention of Yasmine’s ex-husband, “That heartless jack a—”

“Leigh-girl, its just Blake being Blake.”

“Yeah, I know it is...and that’s what ticks me off.” Leigh plopped down in the chair across from Yasmine. “One day, that man is going to get his. You should have sent him to jail when you had the chance.”

Yasmine leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “That would have just infuriated him even more.”