The Heart's Shrapnel (4 page)

Jane

Lily and I enjoy our drinks—my beer and her Long Island iced tea. After the beer, she decided she wanted something more strong. She can barely keep her eyes on me. Curious to see if she’s just a lightweight, I take a sip of her drink. The bartender certainly didn’t skimp on the alcohol. I can barely taste anything else. I’m sure it doesn’t help that Lily’s drinking on an empty stomach.

We’re laughing and having a good time, Lily more so than me. And Mandy is back with a mischievous look in her eye as she bites her bottom lip.

“No! No way, Mandy.” I shake my head.

“Oh come on.” She hops up and down as she pouts.

“What? Did I miss something?” Both Mandy and I grab Lily, who almost falls off her chair.

Yeah, one drink is definitely her limit from now on.

I make sure she is situated on her stool again before I say, “Nothing. Mandy thinks she’s going to pimp us out for the night to some guys is all.”

Lily’s eyes widen and her mouth opens. She’s so wasted. “Awww, I like guys.”

Mandy gives a smile of success. “See! Two to one. You lose, Jane. And, you have to go with us, because Lily is toasted. And well, you know me. I need a chaperone at all times. Who knows what I—”

“Fine.”

“Well, don’t just sit there. They’re waiting. Some other hussies will creep in on our turf.”

I roll my eyes playfully and laugh. She’s so determined to get a boyfriend for her time here.

Standing up, I almost slip off the seat like Lily earlier, but manage to catch my fall. I right myself before I assist Lily.

“I’m fine, Jane.” She hiccups and giggles.

This isn’t good. I’ll have to watch her the rest of the night. On a good note, it will give me something to do while Mandy flirts with the guys.

“Sure you are, honey. Let’s go.”

Mandy leads the way, but there’s nowhere to walk without bumping into someone. I hold up Lily the best I can without us both falling and making a spectacle of ourselves. We end up in the back corner where there is ample room to breathe, but I get this overpowering sensation that someone is watching me. I guide Lily as Mandy advances on what I assume is our new seating arrangements for the night.

Sitting at the corner table are three men, and one is blatantly staring at me. His eyes are focused.

I must stare back and he quickly turns away.

That face. He’s even more handsome than I remembered. Really handsome—the kind you stay away from.

My cheeks flush.

I remember his beautifully bronzed skin, and his eyes, an entrancing hazel. Tonight they reflect greener, and I wonder what other shades they turn.

“Jane?” Mandy snaps me from my daze.

I look at her.

She’s grinning with both hands on her hips. She’s caught me practically ogling the guy. By the looks of the other two men, so have they.

Did the other guy notice?

I can feel the blood rushing to my face, and the already hot bar turns stifling.

“Yes?” My words come out weak.

“Would you like to sit down? They pulled up some seats for us. There’s one over by . . .” She glances at the handsome man in his army attire, but he doesn’t say anything. He just picks up his beer and sips from it while staring at the table.

The blond guy Mandy sits by rolls his eyes. “This ray of sunshine here is . . .”

Phillip,
I think to myself.

“Phillip,” he says.

Phillip glares at him.

“And, I’m Ryan and this is Dylan,” Ryan adds.

“Pleasure to meet you.” I shake their hands and turn awkwardly to my former patient—the soldier with the gunshot wound—the man who occupies the space next to my seat.

“Jane.” I extend my hand, and it hangs in the air, waiting for him to take it.

His regards me intently, making me feel too much the center of attention. Still he doesn’t say anything.

I’m about to give up on the handshake when he finally stands and firmly takes hold. My hand feels so small in his rough, calloused one, and I wonder if it’s because of his duties in the army or something else. I note the signature army tag—a warning. I need to keep my distance.

I furrow my brows, disappointed. When my eyes flit up to his, his look is questioning. He must have read my face. Just great.

“Phillip McClintock.”

His deep, raspy voice sends chills down my spine, and I quickly remove my hand from his.

He quirks a brow and his lips noticeably thin at my reaction.

Is he upset? He didn’t seem all too keen on me a minute ago.

I hurriedly sit down and leave him standing.

He looks at Ryan, who is smirking, and sits down.

I relax a little when he does because his height and demeanor has me feeling small and on edge.

A waitress thankfully chooses this moment to come over.

“What can I—”

“I’ll have whatever is on draft. Guinness, if you have it. Tall, please,” I rush out. Not my usual, but I feel like I need something a bit stronger in the beer department, and Lord knows I am not doing the hard stuff.

The table has gone silent as they gape. The waitress bites on the side of her lip as if to keep from laughing.

“What?” I ask innocently.

“Nothing.” Mandy smirks.

The waitress leaves with our orders, and I watch the crowd of dancing bodies. Many of them are making out like they don’t care who’s watching. I imagine some of them are with their sweethearts whom they don’t get to see very often, and they are trying to make it count.

Once the waitress comes back with our drinks, I thank her and take several sips to help calm my frazzled nerves. I feel out of sorts, and, I hate the reason why.

“How’s your shoulder?” I ask out of nowhere once the others go back to talking to each other.

His eyes widen before he responds, “It’s fine.”

“So, you remember me then?”

“Yes.”

Looking for something to do with my hands, I grab my wrapper from my straw.

“You were my first patient.”

“Ever?” he asks incredulously after staring at me a few beats.

His question makes me laugh. “Of course not. I mean my first patient
here
.” I think back to what Dr. Green had said, “You’re a very lucky man.”

He takes a drink of his beer and sets it down. His mouth thins and I wonder why the sudden unease. “Yeah? Why’s that?”

“The bullet came close to puncturing your heart. Whoever it was missed by only four centimeters. You could have died.”

He stares at me without saying a word.

I’m such an idiot. This is probably a sensitive matter. “I’m sorry, I—it’s none of my business.”

Just when I think he’s not going to respond, he says, “Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?”

He rhythmically strokes the beads of condensation from his cold beer with his thumb.

“No, actually. But apparently I need to keep quiet.”
Yes, yes you should Jane. You’ve already said enough.

The beat has picked up to a popular 80s song, and the crowd goes crazy. I turn around to focus on them and forget about the sexy, frustrating, mystery man next to me. Normally I’m not as talkative as this—especially with the opposite sex. I was never allowed to before.

As I stew over my stupid decision to come here, my skin wonderfully plagues me with tiny goosebumps. Warmth skates down the back of my neck, traveling the length of my spine.

Am I imaging this?

It’s loud in here, but I hear the creak of a chair behind me. Phillip? It could only be him since we are in the back of the bar shoved up against a wall.

His breath caresses the back of my ear, and I gasp. I know I did
not
imagine it.

None of the others seem to notice as they flirt with each other. I do my best to focus on Lily. If she weren’t drunk, I’m not sure she’d like the attention she’s getting right now—which is a lot. Then again, what do I know? Still, I should intervene just in case.

I place my hand on the table as I move to lean closer to Lily. Something, or rather someone, halts my progress. Phillip’s large hand rests warmly on mine. The contrast of our skin is very different with his golden tan to my ivory.

He has great hands.

“My men aren’t assholes. They’re just looking for a night of pretending everything is normal.” My eyes flutter closed with the relaxing sensation his sweet breath evokes, and I have to keep myself from leaning back into his warmth. For some reason, I’m drawn to him, and it makes no sense. He seems rather irritated I was even here.

“That’s what I’m worried about,” I whisper breathlessly and curse myself for sounding like I am affected by him.

My chest feels heavy as I await a response. There’s a change in his breathing. It’s heavier. A long line of warm air travels down my neck for the second time. But this time, it’s different.

Did he just smell me?

Before I have time to think about what’s going on, his chair scrapes against the hard, wooden floor. The loss of heat leaves me cold. I turn away from the swaying crowd and look at Phillip sipping at his beer again and looking extremely irritated.

He’s the one who smelled me!

“You always this grumpy?” I ask with a surge of boldness. No more drinking for me.

His lips turn up slightly at the corner. “So I’ve been told.”

He sets his beer on the table, rubs his face as if he’s shocked at what he’s just done, and glances at the show in front of us.

We’re the only ones not making out in here, aside from the workers, and I’m pretty sure even they’re being felt up by someone.

What am I doing here?
This scene isn’t me. I’m not that girl.

“Where’re you from?”

His question surprises me. After what he’d done, I wasn’t expecting small talk—silence, yes, small talk—no.

“Baltimore, Maryland.”

Great Jane. Tell him where he can also find the key to your house.

He scans my face, but gives me no clue to what he’s thinking.

I hate that. I also hate that I care so much about what he thinks. “Why? Something wrong with Maryland?”

“Absolutely not.”

Squaring my shoulders, I say, “It happens to be a great city, I’ll have you know. The people—”

“Okay, okay—forgive me, Jane from Baltimore. I wasn’t trying to attack your hometown.” He’s grinning now, and it lights up his eyes and makes him so much more approachable. He should smile more often.

I smile back and relax. “Sorry. I guess I got a little too defensive. I’ll blame it on the alcohol.”

“Don’t we all?” He smirks.

“So, are you really okay?”

He sends me a confused look.

“You checked yourself out of the hospital early.”

Phillip shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

“You should have stayed longer.”

His easygoing demeanor changes abruptly. He sits straighter in his chair, and his hands flex open and closed. “I don’t have time to be relaxing in a hospital bed.”

“You were recuperating. There’s a difference.”

“Not in my line of work.” His face is hard. “I’m going to get us another beer.”

He gets up, and I watch him as he moves through the cluster of grinding bodies. Even his butt is perfect.

Jane!

“Going to dance. Be back in a jiff.” Mandy practically drags Ryan out of his seat and onto the dance floor. I look at Lily and Dylan. I’m not sure Lily can stand on her own, let alone dance unless Dylan holds her up the whole time. Not that he’d mind, I’m sure. Nevertheless, they both make it to the dance floor.

Not too much later, Phillip returns with our beers. He looks at the empty chairs. “Where is everyone?”

Grabbing my drink, I take a sip. “Dancing. And, thanks for this.”

So much for not drinking anymore.

“You’re welcome. You think your one friend can handle it. The dancing?”

“Lily? Probably not. She’s not going to remember any of this in the morning.”

Phillip laughs. “I can’t remember the last time I got drunk.”

“I’ve never, so . . .”

“Never?” he asks incredulously while taking Dylan’s seat, I suspect, so I won’t have to turn around or be too close. “Jane from Baltimore, that has to change.”

“Oh, tonight isn’t a good night to get wasted. Mandy will probably strand Lily and me. Someone has to be the responsible one.”

He raises his beer to his mouth. “Didn’t say it had to be tonight.”

We talk throughout the rest of the night. I’m having a good time, but I still keep on guard. They all seem nice at first.

The beers keep coming, and I can feel myself letting go more and more. Turns out the more I drink, the more open and honest I am. I’m attracted to this guy, and the way he’s looking at me right now spells danger, yet I don’t feel scared at the moment. Is it him or the beer? Maybe it’s being in a different country or my elation at being trained as an actual surgeon that has me feeling adventurous.