Children's Doctor, Shy Nurse. Molly Evans
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didn’t intimidate her as she’d expected. She guessed that putting Teddy in front of his name would describe Bear on the inside.
After applying gloves, she reached for the scissors and began to cut away the gauze wrapping. The fragrance of lavender filled the air around them and soothed her nerves.
“Careful with them scissors—I still have dinner to contend with,” Bear said.
Although his eyes were serious, the words made her smile. There was a sense of humor in there, but it was buried deep beneath the beard and the brawn of the man. “I’ll try not to cut your hand off.” In seconds she had Bear’s arm and hand open to the air again. “How does it feel?”
Flexing his fingers and making a fist, Bear moved his hand in all directions. He gave a grunt. “Hmm. Feels good. The lavender did take the sting out after a while.”
“I knew it was going to work!” Excitement bubbled through her. “Let me find Mark so he can have a look.”
Eagerly, she turned, but ran right into Mark, and his arms caught her before they both toppled over. “Whoa, Ellie. I’m right here.”
“Oh, you have to see this.” She grabbed him by the arm and led him to Bear’s side. “See? I told you this was going to work.”
The contrast in skin tones was obvious, but what had been a fierce red color of the burned skin had mellowed to a dark pink. The center that had been the initial contact site had also faded, though it was still richer in color than the rest.
Mark gave a smile to Ellie, then faced Bear. “My. You’re right.” He parked his hands on his hips and looked at the burn site. “It’s nearly gone.” Putting on the gloves that Ellie handed him, he turned Bear’s arm toward the light to examine the area around the wrist. “I’m impressed, Ellie. Your lavender oil really worked.”
“So am I,” Bear said and lowered his arm to his side, then looked up at her, his expression open. “I’m grateful to you for fixing me up so quick.”
“You’re welcome.” She handed him the remainder of her bottle. “Put some more on throughout the day today and tomorrow if it gives you any trouble.” Eagerness and joy bubbled within her. Treating people that resulted in such good healing was the epitome of her work. “You have to make sure they are pure essential oils, if you ever use any again. And lavender is the only one you can put directly on the skin. The rest have to be diluted with another oil, like grape seed or the like.”
“No tellin’ how long I woulda sat in the ER.” The bottle nearly disappeared in his brawny hand.
A thrill shot through her. “This was the biggest burn I’ve ever treated, but the oil seems to have done the job.”
Bear stood. “Next time you get some, how about ordering me a bottle or two? Someone’s always burning or cutting themselves in the kitchen. We’ll use this one up in a hurry.”
“Absolutely, Bear.” She reached forward and gave him a quick hug.
Blustering at the affection, Bear patted her shoulder with his large hand. “I gotta get back to the kitchen. No tellin’ what Skinny’ll do without me there.”
“Okay. Let me know if there’s anything else you need, Bear.”
“Sure will.” He exited the infirmary and returned to the lodge.
Mark turned to Ellie with a grin. “That was good work,” he said.
A flush ranged over her face and neck at the compliment. She hadn’t been this excited over anything in a long time, and although the sensation was good, it was somewhat unfamiliar at the same time.
“Thanks, Mark.” She tossed the fragrant gauze in the trash. The scent of lavender lingered in the air, and she took a deep breath. “Suddenly, the scent no longer has any sadness to it for me.” She gave a laugh. “That’s kind of a surprise to me.”
“A good one, I hope.” Mark leaned against the exam table, settling in for a chat.
“Yes.”
A frown chased across her face and her eyes were wide and open, but there were secrets hidden in there. “But?” Would prodding her a little help her to open up?
“But what?”
“Sounds like there’s a ‘but’ hiding in that statement somewhere.” He had been the champion of hiding his feelings, so he recognized the same trait in Ellie.
“There probably is.” Running her fingers along the edge of the table, she looked away from him. “I don’t know. It’s just that I’ve not felt like this for so long that I don’t quite know how to go about making things different.” She blew out a long sigh.
“Change is never easy, it takes time. I know that myself.” The life he had known had been changed for him, and he’d had no choice except to go along with it. A memory shuddered through him.
“You don’t look as if you’ve had a serious problem in your life. You’re so easygoing. And Vicki told me that you’ve traveled in many parts of the world, gone on missions for health care and even run in two marathons.”
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