Emergency Contact. Susan Peterson
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him with a heat that was more piercing than twin lasers. But she didn’t lift her head off her knees or make any other move to indicate she was opposed to his suggestion.
Ryan crossed the room, moving slowly, so as not to crowd or frighten her. She followed his progress with her eyes, their color radiating an unblinking brilliance in the dimness of the room. She didn’t seem tense or skittish, simply wary, as if prepared for anything.
He pointed to the couch directly across from her. “Do you mind if I sit down?”
She shrugged. “Do what you like. This isn’t my house.”
Ryan leaned forward to catch her words, the sound so soft and light it was like a breeze brushing past his ear. The effect startled him and he struggled to regain his composure, feeling oddly off balance.
What the hell was going on? He was never rattled when meeting a patient. He was the man always in control, always ready to handle the situation. The interns in the E.R. used to love it when he was the attending on-call and showed up to consult on a case. No matter how off-the-wall the E.R. walk-ins got, the interns knew that Ryan Donovan could handle them without breaking a sweat.
He sat down and crossed one leg over the other, taking a moment to get a feel for the situation. As he slid an arm along the back of the couch, he tried to impart an air of calm he didn’t feel. But the last thing he wanted to do was spook her.
“The Carsons asked me to come because they were concerned that you might be injured.” Ryan waited, but when she didn’t respond, he continued. “They thought you might have been in an accident.”
She shook her head and the perfect cut of bangs ruffled a bit with the movement of her head. They parted to reveal a small cut on her forehead, but it wasn’t bleeding and didn’t appear very deep.
“I don’t think I was in an accident.”
She spoke each word clearly, but there was a slight hesitation, as if she was struggling to form the words before saying them. Perhaps the pause indicated some kind of head trauma, he thought. She seemed oblivious to the cut on her head.
“May I ask your name?”
“Tess.” The small frown was back between her brows, and she looked as though she might have searched for the name, dug it up from somewhere deep inside. “My name is Tess,” she said slowly.
Ryan waited a beat and then asked, “No last name?”
Beneath the quilt, her hands moved, tightening around her knees. “Just Tess.” Her shoulders braced as if anticipating his next question.
Ryan attempted to inject some lightness into the tenseness that hovered between them. “I don’t know too many people who go by only one name.”
She lifted her eyes, her gaze slightly mocking. “Cher. Batman. Garfield.”
He had to laugh. “Okay, you’ve got me there. A famous celebrity and two equally well-known cartoon characters. Are you telling me you’re someone famous?”
She shook her head and the hair shimmered in the soft light. Her chin settled back on top of her knees. “No, I’m not famous.”
“Can you tell me how you got into the Carsons’ cornfield?”
“I walked.”
“Yes, but where were you before you walked into the field?”
“Somewhere else.”
Ryan tried another tack. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Do you live close by?”
For the first time, she smiled, a slight trembling stretch of her lips, as if she were afraid of him but wanted to come across as compliant. Cooperative. As if she hoped that if she kept things on an even keel, everything would be all right and he’d leave her alone.
“No. I don’t live close by. I’m visiting.”
“Who did you come to visit? Perhaps we could contact them and tell them you’re here.”
She shook her head. “There’s no need. Betty and Bud are out in the kitchen. They know I’m here.”
“You’re here visiting the Carsons?” Try as he might, Ryan couldn’t keep the confusion out of his voice.
“Yes, this is their house.” She sat forward, the tiny frown popping up between two delicately arched eyebrows again. “You didn’t know this was the Carsons’ house? Are you lost?”
Ryan rubbed the side of his jaw. It wasn’t often that patients were able to get around him so easily. “No. I’m not lost. I thought you might be the one who was lost or confused.”
She settled back again and smiled with relief. “No, I’m not lost, either.”
Ryan decided that he needed to get a bit more direct. Otherwise they were going to talk in circles all morning. “You said you were visiting the Carsons. But the Carsons don’t seem to know you. Why would you visit people you don’t know?”
Tess smiled serenely. “New friends are important. Bud and Betty are my new friends.”
Ryan tried to keep his exasperation from showing. “Where specifically were you before you came to Half Moon,” he asked.
“I told you, I was somewhere else.”
Ryan swallowed hard. This was going nowhere. Maybe his ex-boss’s assessment of his clinical skills were right. Perhaps he had lost his touch. “I noticed you have a small cut on your forehead. Did that happen last night?”
Tess stared at him, her emerald-green eyes seeming to cut right through him. “Yes. I tripped and fell in the dark. It’s nothing. A small scratch.”
“I’d like to examine it, if you’ll let me.”
She sighed, a tiny puff of air passing between lush, slightly parted lips. Ryan waited. The corner clock clicked off the minutes as she considered his offer.
Finally she nodded, her gaze still wary. “I guess it would be all right.”
Ryan stood up and moved over next to her. Tess tilted her head back, giving him access to her forehead. He brushed aside her silky bangs, his fingers sliding over her soft skin. Air hissed between her teeth as he touched the edges of the cut.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It—it’s all right. Stings a bit, but you have a very gentle touch.”
Ryan leaned across her. “I’m going to turn on the light so I can see it better.”
She slid an arm out from beneath the blanket and touched him, her fingers resting lightly on his forearm. A shiver shot up his arm and Ryan paused, glancing down into the clear green of her eyes.
“Please, the light hurts my eyes,” she said.
Ryan laid his hand over hers. “It’s important that I check your pupils, Tess. The fall might have given you a concussion.”
She nodded her understanding and slipped her hand from beneath his. Ryan tried to ignore the twinge of regret when she pulled away.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a penlight. A quick check of both pupils told him that in spite of the light hurting, her pupil reaction was fine.
Perhaps a mild concussion. It didn’t exactly explain her extreme mental confusion, unless she’d been in an accident and couldn’t remember the details.
He crouched down in front of her. “Do you know what today’s date is?”
“Of course.”
He waited.
She tilted her head to the side. “I’m sorry. Have you forgotten the date?”
Ryan bit back a grin. “No, Tess. I’m checking to see if you remember. You might have a head injury. I’m checking