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CHAPTER ONE
Dr Jared Dean hated being interruptedin the world So he was annoyed when he heard the crash of so over in the chart roo orders for one of the seven patients he’d ad, just put the charts back in their rows, you guys Don’t play keep-aith the on in there?"Shari , one of the RN floats, asked without looking up frouys have tooNO NARCOTICS!!!!!!! in Mrs
O’Leary’s chart and underlining it twice Mrs O’Leary ("Like the lady with the cow, honey") was a frequent visitor to the ER To all the Eency Rooms in the city, actually She was in her late forties, iroomed, ridiculously rich and hopelessly hooked on De treatht drug addicts were srande daures to charity every year
"Can’t bla around Third shift can be a snoozer" He glanced at his watch--three in the roan--and sed a yawn
"Maybe we should threaten to sic the AA on them,"Shari joked
Jared snorted He didn’t believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, a balanced federal budget, or vigilantes who ran around at night righting wrongs The newspapers had been whispering about the AA’s activities for al this crap during first shift,"Shari added, shoving a hank of her strawberry-blonde hair out of her eyes
Jared was about to answer her when there was a dull thuainst thebrought him to his feet He moved past an open-mouthedShari , headed for the chart rooh the doorway, ready to start chewing so so he’d seen in his years as an ER resident prepared hied in a vicious hand-to-hand battle with the largestPetite--her assailant ell over a foot taller--and delicately built, with small hands and feet Her white-blonde hair was skinned back into a French knot at the nape of her neck She looked like a princess, one who could pour tea or break your nose, depending on how you addressed her She was dressed in dark colors--black turtleneck, black leggings, dark shoes--which accentuated her fair skin and hair Exertion had brought a delicate flush to her features
Her assailant wasn’t nearly so attractive--dirty blonde hair shaved close to his skull, thick black eyebrows thatballs, a nose that had been broken at least twice Thick lips skinned back from his teeth as he snarled wordlessly at the wo toward her wide-eyed face
Jared opened his … and the woman deftly blocked the punch, twisted the o of his arm and slammed him, face down, on the table Jared winced at the ‘pop’
theout of its socket
The rabbed a fold of skin at the nape of his neck and slammed his head into the table
Silence
"Look out," Jared said, finally able to articulate The wo, electric ht that she could see all the way down into his soul Her asped, a quick intake of breath that h and firm, his mind reported happily) heave
"Don’t worry," he said She had the look of a doe trapped in the headlights, which was ridiculous--what could he, mild-mannered physician and volleyball player--do to her, kick-ass princess?
"I’m here to rescue you"
Her lips twitched at that and she sidled toward him, then dashed past hi left out the door He could hear her running lightly and damned quickly