Page 25 of Miss Fortune

His gaze dropped to my arm. “May I peek?”

“Sure.” I gripped the stool with my free hand and braced myself.

“The sight of blood makes her queasy,” Caleb offered, no censure in his voice, only concern.

“It’s okay. I’m only going to take a look to see what we’re dealing with.” Lucas’s touch was gentle as he removed the T-shirt and inspected the wound.

My gaze fell on Caleb, who watched his friend’s examination unflinchingly.

The doctor probed lightly. “When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?”

“Maybe two years ago.” I’d had a number of shots before my surgery and could only hope one of them was tetanus.

“This will need a cleaning and stitches. You’ll also need an antibiotic to ensure you don’t get an infection. Do you have any allergies? Medical history I should be aware of?”

My entire body tensed, causing him to step back and regard me. He glanced toward my boss. “Maybe you could excuse us for a few minutes of privacy, Caleb.”

Caleb’s jaw clenched, but he nodded. “Sure. I’ll leave you two.”

The moment the front door clicked behind him, I felt guilty about excluding him from the conversation. Yet I wasn’t about to share my medical history with him.

Lucas gave me a soft smile. “I take patient confidentiality seriously, so whatever you share with me shall stay between us.”

“Thank you, I appreciate your discretion. I had a heart transplant about two years ago. I’ll give you a list of the medications I take.”

Lucas’s eyes went wide. “I see. Forgive me, I don’t often get someone telling me they’ve had a heart transplant, especially at your age.”

“No apology necessary. Surprising doctors is something I’m used to doing. But I don’t tell many people about my history.” Doing so guaranteed they’d treat me like I was fragile.

“Any complications?”

“None. I’m now on a bi-yearly schedule for checkups. I take a few medications—I’ll give you a list. I’ll also bring you my medical record, so you can see if I’m up to date on my tetanus.”

“You have a physical copy?”

“I do.” It was critical I kept a copy with me, especially since I’d moved and needed to start care in a different state.

“Good. I’ll review your file before prescribing any medication. The thing we need to be most careful about is to guard against infection. In the meantime, let’s get this cut cleaned and sutured. Is using the kitchen okay? Or should we go into your bathroom?”

“The kitchen is fine. Do you need me to get anything?”

“No, I should have everything I need in my bag. Are you all right?”

“Blood and needles make me squeamish, the result of a lifetime of hospital visits. But I’ll power through.”

“Do you want me to call Caleb back in?”

“I’m sure he went home.” I assumed he couldn’t wait to leave after having fulfilled his burden.

Lucas grinned, showing his leading-actor-in-a-medical-drama smile. “I would bet he’s outside your door, pacing. If you’d like him back inside while I stitch you up, I won’t say anything to him about your medical history.”

“Do you really think he waited?”

“How about I check?” He was across the room and opening the door before I could protest.

Chapter Thirteen

Caleb