Sydell Voeller Special Edition Read online

  Without Zachary.

  Tears blurred her vision. Yet each mile she drew nearer to Westland, her resolved strengthened.

  Why hadn't she listened to her instincts in the first place? she asked herself with escalating regret. She shouldn't have allowed Kimberly to come to camp, much less let herself fall prey to Zack's lies.

  He's nothing but a glory-seeker, her thoughts raced on. Oh, yes! The miracle worker! Look at what that amazing man has done again, he wants people to say. He's taken that poor, helpless child—the victim of a cruel airplane crash—and put her back on the road to recovery. She drove past a state campground, a fish hatchery, then slowed as she approached a bridge. The sun had been blotted out by a layer of gray clouds. The air was still. Oppressive. Sultry. As if charged with some lurking, invisible force that was ready to burst free.

  Before she'd left camp, she'd changed quickly into shorts and a tank top. Now her hands and face felt hot and sticky. The back of her legs stuck to the vinyl car upholstery.

  Overhead, an airplane droned. Yes, a plane moving in the same direction as she. Back to Westland. Back to Kimberly. But never again back to the clutches of Zack Dellinger.

  But how? she asked herself. How could she go on, working at Children's when she'd be seeing him day-after-day?

  The answer hit her with a jolt. She'd give her notice at Children's and apply for a position in another hospital. No, better yet, she and Kim would leave Westland altogether. Head for another state. Her old roomie from college days, who was the director of nursing at a medical center in Oregon, had been urging her to move there for some time. That was her answer—she'd pack up and move to Oregon.

  More miles passed. At last she merged onto the interstate. Cars, travel trailers, and trucks zoomed by. Where had all these people come from? she wondered. The peacefulness of Camp Rippling Waters seemed a mere dream.

  Against the horizon, she caught sight of the skyline of the city. She swung right onto the next exit and a minute later, stopped at a traffic light. She drummed her fingers against the steering wheel. Oh, please let Kimberly be okay, she silently prayed. Dan had said she might need surgery. Oh, please, God, no.

  Later, inside the emergency room, she spied her sister's pink windbreaker hanging on a coat rack—but no Kim. Nurses and attendants were rushing about. Not a familiar face anywhere, she thought with a pang.

  Looking at her watch, she realized it was the start of the evening shift. Logan always worked the days. In the distance, the sound of an ambulance grew louder.

  As she crossed the wide corridor to the information desk, she saw Zack appear through the swinging double doors at the end. The sight of him rocked her. Should she rush up to him and lose herself in the reassurance of his embrace? Or should she walk away and ask for the E.R. physician instead?

  She did neither.

  As she came closer, he looked up and met her gaze.

  "Where's Kim?" she demanded without preamble. She could feel the heat rise to her face. "What's happening to her, Zack?"

  His eyebrows lifted at the challenge in her voice. He drew her close, one arm around her waist, but she pulled back.

  "She's still in x-ray," he said raggedly. "Dr. Kelly, the E.R. physician, and I have both examined her. So far there doesn't appear to be any evidence of internal injuries, but of course, we still haven't ruled out the possibility of fractures."

  She gave him a cold, hard stare, trying to blot out the pain that had sprung to his eyes. "Right now I shouldn't give my permission for you to even come near my sister," she told him.

  "Logan, please. Listen to me, sweetheart." He lowered his voice. "I know you're upset."

  "Don't sweetheart me."

  "Look." He reached out to touch her again, then withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry about—"

  "Sorry? That's all you can say is I'm sorry?"

  "Dr. Dellinger." A nurse rushed up to him. "Excuse me for interrupting. A patient of yours who was discharged from the adolescent unit yesterday just arrived by ambulance. Dr. Kelly is tied up with another emergency and asked if you could take a look at him."

  Zack's face registered concern. "Who is it?"

  "Dillon Matthews."

  "Be right there." He turned to Logan and frowned again. "Hang tight. I'll be back in a sec."

  "Don't bother," she felt like calling after him. "Don't bother ever coming back."

  Sinking wearily into the nearest chair, Logan reached for a magazine and riffled unseeingly through it. Scenes of Matthew jarred her memory. Matthew, rushing off to the hospital on the night of their first anniversary, leaving her alone over a candlelight dinner. Matthew, jet-setting around the world to conferences and symposiums. Matthew, conveniently abandoning her whenever she began to talk about starting a family.

  Slowly Logan lifted her gaze to the double swinging doors where Zack had disappeared. Just like Matthew, she thought with bitter realization. Never around when you needed him most.

  * * *

  Later, Kimberly was wheeled back from the radiology department. Eyes closed, apparently dozing, Kim's dark lashes contrasted against her small face.

  "I gave her another pain shot about an hour ago," the E.R. supervisor told Logan. "You can wait here with your sister till the doctor arrives."

  Logan nodded at her, then stooped to plant a soft kiss on Kim's forehead, well away from her stitches. Kim continued to doze.

  Logan looked about. Zack still hadn't returned. Why only a week earlier, she'd waited in practically this same spot for news about Richard. One week—an eternity back in time. And now she was here for Kim. Maybe she should've regarded Richard's incident as an omen, she told herself. She should never have given in to Zack's persuasiveness after she'd returned to camp and learned about Midnight kicking Kim.

  She glanced at her watch again. What was taking so long? Surely someone had read the x-rays by now. Surely there'd be some news any moment.

  The sound of footsteps caused her to look up. "Miss Corbett, I presume." A tall, grandfatherly doctor extended his hand.

  "Are you Dr. Kelly?" Logan asked, rising. "You must be new here."

  "Yes. New at Children's, but not to the medical center. I used to teach at the university," he added.

  She acknowledged him with a smile and a hand-shake. "So what did the x-rays show?" Logan asked, lowering her voice as her gaze slid back to Kim. Her heart twisted with dread at what he might say.

  "Luckily your sister has sustained only mild injuries—at least as far as we can tell for now. The x-rays show no fractures, though I suspect she's strained some ligaments. At first we were concerned about the possibility of a fractured hip, but luckily it didn't come down to that."

  Logan let out a ragged sigh. "Oh, yes," she breathed. "Thank goodness it wasn't any worse."

  "Dr. Dellinger tells me he was planning to get your sister involved in a therapeutic horseback riding program, hopefully quite soon."

  "I suppose he did," she replied dully. "But I assure you, Dr. Kelly, that'll no longer be a consideration."

  "Oh?" A puzzled look crossed his face.

  "That's right. Kim's horseback riding days are over."

  "Well, I was just about to say that her injury today needn't stand in the way. As far as I see it, after the ligaments have healed, she should be able to participate fully."

  Logan ignored his optimistic assessment. "So it's all right for me to take Kim home now, Dr. Kelly?" she asked.

  "I'd like to keep her overnight. Just to keep an eye on her and make sure nothing further develops. If all continues to go well, I'll write discharge orders after rounds tomorrow morning."

  "Yes. Of course."

  "We'll be transferring your sister to the orthopedic ward on the third floor soon," Dr. Kelly continued. "I'll check in a little later after she gets settled and see how she's doing."

  "Thank you. Thank you so much." Logan smiled again, allowing her relief to sink in. Yet no matter how minor Kim's injuries might be, she reaffirmed, that didn't negate Z
ack's role in what had happened. First chance she got, Logan would go straight to the personnel office. She'd turn in her resignation, call her friend in Oregon, and get in touch with Kim's stand-by nanny to inform her of her change in plans. A strange emptiness crept through her, knowing she must face her future alone. There was no room in her life for loving a man—for loving Zachary. Still, despite all that had happened, she did love him. She loved him with a bittersweet yearning that was growing deeper by the moment.

  Later, in her hospital room, Kim sat up in bed listening while Logan read to her a passage from The Secret Garden.

  "Where's Dr. Zack?" Kim asked after Logan had finished.

  "I'm not sure—"

  "Ah! Did I hear my name?" He poked his head inside the door almost as if on cue. In his arms he carried a bouquet of white miniature roses and a giant stuffed raccoon with two shining button eyes and a beguiling smile.

  His gaze caught Logan's. "Sorry I took so long."

  "Hi, Dr. Zack!" Kim squealed. "Are you bringing us presents?"

  "Yes. For my two favorite gals," he said, positioning the raccoon on the foot of Kim's bed and handing Logan the bouquet.

  Logan braced herself against the emotions sweeping over her while Kim chattered on. "That's like the raccoon we saw our last night while we were toasting marshmallows around the campfire."

  "Kim, don't overtax yourself," Logan said firmly, tearing her eyes from Zack. "You're supposed to be resting quietly, remember?"

  "But I'm feeling better!" Kim protested. "Besides, I want to talk to Dr. Zack about the raccoons we saw. Wasn't it cool the way that mommy raccoon and daddy raccoon and those little babies sat there and watched us?" she reminisced, shifting her gaze to him.

  "Yes, Kim. But always remember what I told you, raccoons like those can never become pets. They belong to the forest. That's why I brought you your own special raccoon—one like this you can talk to and cuddle."

  Logan held the bouquet stiffly. The sweet heady fragrance wafted around her. Rose petals mingled with thorns, she thought, fighting back tears. Just like her love for Zachary.

  "Excuse me," she stammered. "I'll need to find a vase for these roses. And. . .and make a phone call or two." The happy exchange between Zack and her sister was driving Logan crazy.

  "Oh, by the way," Zack put in, darting her a cautious look. "No need to call Betty Jo if that's what you had in mind. She said to tell you she'd pack up the rest of Kim's belongings and bring them back later tonight. I brought Kim's wheelchair. It's still in the back of my van."

  "Fine," Logan said icily. "I'll get it later." With that, she bolted out the door.

  She had barely managed to go a few feet before Zack caught up with her. "Logan. Wait."

  Stopping in her tracks, she kept her back turned. She felt his hands drop to her waist, urging her to face him.

  "We need to talk. Come on. Look at me."

  "Let me go, Zack. There's nothing more left to say. I trusted you not to push my sister. I put Kim's welfare into you hands. But you betrayed me."

  "No, Logan. It's not like you're thinking. . ."

  She turned on her heel and met his gaze straight on. The blood rushed to her head. "How can you say that, Zachary Dellinger? After everything's that happened? After you nearly messed up Kim's life forever?" She drew in a quick gulp of air. "So if you'll just excuse me now, I must be on my way. I'm heading to the personnel office to turn in my resignation. Kim and I are leaving for Oregon as soon as I can make the necessary arrangements. Goodbye, Zack."

  "Wait. You don't understand." As he stared back at her, his dark blue eyes were like deep silent pools.

  "Understand what?" She shifted beneath his gaze.

  "Sissie! Dr. Zack!" Kim's small voice drifted through the open doorway. "Come back."

  "What's the matter, Kim?" Alarm edged Logan's voice.

  "I said come back. Please!"

  "All right, honey."

  "That means Dr. Zack too." Kim's voice squeaked. "Both of you. There's something I have to tell you, Sissie."

  Logan was all-too-aware of the look that passed between Zack and Kim as she sat down on the foot of Kim's bed. "You have to stop fighting," Kim said, her eyes moist. She flinched as she tried to sit up straighter. "This whole thing is my fault."

  "No, Kim." Logan's voice rose. "What's happening right now is strictly between Dr. Dellinger and me."

  "You're wrong." Her face crumpled. "Listen to me, Sissie!"

  Logan folded her hands, resting them on her lap. "All right, Kim. What is it?"

  "It's not Dr. Zack's fault I fell out of my wheelchair. He wasn't even around when it happened."

  Logan blinked. "Wait a minute, Kim. What are you talking about—fell out of your wheelchair? You were riding Midnight when you hurt yourself, weren't you?"

  "No. I was in my wheelchair."

  Logan's head whirled. What? Were her ears playing tricks on her? But then, Dan never told her Kim fell from a horse, had he? Logan had simply assumed that.

  "Go on, Kim," Zack urged gently. "No one's going to get angry with you. We've already discussed this, don't forget."

  "This. . .this morning. . .when none of the adults were around, Derek Connelly made me a dare. He dared me to race him in his wheelchair. I was feeling pretty good, you know. I mean, so many wonderful things were happening to me, like getting to know Midnight better and taking her way up in some real neat places in the hills. I thought nothing could go wrong." A tear splashed down her cheek and onto her arm.

  "Oh, Kim," Logan said, squeezing her hand. "Please don't cry."

  "It. . .it was stupid, I know," Kim continued, chin quivering. "But I wanted to show Derek I wasn't chicken. So I said I'd race him. Well, the hill was too steep. . .but we didn't figure that out till later. I crashed at the bottom—right into a tree. Renee and this other girl. . .they went running to get Dr. Zack."

  Logan's mouth went dry as she hung on to Kim's every word. She darted a glance at Zack, who had never taken his eyes from Kimberly. The tenderness she saw in them made her heart turn over.

  "I made Dr. Zack promise not to tell you how it happened. . .till I could get up the nerve to tell you myself. . .Then I heard you fighting. . .and blaming Dr. Zack. . .and talking about going away. I knew I couldn't let you go on blaming him any longer." More tears spilled down her cheeks.

  "Oh, Kim." Logan moved quickly to the head of the bed and wrapped her sister in a hug. "The wheelchair race was a foolish thing to do, but I'm not going to blame you. You did what probably most any kid would've done and Dr. Zack was only right to have honored your request." Logan licked her lips as she lifted her gaze to his. If only she could take back her anger, all those terrible accusations.

  "I've. . .I've done something foolish too, Kim," Logan went on, her voice threatening to break. "I was wrong to be so afraid. I was wrong to try to hold you back. But I'll try harder, I promise. I really want to give you the space you need to get well."

  "So we don't have to move away?" Kim asked in a small voice.

  "No, honey. I was just upset. That's all changed now."

  "Logan." Zack's voice was filled with emotion.

  "Yes?"

  "Can we go somewhere to talk? My office, maybe?"

  "Uh. . .sure." She turned to her sister, whose eyes were sparkling more brightly than any shooting star Logan could imagine. "You don't mind, do you Kim? Dr. Zack and I won't be long."

  Kim's smile grew wider.

  A short while later, inside his office, Zack locked the door and stood facing her. For a long while, they simply stared at each other, saying nothing.

  Logan broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Zack. Sorry for all those things I said. Sorry for—"

  "Shh!" His mouth came down on hers with an infinite sweetness, blotting out her next words. "One sorry is quite enough," he murmured a minute later, smiling down at her.

  "Logan. . ." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  "Hmm?"

  "I love you. I've been
wanting to tell you that for some time now, after I finally had the sense to wake up and realize it myself."

  "Oh, Zack. I love you, too," she replied breathlessly.

  "I want us to be a family," he continued. "You and Kimberly and me. . .maybe even a little one or two or three of our own someday. Will you marry me, Logan? Will you take a chance on a doctor like me?"

  She sent him a sly smile. "A country doctor you mean?"

  He smiled back in silent understanding. "Uh-huh. Maybe someday at least." He brushed her lips with his. "So what do you say, sweetheart? Will you be my wife?"

  "Yes, Zack. Oh, yes. A thousand times, yes."

  His gaze seemed to seer right through her. "I might not be able to stay at your side every moment, but I'll be there for you as much as I can. Most of all, I'll always promise you my love."

  "And I promise I won't make the same mistake I made with Matthew. I won't put unreasonable demands on you like I may have on him."

  "No, Logan. He was the unreasonable one. How could he expect a warm, lovely, caring creature like you to stay satisfied when he was seldom around?"

  Tears of happiness blinded her eyes. "Let's go tell Kim," she exclaimed. "Let's tell her the good news right now!"

  The End

  Summer Magic

  Chapter One

  "MR. FIGARO, WHERE ARE you?" Lisa Prentice muttered anxiously under her breath. Her gaze flicked from face to face in the busy airport terminal. No one looked familiar.

  She checked her watch. Her plane had arrived right on time--actually, several minutes late. So why wasn't he here? Indecision swamped her. Should she hurry to the luggage claim area, pick up her bags, and call a cab? Or stay put? She remembered what Ed Figaro had written:

  "On June 4, I'll meet you in the United Airlines terminal at the Wicker City, California airport. Dr. Woodstock is happy you've accepted the job offer and sends his regrets he cannot meet you himself. Please find your flight ticket and travel itinerary enclosed. In the event you don't remember what I look like, I'll be wearing a red wind-breaker with the Jessell and Stern Circus insignia."