Costa Rican Fling with the Doc
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Traci Douglass
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CHAPTER ONE
“WELCOME TO HOSPITAL Los Cabreras.”
Nurse Sara Parker opened her eyes and found herself sitting alone in an unmoving truck, the glorious air-conditioning long gone. Outside, a cluster of brown and gray buildings surrounded a larger white tent. People were milling about, some dressed in T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops, others in scrubs. She rubbed one cheek then spotted a flash of yellow at the driver side. Legs sticking to the vinyl seat, she yawned, then leaned across the gearshift and cracked open the driver’s side window.
“Noah?” Her voice sounded groggy to her own ears as she called to her best friend.
Normally, she wasn’t a napper, but after a five-hour flight from Chicago, followed by a two-hour drive on bumpy roads from the Costa Rican capital of San José to this place, she was exhausted.
“Don’t think he heard you,” another female voice said from the back seat.
Her name was Doreen, and she was a dermatologist from Barrington. Also, at least according to Doreen, a reality TV star on some show called Doctors of Del Ray. Sara wouldn’t know. She didn’t have much time to watch TV these days, what with picking up extra shifts in the PICU back in her home hospital, Chicago Memorial, before leaving on this sabbatical.
If you could call a month in the rain forest volunteering for the charity medical organization her hospital sponsored down here in Central America a sabbatical.
Sara glanced at the other woman in the rearview mirror, then undid her seat belt. Doreen wasn’t exactly the type she’d have expected to come down here. From what Sara had read of her pretravel paperwork before arriving, Los Cabreras was far from any urban area and as close to the Nicaraguan border as you could legally get without crossing. Which served its purpose well, since the main function of the field hospital was to treat the many migrants fleeing gang violence and poverty in their own country for the relatively better conditions in Costa Rica.
Still, she doubted Doreen’s bleached-blond hair and perfect, camera-ready makeup would last long down here. The woman looked in good enough shape otherwise, though, and from what Sara could see, she was maybe a few years older than Sara’s own forty-two. She opened her door. “I’m going to check things out. Want to come?”
“Sure,” Doreen said, clambering out behind Sara. “I can’t wait to get started.”
They started walking around the car, the sweltering air clinging to Sara’s skin and pressing down on the back of her neck. Humidity had her auburn curls rioting more than normal, and sweat already prickled her hairline around her forehead. A line of people she assumed were patients jostled nearby, and out of habit, Sara pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her jean shorts, even though the chances of getting a signal way out here were slim to none, and typed in a quick text to her son, Luke.
Arrived at Los Cabreras. Will text more later.
After hitting Send, she glanced through the open flaps of the white tent at what looked like the clinic proper. Near the far end were two exam stations separated by a wall of white canvas. A male doctor worked in each one, assisted by a nurse. It was there she spotted her friend Noah, talking to the doctor on the left. A mix of Spanish and English buzzed around her, the former going far faster than the app she’d used to learn the basics, each missed word or phrase causing the niggle of uncertainty in her gut to bore deeper.
I’m just tired. Things will be better tomorrow. Please let things be better tomorrow.
They’d just peeked inside one of the smaller buildings in the compound at what appeared to be the dental area when Noah called out to them.
“Come on, ladies. Let’s grab your bags from the truck and I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”
He jogged past them, waving at some of the people in line, apparently completely in his element down here. Sara envied him that, considering she’d felt out of sync with her life since her son, Luke, had gone back to college in California a few months ago, leaving her an empty nester again.
Empty being the operative word, since there wasn’t much to fill the time when you were a single mother without your kid around. So yeah, she’d worked a lot, picking up extra shifts to allow her colleagues with families at home to spend more time with them. But there were only so many hours you could work before, eventually, you had to face yourself alone.
At first being on sabbatical had been novel—not getting up at the crack of dawn, not getting called in to work in the middle of the night or on holidays, not having to keep to anyone else’s schedule but her own.
That had lasted about a week. Then the boredom had set in, and she’d started think about how she could give back, how she might be able to use her years of experience to help others. News coverage of the gang violence and civil wars down here in Central America had led her to research the charity Noah had left to work for two years prior, and now here she was, seeing a bit of the world and helping people receive desperately needed medical care.
“Here,” Noah said to her before handing down her wheeled suitcase from the back of the truck. “What the hell did you pack in there?”
“What?” Sara frowned up at him, squinting against the bright sunshine. “I followed the packing list very carefully.”
Noah snorted. “Right. I forgot how anal you are.”
“I’m not anal,” Sara said, doing her best not to smile, too. “Okay. Maybe I am, but that’s what makes me so good at my job.”
“Whatever. You’re a good nurse because of your heart. You care about people.” He snorted. “Even if you are anal.”
“Whatever.” Sara waited off to the side while Noah got Doreen’s bag out, then walked with them to another building across the compound. It was two stories and gray, with bars covering all the exterior windows and the door.
She followed Noah inside and found herself in an office space. Fans whirred in every direction, and towers of paper fluttered in the fake breeze. On the far wall, mismatched picture frames and awards hung in long, perfect lines. It was a far cry from the modern PICU she’d left behind in Chicago, filled with state-of-the-art equipment and modern conveniences.
A bright British accent interrupted her thoughts. “You must be Sara Parker,” a blond man, maybe midthirties, said from behind the desk. “I’m Tristan.” Noah’s partner came around the desk and pulled Sara into an unexpected hug, swaddling her in the scent of soap and a hint of fabric softener. The green of his T-shirt highlighted his blue eyes, and his smile was wide and genuine. Sara liked him immediately. “Great to finally meet you. Noah’s told me so much about you.”
“All good, I hope,” he said, laughing. “And you’re as adorable as Noah said, too.”
“Excuse me,” a tall, dark man said, his accent difficult to place. Eastern European, maybe? Sara glanced up at him and recognized him from inside the tent earlier. He was one of the doctors here.
“Dr. Gabriel Novak,” Tristan said, stopping the guy from climbing the stairs. “Let me introduce you to our new arrivals. This is Nurse Sara Parker and Dr. Doreen Dubuque, both from Chicago.”
He gave them both a curt nod.
“Nice to meet you,” Sara said, extending her hand. “Where are you from?”
“Around,” he said, then continued past her. “Sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
“If you’re heading upstairs, Gabe,” Tristan called after him, “could you take their bags to their room, please?”
He stopped, back to them, his broad shoulders slumping and his aggrieved sigh loud. Sara half expected him to refuse, since most of the doctors she knew from back home wouldn’t have deigned to lower themselves to play bellboy. But then, Dr. Gabriel Novak surprised her again by loading himself up like a pack mule with her and Doreen’s stuff before hiking up the stairs. Noah was at his heels, leaving them alone with Tristan.
“So, Noah tells me you’re on sabbatical for a few months.”
She snorted. “Yeah. I tried the rest and relaxation route, but it got old quickly. My son’s in college now, and I wanted to see the world before I get too old and feeble, have a few adventures, maybe help some people along the way.”
“Well, you’ve definitely come to the right place. We can use all the help we can get around here.”
“That’s good then,” she said, looking around again.
“And how about you, Dr. Dubuque?” He turned toward Doreen. “Far cry from your posh lifestyle.”
“I’m ready for a change,” Doreen said, her white smile bright. “Bring it on.”
“Oh, we’ll bring it, all right.” Tristan returned to his seat behind the desk. “Sorry. I’d give you both a tour, but the compound is fairly small, and I need to get this grant request done. We can do that later, after dinner. If either of you are thirsty, there’s a cooler of water on the counter there that’s safe for drinking and brushing your teeth. You’ll be sharing a room upstairs, first one on the left.”
“Thanks.” Sara smiled, thinking about how fate had brought Noah and Tristan together here in the most unexpected of places. According to her best friend, they’d felt an immediate connection and had been pretty much inseparable ever since. Noah had left his job in pediatric radiology at Chicago Memorial and moved permanently to Costa Rica to be close to his soul mate and help Tristan run the charity operation here. Noah and Sara still kept in regular touch, though, and she’d been thrilled for him, even if it left another empty hole in her life.
She and Doreen climbed the creaking wooden stairs to find their bags in a heap at the top. Sara wheeled hers the short distance into their temporary quarters, then straightened to see an array of photos stuck to the walls, corners curling in the sticky air.
Sara ran her fingers along the edges of each one, taking in the smiling faces. Noah and Tristan. Noah surrounded by a group of children while Dr. Novak stood off to the side.
“Which one do you want?” Doreen asked, pointing to the two twin beds in the room.
“Either’s fine.” Sara sighed, walking to the small window. On the ground below, a stooped woman carried two chickens by the feet, dangling them upside down, motionless wings splayed wide.
Then she pulled out her cell phone and searched for a signal to connect her to the world.
“That probably won’t work this far out of range.” Dr. Novak slouched against the door frame, looking far more attractive than any man had a right to in scrubs, all lanky limbs and intense gaze, a shadow of stubble darkening his jaw and his dark hair ruffled. Not that she noticed. Nope. Sara was here to work, not for romance. Besides, handsome men were trouble. She’d learned that lesson the hard way with her ex-husband. “Tristan should’ve mentioned it, but he forgets when he’s busy.”
“Oh.” Her heart sank a little. She’d talked to Luke before she’d left Chicago, but not since. What if he needed her? He was a grown man now, but cutting those strings was still hard. “Okay. Thanks.”
“Do you need to make a call?” he asked.
“I was just going to check in with my son. Let him know I’m all right.”
Dr. Novak frowned, and even that look on him was gorgeous. Unfair, really, for one human to be so genetically blessed. “There’s a satellite phone downstairs the charity owns for emergencies.”
“Well.” Sara fidgeted a bit under his gaze, heat rising in her cheeks. “This isn’t really an emergency, just a concerned mom thing.”
He smiled then, and damn if her breath didn’t hitch against her will. “Concerned mothers are always an emergency. Come on. I’m sure Tristan won’t mind.”
When they got downstairs, though, Tristan was gone. Dr. Novak walked around the desk and riffled through the drawers, finally pulling out the phone. He handed it to her. “You need to dial the country code first.”
“Thanks,” Sara said, but he was already halfway out the front door.
She dialed her son’s number then waited for the call to connect. One ring. Two.
“Luke.”
“Hey, it’s Mom.”
“Hey! Are you there yet?” he asked.
She turned toward the wall, and her eyes filled with unexpected tears. It wasn’t like her to cry, but it was just so good to hear his voice. “Yes. We finally got to the field hospital about an hour ago.” Sara put her back against the wall and slid down to the floor with the phone pressed to her ear. “I’m starting to think maybe this wasn’t a very good idea. Maybe I should come home. What if something happens?”
“What’s going to happen?” Luke asked. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. Everyone’s fine, Mom.”
A beat passed.
“Seriously. I thought we talked about this. You put your life on hold for me growing up. Now it’s your turn to pursue your dreams.” His voice was a mash of sternness and warmth beyond his years. How times had changed. Seemed like just yesterday she’d been the one to talk him through difficult times. Like when his bike had been stolen in elementary school. Or his beloved pet guinea pig died. Or his appendix had ruptured junior year of high school. Now the tables were turned, and Sara felt off kilter.
“Tell me the truth,” she said. “Are you doing all right with your classes? Not partying too much? Being careful? Using condoms?”
“God. Mom.” He gave an exasperated huff, and she smiled despite herself. “Yes. Stop embarrassing me. What about you? Any hot doc volunteers?”
For some reason her mind flashed an image of Dr. Novak, but she quickly brushed it aside.
Static cut through their connection.
“Mom? You still there?”
“I’m here.” She exhaled slow.
“I need to go. Have fun. Enjoy the trip. Meet new people. You’ll be great.”
Luke was probably right. She just wasn’t very good at doing things for herself. Sara shrugged. “Okay.”
“Oh, and Mom?” Luke said. “I’m proud of you. You’ll be glad you did this. I promise.”
