Luke

therapeutic massages that keeps her muscles relaxed. The pain is so severe that-'

'There are drugs that could help. Fast acting, new drugs that-' He stopped at the look on her face and let out a disparaging breath. 'Right. Shut up, Luke.'

'She's tried everything. She's at the end,' she said softly, her throat tight from hearing it out loud. 'All she wants now is comfort. That's what we're giving her, it's all we have to give.'

'Fine.'

She thought that was the end of it, so when she turned away and entered the patient room, she was shocked to realize he'd followed. She introduced him to Emma, and the two of them started chatting, easily, readily.

Faith watched as Luke charmed Emma into talking about her medical history, giving him all the information he seemed to want to know, all in a genuinely relaxed conversation.

And Emma was smiling… nothing beat the sight of that. Smiling even as she shook her head over the drug methods of pain reduction that Luke tried talking to her about.

She wanted to stick with what worked for her, what soothed her, in what surely were her last days. And Faith had to give Luke credit, he never expressed disappointment or anger or any emotion at all over his advice not being taken, he simply took it in stride, then headed out to see other patients while Faith continued with Emma.

Later, Faith's shoulder brushed his as they passed each other in the hallway. 'So why did you do it?' she asked, unable to let it go.

Against the wall was one of the many mini water fountains in the clinic. Luke moved closer to it, watching the water hit the pretty rocks. 'Do what?'

'With Emma. Try to bring conventional medicine into this, after I told you she wasn't interested.'

He looked at her for a long moment, clearly trying to weigh his words. She wondered if he was struggling to be politically correct, so that his 'punishment' wouldn't be increased.

'Knowledge is power,' he finally said simply. 'And I had to make sure she understood all the possible techniques, scientific or otherwise.'

When she opened her mouth to remind him she'd already gone over all possible treatments with Emma, that Emma's choice had been made long before she'd even stepped foot inside the clinic, Luke put a finger over her lips.

Instantly, she went still, bombarded with sensations that had nothing to do with temper.

Heat from the rough pad of his finger.

Tingling from within her belly.

Quivering from between her thighs.

'We're going to have to agree to disagree on this,' he said softly. 'In fact, we're going to have to agree to disagree on just about everything.' He let out a low, rough laugh. 'You do know that, don't you, Faith?'

What she knew was that he'd just used her name in a silky voice, and hearing it on his lips gave the moment such a sense of intimacy, it was a drug more potent than his voice, than even his smile.

Then his finger left her mouth and she was blinking at his broad, strong shoulders as he walked away from her, heading toward the wing where he'd do most of his work that day, with her walk-in patients.

She let him go, a little overwhelmed by the odd and unsettling mix of emotions he caused within her. She'd wondered how he was going to handle the time he had left here, but now, watching him go, with her body in an uproar, she wondered… how was she going to handle it?

* * *

Several hours later a familiar dizziness reminded Faith she wasn't invincible. That she was still a little run- down, an open invitation for getting sick. But damn it, she couldn't afford to give in to this virus right now. Stopping in the staff room, she grabbed the turkey sandwich she'd made for lunch. And if her stomach quietly suggested she add dessert to the sandwich, she ignored it. She was a health professional, and she'd eat like one. Even if it killed her.

She was on her way back to her next patient when she heard a distinct giggle. A child's giggle, which was an irresistible sound.

It came again, and she followed it to room three. Peeking in the ajar door, she saw a towheaded blond boy of about five, lying on his back on the patient table, playing with an oxygen mask. He was Billy Hemdon, a regular.

Next to him, also on his back, though a good part of his long, hard body hung off the other side, was one Dr. Luke Walker. He held an oxygen mask too, and they both looked at the ceiling together, playing with the equipment.

Now that Faith was closer, she could hear the rattle of Billy's breathing. Another asthma attack, a bad one given the volume of the wheezing.

'So.' Luke glanced at Billy. 'You think you're ready to sit with Cat now?'

'If you come.'

'It's only an herbal treatment,' Luke said in a perfectly natural voice, but even so, Faith nearly laughed because it was all in the man's eyes. The idea of a herbal treatment was so foreign as to be alien.

'Hey, how 'bout you go first?' Billy asked. 'Then you can do it to me.'

'That's Cat's job.' Luke blinked innocently. 'I don't want to hurt her feelings.'

'But I want it to be your job,' Billy said, adding a thrust of his lower lip. He pulled the oxygen mask away from his mouth and began wheezing again.

Gently Luke put it back in place. 'How about I walk you down there, and stay with you? Deal?'

'Will you go first? You just breathe in flowers and junk. And Cat holds your hand and sings songs while you do it, funny ones about cows and bees.'

Luke lifted a brow. 'So you know it doesn't hurt.'

The little boy smiled guiltily. 'Sorta.'

'Sorta.' Luke ruffled his hair. 'You trying to trick me, Billy?'

'Sorta.'

Luke grinned. 'It almost worked.'

'But I still want you to do it first. Will you, Dr. Walker?' He batted his dark lashes. 'Pretty please?'

'Yes, Dr. Walker,' Faith said softly, coming into the room. 'Pretty please?'

Lifting his head, Luke leveled his gaze on her. 'Well, if it isn't Nurse McDowell. I wonder if she knows all the modern advances we've made on asthma, and how you could benefit from any of the numerous new drugs on the market?'

'Yes, but I'm lurgic to them,' the boy announced proudly.

'Yes, you are,' Faith said. 'Very allergic. Which is why we use these other techniques.'

With a sigh, Luke sat up. His hair was tousled, his eyes sleepy from lying down for so long, and right then and there, even braced for their usual disagreement, even bogged down by her annoyance at having to put up with him at all, Faith experienced another little unwanted flutter inside.

How was it possible she wanted this man?

And yet… stubborn, egotistical and single-minded as he was, he truly was amazing with her patients. As she thought it, he reached out for Billy's hand, which the boy happily gave him. 'I guess,' Dr. Walker said with a gusty sigh, 'I could go first.'

'Yippee!' Billy cried. Together they walked past Faith-both giving her a little wave, Luke adding a little brow raise to that wave, one that told her they weren't finished, not by a long shot-and out the door they went, with Billy, for the first time in recent memory, grinning.

Faith took a moment and sat, not sure if her weak knees could be attributed to not feeling great, or Luke himself. Today alone he'd brought a smile to a terminal cancer patient, a laugh to a child suffering with life- threatening asthma.

And a hitch to her own heart.

Not bad for his second week in the place.

* * *