“Don’t Maggie me, Michael Callaghan. I will not be bullied by the likes of you. Accept that I am a grown woman capable of making my own decisions.”
“When you start acting like a grown woman instead of a stubborn child I might be more inclined to do just that.” His lips thinned, his eyes practically glowed. He leveled a gaze at her that would have most men looking away and snapping to their orders. But Maggie met his intense stare with her own, her green eyes luminous. She clasped her hands together in her lap, but not before he saw them tremble.
The face-off continued for a full minute before Maggie spoke again. In a softer voice, but with no less determination, she said, “I am not going, Michael, and that’s final. I’d like you to stay. Eat with me. Make love to me again.” She took a deep, steadying breath for her next words, which were spoken even more softly. “But if you can’t accept that, then you should probably leave now, before this goes any further.”
A war raged within him. His medically-trained, logical side said she needed more care than he could give her here in her home. His heart balked at doing anything that would put distance between them.
It made no sense to him, this aversion Maggie seemed to have toward hospitals. He was a doctor, and she didn’t seem to mind him. He tried to look deeper, tried to understand. She’d been just as adamant about not going to the ER the night she fell. She had quietly refused to take any of the meds he’d left for her. The intensity of her feelings on this went way beyond typical anxiety, especially in an age when medical care and modern pharmaceuticals were so advanced and readily available.
Yet her eyes were worried, pleading. She wanted him to stay, but she was not going to back down. If he continued to push her on this, it would drive a wedge between them, and the damage could be irreparable. If he didn’t and her leg got worse, he wouldn’t forgive himself because he had known better and could have helped her.
It was a hell of a choice - force the issue and risk losing her or respect her wishes and go against his medical instincts, which, so far, had never been wrong.
“Damn it, Maggie,” he said blowing out a breath, running one hand through his already-messed hair. “I’m worried about you.” That was putting it mildly. The intensity of his feelings – the powerful need he had to care for her, protect her – was so strong. But hell, he’d already told her he was falling in love with her. If he tried to explain this compulsion, obsession – whatever it was – to care for her she might be totally spooked and end up kicking his ass out anyway.
Her face softened just a little and she reached out to touch his face. “I love that you care for me, Michael, and I understand that you are a doctor and that my behavior makes no sense to you at all. But it is my decision, and I need you to decide whether or not you can accept that.”
“Can you explain it to me, Maggie? Can you help me understand why you have such an aversion to things like stitches and X-rays and shots?”
“Maybe,” she said carefully. “When you are of a mind to listen. But this is about a lot more than a little cut on my leg.” Michael was about to point out that it was a hell of a lot more than that, but thought better of it when he saw the seriousness of her expression. “It’s about whether or not you see me as one of your patients, or as the woman who is falling in love with you, too.”
His heart stuttered. He blinked. For a few moments he forgot to breathe. She’d said it. She’d admitted to falling in love with him. Everything else could wait. He was suddenly on his knees, kissing her as if his life depended on it.
“Does this mean you’ll stay?” she asked breathlessly, her eyes slightly unfocused.
“I’ll stay,” he said, his voice somewhat rough. “But I want you to promise me that if this leg doesn’t look any better tomorrow you will let me take you to the hospital.”
“Michael –“
“Maggie, you have to meet me halfway on this, sweetheart. We’ll do this your way for now, but only because it looks like you did an excellent job treating that wound. But if it gets worse or shows any signs of infection, we do things my way. I might be falling in love with you, but I will not sit idly by and watch you hurt yourself – I care far too much to allow that to happen. And whether you like it or not, I do know more about injuries and treatments than you do.”
He held her face in his hands and prayed she would be reasonable about this. “Do you think you can accept that?”
She bit her bottom lip, her eyes swirling again until finally, Maggie nodded. “I do.”