The Family Doctor by Bobby Hutchinson Page A

appear. Kate knew his reputation for being on time.
    No one was talking much, but when the door opened and he came in, voices stilled and the silence grew heavy and foreboding.
    The crutches he was using because of his ankle didn’t slow him down as he swung around the table and took a seat across from Kate. He was wearing gray dress pants and a lightweight sports jacket over a pale blue shirt, and as always, the clothes were expertly tailored and fitted him beautifully.
    Kate decided she much preferred him in the shorts and T-shirt he’d been wearing the last time she saw him.
    â€œThanks for taking time out of your busy day to come,” he began. “The purpose of this meeting is simply to ascertain what went wrong during my recent admission, and figure out how best to keep such things from happening to some other poor victim.” He smiled, and when it was clear he was joking, there was an audible sigh of relief.
    â€œI have to tell you, I felt pretty steamed over thiswhole affair, and I was all prepared to arrange for a firing squad, but I’ve cooled off, thanks to some good advice.” His eyes met Kate’s for a long moment, and he actually smiled at her.
    Warmth spread from her toes to the top of her head, and a sense of satisfaction came over her. Sometimes her job was difficult, but it was at moments like these, when a catastrophe had been averted, that she knew exactly why she did what she did.
    One by one, the staff members explained exactly what had occurred when Tony was being treated by them. Without making excuses, they related the way mistakes had happened, and what they felt could be done to avert similar mistakes in the future. And each and every one included a heartfelt apology.
    Kate was touched by them all. She’d talked to each of them separately and tried to help clarify for them how they felt and what they wanted to say to Tony. She’d given them the direction, and now they were going the distance.
    Instead of confrontation, there was a growing sense of camaraderie as the meeting progressed. When it was over, each person who’d attended lined up to shake Tony’s hand and express their pleasure at his recovery.
    â€œIn spite of our best efforts,” Alf Jensen joked, and Kate was relieved when Tony laughed.
    The meeting over, Kate got up and was almostout the door when Tony walked past her on his crutches and closed it, then turned to face her. The room was empty except for the two of them.
    â€œKate, do you have a moment?”
    â€œSure.” She tensed, aware of standing close to him, and moved back a step or two.
    â€œI just wanted to say this was a good idea, after all. And you were right—blaming wasn’t the way to go.” He held her gaze and added, “I was wrong when I devalued the job you do here, Kate. I want to apologize for that, and thank you for getting everyone together.”
    â€œApology accepted.” She could tell that it was hard for him to admit that she’d been right. She felt a rush of admiration for him. It took a strong man to admit he’d been mistaken. More than that, his recognition of her efforts sent her heart soaring. She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you so much, Tony.”
    â€œMy pleasure.” His grin flashed, and Kate’s heart skipped a beat as their eyes met and held for several long moments before he glanced at his watch and shook his head. “I’ve gotta run. I’ve got patients lined up at the office waiting for me. See you soon, Kate.”
    She waited until he was gone and then sank back down into a chair and blew out the breath she’d been holding.
    What exactly was going on with her and Tony O’Connor? Was the attraction she felt toward himreciprocal, or was she imagining things? And what had he meant by “see you soon”? Was he referring to work, or was he hinting at maybe meeting her away from the hospital?
    What would she do if he asked