DESTINED AFFECTION

FOURTEEN

"Was soccer her game, too?" Camila asked casually, aware of Lauren's sudden discomfort. But it seemed important to keep going. Lauren had said they were friends, and if that's truly what they were to be, even if that was all they were to be, Terry could not be a secret.

"Soccer, Softball, football—you name it, she played it." Lauren's voice faltered, then she smiled, a tiny fond lift of her lips. "She was always getting banged up."

"Ah, now I understand Phyllis's comment about tough girls and injuries."

Lauren studied Camila, thinking that she ought to be surprised that Camila even knew about Terry, but she wasn't, Camila was one of the most instinctively insightful people she had ever met. "You don't miss much, do you?"

"I pay attention," Camila said quietly. Especially when it matters so much.

"I know."

Camila wanted to ask more, wanted to know about the woman Lauren had loved, had married, had borne a child with. Not out of a sense of competition—at least, if she was honest, not so much because of that—but out of a deep desire to know Lauren. But she also intuited that this was a subject that could not be rushed, and she prudently sought less volatile ground. "You're up pretty early for a Sunday."

"I'm working the day shift."

"Oh, yes." Camila's eyes darkened, jolted abruptly from the companionable conversation back to the reality of their true relationship. Lauren was her boss, and about to make a decision that would affect the rest of Camila's life. Her voice was tinged with faint frustration and a hint of temper. "I was scheduled to work, too. But then, you know that."

Hearing the anger, Lauren looked away, then forced herself to meet 's eyes. "Since it's Sunday, I won't be able to reach anyone today about the...situation."

"I didn't expect anything to be resolved until next week," Camila replied quietly, forcing calm when she felt anything but. Still, she didn't want to fight with Lauren, and in her rational mind, she appreciated Lauren's sense of responsibility.

"First thing Monday morning, I'll talk to the chief of medicine and the attorneys."

"Thanks. If you need my cardiologist's contact info, I can give you that." She hesitated. "I'll sign a release for you to get copies of my records, too, if you want."

"I don't think that will be necessary, but thank you for offering." Appreciating what an invasion of privacy this was for Camila, and grateful for her cooperation, Lauren sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry to put you through this, Camz. But I'm the head of the department, and I have to be certain that all contingencies have been considered and that we're free from liability."

A muscle bunched along the edge of Camila's jaw, but she merely nodded.

Speaking almost to herself, Lauren muttered, "This could have been avoided if Normani hadn't hired you before I could interview you."

"What do you mean?" Camila leaned forward, her expression piercingly intent.

Lauren regarded Quinn steadily. "What would you have said if I had asked you why you weren't planning on practicing surgery? And I would have asked."

"I would have said that I had a medical condition that presently prevented me from doing that."

"And when I asked for details?"

"I would have told you," Camila said immediately.

"Precisely." Lauren ran a hand through her hair. "Normani Kordei is an excellent administrator, and I'm very happy to have her as my chief when it's time to negotiate for salary lines and to keep surgery from swallowing up my department." At Camila's raised eyebrow, Lauren laughed. "It's true and you know it. You're all a bunch of territorial bandits."