“Hmm.” Dr. Steve pressed against her shoulder. “Lie down.”
Dar did, letting her eyes close and feeling the pressure cuff tighten against her bicep. Her mind drifted, thinking of the coming day. Or to be more precise, the coming night, and she found herself thinking of Kerry, and those warm, green eyes, and…
“Dar?”
She opened her eyes, to see the doctor regarding her in puzzled concern.
“Damn, sorry.” She sighed. “See what I mean?”
Dr. Steve leaned against the table, a lock of gray hair dropping down over his forehead. “I don’t understand. Your pressure is fine; your heart sounds fine. Maybe I should schedule you for a CT scan,” he suggested warily.
Dar rubbed her eyes. “Maybe,” she muttered.
“You saying that without arguing means your pretty head’s probably about to pop off.” He shook his head. “Well, let me go run a quick scan on the blood and see if I see anything. Go wait in my office. I think I have the new PC
World in there.”
“Oh, great,” Dar grumbled. “Just what I need—to read all about the new bugs.” She hopped off the table, though, and made her way to Dr. Steve’s comfortable office, slouching in an armchair and picking up the indicated magazine. “Where’s the cartoon? At least I can laugh at that.”
Tropical Storm 295
“HEY! KERRY!”
KERRY turned, her fingers sliding on the strap of her briefcase as she spotted Mark Polenti catching up to her. “Hi. Morning.”
Mark’s eyes fastened on Kerry’s face for an instant, then he looked aside again without comment. “Listen.” He looked around quickly and asked, “You know where the boss is?” His voice was low and urgent.
Kerry paused in momentary indecision. “Um…”
“They’ve been trying to call her all night, and she’s not picking up,” Mark said. “We dropped the ball on the payroll transfer last night and we needed her sign off on a workaround.”
Oh. Damn. “Why didn’t you call me?” Kerry asked. “Maybe her cell’s down.”
Mark sidestepped the question. “I was kinda worried. I called the condo.”
Kerry looked him in the eye. “She’s at a doctor’s appointment,” she said.
“So I guess we should go upstairs and clean up the mess before she gets here, shouldn’t we?”
Two women walked past them, giving them wary looks. Mark waited for them to pass before he answered. “Uh, yeah, sure.” His uncertainty showed on his face. “But you talked to her right? She’s okay?”
Kerry was torn between wanting to believe Mark was just honestly worried about Dar, and the knowledge that loose talk could seriously damage both of them. “I talked to her this morning,” she finally said. “She’s fine.”
Mark cocked his head a little. “So I guess her cell’s okay.”
Bleeping damn. “She called me,” Kerry replied in an even tone. “I really don’t know where she was calling from, but it doesn’t matter. Let’s go take care of business.” She started toward the elevator. “You can ask her about it when she shows up, right?”
“Um. Sure.” Mark caught up to her and they walked together to the elevator. “Sorry they didn’t call you. I guess we’re not really used to having a Dar Junior.”
She was about to hit the button, but Kerry stopped and glanced at him as he looked uneasily back at her. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” she said after a long pause, swiping the control and walking through the sliding doors as they opened. She almost wished they would be joined by some of the anonymous secretarial staff in the lobby, but the elevator closed and they faced each other for the long ride up.
Mark stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, whistling softly under his breath.
Dar Junior. Kerry studied the inlaid tile on the floor of the elevator . Dar would probably laugh like a nut at that.
“Um.” Mark cleared his throat. “Hey, um…can I ask you something?”
Uh oh. Kerry looked warily up at him. “Am I going to regret saying yes?”
“Maybe. Yeah.”
Kerry sighed. “Can I get some coffee first?”
DAR HAD READ through over half the magazine before she heard 296 Melissa Good steady footsteps on the carpet and looked up as Dr. Steve ambled in, a folder under his arm and a peculiar look on his fact. “Finished?” She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got a million problems waiting for me at the office.”
The stocky, gray-haired man put the folder down and dropped into his seat, folding his hands over his belly and gazing at her. “Well, my friend, your stress indicators are down, that’s for sure.”
Dar let a small smile tug at her lips. “That’s good.”
He nodded. “Mmm. Yes, I was glad to see it. I also ran an analysis for hormones and other anomalies, and I think I might have figured out what your little forgetfulness problem is. Maybe or maybe not.”
Dar sat up and cocked her head. “Yeah?”
He nodded solemnly. “Yes, I’m afraid you have elevated levels of endorphins in your bloodstream, my friend, especially oxytocin.”
Dar was taken aback. “Oh.” She paused, a little alarmed. “What is that?
What causes it?”
Dr. Steve rubbed his nose. “Well, it’s a naturally occurring hormone.
Basically, it’s one of the things responsible for making us feel good. Your body releases it under certain circumstances, and it’s known to produce the symptoms you’re describing.”
Dar considered that. “What circumstances?”
“Mmm, in some cases, exercise. Especially long-distance running,” Dr.
Steve mentioned. “Do you do that?”
She shrugged. “Six, eight miles in a morning.”
“Did you do that this morning?” Dr. Steve asked.
Dar shook her head. “I…no.” She hesitated. “Not this morning.”
“Not that, then.” The doctor steepled his fingers. “You take any opiates?”
“What?” Dar’s brow contracted sharply. “Dr. Steve, you goddamn well know better.”
A hand raised. “Okay, okay, just asking.” A tiny grin chased itself around his lips. “That eliminates two of the three most common causes.”
“What’s the third, eating chocolate?” Dar chuckled.
“Falling in love,” Steve quietly replied. “Oxytocin is the hormone that stimulates the need for touching.”
Dar simply stared at him, her jaw sagging slightly, and her eyes blinking.
“That’s…ah, no, Steve, I don’t…” She ran a hand through her hair. “That’s not…”
“Dar, relax.” The doctor leaned forward. “Breathe, okay? I don’t want you keeling over in my office, it looks bad to the nurses.” He regarded her with fond affection. “My god, you’d think I just said you were pregnant or something. There’s nothing wrong with being in love, my friend.” He smiled.
“It’s good for you.”
“But I’m…” Dar tried to force the words out, but they just weren’t coming. Jesus, this can’t be happening. Her mind flashed back to her own words to Kerry, what seemed like forever ago. It’s like your body knows. “Are you…is that all, Dr. Steve?”
“Sure.” He gazed at her in quiet compassion. “Go take a walk, Dar. Get some air. You’re white as a sheet.”
Nodding absently, she walked out, not really sure where she was going Tropical Storm 297
until she was outside, where she mechanically found her car and opened the door, collapsing into the seat and leaning against the steering wheel. “He’s crazy. He doesn’t know what he’s…I’m not…”