“Well, have you ever seen the excision of an ocular squamous cell carcinoma?”
“No.”
“Then you’ll be learning. And assisting. Surely there’s extra credit for that.”
She hardly dared to breathe. “Are you…offering that?”
“Yes.” The answer was immediate. “If we can get into the emergency OR, the standard treatment is debulking with adjunct cryotherapy. It’s not a complicated surgery, I promise. We’ll just need the space, some equipment, light medication. We’ll reduce the tumor load, clear her vision, lower the chance of recurrence, and get it done in an hour. The bulk of the expense is the specialist vet and…”
“And I’m looking at him.”
“And I don’t cost a thing.” He tapped her nose playfully. “But rest assured because I got an A in my semester of ophthalmology and was number one in my soft tissue surgery class. Does that make you feel more confident in me?”
It made her feel dizzy with attraction. “I trust you,” she said simply.
His smile flashed, quick and proud. “Good. Then how do we make it happen?”
“I’ll plead the case to Dr. Choi, who is running the Emergency OR and Trauma Center over the holidays.”
“Can you do that now?”
She nodded. “But we should remember that most of the faculty is out of town, and elective procedures are limited.”
“Then you should make the case that this isn’t elective,” he said calmly. “We’re preventing future pain, potential loss of the eye, and we’re giving institute students a chance to observe a procedure they don’t usually see here.”
“Pretty sure you’ll have a class of one.”
He leaned closer. “Then you can be teacher’s pet.”
She took a sharp breath, a little overwhelmed by the impact of him. By his style and certainty, his warmth and compassion, and oh, those green eyes that ought to be illegal.
“You’re not sure about this?” he asked, misreading what was probably an expression of complete and pathetic crush-ness.
“No, I am. I was just thinking…”About kissing you.“About how, uh, grateful I am for the help. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You don’t have to.” His eyes softened. “I get to do what I love. You get experience. Shambles gets a shot at a merry little Christmas.”
“Everybody wins,” she said.
“Plus,” he added, “I promised a certain veterinarian-in-training that I’d help her with the Live Nativity. What is a Nativity scene without a sheep?”
“Exactly. Then I should try to get in to see Dr. Choi right now.” She started to wheel back, but he turned and put a light hand on her arm.
“Would it be okay if I come with you?” he asked. “I can explain my training and credentials and put Dr. Choi in touch with someone from my school, too. I don’t want to overstep, but…”
“Not overstepping at all,” she assured him. “Thank you. I’d love the backup.”
They gave Shambles a little love and a treat, then headed across campus together, laughing and talking the whole way like…well, not like friends.
Maybe that’s what she was to him, but Elise couldn’t deny that every minute she was with the guy, she wanted…more.
“Okay, I’m in love.”
At Wade’s admission, Elise’s fingers gripped the thin metal roller and clicked the brakes—the wheelchair equivalent of stopping dead in her tracks. “Excuse me?”
“With this school,” he said on a quick laugh, reaching down to put his hand on her shoulder as they left Dr. Choi’s office and back into the sunshine. “I mean, we waited, what? Five minutes to get in to see an important member of the faculty. He listened to every word, read the report, went online and checked me out, and—wham—surgery is the day after tomorrow, assuming Shambles’ owner agrees.”
“And I do a paper on the treatment of ocular squamous cell carcinoma for next semester’s class on large-animal disease.” Elise grinned. “Now I don’t have to think of a topic or do research. Win.” She high-fived him.
