Heaven Sent Read Online Free Page B

here.”
    Raul stared at Serena, a gamut of emotions crossing his face. It was the second time that night that she’d ordered him about. The tiny girl he had taken into hishousehold and claimed as his own daughter had grown up into a beautiful woman who was still a stranger to him. And it was only now that he realized that he had never taken the time to get to know who Serena Morris actually was. He had called her daughter, yet had never legally adopted her. She continued to carry the name of a man who had not lived long enough to see her birth; a man whose face she only knew through old photographs, while he had bounced her on his knee, sung native Costa Rican songs to her, and nicknamed her
Chica.
    He loved her, but he hadn’t given her the attention he had given his son. Gabriel was the fruit of his loins, but Serena was the delight of his heart. She was the joy in his life, because she looked so much like the woman he had fallen in love with at first sight.
    He might have temporarily lost his son, but he still had a daughter. A daughter who would come to know the full extent of his love before she returned home to the United States.
    “I will wait,” he said quietly, then turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.
    Dr. Leandro Rivera removed his lightweight linen jacket and rolled back the cuffs of his shirt, his gaze fixed on Serena Morris. He picked up a package of sterile, latex gloves and handed them to her before reaching into his large, black bag for another pair.
    “Let’s get to work, Señorita Morris.”
    She smiled at him, delighting him with the soft crinkling of skin around her large, round eyes. “Please call me Serena.”
    He returned her smile. “Only if you’ll call me Leandro.”
    There was the familiar resounding snap of latex as they pushed their hands and fitted their fingers into thegloves. And, as if they had worked together many times in the past, the doctor and nurse shifted the patient until the light coming from the bedside lamp highlighted the left side of his face.
    Serena climbed up on the bed, holding David Cole’s head firmly as Leandro prepared to repair his injured face.

Chapter 4
     
    S erena silently admired Dr. Leandro Rivera’s skill as he deftly closed the deep wound. He covered his handiwork with Steri-Strips and large gauze dressing that covered the entire left side of David Cole’s face. Their patient had not stirred throughout the emergency medical procedure, enabling them to work quickly and efficiently. It had been accomplished without a local anaesthetic.
    Leandro withdrew several syringes from his bag and handed them to Serena. “I’m going to leave a few vials of antibiotics with you to administer every six hours.”
    “I’m going to need a stethoscope and a sphygmomanometer,” she informed him.
    He gave her a questioning look, then glanced at the syringes in her hand. “Your father said that you’re a nurse.”
    She smiled at the tall, good-looking doctor whosedelicate features were better suited to a woman. Gleaming black hair covered his well-shaped head, and only a deep wave across the crown kept it from being labeled straight. His slanting, dark eyes and rich, golden complexion boasted a blending of Chinese and of the Ticos, who were identified as direct descendants of Spanish settlers.
    “I am a nurse. But not here. I received my formal training in the United States,” she explained.
    “You are not a Tica?” Leandro questioned, using the self-appointed nickname Costa Ricans called themselves.
    “No. I am American. I was born in the States, but I was raised here when my mother married my stepfather.”
    So, that explained why he hadn’t heard that Minister Vega claimed a daughter, Leandro mused. “Do you live in the United States?” he questioned as he prepared a syringe filled with a potent antibiotic.
    “I’ve lived there for the past twelve years.”
    Concentrating on swabbing an area high on David’s bare hip, he continued