Cain

Cain

The Waite Family Series Book
1

By

Kathi S Barton

World Castle
Publishing

This is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s
imagination or are used factiously and are not to be construed as
real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations,
or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

World Castle
Publishing

Pensacola, Florida

Copyright © by Kathi S Barton
2012

Smashwords Edition

ISBN: 9781938243172

Second Edition World Castle Publishing
April 15, 2012

http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com

Smashwords License
Notes

This book is licensed for your personal
enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other
people. If you would like to share this book with another person,
please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re
reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased
for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you
respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover: Karen Fuller

Editor: Brieanna Robertson

~CHAPTER ONE~

Cain watched the woman across from him
beneath his lashes. He had just laid his head back and closed his
eyes when she walked in and sat down. He hadn’t really paid any
attention to the girl until the nurse told him not an hour ago that
his mother’s surgery was about to begin.

“
The doctor said he’d be
another hour, Julie. He wants to know if you’ll see another doctor
or can you come back tomorrow.”

Shifting so that he had a better view,
but not yet opening his eyes, Cain listened to what was going on.
He was slightly uncomfortable when the girl, Julie, stared at him
for so long, but she moved her gaze to the next person before she
looked down again.

“
If you’ll just give me
Rodney’s medications, I’ll go now. It’s not all that bad. I’ve kept
the cut clean.”

“
Julie, please let another
doctor see it. I can tell you hurt. I know you won’t come back
until Rodney needs his medications again. What if it’s too late by
then?”

Julie didn’t say anything. After a
minute, the nurse patted the girl’s hands that were tight in her
lap and got up.

Cain opened his eyes and looked around
the room. He was trying to appear as though he’d just awakened. He
stood and stretched as he moved to the open doorway and out into
the hall. The nurse was going toward the main desk. He followed
her.

“
Is there something I can
help you with, Dr. Waite? If it’s food, I’m afraid the cafeteria
only serves cold sandwiches this time of morning.”

Cain almost shuddered. The thought of
eating hospital food again nearly made him ill. He swore that once
he had taken the state exams and become a doctor, he’d never eat it
again.

“
Thanks, but no. I was
wondering about the girl, the one in the waiting room just now. Do
you know why she needed a physician?”

The nurse flushed. “She is a very
private person, sir. Julie said she’d been hurt and wanted someone
to stitch it up for her. And as we all know, for her to ask for
help means she must really need it.” While that didn’t answer his
question, it did tell him that Julie was a regular here.

“
And Rodney? Her husband,
I’m assuming?” He didn’t know why he cared, but he did. He was
surprised by her answer.

“
No, sir, Rodney is my
brother. He lives on the streets, as does Julie. Hard times, you
know. But neither of them will take what they consider handouts. If
there’s nothing else, I’ve work to do.”

Cain hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings.
He’d only been asking, and to be honest, he was bored. He was here
because his mother had requested he be. He didn’t know why. They
barely spoke to one another and had lived on different ends of the
United States for years. But she had needed to have a cyst removed
from her breast and she’d come to Ohio to have it done. He’d taken
the offer from his partners from the private practice he’d been at
in Maine some time ago and was just getting around to settling in
Ohio when she called. He hadn’t even had time to purchase a house
yet, much less set up a new practice.

“
I’m sorry, Molly, I’m a
little stressed. I was merely asking because I thought I’d help
her. Damon Grant can vouch for me. We’ve been friends for longer
than I can remember. He used to have the hots for one of my
relatives a while back.”

“
Dr. Grant is married now.
He has a lovely son and daughter too. I’ll just give him a call and
then see if Julie will let you treat her.”

Cain went back to the waiting room to
see if he could convince the girl to let him help her. It became a
moot point when he found her crumbled on the floor in a pool of
blood.

~~~

Julie woke slowly. The dream she was
having was just too wonderful to let go of so soon. She was warm,
something she only felt in the summer, and she felt like she was
sleeping on a cloud. Of course, sleeping on the hard ground for so
long, sleeping on even a thin pad would feel like a cloud. When she
rolled over, she felt the first bit of fear. Her leg wouldn’t
move.

“
It’s been immobilized so
you wouldn’t pull out the stitches in your belly. I had to put in
fourteen and the skin there moves so easily, I didn’t want you to
have to be put under again to repair it. Do you need
anything?”

Julie looked over at the man who spoke.
It took her several seconds to get him to come into focus then
another two to remember where she’d seen him. He was the guy from
the waiting room.

“
Clothes? I’d like my
clothes, please.” She noticed the IV in her hand and thought about
taking it out. But she didn’t have much energy right now and was
conserving her movements so she could leave.

“
I’m afraid I had to cut
your pants from you. Your shirt didn’t fare much better. I’m not
sure what the nurses did with them. I would imagine that they were
thrown out.”

Julie doubted it. The staff here knew
who she was and also knew she’d pitch a bitch fit if they ever did
that again. When she’d been brought in several months ago, they’d
cut her clothes then too. Julie pulled the nurse call button and
ignored the man sitting in the chair next to the bed.

“
Yes, Dr. Waite. What can
I do for you this fine evening?”

Julie cocked a brow at the grinning
man. “It’s Julie. I’d like my stuff please. I also need one of
those ‘get out of jail free’ papers too. I’m ready to check
out.”

“
Yes. All right.” The
nurse’s tone was decidedly less breathy and much more professional.
Julie smiled as she leaned back on the pillows.

The door opening had her look up. The
person standing there made her groan. Margaret Parker. Julie laid
back and closed her eyes quickly.

“
Don’t you dare pretend
you’re sleeping, young lady. We had a deal. You said if you got
hurt again, you’d come stay with me. Well? Are you ready to get off
the streets now?”

Julie glanced at the man who had stood
when Mrs. Parker came into the room. Then she looked back at the
older woman. “Our deal was if I got beat up again. I didn’t. So go
away. I’m just waiting on my stuff then I’m out of here.” Julie
nearly laughed out loud when Mrs. Parker stomped her foot. The man
did laugh and was rewarded for it by Margaret turning on
him.

“
Cain Waite, you are not
too big for me to spank again. Instead of laughing at a poor old
woman, you should be using your considerable charm on that one.”
Julie turned to see who was behind her when Margaret pointed at
her. “I know you have some. I also know you charmed Becky Shaffer
out of her bra when you were nothing but fifteen years
old.”

The man didn’t look to Julie like he
needed to do more than look at a woman and she’d gladly peel out of
whatever he wanted her to. Eyes to die for, as her mother used to
say. Dark green eyes with long lashes over his tanned skin. His
light blond hair looked like it had been kissed by the sun a great
deal. It was so curly she’d bet he had to brush it several times a
day just to keep it in some sort of order. He towered over Mrs.
Parker, who Julie knew to be about five-foot-five. Julie knew that
he would be at least six or more inches than her own
five-foot-nine. He was dressed in a dark polo shirt with the top
two buttons opened, and just enough hair peeked out to let her knew
he was deliciously furred beneath his clothes. His chest looked
strong and she caught herself wondering if he was married when she
heard him clear his throat.

Somehow, Julie knew he was aware of her
every thought when her eyes slammed to his. She didn’t have to know
that her cheeks were hot to the touch. She could actually feel her
skin burn with embarrassment. She felt stupid and when she felt
that way, her temper got the better of her.

“
I doubt he could charm me
if he had all the time in the world. I don’t charm. Better luck
next time, Mrs. Parker. I’m—”

“
Not going anywhere.
Hello, Julie. You and I have a deal, remember? You said that the
next time there was blood spilled, I get what I want. And I have a
waiting room that says I win,” Damon Grant said as he stalked to
her bedside. “Now, I know Cain to be a great doctor, but just so
you can verify the spilled blood part, let’s have a look, shall
we?”

Julie held tight to the sheet and when
he pried her fingers back one at a time, she knew she couldn’t
escape. “I hate you,” she said to him. Damon laughed. Then when he
motioned for the other man to come forward, she tried to fight the
sheet back into place again.

“
I assure you, Julie, this
is for your own good. Let go of the sheet and let us examine this.
Come on, be a good girl.”

Julie knew she was trapped. The blood
part was why she’d been trying to see the other doctor and not
Damon. Ben Samuels wasn’t as nice or as friendly, but he wasn’t
Damon Grant.

“
He goes. He wasn’t part
of the deal. He goes outside with your mom or I...or I start
screaming.” Both men stared at her. “You know I will, Dr. Grant.
You’ve tested me before.” When no one moved, Julie took in a deep
breath to do just as she’d threatened. Dr. Waite stepped back. He
glared at her for so long that she was sure he was going to call
her bluff. Then before she could relent, he turned on his heel and
left the room, Mrs. Parker on his arm.