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attractive woman.
    Even a dedicated physician with a fondness for science wasn’t immune to the power of testosterone, he told himself with a grin just before he slipped into sleep.
     
     
    Gemma struggled with every ounce of her will to wake up, to make sense of the buzzing voices, the monotonous sounds, that penetrated the void.
    Wake up . She needed to wake up. It must be night because she couldn’t see. Where was she? Low-grade anxiety came and went again.
    “Can you hear me, Ms. Cardano? Gemma, can you hear me?”
    The female voice, repeating itself endlessly, nagging, irritated her. She could hear. Why couldn’t she see?
    Terrible headache. Her face hurt
    Scraps of memory floated back, nightmarish recollections, of being strapped to a stretcher, of not being able to scream even though the pain was unbearable.
    Panicked, she struggled harder to open her eyes.
    She couldn’t.
    Blind. She must be blind.
    God, oh please God, not blind.
    Gemma began to shudder, and whimpering sounds came from her throat. They surprised her, because they didn’t sound like noises she’d ever made before.
    Something was terribly wrong with her throat. Something was very wrong, as well, with her jaw. It hurt in a way it had never hurt before, a monumental ache that made it impossible to lie still. With a huge effort, she lifted a hand—and encountered a tube in her neck.
    “Ms. Cardano, don’t struggle, please. Your eyes are swollen shut. You’ll be able to see once the swelling is gone. Your jaw was fractured and it’s wired shut. You have a tube in your throat to make breathing easier. It’s three in the morning, the day after your accident Try to relax. Being relaxed is the fastest way to speed healing.”
    Eyes, jaw? God, what else?
    She tried to ask, but the horrible croaking was all she could manage.
    Thirsty, she was horribly thirsty, and her throat hurt like hell. She tried to raise her hand again, gesture at her neck, but her hand felt disconnected from the rest of her. It flopped back down on the sheet before she could make it do what she wanted.
    The nurse guessed. “I know you must be thirsty, and I’m sorry, but I can’t give you water just yet. We’ll have to wait until we’re sure you can swallow. You have a drip in your arm that’s putting fluid into your body. I’m going to give you a shot now in your thigh. It’ll help you rest. The more you rest the better. There’s a call button right here....”
    Cool fingers took her hand and positioned it.
    “Try to relax now, Ms. Cardano.”
    Rage flared. Who was this idiot telling her to relax? And she couldn’t even holler that she hated needles. She tensed, waiting for the sickening instant when the needle penetrated her skin, but she barely felt it because the pain in her head, in her neck, was red and hot. After an interminable time it ebbed slightly and Gemma tried to concentrate, to remember the details of what had happened to her, but there was only a blur of separate moments with no connection between them. She clearly remembered driving to work in the early morning, cursing the rain because it was supposed to be summer.
    Then there was a doctor, his deep voice soothing, telling her she was going to the operating room. And then the void came rushing up and swallowed her once more.
    Darkness, and again a voice, one she recognized this time.
    “Gemma? It’s Mama, carissima.”
    She had no memory of time passing, nothing to indicate where she’d been, only the darkness fading gradually as she became conscious again. She felt incredible relief, knowing her mama was beside her, holding her hand.
    “Papa’s here, too. It’s six in the morning. He’s just gone to talk to the nurse.”
    Gemma tensed, waiting for the sickening ache to start in her head, but it was duller. She felt nauseous, though, which was terrifying because she couldn’t open her mouth. What would she do if she had to throw up? Panic shot through her, and she clutched at her mother’s