Bella Harden? On the pediatric floor?" Dr. Jeremy Mark's snort of disbelief clearly indicated his

opinion of the transfer request the floor supervisor

held in her hand

"She's qualified," Nurse Avery stated unequivocally. She respected Dr. Mark's surgical expertise, but she was in charge of the pediatric ward's nursing staff.

"Her evaluations are excellent."

"Let me see them." Jeremy quickly scanned the application. Dark brown hair. Blue eyes. Five foot one.

One hundred and eight pounds. Twenty-eight years of age. No medical problems. Registered nurse with a bachelor of science degree from St. Louis University.

He assessed the form with one dark eyebrow raised.

The brief description could have fit many of the nurses at St. Michael's 250-bed, private hospital.

He silently took note of the glowing praise from Bella Harden's current supervisor. The nursing service assessment form rated nurses on a scale from one to ten. Nurse Harden averaged a nine. Close to, but not

quite perfect. On the lines allowed for additional remarks, handwritten comments extolled her capabilities, calling her caring, conscientious, capable. These three C's were what he considered essential for any-

one working with his patients. Too bad the form lacked spaces for a character analysis, he mused. From what he'd heard from an intern, Bella went beyond C to D: deceitful, disruptive... and desirable.

Jeremy swallowed, clearing the bitter taste from his mouth. Handing the forms across the counter, he said,

"Personally, for whatever my opinion is worth, I'm opposed to the transfer." Avery poked her wire-framed glasses snugly against the bridge of her nose. "Why?"

"I've seen her type. Beautiful.. and knows it. She performs well in a fast-paced environment, but she'll find the routineness of pediatrics boring. Six months from now, she'll request another transfer." His dark eyes narrowed slightly. " Or she'll latch on to another intern who isn't as perceptive as Jason Malone."

"Her vita does indicate a tendency to job-hop. She's worked in several hospitals during the past five years,"she replied, ignoring his flip remark about one of her

least favorite interns. She thumped the résumé with the

knuckle of her middle finger, chuckling to herself. Of all the doctors at St. Michael's Hospital, the last person she expected to notice how a woman looked was Dr. Mark . "Now that you mention it, she is striking. Interested?"

"Hardly," Jeremy scolded. ths ex-wite, Cleo,had taught him to be wary of beauty, of women who moved into life's fast lane by bedazzling some unsuspecting sucker into marriage. Now, medicine was his wife, his mistress, his love. He was satisfied with his

current single status. "Burn victims seldom play with matches a second time."

"Bella Harden reminds you of Cleo?"Old enough to be the good doctor's mother, Nurse Avery asked questions that others wouldn't dare to ask. "'It's been

years since Cleo worked here, but I didn't notice any physical resemblance between the two women."

"They may not look alike, but they're the same type." He seldom repeated things he'd heard, but the thought of being in daily contact with Bella Harden loosened his tongue.

"Dr. Malone called her a cross between a barracuda and an alley cat sleek and shiny

on the outside, but with a mouth and claws that could rip a man to shreds. She nearly ruined Malone's medical career by insisting that he work all day and party

all night."?

"Gossiping, Doctor?" Nurse Chaney asked sarcastically. " Oscar would be ashamed of you.

A faint tinge of red rose from beneath his whitecollar. "Oscar is a dummy?

"So is a doctor who gets tangled up in the hospital grapevine, If anything, I feel more comfortable knowing she's no longer associated with Dr. Malone."

"Agreed. He was lucky to escape, wasn't he?"

Jeremy asked, smiling grimly as he twisted the meaning of her words.

Martha's chin jutted forward. She slowly shook her head. As floor supervisor, she relied on the accuracy of the hospital's assessment forms. Rumor and speculation about a nurse's private life seldom influenced

her decision. Reliable, efficient nurses were difficult to find.

"I don't trust kitty-'cudas with my kids. Do me a favor. Keep Bella Harden away from my patients unless absolutely necessary if you decide to accept her on your floor."

Martha glanced over her shoulder.

"Is there a sign on my back that says, 'Make Nurse Avery's day by asking for a special favor'? You know we'll be under.

staffed during the holidays so I can't make any promises. Speaking of Thanksgiving, can we count on you and Oscar to entertain the patients?"

"Oscar would never forgive me if I kept him locked in his trunk during the festivities. I've been working on some magical stunts that the kids will love." Jeremy leaned across the Formica countertop and whispered,

"Care to be the lady who bravely climbs into the box and serenely smiles as I jab swords.

Martha gasped in mock horror. Your reputation precedes you, Doctor. You're renowned for your accuracy with a surgical instrument."

"And I'm accurate about Nurse Harden, too, he retorted glibly, drawing her back to the original topic of conversation.

"She's more of an illusionist than I

am."

A blinking light caught their attention.

Groaning, Nurse Avery moved from behind the desk.

"Tony Miller's light. I swear, I'd hire Bella

Harden in a minute if she could weave some sort of magical spell around Tony's thumb to keep it off the call button, He's set a new record for complaints."

"Daniel Edwards's patient?"

"Uh-huh.

"Anything I can do?" He joined her as she stepped around the edge of the counter.

"Nothing ethical." Her voice dropped to a whisper as they approached Tony's open door. "He's scared and angry and lonely, but that doesn't cure his hemophilia or justify his complaints."

"This is his third visit to the hospital since last

summer, isn't it?"

Nurse Avery nodded.

"And it won't be his last. He's a daredevil! Would you believe he tried out for a

neighborhood football team last fall? He's in here now because of a nasty fall he took while playing ice hockey.

Jeremy sympathized with Tony. They could control the pain caused by hemarthrosis, joint bleeding, but not Tony's desire to be a normal, healthy boy. He glanced toward the smoking lounge.

"Is his mother here?"

"No"

A look of relief passed between them. Tony's

mother treated the nursing staff with the same condescending manner he felt certain she used on the servants in her home. Each time Tony left the hospital his mother stopped by the nurses' station to comment about the service her son had received. Nothing made the short hairs on a nurse's neck stand on end quicker than equating nursing with servitude.