A Nurse to Tame the ER Doc

by Janice Lynn

  How did one ask that of someone they cared for?

  She did care for Jack. Way too much. How could she not when he made her laugh, made her feel things she hadn’t known possible, made her step beyond the ordinary lines of her life?

  A knock sounded at the door.

  “Speaking of the lucky devil,” Amy said, motioning to the door. “I should get that and tell him myself.”

  Jumping off the sofa, Taylor’s eyes widened. “Don’t.”

  Amy took on a pouty look. “You know I wouldn’t really, but I think you should.”

  “Trust me, I shouldn’t.”

  Sighing, Amy shrugged. “If you say so. You’d better let him in.”

  Taylor nodded. “He’s taking me frog-gigging.”

  “He’s what?” Amy looked disgusted. “I take it back. Let him go.”

  But her friend was teasing and they both knew it.

  * * *

  After they spotted the first frog, Taylor was done. No way did she want to participate in spearing a frog. Just the thought of Jack killing the frog had her turning to wade back out of the water. Loudly, and with as much splashing noise as she could make.

  Hop away, froggy. Hop away.

  “I’m all for learning new things,” she told Jack, hoping her sloshing feet scared the frog away. She hoped it did, and that it sent all the neighboring frogs into hiding. “But you’re on your own with this one. I want no part of murdering frogs.”

  Following her rather than going after the frog, Jack laughed and asked, “Not your thing?”

  She shook her head. “If you want to feed me frog legs, I can’t have seen those legs still attached to a body with eyes that looked at me,” she warned.

  He chuckled. “Fair enough. I brought fishing poles so if we didn’t find any frogs we wouldn’t get bored.”

  Fishing didn’t bother her. Jack mostly was a catch and release fisherman, only keeping what he planned to eat.

  “Fishing in the dark?”

  He’d taken her fishing, several times in fact, but never at night. Just the weekend before they’d gone out with friends, including Greg and Amy, on a nearby lake and whiled the day away with water-skiing, tubing, fishing, and soaking up sunshine. That evening they’d had a fish-fry at Jack’s and had all sat around eating, laughing. It had been a perfect day.

  Every day with Jack was a perfect day.

  “Some of my best fishing has been at night.”

  In the moonlight, she looked at him a little in awe. “Is there anything you can’t do, Jack?”

  He got quiet, then shrugged. “Lots, but I’ll try most things once.”

  Such as living in one place. He’d tried that once. He’d been miserable. He’d said so himself. Who was she to try to force that on him again?

  “I know what you’re thinking, Taylor.”

  He did? Her eyes were probably bigger than the full moon shining down on them.

  “I keep thinking about it, too.”

  She blinked. He was?

  “Eight days isn’t long enough.”

  Taylor’s breath caught. Was he going to stay longer? And what if he did? She kept thinking about him, about how he was a free spirit, but what about her? She’d had no plans to wrap her life around a man, to get so wrapped up in a man that, rather than focusing on learning who she was, she focused on him. Her plans were to build a career, to get to know herself, her likes and dislikes, to do the things that made her happy. Not to add a man to the equation who she felt she had to cater to.

  Jack gave a heartfelt sigh. “But it will have to be.”

  She wanted him to stay, yet maybe, for her own sake, his leaving was best all the way around.

  They ended up not doing much fishing but made love on a blanket spread near his pond. The moonlight created the perfect hue. Taylor didn’t ask him to stay, not with her mouth. That she kept quiet. Her brain said he needed to go for, oh, so many reasons.

  Her body, however, had a mind of its own and begged him to be hers forever.

  * * *

  Tracing a pattern across Jack’s chest, Taylor snuggled closer against him.

  She’d given up any pretense of going home this last week. Going home was a waste of precious time she could have spent with Jack.

  “I can’t believe tomorrow is your last day at the hospital,” she told him, hoping her voice didn’t convey how utterly bereft the thought made her feel. The music festival in Daytona started the following Thursday so she imagined he’d want to arrive on Wednesday to check things out. That left four days.

  Four days to make a lifetime of memories.

  “You going to miss me?”

  “A little,” she answered with false bravado.

  He laughed. “Good to know where I stand.”

  She glanced up at him. “You know I’m going to miss you, Jack Morgan. Way more than a little.”

  Bending his neck toward her, he kissed her forehead.

  “I mean, who is going to take me fishing? Or boating? Or hiking? Or skinny-dipping in the pond?”

  “We never went skinny-dipping in the pond.”

  “No?” She feigned innocence. “We still have four days.”

  His body tensed beneath her and she knew whatever he was going to say wasn’t good.

  “About that...”

  Her stomach tightened.

  “Duffy called today. We’ve worked Daytona together for as long as I can remember. Last year, we went down a few days early and scuba-dived at an old shipwreck site. He wants to go out again.”

  Her heart pounded. “Before the festival?”

  Jack nodded.

  Taylor scooted back from where she’d been pressed against him and sat up. “How long before the festival?”

  “I need to head out the day after tomorrow. He’s booked us.”

  “Why would he book you without checking to make sure it was okay? That you didn’t already have plans?” Her voice had a panicked edge. He was leaving. Early.

  “Because it’s what we’ve always done, and it’s never been a problem. There’s never been a reason for me to stay anywhere once a job finished. He knows that.”

  His words shot arrows into her heart. She’d wondered if he’d told Duffy anything about her, if the older man even knew she was in Warrenville with him, that they’d been together this past month.

  That this time Jack had a reason to stay a few days more.

  He didn’t meet her eyes. “I won’t leave Duffy hanging, Taylor.”

  No, he wouldn’t. Part of her understood and didn’t want him to. Duffy had been a good part of his life for so long. The kind of friend one rarely found. Jack had to go.

  But the selfish part of her wanted every last second with him.

  “I know that’s not when I’d originally thought I would be leaving.”

  She didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything.

  “I’m sorry, Taylor.”

  “It’s okay.”

  Nope. Not even mediocre.

  Jack leaving earlier than planned sucked. She’d thought she had four more days to say goodbye, that they’d work their shift tomorrow, then have tomorrow night and three days of just them.

  Instead, she had a little over twenty-four hours, twelve plus of which would be spent at the hospital.

  “I started to tell you earlier, but didn’t want that hanging over our evening.”

  “I appreciate that.” She almost wished she didn’t know now, that he’d just waited until the last minute, said goodbye and left. That way she wouldn’t have had to count down those last minutes.

  “I hear the hurt in your voice.” He touched her face, lifting her chin. “Look at me.”

  She met his gaze. Barely.

  “This past month has been amazing. You’ve been amazing.”

&n
bsp; She nodded. Don’t cry. You are not going to cry. No tears, Taylor. No tears.

  “I’ve never known anyone like you, Taylor Hall.”

  “Ditto, Jack Morgan.” She faked a smile and reminded herself that she’d known this moment would come from the beginning, that he wasn’t doing her wrong and that she shouldn’t feel hurt. She should be happy for the experiences she’d had with Jack and ready to move on to the next phase of her life.

  With the life she’d planned when she’d moved to Warrenville.

  Just look at how she’d let a man flub up her plans yet again. She should be glad he was leaving so she could get on with her life.

  She should be.

  He leaned forward, kissed her forehead. “Thank you, Taylor. For everything.”

  * * *

  The emergency department was slammed. A stomach virus had broken out at a nearby nursing-home facility and was running rampant among residents and staff. Due to their already fragile health, several residents had needed to be transported by ambulance for emergency room work-up to see who would be okay with administration of intravenous fluids to rehydrate them then sent back to the facility, and who needed actual admission for closer observation.

  Other than with regard to patients, Jack barely got to speak with Taylor.

  Which was okay.

  They had tonight to say their goodbyes.

  He’d never had trouble leaving anywhere, but he’d stayed in Warrenville long enough that he would miss the small Tennessee town.

  Would miss Taylor.

  One last night to make love to her, to hold her in his arms while she slept, to wake beside her and make love to her all over again.

  Only apparently not.

  “Taylor is sick in the ladies’ room,” Amy announced matter-of-factly. “I think she’s caught whatever this bug is.”

  “Is she all right?”

  “Other than the fact she lost all her stomach contents in less than three seconds?”

  Jack winced. “I’m going to check on her.”

  Amy’s eyes widened. “In the ladies’ room?”

  “What are they going to do? Fire me?”

  “Yeah, I guess they wouldn’t bother, with it being your last day and all.”

  He doubted they would fire him for checking on an ill nurse regardless, but he didn’t care. Taylor was sick, and he needed to check on her.

  “Make sure there’s no one else in there,” he ordered Amy. “I’m not worried about being fired, but I wouldn’t want to walk in on someone unexpectedly either.”

  Amy looked skeptical. “Taylor isn’t going to like you seeing her this way.”

  “Then she shouldn’t have gotten sick with me being the doctor on duty.”

  * * *

  “He’s insisting he come in here, Tay.”

  Struggling to find the energy to lift her head from where it rested on her knees, heavy and throbbing, Taylor squinted at her friend.

  Still fighting the nausea racking her body, she grimaced. “Please, no.” Her entire body ached, felt wretched. “He leaves tomorrow. This...” she gestured to herself sitting on the bathroom floor “...is not how I want him to remember me.”

  “He looked intent on checking on you. I’m not sure I can stop him.”

  “Try.”

  “Too late.”

  The last came from Jack.

  Rather than look toward him, Taylor lowered her forehead back to her knees. She wanted to curl into a ball and disappear.

  “You were supposed to wait until I gave you the all clear,” Amy scolded.

  “You were in here long enough I knew Taylor was alone.” His voice was growing closer. “Go keep an eye on things out there. If I’m needed, get me.”

  Nothing, then footsteps, the sound of the door opening and closing.

  Amy had abandoned her. She didn’t even have the strength to protest.

  Jack bent, placed his hand on her back. “Are you hurting?”

  Did the excruciating ache in her chest count? Or just the horrific cramps gripping her stomach?

  His hand went to her forehead. “You’re burning up with fever. How long have you been fighting this?”

  Since a few hours after the first nursing-home patient had come in. She’d thought she’d be okay, writing her symptoms off to stress over Jack leaving even as they’d continued to mount throughout her shift. Fifteen minutes ago denial had become impossible.

  She rarely got sick. Why today?

  “You shouldn’t be in here,” she said, hearing the whine in her voice and beyond caring. “I don’t want to make you sick, too.”

  “You won’t.”

  “You’re not impervious to germs, Jack.”

  He sighed. “I can’t leave you on the bathroom floor. Let me carry you to one of the bays. I’ll give you something to calm your stomach down.”

  The thought of him picking her up, jostling her around, did not appeal.

  “I don’t want to move.”

  He wasn’t having it. “You can’t stay here indefinitely.”

  “I don’t plan on being sick indefinitely.” Her stomach churned, threatening to miraculously produce something more. Impossible. No way could there be anything left. “Please, Jack. Send a shot with Amy, if you must, but let me stay here until it kicks in.”

  “Won’t you look at me?”

  “No. I hate you seeing me like this.”

  “I’m a doctor, Taylor. This is what I do.”

  “This is not what we do.” She hugged her knees even tighter, mentally willing her stomach not to turn inside out in front of him. She felt Jack’s tension, his indecision. He wanted to force her to go to the bay, force her to do as he wanted, because he thought it was the right thing. Stubbornly, that made her that more determined to stay. She decided what happened to her, not him or any man. Right? Besides, she really didn’t want to move.

  “If you want me to send Amy back, that’s what I’ll do.”

  Stunned he’d agreed, that he hadn’t scooped her up and carried her out of the bathroom whether she wanted to go or not, Taylor moved her head in an up-and-down motion or as close as she could get without raising her forehead from her knees.

  He didn’t sound happy about it when he said, “I’ll get Amy.”

  * * *

  Jack insisted on helping Taylor to Amy’s car. He’d wanted to drive her home, but several of the staff were throwing a going-away party for him in the break room. It wouldn’t last long, but he was anxious to leave the entire time he was shaking hands and hugging co-workers he’d genuinely grown to care about.

  The main co-worker he cared about had gone home over an hour ago and he wanted to check on her before getting a few hours’ sleep, then driving to Daytona to meet up with Duffy.

  He didn’t call, wouldn’t risk being told not to come, just drove to the apartment and knocked on the door.

  Amy opened it and shushed him. “She’s finally asleep. Don’t you wake her up.”

  His heart fell. “Can I see her?”

  Amy looked torn. “I don’t think she’d want me to let you.”

  “But you’re going to.” Hope glimmered inside and grew as Amy’s expression softened.

  Amy eyed him, then sighed. “Only because I like you and she’s not the only one who’s going to miss you.”

  He’d swear she’d just sniffled.

  Jack hugged her. “You’ll see me again next summer at Rockin’ Tyme. Same time, same place. You know the drill.”

  She nodded. “Maybe sooner if I can convince Greg to move here.”

  Jack smiled, hoping things worked out for his friends. “Maybe so.”

  With care to be as quiet as possible, he pushed Taylor’s bedroom door open and made his way to stand beside her bed.

  She looked pale, fragile. But he kn
ew better. Knew she was strong and would be okay. Better than okay. Nothing about her was mediocre. Taylor was a butterfly emerging from a lifelong cocoon and was only just beginning to use her wings. He was humbled he’d gotten to be a small part of her learning to take flight, to soar.

  “Bye, Taylor. It’s been fun,” he whispered, so low he doubted it was even audible.

  Unable to resist, he stroked his fingers over her hair.

  Her eyes opened.

  He should feel bad he’d woken her up. She was sick. But he couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to her and knew he’d hoped she’d awaken at his touch.

  “Shh,” he warned. “If Amy finds out I’ve woken you, she’ll skin me alive.”

  Although obviously still ill, Taylor gave a small semblance of a smile.

  “Feeling any better?”

  “A little.” She glanced toward the night table where Amy had put a cup of ginger ale with a straw. “Please.”

  Jack held the cup out to her, positioning it so she could sip while he held the cup. She didn’t take in much, but at least it was something.

  Seeing her so weak, so unlike her normal vibrant self, threatened to undo him. How could he leave until she was back on her feet?

  “I’ll stay if you need me to. I’ll call Duffy and tell him you’re sick. He’ll understand.”

  Face pale, she shook her head. “You shouldn’t be anywhere near me. I’m contagious.”

  He took her hand in his, marveling at how fragile she felt. “You’re not the first contagious patient I’ve been around, Taylor.”

  She nodded almost imperceptibly.

  “Is there anything I can get you?”

  She shook her head. “I just feel tired. I want to go to sleep.”

  Which he’d woken her from.

  “I didn’t picture our goodbye quite this way.” He hesitated, studying her hand within his. “If you ever need me, Taylor, for anything, a new adventure, whatever, you know how to get in touch with me. Always.”

  But he wasn’t sure she heard him, because her eyes had closed, and her breathing evened out in sleep.