by Jacki James
“Um, yes,” he said hesitantly. “Shouldn’t you check my shoulder or something?”
“Oh yeah. What is your pain scale?”
“I would say a three when I don’t move it, about an eight when I do.”
“Okay, let me see.” I slowly examined his shoulder and arm. “Let me get this all written up, and Doc Stevens will be in to examine you.” I turned to leave the room.
“Will you be in here when he examines me? I mean, I’ll need someone here to help with my shirt when he’s done.”
“No, I’m moving to the next patient,” I told him, but then I thought I saw something flash across his face. I swear it was disappointment, but no, surely not. And without the aid of my brain at all, my mouth said, “But if you tell them to call me when you’re done, I can help you get dressed.” And with that said, I left to go and get the doctor.
Alex
Will you be here when he examines me? What the actual fuck? Like I’m two and he’s some kind of security blanket.
God, what an idiot.
I shifted to get more comfortable and pain shot from my elbow up through my arm and across my shoulder. Fuck, that hurt. And the pain was what I was blaming my stupidity on. Not the fact that the most beautiful man I had ever seen just happened to be the nurse taking care of me for the most ridiculous injury on the planet. I mean, seriously, I played football in high school. I was in the military. If I were going to hurt myself, it should have been while doing something macho and heroic like saving an woman from a burning building. But no, here I sat in the ER trying to look tough after I busted my shoulder by tripping over a wagon in my brother’s backyard.
He was beautiful though. I hadn’t met a guy that interested me at all in years. Not since my last deployment, and honestly, I’d figured that was an it’s not gay if it’s underway kinda thing. Not until Nurse Nathan.
I wasn’t sure what his obsession was with whether or not I worked here, but once he got over it and got down to business, he was an excellent nurse. I’d heard of him before, of course. Anyone who worked here knew who “Nathan the beautiful nurse up on C3” was. He was adored by the staff and the patients alike, but I had never run into him. I guessed he was down in the ER now, and everything I’d heard was right. He was indeed beautiful.
I was contemplating what it all meant when there was a knock on the door, and Dr. Gary Stevens walked in. “Alex! What are you doing in here?”
“Hey, Doc.” I knew Gary Stevens from the Emergency Management Council and I liked him. He had a strong understanding of what the hospital would need to do in case of various emergency situations, and he was highly respected, so having him on the council made my job easier.
He opened my chart and read over the report. “Messed up your shoulder, huh? Well, let’s look and see what the damage is.”
I had noticed before that he was a good-looking guy. I could obviously see that, but nope, did nothing for me. When he began his exam, it was thorough and hurt like a bitch, but his touch had no effect on me at all. Nothing like the tingles I felt when Nathan ran his hands over my shoulder and back.
“You’ll have to have some tests on that shoulder. I was hoping it was just dislocated, but that isn’t the case. I’m pretty sure you have an AC separation which could mean a couple of weeks in a sling, or it could mean surgery depending on the extent of the injury. We’ll take some X-rays, and hopefully, that will be sufficient for us to determine what treatment is needed. If not, we can order a CT scan, but I don’t think we’ll need it. It’ll take some time to get the X-rays. It’s pretty crazy in here today. However, I’ll do my best to get you out of here.”
And it did take a while. Tony ran Maddie home, and I told him I would call him when they released me. The last thing we wanted was for her to be sitting in the waiting room with sick people. I leaned back on the hospital bed and waited. Eventually, an X-ray tech came in with a machine and did his thing, then I was back to waiting. I checked my phone and realized two-and-a-half hours had passed before Doc came back.
“Okay, the bad news is, it is an AC separation. The good news is, it’s a fairly minor one, so you should be fine in a sling. But no movement until you have a follow up with PT.”
“Sure thing, Doc. Am I good to go?”
“Yeah, get dressed and I’ll have someone bring you a sling.”
“Can you send Nathan in?” I asked him. “He said he’d give me a hand.”
“Nathan, huh?” Doc asked with a knowing grin. “Well, sadly for you, I’m pretty sure Nathan got off shift about thirty minutes ago. But I’ll find someone who can help you.” He left the room, and I swear I heard him chuckling.
Well, shit, that was disappointing. I got up and went over to the chair and picked up my shirt. I was trying to figure out how I would get it on over my shoulder in the least painful way possible when I heard the door open and turned to see who Doc had sent.
“I thought I told you I would help you with that.” Nathan stood there with his hands on his hips, looking at me like I was a disobedient child. He was obviously off work because he’d changed into street clothes. He had on a pair of sneakers, sweatpants, and a snarky t-shirt that said Yes I am.
“Doc said you left.”
“Yeah, well Doc doesn’t know everything. I told you I would help, and I keep my word so here I am. Now, are you ready to get dressed and get out of here?”
“God yes! Let me call my brother, so he can head this way to pick me up, and then we can get me all situated.” I made the call and let Tony know I was ready.
Nathan carefully helped me get my shirt back on over my head and injured shoulder. As he pulled the shirt down over my body, his fingers slowly grazed my chest and down my abs. My breath caught, and I shivered.
“Cold?” he asked with a wicked grin.
“No, not cold at all,” I told him while holding his gaze so he would know I knew what he’d done.
He straightened up and suddenly was all professional. “Let’s get this sling on, and then you can go.”
He situated my arm in the sling, but it was like a switch had flipped, and flirty Nathan was gone, and nurse Nathan was back. Once I was dressed, he turned to leave.
I reached out and caught his arm. “Hey, I really appreciate you staying.”
He looked up and met my eyes, and I could tell he wanted… well, something. I just wasn’t sure what.
“No, problem,” he said softly, then turned and left the room.
Chapter Three
Nathan
Saturday was the worst day ever to go to the mall, but I was a good friend so when Mark called and asked me to come with, of course, I said yes. He was looking to get ideas for a baby shower he was planning for his ex and wanted help. It sounded like a good idea to me since I needed something to get my head off that hot bear of a security guard. Or hot Emergency Management Coordinator, I guess, since he said that was his job now.
His job at the hospital.
That was the part I needed to focus on. He worked at the hospital. Just say no to workplace entanglements with mostly straight coworkers. Those were words to live by. And yes, I said mostly because I’d never had a completely straight guy look at me the way Alex had.
“Nate,” Mark said pulling me out of my thoughts. “Did you hear a word I said?”
“Sorry, sweetie, my mind wandered.”
“I said let’s hit the food court and eat. Then we can let Emma play on the playground while I regroup and figure out what else I need.”
“I want chicken nuggets and French fries and some lemonade, and can I get it in the box with the toy, and then I want to sit over there near the ice cream cart. Please, Daddy, cause then after I eat all my food I can get ice cream. ‘Cause I was good the whole time you shopped for mommy and the baby’s stuff. And you said if we had a good day, I could get some ice cream.” I chuckled as I watched Mark patiently wait for his four-year-old daughter to take a breath so he could speak. He was such a good dad.
“
Why don’t we get our food and sit over by the play area. Then after you’ve eaten all your lunch and played for a bit, we can get ice cream. You remember what happened last time you got ice cream first, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do,” she said with an absolute look of distaste on her face. “I barfed all over the slide, and Jay-Jay had to get someone to clean it up, and then he had to clean me up, and it was just all a mess.”
“Yep,” Mark replied. “So let’s do our best to avoid that this time.”
“That would be a good idea.” She added, “Since Jay-Jay, Mommy, and Bampás are all better at dealing with stuff like barf than you are.”
I was cracking up at the image of Justin dealing with a child throwing up. It was hard to believe how much he’d changed since he’d become a part of Mark and Emma’s life. I’d been friends with Mark for ages but had known Justin from work even longer. I didn’t expect him to settle down at all. Especially, not with a man with a child, but he had, and it was sure working for him.
As we grabbed our food and sat down, I asked, “Justin is adapting to the whole step-dad thing pretty well, huh?” Before Mark could answer, Emma jumped in.
“My Jay-Jay and my Bampás are the best! I have Mommy and Daddy and then Jay-Jay and Bampás and Snowball. We were almost a perfect family, but now we’re going to have a baby, and when it gets here, everything will be perfect.”
“Well, I guess that answers my question then," I said with a grin. "So how was your first week of school, baby girl?”
“It was so much fun! I’m in the four-year-old preschool, but I’ll be five soon, but that’s okay because Abby is in my class with me, and if I went to Kindergarten instead, we wouldn’t be in the same class, right, Daddy?”
“Right, sweet pea,” Mark answered absently, like he had heard this a thousand times.
“Well, tell me all about it then,” I told her and she did. She launched into stories about the kids and the games and the teachers. It was obvious she was happy to be going to school.
Eventually, Emma finished up her chicken nuggets, and then headed to the play area. Other than an occasional shout for us to watch her, she was occupied, so we could get to planning.
“I think it’s odd that you're planning this baby shower,” I told him as he dug out his notebook with all his lists.
“Why's that? What good does it do Suzie to have a gay ex-husband if he can’t plan her baby shower?”
“Um, because no offense, sweetie, but you suck at shit like this. That’s why.”
“Well yeah. That’s why you're here. Because I do suck at this, but you most definitely don’t.”
“I see what you’re up to,” I said feigning outrage. “You don’t want to be my friend; you just want to use me for my party planning skills."
“Pretty much,” he said with a grin.
“Well, then let's get this party planned so I can go home and do laundry.”
We pulled out all the info Mark had brought and started planning. Mark and Suzie were neighbors and shared a huge back yard, so we had decided to have the shower there. We wanted to do it outdoors where people could bring their kids and they could play, but Mark and Justin had room in their house to move the party inside if the weather didn’t cooperate. We were planning this for the beginning of November, and with Texas weather, you just never knew. It could be eighty or it could be thirty, no telling.
We were knee-deep in catalogs of party favors and lists when we heard Emma squeal in delight. We looked up and she was hugging a pretty little girl with blonde curls. Then she grabbed her by the hand and drug her over to us. The little girl looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her.
“Daddy, this is my friend Maddie! She goes to my school. We just met this week, and she’s in my class and me and her and Abby are best friends. Maddie, this is my daddy and my Uncle Nate.”
“Hey, I know you.” Maddie pointed at me. “You were at the hospital. You took care of my Uncle Alex when he broke his shoulder.” It clicked then, and I remembered that curly head of hair tucked up underneath Alex’s chin. Then I chuckled when I remembered her scolding Alex for using a bad word.
“I sure did, and I remember you, too.” I smiled at her and was just about to ask her how her Uncle was doing when I heard a familiar voice calling across the play area.
Alex
I sat down at the table and watched as Maddie ran into the play area at the mall. I sent Tony a text letting him know that Maddie was fine, and he and Carol should enjoy their weekend. Maddie didn't stay overnight with me very often, but I tried to do it once a month, or so, to give Tony and Carol some alone time.
I looked up from my phone, and I didn’t see her. I felt that all-consuming panic that only comes from losing a child for a minute. I looked around frantically and then spotted her. She was leaving the play area holding hands with a little girl just about her age and size. I rushed over there calling her name. About halfway there she heard me calling and turned around and waved. I slowed to a walk trying not to look like a crazy person as I made my way over to her. I knelt down and using my good arm, I pulled her into a hug.
“Maddie Mae, I told you not to leave the play area,” I scolded gently. “You scared me when I couldn’t find you.”
“I’m sorry, Uncle Alex. My friend Emma wanted me to meet her daddy. But I’m okay, honest I am. Can we go play now?”
“Sure, sweetie.” I gave her a hug as she and her friend ran for the play area.
I was still kneeling on one knee when I looked up and holy shit, it was Nathan. I knew I was staring, but my god, he was stunning. He had on some kind of frilly shirt, that made me think of a pirate, with tight jeans and the most awesome pair of boots. He had applied just a touch of makeup, so his lips were a peach color and his eyes popped.
I heard a voice off to the side talking, but my focus was on Nathan. And then he smiled that beautiful, flirty smile and nodded toward his right. “That guy over there trying to get your attention is Mark, Emma’s dad,” he teased with a wink.
“Oh, um, sorry,” I said standing up and trying to get myself together. “Hi, I’m Alex, Maddie’s uncle.”
Then I shifted my gaze back to Nathan. “Nathan, good to see you again.”
“How’s your shoulder doing?”
“Not bad. I mean it still hurts, but I'm keeping it still like Doc said.”
Then Nathan turned to face Mark and said pointedly, “Mark, Alex used to be a security guard at the hospital.”
“Okay?” Mark responded. Then it was like something clicked for him. “Oh, a security guard at the hospital.” He nodded his head as if it suddenly made sense.
“Did I miss something?” I asked trying to figure out what the hell was so interesting about being a security guard.
“So, used to be?” Mark asked. “You don’t work there anymore then?”
“No, I still work there just not as a security guard. I've taken over as the Emergency Management Coordinator for the county, but I'm based out of the hospital.”
“So, you don’t actually work for the hospital then?”
“Well, technically, I'm still employed by the hospital.”
What was with these guys and their concern with my employment status?
“Surely, that doesn’t count,” Mark said looking at Nathan. “I don’t think it counts.”
“It counts,” Nathan insisted.
“Counts for what?” I asked wondering what the hell was going on.
“Nothing,” Nathan said firmly at the same time Mark said, “The no dating people from work rule.”
“The no dating people from work rule?” I asked looking at Nathan.
He sighed and shot Mark a dirty look.
“Yeah,” Mark chimed in, “Nathan and some of his friends have these stupid-ass rules about dating. Those stupid rules almost kept me and my husband, Justin, from getting together because he had a no dating guys with kids rule and I have Emma. Luckily, Justin came to his senses. But not Nathan, he's holding f
irm.”
“So are Matt, Casey, and Linc,” Nathan insisted.
It was pretty obvious how Mark felt about the “rules.”
“I guess that means if I asked you out, you wouldn’t go because I work at the hospital?”
“Exactly. I wouldn’t go out with anyone from work. Screw up that big once and you can call it a lesson; do it twice, and now you’re just being stupid. Thus, rule number one: don’t date people you work with.”
“What is rule number two?” I asked really curious now.
“Well, we all have our own rules, but my number two is no set-ups.” I started counting off the rules on my fingers. “Justin’s rule was no men with kids—before he met Mark, of course. Matt’s is no repeats. Linc’s is a twinks only rule, as in he only dates twinks. Like me, Casey has a no set-ups rule, but also a no marriage rule, oh, and a no rich guys rule. Yeah, I think he has the most rules out of all of us.”
“Do all these guys work at the hospital?”
“Why?” Nathan asked with a glare. “Are you trying to figure out who all is off-limits?”
“No, just trying to follow the conversation. Would it bother you if I were?”
“No,” he huffed.
I looked over at Mark who was obviously trying not to laugh at Nathan. I'd obviously missed a piece of this puzzle, but that was okay since I was good at filling in the blanks. For some reason, I was pretty sure Nathan had mentioned me to Mark, probably after my stupid ER visit, and told him he liked me but wouldn’t do anything about it because I worked there. I knew he could feel the sparks between us. I had seen him looking at me, and I was sure he liked what he saw. It was just a matter of convincing him to forget this stupid rule. It was time to retreat and strategize.
“Well, anyway," he continued with a sigh. "Matt and Casey work at the hospital, but Lincoln doesn’t. Well not really. I mean he is up there a lot because he's a paramedic, but he doesn’t work for the hospital. He's my best friend and roommate.”