Passion Restored

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “What is the ‘good side of haggard?’” Liz asked, knowing she probably shouldn’t egg on Tessa. Nothing good ever came from that, other than a laugh or two. In the end, Liz usually ended up beet-red and trying to hide from embarrassment. According to Tessa, Liz needed more of that in her life. But that’s why they were friends.

  Tessa rolled her eyes and gestured with her coffee. “You know, the five o’clock shadow and the way a man has to stretch because his lower back is hurting? It’s all you can do to keep from reaching out to help.” She wiggled her brows, and Liz let out a groan.

  “You’re terrible, you know that?”

  “True, but I’m not the only one thinking it. Lisa, of course, was saying it earlier in the break room, and with many dirty words involved.”

  Liz held back her snarl as she took another sip. “I don’t even want to know.”

  “Suit yourself. But you should probably know that she was also telling anyone who would listen that you’re having a secret love affair with a patient.” Fire came into Tessa’s eyes, and Liz wanted to bang her head against the computer screen.

  “Are you serious?” Liz whispered. “It’s been how long since Owen came in, and he’s not even my patient anymore.”

  “No, he’s just your neighbor. And, by the way, I didn’t say it was Owen. You’re the one who went there.” She smiled softly. “Is there something I should know? You were at his house awhile yesterday with those…cookies.”

  Liz huffed out a breath and looked around again for anyone who loved gossip. Thankfully, they still had a few minutes. “Shut it. I was there for all of four minutes, and nothing happened. Nothing will. I don’t date guys like him.”

  “First of all, you don’t date ever. And what do you mean ‘guys like him?’ Guys who have jobs, are sexy as hell, and clearly available from the way he kept looking at you?”

  Liz pinched the bridge of her nose. “It hasn’t been that long since I went out on a date.” A lie. “And just because he looked at me like that doesn’t mean he’s single.” She paused. “Not that he looked at me in any way that implied interest. Because he wasn’t. Isn’t.”

  Tessa laughed. “Way to confuse yourself right then, baby girl. Whatever you need to tell yourself…” Her phone beeped, and she crossed her eyes. “Okay, break is over. I need to go meet with a patient. Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck,” Liz said under her breath, and Tessa sauntered off. She truly did not envy Tessa her job. But if anyone could make dealing with astronomical medical bills sympathetic, Tessa could do it. The other woman always did everything she could to make sure people weren’t taken advantage of. That couldn’t be said for some of the others in her line of work.

  “Was that Tessa?” Lisa asked as she came up to the station, her eyes bright.

  Liz nodded and drank down the last of her coffee before throwing the cup in recycling. “Yep.”

  “I wish she’d thought to bring coffee for all of us,” Lisa complained. “It’s not fair that you get the good stuff while we have to drink the sludge.”

  As Lisa usually got the fancy drinks from the barista next door for free because she smiled just right, Liz couldn’t really find any pity for the other woman. It was just coffee for freak’s sake.

  “She only has two hands, and since Tessa’s my roommate, I guess I get some perks.” Liz shrugged, not in the mood to deal with the other woman. She used to have a longer fuse, but hell, Lisa had been annoying as hell about Owen ever since he’d come into the emergency room, and she honestly didn’t care anymore. As long as she did her job and made sure her patients had everything they needed, she’d be okay.

  That’s all she could do, after all.

  “I guess so,” Lisa mumbled. “So, have you seen your mystery patient recently? Owen Gallagher, right?”

  Liz pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know why I would, Lisa. He was just a patient, and you know we don’t talk about their procedures.”

  “If you say so.” With that, Lisa sauntered off toward the break room, and Liz tried to compose herself once more.

  There was no way in hell she would mention that Owen lived next door to her…all rumpled and grumpy that he wasn’t up to a hundred percent yet. Though, in reality, he was doing far better than she’d expected, considering he’d lost his spleen, had a fractured collarbone, and cracked and bruised ribs from the accident.

  She didn’t know if they’d caught the guy who hit him yet, or if it had even truly been an accident. It wasn’t her business, and she hadn’t wanted to call in favors to ask about it. Not only would it be highly unethical, it would also draw attention to her that she didn’t want. She needed to keep this damn job since it was the only thing she had beyond Tessa.

  And wasn’t that a sad thought.

  Liz rolled her shoulders and looked at the board before picking up her things. A new patient had been put in one of her rooms when she’d been talking to Lisa, and since the orderly was now out of the way, she’d go in and see what needed to be done.

  What she hadn’t expected was to recognize the man on the bed, a pained expression on his face.

  “Murphy?” she said with a blink.

  He winced and held up a bandaged hand. “Hey, Liz. Fancy meeting you here.”

  She shook her head and made her way to his side. “What on earth did you do?”

  “Got a little too close to a wall that decided it needed to come down right then. A piece of metal got me, and Graham sent me over here with one of the guys. I think I got the bleeding stopped, but since it took a while, I figured I might need stitches.”

  She shook her head as she looked at the wound on his hand. “I’m glad the bleeding stopped for now, but I think the doctor will want to stitch you up for sure.” She wrapped his hand again and started his vitals. “You Gallaghers sure like coming into my ER.”

  Murphy grinned, making him look far younger than his brothers. Of course, if she remembered right, he was the youngest. She just didn’t know his exact age. “We just like you, I guess. How’s the new house coming along?”

  She shrugged as she worked, noting his pulse rate and BP. “Slowly. Okay, I’m going to get the doctor in here ASAP because I want to see what he has to say Is there anyone in the waiting room for you?” Had Owen somehow gotten himself there, sling and all? Not that she said that last part.

  Murphy shook his head. “The guy had to drop me off since we’re behind at the job. Jake is on his way, though since he was at home working on a project.”

  “He doesn’t work with you guys?” Why was she so chatty all of a sudden? Maybe she was too tired from her shift and losing it.

  “Sometimes he does, but he’s actually an artist by trade. He built a whole studio in his house, though I think they’re building on even more now that they have Noah and three adults living in the place. Anyway, Graham called him and Owen to make sure the family knew I’d been an idiot with a falling wall, and since Owen can’t drive yet, Jake’s on his way.”

  “It’s nice that you have so many people who care about you.” Liz at least had Tessa, but that was all she needed.

  And maybe if she kept telling herself that, she might start to believe it fully one day.

  “They’re all a little overprotective, but I can’t really blame them considering how I grew up.” He shrugged, but the look on his face right then didn’t make her want to ask him what exactly he was talking about.

  She knew far too much about the Gallaghers as it was, and she needed to be careful. Not only to protect herself but also to protect her job. She couldn’t be too friendly with her patients, not when Lisa and Nancy were watching her like gossipy hawks.

  “Well, I’ll get the doctor in here right away. How is your pain level right now?”

  “I’ve had worse,” Murphy answered, and she had a feeling he wasn’t trying to be tough just then.

  “How about you give me a number between one and ten about your pain. Just in case.”

  “Like a four, I gues
s. It hurt when it happened, but now it’s just a dull throb.”

  She nodded and noted that down. “I’ll be right back, okay? And if it’s not me, Jennifer is coming on shift soon and is taking over my patients. You’ll be in good hands.”

  Murphy smiled then. “I’m not sure Owen would want me to be in your hands. Just saying.”

  Someone cleared his or her throat at the edge of the curtain, and Liz mentally cursed herself for standing there too long.

  “Yes, Lisa?” Liz asked as she turned to the other woman.

  Lisa smiled brightly. “Oh, nothing, I was just letting you know that Jennifer is here. Go about your business.” She waved them off before practically skipping to the nurses’ station. Dear God, it was like high school all over again, and Liz had no way out.

  “Did I get you in trouble?” Murphy asked, genuine concern in his voice.

  “No, I think I did that all on my own,” she blurted without thinking. She let out a breath and went over his chart one more time. “Never mind. Okay, let me get the doctor for you, and Jennifer will be in, as well. You’re going to be fine, Murphy.”

  “I know,” he agreed. “You’re good at what you do. Just ask Owen.”

  She shook herself. “That is something I won’t be doing, but thank you.” And with that, she walked out of his room and did her job, ignoring the way Lisa watched her.

  She couldn’t let the other woman get to her, not when she had to work her ass off since they were both competing for the same thing—to stay in their positions when the budget went off the rails.

  She just prayed she didn’t make any more mistakes.

  She couldn’t afford it.

  No matter how many Gallaghers life seemed to want to throw at her.

  ****

  Owen was a new man. Or, at least, mostly a new man. It had been another week, and now he was able to move around without wanting to cry, his incision didn’t hurt at all, and his arm might still be in a sling, but his collar and shoulder didn’t ache. His brothers might not let him drive yet thanks to the sling, but he was well and truly on his way to being healed.

  Thank. God.

  The sounds of men and women cursing and hitting things with hammers filled his ears, and he wanted to close his eyes and sway to that version of music. The smell of concrete being poured and finished wood hit him hard, and he wanted to go down on his knees and weep.

  It had been far too long since he’d been allowed on any of their jobsites, and all he wanted to do was stay there forever and remember why he loved working at Gallagher Brothers Restoration.

  “You look ready to either cry or start humping the drywall,” Graham said as he made his way to Owen’s side. “I don’t know if either one is really workplace appropriate.”

  Owen flipped his brother off with his good arm and smiled. “I won’t cry yet, and I’m not that into drywall. That sounds more of a you thing, to be honest.”

  Graham went to punch Owen’s shoulder and thought better of it. “As soon as you’re healed, I’ll hit you.”

  “Thank you,” he said dryly. “I’d hate to think you’d have to hold yourself back for years.”

  Graham snorted. “Like any of us could hold back for that long. You’re lucky you have that sling on today to remind us since any road rash you still have is covered by that button-down shirt you have on. Could you look more out of place right now, dude?”

  “Shut up. It was easier to put this on than something over my head,” Owen explained. “Plus, you guys won’t let me work with anything out there, so I’ll be in the trailer most of the day anyway, working on whatever mess you guys left for me.”

  “First, it’s called insurance, dumbass. I’m not about to let you get hurt even worse on the jobsite because you’re an idiot. Second, we didn’t mess things up.”

  Owen raised a brow. “I saw what Murphy did to my spreadsheet. He’s lucky he’s far away right now, or I’d kick his ass. I’m honestly a little scared to look at what you guys did to my desk.”

  Graham gave Owen a guilty look and suddenly had a fascination with his boots. “You might want to fortify yourself.”

  Owen groaned. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing,” Graham said quickly. Too quickly. “You know how much Murphy hates sticky notes.”

  Owen closed his eyes and counted to five. “You aren’t that big of a fan yourself. I’m forever finding little pieces of paper scattered around that I need to organize.”

  Graham winced. “Well…at least you’re used to things like that. Maybe it will help calm you after a while. You know, like organizing for the soul or some crap like that. It’ll keep you at the desk and not near a hammer, at least.”

  This time, Owen counted to ten.

  “You should go back to whatever He-Man thing you were doing before Jake dropped me off because I don’t think you want to be near me once I go in there. Right?”

  Graham backed away slowly with his hands raised—funny since the man had a couple of inches on him and twenty pounds of muscle. “You got it. I’ll send Jake in later to get you for lunch. How’s that?”

  Graham didn’t even wait for Owen to answer before he was off and out of the way of Owen’s fist. Not that Owen could really hit the man right then since he wasn’t up to hundred percent yet, but hell, if Graham could delay hitting Owen, then Owen could wait to hit Graham. Owen would be sure to keep a list of infractions so he could get his big brother back.

  He made his way to the trailer and up the old, wooden steps, doing his best to not think about what he was about to see. It couldn’t be that, bad, right? He’d only been gone a couple of weeks.

  He opened the door and froze.

  Yeah, it could be that bad.

  And worse.

  All of Owen’s notebooks were splayed out on two desks, his keyboard lying unevenly on top of a few that were stacked. Countless pieces of paper with notes jotted in ink, pencil, and what looked like crayon covered the tables and desks.

  The large pile of sticky notes seemed to be untouched.

  Owen once again counted to ten before closing the door behind him and readying himself. Well, at least he wouldn’t be bored on his first day back.

  No, he would just be angry.

  And would get organized.

  By the time lunch rolled around, he at least had everything in organized stacks. He was just finishing entering a few things into the computer when Jake strolled in, his hair a mess and dark circles under his eyes. He’d looked pretty much the same when he’d come to pick up Owen that morning.

  “Need more coffee?” he asked his older brother, concern in his voice.

  “That’s all I’m running on,” Jake said with a yawn. “Sorry. I had a huge project run over, and Noah has a slight cold. And because Maya needed her sleep since Austin is on vacation from the shop this week, Border and I stayed up with Noah. But, of course, Maya couldn’t just sleep, she had to come in and out of the nursery all night, freaking out, so Border and I had to make sure Maya was taken care of, as well. It all added up to a very long night, and not enough sleep for anyone.”

  Owen pointed to the chair next to him with his good arm. “Sit, man. Why are you here if you’re so tired? You’re allowed to sleep, you know.”

  Jake sank into the chair and tilted his head back so he could rest. “With Murphy down a hand thanks to those stitches, and you out, as well, Graham needed someone. I know I usually only do the intricate things at the end, but Dad trained all of us, so I know how to help with the actual construction. I don’t want to let you guys down.”

  “You never have, Jake. And you won’t.”

  Considering Owen was the one who worked the least with his hands these days—even before the accident—he was pretty sure he was the one that let people down. But as soon as this next project came through, he’d make sure that was a thing of the past. He might not be as handy as the rest of his brothers most days, but he could at least do this.

  And as soon as he had his client m
eeting later that day, he knew he’d be back on track. No truck with bright headlights and the subsequent unending pain would change that.

  Jake let out a deep breath before pulling himself out of the chair. “Okay, Graham sent me in to force you outside so you can eat with the rest of them. So let’s get to it because Graham gets grumpy without food.”

  Owen snorted as he stood up, pocketing his phone and making sure he had his tablet in his messenger bag as he did. “Graham gets grumpy regardless, full stomach or not.”

  Jake grinned over his shoulder. “True, though Blake and Rowan are helping that.”

  Owen followed his brother out, wondering why those words made him a little jealous. Graham had his new family that kept him sane, while Jake had everything he ever wanted—even though Owen was pretty sure Jake had never thought a triad would be his future.

  Now Owen and Murphy were the only single ones left, and while he used to think that was just fine since he hadn’t been ready to settle down, Owen was feeling just a bit too lonely for his tastes. Maybe it was just because he’d been stuck on the couch for too long and not able to be in his element. Once he was fully immersed back in the land of the living and planners, he’d be back to where he needed to be.

  Jake led him down the street less than a block away to the taco joint the crew had fallen in love with when they started this project. Deep and abiding love. It used to be that everyone just brought their lunch and called it a day, but this place had reasonable prices for fucking amazing food. He was pretty sure a quarter of the place’s business the past couple of months had come from the Gallaghers and their crew, and Owen couldn’t really blame anyone for that.

  Once he had his four steak tacos and a soda on his tray, he made his way back to the table. Normally, he wouldn’t even need a tray, but if his brothers caught him trying to move around without his sling, he’d get his ass kicked. Graham and Jake were already seated, scarfing down their tacos and not bothering to talk. Who needed conversation when they had this kind of food?