In Stitches (Rose Valley Hospital Book 1)

by Sarah Collins

  “Hey there,” Olivia prompted after Savannah failed to look up. “How are we feeling today?”

  The little girl briefly flicked her eyes up. She quickly went back to watching her show. Olivia glanced to Roya. Her expression said it all: help.

  “What are you watching?” Roya tried. She stepped beside the edge of the bed. “Frozen? Hey, that’s one of my favorites.”

  Savanna looked up again. Her voice was almost inaudible when she spoke. “I want to go home.”

  Roya tried not to let the cases get to her, but ones with children made her heart hurt. Especially when they just wanted to be surrounded by the familiar comfort of home. Knowing Savannah would be here another two months at the very least only made it that much harder.

  Unsurprisingly, Olivia sat on the very edge of the hospital bed beside the girl’s legs. Blankets covered them, but the misshapen outline of the bones there showed anyway. She gave Savannah’s arm a squeeze. It elicited a small smile. Olivia was always the favorite amongst their youngest patients.

  “We’re going to get you home as soon as possible. Okay?” Olivia held out her pinky finger. “I promise.”

  It took a moment, but the little girl tentatively hooked their fingers together.

  “That’s a big girl,” Olivia softly patted the girl’s leg. A smile crossed her face, signaling the start of a conversation that happened every time they visited their small patient. “If you could have any treat right now, what would it be?”

  Sometimes she asked for tangible things, like food or toys. Doable requests. Other times, it would be something outlandish. A trip to the moon. Milkshake machines stationed at her bedside.

  Normal legs.

  A normal life.

  Today, however, looked like it would be an easy day. Savannah sat up straighter, perking at the idea of a small treasure in this foreign place.

  “Hmm…” Savannah rubbed her lips together as she thought. “I think chocolate.”

  Roya grinned. Definitely doable.

  While Olivia filled in Savannah’s family about the next course of action, Roya slipped out to the vending machines specifically reserved for on-call staff. While the one for the patients carried the basics, these machines went completely overboard. Nearly any snack, drink, or candy could be found in them at some point of the other. Once, Roya even paid a few quarters and got a wrapped slice of pizza in return.

  She studied the machine for a few minutes, completely at a loss. There were so many things a sweet-toothed kid would love to eat in there. At one point in her life, she really wanted a kid or two. But now that she’d seen the horrors a person could go through and worked to fix it with her very own hands…that wish was nothing but a distant memory.

  When she staggered back into Savannah’s room, the little girl broke out into a large smile. “That’s all for me?”

  “All for you,” Roya answered, dropping the loot in Savannah’s lap.

  The little girl started rummaging through the different variations of sweets scattered across her lap. She babbled about each treat, handed her mom some M&Ms to open, and then gasped when she pulled out a small plastic bottle. “I love chocolate milk! It makes my bones nice and strong.”

  Roya laughed. It would take more than that to fix the little girl, but the logic was there. In fact, she was a pretty smart kid. The hours confined to a bed allowed her to read more, watch more, and learn more than the average five-year-old.

  “That’s right,” Savannah’s mother chimed in. She moved from her seat to kiss the little girl’s head. “So drink it all up.”

  When they left, Savannah’s mother followed them outside. Her mousey brown hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, her face was free from makeup, and her clothes looked to be an equal amount of fashion and comfort. Despite the dark circles under her eyes, she was young. Almost too young to deal with such a massive, unexpected ordeal. But she never complained. Roya hadn’t heard a single negative thing come from her in the entire half-decade they’d been treating Savannah.

  “Thank you both so much. For everything,” Lydia nodded and wrapped herself up in her crossed arms. “But I can’t wait to get out of here.”

  “No offense,” Roya started with a knowing grin, “But we can’t wait to get you both out of here either.”

  The attempt at a joke seemed to work. Lydia relaxed a little bit. When her features softened, she actually looked as young as her age. “You really think you can fix everything? I don’t want to get her hopes up. Or mine, honestly.”

  Olivia then rubbed Lydia’s arm as a form of comfort. The gesture and her demeanor seemed…maternal. Roya instantly reconsidered her decision to not have children. Anything was possible with Olivia in the picture.

  “If things go according to plan, Savannah will be the same sweet and sassy little girl. Except without the seizures—“

  “And with the ability to walk,” Roya finished. They all smiled then, looking forward to a very plausible and approaching future. “Things are looking up right now. So don’t worry until you have to worry.”

  “You’re right,” Lydia nodded. She blew a stream of air through pursed lips. “I keep wishing for this to be over, but I’m forgetting to enjoy my time with her now.”

  The same seemed to be true in Roya’s life. She kept wishing for more with Olivia that she forgot to enjoy the simple comforts of being around her best friend. As they walked back towards their regular side of the hospital, Roya nudged the blonde with her elbow.

  “Working with you isn’t half bad.”

  “Took the words right out of my mouth,” Olivia winked.

  It was adorable, and coupled with the implied compliment, made Roya’s chest clench. Trying to enjoy her time with Olivia was hard when all the woman did was make her fall in love a little bit more with every second they spent together.

  And, to Roya’s dismay, that’s exactly what was happening.

  Chapter 4

  Roya tried not to think about the scorching Arizona heat as she practically ran from her car to the upstairs apartment. If she stood still for too long, her shoes would’ve melted to the pavement. That was not an altogether uncommon thing around here.

  Inside, she rummaged through her fridge for a beer and then made herself comfortable on the couch. She knew she shouldn’t be drinking while on call, but one drink wouldn’t even give her a buzz. And after all the events of the past two days—she deserved a little pick-me-up.

  She looked around the room, sipping the foam out of the bottleneck. Her small apartment was nice enough. It had decent furniture and stayed clean most of the time. The only outstanding part about it was the view. She could see nearly every high-rise in the city from her living room window. It was what ultimately caused her to lease the place nearly five years ago.

  Roya closed her eyes. Clenched them, really. The ache in her finger pulsed with every beat of her heart. If she focused on it, she could forget the events of the day. Not that it had been a bad one; it just hadn’t gone how she wanted. She still didn’t end up with the girl. She didn’t end up any better or less tired than the day before. In fact, she turned out a little worse for wear.

  Roya took a minute to check out the four stitches in the end of her thumb. They were neatly tied off. Precise. Only one woman could’ve made such quick work out of it without losing any of her technique. She thought about what led to this.

  “Sorry I’m early,” Roya had warned as she entered Olivia’s office at lunchtime. Being the head neurologist had its perks. “Think you can take a look at this?”

  Olivia perked up behind her desk. “What’s wrong?”

  “I cut my thumb on a damn filing cabinet,” she answered, inspecting her own appendage. The skin had peeled back in a sliver, leaving tender flesh exposed to the elements. A drop of blood leaked out every few seconds to remind her of the openness. “Looks like it might need a stitch or two.”

  Olivia had agreed, and then leaned over her this afternoon. Her large breasts, pressing agai
nst the confines of the green scrubs, had brushed against Olivia’s arm while she worked. Roya desperately tried not to let her reaction show. She placed her open hand up on Olivia’s thigh, and let the other woman readjust her positioning with soft, surgically precise hands. There was a little bit of pain, but she remained perfectly still as the four small stitches were aligned across the gnash. If Olivia noticed Roya staring at her, she never brought it up.

  “Fuck,” she gasped, realizing she wanted to touch herself again to the thought of her best friend. She rarely masturbated once a week, much less twice in the same number of days. She thought about the delicious curve of her best friend’s ass, the grace she carried herself with, and how Olivia would sound screaming out Roya’s name.

  Her phone suddenly vibrated against the wooden side table. The clatter caused her to jump, then throw her head back against the couch with a groan.

  “Fuck,” she uttered for the second time in just as many minutes. Becoming an orthopedic surgeon was supposed to mean less after-hours calls than other specialties. Less. But it felt like she got triple these days.

  Her eyes scanned the message briefly. Another car wreck, another emergency surgery. Being on-call after a twelve-hour shift was the epitome of a shit kind of day. She adjusted her pants into position as she stood up. When she was younger, she imagined all the luxuries being a doctor could afford. She didn’t realize it would come at the cost of all her free time. She knew better now. Big paychecks didn’t come cheap.

  After cracking open a ribcage and fixing a sternum, Roya fell against one of the cots in the on-call room with pure exhaustion. Her head throbbed as badly as her injured finger. She didn’t want to chance driving home. Seventeen hour days didn’t leave her with much of an energy reserve, and she only turned thirty-five a couple of months ago. She didn’t want to even guess at how she would feel in another ten years.

  Roya fumbled to get her left shoe off with the toes of her right foot. Her legs felt leaden and heavy, and she huffed in frustration. Right before she could bend over to do it by hand, the door to the small room plowed open.

  “Oh—sorry,” the woman half-whispered. She let the door shut softly behind her. “I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

  There were more than enough cots in the small space for several people, but Roya always preferred sleeping in here alone for obvious reasons. She tried to hide her annoyance. “That’s okay.”

  “I’ll be quiet,” the woman headed towards an empty cot in the corner.

  Roya judged her through the dimness as she got ready for what would probably be a quick nap. The woman seemed familiar; maybe an intern from a few surgeries back. Red hair, smart. Went to Berkley. It took a moment for Roya to remember the name. “Norah?”

  The intern looked up from where she sat on the thin cot. “Yeah?”

  “We worked together a couple of weeks ago.” She thought she could see a smile through the dark. “Or am I wrong?”

  “Not wrong at all.” Roya imagined she could see Norah smile in the dark. “It was actually one of my favorites so far.”

  “Seriously?” Roya raised a brow. “You thinking about ortho now?”

  “Not quite. It’s a little too brutal for me,” Norah chuckled. “But not many people can pop a hip back into place like that. You went into full beast mode.”

  Roya barked out a weary laugh. “It’s the best way to take out my frustrations around here.”

  “I’ve heard holding things in can really fuck with you. So it’s probably a good outlet to have.”

  “That’s one way to look at it.”

  Roya struggled with her shoes again. Damn. She sucked in a breath as she bent over. That pain in her lower back from hours of standing kept getting worse. Her finger pulsed again from the stitches, causing her to fumble with the back of her shoe. The sound of approaching footsteps caused her to look up.

  “Here, let me help.”

  To her shock, the intern dropped to her knees and knocked Roya’s fumbling hands out of the way. Norah actually unlaced the sneakers instead of yanking at them, and then pushed them neatly under the bed. When she met Roya’s glance, she smiled widely. “How’s that?”

  Roya struggled to swallow. “Uh—thanks. Sorry if they smelled or something.”

  Smooth.

  Norah grinned. “With all the things we see around here, that would be the last thing to bother me.”

  Relief washed over Roya. Crises averted. She grinned right back. “You have a point there.”

  Silence hung heavily between them. Norah made no move to get up from her knees. Delirious from exhaustion, or that’s what she’d later claim, Roya took her time studying the intern’s features. Since the only light came from a small night-light in the corner, she could barely make out freckles dotting Norah’s pale skin. Her eyes were definitely a lighter color, maybe blue if she recalled correctly. The telltale black scrubs for interns formed a sexy silhouette, allowing for the paleness of her exposed chest above the scrub top to catch Roya’s attention for a moment too long.

  “Doctor Bahar?”

  “Shit,” Roya snapped her eyes upwards. “I’m sorry. It’s these long hours…”

  She heard Norah’s laugh more than she saw it.

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered again. “That was totally…not okay.”

  “It is okay.” The words came out in a half-whisper. Norah leaned forward enough for the cot to register some of her weight. Then her hand or breasts brushed against Roya’s leg. “You aren’t the only one exhausted around here, Doctor Bahar.”

  Roya swallowed. Hard. “Please…call me Roya.”

  “Roya,” Norah definitely grabbed her thigh then. “That’s a nice name.”

  Roya tried to breathe, but hardly anything filled her lungs. The intern was beautiful, if not a little young. But she was still a grown woman who could make her own informed decisions. If she wanted to do this, why should Roya stop it? Maybe this would stop her unending lust for Olivia too. Maybe all she wanted was a good romp with a pretty woman, regardless of who it happened to be.

  Before she knew it, Norah’s lips pressed firmly against hers. It wasn’t gentle, but it still didn’t feel like any of the kisses she shared with men. It had an undercurrent of reverence. Coupled with the softness of Norah’s lips and the excitement of finally having sex with a woman—Roya was already wet beyond belief.

  Her voice faltered slightly when she asked Norah if all this was okay. The last thing she wanted was for someone to say she initiated stepping over ethical bounds.

  “It’s,” Norah nipped at her tongue, “Great.”

  Roya considered all the reasons this was a terrible idea, but she knew at least fifteen other colleagues who do this kind of thing as a sport. She’d never slept with an intern (largely because all the male interns were too cocky for her tastes and she was still too scared to go for the women) but she knew for a fact that the worst punishment, if any, would be a mere slap on the wrist. She’d seen it happen all too many times to count. Norah would almost definitely tell the other interns, who would inevitably let it slip to another surgeon. Then she’d be getting claps on the back for joining the team, and quite frankly—it didn’t sound half bad. Especially not when it came with the roll of Norah’s hips and especially curious tongue.

  Roya moaned, almost outside of herself, as Norah pulled the ties in her scrub pants loose. Normally, she would have to envision something straight out of a porno to get her even remotely ready to have sex with a man. Now she could only hope she didn’t come too soon and embarrass herself. She wondered if this was always how it felt with a woman. Olivia flashed into her mind and she pushed it away just as quickly. Olivia was sexy, smart, and the best friend she ever had—but Roya couldn’t pin her future on a straight girl. She deserved to find her happiness too.

  Norah worked the surgeon’s scrub pants down tanned thighs, until they rested in a pool around Roya’s ankles. She dropped her knees open, and felt goosebumps form as the cool air hit
the wet circle in her underwear. Norah began stroking her through the thin white fabric. It felt like everything missing in her previous sexual encounters finally clicked into place.

  This was what she wanted; it had always been what she wanted: to touch and be touched by a woman.

  Chapter 5

  When Roya bumped into Olivia the next morning, she regretted wearing the same wrinkled scrubs from yesterday. It wasn’t like she hadn’t showered (she had), or that being with Norah made her feel dirty (it didn’t). She just wanted to look attractive around Olivia. Of course she knew the other woman was straight, but it didn’t keep her from trying her damnedest to encourage things between them.

  The woman smiled at her anyway, despite the knots in her hair and dark circles and wrinkled scrubs. Roya appreciated how put-together Olivia could look so early in the morning. She was wearing a new pair of plum colored scrubs that stood out starkly from her light hair. Olivia was breathtaking, stunning; Roya realized that having sex with Norah only encouraged her growing sexual interest in her very best friend. Now she had a firsthand account of what Olivia would mostly look liked completely bare. She knew what the sex between them could feel like, smell like, look like. Probably even better than her imagination. The barrage of made-up imagery refused to leave her head.

  “How was your date last night?”

  Roya wanted to unask the question as soon as it left her mouth. She didn’t care if Olivia was entranced by his beard or choice of wine. The last thing she wanted to hear about was Olivia finding feelings for someone else.

  Olivia leaned her hip against the nurse’s station. “It was fine. Nothing to write home about.”

  Roya felt her interest pique. Olivia was bubbly, smart, and got along with anyone. Her dates always went well. She always had sex and came to work the next morning grinning like a fool. Not this time.

  Roya quirked a brow. “Did Olivia Bennet finally have a bad date?”