“Are you the doctor?” the man’s rough voice was abrasive in the stillness of the room.
“Yes, I am. My name is Dr. Harris.” Ethan stepped forward and held his hand out to the man.
The old man shook his hand and then began to cough violently for a few seconds. Seeing a box of Kleenex on the table, Ethan pulled out a tissue and handed it to the old man.
“Thank you,” he choked out, and carefully wiped off his mouth with a shaky hand.
“I’m just going to check you over really quick and then we’ll discuss your tests,” Ethan said, as he pulled the stethoscope from around his neck.
After a few minutes, Ethan pulled a seat up next to him and began discussing his last test and what the results were. “Do you have any questions?” Ethan asked, as he closed his laptop.
The old man’s thick, white brows were furrowed in thought. He began coughing again and then said, “How long do you think I’ll be in here?”
Ethan thought about it for a minute and then said, “That just depends on the results of the next test. Once we get those results back tomorrow, I’ll be able to give you a better answer.”
“Okay, that sounds good. Thanks, doc,” the old man said, as he pulled the covers up to his chin.
“Can I get you anything before I leave?” Ethan asked, as he tossed an empty Styrofoam cup into the trash.
“No, I don’t think so, but thank you,” the old man said, as he wiggled in his bed to find a comfortable spot.
Ethan patted the guy’s shoulder and headed out. As he rushed out of the door, hoping to stay clear of Stacey, he didn’t see the person walking towards him. Bumping into their shoulder, he said, “I’m sorry,” before realizing it was Brooke.
“Oh, hey, Ethan.”
She smiled up at him, but with just one look, he could tell there was something bothering her. She slid her hands into her pockets, her shoulders slumping forward, and as she smiled, her lips trembled slightly. He hoped she didn’t have another patient pass away.
“Everything all right?” he asked, touching her arm.
She looked away, her hands fidgeting inside her pockets, and said, “Yeah, just a bad day. Seems to be the norm for me, lately. I don’t know what’s going on, Ethan, but I just can’t catch a break at work. It’s like forces are trying to push me away from here.”
She tried smiling as if she’d said a joke, but Ethan knew she probably believed that was true. “Brooke, you belong here. You’re a wonderful, caring nurse. I’m sure things will smooth out soon. Tell me what happened.”
Blowing out a frustrated breath, she said, “It’s so stupid, really.”
“It’s not stupid if it was something that upset you.”
“I just had another unruly patient. It seems to be all I get now.” She paused and then said, “I just feel like I’m doing something wrong to make my patients act this way, but for the life of me, I don’t know what that would be.”
Ethan peered down at her and said, “Brooke, you do work on the psych unit, you’re going to have unruly patients.”
A look of exasperation crossed her face as she said, “Thanks for clarifying that. My point is that normally I could calm my patients down, but lately, it’s like I’ve lost my touch. And what was worse, right in the middle of the tantrum that Mrs. Weathers decided to have, Mrs. Butcher walked past the room. And of course, she had to ask if I needed help. It was so frustrating for her to see me in that position.”
He gently touched her arm and said, “I’m sure Mrs. Butcher has had plenty of unruly patients; don’t let it get you down. You’re good at your job. Patients can be difficult; it’s not your fault. I’m sure you handled it very well.”
He was relieved when he saw her relax slightly.
“Thanks, Ethan. You’re probably right. I don’t know what I was thinking, expecting psych patients to be on their best behavior all the time. There’s just so much that has been going on at work. But, it’s nice that you understand.”
“Our jobs are very demanding, so it’s understandable,” Ethan pointed out.
“So, are you going to meet me at my house later so we can go to The Broken Spur?” she asked.
“Yes, I’ll text you when I get off work. I’m still not sure when that will be, exactly.”
“That’s fine. There’s no exact time anyway,” Brooke said.
“I’m looking forward to tonight,” Ethan said. Just as he got the words out, he saw Stacey walk by. The death-look on her face was undeniable. “I’d better get going, so I can get out of here on time,” Ethan said.
He saw Brooke watch Stacey pass them, and could tell by her face that she had seen the look Stacey had given him. That one date with Stacey wasn’t something he wanted to discuss right now, and he was hoping Brooke wouldn’t ask about it.
“I’ll talk to you later tonight,” she said, squeezing his arm as she headed down the hall.
Ethan watched her walk away and then turned towards the elevators, ready to put this day behind him and do some boot scootin’ boogying tonight.
And he had no idea why he was ready to do that, but he figured it was because he’d be doing it with Brooke.
Chapter 18
BROOKE
As Brooke fumbled in her closet for something to wear, her phone buzzed on her nightstand. She picked it up and cradled it against her shoulder as she continued her search in the sea of pants that took over her closet.
“Hey, just making sure you’re still coming tonight,” Paige asked.
Smiling, Brooke said, “Hell yes, I’m in desperate need of a night out that is filled with alcohol and dancing, instead of IV bags and the smell of antiseptic... among other things.”
“That bad of a day, huh?”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “Let’s just say the past week has been my worst week ever at Anderson Hospital. For some reason, every crazy patient has been gravitating towards me the past few shifts.” She paused in her search of jeans and added, “Well, you know, more unstable than what we normally deal with.”
“Well, tonight will be amazing,” Paige cheered. “I know I’m excited. It’s been a while since Tyler and I have gone out, too.”
“Okay, so we’ll meet you at The Broken Spur once Ethan is off work and ready,” Brooke said, as she tossed two pairs of jeans onto her bed.
“Sounds great,” Paige said.
As she slipped on a pair of teal heels that went with her multi colored sleeveless tank and dark skinny jeans, she heard a knock on her door and then a “Hello,” echoing down the hall.
“I’m in here,” she called, as she slid a stack of bracelets on.
“Hey,” he said softly. He leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed and said, “You look beautiful.”
Brooke looked up at him and smiled. “Thanks. Are you ready to get your groove on?” She laughed as she walked towards him and planted a kiss on his lips.
He nodded and said, “I can’t wait.”
Twenty minutes later, loud country music blared from the building and reverberated into the soles of Brooke’s shoes as she stood in the parking lot of The Broken Spur. She closed her eyes and smiled, the music already relaxing her, and she hadn’t even made it inside yet. This bar was one of her favorites in Sweet Haven. No other bar in town could top their casual atmosphere, great bands, and cheap, but good, drinks. They had the perfect combination that made this one of the hottest bars in town.
She heard Ethan shut the car door and she turned to him as he walked around to the passenger side. He smiled, jingling the keys in his hands and looking slightly nervous.
“Well, are you ready to head in?”
“I promise you’ll have fun,” Brooke said with a laugh. “Don’t worry, this place isn’t as country as you’re thinking.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. It looks nice from here,” Ethan said,
leaning back against the car with Brooke.
Resting her head against his shoulder, she said, “I remember the first time Kyleigh brought Paige and me here. She was so nervous. She kept saying how she wasn’t line dancing, and was scared to death that some toothless guy was going to try and hit on her. And you know what’s funny; this is where she met Tyler.” Brooke laughed at the memory.
“Ah, so they’re opposites?” Ethan questioned.
“If they were any more opposite, they’d be from different planets,” Brooke joked. “But, he’s brought her out of her shell quite a bit. And believe me, that’s a good thing. Not that there was anything wrong with her before, but let’s just say she was a little uptight,” Brooke said.
“Sounds like he’s just what she needed then,” Ethan said.
Lifting her head to look at him, Brooke said, “I believe so. They’re good together.”
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Ethan met her eyes, his expression softening as he said, “Good for them. It’s rare to find love like that in this day and age.”
“Yes, it is,” Brooke agreed, loving the way his expression slid under her soul and began to erase the doubt that was there. She slid her arm around his, feeling the need to pull him to her.
His eyes fell to hers and a warm smile appeared. “Let’s head inside, I need a beer. It’s been a long week,” he said, as he kissed the top of her head.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” she said. Grabbing his hand, she slung it over her shoulder and pulled him along behind her. “And I agree, it’s definitely been a long week and I need to dance,” she said over her shoulder.
She heard Ethan laughing behind her and never thought in a million years she’d be dragging the sexy, sophisticated doctor behind her towards none other than a country bar. She shook her head at the scenario and giggled to herself.
Pulling the doors open, she scanned the packed bar, and her eyes finally landed on two hands in the far corner, waving enthusiastically in the air. She waved back at Paige, and still pulling Ethan along behind her, headed towards their table.
“What’s up!” she yelled as she slid into the booth. She felt Ethan squeeze in next to her and she grabbed his upper thigh under the table and squeezed. She laughed as he flinched and gave her a sideways glance. She was feeling feisty, the loud music and atmosphere making her come alive. Sometimes, she felt that nursing dragged her down. Every day was filled with sadness, sickness, and grief. Sure, there were times that she saw hope and happy endings, but unfortunately those were few and far between.
“What do you want to drink?” Ethan whispered in her ear, his deep voice reminding her she was here to have fun, not contemplate life.
Her eyes lit up as she said, “A shot of whiskey, please. Oh, and a Corona.”
Ethan’s eyes widened and then a smirk formed. “Always a surprise,” he mused, his green eyes lingering on hers for a few seconds before he turned and placed the order with the waitress standing in front of their table.
After Brooke introduced Ethan to David and Tyler, the waitress set their drinks down in front of them and they all tossed the shots back and began sipping on their beers, chatting amongst themselves. Brooke brought up Paige’s first time coming here, and they all laughed.
“I had no idea what, or who, I was walking into,” Paige laughed, and looked at Tyler.
Putting an arm around her, Tyler said, “Yeah, it took a few pink, fruity drinks to get her to loosen up, but she finally came around.”
Rolling her eyes, Paige said, “Yeah, that awful-tasting drink you had the waitress deliver to my table.”
“Whatever, girl, you downed that whole drink in less than five and went on and on about how good it was,” Brooke yelled over the table.
Smacking her arm, Paige said, “You need to hush, that was our secret.”
Tyler leaned in and kissed her cheek. “It’s no secret because I watched you guzzle that whole drink down within minutes that night,” he teased.
“I had to chug it because it tasted so bad,” Paige scoffed. “I didn’t want to make you feel bad.”
“Sure, honey, whatever you say,” Tyler said, winking as he took a sip of his beer.
“Oh my God, this is my favorite song,” Brooke screamed.
Ethan stared at her. “You like country?” he asked, shocked.
“Very little, but this song is amazing,” she said, nudging him to get up. “Scooch out.”
She grabbed Ethan’s hand, again, and said, “Come on, we’re dancing.”
“Wait, what?” he asked, a horrified expression covering his face as he looked around.
Brooke looked over her shoulder at him and laughed. “You’ll be fine, no one cares if you can’t dance, they’re all too drunk to notice,” she teased, pulling him along with her.
She saw Ethan snag his beer and down the rest of it as they made their way to the dance floor. “Nervous?” she questioned, always amused when she got the doctor out of his comfort zone. She liked seeing him nervous and unsure. For some reason she found it sexy to see him off guard. He was always so confident and alpha at work.
He shook his head. “Nope, not at all. Let’s do this,” he said, with a clap of his hands.
Brooke raised her eyebrows at him, and as they found their way on the dance floor, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She stood there dumbfounded as Ethan began dancing, and she couldn’t believe how good he was. He was incredibly sexy as he moved his hips around, and his eyebrows shot up as he gave her a knowing smirk. He was enjoying the fact that he had finally surprised her, instead of the other way around. “So, I see you can dance,” she acknowledged, as she began dancing with him.
He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Eh, maybe just a little.”
Brooke tossed her head back and laughed. “A little, my ass, you’ve got some moves, Ethan. And I have to say that I’m impressed.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you’re not the only one with hidden talents,” he said with a hint of a smile.
“Well, I’m definitely ready to explore these many talents you’re hiding,” Brooke teased. She squealed when Ethan’s hands reached out and gripped her hips, yanking her against his body.
“Are you sure about that, because you might like what you find, and want to stay?” he said softly against her ear.
She leaned up and looked at him, not seeing the flirty, cocky look she was expecting, but rather a softer expression that not only hit every part of her body, but reached down and caressed her soul. Could they really find something more to each other? Something that would end with a forever for them? She returned his smile before letting her head drop to his shoulder.
With his arms wrapping around her tighter, her smile never left the rest of the night.
It was midnight when they finally said their goodbyes to everyone. Brooke was exhausted from dancing all night, but refreshed from having a fun night out with friends. Now, she watched rain slide down her window as Ethan slowly drove her home, her thoughts drifting to the way he had looked into her eyes as they had danced all night. Like he never wanted to leave.
She huffed and wiped off the fog from the window, only to see brake lights down a side road, and what looked like someone lying on the side of the road.
She jerked around in her seat, craning her neck to look for another sign of something being wrong. A bad feeling surged through her body and she looked over at Ethan as he was leaning forward in his seat, trying his best to concentrate on the road in front of him. “Ethan, we have to turn around, I think there was a wreck back there,” she said, the urgency in her voice causing him to look away from the road for a split second.
“How do you know? It could just be someone pulled over waiting for the rain to slow down, which is what I’m considering doing, this rain is crazy.”
“No, I’m telling you we need to go back. If you don’
t turn around, I’m getting out at the next light. We’re a nurse and doctor, we have to make sure they’re okay,” she pleaded.
He glanced a second look at her, she saw his face soften as he said, “Okay, let me find a driveway.”
Drumming her fingers on the dash, she leaned forward, feeling an urgency igniting inside her. “That road right there!” she yelled, pointing down a dark, vacant side road. She didn’t see any lights this time, but they had to make sure.
“Are you sure?” he asked, straining to see through the rain splattered windshield.
As Ethan slowly drove a few more seconds, the glint of light on metal caught her eye. “Look, right there, it looks like a motorcycle!” she exclaimed.
Ethan veered to the side of the road directly behind the wrecked motorcycle, and they both jumped out of their car, dashing towards the wreck. Ethan made it a few seconds before her, and by the time she caught up, he was already leaning over the guy, checking his vitals. He heard Brooke come up beside them and said calmly, “Call 911 and then get in my trunk, I have an emergency bag in there. It has everything I need until an ambulance can get here.”
Nodding, Brooke turned on her heel and ran back to the car as she rattled off all the info to the operator on the phone. She rummaged through the trunk, finally finding the black bag. She clutched it in her hand and fled back to the scene. “Here,” she yelled over the pounding rain, tossing the bag down to Ethan’s outstretched hand.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked, kneeling down, assessing his wounds and ready to help in any way she could.
“I need you to take over compressions, I’ll breathe for him, but I also need to attend to some wounds in between, and then we’ll switch again.
Fear for the guy filled her. He wasn’t breathing on his own. She quickly got into position; she didn’t want to lose another patient. They were going to save him, there was no other choice. For five minutes, they worked as a team. Brooke pumping his heart while Ethan breathed for the guy. She looked down at his lifeless face. He was young, probably twenties. His blond hair was matted with blood and his light blue eyes stared lifelessly up into the rain. She reached up and brushed his eyelids closed. The motorcycle he was riding was lying off to the side of the road on its side. Blood was gushing from a wound on the side of his head, and she looked down to see his leg twisted into an ugly sight, clearly broken. Ethan pulled his shirt off and began to apply pressure to his head wound while simultaneously jumping in to do the breathing. She wondered how long he’d been here before they saw him.
When Love Ignites Page 15