by Cooper, Jodi
Luckily I still have my job because right now being a nurse was the only thing that was keeping me sane in this cold and crazy world. Plus, I love my job and helping people, despite everything that has happened to me over time because I still have faith in human nature.
Archer wakes up from his sedation and is looking around the room in panic. I can tell that he doesn’t know where he is and I don’t want him to make any sudden movements because it will injure his back even more and that’s not what I want.
“You’re in the hospital. I will go get a doctor to explain to you what has happened to you,” I say softly so as to keep him calm.
He looks me over and what looks like a smile crosses over his face. “And you are?”
“I’m Lara. Your nurse for the night,” I say. “I’ll be the main one helping take care of you until shift change and then you’ll get a new one.”
“Okay,” he says. “Can I get a cup of water? My mouth is really dry.”
I walk over beside the bed where there is a small pitcher of water and some plastic cups. I pour him some and place it to his lips so that he can drink a little bit and place it back down on the stand.
“Is that better? Or would you like some more?”
“No, that was enough thank you,” he says softly.
“Well I’m going to get the doctor so that he can explain to you what exactly is going on,” I say as I stare at him.
He seems a lot nicer than he did when he first came into the hospital yelling and screaming at everybody about who he was.
He nods his head at me and I walk out of the room to look for Dr. Williams, the doctor who was on call tonight.
He was not only the best doctor in the hospital, but also the best looking doctor.
Dr. Williams has the look of seduction about him - soft curly brown hair, dark brown eyes and a delicious body.
All of the nurses want him but he has never shown any of them any attention. Rumors had it that when he went out on the town, twenty women would instantly surround him, everywhere he went.
He was the reason a lot of patients came to this hospital and why the hospital always got a lot of funding.
Archer was lucky to have him overseeing his care but I am sure that the hospital wouldn’t have had it any other way, with Archer being who he was, and Dr. Williams of course being Dr. Williams. I see him at the nurses’ station writing in a file with a serious look on his face.
“Dr. Williams, Archer Phillips is awake now and would like to speak with you,” I say as I stop right beside him.
He smells like a hint of peppermint as usual and I can never figure out why. I have always wanted to ask him but I think that it would be slightly unprofessional.
“Thank you. I’ll be right there,” he says as he closes the file and looks up at me. “Is he calmer than he was before or are we going to have to sedate him again?”
“He’s calm. I think that he was just in shock about what happened to him,” I say.
“Good because I didn’t want to deal with any more craziness tonight,” he says firmly.
I nod my head and walk back into Archer’s room with the charming Dr. Williams right behind me.
Archer is struggling to reach the remote that controls his bed and I rush to give it to him so he doesn’t injure his back any further. He smiles and adjusts his bed a little to get a little bit more comfortable and then places the remote back down. He stares at Dr. Williams for a while, probably wondering who is the model playing doctor at the hospital.
It was a common reaction from people but they usually got over it pretty quickly once he started to speak.
“Hello Mr. Phillips, my name is Dr. Williams. I’m here to inform you that the fall you took has torn a number of the muscles in your lower back. Do you remember much about the incident?”
Archer shakes his head solemnly.
“You have hurt yourself fairly badly, Mr. Phillips. You will be required to wear a back brace for at the least the next two weeks and you won’t be allowed to do a lot of movement during that time. It may be best if you have someone stay with you while you’re in pain. I would suggest an in-home nurse or a close friend who wouldn’t mind doing things for you because if you aggravate or strain those muscles any more than they already are, then you will be right back in this hospital again.”
Archer nods, taking the information in. “Do you know what happened to me?”
Dr. Williams sighs, “Reports are that you had too much to drink and you fell off a balcony. When you arrived, it certainly appeared that you were affected by a high amount of alcohol consumption.”
Archer nods slowly again.
“Is there someone you would like me to contact?”
“Um…” Archer considers his thoughts, “No.”
Lying helpless on the bed, the partying billionaire looks vulnerable and alone. I almost feel sorry for him.
“Anyone at all? Someone that could look after you perhaps?” Dr. Williams asks again.
Archer shakes his head.
The pity in Dr. Williams voice is clear, “Then I would recommend a home nurse. They will know the proper ways to help you. They will also take care of you better than a friend would.”
Archer looks at me and then at Dr. Williams.
He doesn’t say anything for a while but it looks as if he’s in deep thought about something.
“I’ll have that one,” he arrogantly nods his head towards me like I am something off a menu.
“I assume you mean Miss Lara here?” Dr. Williams is obviously surprised by Archer’s firm statement.
“I want your nurse right there to look after me for the next two weeks. I will pay her very well and I will also make a large donation to your hospital if you allow it to happen,” he says.
“Um…” Dr. Williams brow furrows, “We usually don’t loan out our nurses to patients because they are needed here at the hospital at all times because we are a busy hospital…”
“You know who I am, don’t you?”
Dr. Williams sighs again, “I will discuss it with some members of the board and will let you know what they have to say about your request.”
“I will need an answer quickly. I have no intentions of staying in this hospital much longer and would like someone who already has knowledge of what’s going on with me, working with me,” he says as he shifts in his bed.
Pain registers over his face but then it disappears.
“Of course Mr. Phillips. Let me make some calls now and I will be right back with you. I’m sure for you that it won’t be a problem though, Mr. Phillips,” says Dr. Williams as he leaves out of the room with a wink at me and in return, I roll my eyes at him.
I look at Archer in disbelief.
Why would he want me to come take care of him in his home?
He has enough money to hire enough private nurses to answer to his every beck and call.
Hell, he has enough money to hire all of the nurses on the east coast to cater to him.
But if the job was paying as well as he claims, then I’m definitely not in any position to turn it down.
Damn that bad investment.
I don’t like swimming in debt and that’s exactly what is going on right now.
I thought that once I had finally paid off my student loans and avoided credit cards, that I would be in the clear, but I was wrong.
Now I had a twenty-five thousand dollar loan dangling over me and I don’t like it one bit. That was one decision that I wish that I could take back.
Let every bad decision be a great life lesson, my grandmother used to say. That’s exactly what I had to do with the loan.
Learn from it.
“Do you have a husband? Kids?” Archer asks me without looking me.
He hasn’t even bothered to ask me my name.
“No, no husband and kids. I haven’t made it to that point in my life yet.”
“Boyfriend?”
“No,” I sigh.
“Good.”
“Good?�
�� I question but he doesn’t answer, “Mr. Phillips, I’m curious as to why you would want me to be your in-home nurse when you could hire any amount of private nurses?”
“As I said to the doctor, I want someone with knowledge of my situation already.”
“I’ve only just read your file, Mr. Phillips. I do not have an intimate knowledge of your situation.”
“Nurse, I’m sure that you’re qualified or you wouldn’t be working in this hospital.”
“I am qualified but I as I said I was just curious. Plus, as I’m sure you know, it will only take a nurse a few minutes to familiarize themselves with your file and your care, so I’m almost positive that you’re up to something else,” I say looking at him in the eyes.
He nods his head, smiles and I look away.
Dr. Williams walks back into the room with a big smile on his face and I know that it can only mean one thing.
Archer Phillips was about to have me as his live in nurse.
“The hospital has agreed to loan nurse Lara out for two weeks granted that you make that sizeable donation to the hospital,” he says as he looks at Archer deep into his eyes.
Archer smiles.
“You will have the check in your hands before I leave the hospital today. Nurse, you might want to go home and pack up some things because you will be moving in my penthouse immediately. Hand me your phone so that I can program my address into it.”
I walk over to his bed and hand him my phone. He puts his address inside of my navigation and hands it back to me.
“Be at my penthouse by three-thirty tomorrow. Don’t be late or I will take it out of your paycheck.”
“Um…”
“Don’t worry nurse. I will pay you very well for your time.”
I nod my head and walk out of the room.
What the hell just happened?
Nobody even asked me if I wanted to do it!
I can’t believe that the hospital would just loan me out like that… but everything was politics.
Money meant everything to this hospital and they will get it anyway that they can, even if it meant pimping out their nurses. I guess I couldn’t complain though, I’m sure that whatever he was paying me would be more than what this hospital was paying.
I step onto the elevator and press the down button to go to the parking garage.
Maybe my life was finally about to look up a little bit.
There was always a rainbow after a storm, right?
Maybe working with Archer would be my rainbow?
Not that I’m after a rainbow – all I’m interested in is the extra cash.
Romance: The Damaged Billionaire
Jodi Cooper
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