by Natalie Ann
“I need to get to going.” He turned to walk out.
She stopped him before he could open the door. “Ask her out and save yourself the short- term grief that you and I both know is going to come.”
He didn’t argue with her. He’d already been suffering in silence over this. He knew to stay away from Rene, but part of him just couldn’t deny the magnetic tug he felt in her direction.
“What about the long-term grief?”
Rene wasn’t the type of girl that would want a fling. She’d want to settle down and he wouldn’t do that to any woman.
“No one can see into the future completely, Cole. Not even me with my crystal ball.”
He snorted and yanked the door open and then shut it loudly behind him.
***
A few days later, he was sitting in his trooper car at a speed trap, drinking coffee from another travel mug and eating an egg and cheese sandwich Celeste prepared for him, wishing the day didn’t drag.
He hated this part of the job. Just sitting around waiting for something to happen, waiting to pull out and write a ticket for someone. He’d never been able to just sit around. He was way too antsy for that. High-speed chase, okay. Shoot out, sure. Flying the chopper around on search and rescue, absolutely. Sitting around to grab someone driving a few miles over the speed limit, boring.
An hour later, he was still scrolling through his phone waiting for any type of action. There’d been just a handful of cars passing at this point in the morning and all going within the normal range.
He was stretching his legs when a call came over the radio for backup on a chase a few miles away. Finally. Not even a high-speed chase, but he didn’t care at this point.
Putting the car in drive, he pulled out and flipped the lights, then took off in a blur. He was the first one on scene five minutes later but it was already over. A white pickup was smashed into a telephone pole and the trooper car had a slight dent in the right front fender.
Damn it all, he’d been dying to be the one to give the nudge on a chase. Some people had all the luck.
“Got everything under control, Rob?” Cole asked when he climbed out of the car. There was no rush; the perpetrator was cuffed and pressed against the truck.
“Yep. Idiot drunk thought he could outrun me. Of course, I don’t think he knew the difference between the gas and the brake in his condition.”
“Looks like he needs the ER,” Cole said. There was blood from a cut on the guy’s forehead and the gash on his hand was pretty nasty.
“Can you do me a favor and call it in? I’ll take him to the ER if you want to follow behind.”
“Will do,” Cole said, glad to get out of the speed-trap duty.
Together, he and Rob pulled into the ER. They were expected and ushered to a private room right away. They stood by while the nurse came forward to check wounds, then do all the normal stuff and make assessments.
“We’re going to get some urine and blood samples from you,” the nurse said. “See what else you might be on. Since you smell like a liquor store, I’m not sure I’d trust any answer you’d give me.”
“Just been drinking,” the drunk said, weaving about.
“That alcohol cloud you’re floating on is coming in handy right now. Bet you don’t even feel the damage to your hand,” the nurse said, shaking her head.
“It dulls the pain,” he said, snickering, and bobbing his head. “You going to hold it for me while I take a leak?”
“Watch your mouth,” Cole said. One thing he couldn’t stand was disrespect to any woman.
The nurse, Nancy by her nametag, said, “He’s a big talker, I can tell. In his condition, I bet he’d think he had Mount Olympus in his pants, when we all know it’s probably an ant hill.”
Cole laughed, Rob shook his head, and the drunk said, “You’re going to find out.”
“No, she’s not,” Rob said. He pulled his keys out, unlocked one cuff, and then cuffed the man’s hands in front of him. “Now you can hold it yourself. Bet you’re pretty good at it.”
“Here’s your cup,” Nancy said, handing it to him. “There’s the door and leave it open so we can watch you.” She turned to them and said, “I’m going to call a surgeon in. My guess is his finger has at least one severed nerve. It’s more than a cut, for sure. I’ll be back in a minute if you just want to have him get on the bed when he’s done.”
“Looks like we’ll be sitting around some more,” Rob said to Cole. “Unless you want to take off and leave me by my lonesome.”
“Nah, I’ll stick around until we know for sure what is going on. At least the chairs are more comfortable and there’s a TV,” Cole said. Not that it was much better than sitting in the car with his phone.
Fine
“How do you like the job so far?” Max asked Rene while they made the rounds Saturday morning.
“I love it. The pace isn’t slow, but it’s not so fast that I feel like my head is spinning.”
She knew everyone was concerned that she wouldn’t be able to handle herself in an emergency. At first she wasn’t sure she could do it herself, but somehow her reflexes just kicked in and she always got it done.
No one needed to know she’d go home at night and wonder and worry if she did something wrong, or if she could have been faster.
She had to stop doubting herself and trying to be perfect.
She had to stop trying to live up to the expectations that no one else measured her by. It was hard to push away her feelings of never being as good as Nick.
“It’s been slow with the holidays. The patients, for the most part, are great because they’re coming to us willingly. You haven’t had to deal with a cancer patient yet, or an accident victim. Not even a child. Those take a bit more patience, but I have all the faith in the world in you.”
It felt good to hear that. That someone she just met, someone she had a great deal of respect for, felt she could do this job. She wanted to prove herself and prove to everyone she did know what she was doing, that just because she’d spent so much of her time studying and figuring out what to do with her life didn’t mean she couldn’t commit and stick to her choice. That she couldn’t be a natural at something.
“Thank you. To hear you say that means a lot.”
“Don’t let the girls get in your head, either. You’re great just the way you are.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Rene said.
“Your way with patients isn’t the same as theirs. That’s fine. There is no set rule that you have to go in and hug everyone, that you have to be friends with patients. I just want you to be respectful of their situation and provide the best care possible. You’re doing exactly that.”
She had been doubting the way she was with patients. Amber and Dena were more outgoing than her. Friendlier, even. They’d managed to perfect a way to mix work with pleasure so efficiently it was like they were born doing it. She wasn’t sure she could be that smooth at doing two things at once with anything in life.
“I’m glad to hear it. I wish I was more outgoing like that, but I don’t want it to feel forced either.”
“Exactly. I think the office has a nice balance now. It’s all working out fine.” He stopped talking when his phone rang, and answered it quickly. “Yep, I’m still here. I’ll be right over.” He put his phone back in his pocket. “Looks like you’re getting your first opportunity to assist in the OR. It’s a different pace there too, but still shouldn’t be too rushed.”
Her heart started to pound more with excitement than fear. There was some fear, but excitement was overruling it.
It was her lucky day. She’d been hoping to get a chance to assist on a surgery in the hospital but knew she was way down on the list for that.
“What’s going on?” she asked, following him down a hallway.
“Accident victim in the ER. Hand injury, probably nerve damage. It won’t be fast paced, but it could be time consuming depending on the damage.” He stopped her before
they entered a back door to the ER. “He’s in handcuffs, just so you know. But you’ll be safe.”
“Huh? Why?” Seriously, this was going to be her first OR patient?
“I don’t have those details. Still, they’ll put him under before we operate, and guards will be outside the doors. You’re completely safe, so don’t worry. We need to examine him first, and law enforcement will be in there with us.”
“Okay,” she said, starting to dread the fact she was doing rounds with Max today.
Max pushed open the door and she followed behind him, then came up short when she saw one of the officers. What else would she come face-to-face with today?
“Hi, Cole,” Max said, then turned to the patient. “I’m Dr. Hamilton. Let’s see what we’ve got here.” He wrinkled his nose. “Aside from a bottle of liquor all over your clothes.”
“It spilled in my truck,” the patient said.
Rene pulled herself together and edged forward to look at the hand Max was examining. It was pretty gnarly, but not as bad as it could be.
“You’re going to need surgery to repair one torn nerve and one that is partially torn,” Max said. He turned to the nurse that had stepped back when they came in. “Why don’t you prep him for surgery and I’ll go get changed. Rene, I’ll meet you outside the OR in a few minutes.”
She watched as he walked out the door.
“Aren’t you such a sweet thing,” the drunk said. “You going to help get me undressed and play with my…hand?”
Cole walked up and gripped the man’s shoulder tightly. “I’d watch your mouth if I were you. You have no clue what gets done to you while you’re knocked out. You might wake up missing a…digit.”
Rene’s face flushed as she watched the drunk cringe with the hand on his shoulder. She’d bet there was a lot of pressure with that squeeze.
“Maybe you should apologize to the lady,” Cole said when the guy didn’t voluntarily do it.
The man burped. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
The nurse moved forward and said, “You really should watch how you treat medical staff. You don’t know if she is the one that controls your meds. I’d hate to have you wake up when the doctor has one of his little knives out and is slicing into your skin between your fingers, then rooting around trying to find just the right nerve to slowly sew back together.”
The guy started to gag and Rene grinned, then looked at Cole and saw his smile. He hadn’t smiled at her often, but when he did, she remembered it like it was yesterday and she was a kid that ran into the other room. This time she had nowhere to hide.
The nurse looked at her, then Cole. “You just need to know what to say to them. This one here, he’s pretty clueless and mighty weak from the sounds of it.” She turned to Rene. “Follow me to the OR. Our lovely officers will stand guard while the anesthetist comes in and knocks this poor fellow out, then the orderly will undress him and get him into a robe.”
“I can undress myself,” the man said.
“If you didn’t have cuffs on, you could, but since you do and you’ve been so friendly, we’re going to let the orderlies take care of that for you. Don’t worry, they won’t judge.”
Rene went to walk out, but Cole touched her shoulder. “We’ll be right outside the door at all times. You’ll be safe.”
She nodded and whispered, “Thanks,” then made her way to the OR.
Max appeared a few minutes later, and since she was already in scrubs, she was just washing her hands and putting on gloves.
“It’s a pretty cut-and-dry procedure. It looks to me like a clean tear. Shouldn’t be any more than an hour, tops. You ready for this?”
“I was born ready,” she said, trying to sound confident, and pushing away the fact that Cole was going to be right outside that door. Why did it have to be him that was on duty today?
Forty-five minutes later, Max was stitching the man’s hand back up. It was awesome, everything she’d hoped it would be to assist in the OR. She hadn’t even hesitated to hand him whatever he asked for. He told her what he’d need next and she had it in hand ready to pass off. Her reflexes kicked in just like she knew they would. She was made for this.
The confidence she was feeling during the surgery was short lived when she walked out of the OR taking her gloves off. She’d almost forgotten Cole and the other trooper were standing guard outside the doors.
Almost, but not quite. She’d lift her head and catch sight of his broad shoulders, then turn her attention back to the surgery. He was just a flickering thought, but one that stayed present the whole time.
“All set in there?” Cole asked her.
“Yeah. They’re going to move him to recovery and slowly bring him to. Do you have to stay until then?”
“Probably. It’s been a slow day, so they’ll most likely keep me here to help transport him to jail.”
“What’s he in for? Or can’t I know that?”
“At the moment, DWI and trying to outrun the law. Once tox reports come back, it could be more. Are you off duty now?”
“I’ll be leaving soon. How about you? It seems to me you’re always working.”
She was glad she was able to have a reasonable conversation with him. She wasn’t stuttering or tripping over anything…yet. Must be he wasn’t showing his super mutant powers at the moment. And darn Amber for putting that thought in her head weeks ago.
“Four days on, four days off. Two weeks nights, two weeks days.”
“So you switch on and off like that?” That was nuts. How did anyone sleep like that?
“Two weeks six to six days, two weeks six to six nights. You learn to adapt to it.”
“I’m sure. I know it was hard on me when I had to do clinical and did a few night shifts. I couldn’t do it all the time.”
“It’s not meant for everyone,” he said, frowning. She didn’t know what that look was all about.
“Well, I should go find Max and see what else needs to be done. Have a good day, Cole,” she said, walking away.
The urge to turn around and see if he was watching her was great, but she pushed it aside. Why would he watch her walk away? She was nothing more than a girl he’d had to save or assist more often than not. Even today he tried to reassure her she’d be fine, that he was right outside the door. No man found that sexy.
Just a Friend
“So what’s going on with you and the nurse back there?”
Cole turned his head and looked at Rob. “What nurse? Nancy?” Cole said, laughing. “She’s older than my mother and meaner than you.”
Rob smirked and shook his head. “No, the little one. Rene?”
“She’s not a nurse. She’s a physician assistant.”
“Whatever,” Rob said. “Either way, what’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing. Why?”
“First off, you knew her name, and you know the difference between her being a nurse and a physician assistant. Second, she kept lifting her eyes and looking at your back during surgery.”
“Really?” he asked, smiling. He’d had no clue. He didn’t really want to watch what they were doing through the doors. Rob didn’t care; he’d watch anything.
“Now you’re smiling because I just said she was watching you. Is she the girl you brought home the other night?”
Cole’s smile dropped. “I didn’t bring any woman home. What are you talking about?”
“That night at the bar. Justin said he followed you to a woman’s house. A small woman, cute, in her twenties. She’d had too much to drink and you brought her home. That’s her, isn’t it?”
Damn small towns, Cole thought. “Yeah. But it’s nothing. She’s an old friend. I just made sure she got home safe.”
“And persuaded a guy to take his hand off of her.”
“What’s this all about, Rob?” He’d never known anyone to question him about a woman before.
Rob shook his head, amusement riding high. “No reason. Just that she didn’t seem your type.”
“I didn’t know I had a type.”
“We all have a type, dude. Yours is the fast and wild. No commitments and out for a good time. She doesn’t come across as that way.”
“Exactly. She’s not. Like I said, she’s a friend.”
“If you say so. Sometimes being friends is the best of all. Get it on, get off, and you can still say hi the next morning without it being awkward.”
Cole took a menacing step forward but stopped. “She’s not that way.”
Rob backed down. Most did. No one was as big as Cole at the barracks, or as mean when cornered. “Still just a friend, huh? If you say so,” Rob said, laughing and walking away.
Monday morning Cole was still trying not to seethe over Rob’s comments. Added to Celeste’s past comments, he felt like he was up against a wall. A conspiracy wall.
Why wouldn’t anyone believe him when he said that Rene was just a friend? That he wasn’t interested in her?
Because he was lying to himself, that’s why. Yep, he was interested in her, but that didn’t mean it was going to go anywhere.
“Yeah, I’ve got someone sitting right here. I’ll send him over,” Cole heard his captain say before he hung up the phone, then turned to him. “That was Chief Miles. He’s down staff today and needs someone to take the drunk from Saturday morning back to the doctor for his follow-up. You know the case, and you’re just sitting around right now. Why don’t you head over and get him out of jail, and transport him for his appointment?”
“Sounds good,” Cole said. His last day on shift and it was dead right now. He’d been sitting at a desk doing miscellaneous paperwork since he arrived, waiting for his captain to assign his duties for the day. Too bad this wasn’t what he was hoping for, knowing there was a good chance he’d see Rene again. Maybe he’d get lucky and she’d be with another patient…or not in at all. She’d been doing rounds on Saturday so it’s possible she was there this morning, too.
Luck wasn’t on his side though. Not when he showed up at the jail and got the guy who spent ten minutes in the back of the car complaining about how much pain he was in. Not when he got to Dr. Hamilton’s office and had to help fill out paperwork. And especially not when Rene walked into the exam room after Max.