“Did you tease her too much?” Luke asked. “You do step over the line a lot.” He turned to his fiancée, Kennedy. “Didn’t I say he needed sensitivity training?”
Kennedy nodded and turned to Jared. “Did she say she didn’t want to see you again?”
“I dunno.” He peeled the label off his beer and crumpled it in his hand.
“What does that mean, I don’t know?” Kennedy asked. “Why don’t you know? Did you ask her for another date?”
Jared sent Luke a significant look. Luke raised his palms like he was helpless to control his woman. Everyone was still staring at him, so Jared blurted, “She feels guilty for going away for the weekend because her patient ended up in PICU. That’s the pediatric intensive care.”
Angel froze, beer bottle halfway to his mouth. “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. That’s terrible.”
Jared stared at the table. “Yeah.”
“She’s probably just upset,” Angel said. “Give her a little time.”
Everyone agreed with that assessment, which wasn’t at all helpful. Because the real problem, he’d realized, was him. Emily knew his rep and didn’t want to get burned after her ex. He was fun for a weekend. That was it.
Jared stood with his dishes. “I’m going to go. Thanks for dinner.”
He headed to the kitchen. Angel appeared at his side as he was loading the dishes in the dishwasher. “You guys just need to talk things out.”
Jared bit back a sarcastic reply to Mr. Feelings Talker. He knew Angel was just trying to help. He straightened. “Thanks, but it’s not that simple.”
“Reassure her you won’t cheat,” Angel said. “That’s a hot-button issue for her.”
Jared huffed. “As much as I love talking things out with you about the woman we both screwed, I’m leaving.” Never mind that he’d had the brilliant idea to get advice from Angel before. Now everything sucked. He headed toward the front door.
“Give her more fun times,” Angel called. “Wear her down.”
Fun times. Jared scowled, especially irritated because Emily had said Angel was fun in bed. He turned. “She doesn’t want that. She just wants to go back to her life.”
“Geez, you can’t give up. Just make it happen.”
Jared turned and pulled open the front door. If it were that easy, he wouldn’t feel like hell right now.
“I’ll talk to her,” Angel said.
Jared slammed the door and did an about-face. “Don’t you dare. That’s…” He trailed off. Awkward and inappropriate from her former ideal lover. Geez, this was so twisted. “I’ll deal with it.”
Angel crossed to him and lowered his voice. “I feel responsible. I pushed you toward her. I really thought she’d be good for you.”
“She was,” he said over the lump in his throat.
“And I thought you’d be good for her.”
He swallowed hard. “I’m not.”
Angel looked thoughtful. “Give it some time. I know there’s something there.”
“You don’t know that! You never even saw us together.”
“Yes, I did, at Sunday dinner and at cooking class. She lights up when you’re around. And you get the soft eyes.” He jabbed a finger at him. “I’ll fix this, Jare. Don’t give up hope.”
“Don’t do anything! I don’t want any surprises, no showing up at Sunday dinner, and for God’s sake, don’t even think about bringing Mom and her voodoo cookies into this.”
Angel smiled widely. “Now there’s an idea.”
“No! You wouldn’t want me to push your thing with Julia.”
Angel’s brown eyes flashed. “Don’t go there!”
“I will if you don’t drop it!”
“Are they fighting again?” Vince boomed, appearing in the hallway. There was a sudden murmur of male voices.
“No betting!” his mom exclaimed.
Angel’s whole expression dimmed. He turned away.
Jared instantly felt remorse. “Ah, Ang, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
Angel went back to rejoin their family and flipped him the bird over his shoulder. Vince shook his head at Jared.
Jared left, feeling like a major screwup. First with Emily and now with Angel.
Chapter Eleven
Emily was absolutely haunted by Chris. Not only because she couldn’t stop thinking about his frail little body sitting in PICU while she was off having the time of her life, but also because it hit a little too close to home from when her patient Jaden died two years ago. Jaden had also ended up in PICU when she was away. He’d died three days later.
She’d visited Chris as soon as she got back. Not surprisingly, Chris’s dad, Tony, held vigil at Chris’s side. Chris was the center of his dad’s world. He was an only child, and his mom had died in childbirth having him.
“Hi, Tony,” she said gently.
He looked up, his brown hair greasy, his eyes bloodshot with dark rings of fatigue under them. “Emily,” he said, his voice rough and gravelly like he hadn’t spoken in a while, “you came.”
“Of course I did. I’ll check in on him daily.”
“You will? What time?”
“Whenever I can get my break.”
“Here, take my seat. He’ll want to hear from you.”
Tony changed places with her, standing at the foot of Chris’s bed while she took the chair next to the bed. Chris was sleeping, his small body frail and fragile. She held his bony hand and spoke to him anyway. “Hey, buddy. It’s Emily. You can relax. We’re taking good care of you. Your dad is here to be sure of it.” She heard a choking sob and saw Tony had broken down in tears, one hand clapped over his mouth. She knew it was hell to watch his only child suffering. She turned back to Chris. “The Christmas lights are up around town. We’re going to put some in your room too, all white and twinkling like stars. Or snowflakes. You know, each snowflake is unique and special. Like you.” She swallowed over the awful lump in her throat. “Olivia made you a friendship bracelet and—”
“He won’t be alone if he goes,” Tony said in a hoarse voice.
She nodded, glancing at Tony’s red tear-streaked face before turning back to Chris. She knew what he meant. Tony had said before that Chris’s mother would be waiting for him in heaven. “That’s right, Chris. All the people who love you will always be there for you.” Her throat choked up too much to speak any further. She gave Chris’s hand a small squeeze and stood.
She gestured for Tony to take her spot.
“Don’t go,” he said. “I don’t want to be alone right now, and Chris has always loved you.”
“Okay.” How could she say no? She stayed a while longer until she was paged to go back to work. “I’m sorry, I really have to go. I’ll be back.”
Tony nodded gravely and resumed his vigil in the chair next to his son. “We’ll be here.”
It had been a week, and Chris was hanging on, but he was drifting in and out of consciousness.
Jared had texted her a few times and even tried to have lunch with her in the hospital cafeteria, but she shut him down. She just couldn’t deal with it all. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel something for him. If she was honest with herself, she’d felt too much. In opening herself to a fun weekend with him, she’d inadvertently opened her heart and got slammed for it with the news about Chris. Clearly she was not meant for that kind of carefree life. And Chris had paid for her selfishness.
She didn’t kid herself she was some kind of miracle worker, but she monitored her patients closely and was quick to respond to any change, for better or worse. Many times that quick response had made a difference. She’d gone over Chris’s chart, and while the hospital wasn’t at fault for being negligent, they hadn’t responded quickly or aggressively enough, in her opinion. Not like she would have advocated for if she’d been there.
She drooped home Friday night only to find her ex-husband, Michael, waiting on her doorstep. There were no reporters, no cameras, just him standing there holding a gold box wrapped wi
th a blue ribbon. He wore a gray wool coat over his suit. Too exhausted to rail against him, too frazzled for a confrontation, she merely stared at the gold box. As she got closer, she saw it was Godiva. Her favorite chocolate. He’d finally gotten it right.
“Hi, Emily,” he said when she reached his side. “These are for you.”
She took the box and broke down in tears.
“What is it?” Michael asked, guiding her to the stairs to sit down. “Are these happy or sad tears?”
That just made her cry harder. Three years of marriage, and he still had no clue whether she was happy or sad.
He put an arm around her. “Did I get the wrong kind of chocolate? My assistant said…”
She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. But she wasn’t crying over him. Not really. It was just the push she needed to get out her grief over Chris.
“What can I do?” he asked.
She kept right on crying. Not up to explaining anything.
“Okay,” he said and just sat with her, one arm wrapped around her.
She cried until she had no more tears and then leaned against his side, exhausted.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked.
She sniffled. “One of my patients…he…I’m not sure he’s going to make it.”
“Didn’t I tell you to get a thicker skin for your job?”
She clenched her jaw. He’d always said she was too sensitive. But she was only good at her job because she felt so much for her patients. He’d never understand that because the man had no emotions.
She straightened. “Why are you here?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“Why?”
“My therapist says you might need an apology before you’ll consider a reconciliation.”
“Seriously?”
“I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any pain from my actions.”
“You betrayed me, Michael.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You humiliated me in the press.”
“That wasn’t my intention. The press went a little nuts. I have no control over that.”
She stood.
“Wait!” He stood too. “I’ve changed. I can be satisfied without going outside our relationship. With whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Yeah, right. “Thanks for the chocolate.”
“If you were married to me, you wouldn’t have to work that cancer job anymore. That job is going to kill you.”
“Supportive as ever,” she said before striding to her door. She stopped and looked back to where Michael was still standing watching her. “I met someone. Don’t come here again.”
And with that she went into her apartment. Not that she thought anything more would happen with Jared. She was a hot mess. Her life was a hot mess. The last thing she needed was another complication. She just wanted to get Michael off her back.
She waited a few minutes to see if he’d follow or knock on the door, but he must’ve left. She breathed a sigh of relief and dove into the chocolate. Then she poured a glass of wine to take the edge off. She conked out on the sofa a short while later in a massive sugar crash.
She woke to the sound of her cell phone ringing the next morning. She snatched it up and saw not only had she overslept for her Saturday shift, but she had numerous voicemails and texts from her friends Charlotte and Megan.
Is this photoshopped? Charlotte asked in a text next to an image of what appeared to be her and Michael cozying up to each other. Someone must’ve gotten a picture of when she was leaning against his side with his arm around her last night. You couldn’t tell that she was crying. The angle of her face and body just looked like she was leaning into his embrace. Shit.
She texted back her friends and then rushed to the shower to get ready. She couldn’t deal with this right now. Her patients needed her. Obviously Michael was still spinning stories in the press about them. She was sure they’d be all over a possible reconciliation. The scandal was too juicy to bypass any speculation about them. Now she’d have to issue another statement. Maybe she should look into that restraining order. He hadn’t hurt her, but he was definitely harassing her. She wasn’t sure how to go about doing that. Augh. She had the worst headache from overindulging and stress.
She popped a couple of ibuprofen, washed them down with orange juice, and grabbed a granola bar to eat on the way to work. She had to put Michael out of her mind and focus on what was important. Kids depended on her.
When she got to work, she snagged the goody bag for Jared’s visit and steeled herself against any of his charming smiles. She was in no mood for that crazy roller coaster. No matter how exhilarating the ride, she couldn’t handle the inevitable fall.
~ ~ ~
Jared showed up for his Captain Huddle visit on Saturday with a tangle of emotions messing with his head. He had to be there for the kids and knew how important his visit was now that one of their friends had ended up in PICU. At the same time, he was beside himself with the news story he’d seen this morning with a picture of Emily cozied up to her ex.
Seriously, of all the people for her to be with! Just thinking about it pissed him off especially because she’d told Jared she had to dedicate all of her time to her patients. He’d done nothing but show her a good time. Her ex had cheated on her and humiliated her. Clearly the woman wasn’t in her right mind because of her grief over Chris. They were going to talk things out, as Angel had told him to in the first place. He should’ve listened to Mr. Feelings Talker. He wasn’t sure exactly what he’d say to Emily, but he was sure something would come to him. Failure was not an option.
He spotted her by the nurses’ station, waiting for him with the goody bag. He closed the distance between them quickly and kissed her cheek. “Hey, Em.”
“Ooh!” a young girl voice squealed.
Emily stiffened. Jared turned to see ten-year-old Olivia walking with an IV. A young blond nurse walked with her. “Captain Huddle kissed Emily!” Olivia exclaimed.
“Don’t do that again,” Emily hissed under her breath to Jared before saying to Olivia, “That’s because I gave him extra-special prizes for well-behaved children.”
“Captain Huddle and Emily sitting in a tree,” Olivia sang.
Jared chuckled. He liked the direction this song was heading.
“Happy now?” Emily asked him. “Now I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Olivia sang loudly before the nurse at her side quieted her.
“Meet me after your shift,” he said. “We need to talk.”
She rubbed her temple. “I’m really not up for this. You have no idea—”
“Em—”
“Please don’t.”
“First comes love,” Olivia sang a little quieter.
Emily pointed a warning finger at Olivia then turned to Jared and said quietly, “Just treat me like one of your nurses. Okay? I can’t handle more than that right now.”
“I would if I could. Believe me, it would be easier.” He leaned close and didn’t miss the pink flush that rose in her cheeks. “You think I wanted this to happen?” He was halfway in love with the woman, their chemistry was off the charts, and she was cozied up to her ex.
She huffed. “I’m sorry Angel forced me on you.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Emily’s lips twitched, and she reached up and patted his quilled hat. Damn. He kept forgetting he was in costume around her.
“Then comes marriage,” Olivia sang over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner.
“After your shift,” he said, pushing up his eye mask to meet her eyes directly, “I’m coming for you.”
She shivered. Good. At least she knew he was serious about talking stuff out. He slammed the eye mask down and whirled, cape flying behind him as he headed for the first room. He sent a silent prayer up to PICU for Chris. This would be the first time he hadn’t visited Chris’s room. He swallowed hard and strode into
little Candace’s room.
“Anyone here like butterflies?” he asked in a cheerful voice.
~ ~ ~
Emily would not be meeting up with Jared after her shift. He was too tempting, even in a ridiculous porcupine costume. She went back to work, pushing him out of her mind, but an hour later she ran into him in the hallway.
He leaned down to her ear, his voice a sexy rumble. “Meet me in the break room after your shift.”
“No.”
“Fine, I’ll meet you, and then we’ll go to my place and talk.”
She kept her voice low. “I have no intention of going to your place to quote, unquote talk.”
His scowl was made less intimidating by the fact that he was dressed like a porcupine. “We’re talking.”
She put up a hand in the universal stop sign and went back to work. Her patients needed her complete focus, and that was exactly what they’d get.
When her shift ended, she walked quickly past the break room, not daring to see if Jared was in there waiting for her, and speedwalked to the elevator, heart pounding. He could be very persistent.
The doors opened to an empty elevator, and she dashed inside, punching the button for the main floor. She took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. Like a sixth sense she met his green eyes as he strode toward her, not wearing the absurd costume, just a blue long-sleeved shirt that emphasized his broad shoulders with worn jeans. He carried a duffel bag crammed full, and the determined look in his eyes said I’ve got you now. She frantically punched the button for the main floor. Come on, come on.
The doors began to close, and then a large sneakered foot wedged between them and they opened.
“Hello, Emily,” he said in a dangerously soft voice.
“Hi,” she squeaked.
As soon as the doors shut, he dropped the bag and advanced on her, backing her up against the wall and boxing her in with his hands on either side of her hips. She heated everywhere. It was like she couldn’t control her response to him.
His mouth grazed her ear as he asked, “What’s a guy gotta do to get some words with you?”
“There’s nothing we need to talk about,” she said, her voice coming out embarrassingly breathy. Get a hold of yourself. You don’t have time for this.
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