by VR Baucke
I pursed my lips and cursed myself for being attracted to a woman with a bloody guard dog.
“Is that gonna be an issue for me patching things up with Lil?”
Mace shrugged and chucked spaghetti pasta into a pot. “Depends how you go about it. If you go in all guns blazing again, then there’s gonna be a problem. Treat her right, and you’ll be all good.”
I worked his advice round my head before his next statement flared the irritation and guilt within me again.
“She’s worth the effort, cuz.”
My eyes locked with his. “I’ve told you already, I can’t go there. It’s too soon.”
Mace’s relentless stare bored into mine and made me shift nervously in my seat. His next statement hit way too close to home.
“I’m not telling you to forget. I’m suggesting you forgive yourself and let yourself be happy again.”
“Fuck you,” I growled. Not because I was mad, but because I knew he was right and I didn’t want to admit it.
Mace pointed a spoon at me. “Just sayin’.”
Sensing the sudden heaviness within my heart, silence endured for a long time while Mace plated up the spag bol. I sat at the table opposite him and watched as he chased a pasta noddle around his plate with his fork. The sight left me exasperated, causing my words to came out gruffer than I intended.
“You know them well?”
His attention snapped to me.
“Lil and Mickey, I mean?”
“Yup. Since we were little. Their parents are fucking awesome too.”
Surprise ran through me and I waited for him to elaborate.
“Their monthly family dinners are great.”
Again with the surprise, and a little more jealousy—dammit!
“So, you’ve been to one before?” I asked, probing for further information while moving food around my plate.
“Yeah, bro, I pretty much go every month. Matt and Ev love entertaining, and it’s basically ‘the more the merrier’. All the crew gets invited.”
“Huh,” I breathed, stupidly feeling left out. “So, you think Lil’s up for a visitor sometime? I really feel like I should apologise to her...”
“Hell no, you are not going tonight!” Mace clipped in alarm.
I scowled and shook my head. “No, not tonight. I can’t think of anything worse than feeling like shit and trying to have a decent adult conversation with someone who doesn’t want to hear it.”
He agreed with me on that one.
“I was thinking you might give me her number?”
Mace swallowed then shoved more food into his mouth. “No can do, bro. I’m on strict orders not to, and if I do there’ll be hell to pay. Especially after I gave you her address, and we all know how well that went down.”
“You’re whipped, mate. Whipped like sweetened cream and spread wherever she wants it.”
Mace didn’t bite as much as I was expecting, aside from a half-hearted, “Fuck you.” He swallowed again then drawled words that had me choking on my own breath.
“I do, however, happen to know that Lil Bean likes whipped cream used in various ways...”
I inhaled suddenly at the unexpected revelation and spluttered uncontrollably. My fork hit my plate and bounced along the glass table top, making me wince through the clatter. I blinked away tears then pounded on my chest.
“How the fuck do you know that?” I croaked.
That provoked more laughter from Mace and his eyes shone with amusement. “I’m telling ya, there are benefits of being the BFF of those girls. And trust me,” he pointed his fork at me, “they talk some utter shit when we’re hanging out and think I’m not taking notice. And that leaves me feeling well and truly violated.”
It was my turn to chuckle as Mace feigned a shudder.
“Yeah right, because you’re all innocent and all that shit.”
He held up his hands and smirked. “You know I am. Besides, all I’m sayin’ is that those girls can talk. Sometimes, Lil even jabbers in her sleep!”
A scowl hit my face so damn hard it hurt, and it deepened when Mace’s smirk carved into a shit-eating grin.
“Where did you sleep last night?” I asked slowly.
Despite him saying that they were just friends, I was still sure him and Lil were doing the dirty behind everyone’s backs. Mace’s comment simply fuelled that suspicion.
“In her bed,” he replied casually while gauging my reaction closely—which was to pick up my fork and slam it down again, wince, then glare at him.
“Something wrong, cuz?”
“Apart from you bullshitting me and everyone else? No, there’s fucking not,” I snarled.
He set his fork down. “I’m not bullshitting anyone. Lil and I are mates. End of. Yeah,” he raised his voice over the start of my argument, “I sleep in her bed every now and then. We talk, but we don’t fuck. You’ve got nothin’ to worry about.”
My hand itched to wipe the wry expression off his face. He was baiting me and we both knew it.
I inhaled deeply, seeking composure. “Well, since you know everything, did you know she’s got a nipple piercing?”
Mace coughed a little then barked out a laugh. “Discovered that, did you? As a matter of fact, I was there when she got it done. So was Kimmie,” he added upon seeing my jaw tick.
It was stupid; I had no claim on her, yet, I felt like no-one had the right to touch her or know intimate details about her that I didn’t.
“In a nutshell, last Christmas holidays, Kimmie and Lil made a bet about who could fit the most marshmallows in their mouths, and whoever lost had to get their nipple pierced.”
“You’re kidding?” I dead-panned. Were they ten years old?
“Nope. Discovered any other hidden piercings by chance?” he smirked.
“Fuck, you mean there’s more?” I hissed, needing to know this information right fucking now.
Chortling from the intensity of my reaction, Mace shook his head. “No, I’m having you on there. As far as I’m aware, she’s just got the one. After the amount of cursing and verbal abuse she gave the guy doing the job, I doubt she would’ve gone back for more. She swore black and blue that the rest of her lady bits were remaining unpierced indefinitely.”
“Jesus. You’re cruel.”
I jabbed carelessly at the forgotten Bolognese in front of me as Mace chuckled.
“You think I’m cruel? Just wait until Lil starts keeping you on your toes, you’ll be begging for mercy.”
“I don’t beg, I command.”
Mace stood and slapped me on the back. “We’ll see about that.”
THIRTEEN
LIL
I ANSWERED THE phone and quickly mashed it between my ear and shoulder as I kept sifting through paperwork.
“Heya, Kimmie, what’s up?”
There were patients waiting to be seen and I was under a hell of a lot of pressure to get them all through before a riot of monstrous proportions broke out in the waiting room.
Her voice came through muffled against the side of my head. “Just seeing if there are any updates from you-know-who.”
“No, there aren’t. It’s only been three days, and thank God he doesn’t have my number. Sorry, chick, I’m under the pump and don’t have time to chatty-chat-chat-chat right now.”
“Shit sorry, I thought you were on nights this week. I’m the opposite here; bored out of my mind and procrastinating hard. I’ll let ya get on with it.”
A pang of guilt rose after hearing the resigned note in her voice.
“I totally didn’t mean to snap, but I’ll need to call you later though, okay.”
“Sure thing. Keep your knickers on… For now,” she added with an evil cackle.
I rose my voice. “Goodbye, Kimmie.”
“Ciao for now.”
Jamming my phone back into my scrubs, I checked the triage list to see who was next. Plastering on a smile in the hopes that I appeared cool, calm, and collected, I pushed through the door int
o the waiting room. All eyes expectantly turned my way. It felt like walking into the lion’s den.
“Mr Andrews?” I called.
Seeing an elderly man slowly stand, I made my way over to help him, remembering that he came in late last week for stitches on a nasty gash on his arm. Despite me advising him to see his GP for a check-up, he was back here. Before I reached his side, a tall man came to Mr Andrews aide and helped steady him on his feet.
My heart leapt into my throat and my chest squeezed.
What the hell was he doing here? And being all gentlemanly to boot! Greeting Mr Andrews and taking his arm, I subtly turned towards to Gage.
“What are you doing here?” I asked in a lowered tone, trying my hardest not to hiss.
Judging by the look of surprise on his face, Gage hadn’t expected to see me here either.
“I brought my uncle in. He had a small incident on site involving a nail gun.”
Gage winced at the memory. Sure enough, I looked around his shoulder to see Dave Westbrook sitting with his foot elevated and looking a little on the pale side.
“Hi Dave, I’ll be with you soon. Stay put,” I added with a point.
He chuckled and gave a two fingered salute off his brow—which I returned.
“I’m glad you reminded me, love. I was gearing up to sprint laps around the waiting room to kill some time.”
“Don’t make me reprimand you when I come back,” I warned.
Turning my attention back to Gage—who had been watching our exchange in stunned silence—I put my figurative nurses’ hat back on.
“Mr Andrews has been waiting since this morning so I’ll get him sorted then be back out for Dave. Go sit, I’ll be out shortly… Hopefully,” I added under my breath, which made Gage chuckle softly.
After a slow shuffle with Mr Andrews, I carefully peeled off his dressing while he yakked my ears off about his week thus far. He seemed to partake in a lot of tea drinking and complaining about his neighbour’s cat. I couldn’t help but give him a genuine smile as he got riled up in the details.
With his wound healing well and the stitches looking nice and clean, I redressed his arm and reminded him to see his GP, not the emergency room, to have the stitches removed in a weeks’ time.
Guiding Mr Andrews to the exit, I quickly checked my hair in the reflection of the one-way window that separated the clinic cubicles and the nurses’ station, on my way past.
Dave looked to be in reasonably good spirits when I entered the waiting room. He was chatting with Gage but stopped when I approached.
“Ah, love, there you are.”
“Ready when you are, Mr Westbrook.”
Blatant relief washed over Gage’s expression now that official help had arrived to alleviate him of his responsibility. He stood and pushed his uncle’s wheelchair into the Emergency Department ward while I held the door open for him.
We got Dave transferred to a bed and settled comfortably before I started my interrogation. I put on my best bossy nurse face and flicked my attention between Dave and Gage. Ironically, Gage was looking paler than his injured uncle.
“You guys weren’t playing silly buggers, were you?”
Gage opened his mouth to answer but Dave bet him to it.
“No, the lads had nothing to do with it, it was my own silly mistake. Accidentally bumped the nail gun trigger when I went to put it on the ground. It’s not the first time either, though a good many years since it happened last,” he chuckled at himself.
I pursed my lips while investigating his boot with the nail protruding from the top.
“Well, let’s hope it hasn’t done any nerve, ligament or bone damage. First, I need to get you pumped up on meds, then we’ll get that nail out and boot off to have a look at the injury. Thank goodness you guys didn’t try to remove the nail yourselves.”
Dave nodded and at least tried to look as if he was taking my nurse rant seriously.
Once the painkillers were charted and signed off by the doctor, I inserted an I.V. line and watched smugly as a look of medically induced euphoria settled over Dave’s features. A Cheshire Cat grin wove onto his mouth the moment the intravenous Morphine began to work its magic, and Gage and I chuckled when Dave closed his eyes and gave us a thumb up.
It was hard to predict how a patient would react to Morphine; for the most part, it was comical. There were, however, a select few times when the effects made the patient unpredictable. Despite knowing Dave well, with caution in mind, I kept a close eye on him for the first minute while I decided which way he would go.
Happy with him now being settled and sedated, I turned my full attention back to the task at hand, which was made infinitely harder by the fact Gage was watching my every move. I selected the appropriate equipment and I looked across Dave’s tranquil body at Gage.
“I’ll need your help to hold him still while I remove the nail.”
Gage visibly blanched but stood and got into position without protest. I put my hand on his arm, trying to ignore the energy that pulsed between us, and spoke gently.
“If you’re not okay with the sight of blood, I can get someone else to assist. I don’t want to be picking up your carcass off the floor if you faint. You’ll be way too heavy,” I teased, unable to help myself.
I caught the smallest tug of a smile on his lips as he drawled, “It’s all muscle, baby.” Wink. “I can handle it, less talking yeah, and more doing.”
A slurred voice cut in between us. “When you two have finished hooking up, can we get this show on the road?”
I burst out laughing. “Mr Westbrook, I don’t think you understand what hooking up is, because that definitely wasn’t it.”
“Dave,” he corrected me with a little pat on my arm. “What’s it called nowadays, then? Eye-sex?” he demanded, way too loud for our surroundings.
“Good Lord,” I muttered and ducked my head to avoid the scandalised stares from the other nurses dotted around the room.
My attempts to hush Dave were overrode by Gage cussing under his breath then telling his uncle to, “Pipe the fuck down.”
That was hilarious to Dave and I intended to take full advantage of his distracted state.
“Hold him still,” I hissed at Gage.
There was a brief flicker of annoyance in his eyes before he complied. Grabbing the tip of the nail with a pair of pliers, I pulled it out in one smooth movement.
“Sweet bleeding mother of Mary,” Dave roared and struggled under Gage’s weight that pinned him to the table.
I took a hasty step backwards, narrowly missing being hit in the chest from Dave’s flailing arm. Gage’s stricken eyes hit mine as he held Dave as still as he could, and all it took was one quick nod from me for Gage to let go and flop into the chair next to the bed.
Dropping the nail into a bowl then handing it to Dave, I set about unlacing his work boot and gently slipping it off. Once I had his sock peeled off, I was able to get a decent look at the wound. The nail had lodged itself between the tiny metatarsal bones of toes three and four. Prodding carefully, I concluded that it had indeed missed the bones—God knows how—and that nothing was broken; just punctured and bruised. After flushing the site, I carefully dressed the area while running through the care instructions that were to be strictly followed. Lastly, I handed Gage a script for antibiotics.
“The nail should have been reasonably clean since it was new, but foot infections quickly turn nasty, especially if you don’t rest them properly before going back to work.” I pegged Dave with a stern look. “And yes, I will be checking up on you.”
He fobbed me off with a lucid flick of his hand and muttered about having it sorted already. Rolling my eyes then smiling, I turned to thank Gage for his help.
What I saw stole the air from my lungs; the unguarded look in his eyes was raw and brimming with admiration, respect, pride, plus something else I couldn’t quite decipher. All it took was a single blink for him to carefully re-mask his reactions. I kept my eyes locked wi
th Gage’s as I spoke to Dave.
“You’re free to go home now, Mr Westbrook.”
“Dave!” he barked, startling me slightly.
I looked down and set my hand on his shoulder. “Okay then, Dave. You’re all fixed up and it’s time to go.”
“That’a girl, love. I’ll let you get back to saving the world.”
With what sounded like a snigger, Gage helped me manoeuvre a much floppier Dave back into the wheelchair.
“Are you going to be okay with him?” I puffed.
Gage’s frown of concentration eased slightly. “How hard can it be to get him home? I’ll be fine.”
While walking them to the door, I ran through the care instructions one last time before saying goodbye. I was checking to see who was next on the triage list when a hand carefully took hold of my elbow. I turned to see Gage standing close.
“Hey, you were amazing in there,” he said, nothing by sincerely.
“Just another day at the office,” I replied, realising that this was the first nice thing Gage had said to me.
“When can I see you, to uh, you know...” He rubbed a hand awkwardly over the back of his neck. “I want to right the wrongs, so to speak.”
My heart soared in an instant and I tried not to let the surprise show on my face. I studied him for a few beats, wanting to say yes but cautious over giving in too easily; our short history wasn’t great.
His dark eyes never left mine, imploring me to give him a chance. After a long pause, my subtle nod created a warmth within those dark depths.
“Come by this weekend sometime?”
A hint of satisfaction tilted the corners of his mouth. I felt he was about to say something when Dave’s booming voice echoed throughout the crowded waiting room.
“Gage, get your ass into gear and stop chatting up Lily. I know she’s gorgeous, but let’s bust out of this joint already!”
“Fucking hell!” Gage hissed. “He’ll be lucky to make it home with only a sore foot at this rate. Catch ya ‘round, Sunshine.”
I watched as he stalked across the waiting room and thrust Dave’s chair through the automatic doors before he caused more embarrassment.
Oh, my, Lord, Kimmie was going flip over our phone call tonight.