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TRISTAN
TRISTAN SAT IN HIS LAND Rover and stared at the ER entrance, debating with himself. The red sign with white letters was daring him to go in. Was Calista really going to buy that he was worried his cut was getting infected? The chances of that were highly unlikely. Yet, his hand kept reaching for the door, itching to go inside. All he wanted was to see her gorgeous face and wish her a good day before he headed into the office. He was turning into a lovesick fool. More like the class clown.
Why couldn’t he just play it cool? Let her come to him when she was good and ready. It worked last time. But things were different this time around. Tristan needed Calista to see he wasn’t the man who left her. Just like Ebenezer Scrooge, he was a changed man. Maybe she needed to see he was willing to play the fool. That his ego and pride wouldn’t impede their relationship this time.
He inhaled and exhaled deeply before rushing headlong into the wintry morning. What more do I have to lose than I’ve already lost? he thought to himself as he briskly walked toward the hospital, the frosty air going right through his dress coat.
When the ER doors automatically opened for him, it was a welcome relief to be in from the cold. Even more welcoming was the empty waiting room. It appeared it was his lucky day.
He strode straight over to the reception desk to check in.
Before he said a word, the older woman with hair as white as snow manning the desk gave him a sly smile, like she knew why he was really there. People in this town had long memories and his relationship with Calista had been nothing short of scandalous as far as most were concerned. He hated that was the case. Regardless, it didn’t change how he felt about Calista. He hoped that people would be kinder to her. It shouldn’t matter what side of the lake you grew up on.
“I’m Tristan Granger. I was here a few days ago to get stitches. Now I’m worried the cut may be infected,” he said confidently, even though he’d only noticed a little bit of red around the wound. But one can’t be too careful about these things.
The woman nodded and grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Uh-huh.” She handed him an electronic tablet. “Just sign in here and the triage nurse will call you back soon.”
He took the tablet and, using the stylus, filled out the required information before handing it back to the receptionist.
He sat down and, for a moment, enjoyed the soothing sounds of the large copper wall fountain in front of him. While he was at it, he prayed Calista wasn’t going to hate him even more for showing up like this. The way they’d easily conversed and laughed the night before gave him more hope than he’d had in years. He missed her crazy antics, even if it meant having to watch his sister-in-law behave in a less than socially acceptable manner. With any luck, Calista would talk some sense into Stella and save her from herself.
“Tristan Granger,” the triage nurse called out.
Tristan popped off the chair and went directly to the nurse who was patiently waiting for him by the automatic doors.
“Good morning, Mr. Granger,” she greeted him.
That’s what he was angling for—a good morning.
She took him back and asked him about his symptoms. As they weren’t busy, he got to go straight back to be seen. As soon as he entered the ER, every nurse in the nurses’ station craned their necks to gawk at him. Grins and fits of laughter broke out.
Oh hell, he thought. He was causing a scene. Calista wasn’t going to love that. But it was too late to abort his foolish plan. Maybe he should have just brought her coffee or something. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? He berated himself. The woman was addling his brain. It was sweet torture.
The nurse he had seen on his previous visit, Lucy, he believed her name was, came out of the nurses’ station, as bubbly as could be, doing nothing to hide her obvious amusement. “Mr. Granger, you’re back again,” she chirped.
No doubt he would be the subject of the daily ER gossip. Maybe he should have just headed straight for the office. But visions of Calista kept dancing in his head, and he knew until he saw her, he wouldn’t be able to think clearly. He was behaving like a child on Christmas morning, beside himself with anticipation of what Santa had brought him. Except he knew exactly how much he was going to love his gift. From every curve on her body to her silky dark hair and enigmatic hazel eyes, he loved her.
Once situated in the treatment room, Lucy began by taking his vitals. She kept pressing her lips together, holding back a laugh as she took his blood pressure.
“What brings you in today, Mr. Granger?” she giggled while recording his vitals on a laptop.
He didn’t want to say, but he’d passed the point of no return. “I noticed some redness around the stitches on my back. I wanted to get it checked out. Make sure it’s not getting infected.”
“I’m sure Dr. Monroe will be happy to check you out … I mean, she’ll be glad to check for an infection.” She blushed furiously.
Hastily, she grabbed a gown from a cupboard above the sink and handed it to him. “Put this on and leave the back open. Dr. Monroe will be in shortly.”
Tristan eyed the blue gown in his hand, not eager to put it on. Did he really need to? It’s not like Calista hadn’t seen the goods before. He tossed it to the side before unbuttoning his dress shirt and removing it.
He sat half-naked, dangling his legs off the exam table, waiting for Calista to come in, the anticipation building. He eyed the table he was on and wondered if Calista would like to give it a whirl. Obviously, he was getting way ahead of himself. He was going to be lucky if she didn’t kick his butt out of there. Yet, he couldn’t help but fantasize about the two of them getting tangled up for a moment or two or three. It would certainly cure him of any ailment.
He waited and waited. He thought it odd, since they didn’t seem busy. At this rate, he was going to miss the weekly Monday morning status update meeting.
Finally, Calista knocked on the door. “May I enter?” she huffed out.
That wasn’t a good sign.
“Yes,” he called out, sitting up as straight as possible, knowing it would show off his sculpted physique.
