AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was…annoyed, but she was probably right. If someone had broken in, which I still wasn’t one hundred percent they had, I did need the cops to know the truth. “Fine.”
“I love you,” she said softly.
I sighed and hugged her again, quick this time. “Love you, too. Thanks for coming. See you tomorrow.”
The next morning, I awoke late and dragged myself into the hospital. Even though I’d been off work yesterday, I didn’t have the same refreshed feeling that I usually felt after a day off. Probably because it hadn’t been relaxing.
I’d had dreams about me and Noah from prom during senior year. I’d relived the thrill of hearing him whisper that we would get married when he was done with his six weeks at boot camp. My memory brought back the old feelings of wanting to be with him, of pressing my body closer to his on the dance floor, of how I’d loved to smell his Versace cologne that he’d bought at the mall weeks earlier upon my recommendation.
When my phone alarm clock had gone off, I’d thrown myself back into the bed, wishing my life was different. I missed the way I’d felt so loved all those years ago. Before … everything.
Now, I clocked in at the nurses’ table. Mercy was already there with her arms folded, looking like she had been waiting for me.
“Good morning,” I said, uncertain of what she was thinking.
Mercy cocked an eyebrow. “Are you going to talk about it?”
I shook my head. “There is no need to talk about anything except our patients today. What have you got?”
Mercy shrugged and thrust an iPad at me. “Mr. Henry in room two. You’ll want to check on him every hour.”
Mr. Henry was a regular. He was eighty years old, and between his diabetes and an infection in his leg, he was in poor health. He would have to stay at the hospital every so often until he recovered.
“Mostly, it’s been slow. I don’t think you have a very busy day today.”
I nodded absently, going over Mr. Henry’s chart. That was the thing about transitioning from a city hospital to a small-town hospital: shifts were slower.
Mercy leaned into me, her eyes staring into my soul. “Is there anything you want to tell me about the person you don’t want to talk about?”
“You know everything,” I reminded her, rolling my eyes. “Nothing to tell.”
Looking down the hall, Mercy let out a loud laugh. “Well, I guess you don’t have to talk about him. Because he’s walking in right now.”
Shocked, I turned and saw Noah and two small children rushing toward us. In fact, Noah had the younger one scooped up in his arms.
“What is going on?” I asked, concern and professionalism taking over. My feelings could wait.
Noah looked out of sorts. “I think Trent broke his arm. His dad’s going to kill me.”
Mercy took charge and led all of us to a room. She seated Trent on the table, then told me to look at him while she found the doctor. She asked Noah to go with her to provide insurance information.
Noah stared at me. “I don’t want to leave them. Damon is coming, but I don’t want to leave them.”
The smaller child clung to him. “Don’t leave me.”
Noah leaned down and brushed his lips across the child’s forehead. “It’s okay. I won’t leave you. We’ll just wait for your dad.”
I was touched by his gentleness. Despite myself, I had to wonder what he would’ve been like with our children. I hesitated, then found myself moving forward. “It’s okay. I’m your dad’s friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids.I’ll take care of you.” Gently, I patted the small child’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”
I was only doing this because it was a child. Not because of Noah. Not because these children were important to him. My heart hammered, and I felt my knees go weak just being in his presence. Which was stupid, because I’d spent so much time trying to get him out of my head. Yet my dreams from the night before came back to me, reminding me of being in his arms.
Noah’s forest-green eyes bored into me. I knew he had so many questions for me, so much of his own history he was working through. “I have known Ella for years,” he told the little boy. “You can trust her.”
Mercy cleared her throat. “Noah, this might seem annoying, but we need all the insurance information before we can provide treatment. I hate the system, but this is how it is.”
Noah hesitated, turning back to the small child. “Can I leave you with my friend? I’ll be back soon. The doctor will be coming in, and we need to make sure we have all the paperwork done.”
I rubbed the small child’s back. “Let me hold you.”
