"Who's calendar-worthy?" Courtney asked as she came through the open door with Landon close behind her, holding Chloe. The little girl saw Leslie and stretched out her arms. Leslie stood and took her out of her brother's arms, kissing the little girl all over her face, making her giggle before sitting back down with Chloe on her lap.
"Um," Elizabeth stalled, her cheeks blossoming red.
Stephanie chuckled. "The men of J.D.'s construction."
"Hi, Ms. Woods," Landon said with a smile as he slung an arm over Courtney's shoulders. "I fixed the trencher, and they are digging up your waterline as we speak."
"Thanks. I'm heading there next. I'll bring back your snacks. Hey, how's the pain?"
"It's there."
"Do you want something?"
Stephanie glanced at Courtney. "I'll wait. Thanks."
"Okay, let us know. See you guys." Elizabeth nodded to everyone around the room and stopped momentarily on Courtney's face. No doubt looking at the matching scar she shared with her patient. "Bye," she muttered and walked out the door.
"Please take something for pain. Don't torture yourself just because I'm here," Courtney pleaded with her.
"So you guys are working on her house?"
"Stephanie," Courtney groaned. "You're changing the subject."
"How observant of you!" Stephanie snapped at her. No one said anything. Maybe they were growing accustomed to her bitchiness.
"Well, I was just dropping Chloe off. Landon and I are going on a date," she beamed. She turned to Landon. "And you are calendar-worthy."
"Thanks, babe," he mumbled. "Leslie, I put Chloe's bag in your car."
Courtney kissed Chloe while Landon walked out into the hallway. "I'm leaving, Steph. Take something," she said and followed Landon out the door.
"She's right, ya know?" Leslie said and stood to leave.
"I have the candy!" Elizabeth announced as she swept back into the room with some bags. "And my shift is over, and I am out of here...What's the matter?"
"She's in pain and is being stubborn," Leslie answered for her.
Stephanie glared at her friend.
"I'll get you something before I leave."
"Hi," Chloe said.
"Hi, baby," Elizabeth said cheerily.
"I'm going to go. See ya later, Stephanie. We'll talk more later."
"I don't want to talk."
"Oh, shoe's on the other foot. Bye, Steph." Leslie left and closed the door behind her.
"Why are you being stubborn?" Elizabeth asked as she picked up the phone, called the nurses' desk, and ordered pain meds. "You don't have to answer me, of course, but it seems to me that you are punishing yourself for some reason, but I'm no therapist. Oh, that's right. You are. I just wonder what you would tell someone in your shoes if you were their doctor."
A nurse entered, handed Stephanie some pills, and made sure she had something to drink before leaving the room.
"Just something to think about, I guess," Elizabeth said softly.
Stephanie clenched her teeth together as her back spasmed. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs, and her face flushed red.
"Stephanie?"
"Back," she groaned. "Please," she pleaded as tears welled. A scream bubbled out of her throat and echoed in the room.
"MOVE!" Jake's voice boomed into the room. "Get me a morphine drip. Those pills will take too long to get into her system. STAT!" he barked. Elizabeth rushed from the room as Jake gently turned her on her side and massaged her back. Scarring from multiple surgeries marred her skin, and Jake wanted to murder someone again. Her hand fisted the sheet, and Jake didn't know what to do; his repeated words of "I'm sorry" barely registered even to his ears.
Elizabeth and another nurse came in, hooked an IV in one of Stephanie's hands, and administered the drip. Her hand slowly lost its grip on the sheet. Her breathing evened out. "Do you need me to stay with her?" Elizabeth quietly asked.
"No, go do your house thing. I'll stay."
"Have you left this place in the past week?"
"Don't worry about me. Go."
The two nurses left the room, and Jake smoothed down Stephanie's shirt over her back. He moved around to the other side, and her eyes were closed. He grabbed a chair, sat, and scrubbed a hand over his face. His five o'clock shadow was prominent. And no, he hadn't been back to his grandfather's place since the transfers. Her phone was lying on the tray, and it lit up with a text from someone named Sam. Did she have a boyfriend? And if she did, why hadn't he visited his girlfriend when she was at her lowest? He already hated the jerk.
She whimpered in her sleep, and her hand fisted the sheet again.
"Hey, baby. Relax." He wiped her sweat-dampened hair back from her face. "I'm so sorry this happened to you," he said to her sleeping form.
He grabbed the room phone and called the nurses' desk. He needed to hire a secretary—something else to add to the never-ending to-do list. "Hey, this is Dr. Stone. Will you bring me Stephanie Waterford's medical records, please? I'm in her room. Oh yeah, right. You can tell who's calling. And a pad and something to write with. Bye."
He stared at Stephanie and watched a droplet of sweat roll down her face. Jake knew this must be killing her. She had participated in multiple sports in school, playing basketball and softball and winning all-state in both. She’d played in college while getting a psychology degree, and he had watched her play on TV and had even gone to games, which she didn't know about. He didn't know why she didn't go on to play for the WNBA. She was that good and was drafted by the Seattle Storm out of college but didn't play.
The door slowly opened, and a nurse came in with the records he'd requested. He really did have a great and efficient staff, most of them anyway, but he needed to look over the resumes that were lying on the corner of his desk in his office. They needed help. He needed help.
The rooms were excellent in the new rehabilitation center, and he moved a recliner in the room near the bed and tried to relax as he pored over the paperwork, jotting notes as he went.
The words blurred before his very eyes, and he tried rubbing them. He was exhausted. His head flopped back in the chair, and he closed his eyes for a brief rest.
*******
"So, that's the bottom line, Mrs. Miller?" Elizabeth asked as she stared at the invoice in her hands.
"Yes, and call me Daisy. Do you want some hot chocolate?" Daisy pointed to the corner of the living room where a Keurig was sitting with every pod imaginable. "Coffee?"
"No, thank you. And you're sure I can get my bedroom stuff out of storage?"
"Absolutely!" Jace walked in with a mug and filled it up. Elizabeth watched Daisy check out her husband. She noticed she was being watched and blushed, causing Elizabeth to laugh, making Daisy blush harder.
He walked back outside before Elizabeth turned back to Daisy. "What is in the water here? Every man I see is drop-dead gorgeous."
"Well. Thanks," Daisy said with a laugh. She rubbed at her reddening cheeks.
"And my waterline is broken. Literally and figuratively."
"I'm sorry. The cold-snap didn't help with that."
"I met Damon's wife. She's friends with Dr. Waterford. Stephanie. And a nurse at the hospital, right?"
"We both are nurses. Her brother, Landon, just started working as our mechanic."
"And he's with..."
"Courtney."
"I sort of met them today when they dropped off Leslie's child."
"She's Courtney's as well. It's complicated." Daisy waved her hand in the air. "And Dylan, the one whose hair is growing back out." Daisy rolled her eyes. "Is my brother, and he's married to Samantha. Have you met her?"
"Not yet."
"I'm sure you will. She visits Stephanie a lot."
"Courtney's scar?" she blurted out. "It matches Stephanie's."
Daisy took a deep breath. "Courtney's ex shot Stephanie and kidnapped Courtney and did that to their faces."
"Holy crap."
"Yeah."
"Dylan," Daisy whined.
"I know it's late, but we are trying to get her waterline hooked up so she can move in. Hotel rooms are expensive."
"Does everyone want something, or is Damon leaving?"
"No, we all need food. Put it on my card." He took out his wallet and handed it to his sister. "Breadsticks and drinks too." He turned to leave before spinning around at the door. "And wings."
"What do you want? My brother's paying." She smiled as she held up his visa.
"You don't have to do that."
"Listen. It's okay. Eat something. I'm about to order enough to feed an army."
"Okay."
"And I can help you decide the best way to get everything moved in. The heat is on. You have power. You just don't have a bathroom right now. I doubt you want to use the porta-potty. He's right. Hotels can be expensive. After all, he owns one! Well, I guess we both kind of own it."
"Okay."
"Great." Daisy ordered on her phone app, happily entering her brother's card and saving that puppy for future use. "Forty-five minutes. Now. Let's talk about getting you moved in so you can cancel your reservation."
Daisy helped her list what needed to be brought over; volunteering Jace in the morning with his truck, and they had a plan mapped out to be moved in by the next night if they fixed the water.
The food showed up, and they set up tables and drinks while the crew members descended on the pizza and wings like vultures.
Everyone left after eating to finish up the job with the water, and Elizabeth dropped into a lawn chair that Daisy had been sitting in. "Hard day at work?" Daisy asked her.
"It wasn't until the end. Stephanie had a back spasm, and we had to give her a morphine drip."
"Oh no."
"Yeah, my boss knew her in high school."
"Really?"
"And I get the feeling she's special to him, but he won't talk about it. I've known him since college, and he's like my best friend, but he clams up when her name is brought up. Get this. He made me get her these special snacks she liked when they were friends and keep her stocked up with them, but he's avoided her until now. And I'm trying to figure out why she seems so angry."
"She was shot and almost died. Wouldn't you be angry too?"
"Yes, I would be, but I mean, she seems mad at him. Like really mad. And speaking as a girl that has had her heart broken a time or two, I think he broke her heart."
"Who broke whose heart?" Damon asked as he came into the room and took one last breadstick, stuffing it in his mouth.
"My boss, Jake. I think he broke Stephanie's heart."
"My neighbor?" Damon asked as he finished chewing, took a swig of a root beer, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"What?" Elizabeth asked.
Damon walked up to the two girls and joined them in their gossiping circle. "Yeah, our elderly neighbor's grandson is Jake Stone. Leslie didn't know because he's his daughter's child. Different last name. Leslie and Landon went to school with him. His grandfather tried to hook him up with Courtney before Landon came along. But I haven't seen him since that first meeting."
Jace stuck his head in the door. "Damon, dude. Are you helping or having a slumber party in here?"
"I'm doing that."
"Get out here so we can move this lady in tomorrow. I'm sorry, Ms. Woods."
"Elizabeth."
"Elizabeth." He nodded, then glared at Damon and went outside.
Damon laughed. "I have to go, but I'll ask Leslie about this later. Bye." He scurried out the door.
"Worse than a girl," Daisy said with a smile.
"Well, If I ever get up the nerve, I'll ask Stephanie about it myself."
"Good luck."
"Thanks."
"Let me clean our mess up, and then you can leave, stay, or whatever."
"I'll help."
"Nope, sit there, look over the plan, and see if we missed anything."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Rest and look. They have the lights on out there. Let them finish."
Elizabeth sat and opened the spiral notebook. "Are they looking for work? Because if they are, our cafeteria needs work, and Jake fired the construction team earlier. So, if they are looking for other jobs, you might want to get a hold of him and put in a bid."
"I'll look at their schedule when I get home."
"Cool."
*******
The fuzzy blanket was warm against his face, and Jake snuggled deeper into it. A beeping monitor had him sputtering awake just when a nurse walked in. Stephanie's drip was dry, and the alarm was going off.
She turned it off, checked Stephanie's vitals while she slept, and hung up a new bag.
"Don't hook it up. Let's see how she feels when she wakes up."
"Yes, sir."
"Thanks."
The nurse left, and Jake checked his watch. He hadn't meant to fall asleep. Was actually shocked he had, and had been sleeping for a while. It had long since gone dark outside. He stood and stretched. He needed a bed.
He walked over to the fridge, took a drink out of it, popped the top, and guzzled it down. He tossed the empty can into the garbage before returning to the chair and sitting down with a plop.
"Are you stealing my stuff?" Stephanie's voice was sleepy, and when he looked back at her, her eyes were still closed.
"Borrowing."
"Okay."
"How's the pain? Do you need something else?" he asked and stood.
"No."
"Annie, please."
"Don't, Jacob."
"Why are you mad at me?" he softly asked and grabbed her hand not occupied by an IV.
"I don't think—I don't think now is the time to get into this."
"When?"
"Never."
"Annie."
"Just go, Jake. I'm sure you have more patients."
"I'm losing my patience with you!" he snapped, then dragged his free hand through his hair, making it stand on end. He dropped his hand to the side of the bed and stared at her smaller hand in his. His breath came out short and quick. "I don't know what I've done to make you hate me."
"Can you please just leave me alone?" She sounded tired and broken, and his heart cracked.
He let go of her hand and took a step back. "I'm sorry I bothered you," he mumbled and staggered out the door.
Stephanie watched him leave, then closed her eyes tightly as tears spilled out of the corners. She took big, gulping breaths and tried to pull herself together. She found the phone and dialed the nurses' station. "Can, um, can someone help me turn over? My leg."
They were quicker here than at the other facility, and someone showed up right after she hung up. They helped her settle on her opposite hip and asked if she needed something else for pain, probably misconstruing her tears, then left her alone to wallow in her misery.
Chapter 4
Jake ripped off his tie as he came through his office door and slammed it behind him, rattling the frosted glass. He tore off his dress shirt and slung it toward the couch.
A box was sitting in his way, and he punted it toward his desk. It hit the computer monitor, knocking it to the floor with a shattering of glass. "FUCK!"
"Boss?"
He whipped around to a young, wide-eyed intern.
"I-I'm sorry, Dr. Stone. Um. You left your papers in room ten. The head nurse told me to bring them to you." She held out the folder, shaking in her hands.
Jake's chin dropped to his chest as shame gathered in his gut. "I'm sorry I scared you. Thank you."
"No-no problem. Do-do you need anything else?"
"No, you can go, thanks," he answered and grabbed the folder from her hands.
Jake placed the folder on the corner of his desk and groaned as he picked up the scattered papers on the floor that had blown off the desk on the flyby. Hopefully
, the box didn't have anything breakable in it. And now, he'd have to deal with IT again.
He picked up his broken monitor, placed it back on his desk, and stared at the small, broken pieces on the floor. He went to the janitor's closet and found an extra broom and dustpan to clean up his mess.
Instead of dealing with IT, he grabbed his jacket and left the building for the first time in forever. He'd just buy the damn monitor himself. He told his staff he was leaving and left their shocked faces behind as he went out the door to the garage.
So this is what fresh air felt like. It was cold and dark. He needed to go to his grandfather's for the night and sleep in a real bed. He also needed to find an apartment of his own. His grandfather could still take care of himself, and Jake needed his own space.
He stared at the TVs. One would work as a monitor until he made it to the mall with an actual Apple store, but the mall was closed. Deciding he wasn't going back to work now anyway, he left Walmart without purchasing anything and headed to his grandfather's apartment. If he was asleep, he wouldn't wake him with his hearing the way it was.
The apartment next door, where Leslie lived, had a lone lamp on in the window, but only one car was in the driveway.
Headlights flashed across the front of the apartment complex when another car pulled in. Damon, Leslie's husband, exited and nodded toward him. "Hey, man. I'd shake your hand, but I'm dirty from working in the mud."
"That's fine. I'm just. I don't-I don't know what I'm doing. Don't mind me. I'm about to go inside. I just got here myself."
"I haven't seen you around lately."
"I've been sleeping in my office. Well, not really. I came to lie in a bed."
"Do you know Elizabeth Woods?"
"Yes?"
Damon laughed. "We are finishing up little things at her house tomorrow, but she's all set to move into her new home. Jace, my business partner, is bringing his truck, and Samuel will bring his too, and we will get her all settled."
"Is that a normal thing? I mean, for the construction company to help the client move?"
"No, but we do what we can for people."
"That's commendable."
"Yep."
"Babe?" Leslie came outside, cinching her robe tighter around her waist. "What's going on? Oh! Jake?"
Broken Ties (The Healing Series Book 5) Page 3
