by Layla Hagen
Tess nodded reassuringly. “If something happens, I’ll let you know immediately.”
“Nothing will happen,” I said firmly, directly to Rob. I sympathized with the poor guy, but I actually thought it was best if he wasn’t the one spending the night here. Hospitals made everyone uneasy, even more so expectant dads.
Afterward, I left the Winchester clan to their own devices. Man, I wanted to linger for a while longer because they were just so damn adorable, but I had to make my rounds.
I bought a cheap coffee from the vending machine because I had no time to head downstairs to the cafeteria. It probably contained more sugar than coffee, but to be honest, I needed both right now. I downed it quickly while I inspected the chart of the next patient, memorizing the name and most important vitals. I liked to do that whenever time permitted. I felt that it put them at ease if I walked in with my head high, versus with my head buried in their file.
I also checked my phone, smiling when I saw that Cole texted me.
Cole: What’s this I hear that you put Ryker in his place AND Skye didn’t put up a fight.
I wrote back right away.
Laney: Umm I didn’t actually mean either, but I’m glad it worked that way :-)
Cole had described Skye as having a stubborn streak, so maybe it had been for the best that I’d alerted the whole family to the bed rest indication.
Cole: What time does your shift end? I’m picking you up.
Laney: Maybe it’s best if I go home and sleep first and we meet in the afternoon. I’ll sleep half the day anyway.
Cole: I can work until you wake up.
Laney: And then what happens?
Cole: You’ll see tomorrow ;) I promise you’ll like it.
The tips of my fingers tingled. My stomach flipped twice. Oh, this man.
Laney: My shift ends at eight o’clock.
After finishing my rounds, my right temple was pounding furiously. I’d forgotten to have dinner, and the cafeteria was closed, which meant my options were chips, M&Ms, or some god-awful vending machine sandwiches. It was probably going to be chips and M&Ms.
I wanted to check on Skye again before indulging in that dinner of champions though. She’d been put together and reassuring while her family had been around, but I didn’t know if she was still holding it together now, even with Tess by her side.
When I approached Skye’s room, I heard laughter from the other side of the door. Okay, so things seemed to be going just fine, but I still wanted to double-check.
I knocked before heading inside. Tess and Skye both had a deer-in-the-headlights expression, each holding a shawarma. A delicious smell permeated the air. My stomach rumbled.
Skye grinned sheepishly. “Tess... um... bought us some shawarma.”
I chuckled. “I can see that.”
“The hospital food was terrible, and the cafeteria only had some week-old-looking sandwiches when I checked it out. So I went to the nearest food truck.” Tess’s tone was apologetic.
“It’s not against hospital rules to bring food,” I told them.
Tess swirled her hand in the air, pointing a finger at me. “Yeah, but you have a judgy look.”
“Not at all. Just wasn’t expecting it.”
What I actually wasn’t expecting was for Skye to be in such a great mood. In doctor language, when a patient had a healthy appetite, it meant they were doing just fine, at least on a psychological level. Maybe there was something to your whole family camping out in your room the whole day. They’d certainly improved Skye’s mood, and even Tess’s, who had been subdued and silent this morning. Now she was smiling and full of energy. She was pacing in front of Skye’s bed, eating with gusto.
“Are you busy?” Skye asked.
“I’ve just finished the evening round, so I was about to head to the doctors’ lounge with some M&Ms.”
Tess held up the bag. “We have an extra shawarma. Want to join us?”
“Sure, I can stay about ten minutes. Thanks. I’m starving. How come you bought three?”
“Well... we hoped you could join us. And if you couldn’t, we would have sacrificed ourselves and eaten it,” Tess said.
“Yeah. I’m eating for two anyway,” Skye commented.
“And I’m just following your lead,” Tess said solemnly.
I burst out laughing, taking the bag. I leaned against the wall, unwrapping it as fast as possible without spilling it on me. Holy shit, I was even hungrier than I thought.
I devoured half of the shawarma before realizing both were silent, just looking at me.
After swallowing, I smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, it’s just that I forget to eat sometimes.”
“Thanks for taking the shift tonight, Laney,” Skye said. “And for going out with our brother. Word has it he was being a grouch at work.”
“I can vouch for that,” Tess replied. “Huge grouch.”
“Yeah, Josie did mention that. I got a lot of dirt on your brother from her, Ian, Dylan, and Isabelle.”
“Hmm, now that gives you an unfair advantage, doesn’t it?” Tess asked playfully. “He doesn’t have insider info about you.”
“What do you want to know?” I asked carefully. I hadn’t had a clique in so long that my skills were rusty. I had no clue what to share and what was off-limits. I told Isabelle everything, but she’d been my best friend for two decades. And I rarely talked about Ryan. It wasn’t a secret or anything, but it made me sad, and that made everyone around me sad. We’d only been married for six months, but his cute, geeky love and all the dreams we’d shared left a huge void.
“Oh, lots of things,” Tess said. “But you’re working tonight, so it wouldn’t be fair to also question you.”
“Yeah, we need you well rested for that,” Skye said.
I laughed, looking from one sister to the other.
“Aha!” Skye exclaimed, pointing a finger at me. “That’s a dreamy expression right there.”
I didn’t even try to rein in my smile. I hadn’t felt dreamy in a long while, and it was glorious.
“It is dreamy,” I confirmed.
Checking my watch, I sighed. “I have to leave.”
“Are you sure we can’t lure you back here later?” Tess said. “I can head out and buy some more goodies.”
I shook my head, clutching my file with patient charts. “No can do, unfortunately.”
The shift was not without challenges, but at eleven o’clock things calmed down a bit. Since I had some free time on my hands, I went to check on Skye again.
To my surprise, she was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Tess was asleep, curled on the visitor’s bed.
“Skye, how are you feeling?” I whispered. All her vitals were okay, but she was biting on her lower lip. She looked more worried than I’d seen her the whole day, except right when she was brought in. She clutched my left wrist with one hand, raising her head a little.
“If I stick to the bed rest, my baby will be safe and healthy, right?”
“Just take things easy and let your husband and your whole family pamper you. They seem great at it.”
“I just don’t want anyone else to worry about me.”
That’s why she was seemingly so blasé about everything today. I barely knew this woman, but I wanted to pull her in a tight hug.
“Let them pamper you,” I repeated. “Go to sleep. You had a rough day, Skye.”
“Thank you for checking in on me,” she whispered.
She squeezed my hand before fluffing her pillow and turning on one side, closing her eyes. I tiptoed out of her room, heading straight to the small room where we could lie down during night shifts. I huddled under the covers with a cup of tea and messaged Cole.
Laney: I think Skye needs more cheering up than she lets on.
Cole: That’s always the case with Skye, but thanks for confirming. How is my doc doing?
Laney: Enjoying hot tea.
Cole: Want me to bring you food?
Laney: Your sisters
already took care of that.
He called me the next second.
“Hey!” I answered. What was that? How was my face already stretched in a grin?
“Hey, you! Hope Tess and Skye weren’t too... curious.”
I giggled. “Nah, they said they need me well rested for a thorough questioning.”
“Damn. I thought they’d give me some insider info by tomorrow.”
“You’re out of luck. Looks like you’ll have to do all the legwork yourself.”
My tone was teasing, but I pressed a palm to my stomach. I knew I couldn’t postpone talking to him about Ryan. I wanted him to know everything about me. A thin sheet of sweat covered my palms at the thought, but I knew I could do it. Tomorrow was D-day.
“That’s a challenge I look forward to,” Cole said. That bossy tone made it clear he was used to being in charge, to winning every challenge. I was surprised how much I liked this whole take-charge thing he had going on. I didn’t want to own up to it though, because who knew what other ideas he’d get.
“Then you’d better go to sleep, charmer. You’re going to need your charming skills to be sharper than ever tomorrow.”
“It’ll be my pleasure.”
Chapter Twelve
Cole
Next morning, I was at the hospital at eight o’clock on the dot. I expected to find Laney in a zombie state, or at least looking tired. To my surprise, she was wide-eyed and full of energy. Skye had been discharged half an hour ago, and Rob had taken her home right away. I regretted not seeing her—I was better at giving pep talks in person—but I trusted my brother-in-law to take good care of her.
“Why are you so awake?” I inquired.
“I might have drunk five coffees in the past two hours.” Her grin was priceless.
“Someone was looking forward to this day.”
She nodded, licking her lips. “You promised a day of proper pampering. Who needs sleep? Pffft.”
Laughing, I pulled her close to me, barely keeping back from capturing her mouth. “Want to check out that broom closet right now?”
I only realized that she wasn’t her usual self when she wrapped her arms around my waist, looking up seductively.
“Or you can kiss me right now.”
I took her hands in mine. “You were worried about colleagues seeing you, remember?”
She blinked, nodding. “Oh, you’re right. I forgot. So gallant of you. Saving my reputation. I think I like you a little more.”
“You think?”
“Yup. I have to consider this when I’m not lacking sleep and high on caffeine.”
“I happen to like you this way. You’re... corruptible.”
She blushed. “Just need to change out of my scrubs, and then I’m good to go.”
Tilting closer, I whispered in her ear. “You’re hot in them.”
She playfully pushed me away. “Hey, stop being so charming. I’m extra susceptible when I haven’t slept.”
“Susceptible and corruptible. I think I’ll pay you visits on your night shifts.”
“Oh, you’re terrible. I’m going to change. Wait for me outside.”
I wiggled my eyebrows, tilting closer again. “Or... I can watch you change.”
Laney burst out laughing. “No, you can’t. Damn, and here I thought you were chivalrous and everything, looking after me... but you were just waiting for the right opportunity to take advantage of my susceptibility and corruptibility.”
“Always will,” I assured her.
“Good to know.” With a wink and a grin, she turned around.
I waited for Laney outside, taking advantage of that time to make calls for work. Riling up the team for a new project was one of my favorite things to do. Their enthusiasm was in part what drove me. Normally they didn’t work on Saturday, but we were on a tight deadline.
They were still reticent toward me after this intense week. I wasn’t an asshole by any means, but I hadn’t been approachable, and now I was riding their asses with the draconian schedule I’d set up. I couldn’t go easy on them in the early stages. We were close to the deadline for submitting our proposal for the Centenarian project.
“We’ve got strict deadlines on this, Perry.”
“Sure, boss.”
“Gene, get me the Centenarian budget update by this evening, please.”
“How about the graphics you asked me for yesterday?”
“Prioritize this.”
“Okay.” Her tone was clipped, but she didn’t contradict me. One of my main tasks as chief of operations was making sure that all parts moved in a coordinated way. That meant being ruthless with priorities.
Laney came out while I was still chatting with the team, but I immediately ended the call, pocketing the phone and whistling loudly.
“I was wrong, doc. You’re even hotter in this cute outfit.”
“I’m wearing a jacket, jeans, and riding boots,” she said skeptically.
The riding aspect of it was messing with my thoughts.
“Trust me” was all I said.
We went to a coffee shop near the hospital. The server led us all the way to the back, in a corner with a couch and a small table. We were the only ones in the back. On Saturdays, New Yorkers treated themselves to brunch, or at least late breakfast. It was eight thirty now.
“This is lovely,” she said, looking around. “So this is the first step in proper pampering?”
“Yes. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” I took off her jacket, draping it on the side of the couch. I touched her cheeks with the back of my fingers, rubbing up and down lightly. “Thanks for looking out for Skye.” I’d told her that before, but it was worthy of repeating. I wanted her to know how much I appreciated it. Her breath caught when I cupped the back of her head, bringing her closer. I kissed her deep and wet. She tasted amazing. I could kiss her for hours, and it still wouldn’t be enough. This was just so fucking perfect. She whimpered, tugging at my hair, then at my shirt. I kissed down her neck before straightening up, speaking against her mouth.
“Laney, I know what we said in Rome. But I like you so much. Being with you, talking to you, just sitting on that couch, pouring you wine and giving you a foot massage. I can’t ignore this, and I don’t want to. Explore this with me.”
Laney’s eyes widened. She bit her lower lip, lowering her gaze to my shoulder. My gut clenched. “So, my job isn’t the only reason I was saying that.”
“Okay. You said something about baggage, I remember. Want to sit down?”
She nodded, pressing her lips in a tight line. I waited patiently, hand on her waist, knowing she wanted to say more.
“I was married for six months,” she whispered, and I felt like someone had just hit the back of my knees with a baseball bat. “My husband passed away from a heart attack two years ago. Since then, I’ve... I don’t know if I can...” She shook her head as if she was correcting herself. “I haven’t even been on a date or kissed anyone... until you.”
I nearly buckled under the weight of what she just said. I tightened my grip on her waist, searching for the right words.
Worry was etched on her beautiful face, but she still wasn’t looking at me. “Are you mad that I didn’t tell you before? I’m sorry. It’s not a secret or anything, it’s... not something that naturally comes up, and talking about it makes me sad.”
“I’m not mad at you,” I reassured her, skimming my hands up to cup her face, looking her straight in the eyes. That deep sadness there slayed me. Fuck, I wanted to erase that, to drive it away from her eyes, her heart, her mind.
I wasn’t mad, but I did feel a bit left out. I knew how irrational that was. We’d just been having fun in Rome, why should she share something so deeply personal? But I was happy she was opening up now.
“I’m not sure how to navigate this,” she murmured.
I smiled at her, keeping my hands on her shoulders. “I have a plan for today.”
She smiled right back. “And it star
ts with breakfast. Maybe we should order.”
“Your choice.”
We sat down, and she picked up the menu, rubbing her stomach as she read it. I was seeing this amazing woman in a whole different light.
“Okay, I want their premium breakfast. It says that it is a platter with a mix of their signature dishes. All of them sound good.”
“Let’s order.”
The waiter was quick and efficient, taking our order and then immediately coming back with our coffee and a basket with bread. Laney munched on a slice right away.
“I don’t know why I’m so hungry. That shawarma last night was huge. Skye and Tess really saved me with that.”
“They really didn’t try to question you? That’s very unlike my sisters.”
“Well, they thought about it, but I honestly think they were both tired. It crossed my mind to offer myself as bait to distract them from everything that was going on—both of them, because honestly, Tess was also pretty down. But I wanted to talk to you first about everything.”
Her compassion for my sisters took me by surprise completely, especially that she’d noticed Tess’s state. This didn’t come just from being a doctor, but also intuition and just being a caring person.
“Do you want to know more?” she asked.
“Only if you’re ready to talk.”
“I usually am not, but I want everything out in the open.” She sipped her coffee, holding the cup with both hands.
“Ryan and I met in college. We got married when I was in med school. We never knew about the heart issue until... it happened. It was just before I had to decide where to do my residency.”
“And after that you moved to New York.”
She nodded. “I’d been accepted to a hospital in Philly and this one for my residency, and I just needed a change of scenery, you know? A fresh start. It was scary to come here on my own, but honestly, staying there was even more scary.”
“I am sorry for your loss, Laney.”
I covered her hands. She nodded, smiling sadly. “It was a rough time, but I had Isabelle and also my parents. I went to therapy, and that helped.”
