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“George, if you feel bad enough to walk around with vegetables between your toes, you probably should stay home,” I offer. “Please, take that stink home.”
“I can’t afford to take the time off. I’m saving for that Carnival Cruise for our anniversary.”
This has to be true love because how would any woman want to be up close and personal with this man?
“George, you have two options. You pull everything you need to get your work done outside, or you go home and let the rest of us work without needing to take shots of Pepto Bismol.”
“We could just hose him off in the back bay,” Sampson says. He’s dead serious, no sign of teasing.
George stands there motionless.
“Go on, man. Go home and get some rest if you feel that bad. I’ll personally contribute to your cruise fund. Consider it my anniversary present.”
“No, shit? For real, Luke?”
“Yes. Go.” Before the hard-boiled eggs I had for breakfast end up on the floor next to his onion covered feet. Sampson and Iwatch as George gathers his things and heads for his car. “Where does he come up with this stuff?”
“I think they must be equally yoked.” Sampson laughs. I can’t help but look at him questioningly. “She sounds nuttier than a fruitcake.”
Walking to the loading dock, I unwrap a lollipop and place it into my mouth. No sense looking at it first, it’s a mystery flavor. I watch as George makes a phone call before backing out of the parking lot. I chuckle. Perhaps he’s warning her he’s on his way home.
I pull out my phone to scroll through my emails when I notice something odd. There’s a black Lincoln Town Car parked on the corner of the adjacent street. There are never cars parked here. Our warehouse is in an old, abandoned industrial section of Hanover. The landlord was so excited to rent to us years ago, I worried I’d find rodents in the place.
I contemplate whether the car is unoccupied. Maybe they met someone here last night and didn’t realize our building was even operational. Until I catch something fly out of the driver’s side window and hit the ground. It looks suspiciously like a burning ember.
Don’t panic, Luca. This could be anyone. But as the car makes a U-turn and drives away, I immediately place a call.
“Giovanni, it’s Luca.”
Jillian
“Jill.” Jess waves me in her direction.
Walking over to where she’s standing, I lean toward her to hear, as she has her voice low.
“I need all the deets on this one once you and Kat see her.” Jessica’s working in triage this morning. We haven’t had many patients in fast track yet, as most of the early morning patients have been placed in the main ER where the more involved work-ups are located.
“Oh, lord. What did you bring us?”
Normally, Jess is able to deliver her zingers with a straight face, but she can’t even control her laughter. “She checked in with wrist pain. I figured she fell, and just obtained her vital signs like a good nurse. But after I put her in room seven, sweet little Georgia knocked on the triage window. Her face was all red. She said when the lady checked in, she wrote on the check in form she was here because her arms were tied behind her back too long.”
What, the what?My eyes are like saucers.
“Ha, yeah. That’s what I did.” Jessica giggles as she points to my face.
“I wonder if she was arrested and is planning to file a complaint with the police department.”
Jessica shakes her head. “See, you’re a better person than me, Jillian. My mind went straight to Christian Grey type shit.”
“Oh, sheesh.” I conveniently keep to myself that mine went to the same destination.
“Why am I afraid to know what you two are over here snickering about?” I look up to see Dr. Grant beside us.
“Oh, you couldn’t handle what we were thinking about,” Jess jabs.
My face flushes, wondering if she’s intentionally poking the bear. She has to know how hot he is for her. And Donovan Grant is a smoke show. He may have made some poor choices in girlfriends in the past, but otherwise he’s a smart, capable doctor and gorgeous as hell. Too bad she seems to insist on dating losers.
I walk to the nurses’ station and wait for Kat to return. I normally go into the patient’s room to evaluate them before the provider can get to them, but this complaint sounds like we should probably go in together. No sense in having this patient repeat her story more than once.
