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“When is your next day off?” he asked, a pleading note in his voice. “Maybe I can leave the office early and take you out for a night on the town.”
What would a night “on the town” in Cedar Haven entail? Karaoke at Seabreeze followed by a plate of pancakes at Bea’s? Not quite on par with the images that phrase brought up. Sometimes she really missed Baltimore.
“I’m off on Tuesday.” She braced herself for what she knew he was going to say.
“Ah… I have court Tuesday.”
Of course he did. Tuesday was child support day at the courthouse, and he always had at least one client on the docket every week. She clenched her fist at her side.
“Can’t you just come out with me for an hour tonight?” She hated begging for his time. Was this what their marriage was going to be like? “The work will still be there tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry, babe, but I need to finish this brief. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
Empty words. They’d already established that their schedules were both full for the next several days. Oh well, maybe she would have better luck next week, though maintaining their weekly date was becoming increasingly more difficult.
“It’s fine,” she lied, not wanting him to feel worse than he already did. He’d promised things would let up soon, and he’d said he would consider getting a partner. She needed to be patient. “We can just plan for next week.”
“Thanks for understanding, Rose. I really am sorry.”
“Promise me you won’t stay too late at the office. You need to take care of yourself.”
She could almost see him shaking his head, a rueful smile on his lips. Sometimes, despite her best efforts, the line between nurse and fiancée blurred for her, but she couldn’t help it. She’d seen too many patients cause themselves avoidable health issues by working too much.
“I love you,” he said, clearly trying to avoid the same old argument.
“I love you too.”
She disconnected and leaned back against the wall, her head in her hands. How had they gotten there? Even when they’d had opposing schedules of law school and nursing school, they’d managed to find time for each other every week.
“Rose?” Rebecca called from behind her, pulling her from her thoughts.
She turned around and smiled. “Hey, I was headed to finish my rounds. What’s up?”
Rebecca’s forehead creased. “About that. Any chance you could stay on? Lisa called out with a sick child again, and I need someone to cover her shift.”
Ordinarily, Rose would have said no. She rarely worked doubles because she tried to maintain boundaries between her work time and her personal life. But aside from Steven canceling on her, she had other reasons to consider accepting an extra shift. There weren’t many opportunities for advancement at the small rural hospital, but she had her eye on the head nurse position that had just opened. What she lacked in tenure, she hoped to make up for with a strong work ethic.
“Sure, I can stay on.”
“Thanks! I owe you one.” Rebecca turned on her heel and headed down the hall.
Taking a deep breath, Rose shook her head. At least I’ll get overtime.
A few hours later, Rose was standing at the nurses’ station, reviewing a patient’s chart, when Rebecca appeared beside her. Her coworker’s face was pale, and she breathed heavily as she braced a hand against the desk.
“Have you heard?”
Rose raised an eyebrow. “Heard what?”
“There’s been an accident. You need to go to the ICU.”
“What? Why?” Rose shook her head. “Nobody told me I was being pulled.”
“You’re not,” Rebecca said, leading Rose toward the elevators. “But you need to get up there. They’ll explain when you arrive.” She gave Rose’s hand a squeeze before hurrying away.
Bewildered, Rose pressed the button, and the elevator doors opened. She stepped inside, chose the ICU floor, and waited, working to swallow her irritation. What the heck is going on? And why wouldn’t Rebecca just tell me? Worry gnawed at her during the ride up.
The ICU ward was complete chaos as she stepped into the hall. She double-checked that she hadn’t accidentally gone to the ER. Nope, this is the right floor. Rushing to the nurses’ station, she halted when a familiar head of dirty-blond hair rounded the corner on a gurney.
