“I’m glad it was all settled by the time you got back.”
Whit reaches over and places her hand on my shoulder, squeezing. I reach up to place my hand on hers.
I know they wanted to be there, but they had to cover my slack at work and I really couldn’t expect them to drop everything at last minute's notice to come to Maine. So, they sent baskets upon baskets to my family’s house instead. They went to my apartment with their spare key, cleaned it until it was spotless and stocked my fridge. The amount offlower arrangements that decorated the front of that casket with their names and Susan’s attached was criminal.
And Noah’s, actually.
I repaid them by bringing them to a Pittsburgh game, where Whitney screamed her head off and Autumn fell in love from thirty feet away with every second player on the ice. She had a particular crush on Reno, which quickly fizzled out when I told her he is the one who actuallydidsleep with Irina Coasta.
They love Carter again. Their few days spent hating him are long gone. If he ever actually messes up, they’ll hate him again with more vigor than before. That’s girlhood. We face every war together, unapologetically.
“You need a day off, Ards.”
I roll my eyes, inhaling the rest of my coffee until it’s empty. “Give it a rest.”
“You’re going to burn out.”
That’s what I’m hoping for.
“So, let me.” I glance at them both, well-rested and beautiful, while I have giant bags under my eyes and can’t sleep to save my life. I’m praying for the burnout. For the exhaustion. “Maybe it’s what I need.”
“Nobody needs you to burn out,” Whitney corrects, snatching one of the mini muffins from the table. “Not you and not your patients. Take a couple of days. Enjoy them with Big Boy and then come and tell us all the sexy details.”
I smirk, shaking my head. I already had time off when I went home. “I’m fine.”
The door to the staff room opens. All of us look up to see Cooper, a nurse from the Mental Health Unit, poking his head inside.
“Hey,” he says, eyes immediately locking onto me. “You’re needed at the front desk.”
I narrow my eyes. “Why?”
He shrugs. “Police.”
“Be there in a minute.” I nod, and he vanishes. I glance at the girls. “Actual emergency or Noah?”
Both girls let out a low sigh and push themselves to their feet.
“Noah,” they say in tandem.
We head to the front desk in a line, because we’re girls. We tackle things together.
“Dolly,” Noah says softly, his eyes round and soft. He shoots me this sympathetic look that makes me feel all sorts of uncomfortable and opens his arms. He doesn’t really give me a choice, he just scoops me up against his chest. “I’m so sorry.”
I awkwardly pat his back, glancing at Autumn and Whitney, who are behind the desk with Susan, pretending to be busy. We’re all a bit uneasy about Noah lately. I’m particularly growing tired of him touching me all the time.
“Thank you,” I say, pulling myself out of his arms. His hand stays on my waist, so I take an extra step back. “And thank you for the flowers. They were beautiful.”
I can’t remember which ones he sent, but they were all pretty. It’s not a lie. I’m also being honest when I say that I appreciated them. All of the gestures from the people in my life were valued. The flowers from Noah and the girls, the baskets, the mountains of food that the other WAG’s sent to my family’s door. I didn’t have to think about anything for that week at home. Penny and Declan even sent a giant order of different bottles of red wine, so I didn’t lose my mind. They had me covered.
“Of course,” he says, flashing me a small smile. He glancesat the desk, and the girls whirl around and start looking at charts that aren’t theirs. When he looks back at me, he nods toward the doors. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
I smile tightly. “Sure.”
When I don’t move, he blinks.
“Outside?”
“No. Right here is fine. I’m working.”
