“Harvey, please escort her outside.”
“Sure thing.”
“Get your hands off me!”Mrs.Tinker yelled, brushing herself down.She stabbed a finger in Gen’s direction.“Don’t think you’ve seen the last of me.And don’t think you can have anything to do with my son.”
Officer Ramos, another of the cops who regularly attended emergency, drew closer, frowning.“Is this person bothering you, Dr.Rivas?Need me to arrest her for harassment?”
She knew he was playing, but kept her amusement locked away at the delicious thought of Mrs.Tinker behind bars.“That won’t be necessary.At this stage, anyway.”
“You’ll be sorry,” Mrs.Tinker snarled.
She already was.She ignored her, moved to where a wide-eyed Nancy was watching.“Got a real patient for me?”
“D’you need a minute?”
She needed a lot longer than a minute.Maybe a week.A month.A year.She blinked hard, tamping down the emotions percolating within her soul.
“Philippa?What are you doing down here?”
Gen’s shoulders slumped.She recognized that voice too.
“Tell me you weren’t making trouble with Kyle’s ex.”
Huh.That sounded like David Tinker was actually on Gen’s side.That made a change.She’d always believed he thought she wasn’t good enough for the son of a financier and his social-climbing wife.She peered past the white column, saw him steering his wife away, an arm around her shoulders.
He glanced back, mouthing what looked like a “sorry” to which she nodded then turned away.
“Gen?Take a minute,” Nancy said.“Maybe have a lie down for ten minutes.There’s nothing urgent that others can’t take care of.Dr.Visek can cover for you.”
Unfamiliar tears pricked, and she blinked hard and shook her head.“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.Go.Take five minutes, at least.Don’t make me find Dr.Singh to force you, now.”
“Okay, fine.”
She hurried to the doctors’ lounge, her heart still in turmoil.A splash of water on her face, a calming cup of chamomile tea that she sipped, savoring the relative quiet of the doctors’ lounge.She closed her eyes.Breathed in.Breathed out.Tried to visualize, to calm the inner angst.
But nothing seemed to work.After spending years of finally reaching this state where she was living her dreams and everything had been going so well—feeling respected at last—how could just two days have turned everything upside down?
Kyle’s arrival on Saturday night had been the catalyst for all kinds of questions she’d suppressed for years.Questions about what was right or wrong.Whether he deserved to know.Clearly his mom thought their breakup was Gen’s fault, and it seemed wild to think that he might still be holding a torch for her this many years later.
No.His mom had to be confused.He didn’t care.He couldn’t.
And Gen sure couldn’t afford to let him know about his child, especially when that was sure to justify his mom’s hatred.
Could she?
She closed her eyes, and maybe she fell asleep, for she was soon being shaken awake by Nancy.“Gen?We need you.Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine.”She rose quickly, rubbed at her eyes.She didn’t wear makeup for that very reason.Being “on” in emergency was all about brains, her ability to analyze, diagnose, and make life or death decisions, not her physical appearance, and she really didn’t care what others thought of her.It was best to look professional, not have mascara trailing halfway down her cheeks.
She returned to complete her shift, taking care to project that aura of calm stability she was known for.No more getting emotional for her.So in between evaluating patients, she ordered imaging, pulled up lab results, checked on those in the middle of their workup, ignored Dr.Visek’s poisonous looks, consulted with specialists and Dr.Singh, admitted patients and discharged others, wrote up notes, and did all she could to forget the unpleasantness of before.
And counted down the minutes until she could leave, hoping with all she had that Kyle would stay healthy enough so he would soon be discharged.
CHAPTER7
Mom’s coffee was taking a crazy long time.Dad had left to check on her hours ago.Kyle had even managed a brief snooze, before a nurse’s arrival for the latest blood pressure testing had woken him and he’d realized he must’ve dropped off.
