"I promise."I laugh, heading toward the nurses station where Molly said Darren's waiting, and sure enough, there he is, leaned against the counter in his uniform, another officer standing next to him that I don't recognize.
Darren straightens up the second he spots me, and the smile that spreads across his face makes my stomach do something ridiculous, even after everything we said to each other in the rain a couple nights ago.He crosses the space between us without hesitation, one hand landing on my hip, and kisses me right there in front of God and the entire ER staff, slow enough that I hear someone at the desk behind us let out a low whistle.
"Hey."His voice comes out rough when he finally pulls back, forehead still resting against mine.
"Hey yourself."I glance around, catching a few amused looks from the nursing staff, and heat crawls up my neck, though I can't say I mind the claim he just made in front of everyone."You couldn't have waited until I was off shift for that?"
"Nope."He grins, unapologetic, handing me the strawberry lemonade sitting on the counter."Figured you needed the sugar boost around now."
"You figured right."I take a long sip, and it's perfect, just the right amount of tart."How's your day going?"
"Quiet so far.Nothing exciting.How about yours?"
"Same.Normal stuff.A broken wrist, a couple of stomach bugs, nothing that's made my adrenaline spike."I lean into his side, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders like we’ve been doing this our entire lives."I'll take boring any day at this point."
"Boring's good.Boring means nobody's trying anything."His arm tightens around me for a second, like just the thought of it puts him on edge, before he seems to catch himself and relaxes again."Oh, right.This is Van.My new partner, remember I mentioned him the other night."
I turn toward the other officer, who's young, probably not much past his early twenties, standing there with straight-backed posture that says he’s not exactly comfortable in his position yet."Nice to finally meet you.Darren's told me you're doing well so far."
"He's told me about you too."Van shakes my hand, polite, and there's something a little starstruck in the way he glances between the two of us, like he's still getting used to seeing his training officer be an actual person outside of the truck."Sounds like you've had a rough go of it lately."
"You could say that."I don't really want to get into it standing at the nurses station, so I steer things elsewhere."How's the first week treating you?Darren said you handled a truancy call pretty well."
"Yeah, that was different."Van laughs, rubbing the back of his neck."Nobody warns you in the academy that half the job's just calling teenagers' parents."
"Better than the alternative," Darren says, taking a drink of the coffee he’s now holding."Trust me."
"I believe it."Van glances at his watch, then over toward the ambulance bay doors like he's still getting used to waiting for something to happen instead of chasing it down."This is kind of wild, actually, being in a hospital instead of behind a desk doing paperwork."
"Wait until your first trauma call comes through those doors."I nod toward the bay."We have to call y’all for lots of things.It's a whole different kind of chaos in here."
"Can't wait."He says it with nervous enthusiasm that tells me he actually means it, eager in a way that reminds me of every new nurse I've trained over the years, wide-eyed and ready before they've seen what the job actually costs you mentally and physically.
"You'll do fine," Darren tells him, clapping a hand on his shoulder."Long as you keep listening instead of assuming you already know everything."
"I promise I won’t be a pain in the ass."
We stand there a few more minutes, Darren's arm still slung around me, Van asking a couple more questions about the ER, genuinely curious in a way most people aren't when they're just making small talk.It's nice, this little slice of normal I wasn’t sure I’d ever have again, standing in my workplace with my boyfriend and his partner while my coworkers pretend not to watch us out of the corners of their eyes.
Darren's radio crackles at his hip, and both his and Van's postures change instantly, shoulders straightening, easy conversation dropping away like a switch flipped somewhere between them.
"Copy that," Darren says into his radio once the dispatcher finishes relaying whatever's coming through.He looks at Van."You ready?"
"What's the call?"I ask, that same uneasy feeling settling low in my stomach that I've felt every time he's had to leave for something since we found my apartment torn apart.
"Somebody's out hunting on posted private land out past the county line.Landowner's spitting mad about it, wants someone out there before things escalate."Darren straightens his belt, and just like that the guy who was just hanging out with me is now ready to go to work."Should be quick.Probably just some idiot who didn't read the signs."
"Be careful."I don't love the idea of him walking into a situation with an armed stranger who's already broken one rule and might not care about breaking more, even if it sounds routine.
"Always am."He leans down, kissing me again, slower this time, less about claiming and more about reassurance, like he can feel the worry radiating off me and wants to smooth it over before he leaves."I'll see you tonight.Save me some of whatever you're making for dinner."
"I make no promises.Depends on how hungry Nicole and I are."
"Fair enough."He laughs, and it eases some of the tension gathering in my chest.He glances at Van."Let's roll."
"Nice meeting you, Macie," Van says, already following Darren toward the exit doors.
"You too.Stay safe out there."
