Page 73 of Sudden Summer

I did just as she instructed, watching the bulk of the product fall back onto the mound I’d just picked it up from. Then I brought the brush to her face, gliding the bristles across her skin.

Her hand came up, resting on my wrist. I froze.

“Are you okay?”

Her chest heaved up and down as she nodded slowly. “I want it to be tonight.”

Blood rushed to my dick so fast I was dizzy. She couldn’t have known I already had things planned out. That I wanted it to be after we’d had a day, surrounded by people who loved us, who were cheering for us.

“I’ll see what I can do,” I answered, tapping the brush lightly against the tip of her nose.

She laughed, wild and carefree as I worked on getting the rest of her makeup on her already perfect face.

Birdie

“Igrabbed Juniper’s sun hat, and your mom said they already have the little splash pad set⁠—”

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, hands full of the last minute things I realized we needed before heading over to Lachlan’s. It was literally a five minute walk back to Beau’s if we forgot anything, but I didn’t want the two of them to miss a moment of their special day together. Beau was speaking to a woman I hadn’t seen before.

“Beau?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

He stepped toward me, his hand sliding over my back as I walked up beside him. “This is Birdie.”

The woman nodded, not extending her hand toward me. That’s when I realized she was holding an envelope in her hand. “Ms. Calloway, we spoke on the phone at the beginning of your administrative leave.”

“Oh, yes. Of course. Would you like to come in?”

“No, thank you. I’m simply here to tell you that your privileges at the hospital will remain suspended as we launch a formal investigation into several reports made to the Texas Board of Midwifery. Due to the severity of the claims, which you can find inside this folder—” she shoved the envelope out towards me, but Beau grabbed it before I had a chance to, “—the hospital has no choice but to move forward with this, reviewing not only these claims, but your entire case load with us. You, of course, are allowed to find representation and dispute any of the claims made against you. The hospital will be in contact about next steps soon. In the meantime, I must remind you to not have any contact with your coworkers or anyone at the hospital during this time. Your council can coordinate record requests through me, my card is in the paperwork. Do you have any questions?”

I shook my head, too dumbfounded to speak.

“Have a nice day.”

I stood there, staring as she walked down the steps and out to her car.

My career was everything to me. I’d sacrificed years to hone my skills. If I lost that—putting off having a family, saying no to all the memories I could have made with people I love over the years—it wouldn’t have been worth it. I wouldn’t be worth anything.

Darkness tinged the outer field of my vision. Everything in my chest felt tight and itchy. Every birth for the last six months flooded my mind. There had been nothing that stood out. My notes were meticulous. That would be reflected in the records. I couldn’t think of a single patient, pregnant or not, that I hadn’t handled with extreme compassion, understanding, and given my best care to.

“Chickadee?” Beau’s hands wrapped around my waist. “Hey, baby. Everything is going to be okay. I promise, I’m going to make sure it is. But right now, I need you to take some deep breaths with me, okay?”

I blinked slowly. No. There had to be something I was missing. A patient at the clinic. Something not pregnancy related, but women’s healthcare. I thought back through every birth control consultation, every pap smear, every peri-menopause chat, every IUD insertion. Nothing came back as something that could cause someone to report me to the state.

“Birdie, breathe.” The rumble in Beau’s chest was enough to ground me. I looked up at his face, only to crumble under the weight of his confusion. He held onto me, guiding me back into the recliner opposite of the couch. The fabric, normally cozy and comforting, grated against the exposed skin on my back and arms. I didn’t want to be sitting down. I needed to be moving. I needed to take action. To set the wheels into motion to clear my name.

“It’s going to be okay.”

I shook my head, the words refusing to come to the surface. I was overreacting. This was going to be nothing. I would be cleared.

Or I wouldn’t, and I’d lose the career I’d poured my heart and soul into. I’d lose the patients I cared so deeply about. I wouldn’t be able to serve the community. I wouldn’t be anything to anyone…

“I’m getting really sick of people taking the goddamn light out of your eyes. Take a deep breath for me, sweetheart. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. But I need you to listen to me right now, and take a fucking breath.”

Beau was right. I needed to calm down and think. Being hysterical or letting my panic control me wasn’t going to get me anywhere. We had a party to go to, and I wasn’t about to let this ruin the day.

Beau’s warm hands held mine as his thumbs stroked gently over my skin.

“It’s going to be okay. I have never met a more thorough, compassionate, or caring medical provider before. There’s no doubt in my mind that whatever this is, it won’t hold up. Do you want to look in the envelope together? I’ll be right here with you.”