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STONE
I’d received a very vague text from Gibson last night, saying all was well with Charis. When I pressed for more, he never responded, though the arsehole left me on read. It does nothing for my pulsing heart rate as I enter the hospital in the morning.
To my surprise, Charis isn’t there, and with the shifts starting at seven in the morning, it’s unlikely I’ll see her today. That is, unless I stop by her house to talk, as Gibson had. One of us had to, and he was the more likely person, with me having to get Jett. Plus, she’d asked me point blank about my relationship with the handsome teacher and I avoided it. So, I guess a lie of omission is still a lie as my father preached to me growing up.
Bridget is the charge nurse for the day, and with one quick peek at the personnel board, I don’t see Charis’s name notated.
“Morning, Bridget.” I know she’ll forever be team Charis, or team Gibson, and her alliances won’t lie with me, at first. And there’s no way she could know about my intentions unless she pried them out of Simon.
“Don’t good morning me, Stone O’Leary. I mean, what the hell was that last night? And believe me, I tried to get something and anything from my husband and he wouldn’t budge. It’s also a good thing Gibs was still in bed on this fine Sunday morning or I’d be having this same conversation with him.”
I pull for my tablet with the list of patients on my rounds for the day. I peer through it, paying more mind to all of this in the moment. As I order my rounds in my head, I place the tablet down, and Bridget’s stare is straight on me.
“What is it that you’d like to know?”
Her eyes narrow in on me. “Are you and Gibs really seeing one another? Are you for real, seeing both Care and he at the same time and do you want more, with both, together—you know?”
I do know. That’s for sure what Bridget is asking me. But I can have a little fun. “No, Bridge, I have no idea what you’re getting at.”
She lets out a huff. “You’re an ass.” Bridget begins to walk away, but stops, calling out to me. “Or as you say, an arse.”
“Bridget, wait.” I follow her to the nurses’ lounge, which is bare at this time in the morning. “Okay, I’ll answer your questions, in time. But let me discuss this with Charis first, will you? I mean, it’s only fair, right?”
She taps her foot, both fast and loud at the same time. “Okay, but don’t screw with either of them, Stone. They’ve both had their share of heartache, as you have. So, just be…” She stops, as if she’s waiting for the right word. “Kind, be kind to both of them.” She walks away before I can reply. But kind, it’s honestly, a proper request from someone who cares deeply about the other two involved in whatever this is.
* * *
The morning is busy.I have several consults, being the on-call doctor on rotation. I’m still behind when the long wavy blond hair of Charis catches my attention. She says something quick to Tiffany and then pulls at all her charts. It’s seldom nurses do split shifts at this hospital, but it happens when it can’t be avoided.
My stare stays on her in the hopes she’ll feel it and turn around. I want her to sense it. It’s the connection I swear we’ve had for the past year, since her divorce has been final. And honestly, after Katherine died, I couldn’t think of moving on, though we’d been divorced, and I had been in the midst of a triad. Losing Katherine, regardless of our marital status, was hard and the hurt has only subsided enough that I can think about dating.
Fuck, I’m a medical doctor and I have people depending on me. I can’t imagine our paths won’t meet sometime today, and I cross the hall to check on a post-op patient.
My mind is fully on Mr. Carlton, but when I hear her voice, a laugh of sorts drift down the hall, I know after this case, I’ll go seek her out. I’ve not had a break since my face-off today with Bridget and I certainly deserve one.
Mr. Carlton is easy, and with my notes annotated, I leave the room, turning right only to smack into the person who has overtaken my thoughts since last night.
“Oh, dang.” Her head pops up and she startles only to back away. “Sorry, Dr. O’Leary. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking.”
I cock my head to the side. “Charis, hey. How are you doing?” I want to ask so much more, but with her shift just beginning, she won’t have a chance to talk, not anytime soon.
“Oh, I’m fine, Dr. O’Leary. But I need to run. Taking over for Tiffany. Will catch up later.”
She rushes past me.
“Charis.” My tone has her turning around and she looks fucking adorable, even in her nurse scrubs. “I’ll hold you to it, okay?”
“Um, what?”
“Talking, you and me later, okay?”
She doesn’t verbally reply but gives me a slight nod. I guess it’s the best I could ask for after last night.
* * *
Isit called stalking when I told her we’d be having a chat? At 7:00 p.m., I pull my car across from where she’s parked for the day. Leaning against my vehicle, I’ve just finished. I’d not planned on waiting around for her. I wanted to get home and work with Jett on his reading, but my post-op patient had some complications, needing my assistance.
I turn my watch. I have two hours before Jett technically goes to bed. Yeah, I try to enforce an eight o’clock bed time, but the boy is so much more like me than I’d prefer. Not needing as much sleep as kids his age, I had realized soon it was more amicable in my home if I gave up and let him pass out at nine. But his sitter will have had him change into pjs and we can sit on the couch reading Dog Man until his little eyes get heavy and I carry him to bed.
