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“Oh, I’m so sorry. Must have been caught on a strand of hair,” I said, biting my lip. “I’ll try to be gentler,” I said before doing the same to the next piece of tape.
“Hey. If this is gentle, I’m afraid of what it would feel like if you were rough,” he stated.
“Please, Mr. Stone, hold still,” I said firmly.
“Ryker, are you giving Nurse Meri a hard time?” I heard Bennett say from the door.
I was so focused on Ryker that I never heard the door open. Before I could reply, Ryker said, “I think she’s trying to kill me.”
No one could see me roll my eyes. “Mr. Stone, I’m just trying to make sure your wound is clean. You wouldn’t want it to get infected, requiring you to return to the hospital now, would you?”
He looked me directly in the eyes and said, “I thought you were trying to hurt me just so I had to stay.”
“I would never do such a thing.”
He raised a brow. “Are you sure about that?”
I smiled. “Of course. Why would I want to keep the difficult patients any longer than I needed to?”
I heard Bennett laughing. “Keep it up, Ryker. She can make it a lot more painful than it needs to be,” he warned.
Ryker snorted. “I think she already is.”
“Sounds like you have been your usual difficult self,” Bennett commented. “Nurse Meri, is he well enough for me to get him out of your hair?”
With all the bandages off, I looked at the sutures one more time. Everything looked good. I turned to Bennett and said, “He is free to go, but he must keep it clean and dry. No swimming or washing his hair until I see him again in three days.”
“Hello. I’m right here. You don’t have to tell my brother,” Ryker said.
I turned to Ryker and said, “I figured I should tell someone who is likely to listen to my instructions.” I pulled out an antibiotic cream and handed it to Ryker. “Apply this as directed on your wound twice a day.”
He tossed it to Bennett, and I choked back a chuckle. “Since I don’t have pockets, he might as well hold onto that.”
“I didn’t say a word,” I said, fighting the urge to laugh. I’d dealt with Bennett on many occasions, and his brother wasn’t anything like him. He was lighthearted and comical. I wasn’t about to admit it to him, but it was refreshing from the grumpy, whining, patients I had this week.
He got off the bed and said, “Three days?” I nodded. “Okay, it’s a date.”
“It’s an appointment,” I reminded him, not feeding into his playfulness. Not in front of Bennett at least.
“What if I bring you flowers,” he asked.
“That would be lovely. I will donate them to a patient in the hospital who would appreciate them,” I smiled.
Ryker looked at Bennett and said, “And you think I’m the difficult one?”
Bennett grinned. “I think you met your match. And I would give up if I were you. She’s not interested. Now let’s get out of here. Nurse Meri has someone waiting to speak to her.”
“Anyone in particular?” Ryker asked.
None of your business.
That didn’t matter. Bennett told him anyway. Now I was the one who felt invisible.
“Yes. Brice Henderson. He’s here to help at the hospital until Finn O’Connor returns.”
“Who is Finn?” Ryker asked Bennett.
“The president’s husband. I’ll tell you all about it on the way to the resort,” he said, urging Ryker to leave.
