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“Want to forget again?” Cesare asked.
“No.” That answer was quick even though the big man had been on my mind quite a bit.
“Fair enough,” Cesare said. “You’re not really giving me much of a clue as to why you called.”
“I’m not even sure I know myself,” I said honestly. “I probably shouldn’t have.”
“Piper, it’s okay to—”
“Tell Leo I hope he feels better,” I said hastily, and then I pushed the red button on my screen before Cesare could say anything else.
Afterwards, I leaned against the small countertop, wondering if I’d made things worse. The call had certainly been pointless. I hadn’t clarified my feelings about that night at all, and I’d wasted Cesare’s time.
Worse, now that I’d heard his deep, rumbly voice, I knew he’d be on my mind even more in the next few days.
All in all, I probably should’ve stuck to cleaning out the fridge.
* * *
“I would pay good money for a copy of that X-ray,” Will said as we walked through the dark parking lot.
“Pervert,” Ava said, and I laughed. We’d all three worked the same shift. It was nice to blow off some steam and enjoy the fresh night air.
Will shook his head. “I just can’t believe how far up there he got it.”
“I’ll certainly never look at carrots the same way again,” I said. I’d seen some strange things in my day, but a patient with a vegetable so far up his ass that it got stuck was a new one. I’d heard about things like that happening before, however. “I can’t believe they always claim that they fell on it.”
Ava chuckled. “Even Dr. Baines had trouble keeping a straight face at that.”
I frowned a little at the mention of the doctor. After Cesare mentioned threatening someone, I’d checked Leo’s medical records. According to Dr. Baines, the young man had been accidentally shot in a hunting accident. I was pretty sure that Dr. Baines didn’t believe that any more than he did the story about the carrot, but I hadn’t asked him directly what happened.
“This is me,” Ava said, stopping at a small, gray hatchback. “Have a good night.”
Will and I walked on as she climbed into her car. The parking lot was pretty empty at this time of the night. Will turned to face me when we reached his jeep. “Care to get some breakfast? Or whatever meal it is at this time.”
I smiled. Will was a fellow nurse and a friend, but nothing more than that. “I’ll pass. The last thing I need right now is more coffee—I’ll be up all night.” I paused, looking around the dark parking lot. “Or all day.”
Will’s eyes fell, but he nodded. “I never know what time of the day it is anymore. Hopefully we’ll get bumped up to day shifts before we all go nuts.”
I smiled, but the truth was, I’d always been a bit of a night owl and I didn’t mind it so much. “Good night.”
“See you, Piper.”
I trudged along toward my car, returning the wave Will gave me as he rapidly backed out of the parking space. My keys were in my hand and my car was in sight when I heard a footstep behind me.
“He didn’t even walk you to your car?”
Whirling, my heart skipped several beats as I took in the huge figure making his way toward me. When he passed under a light, I saw Cesare’s dark features. My neck craned back so that I could see his face as he stepped closer. “You scared me.”
“Sorry.” He didn’t look sorry, though. Probably, with his size, he was used to scaring people on a regular basis. Hell, for all I knew, that was his job.
My pulse was still elevated, but my muscles relaxed, which was bizarre. Given what I knew of Cesare, I should still be scared.
But I wasn’t, not anymore. Which probably proved Will’s point that too many night shifts would drive us insane.
Cesare studied me, his eyes sweeping up and down my well-worn scrubs. It wasn’t a very impressive outfit, I was well aware. “Is that guy your boyfriend?”
“Will?” Surprise filled my voice. “No.”
