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“Thanks, Lainie.”
“Sure thing.” When she was done, she walked to the nurses’ station. “Maggie?”
The woman looked up from her iPad. “Yes?”
“I’m going to eat something from the vending machine, then crash for a couple of hours in the on-call room, but my patient, James Cross, is waiting on test results before being discharged. Aslong as the results are clear, he can go home. Just wake me to sign the paperwork. If they’re not clear, then that’s another issue, of course.”
“You don’t just want to go on home?”
“I would if I thought I wouldn’t fall asleep at the wheel.”
She raised a brow. “You live like two miles away.”
“Exactly.”
“All righty then, I’ve got you covered.”
“Thanks.” Lainie made her way back into James’ room one last time. “As long as you’re okay, I’m going to get some rest. Maggie will take care of you from here. You good?”
He frowned, but nodded.
“It was really good to see you, James. I do hope you’ll let Steph know you’re home. She’s really missed you. I’m sure your parents have too.”
A flicker of regret crossed his face before he covered it with a tight smile. “I’ve missed her too. And she knows I’m home. She texted me after the ... uh ... incident and I told her.”
“Oh, good!” Lainie hesitated, unsure whether she should leave him or not, but the bed was calling. “All right. Take care of yourself, James.”
“You too. Thanks. For ... everything.”
“You’re welcome.”
He looked like he wanted to say more, but instead, shot her a weary smile, took a deep breath, and shut his eyes.
Cole wrapped her in a hug. “Thanks for taking care of my best bud,” he whispered.
At first, Lainie wasn’t sure what to do, then chuckled and hugged him with a pat on his broad back. “Of course.”
He stepped back with a flush. “Sorry. I’m a hugger and I love James like a brother. Seeing him lying there on the ground, knowing he’d been shot, not sure if the bullet hit his vest or—” He looked away, his throat working.
“I understand.” She squeezed his hand. “But he’s going to be just fine.”
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I know. See you later.”
With one last pat on his bulging bicep, Lainie left him, made her way to the lounge, and swiped her key card. Once inside, she let the door snick shut behind her. To her left were two sets of bunk beds, to the right, a sitting area with a television. Three vending machines that held an assortment of food ranging from healthy to junk graced the wall next to the bathroom.
The area was empty, which meant she had one of the beds instead of the recliner, but if someone else had been in the room, she would have welcomed their presence. She shrugged out of her lab coat and slipped off her shoes. It only took her five minutes to gulp down a surprisingly good turkey sandwich. Then she turned on the television for the background noise she couldn’t sleep without, collapsed on one of the beds in the corner, shut her eyes, and dropped into a deep, immediate slumber.
Lainie woke like she always did. Instantly awake, alert and on guard for the threat. And just like always, she lay still, practicing the coping mechanisms taught by her therapist.Breathe in, breathe out. I’msafe. I have a lot to do today.She gave herself time to go through the list, but with each task she mentally checked off, unease grew. She glanced at the clock on the wall across the room and noted she’d slept for four hours.
Surely James’ test results were back by now, but Maggie hadn’t woken her. Lainie sat up and raked a hand over her face as though she could push the weird feelings aside.
She was the only one in the room, which was not unusual, but she’d fallen asleep to the sound of the television, and now it was off. Which was probably why she’d woken up.
Either that or the fact that she was freezing. Shivering, she grabbed her lab coat and shoved her arms through the sleeves, then reached into the pocket to find her phone. Wrong pocket. But she pulled out a piece of paper she didn’t remember being in there. A sticky note.
Cheers, love.
JAMES FROZEAT THE SOUNDof the crash on the other side of the door. Then he grabbed the handle and twisted.
