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My steps immediately falter as I process her response. Turning back around, I clench my molars together to keep some semblance of composure as I stalk back to where she sits. “Let me make sure I understand this correctly. While you’re sitting on your ass, texting, or twirping, or whatever you do to occupy your precious time, someone else is working their tail off to take care of their patientsandyours?”
Her eyes widen, finally understanding I’m seriously pissed. “N-no. It’s not like that. Lainey answered their call light and when I went in there, she was already talking with them, so I—”
“Decided to sit on your ass. Got it.” I lean over the table that separates us, spreading my fingers and resting firmly on my palms for effect. “Must be nice to slack off whenever you want, knowing there’s someone like her who will always be around to clean up after you.” Nothing pisses me off more than people who don’t carry their weight, who let others work harder than they should just so everyone gets what they need. People are too willing to accept a paycheck without wanting to do the necessary work.
Second in line for what pisses me off is when othersletpeople get away with being lazy. Lainey should have walked out of the room and let Kelly handle that shit for herself.
And that’s exactly what I plan to tell her.
I leave Kelly fumbling over her words and round the corner to 426, ready to knock and offer an apology to the family for delayed information when I take pause. The sight in front of me knocks the wind from my chest. Leaning against the doorframewith my arms crossed, I stay as quiet as possible not to interrupt the sight in front of me.
Lainey is standing in the front of the room. She’s wiped the welcome instructions off the dry-erase board and has drawn a simplified version of the heart. The patient and his family are seated on the bed and accompanying recliner, nodding along to her every move like they are five-year-olds during story time and she’s their favorite teacher. She pauses when she sees me at the doorway and I smile, motioning for her to continue.
She moves so gracefully—every human interaction is so natural, so easy for her. She thrives in this environment, and I’d be lying to myself if I said that she wasn’t one of the most impressive people I’ve ever worked with. I listen to her explanation of how the heart works and what is going on with this patient that requires a pacemaker. And I’m in awe.
Lainey compares it to a house’s plumbing and electrical systems, and holy shit, it makes perfect sense. She then compares that to his electrical problem and why he needs a pacer. I can see by the look on everyone’s faces that they understand what’s going on, which is rarely the case.
She finishes her speech, and they ask a few questions before she motions towards me. “Dr. Ryan will have more information for you if needed.”
I greet the patient and his family, this time not pulling out a chair to sit. “I wanted to let you know we are still waiting for a procedure time, but I will update you as soon as I find out. I was also going to explain a little more about the pacemaker and answer any pertinent questions before cardiology rounds, but someone already beat me to it.”
Lainey snaps the cap back on the marker and sets it on the tray.“Well, I’ll get out of the way, but please flag someone down if you have more questions, okay?”
The family nods and Lainey exits, putting in additional effort not to let any part of us touch as she passes by. I quietly excuse myself, letting them know I’ll be back in a minute before following her into the hall.
“That was awesome,” I say, causing her to stop and turn around. “Never heard it explained that way.”
She shrugs, clearly not comfortable with compliments. “He’s getting a pacemaker placed but said he feared having a heart attack. He’s a tradesman, so I figured referring to the pacemaker as being electrical and a heart attack as being more of a plumbing issue would be the best way to explain it to him.”
I nod. “I agree. Thank you. But it wasn’t your job to explain that to him.”
She cocks her head at me. “Excuse me? I might not have a fancy M.D. behind my name, but I’m not an idiot who ca—”
I raise a hand to stop her rant. “Not what I meant … he’s Kelly’s patient. She’s out there sitting on her ass while you’re caring for patients that aren’t yours. You’re busy enough. Let her do her job for once.”
Her eyes widen but she keeps her face flat, never letting anyone break her composure. “I’m a big girl, Dr. Ryan. I make my own decisions about what I do in a day.”
My heart rate kicks up a bit at her defiance.Damn. She has no clue about the effect she has on me.
I take a few steps forward and meet her toe to toe, forcing her to crane her neck to look up at me. I take a moment to study her face, noticing a smattering of freckles on her nose that must be normally hidden by makeup. “Are you always this much of a brat when someone tries to help you?”
Her eyes flinch. Only a fraction, but I see it just the same. It’s the first crack in her exterior, enough to let the corner of her mouth tick up. She takes another step forward, her shoespurposely stubbing mine and I inhale her, smelling that fucking herbal scent that makes me hard.
“Sometimes,” she deadpans, before adding, “Are you this much of a brat when someone’s trying to helpyou?”
I can’t fucking stop it. I smile, and laugh a little, unable to be pissed when this knockout of a woman is standing up to me. She’s right. I’m pissed at Kelly, not her. And her giving me attitude right back makes me want to drag her into the nearest empty room and fuck my frustrations out with her. I lower my head; if she takes one step closer, our foreheads will touch.
She cocks a brow and puts her hands on her hips. “Anything else we need to chat about,Dr.Ryan? I have a lot to do today, and I don’t have time for these power trips you seem to get off on.”
I don’t miss the way she says my name with a hint of teasing, or how her chest rises and falls the closer she gets to me. As if she knows what dirty images I’m thinking, or hell, maybe she’s thinking some of her own.
“You’re beautiful.”
The gasp she releases is inaudible, but I don’t miss the sudden parting of her lips. “That’s not professional, Dr. Ryan.”
I shrug. “Never claimed to be professional when it comes to you.”
“Hmph,” she mutters, spinning on a heel to turn around, the tips of her hair hitting me in the face as she does.
