Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Your point being?”
“You never order cheesecake for anyone. You obviously like her.”
I growled, harshly grabbing the charts out of her hands, rounding my desk to sit down.
“I never thought I’d finally see the day that Dr. Pierce is smitten with someone. And let me just say, it’s about damn time.”
“Don’t you have patients to take care of?”
“I just made my rounds.” She sat down in the chair in front of me, placing her elbows on my desk and resting her chin on her hands. “So… tell me everything. Have you made a move yet?”
I glared up at her through the slits of my eyes.
“Please! You gotta give me some sorta gossip to feed my soul. I’ve been waiting for this since you hired her. Come on, spill!”
“Do I look like Chatty fuckin’ Cathy to you, Renee?”
“No. You look like an asshole withholding information. You never want to talk about anything. I’ve been with you for over ten years. I always have to pry everything out of you. So here I am, prying.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Have you gone on a date?”
“For fuck’s sake, Renee.” I leaned back into my chair. “Do I look like a fuckin’ teenage boy to you now?”
She rolled her eyes, already used to my temper. “Can you stop with the broody shit? I’m really kind of over it.”
“Great. There’s the door.”
“I’m not leaving until you give me something.”
“I’ll give you something. Mr. Sanders in bed B needs an enema. How about you go clean up his shit?”
“Very funny.” She looked at her nails. “But I do need a manicure. Maybe I should ask Camila if she wants to go with me? I bet she’d spill the dirt on you two. I feel like we’d have a lot in common. You know, having an asshole as a boss and all.”
“Are you trying to get yourself fired?”
“Nah. You wouldn’t fire me. There’s no else in the state of North Carolina that would put up with you like I do.”
“We could always find out.”
“Aiden,” she firmly said my name. “You’ve made at least seventy-five percent of the female staff cry in the last few years, and I’m not counting the women you made quit.”
“What can I say? I have high standards.”
“We both know it had nothing to do with your high standards.” She locked her hands behind her head. “I can stay here all day. I got time.”
“Great.” I abruptly stood and in three long strides I was over to the door, opening it. “Then you can assist me with my patient evaluation, seeing as you have all the time in world today, not to mind your own business.
“Aiden—”
“Let’s go.”
I didn’t pay her any mind as we made our way over to triage, focusing on the patient’s chart in my hands.
Once we reached their curtain, I pulled it back. “Hello, Mr. Mitchell,” I greeted. “I’m Dr. Pierce and this is my nurse, Renee. How are you feeling today?”
He scratched his head, taking me in. “I know you. Bobby, I haven’t seen you in years.”
My eyes shifted toward his wife who was standing by his side with concern written all over her face.
“Henry, honey, that’s not Bobby. Bobby passed away. This is Dr. Pierce and his nurse, Renee. He just told you that, remember?”
He grumbled, “Of course I remember, Hazel.” Getting agitated quickly.
“Mr. Mitchell, can you tell me where you are?” I questioned, immediately feeling like the room was caving in on me.
“I’m… we’re… who are you again?”
Renee must have felt my panic, she instantly grabbed the chart out of my hands and faced him. Turning her back to me.
“Mr. Mitchell, I’m Renee. How are you feeling? A little confused, disoriented?”
I backed away, needing some air.
“Breathe, Bailey,” I coaxed on the phone with my girl. “Just remember to breathe, Beauty.”
“Aiden,” I heard Renee from afar.
“Tell me where you are?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know where I am!”
“Aiden!”
“Bailey, is someone around you? Give them the phone now!”
“Aiden!”
“I’m scared! I’m really scared!”
“I know, baby. Stay with me okay? Just stay with me.”
My heart pounded.
My adrenaline spiked.
Sweat pooled at my temples.
As panic set in.
A loud boom came through the receiver.
“Bay? What was that? Are you in a car?”
“Aiden!” Renee clapped her hands in my face, snapping me back to the present. “Holy fuck! Where did you go? Don’t do that to me! I’m sorry, I should have looked at his char—”
My phone rang, interrupting her.
I answered on autopilot, “This is Dr. Pierce.”
“Dad!”
“Jackson?”
“Dad! It’s Journey! She’s… she’s… Camila, is trying to calm her but… fuck! She’s burning up and losing her shi—”
Blood curdling screams came over the phone, followed by gasps of breath from my baby girl, cutting Jackson off.
My heart sank deep into the pit of my stomach.
“Renee, reschedule my surgeries and call Dr. Carver in. I ha—”
“Go! I got this!”
It was only then I realized we were back in my office.