Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“I see you saw Jack.” She takes off her glasses, and they hang around her neck on her golden chain.
“I did,” I tell her, and then Suzanne, another nurse, joins us.
“Who is that fine tall glass of milk?” Suzanne says as I giggle, writing notes.
“That would be Dr. Denise’s new patient,” Mallory tells her while she fills out her own charts. “Jumping Jack and Zaza zoom Zack.”
I laugh at her nickname for Zack. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I take it out to see it’s a text from Vivienne.
Are you going to the game tomorrow?
You betcha!
D’accord okay, she answers, shenanigans after.
That sounds like a plan.
She sends me back a thumbs-up emoji, and I put my phone away.
“I don’t know about you two,” Suzanne says, “but I would not kick him out of my bed.” I laugh even harder. She is close to fifty, happily married to Harry for the past thirty years, and her youngest just got married.
“Oh, I hear you,” Mallory adds. “He can leave his shoes under my bed any day.” She smiles and turns to walk away.
“How are you two happily married?” I ask them, and they both look at each other and then back at me.
“We don’t act on it.” Mallory shrugs.
“Yeah, it just plays in our mind,” Suzanne says. “What do they call it again? Spank Bank.”
“I’m going to google that,” Mallory says, and I push off from the desk and laugh at them.
“Ladies, I’m going to check on Evie before I leave, and then I’m off. Call me if anything changes,” I tell them, and they both nod at me.
Walking into the room, I find Janet sitting in the middle of the bed rocking her daughter in her arms.
“She just had a bit of chicken broth and then said she was too tired,” she tells me, and I see the despair in her eyes.
Reaching out, I grab her hand. “We’ll do everything we can,” I tell her, and she just nods while a tear escapes her eyes.
I walk out, blinking my own tears away while I say goodbye to everyone and make my way home. I don’t turn the lights on once I get home. The moonlight shining in provides just enough light for me to undress and crawl into bed.
My dreams haunt me all night—blue eyes, matching blue eyes. I sleep for eight straight hours, but I still wake feeling like I am dragging my ass.
I start the coffee, then pick up my phone and call the hospital right away to check on Evie. Her vitals are the same, and she isn’t that tired today. Her appetite is also back, which is a great start. I text Steve, who is on duty all weekend long, asking him to keep me posted.
I clean up the loft, which really is just dusting since I’m barely home anyway. I’ll be on rotation for the next seven days starting Monday, so I finally do my laundry too.
The phone ringing has me stopping to answer it, and I see it’s Allison.
“Hey, we are going to the game tonight. Do you want me to swing by and get you?” she asks me.
“I would love that.” I smile. “Are you bringing Alex?” I ask her.
“Yes, my parents are coming also, so if anything, we can pass her around.”
“Just don’t let her see Max, and it will be okay.”
“Ugh, I swear she knows when he’s around. She can be good all day, and the minute she senses he’s close, the whining starts.”
I laugh, thinking she’s exaggerating, but I know my niece, and she is so in love with my brother it’s no joke. “So what time should I be ready?” I ask her, walking into my closet and grabbing my jeans.
“I should be there in about thirty minutes. Is that okay?” she asks me.
“I’ll be ready,” I tell her and hang up. I have to jump twice to get my tight jeans on. I grab a black Stingers t-shirt with Horton on the back and my black leather jacket with a ticket green plaid scarf. Putting the jacket and the scarf on the bed, I walk to the bathroom to curl the ends of my hair. It’s gotten so long it’s almost at my waist, but because I keep it tied up most of the time, I don’t realize it.
I spray on my perfume and apply just a touch of mascara and pink lip gloss before my phone buzzes, and I see that Aly is downstairs. I grab my jacket and scarf, then slide my phone in my back pocket and toss my purse over my shoulder. I lock the door and run outside to the waiting white Range Rover that Aly is driving. Opening the back door first, I see my Alex.
“Well hello, my favorite girl,” I say as she gives me a smile that makes her eyes close, showing me her four teeth. I bend down and kiss her neck, taking in the smell of baby. “Best smell ever,” I say. Walking around, I open the other back door, leaning in to see Michael.