“While that’s possible, there have to be hospitals that will overlook him,” she explains. “I just saw a teaching hospital looking for nurses online. They’re understaffed.”
“Most hospitals are understaffed,” I say quickly. “I’m not picky right now. I’ll gladly jump in to help.”
Aisling’s lips twitch as she turns toward her computer.
“You don’t have to take the first thing I offer you,” she says.
“Ugh, I really do,” I groan. “My brother is going to hunt me down at some point and Minneapolis already feels as if it’s too small.”
“Wren is coming in to work soon. She typically works from home, but there are some things I need her here for,” sheexplains. “She doesn’t go anywhere without her alphas. They have to wait outside, but I wanted to make sure you knew.”
“See? I feel like I’m living in a fishbowl,” I grumble.
Jasper is Wren’s long lost brother, and I’ve known him for years. I’ve even patched him up a few times when he’s gotten hurt working for my brother. Since he moved here to be with Cerenity, I feel as if I’m exchanging one chain for another.
That may seem a little dramatic, but I’ve been enjoying the physical distance between my brother and his new pack. That doesn’t mean they haven’t visited, but they always leave again.
I won’t have that benefit in Minneapolis.
“I don’t have siblings, but I recognize this behavior from Wren. I call it ‘little sister syndrome,’”Aisling says sagely.
“Does she have a brother that bullies her too?” I grumble.
“Jasper tries, but it doesn’t really work,” she chuckles.
“I’ve been on that end of things with Jasper,” I say with a nod. “Jasper and Tommy tend to feed off of each other’s energies. Cerenity is good for them.”
“You’re hiding from them,” she says, glancing at me. “I don't know why it took me so long to process that. Do they hurt you? I swear to god, I will have someone kill them and make it look like an accident.”
Hiding a smile, I try to figure out how to explain the very complicated relationship I have with my brother.
“Tommy is really heavy handed. When he forced me to take care of Cerenity when he kidnapped her, he strangled and yelled at me when I pushed back about it,” I explain. “I’m just a rag doll for him to boss around. So yes, I’m avoiding him like the plague.”
“That’s awful,” Aisling says, her eyes solemn. “Tommy needs to learn to use his words. You’re not his employee or underling.”
“Well, he certainly enjoyed treating me like an unpaid one while he lived in Chicago,” I mutter. “I’m avoiding his calls at the moment. It doesn’t help that I’m feeling really defeated.”
“Why?” she asks.
“Standing up for myself did absolutely nothing,” I say. “Dr. Gallagher is still practicing medicine and prescribing the wrong medication to patients. There’s one less person standing between him and killing someone.”
“You can’t do that to yourself,” she says. Her hands tighten into fists before she relaxes them. It appears that I’m not the only one who struggles with her feelings. “Standing up for yourself and your patients is important. Living small, refusing to help others means you’re like everyone else. Don’t make yourself smaller to fit in.”
My lips turn up into a watery smile as I nod. I have a feeling she might know what that feels like. Why else would she create a place like this for omegas?
“Tell me what I need to do for this job application,” I say, not wanting to cry.
Aisling moves away from the conversation without a word, as if she understands that sometimes things feel too big to deal with. Half an hour later, my application is in, she’s called the head of human resources to let her know that there’s a new application. My face burned with embarrassment as Aisling also explained that I was a hard worker with a ton of experience.
Not once did she break my confidence either by explaining where she was calling from. Instead, it was her way of giving a reference based on hearing me talk about how much I care about my patients.
“Really?” she asks in surprise, making my brow raise in question as well. She’s not on speakerphone, so I’m only getting one side of the conversation. “You’re amazing. I’ll let her know. Thanks so much.”
Aisling says her goodbyes before she’s hands up, grinning at me.
“I didn’t think that was going to work,” she whispers in awe. “You have an interview at eight tomorrow morning.”
Wow, they must really need nurses.That thought doesn’t keep me from grinning back at her, jumping up and down in excitement.
