Wes chuckled. “She fucking loves it there. She thrives on that kind of chaos. She’ll be staying there as an NP once she graduates.”
My brow furrowed. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Wes said with a smile. “They love her so much there, they made a position just for her.”
“Damn.”
That was an interesting tidbit of information. They didn’t typically make positions like that out of thin air for just anyone. She must have had a hell of a rapport with the other physicians and the medical director.
“Well, good. Since you’ll be working with her, when you two work together, you can keep an eye on her.”
I lifted my gaze to his. “I’m—I’m sure she doesn’t need anyone keeping an eye on her.”
“I just mean an extra set of protective eyes. I’ve heard stories from her about some of the patients that come through there, especially on the weekends, like drunk guys trying to get handsy with the nurses and shit like that.”
A sense of irritation crept in at the thought of some drunk guy pawing at her—or any of the other women, for that matter. Iknew the kinds of things female nurses and doctors dealt with in the ER. I’d seen it firsthand before.
“Well, yeah. I mean, obviously, I won’t let anything happen if I can help it.”
Wes smiled, clapping me on the shoulder. “I’m glad she’ll have you there looking out for her.”
And there was my guilt bubbling to the surface again, a heavy, uncomfortable knot forming in my stomach that wouldn’t let me forget.
Because I was pretty sure he’d be singing a different tune if he knew what happened between us.
Chapter 12
My mom triedto make my graduation into a big deal, but since it was my third, I declined the big party she suggested, preferring something more low-key. Instead, we took the ferry into Charleston with my brother and Morgan, and went to dinner at one of my favorite steakhouses.
I’d finished school, but the pressure of the board exam still loomed over me. It wasn’t scheduled until the first week of July, which meant the anxiety would linger until then. I told myself I deserved a one-week study-free break before diving into nonstop prep—I thought I’d earned a little time to breathe.
And in the meantime, I had work.
The weekend passed quickly, and before I knew it, Monday morning had arrived. I clocked in at ten minutes to seven, yawning as I shoved my bag into my locker and grabbed my water bottle. I entered the break room, where Marie stood next to the coffee pot, repeatedly jabbing the button and sighing between presses.
“Morning,” I yawned.
“Morning, sunshine.”
I filled my water, slipped it into the fridge, and tied my hair up. “Doesn’t look too bad out there.”
“I think there’s only six patients right now,” Marie noted as she finally poured her coffee. “And the waiting room is empty.”
“Well, let’s hope it stays that way. It’s been a while since we had a low-key day.”
“I’m in triage.”
I groaned. “Really? See if Kathy will switch with you. She prefers triage.”
“She called in sick.”
“Dammit.”
She laughed as we headed for the door. “I’ll give you a heads up if we get anything good.”
“Deal.”
I opened the door and took a step, running smack into a hard chest with a yelp before stumbling back. When I looked up, there wasBlake, his broad frame filling the space of the door.
