“Dad, you can’t just—”
“Watch me.” His insolent father rebuked, unlocking the other brake and doing his best to move his chair forward.
Adam quickly relocked one of the brakes and stepped in front of his father, situating both hands on the arm rests to keep the man in place.
“Dad, you’re gonna make me call one of the nurses out here to restrain you if you don’t stop it.”
“I’d damn sure like to see you try.” Grady’s grave voice was tinged with sharp anger, and Adam knew if he didn’t get this situation under control soon, the ornery bastard would probably run over Adam’s foot, or worse, punch him in the gut or the groin just to break free of Adam’s restraint.
“Is everything all right?”
Adam and his father looked up at the same time to find Janae Sanders standing to the side of them.
She wore blue scrubs, her stethoscope hanging around her neck, dangling temptingly in the vee of her shirt.
When has medical equipment ever been your kink? Get it together, Henderson.
“Look who it is, Grady. It’s Janae Sanders.”
That came from his delighted mother, who seemed to be the only member of his family who had any manners at present. His father sat there grumbling, and Adam was too dumbfounded by how good Janae and all her curves made a nondescript pair of uniform clothes look to find his tongue and speak.
“Hi, Mrs. Henderson. How are you?”
“Oh, I’m okay.” His mother beamed. “We’re just sitting here waiting to be called for Grady’s X-rays. The doctor needs to check on his leg to make sure it’s mending well.”
Janae nodded and looked at Adam. He could tell from the tilt of her head and the narrowing of her eyes that she was silently asking about the troubled exchange between he and his father.
He closed his eyes, exhausted and exasperated; Adam’s frustration seeped out of him on a long sigh.
He opened his eyes, attempting to explain, but in her kind brown eyes and soft smile, she gave his hand a short squeeze as if to say, “I’ve got you.”
Her touch warmed him throughout, making him want to bask in it far longer than was necessary for a passing interaction in a hospital hallway.
Janae kneeled down so that she was eye to eye with his father, and Adam saw his father immediately relax. “Have you been waiting long?”
“Too long,” his father grumbled. But this time when he spoke, there was no bite to his voice, only weariness. “Makes no doggone sense they got me sitting out here this long for two minutes’ worth of X-rays.”
Adam shook his head. “Don’t pay him any mind. He’s cranky because he’d rather be watching ESPN than sitting here waiting for these images.”
Janae chuckled softly at Adam’s comment, then returned her warm regard to his father. “I know it can be frustrating to have to wait out here to be seen. But I’m pretty sure your doctor wouldn’t have ordered the X-rays if they weren’t necessary. If you can wait here for a sec, I can try to find out what’s holding things up.”
She gave Adam a soft smile again, silently comforting him as she walked past him. A whiff of something soft and slightly sweet caressed his nose as she stepped into the radiology office.
She was only gone for a minute or two, but when she returned,she brought back that same soft smile, and her lightly glossed full lips called to him.
“It looks like the emergency room machine is down, and so it’s created a backlog up here in outpatient radiology. Fortunately, I know the tech that’s on right now. I promised to get him one of those fancy Starbucks coffees he loves on my next break if he could get you in within the next ten minutes. He should be calling you momentarily.”
Adam reached out and took her hand. His intention was just to shake it, but the feel of his thumb against her skin made him want to linger, remain in that spot for as long as he could without breaking the connection.
“I really appreciate that, Janae.”
“No worries. That’s what I’m here for, to make every patient’s time here as painless as possible.”
A part of him ached at her response. Today when she spoke her words and tone were filled with kindness and understanding, not the hesitation he seemed to sense when they spoke over the phone. He’d wanted to think that was partly for him and not just some practiced professional helpfulness she’d learned during her years of nursing. Once she said her goodbyes to both his parents and him, she walked down the hall, turning back to share that simple smile with him again, and disappeared around a corner.
He couldn’t help mirroring her smile as his chest filled with hope. Maybe, just maybe, she was warming up to the thought of being friends after all.
“She was always such a nice girl.”
