There’s a pause before her laugh carries across the room. “I heard quite the opposite. You had a very special visitor earlier today.”
“Yeah. Jasper dropped by. He brought a gift basket from the guys on my team,” I say with a broad smile.
Having Jasper here earlier today didn’t just feel good; it was a damn lifeline. I’m grateful he showed up and that we slipped right back into who we’ve always been. Not a single awkward pause or hint of pity.
Ivy’s answering sigh is playful but dramatic. “You’re killing me, Theodore. Of course I missed the infamous Jasper Åkerman in-person.”
“Fangirling again? I thought you were supposed to be a professional.” I make air quotes around the last word.
“You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“It’s not my fault my nurse is a superfan,” I tease. In reality, I’m glad she didn’t hide the truth from me. It’s actually pretty sweet, even if I won’t admit it to her.
“I’m here to check your vitals, not your ego.”
“Pretty sure you’re tanking both,” I sigh dramatically, letting my head fall back against the pillow. The exaggerated response pulls another soft laugh from her, and damn if that sound doesn’t do more for me than the meds ever could.
“After the checkup we’ll see what the guys sent you,” she suggests and gets to work.
She takes my vitals—including blood pressure and temperature—then checks my eyes before moving through the rest of her routine. By the time she’s done scribbling on the clipboard, I’m ready to find out what the guys got me. Knowing Foster, it could be anything. And I meananything.
“All good. Now for the fun part.” There’s a rustle of paper, followed by a snort. “Uh…there’s some lube in here.”
Fucking Foster. Of course he got me the one thing I don’t need right now.
“Lube? Seriously? I’m not exactly in any condition to use it.”
She tries to hold back a laugh but it slips out anyway. “They figured you’d need it eventually.”
“Of course they did,” I deadpan.
“Oh, just to make things even more interesting, there are condoms in here too.”
I groan, imagining Ivy holding the foil packaging. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
I can’t believe this is happening. Of all the things to end up in the basket, it has to be lube and condoms.Classic Foster move. And of course, my probably hot nurse is the one to find them. My life has officially become some weird hospital-themed sitcom. Good thing Ivy’s got a sense of humor; otherwise, this could’ve turned into painfully awkward real quick. I’m mostly hoping no one else strolls in and adds another witness to this circus.
She snickers. “I mean, they’rethorough. You can’t accuse them of not planning ahead.”
“Thorough is one word for it,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. “I can’t even walk without tripping over myself and they’re sending me this stuff? This is the best my teammates could come up with?”
Based on the way her next words come out all strangled, she’s trying to hold in a full-on giggle. “They’re obviously ensuring you’re prepared foreverythingonce you’re up on your feet again.”
“There better be some useful stuff in there.”
The soft crinkle fills the room before she says, “Good news, there’s some protein bars, different types of nuts, chocolate, gummy worms, and two pairs of fluffy socks with the Woodpeckers logo.”
“Always wanted another pair of Woodpeckers socks,” I tell her as she tosses me a set. “You can have the second pair.”
“Oh, I couldn’t. It’s a gift for you.”
“I insist, Ivy. Unless it would make your partner jealous.”
“No partner,” she says quickly. “I’m single.”
The new piece of information shouldn’t matter as she’s my nurse. But it does. A grin tugs at the corners of my mouth before I manage to school my expression. “Good to know,” I murmur.
“Well…thank you,” she says after a moment, her tone lifting with a mix of surprise and brightness. “See? It wasn’t all bad. Only a few odd items for fun.”
