“I’m sorry to hear that. The good news is your scans look clear.”
“Well, I guess that’s something,” she mutters.
“I’ll be back in with those meds,” I tell her and step back out into the hall.
As I make my way to the medicine station, my pager goes off, notifying me there’s a trauma coming in. Male, mid-sixties, cardiac arrest, and they’re five minutes out.
My heart rate picks up and I hurry to get the medicine for Miss Stevens so I can be of help to the incoming patient. Cardiac arrests are chaotic, unpredictable. Some patients make it. Some don’t.
I move quickly toward the trauma room where they’re already getting set up and prepped.
“They’re two minutes out,” Sarah, a fellow nurse, informs me as I pull on gloves.
My mind is focused on what’s to come. Everything in my personal life gets put on the back burner because it can’t matter. I can’t be distracted thinking about Jesse and this mysterious number. Right now, my job is to save a life.
Chapter 26
Jesse
Ella and I had dinner plans tonight, but she woke up with a nasty head cold. Said it was probably something she picked up at work. Still, I wasn’t about to let her tough it out alone. On my way over, I swung by a place on Main and grabbed some chicken noodle soup. Figured I’d surprise her with a chocolate lava cake too, if she’s got the appetite for it.
The door’s unlocked like she said it would be, so I let myself in. The apartment is quiet and dark. I head to her room to see her curled up in bed, eyes closed, her head almost fully covered with the blankets. For a second, I think she’s asleep, but then her eyes blink open and she sees me.
“Hey, sweetheart.” I hold up the bag of food. “I brought you something if you’re hungry.”
She sits up and slips out of bed. She’s in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Definitely doesn’t look like herself. Her color is off, her eyes are heavy, and her nose is red.
“I’m not, but I know I need to eat,” she mutters and takes the bag from me after a quick hug. I follow her to the kitchen andshe sets everything out to decide what she wants first.
“Lava cake?” she asks, opening the container and looking at me with a small grin.
“I know you usually like them, but it’s fine if you don’t tonight.”
“Maybe after the soup,” she says, pulling a spoon from the drawer. Her movements are slow as she sits down at the counter. Eventually, she brings a small spoonful to her lips.
I sit beside her in the other stool, just watching her. She’s quiet, focused on the bowl like it’s taking all the energy she has left.
“I’m sorry you feel like crap.” I know she’d been looking forward to tonight just as much as I was, with it being our first Valentine’s Day together since we were kids and all.
But if I’m being honest, I’d been looking forward to tonight for a little bit of a different reason. My hand brushes across my jeans to feel the ring in my pocket. I went and got it the day after she told me she loved me back, in the airport. I’m not wasting any time. She wants it all, she’s gonna get it all. As soon as possible.
Even though my plans of proposing got ruined, I still brought it with the intention of following through. However, after seeing how out of it she seems, it may not be ideal.
“Can we still reschedule?” she wonders, sipping the broth.
Lifting my hand up to her back, I rub small circles. “Course.”
She takes another sip and rests her head on my shoulder. “I love you for this, thank you,” she murmurs. I swear I’ll never get tired of hearing those words roll off her tongue.
After she finishes eating, we find ourselves back in her room. The TV is so low in volume, I almost think it’s muted at times. My body curled around hers, the blankets up over us, she’sshaking from the fever, her breathing uneven through the sniffling.
“Did you take anything?” I ask, feeling helpless.
She mumbles, “No.”
“Babe.” My tone is soft but firm. Is she serious? She’s a nurse. She takes care of people all day but doesn’t take care of herself?
She shifts, turning her whole body toward me. Her legs tangle with mine, and she tucks her arms between us, searching for warmth.
