She forces a smile. “Nah. I’m not that emotionally deep,” she says mockingly, but I can tell it’s not the whole truth. And now I’m dying to know what’s really bothering her.
“I don’t believe that for a second,” I reply, and she avoids my gaze as she shakes her head. “Especially since you seemed so disappointed about not having kids before,” I continue, pausing to gauge her reaction. I watch as her eyelashes flutter and the corners of her mouth turn down. “Sounds like you at least wanted a family at some point.”
Her chest rises and falls in a deep exhale, and she fidgets under the blanket. “Yeah. Maybe I did. But it wasn’t … We couldn’t.”
Before I can respond, a hand yanks the curtains back, and the doctor steps in. “Hey, what’s up, guys? I’m Dr. Theriot. What seems to be?—”
The doctor breaks off mid-introduction to slip my chart beneath his arm and reaches out to shake my hand. “Rowan? Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Hey, Jalen,” I reply and take his hand, grateful to see a familiar face despite his untimely interruption.
“Dude, it’s been a minute. What brings you and your lovely friend by tonight?” he asks with a smile, turning to acknowledge Claire with a nod. “Or is this one of your many sisters?”
I cough lightly as I tilt my head to show him the rash on my neck. “I had to use my EpiPen after accidentally triggering my peanut allergy, and,” I pause and glance at Claire, “mydateinsisted we stop by. But I’m fine, really.”
He ignores my tone as he leans in to examine me.
“How’s your throat? Any swelling?” he inquires once he’s done checking my vitals.
“Not since the epinephrine injection.”
Jalen drapes his stethoscope over his shoulders and hums as he studies my chart. “Heart rate’s pretty elevated.”
I clear my throat. “That’s, uh, coincidental.”
He seems confused, so I nod my head to gesture in Claire’s direction.
“Ah, I see. We haven’t been properly introduced, though. I’m Jalen,” he says, offering a hand.
“Claire. I’m thedate.” She grins and brings the blanket down for a handshake, and his brow lifts when she exposes her body in that tight-fitting dress.
“Dr. Theriot and I went to medical school together,” I explain to Claire, unable to hide my displeasure after Jalen’s perusal of her and a subsequent congratulatory nod for me.
“How’d you get them to let her back here, anyway?” he asks me, and there’s a stab of guilt in my gut.
“The nurse thinks we’re engaged,” I admit begrudgingly.
Jalen glances back and forth between Claire and me. “But you’re not?”
“No, we’re not. But wearehere together,” I remind him, and he grins once she tugs her hand free.
“You guys been seeing each other long?” he continues, directing his question at her this time.
“Long enough,” I retort.
Claire’s eyes dart over to me, her expression amused. “Long enough to be responsible for jamming an EpiPen into his thigh, but not enough to become his emergency contact.”
Jalen chuckles, and I roll my eyes, remembering how he’d built up a reputation for flirting with practically every female we’d interact with during school, patients included.
“That’s too bad,” he drawls. “How else am I going to accidentally stumble across your number now?”
My jaw snaps shut, and I fight the urge to reach out and grab him by the collar. I don’t know where it’s coming from, since I’ve never been the jealous type before. It must be those protective instincts again, I reassure myself. It’s probably just a natural reaction to watching an unsuspecting woman get hit on.
“I’m just messing with you, bro,” Jalen says, turning to me with a cocky smirk plastered across his face. Then he lifts his left hand to brandish a silicone wedding band, and I barely manage to ignore the little voice in the back of my head telling me to aim my fist at his smile.
“Congratulations,” I grind out.
“Thanks, man. You should see my wife,” he says, bouncing his eyebrows suggestively. “She’s a total smoke show, too. We should all go out for a drink sometime. We’ll get you a chocolate milk,” he adds the last part lowly and nudges me playfully with his elbow when I glower back at him.
