The ER is grey. It used to be chaotic and colourful. Now, it’s just… work.
I walk to the nurses' station to chart.
Mama Ortiz is there. She is the charge nurse today. She is formidable in her floral scrubs. She is currently staring at me over her reading glasses.
“You look like hell,mijo,” she says.
“I’m fine, Ma. Just tired.”
“You are not tired,” she corrects. “You are mean. You made Jenkins cry in the supply closet. Again.”
“Jenkins needs to toughen up.”
“Jenkins is a baby,” Mama says. “He needs guidance. He needs the other one. The shiny one.”
I stiffen. “Preston quit, Ma. He took a Board seat. He’s gone back to the penthouse.”
Mama Ortiz hums. It is a skeptical sound.
“He quit? Or did you push him?”
“I didn't push him! I told him the truth. I told him he was a tourist.”
Mama Ortiz slams a chart down on the desk. The entire station jumps.
“You are an idiot, Lucas,” she says.
“Ma!”
“Don't ‘Ma’ me. I watched that boy follow you around like a puppy for months. I watched him clean vomit off a drunk teenager in a three-piece suit. I watched him stand up to thatbrujamother of his to defend you.”
She points a finger at my chest.
“Tourists take photos, Lucas. That boy took shifts. He took the night shift because he knew you hated being alone at 3:00 AM.”
I stare at her.
He took the night shift because he knew you hated being alone.
I think about the pizza place. I think about the way he looked at me in the hallway, holding that damn folder like a shield.
I showed my father I have grit. Why should I keep suffering just to prove something I’ve already won?
I thought he was bragging. But now, hearing Mama… maybe he wasn't bragging. Maybe he was asking me to tell him he didn'thaveto suffer to be worthy.
“He left, Ma,” I whisper. “He walked away.”
“Because you didn't give him a reason to stay,” she says softly. “Fix it. Before he turns into his father. Or worse… before you turn into yours.”
PRESTON
The day of the vote.
I am standing in the Penthouse, adjusting my cufflinks. They are gold. They are heavy.
My phone buzzes on the dresser.
Incoming Call: Jax O’Connell
