Her lips twitched. “I do know that.”
His grin returned. “How’re things?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Her fading blush returned full-force. “Private!” she said, a little too sharply. “Things are private.”
Lance tipped his head back and laughed, and he was still laughing when the door swung open.
“Glad to see one of us is having a good day,” Lynnette quipped as she wheeled in a food tray with a clipboard stuck under her arm. She let the door swing shut behind her and the entire cart shifted with a suspicious squeak before one wheel popped off, rolling up to the hallway wall and rebounding sharply, all the way under Lance’s bed.
Jenna watched the entire scene happen in slow-motion, her mouth open with the intention to greet her friend but the words stuck in her throat.
“Son of a bitch!” Lynnette exclaimed as she dropped her clipboard in her rush to stabilize the food cart.
Lance sat forward and caught hold of the nearest corner of the cart, helping to hold it steady. “Easy there, Lynn,” he said, aiming a charming grin at his nurse, “your bestie’s shy.”
Lynnette finally stilled. “My what?”
Jenna’s eyes locked onto the bandages wrapped around her friend’s visible hand, obscuring her knuckles, and guilt stabbed her heart. “Hey. Surprise,” she said weakly.
Lynnette turned her head, careful not to move her grip, and her eyes widened. “Jenna?” She glanced around, most likely looking for Jon, and asked, “Are you here alone?”
“Jon left a little bit ago,” Jenna replied. “He had an important meeting.”
“I’m playing babysitter,” Lance supplied.
Lynnette turned her gaze to him and cocked a brow. “I highly doubt that.” Her gaze dropped and she tilted her head, frowning. “I’m sorry, but can you keep holding this for a minute?”
“Of course.” When Lynnette carefully released the cart and took a step around, clearly eyeing the path of the disappearing wheel, Lance said, “You want me to get it for—”
Lynnette’s head snapped up. “Do I want my bedridden patient to get down on the floor and crawl around looking for a damn cart wheel? No. No, I do not. Keep your ass in that bed or I’ll have you sedated.”
Jenna bit down on her lip to hold back her laugh. She didn’t exactly ever visit Lynnette at work, for obvious reasons, but she was pretty sure her friend didn’t usually talk to patients like that.
“Well, I’ll admit that doesn’t sound like a lot of fun,” Lance said. He glanced over at Jenna and shrugged, as if to say ‘what am I supposed to do?’
Jenna watched Lynnette crouch down, her friend’s head disappearing from her point of view. Then she pushed to her feetand quietly crossed the room, bending to scoop up the clipboard.Shewasn’t a patient, after all, and she hadn’t had to get on her knees, either. She was setting it on the bed by Lance’s feet when Lynnette stood upright again and she plastered on a bright smile. “It was the only thing I could think to do.”
Lynnette sighed. “Thanks, babe.” She shoved the wheel into the pocket of her scrubs and crossed to the in-room sink. “I’ll be right there, Lance.”
“I’m fine,” he replied. “Just curious why Jenna here is ‘babe’ and I’m not.”
Jenna balked at him.
“BecauseJenna”—Lynnette tore a set of paper towels free to roughly dry her hands—“is my best friend, andyouare my patient.” She dropped the paper towels into the garbage canister and moved closer, immediately reaching for the tray on top of the cart. “As I have reminded you already like three times today.”
Lynnette had bandages on her other hand, too, Jenna realized. She shouldn’t have been surprised. But those wrappings had just gotten wet because Lynnette had been forced to wash her hands, so they would need to be re-done.
Lynnette placed the tray over Lance’s lap and gently set it down. “As you may have noticed, the food cart just broke, so you’ll have to eat like this for now. I’ll get the broken hunk of junk hauled out of here and make sure to pick up your tray in half an hour or so, but just shove it aside if it’s in your way before then.”
Jenna frowned. She actually sounded more exhausted than usual. More haggard.
Lance curled a hand around one of Lynnette’s wrists in a loose grip. “Hey, seriously, Lynn. Fuck the cart. You okay? You don’t seem okay.”
Jenna walked around to the opposite side of his bed so she could see her friend’s face. “Did I get you in trouble?”
Lynnette sighed. “Of course not. It’s just a Murphy’s Law day. That’s all.” She stepped out of Lance’s hold and gripped the unsteady edge of the cart, but met Jenna’s stare. “What about you? Why are you hanging out here, without your new guy?”
Not believing Lynnette’s answer for a second, Jenna offered a shrug and said, “Jon didn’t want to leave me alone in my apartment with my kitchen window shattered. And of course there was the ‘strange repairmen’ factor.”
