She snapped off her gloves and tossed them in the trash. “Give him another unit of blood, and get him to the OR.”
Bob wandered in, peeling off blue paper scrubs. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah, my last patient is on the way to the operating room. You?”
“Good. He was the last critical one. I really appreciate you staying to help.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ve got it from here.”
“You sure?”
Several other patients from the multivehicle pileup had yet to be seen.
“I’m good. Besides, don’t you have plans?”
She never should have told him about the concert or what had happened at Niagara. He’d been fathering her since she mentioned it, asking about Ash, his intentions, and if he treated her well.
Meanwhile, Reggie waited. She collected her cell phone. Reggie had left half a dozen messages in the past hour alone. His uneasiness wasn’t difficult to understand. He had one task for the evening—get her to the concert and, by extension, to Blaze.
She missed the easygoing Ash with the beat-up Jeep who shopped in secondhand stores and chased waterfalls on a whim. The man who wore pajamas and strummed a simple guitar had disappeared with the revelation of his superstar status, becoming Blaze, who commanded the adoration of millions.
Forest had mentioned a sea of groupies. The idea of entering that chaotic world set Skye’s teeth on edge. She had already formulated and rejected too many excuses as to why she couldn’t attend. In the end, there wasn’t a single valid reason she couldn’t go. Her exhaustion might get her out of the evening, but she’d never lie to Ash.
Or Forest.
Her brother was beside himself with his all-access backstage pass. Tonight, he would see one of his dreams fulfilled, and she wanted to be there to share in the excitement.
Bob patted her on the back. “I love your dedication to this place. You work too hard. Seriously, I’ve got this. Enjoy the rest of your night. You’re not working this weekend, right?”
“I’m not.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t asked for any time off.”
She gave a hard swallow. Bob the Boss was much easier to handle than Bob the Paternal Figure. “We’re already short-staffed…”
His gaze softened. “We can always make allowances for family. I reworked the schedule. Take the next two weeks off.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “How’d you do that?”
“We have some ancillary staff with ED privileges looking to pull extra shifts.”
“You didn’t need to do that.”
“I know, and I knew you’d never ask. Consider it a wedding gift. Take time to get to know your new husband.”
“Bob—”
“Go. Get out of here. I don’t want to see you around this place until after you’ve had a proper honeymoon.” He lightly pushed her on the small of her back. “Enjoy your rock star—doctor’s orders,” he said with a laugh.
If only she could.
An hour later,Reggie escorted her out of the black sedan and through a rear entrance to the Verizon Center. The press of thousands pulsed around her, and an unrelenting beat thumped in her bones as the deep bass of Angel Fire’s music settled in her jawbone. Reggie’s gentle hand guided her up a set of stairs, through an industrial pair of doors, and down a concrete hallway. He shielded her with his body, blocking the crowd ahead and forging a path forward.
Men in jeans and black shirts withCrewstamped on the fronts and backs filled the halls. Most had earbuds lodged in their ears andblack boxes attached to their waistbands. She shifted her backpack on her shoulder and slogged along, tired and weary after such a long day.
People stared, perhaps recognizing Reggie. A few of those looks were more pointed than others. Maybe her picture was in the news already. She had no idea how fast these things worked.
As they wove their way deeper into the bowels of the venue, the crowd thickened. Fewer crew members filled the halls as more and more groupies stretched out against the walls. Tall, lanky females with micro miniskirts and macro boobs advertised their various assets to any who cared. There were plenty of men who took advantage of the display and the blatant jockeying for social position.
She received odd stares. Not only did she look like crap, but fatigue also pulled at her, sapping her energy. Without the demands of the emergency department to concentrate her focus, all she could think about was sleep.
