“Oh, come on!” Sally, one of the respiratory therapists, looked at Skye’s finger. “Where’s the ring?”
Nancy came flying around the corner, screeching, “Dr. Summers, you married a rock star. Spill the beans!”
Her coworkers crowded around, offering congratulations and surprise at the sudden change in her relationship status. A few asked for autographs or even tickets to the upcoming concerts where Angel Fire would be playing on Friday and Saturday nights.
She grinned, remembering how Ash had told her he needed to be back in town by Friday because he had athing. That’d evidently meant putting on a show in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans.
Bob hung back, crossing his arms, an unreadable but concerned look etched on his face.
After a few minutes, she waved everyone away. “Enough already. I need to get Dr. Manley out of here.”
She extricated herself from her coworkers. “You ready to sign out your patients?”
He gave a curt nod. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good for my shift, but we probably need to talk.”
“Yes. It seems things have changed for you.”
He walked over to the patient status board, which listed all the critical patients and the state of their current medical workups. Exam status, labs, and X-ray studies were marked with red boxes or checkmarks, denoting their to-do or done status. As always, the board was full.
She couldn’t help but smile at his stern but fatherly expression. “Tell me about the patients, Bob.”
Most looked stable, but a full day of work stretched out in front of her, perfect for a troubled mind. There wouldn’t be any time to worry about the problem named Ash.
Bob signed out all the patients, focusing on those who were critical. Before he left, he hesitated, seeming to struggle with what he wanted to say. “Looks like your nobody became a somebody.”
“I guess he did.”
“And Spencer? How did he take the news?”
She had yet to deal with that string of emails and texts. Spencer remained a problem. He was still out of the country. By Tuesday, he would return, and then she’d give back his ring.
“Still working on that.”
“He’d have to be living under a rock not to have heard, considering it’s all over the news. You sure you want him to find out via the tabloids that his fiancée married another guy?”
“I’ll take care of it, Bob.”
“I hope Mr. Somebody works out for you.” Bob placed a hand on her upper arm. “And, if Spencer lays a finger on you, let me know.” He picked up his things and left without another word.
She dived right into patient care, checking on the critical patients first and making certain their evaluations were complete before moving them to intensive care. Then, she waded her way through the less urgent stream of patients, and the hours whittled away.
Taking care of others always brought fulfillment to her life. If she couldn’t fix herself, at least she could stitch other people’s lacerations, splint their fractures, and treat their diseases. She couldn’t imagine doing anything else, and she wondered about the wisdom of stepping away from medicine to run the foundation with Forest. Perhaps she needed to rethink that choice.
Before she knew it, the shift wound down to a close, and Bob returned. They repeated the patient sign-out process, this time with her signing out patients to him.
Her original plan to ask for Friday off vanished under the realization of how happy she felt surrounded by her coworkers and by the gratefulness of the patients she touched.
The black sedan waited outside along with Reggie and Sam, who held back the few bold photographers who’d managed to track her down. Sam escorted her to the car and slid in beside her while Reggie blocked a particularly aggressive cameraman who had tried to get in her face.
“How was your day?” Sam asked.
Sam was a cutie, but she wasn’t interested in getting chummy with Ash’s security team. “Busy.” Hopefully, he’d get the message with her one-word reply. She leaned against the window and stared out the glass. “Can you stop at the coffee shop on the way home?” She had a craving for cocoa.
“Uh…” Sam shifted on the seat beside her. “We’re supposed to take you to the Verizon Center.”
“Verizon Center? I’m not going there. I have work in the morning. I want my cocoa and one of the sandwiches they make, a hot shower and my bed.”
