“Have the two of you been together long?” he asked.
I said the first thing that came to mind. “Not long. My family introduced us. Sam works with my brother. They’re both lawyers.”
“Ah, so someone the family approves of. That has to be a relief. They must be happy.”
There was a tone I couldn’t identify in his words, but I answered him.
“They do like Sam and find him to be up to their standards. How long have you and the woman you were with been together?”
I heard a swift inhalation. I kept my back to him.
“Sharlena and I aren’t together. She’s a friend.”
Inside, I was jumping for joy. On the outside, I kept my expression controlled, even though he couldn’t see it.
“Oh, sorry, I thought she was your girlfriend.”
“She’s not. Sharlena and her brother, Sawyer, who was the guy with us, asked me out to dinner. It had been a while since we’d hung out. They told me I’ve been working too much.”
“You do seem to work a lot. That’s why I don’t want you to do any more rescues for at least two months after I have you fully recovered. We don’t want to make all that you’ve accomplished be for nothing.”
From there, our conversation revolved around his care with me. I told him to come again this week, and by then I’d know where he stands regarding discharge. There was no more talk about dates. My body refused to relax until he was walking out the door with his next appointment booked. Since he was the last appointment of the day, I was free to complete my charting and any other work. My staff finished up their last duties and clocked out. That left me alone with my thoughts once again. And they kept going back to Reign, no matter how hard I fought.
Sinner:
I wasn’t in the mood to hear any bullshit. The truth was, I hadn’t been since ending my treatment with Anastasia on Tuesday. Hearing that she was dating the guy and that he had her family’s blessing had pissed me off. I was happy to inform her that Sharlena was only a friend, though it didn’t matter. Anastasia was clearly involved with Sam.
I came into work yesterday in a foul mood. Everyone avoided me. That wasn’t how I typically was with people, but I wasn’t able to stop myself. Walking into work this morning, I knew it would be a repeat of yesterday unless I found a way to distract myself or get over my unrequited feelings for Anastasia Shah.
Sitting behind my desk, I got to work. At nine fifteen a.m., my cell phone rang. Looking at it, I saw the chiropractor’s office number. I answered it immediately.
“Hello, Reign speaking,” I said.
“Hello, Mr. Caldwell, this is Morgana at Dr. Shah’s office. I’m calling to inform you that we have to cancel your appointment for today.”
Instantly, I tensed. Morgana’s tone was professional, but I detected a wobble in her voice. Usually, she was upbeat.
“Morgana, what’s wrong? What happened?” I asked.
There was a brief pause. I heard a shuddering breath before Morgana answered.
“Mr. Caldwell, I can’t say.”
“My name is Reign. And yes, you can. You’re clearly upset. I know something is wrong. Talk to me.” I put command in my voice to match the concern.
Her response was ragged. “Dr. Shah was hurt last night. She’s not able to come to work. It’s not life-threatening, but we’re not sure how long she’ll be unable to see patients. We’ll let you know once we know.”
Alarm radiated through my body and mind at the thought of Anastasia being hurt. “Where is she? Which hospital?”
“I can’t tell you that. I’m sorry. I have others to call. Have a nice day. I’ll call when I can reschedule. Goodbye,” she said, then hung up before I had a chance to push.
Knowing calling her back wouldn’t work, I started the hunt myself. I rang my assistant, Janeen.
“Janeen, I need you to call the hospitals in and around Nashville. I want to know which one Anastasia Shah is in. They won’t tell you if you ask if she’s there. Instead, act as if you’re calling to connect with her room. These calls take priority. Let me know as soon as you have it,” I said impatiently.
“Of course, Reign. I’ll get right on it,” she replied, and then the phone was hung up.
I stood and paced in my office. No work would be done until I knew where she was. When I wasn’t pacing, I stared out the window at downtown. It was as if I thought that doing so would reveal a neon sign flashing her location. I was aware of ten hospitals in Nashville. A few additional ones were children’s hospitals, and one was for Veterans only, so those could be excluded.
