“Send some of that my way, would you?” River elbowed her friend and smiled. “I could use it.”
Otherwise, the next few years were going to be incredibly long.
“I’ll do my best.” Ember held open the door, and River nodded appreciatively, heading to the charging station by the door.
Grabbing a tablet for each of them, she double-checkedthat they were charged. She handed one to Ember, hooking her arm through her best friend’s.
“So, Emmy. Did you meet anyone fun while you were gone? A nice guy or girl?”
“I went on a few dates, but nothing serious.” Ember bumped her hip against River’s. “Besides, you know my motto.”
“Casual is best,” they said in unison, giggling.
Gods above, laughing felt good. Freeing, even. When was the last time River had felt so happy?
“So, there was nothing?” she prodded. “You went to bed alone every night?”
Somehow, she found that hard to believe. She knew her friend, after all.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Ember smirked as they walked towards the elevators. “I got around.”
There it was. “Honestly, I’d expect nothing less from you, Em.”
This was another reason River got along so well with Ember. The fire fae was equally uninterested in long-term relationships, instead preferring to “sample the flavors,” as she called it.
In all the years River had known her best friend, the fire fae had never been on more than three consecutive dates with the same person. Ember seemed to like it that way, and she always had willing bedroom partners lined up.
Ember used to encourage River to be more open with her sexuality, but a few awkward encounters had taught River that she wasn’t one for casual sex. It wasn’t that she had anything against it, but it didn’t fulfill her. Each encounter had left River wanting more, which was out of the question, thanks to her curse.
After the last man she’d had sex with had been a selfish asshole who’d left her sorely wanting in the orgasm-department, she’d decided to stick with her ever-growing collection of vibrators. At leasttheywouldn’t let her down.
They reached the elevators, but before either of them could call it, the doors opened on their own. A human nurse in blue scrubs stood inside. Relief flashed through his eyes as he saw them.
He put out a blood-speckled hand and stopped the elevator doors from closing.
“Doctors Waterborn and Ash. Thank the gods you’re here early.” River had never heard that phrase before in her life. “I was coming to see if anyone was available. We need reinforcements in emergency.”
River glanced at Ember, raising her brows. Her best friend shrugged, and they followed the nurse into the elevator. He mashed the button to close the door, directing them to the second floor.
“It’s been one of those days,” the nurse said wearily. “I swear to the gods, everything that could go wrong has. Every bed is full, there were two accidents on the freeway, and all the available surgeons and residents are currently in the OR.”
“It’s the damned full moon tonight,” Ember said. “It always brings out the crazy in people and fills up the hospital.”
River used to think that things like that were nothing more than old wives’ tales, but the first full moon she’d ever worked had been hectic from dusk until dawn. Ever since then, the cycle had always repeated. It didn’t matter how many doctors and nurses were on the schedule; the full moon was always a chaotic scene.
“Exactly.” The nurse pressed some buttons on his tablet. “And now, we’ve just received word that an ambulance isbringing in a new patient who requires critical care. I’ve called for help, but the closest doctor is half an hour away, thanks to the pileups. It’s been aday.”
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open.
The noise hit River first. Machines beeped, people yelled, and a child on the far side of the room wailed while a doctor stitched the laceration on their arm. It was loud and chaotic, but River didn’t mind it at all. There was a beauty to it, manic in a way that spoke to her soul.
Now, she’d get the chance to actually work. These people needed help, and she could provide it.
Thiswas why River had become a doctor. Why she’d worked so damn hard to graduate at the top of her class. Why she trained every single day, expelling her magic so she didn’t lose control. Why she repeated Eliza’s mantra, reminding herself that her magic was a tool she’d been given.
Here at the hospital, River helped people. Here, she was useful. A bringer of life, not death. Here, she laughed in the face of her curse.
River and Ember hurried to a handwashing station.