Rich’s graying beard was perfectly trimmed around his pursed smile. “Definitely a light night. How’s the Cox girl doing?”
“Fine,” I muttered, filling up my thermos with steaming black goodness. “I feel like I’ve seen their name before.”
Rich nodded. “I’m sure you have. That family was all over the news for a long time. The dad, Reggie Cox, was a big-time Otters player, and his son just got on the team. That girl in there, Myla, she is a big deal in her own right—scouted for the Olympic skating team and everything. Reggie hit the bottle real hard when he couldn’t be on the ice anymore and not too long ago killed a whole family in a drunk-driving accident. Real sad, if you ask me. One minute you have everything and then the next, your life is a one-way ticket to hell.”
I stood in shock, trying to process the horror Rich had described. How could one family go through all that crap? And now the mom was dead on top of all of it. When is enough, enough?
“That’s just so heartbreaking. How does a family survive something like that?”
Rich shrugged. “They really got the shit end of the stick, for damn sure.” Checking his watch, Rich shoved away from the table.
“Gonna check on her?” I asked.
He nodded. “Take a load off. Lord knows you work hard enough for all of us. You deserve a quick break.”
Taking a seat in a cold, plastic chair, I watch as Rich leaves the room. You’d think the hospital would want the break room to be comfortable for their staff, but it was the complete opposite. The stark white walls were bare, and dull gray and blue covered the rest of the small space. There was a microwave and a large white refrigerator that were both practically dinosaurs and made crazy noises from time to time for no reason at all. Even though it wasn’t the most inviting of spaces, it suited its purpose.
My hands shook as I thought about the Cox family. One minute they were on the top of the world, and the next their lives had crumbled into the rubble of broken dreams. After slurping down the last drops of coffee, I tried to put my emotions to the side. That was the hardest part of my job for me—separating my emotions and not bringing the sadness home with me. I said a silent prayer for Myla and her brother and rinsed out my cup.
I did my rounds, doing coffee-fueled passes through each of the ICU patients’ rooms to make sure everything was going well for them. The rest of my shift was smooth for the most part, other than an older lady screaming to high heaven about needing more pain pills after a spine surgery from three in the morning until the end of my shift. My heart went out to her, but there was nothing I could do other than call her pain management doctor and let him take it from there. Nothing really to write home about when it was all said and done. Myla was doing well, and that was all I really cared about.
Chapter 1
Karla
Igotto my car in the parking lot and pulled out my phone. I scrolled through until I found Brayden’s contact before rattling off a quick text to him:
Just letting you know, your sister did great overnight. I gave your number to the day nurse and will check in later to see how you two are doing. Take care – Karla.
Checking the dash, I saw that it was half past seven in the morning. I hoped my message didn’t wake him, but it was better for him to have some piece of mind to wake up to than hearing nothing at all and panicking first thing in the morning.
The short drive from the hospital to my apartment was a blur. One of the main reasons I hated working nights was how freaking tired I was every morning when I was heading home. They say tired driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving, and they are right, for sure.
“Hey, handsome.” I threw my keys into the dish next to the front door of the apartment I shared with my boyfriend and our two dogs. I tiredly shuffled my feet as I made my way into the living room while our overly hyper miniature Pinschers jumped around, crying for me to scoop them up.
James’ work boots were propped up on the coffee table as he flipped through the news channels. I leaned down, grabbing Nike and Thor to cradle them in my arms as I slipped out of my work sneakers. Giving in to their bad behavior was never something I liked doing, but I was too tired to discipline; giving in was way easier. I started to giggle as they licked my cheeks, wiggling in my arms.
“Hey, sexy pants! How was work?” James asked, getting up from the gray corduroy loveseat. “Want some eggs?”
It was just about eight in the morning and I knew I was supposed to want breakfast, but all I wanted was my bed. “When are you heading to the jobsite?” I asked, deflecting.
James started to rub my shoulders as his ice blue eyes peered into mine. There was something so calming about the way he gently looked at me, like he was seeing into my soul, deep down, into the raw parts of me; it was my favorite part about our relationship. With a deep breath, I let my shoulders relax in his strong, callused hands.
His low gruff voice whispered, “I don’t have to be in for a few more hours. Go soak in a bath for a bit and I will whip up some food. Then, I will be out of your hair for the rest of the day so you can sleep off that pesky night shift of yours.”
How did I get this lucky?
Getting up on my tiptoes, I kissed James on his stubbly cheek, handing him our dogs. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” I asked, turning to head to my favorite place in my home: the large Roman tub. It was the only reason I even agreed to move there.
“Yes, but it is always nice to hear.” He smacked my butt after setting the dogs down in front of their food bowls, and their tails wagged feverishly in anticipation of their own breakfast.
I heard kibble being poured into the porcelain bowls as I shut the door to my lavender bathroom. James called it mylady caveand let me make our bathroom as girly as I wanted. It was a fair trade for him turning our second bedroom into a home office that was more of a man-boy dream house.
Steam started to bellow up from the filling tub as I tossed in a bright blue bath bomb. An intoxicating sent of lavender and mint filled up the small space and I sank down into the calming water.
There was nothing better than a nice long bath after working a twelve-hour shift. My phone vibrated a few times on the edge of the tub. “Thank goodness for waterproof cases,” I muttered out loud to myself, grabbing it to check the messages, praying it wasn’t work saying I had to go in on my night off.
Brayden: Thank you for letting me know. I am heading that way now. Hope you get some rest after a long night shift.