Page 93 of Bleeding Hearts Duet

“No, Brighton. You weren’t here this morning.”

I ignored the harshness of his tone as I desperately sought a way to fix this.

“I’ll leave if you discharge yourself,” I threatened.

“No, you won’t.” He called my bluff.

The doctor looked at us like we were both crazy before shaking his head.

“What if he hired a nurse?” I asked.

“He really should be here, Miss. Valentine, it’s the best place for him.”

“I’m not staying,” Ryland grated.

The doctor sighed and gestured to one of the nurses as he walked out of the room. “Very well, Mr. Bennett. I’ll prepare to have you discharged from our care.”

***

“Where are you going?” I asked the nurse as she moved towards the front door.

“He told me I’m no longer needed.” She crossed her arms indignantly. “I don’t know why you even bothered wasting my time.”

I noticed the fat stack of cash in her hand and thought it couldn’t have inconvenienced her too much.

“Look, you can’t leave,” I begged.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “but he’s the patient, and he’s refusing my care. There’s nothing more I can do.”

I nearly toppled over from exhaustion as I stared at the list of everything I still had to do. Ryland needed groceries, and I still had to clean the kitchen since I hadn’t had the foresight to organize someone else.

The nurse clearly saw my frustration and took pity on me.

“I’ll tell you what you need to do,” she gentled her tone. “If that will help.”

“Please,” I encouraged, collapsing onto the barstool.

“You’ll need to change the bandages daily,” she explained, pulling supplies from her bag and setting them on the counter.

She demonstrated how to do it in slow and simple steps and explained what I needed to look out for as far as signs of infection went.

I felt better with the information, but my chest still tightened as she walked towards the door.

“Thank you,” I blurted.

She gave me a gentle smile and shook her head. “Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, Miss Valentine.”

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