Page 28 of Fourteen of a Kind

“I have to go. I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay. Have a safe flight.”

My pager went off. After looking at it, I went up to the ICU to check on Mr. Connolly. When I stepped inside, I saw a woman at his bedside with tears in her eyes, holding his hand.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Kind.”

“Are you the one who saved my fiancé?”

“Me and a couple of other doctors.” I smiled. “Mr. Connolly, how are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” he sleepily spoke.

I checked his vitals, and he was stable.

“It came out of nowhere,” he said. “I tried to fight it the best I could.”

“What matters is you’re safe and going to be okay.” I smiled. “The nurses will take good care of you.”

“What about his arm and hand?” his fiancée asked.

“There was a lot of tissue damage, but Dr. Conner Kind was able to save it. You’re still going to need multiple surgeries. He’ll be in tomorrow to discuss that with you. For now, you need to rest.” I placed my hand on his arm.

“Thank you, Dr. Kind.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll check on you in the morning.”

After my shift ended, I grabbed Thai food on my way home. I took it to the patio and sat in the lounger. My dad walked over.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Hi, sweetheart.” He sat in the lounger beside me.

“Thai food?” I asked.

“No, thanks. Your mom made a great dinner. I heard about you and Dr. Malone. What’s going on, Ella?”

“Of course you did.” I sighed. “Dad, it was nothing.”

“You lied to him about who you were. Why would you do that?”

“Why did you when you went on vacation?” I smirked. “I heard the stories over the years.”

“I guess you got me.” A smile crossed his lips. “But that was different. Your uncles and I didn’t want women stalking us after we left. Did you sleep with him?”

“Dad, come on. No, I didn’t. I don’t know. An art student studying at NYU just sounded normal.”

“Sweetheart, you are normal. A gifted kind of normal.”

“And too much for some guys.” I set my plate down.

“You know better than that, Ella. You are who you are, and in a few years, you’ll meet the right man.”

“A few years?” I laughed. “Thanks, Dad.”

He stood up and kissed the top of my head. “I have to get back to the house. I promised Willow I’d help her with her homework. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

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