Page 64 of Moonshot

“I told you to never touch me again. That’s it. I’ve been working nonstop for you for weeks to get your patients seen with you gone all the time. I haven’t dared call out sick. And now you have the nerve to come in here when my head’s down and touch me again? And you don’t have to bother threatening my job! I’ll quit before working another day here with you!”

That’s it. I see red. Any logic is lost in this moment as I come around the desk, grabbing Stark by the collar and throwing him up against the wall. Bearing my forearm into his throat, it’s all I can do not to snap it like a twig.

“Mick, don’t,” Ava pleads. “He’s not worth you getting into any trouble.”

“I don’t give a fuck. You’ve already touched her once and gotten away with it.”

Dr. Dick remains silent, his eyes demonstrating the terror he’s feeling. He better be fucking scared.

“Mick,” Ava again pleads from behind me.

“I don’t know how you live with yourself. She works her ass off for you, and not only do you constantly treat her like shit, but you have the nerve to put your fucking hands on her.”

Suddenly, I hear a gasp behind me that sounds as if it’s coming from Joanie. Whirling around, I notice Dr. Lee’s holding Ava, who’s apparently collapsed in his arms.What the hell?

“Ava!” I yell.

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

Mick

“I’ll call the ER and let them know you’re coming,” Dr. Lee says as he carefully transfers her frail body over to me. I think he can tell arguing about who’s going to carry her down there will fall on deaf ears.

“I’ve got the door, Mick. Do you know how to get to the emergency room from here?” Joanie cries out.

“Yes.”

“I’ll meet you down there as soon as I can close things up here.”

“You go ahead, Joanie. I’ve got this,” Allison interrupts.

I run for the elevator, afraid my nerves will make it impossible to handle three floors of the stairwell carefully. I don’t dare want to drop her. Trevor and Zach, I’m not. I don’t know how they do this every day. As I get to the doors, a kind soul sees me coming and thrusts his hand in between them as they’re closing to allow us entrance.

“Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. She passed out,” I answer. What I want to scream is, ‘Does she fucking look okay?’ How is this happening? Please could something teleport us to the ER so I know she’s all right?You’re scaring the shit out of me, Els.

The doors open as we hit the first floor and someone holding a wheelchair offers it to us. I think I can get there faster if I carry her, not having to worry about Ava flopping over in the chair. “I think I’m faster on foot, thanks.”

I traverse the corridors of the first floor until I find the familiar hallway leading to the ER. “You’re going to be okay, Els. I’ve got you. I’m sorry I upset you, baby.”

Fuck. Please. She has to be okay.

“Over here, sir,” the kind emergency room receptionist greets, pulling me immediately into a triage room to lie Ava on the stretcher. Multiple people descend on us, and I feel like I tell the story of what happened and how she’s been dealing with this migraine about twenty times.

After vital signs are obtained and they’ve gotten an EKG, they move her into an ER room and ask if I can remain seated in the waiting room for a bit so they can get her undressed, draw some lab work, and place an IV.

“Of course. Do whatever you have to do. But can I see her when you’re done?”

Sensing the panic in my voice, the nurse, Meghan it says on her badge, reassures me that she’ll bring me right back as soon as they get Ava settled.

Pacing about the waiting room like a father to be, I run my hand through my hair and keep repeating silent prayers that she’ll be okay.

“Michael.”

Looking up, I see Joanie’s puffy eyes greeting me.

“Is she okay?”

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