Page 14 of Wildflower Hearts
Lyla bit the inside of her mouth. “Alright. What patient is he with now?”
“A Virgin Abdominal. He’s about done. It’s the last folder.”
“Thank you, Reba. You did an excellent job. I appreciate it.”
“Sure thing. Anything else I can do for you?”
“No, I’m good. Go take a break.”
“I’m definitely not going to argue with that.”
Lyla approached Melissa at the nurse’s station. “How’s the Kingsley kid?”
“Kid? He’s older than you.”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “I’m aware. Come on, what’s his condition?”
“Stable. He still hasn’t woken up. Members of his family have been here off and on. They’re doing this-”
“Shift schedule. Elias told me.”
“Oh, your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
Melissa whistled under her breath with a smile. “Whatever you say, honey.”
“He’s not!”
“Fine-looking man like that could be my boyfriend any day of the week.” Nurse Alice Cook spoke up from behind Melissa. She turned from putting patient leaflets into a mailbox to wink at Lyla. “Or night for that matter.”
“You want him so bad; you can have him. He’s not my boyfriend.” She scooped up the folders and thrust them under her arm. “And I’d appreciate it if you'd not speak that way about a patient’s brother again.”
Alice and Melissa watched her march off, and they nodded at each other. “He’s her boyfriend.”
Only the lamp on the overhead above Noah's bed gave light to the room. The steady beeping of machines was the only sound that met her ears apart from his soft breathing. Lyla was surprised to find him alone.
She approached the bed and pulled a plastic chair close to it. She reached out to hold his hand. “Hi, Noah. You don’t remember me. It was a bit crazy the other day when we first met; it always is. I’m Lyla. I’m your nurse. Your family is here, and they need you to get better as soon as possible, especially your brother Elias. He sure does love to tease you a lot, but he loves you very much.” She kept her gaze on his face, watching his eyes occasionally shift behind his eyelids. “I bet you’re dreaming right now. That’s okay,” she stroked his hand, “but sooner than later, we’re going to need you to come back to us.”
“Elias says he seems to respond the most when you insult him.”
She twisted in the seat, lowering Noah’s hand back to his side, and stood as Mark entered the room. He slid his hands into his coat pockets and glanced at his brother on the bed.
“I’ve never listened to Elias’s ideas before, and I’m not going to start now.”
She nervously placed her hands behind her back. “I’m sorry. He was alone, so I thought I’d…”
“It’s perfectly fine. Noah won’t complain about a pretty girl holding his hand.”
“I’m glad to see he’s doing better.”
“Dr. Stewart said if he kept up this recovery speed, he’d be walking around in no time.”
“We can all hope so. Are you starting your shift?”
“It looks like it’s me for the rest of the night. Elias will swing by when he gets off work. Billy’s daughter has a dance recital, and Debra’s mother is in town visiting from Arizona.”
“Well, if all stays quiet, I can help you.”
