Page 16 of All I Need (Hearts of the South)
* * * * *
For an early Monday morning, the ER was quiet and mostly empty, although Savannah knew better than to voice that observation. As soon as anyone said it, they’d be swamped. She checked in on the patient in exam two, an older man waiting to be admitted to the cardiac floor. She jotted a note on the feed spitting out of the EKG. From the hall behind her, the murmur of male voices drifted over her.
She frowned and tucked her pen in her chest pocket. Was that Emmett?
The hallway lay empty when she exited the room, but sure enough “Beck” had been entered on the board next to the spot for exam one. Concern tightened her chest a moment. “Lorraine, who has exam one?”
“Mackey.” Lorraine didn’t look up from the insurance information she was keying in. “It’s primary, though, not emergency. He sees a lot of the local law-enforcement guys when they can come in versus having them make an appointment during their shift.”
The explanation made perfect sense, especially as primary-care offices could book quickly in a rural area, making convenient appointments hard to come by. So the little knot of worry that wanted to wedge between her ribs was ridiculous. She leaned on the counter and opened her topmost chart. Another example of ridiculousness—SGM had to get this ER fully online. They wasted more time on paperwork, when everything could and should be centralized electronically.
A sharp sound of discomfort traveled through the door to exam one, and she tensed. The quiet, soothing note of Mackey’s voice did little to ease the stress wanting to tighten her shoulders.
Long moments later, the door swung open.
“…what is it with you and needles anyway?” Emmett’s disgruntled voice carried to her.
“Quickest way to check it.” Mackey grabbed the chart from the bucket by the door. “And it’s clear, so why are you griping? Keep an eye on it, let me know if anything changes, and keep your appointment with Delk.”
“Yes, sir.” Emmett chuckled, an ironic sound. “Should I salute?”
“Not necessary. Just follow orders.” Mackey handed him a copy of the discharge sheet. “Seriously, call me if you need to. Better safe than sorry.”
Mackey crossed to the counter and dropped the chart on his stack. Savannah glanced up as Emmett stepped into the hallway. A smile brightened his face, crinkling the tanned skin around his eyes. “Hey.”
“Good morning.”
Mackey gestured between them. “You know each other.”
“Neighbors.”
Mackey nodded. “I’m going to go grab some breakfast while we’re in a lull.”
“No problem.” Savannah waited until he disappeared down the hall. She gestured at Emmett, his expression slightly pained. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” He looked sheepish. “Some redness along the bottom of my incision. I’m kind of paranoid about infection. Mackey says it’s clear, though.”
“That’s good.” She flicked a finger at his neatly pressed khakis and blue buttondown. “First day?”
He nodded, then cleared his throat. “So are we a go for tonight?”
“Sure.” Since she’d covered multiple shifts over the weekend, she’d not seen him in person, but he’d texted her to set up tentative dinner plans. She let her gaze trail over his handsome features and the muscles of his arms, a little twinge of desire stinging in her belly. Maybe she would plan on them being a go for real. Maybe finally sating the sexual need would help her feel like she was actually moving forward. “I’ll text you later and we can make some definite plans.”
“Sounds great.” He leaned in almost imperceptibly and paused. With a glance around, he straightened, rapped a knuckle on the counter and nodded. “Have a great day.”
“You too.” Had he thought about kissing her in that brief moment before he pulled back? The thought made her more wistful than it should. Yes, sex was the way to go—it would satisfy the craving she seemed to have for physical closeness with him and help her shed these crazy urges to be more than his friend and bedmate. She watched him confer quietly with Lorraine then disappear through the waiting room door. She didn’t know about their dinner plans, but she would make some plans for their after-dinner activities for sure.
* * * * *
Six o’clock found Emmett turning into the complex parking lot right behind Savannah’s Mercedes. Via text messages, they’d settled on dinner together, but he’d stayed longer at the department than he’d intended, trying to wrap his brain around all the paperwork and procedures he was inheriting from Tick Calvert. He liked a challenge, though, always had, and Calvert’s confidence in him boosted his ego. He hadn’t realized until today his recuperation had been such a hit to his confidence.
He jockeyed the truck into his spot, and Savannah met him on the breezeway before their respective apartments. She looked up, hair slipping free from her messy knot, and the smile she graced him with could be described as nothing other than sultry.
“I’m glad you’re late. I got hung up with a patient, then had to stop at the store.” She hefted a shopping bag. “I’d love a shower before we get started on this.”
“Yeah, me too.” He frowned at the sack. “You don’t want to go out?”
“I thought we’d stay in and cook together.”
