Page 29 of Egotistical Jerk
Knowing full well that I couldn't sit in my car all night long, I tugged on the handle and trudged up to my apartment. Once inside the empty, silent space, I went through the motions of getting ready for bed. It didn't matter what I did, Sebastian refused to leave my thoughts.
By the time I flicked off my light, I figured, or rather hoped, that the day's events would at the very least lead to us having a better work relationship.
***
"Oh no, what happened?"
Eyeing the IV in Mrs. DuBois's arm, I rushed into the room and grabbed her patient file. I flipped to the last page and scanned the entries. Apparently, Mrs. DuBois had started throwing up just after midnight the previous night. No matter what they did, she couldn't keep anything down. The IV was keeping her from dehydrating while giving her body some much-needed nutrients.
Furious, I slammed the file shut.
"They should've called me."
With vehemence, I hooked the file back to the bed and started for the door. My steps faltered when Mrs. DuBois called my name. Her voice was low and raspy. I'd never heard her sound so weak before.
Rooted to the spot, I looked at her over my shoulder. Even from where I was standing, I could see her hand shake as she patted the space beside her. My eyes traveled up her arm, lingering on the IV for a few seconds before settling on her face. Her very pale, skinny face. Gosh, it looked like she'd lost ten pounds overnight.
I wanted to stomp out of the room to go find the nurse who'd been on duty that night and demand her to tell me why the hell she didn't call me when it was clear as day thatmypatient needed me.
The only thing stopping me from doing that was the look on Mrs. DuBois's face. Perching my hands on my hips, I lowered my chin and took a few steadying breaths. Slowly, I turned and parked my butt on the spot she'd patted.
"How are you feeling?" I hated asking when the answer was clear as day in front of me.
"Better… now."
Her words were soft and slow, and it damn near broke my heart. In all the time I'd been here, this woman had been upbeat and chirpy. Seeing her like this was awful. I knew she hated it too, so, even though I didn't feel remotely cheery, I tried to lighten the mood.
"Aunt Vera is going to flip when I tell her the lemon bars made you sick."
I could tell it took effort for her lips to stretch into the tiny smile she was gracing me with. "Don't you dare, missy. I want more."
"I promise as soon as your body can handle it, I'll get you your fix," I said with a wink. A tiny bit of pressure eased off my chest when a hint of sparkle touched her eyes.
"Good." She leaned closer, looking mischievous. "Has Sebastian kissed you yet?"
Clearly, I'd mastered the art of choking on air. I smacked my chest; trying my damndest to catch my breath. It didn't help.
"Wha- why… I'm so confused right now."
Beside me, Mrs. DuBois's face lit up—well, as much as it could under the circumstances.
"Don't play dumb. The two of you might have everyone else fooled, but these," she pointed two shaky fingers at her eyes. "See everything. All that fighting is really just pent-up sexual frustration."
Yeah, my ears were hot and my cheeks were definitely red. "No more soap operas for you, Mrs. DuBois. It's giving you a fertile imagination."
She laughed then. It wasn't a full-blown guffaw but enough to bring a smile to my face. Resting her head against my arm, she patted my leg. "Change the channel, will you? I thinkDaysis on."
I looked at her without turning my head. "I just told you no more soaps."
"You lied," she countered. "Just like you're lying to yourself about Sebastian."
She didn't even bother looking at me, her gaze firmly trained on the TV hanging from the ceiling.
I wasn't going to tell her that she was right. Instead, I changed the channel and said, "Just this once."
Her beloved soap had been over for almost thirty minutes, but I couldn't bring myself to move. This overwhelming need to stay with her, to let her know she wasn't alone had rooted itself deep inside me. Logically, I knew I had to get up and do my job. There was a hospital full of sick patients in need of treatment.
Mrs. DuBois just needed me more at that moment.
