Page 53 of Forced Proximity
I snickered as I looked at him over my shoulder just before winding my way through the nurses’ station and coming to a stop next to my “spot.”
I set the drink down, then turned to Finnian and said, “I have to get to work. But thank you for the coffee. And everything.”
His eyes warmed. “You did just as much for me, Silla.”
I smiled. “I haven’t been called ‘Silla’ since my grandmother died.”
His eyes softened. “Dru’s cute. But Silla’s better.”
With that, he shoved his hands into his pockets and came out with a phone and… “Is that my wallet?”
“Sure is,” he said as he handed everything over. “New phone, though. Courtesy of your AppleCare plan for loss. Everything there is exactly how it was on your old phone.”
With that, he left, and I stared in awe at my belongings.
But there was something about the wallet that made me pause.
It didn’t have that little mark at the corner from where I liked to pick at it when I held it in my hands.
This one was newer.
Way newer.
As in brand new, because when I opened the wallet up, my cards didn’t start sliding free.
How in the hell…
Ten
I’m a sucker for deep conversations. I wanna know why you’re missing a tooth.
—Apollo’s secret thoughts
APOLLO
When I started to miss her, I would pick up my cell and tap into the cameras at her apartment or work, and stare at her for a half hour.
This time, she wasn’t at any of her usual places, though.
I ended up finding her by accident while I flipped through the hospital’s cameras, hoping to catch sight of her since I knew that she was working today.
She always worked.
She worked more than I thought possible, and she looked like she was close to dragging when I happened upon her walking through the halls of the ER.
I tapped into the audio to hear as she walked and talked with some man I hadn’t seen before dressed in blue scrubs.
“…just floating today. I’m not here long term, so don’t get your hopes up,” Dru said.
The doctor with her chuckled. “We sure do miss you down here. It’s not the same without you.”
“Yeah, but I’m not in a constant state of anxiety anymore, and I don’t see people dying all the time,” Dru pointed out.
“You may have a point,” the man said.
I zoomed in on his nametag and saw “Dr. Phillips, M.D.”
“Where do you want me today, Destiny?” Dru called out to the nurse walking toward her.
