Page 23 of Black Wave

I give her the biggest smile because she just made my night. Ignoring her quest for more information about Ethan, I deflect. “Thank god you’re here. It’s been hell today.”

Liv attempts to stifle a laugh but fails miserably. “You say that every shift, Emma.”

“I only say that because it’s true,” I counter. I carefully finish counting the narcotics in the bin before closing it. “I hope your night is better, but looking at the stacks of pending charts…” I trail off, giving her a sympathetic frown.

“Judging by the waiting room as I entered this place, I think I’m forever and eternally fucked tonight.” Liv brings her hand to her temple with what I think is a weak attempt to ward off an impending headache.

I fling my arm around my best friend, but it is more like around her back because, damn, that girl is tall. “Well, let’s hope nothing memorable happens.” I release her side and push my remaining charts into her hands. Liv groans.

“Come on, Liv, I’ll give you a report on my patients. Room ten has some pain meds ordered, and I’ll give her those before I leave. Can you reassess her pain in a bit?” I walk away with a little skip in my step, knowing my shift is almost done for the evening. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to give you a report on the rest of my patients. The sooner I do, the sooner I can get my drink tonight.”

I finish my last remaining task and go to find Liv again. I am finishing my sign-out when I realize she is only half listening. I stop mid-sentence, scanning her eyes for clues as to why she is so distracted. If I had to gamble money on it, I bet it would be about her on-and-off-again boyfriend, Brodie. Now there’s a douche canoe if I ever met one. But, hey? What can I do but support my friend in her bad decisions? I am certainly not one toadvise about the best choices, considering all I lost because of it. I quickly shut that thought down; instead, I refocus on Liv.

“You know that we will all miss you tonight, right? It’s the last time for a long time that we can get together.”

“You have no idea how jealous I am right now, Em.” I put both arms out and up toward her much taller stature and pull my girl in for a big embrace.

Liv reminds me that she will see us tomorrow and to take plenty of pics so it will seem like she is there with us. “Of course, you know I will. I expect to meet up with the whole gang tonight and will send you a ton of pics.” I remind her about going straight to bed after her shift because I am only giving her a few hours of sleep before I pick her up for the last days of spring break on Padre Island. I grab my stuff by slinging my tote around my shoulder.

“I expect a large iced coffee and a greasy breakfast burrito when you pick me up.”

That cracks me up because as much as Liv eats, the girl doesn’t gain an ounce of weight. Ugh.

“Naturally,” I retort. “Only the breakfast of champions for my bestie.” I wave my hands over my head in a good-bye as I exit.

I spare one last glance at Liv to witness Dr. Hall’s attention on her. He sends me a playful wink. I roll my eyes, turning my head toward the revolving door. I put on my sunglasses and take a cleansing breath of fresh, salty air before I head out into the Texas sun.

I place my scrubs in the sanitizing cycle of the washer and walk naked into the bathroom to take a scalding-hot shower. The hot water does wonders to wake my body up after working a gruelingtwelve-hour shift and rid my body of the emergency department germs. I sigh in contentment as I step onto my bedroom’s fluffy faux fur rug. The apartment is cool, and the scent of lavender in the infuser provides a sense of calm energy as I scan the contents of my closet for an outfit to wear tonight. I hear my phone sound with an incoming text.

Ainsley and Val

Hey, girl. Running a bit later. See you in an hour.

*Kissing emoji.

Emma

Alrighty.

I relax, knowing that I can count on the girls to never be here on time. I have a little longer to decompress. I make my way into the kitchen with a little skip in my step as I grab my favorite bottle of red and pour myself a glass of Freakshow wine.

I return to my closet and stare at the choices. I’m resolved to play some music. Walking over to my speaker, I hit my favorite song. Twin Temple’s “I Know How to Hex You” blares out through the Bluetooth speaker. I sway back and forth to the rock and roll doo-wop sounds of Alexandra James’s sultry voice.

I finish up my glass of wine and decide on a black romper with a fishnet-looking top. I braid each side of my hair and twist it back into a messy ponytail. I pair it with some black patent wedge loafers. I hate that my life has become shoes I could potentially run in, but better safe than sorry. Looking down at the wedged heel, I wonder if maybe I should change into my Converse sneakers. Hm. What should I do? Fuck my life.

I resist the urge to channel my sensible side by pouring another glass of wine. As I place the glass on my bedside tableout of sight, I notice the dark-purple lipstick residue lingers on the edge of it, and I go to the mirror to reapply more before I leave. I hear a knock at the door, and I quickly throw my lipstick in my purse before heading to answer it. I don’t have to look to see who it is because Ainsley and Val are so loud.

I open the door with a flourish, and they come barging in. “Hey, Em!” they both say in unison, hugging me from each side. I lift my arms and gather them for a group hug, rocking each other back and forth.

“Are you ready to go?” Ainsley asks, releasing me as Val barrels toward the bathroom.

“Just gotta pee before we go,” she yells, already shutting the door.

“I swear that girl has a squirrel bladder.” Ainsley throws her hand over her forehead, shaking her head back and forth. She turns her attention to me. “You look nice.”

She eyes my outfit, and I chuckle at her accusatory tone. They are both wearing flip-flops and tiny sundresses. It is the typical outfit here because it is so hot. I reserved that for my bathing suit at the beach. Of course, they just throw on little shorts and no shirt over their bikini top or wear it all day. Val comes back out, announcing she is ready, and that’s all the motivation we need to have us heading for the door.

We all pile into the car and head out to The Surfboard Bar and Grill. This place is a hang-out that we frequent. It has good food, live music, dancing, and fabulous drinks. It is located on the water, so with luck, we will have a little breeze coming in or just some hot steam. One or the other, we will likely find out soon enough.

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