BECCA SAT DOWN on a bench in the small outdoor courtyard with a diet Coke and a pack of peanut butter crackers. Not because she was hungry but because she hoped they would settle the upset stomach she’d had all day.
As she nibbled at a cracker, her gaze traced over the open rectangular space. Surrounded on three sides by the towering hospital, it was a favorite hangout for staff seeking a bit of fresh air and a short reprieve from the demanding pace inside the hospital. Here and there, people filled benches, talked on cell phones, or clustered around the one corner where smoking was permitted.
Just another hour left to go. Which was good, because being at work instead of out looking for Charlie was making her crazy. With everything that was going on, her brain had struggled all day to remain present. And being distracted was always a bad thing to be in the ER.
She cracked open the soda and took a sip. Thank God she didn’t have to stay into the evening. Weekend nights were always the worst. By 5:00 p.m., the crap would really start hitting the fan, but she’d be long gone by then. Maybe Nick would take her to meet his PI friend, or they could go talk to Charlie’s neighbors. She just needed to do something. Anything, really. Then later, would she be staying at her house or Nick’s? She’d have thought her preference would’ve been clear, but she found herself thinking about how nice it was to eat dinner with someone, and have somebody with whom to share the day ahead over breakfast.
It had been a long time since she’d had anything close to that in her life. Becca dated occasionally, when she had the time, energy, and inclination—which hadn’t happened often since her father died, truth be told. But even before then, she just hadn’t met anyone who really made her feel.
I want to make you hold onto that bag while I bury myself in you so hard and so deep you don’t know your own name.
The erotic promise of his words slammed her into the memory of being pressed against Nick’s body, both of them sweating and breathing hard, the undeniable urge to have him coursing through her, the taste of his skin in her mouth, the strong grip of his hands on her skin. The feelings had been so overwhelming because she’d truly never felt anything that emotionally and physically intoxicating before.
Not until Nick freaking Rixey.
And, God help her, she would’ve entertained Nick’s desires if what he’d said afterward hadn’t overwhelmed her with guilt.
After hours of trying to balance her worry for Charlie against the needs that her unfulfilled arousal demanded, she felt more than a little strung out.
A long yawn rolled out of her, the result of the restless night’s sleep and a crazy day. Around eleven o’clock this morning, someone made the cardinal mistake of saying it looked like a quiet day. Like clockwork, the emergency department got slammed.
Two multi-victim MVAs. A kid with a 105 temp. An overdose. A GI bleed. Several cases of garden-variety chest and abdominal pain. And those were just the ones she remembered off the top of her head.
“I don’t usually get to see you, girl. How you been?” Her pink scrubs bringing out the warm tones in her brown skin, Janeese Evans plunked down on the bench.
Becca managed a small smile at the nurse she’d gone through orientation with years before. Now they tended to work different shifts, but with Becca covering for someone, their paths had crossed. “I’m so-so. How are you?” she asked, resisting venting her fear and frustration at the woman. For the thousandth time, she found herself wishing her best friend, Cassie, still lived in Baltimore. It would’ve been nice to have someone to talk to about all this, but Cassie had moved to Chicago with her new husband right after their wedding two years ago. Now they Skyped every couple of weeks when life didn’t get in the way. Becca didn’t feel close enough to any of her other friends to dump something this serious on them, and wasn’t that a sad statement.
Once they got Charlie back, Becca vowed to pull her life together. Spend more time with Charlie. Take a class. Volunteer for a charity. She’d been doing a little too much going through the motions lately, and that was a damn shame. If anyone knew how fleeting life could be, it was her.
“I’m good. Tyler just turned two.” Janeese beamed, and an empty ache took up residence in Becca’s chest.
“No way. How the heck did that happen already?” Becca didn’t begrudge her friend an iota of happiness, but if Becca was honest, she was lonely. It wasn’t something she dwelled on or let herself feel sorry about, but there was no denying that the past year or two had sorta kicked her butt. Joking around with Nick and Jeremy in their kitchen last night had been a stark contrast to her usual solo routine. Even though she didn’t know them well, it had felt nice to be a part of a family for a few hours, even if from the periphery.
“I know. It’s crazy. He’s so big and never stops talking and chasing the dog. Hey, are you okay?” She leaned forward. “What happened to your face?” The woman arched a questioning brow.