Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Cade
A knock sounds on the door, and the moment Lance walks in, I want to punch him.
There’s something in his smug demeanor that instantly rattles me.
Just laying my eyes on him for a second has my hands balled into fists and red-hot anger washing through me.
I’m sure if I didn’t know about his past with Oaklee, I wouldn’t quite feel this harshly about him, but I’m certain I would have pegged him for an asshole regardless.
“Mr. Miller, I’m Dr. Williams. Nice to meet you,” he says politely, yet I don’t get any of warm fuzzies from this guy. I also can’t help but notice how he emphasizes his title, like him being a doctor immediately makes him superior to everyone else.
Fucker.
“Call me Cade,” I reply, leaving off the part about it being nice to meet him too.
It’s not.
He pulls out the tray beneath my legs, extending them forward. “Can you tell me what happened?” he asks, looking at my cut.
I run through the details, keeping them basic and to the point.
“So,” he starts, walking over and washing his hands in the little sink before placing gloves on his hands. “You’re a construction worker, huh?” His eyes hold a touch of humor, like he finds the fact I’m in that line of work to be far beneath him.
“I am,” I reply proudly. I won’t degrade what I do, not to him and not to anyone else. My job is hard, challenging, and rewarding. Not to mention I work outside in the heat of summer and, at times, the cold of winter, often as vehicles and semis race past me on the interstate.
He moves the flesh around the wound to get a look inside. I’ll admit, it doesn’t feel the best, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to show any sign of weakness where this guy is concerned.
“Nurse, let’s get a suture kit and lidocaine. It looks like five or six stitches are needed to close the wound properly.”
I don’t know if he’s trying to sound professional or what, but referring to Oaklee by her title instead of her name pisses me off even more.
“Of course,” she responds politely, excusing herself to exit the room.
He examines my injury a bit more, the silence in the room almost deafening before he says without looking up at me, “So, I hear we have some common interests.”
“Yeah? What’s that? You like fishing and camping too?” I ask, knowing full well that’s not what he means, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to make this easy on him.
He makes a face of annoyance. “No, I don’t have time for things like that. Being a doctor is very time-consuming.”
“I’m sure it is,” I reply, hoping he gets to his point soon.
“I hear you’re friends with Oaklee.”
“You seem to hear a lot,” I reply, crossing my arms over my chest.
“This small-town thing is foreign to me. Everyone talks,” he states, finally scooting back on his little stool and meeting my gaze.
I just stare back at him, refusing to acknowledge his statement.
He sighs and crosses his arms. “Look, Cade, I understand your attraction to her. She’s hot. But Oaklee can be…difficult.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Difficult? Yeah, I suppose finding your boyfriend having an affair and breaking up with him would be cause for being labeled problematic.”
“You know nothing of our relationship,” he retorts.
“I know you don’t have a relationship,” I reply, feeling a bit proud of myself for the comeback and the irritation that washes over his face.
“Maybe not at this moment, but she’s always come back to me.”
“Not this time, Dr. Williams,” I state smugly and don’t even try to hide it.
He opens his mouth to counter, but there’s a quick rap at the door, followed by Oaklee entering the room.
“I have everything we need. I apologize for it not being available in the room,” she says, setting everything down on the counter before turning her gaze to me and adding, “the room we usually use for these types of procedures is being utilized by a specialist at the moment.”
“No worries,” I reply softly. “The good doc and I were just getting acquainted a bit.”
Something that resembles panic flashes through her features. “Oh?” she asks, somewhat hoarsely.
“Yep. He was just informing me how different a small town is to the city lifestyle he’s used to.
You know, all the gossip and busybodies,” I say.
“Nothing is secret in a place like Cooper Town. Everyone talks about everything. You know, who broke up, who’s cheating on who…
” I leave the statement hanging, the weight of my words heavy.
Lance clears his throat. “Nurse, I want to irrigate this wound. Since he was working outside, and I’m sure the jobsite is dirty, anything could have gotten in here. Let’s get him numbed up.”
He turns his attention to the lidocaine and preps the syringe.
I glance at Oaklee, and even though she’s wearing tension lines around her eyes and mouth, she still looks positively beautiful.
I can tell working with this asshole is taking a toll on her, and I hate it.
If I could somehow pull her away from him forever, I would.
But she doesn’t need a knight in shining armor.
She needs a friend who stands by her side, and if needed, steps in front of her to protect her from the Lances of the world.
Lance heads my way. “Wish I could say this wasn’t going to sting a little, but it will.” And he smiles.
“I can handle a little prick,” I reply, grinning smugly, just as he did when he entered the room.
Oaklee coughs, but I’m pretty sure she did it to cover a laugh. She keeps her focus on what’s on the counter, and her shoulders are drawn up and shaking just a little. Oh, yeah, she’s laughing, and I fucking love it.
Lance rubs an alcohol swab around the wound, and yes, that doesn’t feel so great.
Then, he sticks the needle into the tender skin and pushes the syringe.
There it is. The burn. I hold completely still, refusing to so much as flinch or tense as he pulls the needle out and moves to the other side of the wound and does it again.
I get a third shot, which is just as uncomfortable as the first two.
“Now we wait a few minutes for it to numb up.”
“Great, you got a TV or a Mad Libs book?”
His eyebrows arch up. “Mad Libs?”
“You know, a fun book to keep me occupied while I wait.”
“It’s going to be three minutes.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I need a little more time. I do my best work when I’m not rushed and can really take my time and savor the fun.” I go ahead and give him a Cheshire cat grin just to goad him a bit more.
His ears turn red, and his mouth is in a tight, straight line. I almost laugh out loud.
Good, asshole. Serves you right.
Oaklee spins around, holding a stack of papers tightly against her chest. “Dr. Williams, I have the paperwork filled out and ready for you to finish.”
He nods, reaching a privileged hand out for her to walk closer and give him the papers, which she does. He scans the documents, but I pay no attention to him. My gaze is on the beautiful nurse. She’s a bit more relaxed now that we’re getting down to business.
“How does it feel?” Lance asks, scooting beside the table once more. Before I can reply, he reaches out and taps the skin around the wound. “Can you feel this?”
“Naw, I’m good,” I reply.
“All right, Nurse, let’s flush it out with saline,” he instructs.
I watch them work, mentally noting how they work decently together, but more because their professionalism has taken over, not because they have chemistry. When it comes time for the stitches, Oaklee brings a tray on wheels over and positions it right next to Lance.
“Ready, Mr. Miller?”
“Yes—no, wait, Doc. I need something for comfort.” Extending my hand toward Oaklee, she nibbles her bottom lip to keep from smiling.
“There’s a teddy bear in the other room I can grab for you,” she teases, earning a smile from me.
“No need, beautiful. I’ve got something better than a teddy bear,” I insist, taking her hand and holding it tight.
Not because I truly need the comfort, and not because Lance’s beady little eyes are shooting daggers at me.
I take her hand simply for the fact it’s an opportunity to hold it. “Ready, Dr. Williams.”
I watch as he puts six stitches in my leg, closing the wound up nicely. He actually did a good job, if you ask me. Looks clean and straight, and I won’t have a jagged scar across my shin. “All done?”
“Yes,” he replies, removing his gloves and tossing them in the trash.
“We’ll cover it for you, and you’ll want to keep it dry for forty-eight hours.
Wrap it in Saran Wrap when you shower and try not to let water pour on it or down your leg.
After that, you can remove the cover and wash it with clean water two times a day but no scrubbing or submerging it in water like tubs or pools.
Take pain reliever as needed. Watch for redness or infection around the wound.
Return in seven to ten days to have the stitches removed.
” He spoke monotone, as if he was reciting instructions he read from a handbook.
“Thanks, Dr. Williams. You did a great job. You’ve got a real gentle hand,” I compliment with a smile.
He just stares at me, trying to gauge my sincerity, I’m sure. There’s not much of it in my statement. I mean, the guy did a good job, but he’s still a douche. “You should take the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours off work.”
“Nope,” I reply, as Oaklee pushes the footrest back in, so I can lower my legs. “I’ll be fine. I’ll keep it clean, but I need to work tomorrow.”
“It’s Saturday,” he states unnecessarily.
I’m well aware of what day of the week it is.
We’re pushing to finish up a state job before layoff season hits.
Lance just stares at me for several seconds, and I can tell he’s ready to argue.
Why? Simply because this is something I want, and he can deny it.
“Listen, I’ve had stitches before. I know what to do and not to do. I’ll be fine at work.”