Chapter 2
Liza
“Shit, shit, shit.” I ran down the hallway, balancing coffee, my notebook, phone, pens, and of course, my purse kept falling off my shoulder.
My backpack was in my car. I’d filled up my notebook yesterday and needed a new one, but by the time I passed out last night after studying on my laptop, I hadn’t plugged in my cell, which doubled as my alarm.
And it had died sometime in the night, effectively killing my alarm.
So, I’d overslept. It was at times like this that I missed my ex-best friend and ex-roommate, Shelby.
She used to always wake me up when I’d do something stupid like this, which was far more often than I wanted to admit.
But now, Shelby spent most of her time sleeping with my ex-boyfriend.
I didn’t want to think about her, or her betrayal, or the fact that she’d slept with my ex for months before they’d come clean.
Starting off the day with them on my mind was a surefire bet that I’d end up pissy for all my clinicals.
I didn’t like being pissy. Or in a bad mood.
As I ran down the second flight of stairs, ignoring the elevator that would’ve taken too long to call, I rushed toward the front door. Bert, our building security guard, jumped up and rushed to the door, opening it so I could hurry out.
He, too, was used to me being late. Unfortunately—or fortunately for me at that point.
“Thanks, Bert!” I yelled as I flew past him. “You’re the best!”
His chuckles followed me down the walkway to the parking lot. I’d gotten lucky with my parking spot, right in front of the building. In my last apartment, just one building over, my parking spot had been at the back of the lot.
I liked making Bert feel good, making him laugh, even if it was him laughing at me being late again. I’d have to think of something to bring him tomorrow for jumping up and shaving three seconds off my time by opening the door for me.
It was important to make people feel seen. Special. That’s all anybody wanted in life, to be recognized for their accomplishments and kindnesses. Opening the door was such a small thing, but it showed that he cared.
That meant a lot to me.
I threw everything but my coffee in the back seat, and as I reached for my door handle, someone called my name. Damn it! So close.
I knew that voice, and it belonged to the last person in the world I wanted to talk to. I’d rather deal with Shelby than Dax, my ex, the cheater.
“I’m in a hurry, Dax,” I called as I opened the car door and got in.
He rushed over and grabbed it before I could slam it shut in his face. “Dax, I need to go!” I said impatiently and turned over the engine.
“I’ve been trying to call you. Why are you ignoring my calls?”
Seriously? He really had to ask? Biting my tongue, I rolled down the window, then jerked the door out of his hand and shut it before putting on my seatbelt.
“Daxton, I don’t need or want to talk to you.
I don’t need closure. You made your choice, and now you live with it.
” I put the car in reverse before he could respond or try to apologize, or whatever the hell he was trying to do.
He stared at me as I pulled out of the parking lot, and I checked my rearview mirror as I turned onto the road. Still there, staring. Freaking moron. What did I ever see in him?
Shaking my head, I gunned it up the road, heading for the hospital as fast as I dared go, which was only five over.
Bluewater was a sleepy little town with a low crime rate, which meant the police made sure the small things were kept under control, like speeding.
They turned a blind eye, I’d found, to five over the limit. That was it.
I loved living here, so I didn’t mind them being sticklers. Better I had to drive slow and not risk being murdered in my bed.
Reaching into the backseat once I hit the highway and could put the car on cruise, I blindly found my phone and plugged it into the rapid charger in my car’s USB port. I loved that feature. I’d gotten a sweet deal on the car, used, but it was still new enough to be under warranty.
Score.
As soon as my phone turned on, it started beeping text messages, which I’d check later. Halfway to the hospital, it rang with the specific tone I’d set for my mom.
Nope. Not dealing with her right now. I’d call her back later. She could be a lot sometimes. I wasn’t in the mood for her after the Dax encounter.
Thanks to a bit of speeding, no shower, no breakfast, and skipping my locker, I parked in the patient parking lot, which was closer, and hightailed it inside, tugging my scrub top on along the way.
It hadn’t gotten dirty, miraculously, so I’d taken it off and left it in my car for today. One less thing in the laundry.
The nurse manager, and my preceptor, arched an eyebrow at me as she pulled out a piece of paper that would explain my daily rotation and what RN I’d be shadowing. “Skin of your teeth again, eh, Castro?”
“I made it, that’s what counts.” I gave her a cheeky grin and started organizing my things in my scrub top.
Pens, paperclips, a couple of bandages, and a stick of lip balm.
A timer and some scrap paper. I hurried over to the supply station and stuffed my pockets with saline syringes for flushing IVs, a few more bandages, and IV caps.
As much as I loved my clinicals, I couldn’t wait to be an RN. The nurse I’d shadowed, Rebekah, was great, but I was on the last legs of my clinicals and had been given a small patient load of my own.
The only downside was that I’d done a stint in a nursing home and one in a private doctor’s office.
I, by far, liked working in a hospital. Fast-paced, energetic, and I enjoyed my time in the maternity ward the most. I was praying when I finished up that I’d be able to find a job in the maternity ward here.
But there were a lot of nurses applying for jobs here. We all graduated from the same program, and this was the teaching hospital. I had some competition. Which was why being late would be so bad. Hopefully, my bedside manner and people skills would give me a leg up with whoever did the interviews.
I had a light load today, but I rounded with the night shift nurse alongside the other two nurses in my clinical class.
We would split the duties of a single night shift nurse under the watchful eye of the preceptor.
After we went over all of her patients, I grabbed my cart and started taking vitals and checking in with each patient.
It was nice that I could spend a few minutes extra in each room, since I only had three.
“You ready for a break?” Rebekah asked, sticking her head around the nurses’ station. “Some drug rep catered.”
My ears perked up at those words. “Oh, sure! I didn’t eat breakfast and forgot to bring lunch.
” I could’ve snuck down for a sandwich or grabbed something from the vending machine, but I really wanted the job here.
I wasn’t about to let my proctor catch me sneaking off.
I had to make up for my habitual tardiness, or near-tardiness, as it usually turned out.
I checked with the other girls in my class.
We went to lunch one at a time and covered each other’s rooms while we were gone.
They’d already gone. “Where did the day go?” I asked Rebekah as we headed for the break room.
Each floor had one break room to share, situated near the center of the floor, by the elevators so that each wing could reach it.
“I don’t know, but you’re right, it flew by today. I hope there’s food left.” She opened the door for me, then we walked over to the catering station.
A woman stood off to the side keeping an eye on things.
“Hello,” she said. “I’m Livvie. It’s self-serve, and there’s plenty left.
I think we’re at the tail end of lunch, and most have eaten, so please, take all you want.
” She handed me a plate and wrapped silverware.
“Can I pack you something up to take home?”
Rebekah grinned. “Heck, yeah. I’ve got two hungry teenagers at home. Send me all you want to!”
Livvie smiled back at her. “I’ve got you. It’s paid for, we might as well not toss it, right?”
I held up one finger. “I’ll gladly take some, too. I’m in clinicals, and I feel like I never have time to cook, and this looks amazing.”
She chuckled and started dishing out food into foam containers while Rebekah and I filled up our plates.
We sat down to eat, and I wolfed it down, even though it was a little bland. Grabbing the salt, I gave my plate a generous shake.
“You are hungry,” Rebekah said with a laugh.
“Starving.” I wasn’t a skip-a-meal sort of person. I was an eat-two-meals sort of person, normally.
After we ate, we went up to the table, where Livvie was nearly packed up. She handed us several foam containers of food.
“Thank you.” I looked her in the eye as I smiled. “Lunch was great.” It hadn’t been fab, but I’d never take free food from someone and not thank them and compliment them. It could’ve tasted like dog food, and I would’ve told her it was wonderful.
Livvie gave me a sad smile as we took the food and walked away. I couldn’t help but wonder why her smile was so forlorn-looking. After stashing our food in the fridge, Rebekah and I went back to our patients.
The rest of the day flew by as fast as the first part, and finally, I rounded with my other trainees and the night shift nurse, then headed to the bathroom for a quick second before heading home.
Whoever was in the stall next to mine was sobbing.
My heart ached for her, whoever she was.
I hoped it wasn’t someone who’d lost a family member here in the hospital.
That was, by far, the worst part of the job.
I seriously wondered, again, if I was going to make it through the devastating aspects of this job. The deaths.
As I washed my hands, the woman walked out of the stall. It was Livvie, with a splotchy face and red eyes. “Hey,” I said softly as I dried my hands. I didn’t ask her if she was okay, ‘cause clearly, she wasn’t.
She nodded and wiped her nose on a napkin before turning on the water to wash her hands.
As she washed, I pulled a piece of the scrap paper out of my scrub top and wrote down my phone number.
“Here,” I said. “If you need a friend, call me. We can get drinks and vent, and I know a few ladies who are amazing at cheering people up.”
Livvie didn’t reply. She smiled at me and ducked her head, but she did tuck my number into her pocket. I hoped she’d take me up on it. I never turned down a new friend, though I always kept myself wary after what Shelby did to me.
Home called to me. I’d worked twelve hours, which would be my schedule from now on, but after running around like crazy all day, I wanted sleep. I was off tomorrow and had big plans to spend the day in bed, catching up on much-needed rest.
Later that evening, as I snuggled deep in my pillows and thick comforter and caught up on the TV medical drama I was addicted to, my phone beeped. I didn’t recognize the number.
Hey, this is Livvie. If you were serious about a listening ear, would you like to go out tomorrow night?
I replied quickly.
I know someone who has some pull at the local club. Care for some extra company?
She said the more the merrier, so after confirming with my friend, Bianca, I fell asleep to the sounds of a fictional ER, looking forward to a girls’ night.