Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
A iden lined up his groomsmen and ordered his tux. His parents were knees-deep in planning the rehearsal dinner. Work continued at its usual furious pace, disappointing him again and again in the human condition. Erica was also busy and exponentially more stressed than usual. The house was a giant black hole of endless decision making and next month would mark their first massive loan payment, which Aiden would be footing solo because Erica’s mother, who had once promised to pay for her wedding, had decided to go to Vegas instead, leaving Erica to foot the bill for the wedding, a fact they learned only after everything had been ordered. All in all it was not a good time to be Aiden Lawrence, nor anyone who crossed his path. So it came as something of a surprise when he pulled back the curtain of the ER, saw June Kellogg seated there, and smiled hugely.
“June!”
“You sounded so much like Denver for a minute I almost dove out of the way of your bear hug,” June said, though she returned his beaming smile.
Someone cleared his throat, and that was when Aiden noticed the man sitting in the chair to her right. “Who do we have here?” Aiden asked, wiping his smile.
“This is Liam. Liam, my unofficial personal physician and friend, Aiden,” June said, making the introductions. Aiden stepped forward and shook Liam’s hand before washing his hands and pulling on a pair of gloves.
“What did you bring me today, June? And it had better be good because Dr. Stevely has a ruptured spleen she keeps bragging about. I’m going to need something good to top her.”
“I’m afraid you won’t win with this one,” June said, motioning to her supine leg. “It’s a simple twist, which I tried to tell Liam here.”
“It’s massively swollen and could be broken,” Liam interjected, putting out a hand to squeeze hers.
Interesting, Aiden thought, hiding his smile. None of the other dates had ever stuck around for the hospital portion of things before. One point to Liam. He picked up her leg, cradling the ankle carefully in his palm as he made his inspection. “How did this happen?”
“She fell out of my truck and rolled down an embankment,” Liam said. Aiden recognized the tone, a mix of wonder, amusement, and guilt. He’d felt the same way the night after June’s near drowning, when he replayed the scene over and over in his mind. It had been horrific to see her tumble off that bridge, her arms windmilling wildly as they grasped for anything to stop her fall. On the other hand, it had been hilarious. And he still wasn’t clear on how it happened. Neither was Blake, whose earlier interest in June had turned to peevish resentment for her dismissal of his advances. I swear it’s almost like she jumped off that bridge, Blake was now claiming, but that was ludicrous. June was many things; suicidal wasn’t one of them.
She winced as Aiden’s fingers probed an especially tender spot. “Sorry,” he apologized, a force of habit. He wasn’t actually sorry for doing his job. Sorry it hurt, maybe, though that wasn’t his fault either. But people tended to respond better to him if he didn’t act like a robot who didn’t care about their pain. And in June’s case, he did care. In the last few weeks of helping him and Erica sort their house mess, she had become more than a patient. She had become a friend to both of them, with a heart as genuine and sweet as the rest of her. June was the real deal, a rose in the midst of so many thorns, and he hated it for her sake that her life was such a struggle in this way. More than that, he didn’t understand it. Outside of falling off the bridge, he had never seen her as anything less than fluid grace, much more like Starla’s beloved ballet teacher than a woman who couldn’t walk a straight line without falling into imminent danger. There was definitely something missing in her story, but they weren’t the kind of friends who confessed things to each other. His confessions were saved for his fiancée; June’s confessions were her own until she found someone trustworthy, maybe this guy, this Liam.
Aiden gave him the side eye as his fingers expertly probed June’s ankle. What was his story? And would he stick around after this? For her sake, he hoped so. June deserved only the best, and not just because she was saving him and Erica from near-daily bickering by being willing to step between them and smooth out the myriad house decisions. Because she was kind and gentle and lovely.
“Good news, June. I don’t think it’s broken.”
“You can tell that by looking?” Liam asked incredulously.
“More by feeling and testing her range of motion. Of course it’s possible there might be a hairline fracture in there somewhere, but we’re not going to know until that swelling goes down. You’re off the hook for an x-ray, for now. But you know the drill. Rest, ice, anti-inflammatory pain relievers, and call me back if it gets worse. Or doesn’t get better.” He glanced around, leaned in, and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Although I’m coming to the office tomorrow to sign off on fixtures, so I’ll check it then. Shh.” He pressed his finger to his lips. June made a zipping motion across hers.
“I guess the amazing date I planned is out,” Liam said.
“I’m sorry,” June said sincerely, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder. He took her hand and wove their fingers together.
“I’m teasing you. Of course I couldn’t care less about the actual date, as long as you’re planning to let me baby you for the rest of the evening.”
June’s cheeks pinked pleasantly. “If you insist,” she said, smiling. Aiden stood and reached for the computer, intending to write his notes in her chart before he left the room. Unlike some of his other patients, it would only take a minute. His eyes caught with June’s, and she gave him a smile, too, different from the one she’d given Liam. Can you believe this guy? she seemed to say.
I know right? Maybe a keeper, Aiden’s smile answered in return.
They left soon after, Liam pushing June to his truck in a wheelchair. The happy buzz remained with Aiden for the rest of his shift. Maybe June would get her happily ever after, just like him and Erica. Maybe the world wasn’t such a bad place after all. Later, he would wish he had held on to some of his cynical reserve. Soon he would need all of it he could muster.