Chapter 16 – Skylar
SKYLAR
“Hey.” Michaela nudges me in the back as I get to the Pyxis to pull out some meds. “What are you up to tonight?”
I keep my head down as I punch in my code and the patient’s info into the machine. Oh, you know, just getting married to my brother’s best friend. Typical Friday stuff. “Not much,” I reply evenly. “What about you?”
I start to draw up morphine, pushing air into the vial from the syringe and then pulling back on the plunger.
Sunday morning, I came downstairs to find Aston sitting at the counter drinking a lot of coffee and looking resolute. We spent the following two hours talking and working out logistics and even discussing our worries. We only fought, like, three or four times, which I considered a win.
Since then, I haven’t seen him much, and he’s avoided me. It seems easier that way.
But we did go and fill out and file our marriage license on Monday, and this evening at four thirty, we have an appointment with a judge at city hall to marry us.
Alden is coming because Aston told him, and because he did, I have Braelyn coming to be on my side of things and hold me up or help me make a run for it should I come to my fucking senses.
Our plan is to tell our families after it’s done.
I didn’t want a million voices in my head about it, and I think Aston felt the same. The marriage is a decision we made together that benefits both of us, and that’s that.
I finish filling up the syringe and go to cap the needle when Michaela hits me with, “I was thinking of asking Aston Hughes out.”
The cap goes flying out of my hand and hits the floor before it skitters away, and I nearly drop the uncapped needle of morphine. That bitch would have gone right into my foot. Good thing I have clogs on. But what the absolute fuck?
I glance at her, the needle in my hand like a weapon, before I set it into the plastic bin. We don’t use the needle anyway to push the morphine. We only use it to draw it up, and then it gets disposed of since we twist the syringe into a port on the IV.
“Um. Really?” I try to smile. I try for nonchalance. I’m not sure I’m pulling it off.
Michaela laughs at my reaction. “Yes. Bad idea?”
“Oh. No. I was surprised.” Yes, it’s a bad idea. The man is about to be my husband, and now my friend wants to date him. Just awesome.
“He’s hot. And I think he likes me.”
It feels like I swallowed a frog. “Why do you think that?” I croak.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s a feeling I get. I’ve had a lot of his patients this week, and he spends extra time with them and with me. And yesterday he touched my shoulder.”
“Wow. Concrete evidence there.”
Shit. I said that out loud.
“I mean, that’s great. If you like him.”
She tilts her head. “I do. A lot. But do you also like him? You’re being weird.”
“No,” I say quickly. Too quickly. I don’t like him, so that part is fine.
Really, it is. “I’ve just known him forever and…
” Fuck. I’m messing this up. We had decided not to keep it a secret from people on the floor because we wanted Josh to find out.
So, I have to tell her that he and I have secretly been a thing for a bit and that we’re in love.
My cousins Stone and Owen work here in the hospital.
So do my uncle Luca, who is Roman’s father, and my other uncle, Kaplan, who is Stone’s father, and you see where I’m going with this.
We’re going to have to tell our families, and we were going to, but we planned to do it in person with our parents first and then have it trickle down.
Telling Michaela will start the gossip mill before I’m ready for it to be unleashed.
I wasn’t sure I was even going to wear a ring, but Aston thought it was essential. He’s buying them. I can’t handle that. I can barely handle this.
But Michaela and I are friends, and I hadn’t really considered how this lie would creep into all the spaces in my life. Or that she’d want to date my soon-to-be husband.
“Well, actually, here’s the thing—”
“Hey, got a second?” Josh asks, interrupting me as he comes out of nowhere.
“No,” I tell him. “I have to give my patient their morphine.”
Michaela beams at him. “Josh, great timing. Can you help me with something for my patient in room eight?”
“No. That’s not my patient. Ask Dr. Asshole. It’s his.”
“I am asking Dr. Asshole.”
I snort a laugh and give my friend a high-five because she definitely deserves one for that before I scoot around them. I’m going to have to find time to talk to Michaela, but now isn’t it.
“I’ll catch up with you,” I tell her. “I have more to say on what we were just talking about.” She gives me a wave of acknowledgment, and I head straight for my patient without looking back.
But since this is Josh, he’s right next to me, walking too damn close. The smell of his cologne makes my already weak and frazzled stomach flip, and not in a good way.
“You’ve been dodging me all week. How long are we going to do this? Did you get the notes I gave you?”
Yes. I got them. And threw them out as I always do.
It’s things like call me or we need to talk or I miss you or I love you or come find me.
It’s never I’m sorry I was a monster or I’m going to change or you were right and I was wrong.
Not that it would matter. He could tell me he’s found Jesus and is volunteering at an animal shelter while getting the therapy he desperately needs and I still wouldn’t go back to him.
“I got them.” I throw him a sideways glare. “And how long are we going to do what?”
“Stay broken up?”
“Forever?” I quip.
He grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop, then over to an alcove in between two patient rooms. He squeezes my arm tightly, his fingers pressing into my skin as he gets right up in my face. “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that to me again.”
I try to jerk my arm away. “Let me go.”
“Never,” he forces between us, his expression serious and absolute. “Never. I will never let you go. I can’t. I tried, but it’s impossible. Do you not understand that?”
My heart pounds, and protectively, I bring the pink basin holding the syringe lower to cover my stomach. “It’s over. You need to learn to accept that.”
“Except it’s not, and I won’t. I’m your boyfriend.
Me and no one else.” He gives me a meaningful look.
“I’ve been letting you have your spoiled, rich girl temper tantrum because I assumed you needed time and space to fully grasp what this is between us and to get over your emotional bullshit, but the truth is, my patience is wearing thin. Unblock me from your phone.”
“No.”
He steps into me until our toes are touching, and his face is inches from mine. His voice drops, turning menacing. “Unblock me from your phone, Skylar. Unless you want me to start showing up at your brother’s house or following you around from patient to patient.”
Jesus. The thought of him showing up at the house with Zoey there terrifies me to no end.
“Do it, Skylar.”
“I have to get this to my patient. She’s in pain.”
“Fine. I’m going with you. Then I’ll stand over you while you unblock me. I need a way to be able to talk to you, so the choice is yours on how I do that.”
I push against him, but it’s useless. He’s holding one arm, and the other has a basin with a syringe in it. “No. I said no. We’re broken up, and I want you to leave me alone.”
His voice turns deathly cold and still, while his grip on my arm is bruising. “And I just told you, that’s never going to happen.”
“Dr. Wesley,” a sharp voice comes from behind him. “Get your hand off Skylar immediately.”
Josh’s face hardens, his eyes narrowing, but he releases me and turns around to face Aston.
“This doesn’t concern you, Dr. Hughes. It’s a private conversation between me and Skylar.”
“Not in the middle of the hospital, it’s not, and not while you’re on my service.
You’ve already been paged twice. Now I had to come down here to find you because you ignored them.
Wrong thing to do. You’re on scut all weekend along with your intern.
If I have to have a conversation with you like this again, you won’t see the inside of an OR for a month. Am I understood?”
Josh is breathing fire, but he’s got nothing on Aston right now. I’ve never seen more controlled rage in my life. But he’s calm whereas Josh is anything but.
Josh turns back to me. “This conversation isn’t over.”
Without a word to Aston, he storms off, and I release the breath I was holding, working to fight back tears. As it is, I’m trembling.
Aston glances left and right to make sure we’re alone and then steps into me without touching me. “Are you okay?”
“Just dandy.”
Aston studies me, though his expression doesn’t soften. “By five o’clock, you’ll be married and safe.”
“I don’t know if it’ll stop him.” And what do I do about the baby? I don’t want him to know about it. Maybe not ever.
“Hey. It’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out. We will.”
I nod slowly. It’s not his problem, married or not. It’s mine to figure out, and I will. “Michaela wants to ask you out.”
His lips thin at the topic change, and he folds his arms over his chest. “Did you tell her?”
“Do you want to date her and see where it can go?”
“No. I’m not interested in her. Answer my question.”
“I didn’t have a chance to because Josh showed up. But it’s going to complicate things when I do.”
He shrugs. “Or maybe she’ll be happy for you.”
“That I’m pregnant with one guy’s baby and marrying another because of it?” I smart.
“Not quite sure that’s how you should phrase it. Maybe try telling her you’ve secretly been obsessed with me for two years but were too afraid to say anything.”
“Ha!” bursts out of me as a loud laugh. My nerves are making me a disaster. “Or maybe you’re the one who’s obsessed.”
His lips twitch. “Maybe. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’ll be fine, Dr. Hughes. I’m tougher than I look.”
“I believe that.” He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “Go take care of your patient, and I’ll see you later. But if you need me, page me. I’ll keep Dr. Wesley off the floor.”