Chapter 25
Nell couldn’t believe the hours that passed during girl time. Kenzie was not what she expected as the wife of a billionaire. And Jen’s dry sense of humor left Nellie in tears from laughing so hard. Especially with the stories of the Townsends.
“Gosh, I didn’t realize it’s so late.” Nellie glanced at her new phone as she sipped wine with the girls. Rowan had been gone for five hours and Ryker had gotten back from guys’ night almost two hours ago.
“Haven’t heard from Rowan?” Kenzie asked.
Nell shook her head. “I texted him to let me know when he was on his way home, but I haven’t heard back. I don’t want to bug him if he’s in surgery.”
“I got this,” Jen told her, pulling out her own phone and making a call. “One of my friends from nursing school works nights there. I’ll see what’s going on.”
Jen got up and walked away to talk to her friend.
“We’ve already talked about how cute you and Rowan are, but I have to know.
Are Sue Ellen and Gator an item?” Kenzie asked.
“They are the cutest thing I have ever seen. Rowan asked me to visit the kids to check on them in case anyone was following him. I checked on James Avery this morning and he’s doing great.
But when I examined him, he insisted on being in Gator’s lap as I cleaned the wounds.
And Tally! She’s so precious. She, too, was all about Gator.
But the look your sister gave Gator as he held her two kids left me in a puddle of mush. ”
“I’ve seen that look too. How can you not melt when someone as big and intimidating as Gator turns out to be the biggest teddy bear?
And he makes them feel seen, cherished, and safe.
James Avery had shut down so much over the past year, I’ve been really worried about him.
I know it makes my sister’s heart happy again to see how great Gator is with him. ”
Kenzie nodded and pulled out her phone. “I had to sneak a picture. Look at this.” Kenzie turned her phone around and there was a picture of Gator on a blanket with a tiny teacup between his thumb and index finger.
Tally was in a princess dress and Gator wore a matching princess crown as they had a tea party.
In the background, James Avery was wielding a stick as if it were a sword.
They all had the radiant smiles on their faces.
“They deserve this after all they went through.” Nellie was going to say more, but stopped when Jen joined them with a frown. “What happened?”
“Dr. Townsend’s associates tried to save the patient and managed to keep her alive until Dr. Townsend got there.
He worked on the child for hours, but couldn’t save her.
” Jen took a deep breath, obviously affected by what had happened.
“When he told the parents, the mother attacked him and personally blamed him for her daughter’s death.
My friend insisted it was the furthest from the truth.
The patient was a sixteen-year-old girl.
She was driving home from a party her mother didn’t know she was at.
Her mother works nights. She took a curve too fast, over-corrected, and crashed.
Glass embedded in her heart. It was a long shot to begin with.
However, the mother screamed and hit Rowan for five minutes. ”
“Didn’t security stop her?” Kenzie asked, her hand over her heart, upset about the situation.
“Rowan waved them away. He stood and took it. All he said was he was so sorry he couldn’t save her,” Jen told them.
“My friend said the police detective, the hospital’s chief of medicine, and all of Rowan’s team told him he’d done everything he could.
Rowan replied that it didn’t matter because a mother was still going to bury her daughter.
Then he left. The team told my friend that every time a patient dies, Rowan takes it personally.
He tells the family. He takes their pain, their anger, and their blame—even if it’s misplaced. ”
“What about the ones he saves?” Nellie asked, thinking of some of the patients he’d told her about.
“I’m sure the parents say thank you when he gives them the post-surgical update, but the fact remains that doctors and nurses rarely get thanked,” Kenzie replied as Jen nodded in agreement.
“No wonder Rowan is burning out.” Nellie turned to the two women. “I have a question.”
Rowan sat on the roof of the hospital with his head in his hands. He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there. He was replaying every move he made during the surgery over and over again to see if there had been any other way he could have done things in order to save the girl.
“I thought I might find you up here.”
Rowan looked up to find Dr. Patel standing quietly in front of him. “Don’t you ever go home?”
“I’ll go when you do.” Dr. Patel took a seat next to the bench Rowan had brought up here as soon as he began working in Charleston. “You did everything you could. More than anyone would even attempt. You know that, right?”
“Knowing that and it not affecting you are two different things.” Rowan took a deep breath. He lost more patients than most other surgeons. He should be used to it, but it never became easier for him.
Dr. Patel sighed and Rowan felt the older man patting him on his back.
“I think your team is in the same position. It might be good for you to talk to them about it at your next meeting. It’s been good for you to take a couple of days off.
I’m sorry we called you back for these harder cases.
Your team has performed well, but they’re still not at your level. ”
“I know. And I don’t mind being called back in. It’s actually been scary as hell to trust them. But they’ve done a good job and I have enjoyed the time off.” Rowan took a deep breath and stood up. He needed to send an email to his team to let them know he was proud of them.
“I heard you’ve gotten yourself a girlfriend on your time off. You should definitely take more time off. We might even get you married,” Dr. Patel joked.
Rowan shook his head in amazement. “Don’t tell me my brother has been gossiping with you?”
“Which one? But no. It’s the nurses. They know everything.”
Rowan laughed. He should have known that.
“Go home, Dr. Townsend. Let that girlfriend take care of you.”
Rowan took a shower at the hospital and got back into his clothes.
He called a car service, and while he was riding back to Shadows Landing, he sent the email to his team.
He was more vulnerable than he’d been with colleagues before.
He smiled as he sent it, knowing Nellie would be proud of him for doing so.
He directed the driver to drop him at his house where he picked up his car and drove to Ryker’s house. Ryker buzzed him in and was waiting for him at the front door.
“Did something happen?” Rowan asked, suddenly worried.
“No. Why?”
“You’re waiting for me.”
“I needed a moment to myself. The laughter was nearly constant. I’d say your girlfriend has made two ride-or-die friends as I heard both Kenzie and Jen tell her.
There were also an embarrassing number of stories of nurses going home to basically jump their husbands and getting pregnant after the Townsend Brothers came to the hospital.
Something about the Townsend Effect and pheromones, I think.
Jen is preparing them all for when Olivia has her baby.
They are equal parts terrified of Olivia in labor and excited to see you all holding a baby.
Nurses, some doctors, and staff are already planning their maternity leave for nine months after Olivia’s due date. ”
Rowan found himself smiling, even after the hard evening. He would be an uncle. He couldn’t wait.
“Rowan!”
Ryker moved and Nellie came flying over to him. She wrapped him up in a tight hug and smiled up at him with flushed cheeks. “I’m sorry your surgery didn’t work out.”
“You make it all better.” Rowan kissed her forehead, looking over her head at Kenzie and Jen making kissy noises.
“Thanks for tonight, ladies.”
“You don’t have to thank us. Nell’s our friend. We’re going to be doing this once a month now. Your sisters-in-law and sisters can’t monopolize all her time,” Kenzie said, pulling Nell away from Rowan and into a group hug with Jen.
“Next girls’ night is at our place,” Nell said, turning to smile at Rowan when she said “our place”. Damn, that felt really good.
“Then it’s only fair that I insist you join us for guys’ night,” Ryker said with a smirk. “For the safety of your hearing.”
Rowan chuckled as Nell snuggled up to his side. He kissed the top of her head and they all started the process of saying goodbye. Rowan learned that in the South, it was at least a ten-minute process. Finally, he held open the car door for Nell.
The second he got in the car, she was talking.
“I had the best time tonight. Jen is hilarious. Put her with Kenzie and it’s a comedy show.
Oh! I saw Bubba from a safe distance. Did you know Kenzie feeds him jerky?
She called his name, shook the bag of jerky, and this enormous alligator lumbered up the dock and opened his mouth, waiting to be fed. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Wait until you see Lydia’s older kids riding the alligators as if they’re surfing,” Rowan told her.
“Oh gosh, don’t tell Sue Ellen that.” Nell paused. “Speaking of Sue Ellen. I have news.”
“Gator proposed?”
Nell smiled, but shook her head as they pulled into Rowan’s garage and got out of the car.
“Not yet. But they are sweet together. First, Bex called me. The U.S. attorney is filing charges against Ingram and his father at some point tomorrow afternoon. They have more than enough evidence of corruption, bribery, blackmail, and more. Bex also told Sue Ellen, and she called her attorney. They decided to file for divorce first thing in the morning—before any indictments come down.”
“Isn’t he worried about them not actually filing the paperwork?”
Nell nodded in agreement. “Yes, but that’s where a reporter and a motorcycle club come in.
See, Sue Ellen’s attorney tipped off the reporter.
Not that she wouldn’t have found out via the Miss Tibbie pipeline.
But she’s going to go and film it. Then, a motorcycle club member named Jagger needs to get back into Damon’s good graces so Damon will customize his bike.
He and some of his club buddies are going as silent muscle to keep Sue Ellen’s attorney safe and intimidate the clerk if necessary. ”
Rowan chuckled and shook his head as they walked inside. “Only Damon would send a gang member with an attorney for protection. I wonder what the poor kid did to get on Damon’s bad side.”
“He tried to flirt with me that day I was at Damon’s garage.”
Rowan raised an eyebrow. “Well, maybe I need to go have a chat with him too.”
“Damon almost broke his arm and rammed his face into a toolbox. I don’t see you doing something like that.
” Rowan raised his eyebrow again. She had no idea the lengths he’d go to protect her.
Damon looked the part. Rowan was the surprise.
He looked like the clean-cut doctor he was, but he fought like Damon since Damon was the one who’d taught him.
Plus, Rowan was really good with knives and knew all the most vulnerable parts of the human body.
“No offense,” Nell said, raising up on her toes to kiss him, “you’re just a lover, not a fighter. ”
“A lover, huh?” Rowan kissed her back. “I think you’re right. Let me show you what kind of lover I can be.”
Rowan reached down, grabbed her bottom, and lifted her up. Nell’s legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed her against the wall and kissed her. Nell moaned into his mouth and ran her fingers through his hair. How did something so small like her fingers through his hair feel so good?
“Love me, Rowan,” Nellie said between kisses.
“Oh sweetheart, I love you so much. Let me show you how much.”
They didn’t break the kiss as he made his way to the bedroom.
He loved her breasts with his mouth before kissing his way down her stomach and loving her more.
Rowan didn’t stop until she was yanking on his hair and screaming his name.
And he was only getting started. Rowan climbed back up her body, making sure to kiss every inch he could until, as his tongue caressed hers, he thrust into her.
Nell groaned, their kiss even more intense, as she clutched his arms. She wanted to see him as a lover, and Rowan was happy to oblige.