Chapter 18
Sebbie
“Oh my gosh, it is so good to see you,” I gushed when I met Corbin by the elevator.
Was it probably a little too soon to be all gushy? Eh, whatever. You only live once. Plus, Corbin and I had spent so much time together over the past week that I felt like I’d known him for ages.
He gathered me up into a hug, which made me feel like he totally agreed with the sentiment. When we pulled apart, he gave me a quick peck on the lips before taking my hand to head back into the elevator and down to the ground floor.
Gah, this man was so sweet.
“How was your day?” he asked.
“Oh my gosh, it was insane!” I answered, because I suddenly couldn’t wait to tell him all about it. It had been a crazy day.
“First of all, I ended up moving around a bit today, because I have a lot of experience, and it seemed everyone was short-staffed.
It was kind of weird—things aren't usually done like that.” I shrugged.
Who was I to question hospital decisions?
I liked my department, but when the Director of Nursing begged you to be a floating nurse for at least half your shift, you said yes.
Not because Samantha was a meanie who would get back at me if I said no, but because she was a kick-ass Director of Nursing, and I knew if she was asking it was needed.
“Did you enjoy floating, or did you miss your wing?” Corbin asked. The elevator was opening up on the ground floor, and he led me through the parking lot to the garage as I chattered about my day.
“Oh, I liked it. But it was just a weird day. I started in the ER, because apparently Dr. Dickhead was supposed to do rounds there today, but he just didn’t show up.
He is totally a dickhead, but that isn’t really like him.
I’m kinda hoping he gets in trouble, but I’m also kinda worried?
Which sucks, because I don’t wanna be worried about Dr. Dickhead,” I complained.
I couldn’t help it, though—I was maybe a little worst-case scenario and hoped he wasn’t lying dead in a ditch somewhere, as my mother used to say if I was out after curfew.
(Side note, but unless a killer gets you, how would you end up dead in a ditch?
Death is likely in a lot of places, but ditches aren’t really one of them.
Bathrooms—totally. Cars—absolutely. Random ditches?
Not statistically likely without foul play and body dumping.)
I looked over at Corbin, because he hadn’t answered yet, and he looked kind of… guilty? I don’t know, but he definitely had a weird expression on his face.
“Don’t worry—it’s totally fine if you hope Dr. Dickhead gets in trouble. I know I’m too nice sometimes,” I reassured him.
He was saved by answering because there was a loud caw up ahead.
“Crow!” I cried out, running over to the car where she was perched on the bumper.
She reached her head over for a scratch, and I happily obliged. Corbin watched us for a moment, and he looked a little disgruntled. He opened my door for me to get in, and before he shut it I swear I heard him mutter “attention hog” to Crow.
He walked over to his door, opened it, and Crow flew in first, landing on the backseat. He shot her a dirty look and got in.
“Oh, she’s gonna ride with us! That’s so cool!” I said, turning around to look at her. “Who’s the prettiest crow there is? Hmm? You are! And you’re so smart, too!”
Corbin started the car. “She hates car rides and prefers to fly, but obviously she’d rather be in your company.”
I looked over at him. “Aww, that’s sweet.”
“She missed you. I missed you, too,” he admitted, and he leaned over to kiss me.
I met him halfway, and our kiss got a little heated before Crow gave a ruffle of her feathers. I laughed and pulled back, giggling at the totally disgruntled look that Corbin sent her.
Corbin started driving, picking the conversation back up. “I’m sure Dr. Dickhead is fine. I hope his being out didn’t inconvenience you or the hospital too much.”
“Nah,” I admitted. “They got another doctor to come in, so it was fine. The ER just ended up being really busy today. I mean, it usually is, but there were more extreme cases than I usually see. Somehow I ended up being around when a bunch of people died today,” I admitted.
“There was the gunshot wound, and then there was the heart attack, which everyone thought we could save. Then there was the car accident—one of those people lived, and one didn’t.
I’m glad the one person lived. They deserved to. ”
Corbin hummed next to me, putting a hand on my leg and giving it a squeeze as we continued to drive. Crow gave a caw from the back and then hopped to the console in the middle. I gave her head another scratch, and Corbin shot her another dirty look, which just made me laugh.
“And then, I don’t know, things just got odder from there,” I admitted, suddenly feeling self-conscious. I didn’t want to come off as a total weirdo. I think that was supposed to wait until like the second month of dating or something.
Corbin looked at me. “Sebbie, we’re riding in a car with a crow, I talk to rocks, and I live with an idiot who continuously tries to get arrested. I assure you, being weird is a prerequisite for the Smiths.”
I laughed. He was right on that one, although Josh and Wilder seemed pretty normal.
Crow cawed and Corbin continued. “Nothing you tell me will ever make me think less of you, or think you’re crazy, or think you’re ‘weird’ in a bad way. You can trust me.”
Awww, talk about super freaking sweet. I think my heart was made of chocolate and it was getting all ooey-gooey and melty at Corbin’s words.
I was totally going to fall in love with this man. Hell, I was probably more than halfway there already.
But back to my day, which he wanted to know about.
“I suppose the first weird thing happened in the ER. I mean, deaths happen in the ER, even if it was kinda odd that I got to be there for each one. One of the other nurses was joking that I had the worst timing ever.” I laughed a little thinking of Kate teasing me.
“So what happened that was weird?” Corbin asked.
“Well, this pregnant mom came in. She was hemorrhaging pretty badly, and they couldn’t get a heartbeat on the baby.
She’d lost a lot of blood, and they were pretty sure she wasn’t going to make it.
And I just felt really sad thinking about it, you know?
Like she seemed like such a good person, and the baby—I wanted that baby to have a chance this time around.
And it was like I could picture their whole lives out in front of them.
It was a really weird moment. One of the doctors had to call my name twice to snap me out of it.
I was holding her hand, I guess, and she had stabilized enough that they brought her in for a C-section. ”
“Were her and the baby okay?” Corbin asked.
“Yeah, they were. Which is great. It was just that the zoned-out moment I had was so odd. I don’t usually get like that while I’m at work.
Then I ended up moving all over the hospital, and three more people died, which is what it is, but I kinda zoned out one other time, too.
In the cardiac wing.” I shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious.
“What were you thinking about when you zoned out?” Corbin asked. Crow fluffed her feathers gently next to me and cooed, almost like she was encouraging me.
“Well, it wasn’t like the pregnant lady.
I just felt like if this guy lived it wouldn’t be good.
I felt like he was an awful person. I don’t usually think that way about people, but…
I don’t know, I didn’t like him. And I sort of zoned out and then he was coding.
I of course acted right away, so I didn’t not do my job,” I explained.
“Of course not, Sebbie. I think you always do your job well,” Corbin said.
“Do you think there’s something wrong with me?
” I asked, and I felt nervous just asking the question.
I supposed that’s what I was really worrying about.
“First the whole thing in that house, and then these two incidents, and although I don’t remember the house, the other two times I remember sort of zoning out.
Do you think, I don’t know, like, I have a medical condition or something? ”
We were pulling up to my house, and Corbin parked the car before he reached over and grabbed my hand. “Sebbie, I don’t think there’s anything at all wrong with you, but if you’d feel better getting checked out, then do it.”
“Why do you think I keep zoning out?” I asked.
Corbin opened his mouth, but Crow ruffled her feathers and cawed, interrupting him. They looked at one another for a moment, and then Corbin brushed my hair back and rested a hand on my cheek. I leaned into him, closing my eyes. He was so warm, and it was so nice to be touched.
“I think,” he said slowly, “that sometimes our brains do interesting things. They make associations, they make decisions, they know things sometimes that we aren’t ready to consciously know.”
“Yeah, I know that happens with trauma and stuff, but I don’t have any trauma. I don’t know why I wouldn’t remember the house. I deal with dying people all the time.” I shrugged, unsure why my brain was apparently playing games with me.
We sat for a moment, but Crow cawed again, and I could sense her impatience.
I laughed and pulled back, opening my door.
I got out and Crow flew out after me, landing on my front railing.
I really hoped Corbin was planning to come in, so I kind of didn’t give him an option.
A little underhanded, perhaps, but if I didn’t ask and I didn’t say goodbye, he kind of had to come in, right?
It worked, because he shut the car off and got out, following me up the front steps. I opened the door and ushered both Crow and Corbin inside.
“Do you want anything? Did you eat dinner? I ate something at the hospital, but I have plenty of stuff here if you’re hungry,” I told Corbin, taking off my shoes and heading towards the kitchen.
Corbin grabbed my hand, stopping me, and pulled me in for a kiss. It was slow and languid, and he tasted like something. Our tongues played with each other, tips touching, until he sucked on the tip of mine, making me groan.
Crow cawed again, and Corbin sighed as he rested his forehead against mine. “I swear, she’s never this needy.”
I laughed, because if this was Corbin’s idea of needy, he’d never had a dog. I walked over to where she’d landed on the back of a kitchen chair.
“I have some nuts for you. Would you like a little snack, beautiful?” I asked her.
She bent her head down, and I gently rubbed at her feathers. She cooed at me, and then one eye looked into mine. I felt a little zoned out looking into her eye, like I could almost see something. The picture of a man on a boat flashed through my head. Me on a boat. Not just a man. Me.
I thought about the river. Would I see the people who died today in my dreams tonight? Because I didn’t think I wanted that. Although I could control my dreams a little bit, I couldn’t control everything.
“Stay with me?” I blurted out, still staring at Crow.
Shit.
I turned to Corbin, already opening my mouth to backtrack, because that was a little fast and a little crazy, but Corbin was smiling at me.
“I’d love to,” he answered.
Relief flowed through me, and I smiled back at him. It gave me the warm fuzzies to know I didn’t need to be alone. Plus, I got to spend more time with Corbin. Was it weird that I’d missed him today, too? Because I really had. I’d thought about him all day, and I was glad he was here with me now.
I was staring at him while I was sort of thinking, and I noticed again how incredibly sexy he was. I was suddenly looking forward to him sleeping over for entirely different reasons.
Crow ruffled her feathers, and I swear she sent me a disgruntled look. I laughed, because Corbin was right—she really was a little attention hog tonight.
“Don’t worry, beautiful, you’re welcome to stay, too,” I told her.
“No, she’s not,” Corbin grumbled, and I laughed again.
I was glad both our minds seemed to be heading in the same direction.