Midnight and Marriage (Welcome to Kissing Springs: Midnight Season)

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

T he break room's fluorescent lights stabbed at Ava Spencer's tired eyes, their endless buzzing a perfect match for the static in her brain. She slumped deeper into the ancient vinyl chair, its cracked surface catching at her scrubs as she shifted. Twenty-two hours into her shift, and she could feel every single one of them in her bones, her feet, her caffeine-dulled mind. The protein bar wrapper crinkled as she tried to open it quietly, not wanting to disturb Dr. Chen dozing in the corner chair. His soft snores were the only peaceful sound in the entire emergency department.

The Diet Coke was lukewarm, but she gulped it anyway, desperate for any hint of caffeine. Her stomach churned in protest. She'd lost count of how many she'd had today. But it was better than nothing, better than giving in to the exhaustion that made her eyes burn and her thoughts swim. Two more hours. Just two more hours, and she could head home, peel off these scrubs that smelled like antiseptic and sweat, stand under hot water until she felt human again, and then face-plant into her bed.

If only she could face-plant into a permanent position first. But Dr. Ciponelli kept slipping through her fingers like soap in the shower, always with a convenient excuse, always too busy to talk about her future. The uncertainty gnawed at her worse than the fatigue. What more could she do to solidify her position? She took every shift she was asked. She led the residents with every case. She was respected by the other departments and even the nursing staff, who everyone knew really ran the department. What was left for her to prove?

The break room door squeaked open, waking Dr. Chen, who blinked bleary-eyed around. Rachel Morgan, one of the nurses in the department, slipped inside, her familiar auburn ponytail drooping from the long shift. Her best friend's navy scrubs were splattered with what looked like coffee, but after countless ED shifts together, Ava knew better than to assume. Rachel headed for the coffeemaker, taking an unusually long time to pour a cup and add cream, her movements deliberate and measured in a way that set off warning bells in Ava's mind. When Dr. Chen finally gathered his things and shuffled out, Rachel slid into the chair across from Ava, the vinyl squeaking beneath her.

“Please tell me you've heard something,” Rachel whispered, leaning forward with that look in her eyes. The one that meant she was sitting on information, ready to burst out of her.

Ava shook her head, breaking off a piece of the protein bar that tasted like cardboard, not at all like the chocolate and cranberries that the wrapper promised. “Nothing. Every time I try to corner Ciponelli, he suddenly has an urgent call or meeting. At this point, I'm starting to think he's got a body double just to avoid me. Or maybe he just doesn’t like me.”

Rachel glanced at the door, then back at Ava, her fingers drumming against her coffee cup. “I don’t think that’s it. You wouldn’t have made it through your residency if he didn’t like you.”

Ava narrowed her gaze, years of friendship making her suspicious of Rachel’s actions. “You’re hiding something. You have information. Tell me. You owe me.”

Rachel avoided looking at her. “I can’t. And what do you mean, I owe you?”

“Do you remember when you snuck out of my house to meet with Todd Swindoll? I never told your mother about that. She thought you were with me all night.”

Rachel’s head swiveled so fast, Ava thought she’d have to treat her for whiplash. “You promised you’d never tell.”

Ava folded her arms in front of her, even as she felt a chill in her heart. Did she really want to know? “Make it worth my while. Tell me what you know.”

Rachel let out a breath. “That was thirteen years ago. It almost doesn’t matter anymore, though Kyle hates Todd and would be pissed if he knew I dated him. Okay, fine. I heard something, but you can't tell anyone I told you. Promise?”

“Cross my heart.” Ava made the motion over her heart even as her stomach tightened, acid burning behind her sternum. Nothing good ever came from conversations that started this way, especially not at hour twenty-two of a twenty-four-hour shift.

"Word is, Ciponelli's worried you won't stick around even if he gives you the position. Apparently, what happened with Dr. Freitag really spooked him.”

“Tammy? What does she have to do with this?” The fluorescent lights buzzed louder, more insistent.

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Come on, Ava. She met some guy, got married, and moved to Minnesota after less than a year, leaving us in a lurch. Ciponelli thinks you don't have enough ties here. He's worried you'll do the same thing.”

Ava's Diet Coke can hit the table harder than she intended, the aluminum crunching under her fingers. The room suddenly felt too small, too bright, too everything. “Are you kidding me? I've lived here my whole life. My brother's here. What, because my parents died when I was a kid, I'm suddenly flight risk material?” The old grief and newer anger tangled in her chest, familiar and unwelcome.

“He doesn't think it's enough.” Rachel's expression was sympathetic, but Ava caught the worry in the corners of her mouth, the way her fingers kept fidgeting with her coffee cup. “He has concerns?—”

“Come on. Salvini isn’t from here either. Are you telling me that my main competition is also out of the running because he’s not from here too?”

Rachel looked sympathetic. “Dr. Salvini is from a neighboring town and he’s married. Ciponelli thinks he’s more likely to remain local.”

Ava snorted, but before she could respond, her pager shrieked, making them both jump, the sound cutting through the break room's stale air like a scalpel.

“Ambulance incoming,” Ava read, already standing. The protein bar wrapper and half-empty can would have to wait, just like her frustration, her exhaustion, her questions about her future.

Rachel stood too, catching Ava's arm. Her hand was warm, steady, everything Ava didn't feel right now. “Hey, let it go for now, okay? We'll have a great time in Vegas this weekend and worry about all this later.”

The break room door swung shut behind them as they headed back into the controlled chaos of the emergency department, the antiseptic smell and fluorescent lights swallowing them whole.

R eed Campbell couldn't help grinning at the kid sprawled on the gurney, his left arm cradled against his chest. Mikey was trying so hard to act tough, but Reed caught the way he winced every time Dr. Spencer touched his arm.

“So you were going for a tail whip?” Reed leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “Man, I remember trying that one. Ended up with my arm looking just like yours. My brothers never let me live it down.”

Mikey's face lit up, momentarily forgetting his pain. “Really? Did you land it?”

“Eventually. After about a thousand tries and two casts.” Reed winked at the boy's mother, who was hovering nearby with that uniquely maternal mix of worry and exasperation on her face. “But that was before I knew what I was doing. These days, I could show you how to nail it more safely.”

Dr. Spencer's hands stilled for a moment as she worked on setting Mikey's arm. She shot Reed that look he knew well. The one that said she thought he was being an idiot, but couldn't quite hide the spark of amusement in her dark eyes. He felt the familiar tug of attraction he always did when she looked at him, the one he kept firmly in check. No dating at work. That rule had saved him more headaches than he could count.

But damn if she didn't test his resolve every time she gave him that look.

“The rec center where I teach has a great setup,” he continued, ignoring her silent judgment. “Once that arm's healed up, you and your friends should come by. Learn how to do these tricks without ending up back here.”

Mikey nodded eagerly, then winced as Dr. Spencer made another adjustment. Reed had to admire her technique—precise but gentle, just like everything else about her. Well, maybe not the looks she was giving him right now, though he wouldn’t mind feeling her hands on him, gentle or otherwise.

“All set,” she announced, stepping back to examine her work. “Let me get you some information about follow-up care and your discharge instruction.” She headed for the door, her scrubs swishing softly as she moved.

Reed pushed off the wall. “Back in a minute,” he told Mikey and his mom, then followed Dr. Spencer into the hallway.

“You shouldn't encourage him to do those stunts,” she said as soon as they were out of earshot, her voice low and stern. “They're dangerous.” The shadows under her eyes suggested she was nearing the end of a long shift, but that didn't dim the intensity of her blue eyes one bit.

“That's why I want him to learn how to do them safely,” Reed countered. “He'll do them anyway. Better he learns proper technique than figures it out through trial and error like I did.”

“You can’t prevent injuries, no matter what you teach him,” Ava countered.

Reed shrugged. “True. But I can reduce his chances of injury if we show him proper techniques and have adults around while he’s trying it. In addition, we know our facilities are safe. I can’t guarantee that wherever he’s practicing his stunts is regulation. More than likely, they cobbled something together, and that leads to a higher risk of serious injury.”

“He's absolutely right.” Mikey's mother appeared behind them, laughing. “I have three boys and all of them do crazy stunts like this all the time. If I thought telling them not to do something dangerous would work, I'd have a lot fewer gray hairs. I'll definitely take that information about your class. All three of my boys could use it, though Mikey might need some time before he can join.”

Reed grinned, pulling a card from his pocket. “That’s okay. He can come and watch, learning even if he can’t do it. Here you go. We have a summer session starting next week.”

“I hope you know what you’re getting. Teenaged boys are lunatics,” she said, taking the card.

“I like crazy! And we have boys and girls in the class.” Reed's grin widened as he caught Dr. Spencer rolling her eyes. He really shouldn't enjoy getting under her skin so much, but he couldn't help himself. That little crease she got between her eyebrows when she was trying not to smile back at him was worth it.

Maybe that no-dating rule wasn't quite as carved in stone as he'd thought.

The mother thanked him and headed back into the room with her son, leaving Ava and Reed alone.

“I still don’t think you should encourage them,” Ava said, without looking up from the computer screen.

Reed leaned on the counter, unable to resist teasing the sexy doctor. “Why don’t you come on down and check out the facilities, tell us how we can make it safer?”

She settled a cool gaze on him, her blue eyes piercing. “What would I know about biking?”

He shrugged. “We have more than a practice track. We have rock climbing walls and other activities. You should check us out. We have programs for kids of all ages and adults.”

“I don’t have time for outside activities. I’m busy here.”

He straightened. “Okay, but your boss comes in at least once a week with his kids and climbs the rock wall. He might be interested in seeing you doing something outside of the ED.”

She glared at him. “I do plenty of things outside of work. I just happen to be very busy.”

He laughed. “Prove it, doc. Come to the center some day. Let me prove that it’s safe.”

Her sniff was the only response as Dr. Spencer returned her attention to the computer.

“Hi, Reed. Fancy seeing you here today.” The nurse slipped in next to him, running a hand down his arm. Tracy Brookes. She’d been persistent in her pursuit of him, despite his gentle dissuasion.

“He’s an EMT. The odds are pretty good that he’d be here,” Ava muttered under her breath, but not quiet enough for Reed to miss it.

“I’m about to go on a break. Want to grab a cup of coffee?” Tracy asked.

Reed glanced at the clock. “Sorry, have to run. We’ve been here too long already. Back to the old salt mines, you know? Take care! Bye, Doc! See you at the center soon.”

“Not likely,” Ava muttered.

She’d be there. She was competitive. He’d seen how her eyes gleamed when he mentioned her boss. The rumor going around the hospital grapevine was that she wanted the ED open position. He thought she deserved it. Hell, she was great with patients, competent with all the trauma cases he’d brought in, if a bit too methodical, but better than some of the other residents. Ciponelli just needed to make it official. Ava needed to play the game and schmooze a little out of the workplace.

And if it gave Reed a chance to see her somewhere else too, well, he wouldn’t complain too much. Even if he still couldn’t date her. Work and dating never mixed. It was a terrible idea.