Chapter One Emily #2
I tilted Ben’s head back and aimed the flashlight. Whatever was in there was about halfway up, wedged in horizontally, and whitish in color. It didn’t seem to have any edges, telling me it was probably round.
I dug through my bag until I found a pair of tweezers, and I showed them to Ben. “I’m going to need you to hold super still, okay?”
“Emily, that’s gonna hurt!”
“It’s not, you have to trust me.”
When he didn’t interject, I inserted the metal, and once I surrounded the object, I could tell it was plastic and there was absolutely no wiggle room. Ben, I assumed, had been playing around, and as he’d tried to pick it out, he actually jammed it higher. Whatever this thing was, it wasn’t moving.
“Any idea what it might be?” Gavin inquired.
“Not a clue.”
“Do you think you can remove it?”
Gavin knew nothing about me aside from my name and occupation.
Therefore, he had no idea that I wasn’t someone who gave up.
That when it came to all things medical, my nine years of experience served me well.
“Oh, I’m going to get it out.” I rummaged through my bag until I found the lubricant and squirted the clear gel onto a Q-tip, showing it to Ben.
“This is going to be cold, and it might tickle a little. Just try to stay as still as you can.”
Gavin wrapped his arm around Ben’s shoulders. “Hang tight, buddy. You’ve got this.”
An idea came to me, and I went into my bag again and handed Ben the small stuffed dog I kept inside. I normally didn’t bring out my furry friend unless I had to give a patient a shot, but this situation seemed as relevant.
“Can you do me a favor, Ben? Can you hold my dog for me?”
“Why do you have a doggy in your bag?” He took the stuffed animal and moved it close to his chest.
“I love dogs. They’re my favorite animal. And this one was given to me by a very special patient who’s about your age. I don’t like to leave the dog alone, so I always bring him with me.”
“It’s so soft.”
While he rubbed its ears, I dabbed the Q-tip around the inside of Ben’s nose, trying to get it as slick as possible, leaving globs of the gel around the plastic. The only way this was going to work was if I came at it from both sides, so it was double the force.
I pulled the Q-tip out and said, “Do you want to guess what his name is?”
“Mmm.” He stared at the dog. “Golden?”
“Such a good guess given that he’s a golden retriever, but no. I named him Fenway.”
“I love Fenway!”
“Then how about you hold Fenway until I leave? Take care of him for me, okay?”
“Okay.” He petted the top of the dog’s head.
I got a little more comfortable on my knees, moving my bag behind me, so I was in the best position possible to do this.
“Here’s what I’m going to do. With this hand”—I waved my free hand in the air—“I’m going to push on your nose to hopefully pop out the plastic.
And with this hand”—I lifted the one holding the tweezers—“I’m going to try to pull on it. Does that sound okay?”
“Please don’t let it hurt.”
A simple sentence that had my chest aching. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I don’t.”
I tapped on the outside of Ben’s nostril and felt the plastic.
If I drove down too hard, I was afraid I’d really cause him pain, and that would result in a trip to the ER since I had a feeling Ben, at that point, wouldn’t let me do any more.
Somehow, I had to find a balance and hope that the lube would do its job.
I gently massaged the outside of his nostril, taking my time while I attempted to slip the tweezers around the plastic. Fortunately, the pressure from my finger got the plastic to move the tiniest amount and that was all it took. The plastic then shot right out.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Gavin picked up the culprit, which had landed on Ben’s lap. “A button?” His voice was getting louder with each word. “You put a button up your nose?” He waved it in front of Ben’s face.
“Looks like it could have come from right here.” I pointed to the missing button at the top of Ben’s dinosaur-themed nightshirt.
“I was just playing with it, Dad . . . and it got up there.” As Ben hugged the dog, I could tell he was trying not to laugh, where his father didn’t think any of this was funny.
“Why in the hell would you play with it up your nose?” Gavin shook his head. “You know what, we’ll talk about this later. Upstairs. Now.”
I got up from the floor so Ben could stand.
“See ya, Emily,” he pouted, handing me Fenway before he ran for the stairs.
Gavin’s hands were in his ink-colored hair, pulling at the longer strands that were gelled and styled in a sexy-mess kind of way. “I can’t fucking believe that kid.”
I put the tweezers and lube back in my bag. “If it makes you feel any better, this is super common. It’s not the first thing I’ve picked out of a kid’s nose, and it certainly won’t be the last.”
He looked at me through his long, dark lashes. “But a button?”
I laughed. “At least it’s not a LEGO.”
“You’ve fished out a LEGO? How did that even fit up there?”
I smiled. “Don’t ask.”
“Jesus,” he groaned.
I hung my bag over my shoulder and took off my gloves.
“I’ll take those.” He held out his hand.
As I set the latex in his palm, our fingers grazed, and something instantly happened. It was a burst, swirling inside my stomach, lifting to my chest.
It came on hard.
Fast.
And it didn’t stop with one wave—the longer we touched, my fingertips frozen against his palm, his gaze intensifying by the second, the more ripples blasted through me.
I couldn’t move.
All I could do was part my lips and take a deep breath.
When his hand pulled back, clutching my gloves, he asked, “How do you know Ben?”
Had he felt that?
Was his body on fire like mine?
Who is this man, and how did he have the power to make me feel that?
“And his love for vanilla cupcakes?”
Answer, Emily.
Speak.
My hand dropped to my side, my tongue dry and heavy like lead in my mouth. “I’m best friends with Maya. We’re roommates and coworkers. Your grandma is actually one of our patients.”
“No way. That’s fucking wild.”
“One evening, not too long ago, Jordan was looking after Ben, and the four of us had a little date at your arena. Your son basically taught me how to skate.” I shifted my weight, my body suddenly fidgety. “He’s really fabulous, Gavin.”
He stood from the couch, towering over me, the movement sending me a strong breeze of his scent. An equal mix of ginger and cinnamon, creating a spicy and mysterious aroma.
“He is.”
I ran my tongue over each lip, trying to wet them. “I won’t tell you what that kid inhaled for dinner, but it became pretty obvious how much he loves vanilla cupcakes.”
He chuckled. “My brother gives my son anything he wants.” He gripped the back of his neck. “It’s too much.”
“It’s only out of love.”
“I know.”
The room turned silent, and I took that as my cue to leave.
“I’ll let Dr. Kaplan know there’s no need for a follow-up.
If Ben has any pain later tonight or in the morning, you may want to bring him into the office tomorrow.
If not, I think he’ll be fine.” I nodded toward the direction of the elevator. “I’ll let myself out.”
As I was about to take a step, he beat me to it and walked over to the wet bar on the far side of the living room. “I don’t know about you, Emily, but I could really use a drink.” He lifted a bottle off one of the shelves and poured the liquor into a short tumbler. “Would you like to join me?”
I let out a long, semi-moaning exhale. “I’m on the clock. I have to stay liquor-free in case I get called to another emergency button situation.” I offered him a smile. My head tilted as the regret of my on-call status dug deeper into my chest. “Another time?”
“Sure.”
It felt weird to push the topic any further. Besides, I had a feeling our paths would eventually cross, considering how connected we were.
I moved in the opposite direction of where he stood, and when I got to the corner that separated the living room from the foyer, which would block us from seeing each other, I turned toward him.
He was still looking at me, something that shocked the hell out of me. But his expression was unreadable, and his eyes seemed almost haunted.
“Don’t be surprised if Jordan brings Ben a box of vanilla cupcakes with extra frosting.”
He dragged his teeth over his thick bottom lip, a gesture that screamed of hotness. “From you?”
“He was an amazing patient.”
“But he lost the bet—you didn’t hurt him.”
“To be honest, I have a feeling I did. I think he was just being tough.” I smiled and rounded the corner, pressing the button for the elevator. It was already here, the door opening, and I stepped inside, resting against the back wall after I hit the “L” button.
Just as the door was closing, my phone beeped from my scrubs pocket, and I pulled it out, reading the text on the screen.
Dr. Kaplan’s Office: Your shift is over. As soon as you’re done with your patient, let me know and I’ll clock you out. Thanks, Emily.