2. Melissa
2
MELISSA
“ O h my God,” Whitney said as she sided up to me behind the nursing station. “Did you see the guy who came in a little bit ago?” She fanned herself and flopped back in one of the rolling chairs. “Oh my God, girl.”
“You already said that,” I said.
Whitney tended to err on the side of dramatics. Every guy with a little bit of muscle tone was hot to her.
She shook her head before yanking an elastic off her wrist and pulling her hair back. “No. I’m dead serious. He’s all kinds of pretty. I mean, I would never describe a man as pretty. But oh my God, Mel…”
“Whit, if you say oh my God one more time…”
Whitney mimicked zipping her lips.
“What’s he in for anyway? I was caught up in that code when Sue brought him back.” My arms still ached from all the chest compressions, but the patient was stable and receiving treatment. That’s all that mattered.
“Sadie said it was a surfing accident. That’s all she gave me before she told me about how he asked her out while he was still bleeding all over the place.”
I snorted. “And I’m guessing Sadie didn’t bother getting any more information other than a surfing accident because she was too busy flirting right back.”
Whitney took a sip from a mug that read, Hide Me If JCAHO Shows Up. “I still have no idea how she passed the NCLEX. That girl is dumber than a box of tongue depressors. But Mel, if you saw him?—”
“Oh my God, I know.” I laughed. “It’s the middle of June. Hot tourists do stupid shit all the time. They show up to get patched up, and all y’all get in a tizzy like you’ve never seen abs before. Hell, I had to page Dr. Price to see if he’d come down here just so we don’t get swamped by y’all drooling over one slightly attractive patient.”
She smirked over the rim of her room-temperature coffee. “You should pop in there while Dr. Price sews him up. Hold his hand and give him a pat on his very muscular back.”
“You need to stop objectifying patients.” I looked at the clock and muttered, “Sweet mother Florence, it’s not even close to seven yet.”
“Four more hours.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Go see for yourself. He has literally flirted with everyone working today. I’ll bet that he asks you out the minute you walk in there.”
My fingers flew over the keyboard as I pulled up the mystery man’s chart. “You owe me coffee from Queen’s for three shifts if he doesn’t.”
Whitney drained the rest of her coffee and hid her mug. “Deal. I gotta go check on the new admission. Tell me how it goes.”
I pulled up Hottie McMuscles’s chart and laughed when I saw his name. Jason McGrath. “No way.”
No freaking way it was him .
I looked at the date of birth and did the math. I couldn’t quite remember when Jase’s birthday was, but the age matched up. Huh. Sadie put down Tricare for the insurance. Unfortunate for the patient— Tricare was a nightmare. Still, it would be consistent with Jason being in the Navy.
Bridget hadn’t mentioned him coming for a visit…
If it really was Jase, Whitney would owe me big time. No way he’d ask me out. I was just the girl next door. His little sister’s best friend. Twenty years wouldn’t have changed that.
Besides, Jason had a type back then: tall and blonde. Literally the exact opposite of me. I’d put dollars to doughnuts that his type hadn’t changed.
He was a notorious flirt. That hadn’t changed, either, judging by the current frenzy of nurses checking their hair anytime they passed a reflective surface. As long as they weren’t using metal bedpans as mirrors…
Just as I reached for my phone to text Bee to see if her brother was in town, Dr. Price popped his head out of the side of a curtained-off exam area and flagged me down.
Now or never.
The minute I tossed back the curtain and rolled the cart of supplies in, I had my answer.
Jason McGrath.
It was like staring at a slightly older, very masculine version of Bridget.
Blond hair and green eyes. He had a darker tan than Bee. I imagined that was because he spent a lot of time outdoors, given the nature of his injury.
Mossy eyes met mine, and a quiet laugh of disbelief escaped his mouth as his lips tugged into a half-cocked grin.
I blinked, and a wave of memories knocked me over. Memories of a floppy-haired teenager who hadn’t quite grown into his ears yet.
Memories of hopping the fence between our two houses. Memories of Bridget coming over for a slumber party, and then Jason and Chase sneaking over to scare us.
I left Beaufort a few years after Jason graduated high school. My dad received orders that moved us from the Marine air station at Cherry Point in Havelock to Yuma, Arizona.
Up to that point, I’d never minded the military-brat life. All the change and constant moving had never fazed me. But Beaufort was the first place I ever thought of as home.
So, I finished high school in Arizona, went to college, and then applied for every job I could find that would bring me back to the Carolina coast.
Unlike me, Jason couldn’t wait to get out of Beaufort. He hadn’t been seen since.
Staring at him now, my mask of professionalism was no match for the ridiculous grin that broke across my face. “Hey, flyboy. Long time, no see.”
Footsteps crunched through fallen leaves. It was dark, but the faint lights from the McGrath’s house lit up Jason’s shadow as he walked to the fence between his and Bridget’s house and mine.
“Mel?” Jason whispered.
“Yeah?” I called back. The swing set creaked as I slowly rocked back and forth in the moonlight.
Jason laughed quietly. “Thought I saw you sneak out.”
“You saw nothing.” I giggled.
The wood fence that separated our houses squeaked in protest as he grabbed the top of the slats and jumped over, landing softly in the grass on my side.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered over to the swing set. “You didn’t go to the party?”
It wasn’t uncommon for Jason to hop the fence and come over to talk.
My parents were strict, so I rarely got to go out with Bridget, Heather, and Maddie.
On the other hand, Jason and Bridget’s parents were practically non-existent. They didn’t care where their kids were, or what they were up to.
“Do you actually think the Colonel would let me go to Kyle Kingsley’s house for a party after the football game?”
He snickered and sat down on the empty swing beside me. “Good point.” Jase looked down, pulling a Rubik’s cube out of the pocket of his hoodie. His fingers flew, twisting and turning the colored tiles.
“You didn’t go?” I asked. I figured he would have been chomping at the bit to blow off some steam.
“Not my scene anymore. I gotta stay outta trouble.” Jason pushed his floppy surfer boy hair out of his eyes. It was getting long, but I thought it was pretty cute that way.
“What do you mean it’s not your scene? You, Chase, and Steve are practically inseparable.” I paused, stifling a laugh. “Well, when Chase isn’t busy following Bee like a puppy dog looking for a little attention.”
Jason’s hands fell still on the Rubik’s Cube. He reached into the pocket of his hoodie again and handed me a folded piece of paper. “I got in.”
My jaw dropped. “Oh my God! Are you serious?” I grabbed the letter and held it up so a beam of light from my bedroom window could illuminate Jason’s acceptance letter to the United States Naval Academy. “My dad is going to be so happy for you!” I handed the letter back. “I’m so happy for you! ”
He grinned sheepishly and hid the letter back in the pocket of his hoodie.
“Have you told Bee and your parents yet?”
Jason shook his head. “Nah. I’ll tell Bee in the morning if she’s not too hungover.”
I waved my hand dismissively. “She’s with Chase. He’ll take good care of her.”
He shot me a look. “She’s with Maddie and Heather. Steve and Chase can’t keep all three of them out of trouble.”
“True.” I chewed on my lip as we sat in silence. “When are you gonna tell your folks?”
Jason shrugged and kicked at a loose rock. “Dad is on the road for two more weeks, and Mom’s on night shift right now. Maybe I’ll just wait and tell them after graduation.” He pushed his hair out of his eyes and faked a smile. “They don’t have to worry about paying for it. As long as I can keep the truck running long enough to make it to Maryland, I’ll finally break out of this place.”
I rocked my swing side to side and bumped his shoulder with mine. “You’re gonna be a great sailor.”
“Pilot,” he said quickly. “With all the hours I’ve been putting in with Pops down at the airfield, I might have a chance at getting into flight school.”
Adventure danced in his eyes. It was addictive and contagious. “Alright, flyboy. I believe in you.”
I rolled the cart in and pulled the privacy partition back across the track. “So, you’re the one stirring up trouble with all my baby nurslings.”
Jason laughed in disbelief, like he couldn’t quite fathom that I was standing in front of him. “Holy shit— Mel ? ”
Dr. Price looked between the two of us. “Y’all know each other?”
“Once upon a time, we did,” I said with a grin. “This troublemaker is Bridget McGrath’s older brother.”
“Ah,” Dr. Price said with a knowing look.
I knew what he was thinking: maybe Jason could talk some sense into her.
I loved being a healthcare worker, but the emotional baggage was heavy.
Sometimes it was easy to compartmentalize. Blood and other bodily fluids could be washed off and forgotten about. But when you put someone back together, only to watch them walk out the doors and go right back to what hurt them… That kind of baggage went home with you.
I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind because holy hell. Whitney hadn’t exaggerated. Jason was all grown up and hotter than grease.
“Well, let’s get this show on the road so you can tell me what the hell you’re doing in town,” I said as I helped get the suture supplies ready. When I pulled out the syringe of lidocaine, Jason paled.
“It’s always the big, tough guys who are afraid of needles,” I teased.
Jason’s eyebrows dipped together, furrowing into a deep groove over his nose. “I’m not afraid of needles.”
Dr. Price snickered. “Good, because you need a tetanus shot, too.”
Jason paled.
I tried not to laugh, but Jason was like the big brother I never had. It was kind of funny to see him afraid of a few stitches.
Before I went through the hassle of pulling on a pair of gloves, I asked, “Do you want me to swap out with someone you don’t know?”
Jason shook his head. “Nah. Just don’t tell me what’s happening. Distract me.”
“Why don’t you start by telling me what you’re doing back here?” I asked as I took a look at his wound. It was a nasty gash with angry red edges that looked painful as hell. “Bee didn’t say anything about you coming for a visit.”
He watched me like a hawk. “I was planning on surprising her tonight. You know—before this happened.” He pointed to the cut.
“Don’t worry,” I said as I peeled open an alcohol swab. “We’ll get you outta here as quickly as we can.”
Jason winced as I wiped the cool alcohol swab across the upper part of his pectoral muscle.
“You never told me what you’re doing back in town.”
Before Jason could answer, Dr. Price stepped in and muttered, “Small pinch,” as he administered the lidocaine.
Jason balled up his fist and held his breath like a little kid powering through their flu shot. “I’m done,” he gritted out.
I raised my eyebrows. “Like, done done?”
He cracked a smile, studying my face. “Yep. Hit my twenty and hung up the dress blues.”
“Twenty years,” I breathed out, waiting for the local anesthetic to numb his skin. “I can’t believe it. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.”
“How’s the Colonel?” he asked, waiting for Dr. Price to prepare the sutures.
“The Major General finally retired a few years ago,” I said, giggling.
Back in the day, I used to call my dad by his rank when he was overbearing and overprotective. It annoyed the fire out of him.
“My parents moved down to Florida after my dad got out of the Marines. They’re happy spending their golden years power walking, going to book club, and playing bridge. I usually see them a few times a year.”
Jason grimaced as Dr. Price started to close the wound, so I held his hand. He gave me that sheepish look that hadn’t changed since we were teens and mouthed sorry.
I squeezed his hand and shook my head. “It’s my job.”
“I didn’t know you were still in Beaufort,” he said as he trained his gaze on the ceiling. “I mean, I remember Bee telling me that you came back after you graduated college. I guess I just expected you to have moved on to greener pastures.”
“If I remember correctly, you were the one fighting your way out of Beaufort. I was fighting to stay.”
Dr. Price flew through the sutures and tied off the surgical thread.
Jason breathed a sigh of relief, so I released his hand. “Anyone else still here from the old days?” he asked.
“Everyone, actually,” I said, as I covered the stitches with a piece of gauze and taped it to his skin. “Well, except?—”
“Yeah, Bee called me when Heather passed away.”
I nodded, took a deep breath, then plastered on a smile. “Maddie moved back after working in New York City for a while. She got married a few years ago. Steve remarried. He and Erica have two kids now. Chase is still here. He bought a house in downtown Beaufort a while back and has been fixing it up.”
“And you?” he asked. “Married? Kids?”
“Ha!” I laughed. “No and no. I have an apartment here in Morehead that I share with zero people, plants, or pets.”
Like clockwork, Dr. Price’s pager went off as soon as he was finished, and he hurried out of the room.
I smoothed the wound dressing down one more time and handed Jason instructions for keeping it clean and dry .
“You should come to Jokers tonight,” I said. “We’re having girls’ night. Everyone’s gonna be there.”
Jason rolled his head to the side like he was weighing his options. “That doesn’t really seem like my scene. I don’t wanna crash girls gone wild .”
I laughed, “You wouldn’t be crashing. All the guys will be there too. It’s just our excuse to have them be the designated drivers while us ladies get good and tipsy.”
He smirked. “Why do I have a feeling my sister had a hand in creating that tradition?”
“Seriously. You should come. You’ll get to meet the rest of the poker club, too.”
“The poker club?”
I laughed, remembering that the poker club didn’t actually become the poker club until long after Jason moved away. “Long story.”
“Tell me about it tonight?”
I glanced at the clock. “By the time I get you discharged, my shift will be over. If you want a ride, I’m more than happy to drive.” I pointed to his bandage. “This should go without saying, but take it easy.”
He winced. “Damn. You’re kicking me out already? And here I was, hoping for a sponge bath. You and Whitney can tag-team it.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes. He always was a shameless flirt. But not with me, no matter how much I wanted him to. Some things never changed.