21. Daisy
Chapter 21
Daisy
D aisy hadn’t expected to end up in the cramped, plastic chair in a hospital pediatrics wing the day before Thanksgiving break. But there she sat, curled up without her crutches bogging her down, on edge with every noise from the door.
Her doctor cleared her to drive two days ago after two weeks of healing, so Jensen finally stopped driving her around. His constant presence—as a chauffeur, coworker, and hook-up partner—left his imprint on her daily routine.
When the frantic call from her mother came as she intended to leave for work, Daisy turned to look for him in the kitchen of her apartment. However, she quickly remembered that he had gone home the night before.
Despite the bright colors painted into murals on the waiting room walls, a sterile hum of the fluorescent lights washed them out. The stilted heartbeat of the hospital buzzed louder than the anxiety in Daisy's ears; the unsettling quiet lorded over everyone scattered in the rows of chairs, undeterred by the distant calls from other wings and the ancient television playing some kid's movie.
Daisy shifted in her chair, rolling over to face the double doors leading to the patients. Her eyes refused to leave the door, willing a nurse to walk through it and call her name.
So, as the room crawled to a standstill around her, Daisy waited, trapped in the unforgiving clutches of time. Even when leaning onto her side, her leg bounced to the soft rumpling of her pantsuit.
At first, the dull ring of a phone melded with the other mildly distracting noises throughout the waiting room. She ignored its persistence until the buzz grew louder.
Her hip pushed against her purse perched on the seat, making the ringing even louder. Daisy's head whipped toward the purse, and the glow of her phone screen illuminated the inside pockets. Oh, that would be her phone ringing.
As she answered the call, she offered the rest of the room an apologetic look—greeted by flat or otherwise annoyed expressions. She didn't check before pressing the phone to her ear. "Daisy Riggs speaking."
“Daisy, where are you?” Jensen’s voice intersected with hers, cutting her off. His breathlessness collided with Daisy’s thin composure, bringing it crashing down. “We’ve got a V-Suite thing in ten minutes, and no one’s seen you all morning. Security says you didn’t swipe in today.”
Daisy froze. She racked her thoughts for any mention of a meeting in the last week, knowing she’d never forget something so important. Her hands dove into her purse for her handwritten calendar, shaking while she dug through all the chaos.
No. Not again.
The abrupt push of pressure bearing down on her chest cracked her in two, leaving her short of breath. Her stubborn tongue refused to move until she pulled out her planner and flipped to that day's date. Underneath the numbers, she didn't have a damn thing.
“Jensen, I wasn’t told about a meeting.”
“The email came in last night. Everyone’s email was listed on the recipient list.”
"I double-check my inbox every night and every day before I leave for work. I'm telling you, no one told me."
Daisy tasted the ire on her tongue—metallic and sharp—standing before an unspoken accusation. In all her years on the job, she never missed a meeting or skipped a day because she could. Should she chalk the sudden occurrences of forgotten meeting invitations and last-minute rushes to coincidence?
Jensen quieted on the other line, the subject of her scolding despite fault not being his burden to bear. He sighed, “Look, it’s probably a misunderstanding, okay? I’ll see if I can stall until you get to the office.”
Daisy grimaced hard. “I won’t be able to make it in time.”
“How far are you from the office? I can try to stall for as long as possible or make up some excuse like traffic. It’ll be fine,” Jensen remarked.
Daisy's eyes jumped to the clock on the opposite wall, staring at the little hand ticking away. Even if she could jump in her car and rush to the office, Jensen couldn't stall long enough to conceal her arrival.
Her voice wavered as she tried to speak, scrunching her eyes shut. Shame ran over her, and the weight of it bent her harder than the back of the chair she sat in. Daisy knew she couldn’t lie, not to Jensen.
“You won’t be able to hold them off for over thirty minutes, okay? I’m not making it in time. I can’t leave the hospital right now-”
“The hospital?! Did something happen?”
“Jensen—”
“Daisy, I’m serious. Please tell me you’re okay,” Jensen panted out. “Fuck, I knew I shouldn’t have left early last night.”
Daisy shushed him, trying to quiet her voice before she earned more glares from the others in the waiting room. “I’m fine! I got a call from my mom about my brother—something about him being rushed to the hospital during a school field trip at the California Science Center. I’m waiting to see him.”
Silence broke the conversation for a moment. Daisy heard the rustling noise in Jensen's background, like the rumple of fabric and the click of a door. Finally, he asked, "What hospital?"
“It’s New Horizons Medical Center on Wilshire-”
“Don’t leave. I’ll be right there.”
Daisy choked on her tongue, rendering her speechless. She gripped her phone tighter. "But the meeting. There's no reason you should miss it because of this.”
“Screw the meeting,” Jensen said. Daisy felt every ounce of sincerity through the phone, tied to Jensen’s urgency by a thread. “I’ll reschedule it. If Easton wants to complain, he can come to me.”
A comment about Easton swirled along the tip of her tongue, prepared to lighten the mood when the doors swung open. A curvy nurse in pink scrubs and a bouncy ponytail entered the waiting room, holding a chart. She became a notable bright spot in the room, all strawberry ginger hair and round cheeks.
“Dexter Riggs? Anyone here for Dexter Riggs?” the nurse called in a voice as sweet as a peach, scanning the room with warm eyes.
"I've got to go. The nurses are calling me back," Daisy mumbled to Jensen, throwing her hand in the air for the nurse while she grabbed her bag.
“Okay. I’m on my way,” Jensen replied. The phone cut out, hung up by both at the same time. Daisy tossed her phone into her purse once she clicked off the ringer.
“Follow me, miss!” The nurse waved her over and grabbed the door. Daisy ducked inside, greeted by the vaguely depressing odor of cleaning supplies.
“Can I see my brother now?” Daisy asked.
"Yes, of course. Dexter is lucid and asking for you. I'm his nurse for the afternoon shift, Madison."
“Thank you, Madison. What happened to him?”
“Well, from the reports of the teacher who rode in the ambulance, your brother showed concerning signs. He had been throwing up, splitting off from the group for frequent bathroom breaks, having issues with his breathing, and disorientation. We got him here and ran some tests, identifying his glucose as dangerously high.” Madison pulled Daisy to a stop outside one of the rooms.
Her gentle frown further stoked Daisy’s worries. “How high are we talking?”
"We're fortunate that the teacher didn't send him home. The doctors identified the issue as diabetic ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis can be dangerous if left undiagnosed, but we’ve already implemented the treatment. He’ll be able to leave the hospital by this afternoon and make a full recovery,” Madison assured.
Daisy could see why she worked in pediatrics. Her voice stayed calm, even while explaining how close Dex had come to being seriously ill.
“Thank you. Can I see Dex now?" Daisy asked. Madison nodded, leading Daisy to the end of the hall. Spotting her brother in a hospital bed with a paperback in his hands, Daisy didn’t wait for permission.
She ran into the room and crashed into her little brother, pulling Dex close to his quiet groan. He mumbled, “Daisy, please—”
“Shhhhh.” Daisy held the back of his head, finding her breath. “You scared the hell out of me, bub. Let me have my hug.”
Dex hugged her back. "I didn't mean to. The doctors said I might've missed one or more insulin shots. I can’t remember when I took them last since I fell asleep early last night.”
“It’s in the past now. We’ll set up alarms and reminders on everyone’s phone. Problem solved.” Daisy glanced up as Madison re-entered the room with their mom, still in her work clothes.
“Daisy! Thank goodness you made it!” Her mom dropped her purse by the table. Daisy jumped into her arms, leaving poor Dex to breathe. Her mom’s arms snaked around her waist and held her close.
“I wouldn’t let anything stop me from being here.”
“I know. I didn’t want to bother you at work, but I knew you’d be upset if I didn’t call you.”
"It's okay. Did you talk to the doctors already about what happened?" Daisy murmured while she watched Madison check Dex's IV. She offered him a thumbs-up, and Dex flashed one back, managing to smile.
“They told me everything. Thank goodness for Mr. Garland’s quick thinking. I’ll bring him some muffins or something as a thank you.” Her mom stepped back enough to let Daisy go. She bit her nail, eyes focused on Dex. “I planned to stay, so you don’t need to take the day off.”
"Forget about it. I'm staying until Dex is discharged with a clean bill of health," Daisy scoffed, grabbing one of the spare chairs in the corner of the room. She dragged it to the table and lounged back, ready to wait for a while.
“If you two ladies want to stay, would you like me to change the television?” Madison cleared her throat, holding up the television remote.
"Yes, please. News or some cheesy soap opera is preferable." Her mom laughed when picking up her tablet from her purse.
Madison laughed, "I hear you. Sorry to the Foxhounds, but I'm sure their score lead isn't going anywhere. I've never been much of a sports enjoyer.”
"Me either," Daisy hummed. The score between the two baseball teams flashed on the tiny television screen before Madison switched the channels to the morning news.
Daisy got comfortable in her chair. While she had nothing but time to kill, she might as well prepare for her return to the office; the missing meeting from her calendar deserved answers.
Sometime between Madison leaving the room and their mom stepping out to take a work call, Daisy scooted her chair next to Dexter’s bed. Apparently, he took a small gap between all the vomiting while at the Science Center to buy a book on space shuttle designs.
“Maybe you’re destined to be the first Riggs to become an astronaut. I hear NASA’s hiring,” Daisy murmured when he flipped the page, reading over his shoulder.
"Maybe," Dex replied, but Daisy saw the twitch of his lips like a smile trying to poke out. "I'll have to think about using my science powers for good."
Daisy snorted, “As opposed to evil? We all know you're too much of a goody-two-shoes to ever do anything bad. You cried when you pulled a prank on your middle school science teacher with a dead frog.”
“Hey, that was ages ago!” Dex whined, swatting at her with the space shuttle book. Daisy dodged but caught the pages between two pinched fingers, smiling hard.
"And I remember having to pick you up from the principal's office and take you to my evening class like it was yesterday. Nice try, though." She fluffed his hair, which had grown enough to cover his eyes.
Dex sighed, flopping back into the bed. He ran his fingers over the cannula inserted into his palm, closing his eyes. As the frown overtook his face, Daisy’s lips parted to speak until a familiar voice sounded from the hallway.
“She’s in here. Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?” Madison asked, appearing in view. But Daisy’s eyes focused solely on the man beside her.
"No, thank you." Jensen nodded and rushed past the window. He stepped into the doorway, dressed in one of his more expensive suits with a winter coat draped over his arm for the colder California morning. His eyes met Daisy’s halfway. From his lips, a relieved sigh fell. "Hi."
“Hi,” Daisy whispered. “You came.”
Jensen strode forward from the doorway, arms outstretched for a hug. Yet he stopped short of Daisy and dropped his hands to her shoulders, holding her at arms’ length. “I promised I would. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. My brother’s condition stabilized. They’ve gotten him caught up on insulin and some of the fluids he needed.” Daisy nodded. She laid her hand over one of his, letting her thumb slide over his knuckles.
Jensen’s throat bobbed while taking her in. “And are you okay?”
"I'm getting there." The words fumbled out of her mouth before Daisy could think, coaxed by a gentle look from Jensen. "My heart's stopped racing, and I’m not anxious that some awful fate has befallen my little brother in my absence.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you’re okay and that everything’s okay.”
“Thank you.”
Dex's pointed cough interjected from behind her, reminding her of his presence. Heat seeped into Daisy's face as she watched Jensen's gaze jump over her shoulder. Nice going, Dex.
“You must be Dex.” Jensen dropped his hands from Daisy’s shoulders and stepped up to the hospital bed, hand outstretched. “I’m Jensen. Your sister and I work together.”
"Yeah, I think I've heard your name before," Dex remarked with a sly glance tossed Daisy's way. She spotted the subtle arch of his brow and the light flashing over his eyes, bristling under his gaze.
“Is that so?” Jensen glanced at her from over his shoulder.
“Don’t even start,” Daisy warned, but her voice faltered when footsteps creaked behind her. She turned around, finding her mom having returned. “Hey.”
“Who’s this?” her mom asked, locked on Jensen at Dex’s bedside. Her gaze darted between him and Daisy, slender brows arched with curiosity. Not her, too.
Jensen strolled past Daisy, offering his handshake to her mom. A polite smile grazed his features when her mom grasped his hand. “And you must be Daisy’s mom.”
“Call me Belinda.”
“I’m Jensen Ramsey. Your daughter and I work together.”
Daisy watched her mom's eyes snap wide while her lips parted, painted pale from the shock. " The Jensen?”
"I'm the only one I know of in Daisy's life. I'm sure she's mentioned me once or twice," Jensen chuckled, but Daisy wasn't feeling as eager to hear the answer.
She stepped forward, slotting between her mom and Jensen. “Okay, you two have met—”
“Oh, you have no idea, young man. Your name is familiar to this household.” Her mom winked at Jensen. Daisy’s heart decided to dive into her stomach, dropping harder than a ton of lead.
“Mom.”
“What? It’s true.”
"She's not lying. You only mention three work-related topics around us—your projects, boss, and Jensen," Dex chimed in from his hospital bed. Daisy whirled around and flashed him the nastiest glare possible, met by her brother’s cheeky grin.
When she turned back, Jensen’s shining eyes raked over her. However, it was the shit-eating smirk threatening to cave her ego in two. He chuckled. “How many people do you talk to about me?”
“Enough.” Daisy crossed her arms. “They all know about how much I loathe you.”
"I'm touched." Jensen didn't miss a beat. He tucked his hands into his pockets, leaning forward with a smirk.
Daisy intended to grab the last word while she had a chance, but her mom’s face entered her vision. She and Jensen turned, forgetting their little conversation in front of her whole family. “Since you’re here, Jensen, could you please convince my stubborn daughter to head back to work? The doctors plan to release Dex in the next hour once his vitals are back to usual. I don’t want her to miss anything.”
"Mom, no," Daisy replied.
“Yes. Dex and I are okay here. We would feel bad if you missed more work than necessary.” Her mom shook her head. She gestured to Jensen, pleading eyes and all.
Jensen contemplated for a moment, a pensive gaze torn between Daisy and her mom before he smiled. “I’ll escort Daisy to her car, ma’am. Don’t worry about her.”
"Jensen," Daisy protested while Dex and her mom waved. She dragged her feet a little as Jensen guided her from the room. "I can't believe you teamed up on me with my mom.”
“I’m sure it’s payback for all the times you and my dad have ganged up on me together. Now, we should probably talk about this morning,” Jensen lowered his voice while the two passed the other rooms curtained off, walking her past the nurse’s station.
Daisy noticed a few eyes from some of the nurses following them, or rather following Jensen until they exited the pediatric ward. The door spat them out at the elevators, and they waited for one to open.
"What about this morning?" asked Daisy shortly before the elevator doors opened.
"I double-checked the email on the way here and noticed your email was misspelled. It seems like an accident," Jensen remarked, holding the door open for Daisy to get on first. "I postponed the meeting to this afternoon, so you'll have enough time to prepare. Also, I scheduled a visit from IT for the V-Suite computers. They'll ensure no one's emails are getting forgotten or blocked."
“Are you sure the mistake wasn’t intentional? Easton was the one who sent the email.” Daisy hit the lobby while Jensen got onto the elevator. The doors closed them in, beginning their leisurely descent.
Jensen went quiet, jaw twitching, but his voice stayed soft, "We'll never be one hundred percent sure, but let me handle it. I would never let Easton get his grubby fingers on this competition."
“Even if it would make you look better?”
“I deserve to win fair and square. You deserve the same chance.”
Daisy met Jensen’s eyes, locked in a staring contest until the elevator’s doors opened to the busy hospital lobby. She stepped to leave first, but the familiar presence of Jensen’s hand hovering over the small of her back stopped her mid-step.
She hummed, “So, are you going to actually walk me to my car, supervising me the whole way?”
“How about we grab some food that isn’t from the hospital cafeteria first?” Jensen replied. “After this morning, I think you need something to eat.”
“I’m not going to argue with you there. I left my half-eaten breakfast on the kitchen counter,” Daisy sighed, letting Jensen usher her across the crowded lobby. He reached for the glass doors first, holding them open. The gentleman act worked well, but something about him acting a little cockier suited him best.
Stepping into the fresh air of the overcast November day, all Daisy’s worries shed from her shoulders. She moved to the side when Jensen joined her, holding the door open for others.
An elderly woman wheeled by a younger girl beamed at them, sporting a gummy smile without teeth. "Why thank you, young man!”
“Anything for a distinguished lady,” Jensen offered while leaning against the door. To that, the stranger gave a hearty laugh, the kind from deep within the belly.
She pointed to Daisy and remarked, "You're such a sweetheart. I can see why you have such a gorgeous girlfriend." She said it loudly, at least enough to catch the attention of several people near the doors.
“Oh, we’re not—”
“She and I work together.”
“A shame. You’d have beautiful babies.” The woman cackled as her caretaker pushed her inside the hospital, quietly chiding her. Jensen’s face adopted a bright shade of pink, but Daisy knew hers wasn’t any better.
As she watched Jensen shake the comment off and turn to her expectantly, the flip in her stomach caused her to hesitate. She offered her hand to him and pushed the unease down.
Right, she wasn’t the dating type.