CHAPTER THIRTY
Headstrong
SERENITY
I flinch as a loud snap echoes in the room, followed by a crying ache of a young child. Caleb doesn’t pause. He presses the boy’s arm to confirm it’s aligned for casting.
“Hold still,” he orders.
The boy does, with tears spraying out of his eyes like a broken fire hydrant. He’s hardly started kindergarten and Caleb’s acting like the boy is training for the army.
Caleb glances at me over his shoulder. The dead-pan expression on his face turns into a grouchy frown. I try to avoid any form of eye contact. “The nurse will put the cast on,” he grumbles. “Ask her anything. I’ll be back for a consultation before he’s discharged.”
The nurse.
He can’t address me by name, but he can look at me crazy, and that’s been happening since I showed up for my shift. Every day since I’ve blocked his number, he gets more and more ignorant.
I’m thankful he hasn’t been able to bother me much, but the eerie tension is almost as rough. I have no idea what he’s thinking. If he hates me for the consequences of his own actions, or if he’s scared that Brooks and Lake will teach him another lesson for bugging me.
If it’s the first possibility, I wonder if that’ll lead him to talk to me again, maybe hurt me. Although I haven’t been too worried about Caleb attempting another insane trap. He isn’t just being rude to me, he’s been aggressive with everyone, including patients.
“Got it?” His voice thrashes.
The mother nods slowly. Her eyes flick to the door behind me, possibly wondering what’s taking her husband so long, and hoping he’ll come back soon to share the tension with her. But even at one in the morning, I can promise the line for coffee is backed up outside of the entrance.
Caleb doesn’t say another word to any of us. He doesn’t even check on the little boy. The mother scrunches her nose at Caleb. She runs her hand along her son’s hair, and the room stays silent until the door is shut.
Yeah. I’m not the only one uncomfortable by his presence.
I give a bright smile. “I’m sorry about that.”
She shakes her head. “No, no. Please, you didn’t do anything.”
I approach her son. There’s a big hole in his sweatpants from tonight’s accident, and a dirt stain on his left calf, that his mother has undoubtedly tried to wash out at least three times. He whimpers before I even touch him.
“Hey, Grayson, it’s alright,” I promise him.
He cries out, “I thought I could climb the fridge!”
I tuck my lips together to hold in my laugh and exchange a glance with his mother. She unfolds one arm and bites on her finger to stop her giggle.
“It wasn’t the best idea. Although I would’ve been scared if my cat was up there.” I tilt my head. “Just remember, cats can jump higher than humans, okay?”
His lip quivers.
“I’m going to start by moving this sleeve onto your arm. Is that alright?” I show Grayson the sleeve, and he shakes his head. I don’t blame him, considering Caleb showed no sympathy as he snapped the boy’s arm in place.
“Honey, I’m sure she’ll be gentle.”
His attention shifts to his mother, but he shakes his head again.
“I’ll be as gentle as possible, and if you feel anything painful, you let me know, okay?” I reassure.
He stays hesitant, switching his eyes to different spots in the room, digging his tiny teeth into his bottom lip.
“Once I put on this sleeve, I can add the cast layer. It’s like slime until it hardens. Isn’t that cool?” I smile. “And you can pick a color for your cast, your friends can sign it.”
That gets his attention. It always does. Five-year-olds strive to be the coolest in class. I can see the gears in his brain turning. He knows everyone will sign his cast and he can tell a crazy story about how he broke it. One far more dramatic than failing to climb his smooth fridge door.
His tearful face turns stern. “Can I have blue?”
“Yes! We have the perfect shade of blue.”
***
I say my goodbyes to Grayson’s parents. They’re a sweet couple. The husband has his arm scooped around his wife’s waist. She waves at me as I make my exit. Her free hand latches onto the top of Grayson’s head, but her body rests with her husband, and not because he’s holding onto her, but because she naturally sways in his direction.
They hadn’t yet gone to bed when they heard a loud crash and their son screaming. Grayson recalled both his parents putting him to sleep. He said his mommy gave dad the look, because Grayson had already had three stories read to him, and it was far past his bedtime.
They left his race car themed room together, but the second the door clicked shut, Grayson decided he wanted a midnight snack. He snuck downstairs, prepared to grab a snack and charge back into his bedroom unnoticed, but he found his cat curled on top of the fridge. Grayson had a genius plan to rescue his trapped cat, but as he attempted to climb the fridge, the door swung open. He fell and broke his arm.
His parents rushed to his aid, together.
I feel bittersweet over it. I guess their marriage could be a front. Maybe they got married for strategic reasons, but fell in love along the way, like Lake and I seem to be doing.
Falling for him was never my intention, but now I think about him more than I consider my potential murder charge, and when I do think about my case, I’m only concerned with Lake’s reaction.
I’m always remembering his words and how he tells me I’m enough, or when he states I need to stand up for myself. That I am powerful, and capable of changing the trajectory of my life, because it’s mine to change. I can feel his hands on my skin, his palm grabbing my hand, and the gentle whispers about me being beautiful, followed by him showing me he needs me instead of just telling me.
I can’t describe how badly I hope my own words have the same impact on his actions and mind. It’s not about making him fall in love with me. I want to prove to him that he can change his life, too. I want Lake to know that he’s beyond enough.
This is a type of love I’ve never experienced before. But if being willing to sacrifice everything—even my broken morals— for another person is love, then I am utterly in love with Lake Phoenix, and I guess I have been since I brought him back to life.
I lose sight of Grayson’s parents as I round the curtain to their hospital space. It was the only space available once I had Grayson’s cast on. There’s people lined in the hallways and crowding each waiting area.
As I face forward, I jump back a step.
Caleb stands with his arms folded, looking at me through his eyebrows. He had his hair cut, and goodness me, he did not enter his barber shop with a reference photo.
“I need to speak with you.”
Okay. I just need to stay calm. We’re in the middle of a hospital. I’ve been working in this hospital since I was an intern. I know my way around and I trust most of my colleagues. There are patients scattered everywhere. He cannot hurt me.
“Sure,” I say. “What’s the problem, boss?”
He rolls his eyes. Then he uncrosses his arms and sways them along his hips. “Come with me.” He jerks his head.
No. Absolutely not; is what my gut tells me. Which she doesn’t need to worry. I’m not going anywhere with him. Not again. The expression on Caleb’s face reveals he’s well aware of what my answer is about to be, but I fake a smile anyway. “No.”
He scoffs under his breath and scratches at his head. His body language is far from the usual arrogant-posture he has. It’s alarming me, and when he starts to roll his ankles in small circles, continuing to mutter to himself, a siren blares in my ears.
“Let’s go, Serenity,” he demands.
“No.” I point to the ground. “If you need to tell me something, you can say it here.”
In this very public, crowded hallway.
He takes a step forward, glancing around the space, almost like he’s counting the number of people near us. His entire demeanor goes from scary to terrifying. His hands clamp at his sides, his knuckles glowing white, and his beady eyes focus. They’re eager.
“Your little friends can’t help you,” he grits.
It’s another moment that feels so off-putting. I’m unsure how to evaluate it.
“Why are you so insistent on bothering me?” I call him out. “We broke up. You didn’t bother me for months, and I’ve made it obvious I’m not interested. So what’s your problem?”
He tries to grab my hand, or maybe my wrist, but I steer my body away in time. And I stare right at him, trying to figure out what he’s thinking. Literally. What the hell is he thinking?
The thing is, women face constant harassment, and we make excuses, almost subconsciously, to justify people’s actions. But hauling me to the break room isn’t an appropriate way to handle his emotions. Nor is trying to lock me in the fricking room. Regardless of if he wanted to get back with me or not, and what his title is to me now.
His threat about Lake and Brooks not being here to help is also not okay. From anyone, but especially not a boss, who isn’t even my friend.
Once again, Caleb is harassing me. Harassment. There’s no alternative way to word it. Not a single way to justify it.
I swallow the lump in my throat and try my best to conceal my anxiety. I’m begging this doesn’t get to my head before I’m able to walk away. “You’re lucky my little friends,” I make quotations with my hands, “handled you instead of me reporting it.”
I can protect myself. I will protect myself, and if by some chance I can’t, my husband will protect me.
Caleb’s eyes are erratic. They psychotically move around to check if anyone heard me.
I dip my head. “I’m giving you two seconds to step away from me and leave before I scream at the top of my lungs.”
His mouth is open, and his head turns bright red. He appears to be moments away from throwing a toddler-sized tantrum.
“And just remember, we’re in the ER. If I scream, people will look.” A little smile sprawls across my face. I’m proud of myself for being capable of sticking to my guns exactly how Lake told me to.
Unfortunately for me, Caleb isn’t so proud, and he doesn’t take my threat seriously. He laughs to himself, striding up to me until he’s only inches from my face, and he smooths a hand down his features.
The anxiety I’ve been trapping explodes. My face switches to horror. My eyes go wide, and I can feel the color drain from my skin, leaving me pale.
“You have two seconds to follow me. Got that, sweetie?”
And he laughs again. At me. He thinks I’m a joke. That he’s powerful. That I have nothing over him. I’m weak to him. I feel weak being stuck under his presence.
“I will report you, Caleb,” I manage.
“The doctors are understaffed, Serenity.” He smirks. “The nurses aren’t. You’re replaceable. Do you understand that?”
Replaceable. I stare at his face, lost for words.
He angles his neck, nudging himself closer to me. “Even if we weren’t understaffed, nobody would believe you.”
I feel like my feet are stuck under ice. I can’t seem to move, and Caleb takes that as an opportunity to grab me. He squeezes onto my wrist so tightly it burns. “You have no fucking clue what I’ve been going through,” he murmurs.
“What are you talking about?”
A voice I trust enters the conversation. “Serenity?”
Both mine and Caleb’s heads whip to the side.
Jimena stands there, a fresh and folded fleece blanket in her hands. Her hair is pulled back and secured with a claw clip, letting her showcase her fuming expression in full. She glances at me and Caleb, questioning, “what is this?”
An ocean of relief washes over me. One secret I didn’t insist on keeping hidden was what Caleb attempted to do in the breakroom. I told Lake and Lake told Brooks. Then I told Jimena. So, not only am I not alone, but I’m protected, too.
She won’t leave me here with him, no matter how creepy his face turns. She’d kill him right here if it came to it. Jimena would tear that claw clip from her scalp and jab him with it.
“You can stand up for yourself, Angel.”
“Worth a lot more than you give yourself credit for.”
Lake’s encouragement is in my mind, and my best friend is right next to me. I’m more than okay.
“Dr. Fletcher is threatening me,” I exclaim.
Caleb draws back. His eerie blue eyes almost pop out of their sockets. He lets go of my hand and scans the hallway, catching a few glances from onlookers.
“Oh, is he?” Jimena grins, and she puts her hand on her hip. “Yeah, Dr. Fletcher loves to threaten people!”
Everyone is watching us three. Many confused and concerned looks are filling up the hallway. Caleb is turning red again, this time from sheer embarrassment.
Jimena walks up to him and smacks his arm. To me, it’s obvious the smack was harder than it seems. “Oh, Caleb, we’re joking!” She bats her eyes up at him. The smile on her lips is a warning. There are few things he can say, or she’ll snap him in half.
I squeeze in. “Yes! We can both work next Christmas. Just let us have Thanksgiving!”
He recovers as the surrounding expressions change. Some people return to minding their own business. “Alright, fine!” He fakes a laugh.
He returns a smile to Jimena. Thankfully, it’s not the threatening one he gave to me. There’s fear in his eyes because his precious mediocre doctor-work just about slipped through his hands.
Jimena doesn’t stop giving him a dirty look as she places her hand on my upper back and urges me in one direction. Caleb speeds the opposite way, and once he’s out of sight, she asks, “are you okay?”
I nod. “Thank you. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with him.”
She pulls open a curtain, an empty bed inside, and drags me in, shutting the curtain behind us. Then she motions with a hand, and I immediately tell her the details.
“And then he said I have no idea what he’s been through? It was so random, Jimena.” I wave my arm. “I asked him what he meant, but you came to my rescue before I got an answer.”
“Ugh. Sorry. I saw you guys and called for you.” She rolls her eyes. “He was grabbing you. I almost lost my job.”
My lips tug into a soft smile. “Thank you.”
“What does he mean, though?” she questions. “Is he just heartbroken and unable to fix his own blue balls? How is that your problem?”
I shrug. “I have no clue, but I thought the same thing. It still seems off. Like, I don’t know how to describe it. It just felt deeper than that.”
“Well.” Jimena imitates my shrug. “He’s never messing with you again.”
“Yeah. You scared the crap out of him.” I cover my laugh.
“Oh shoot,” I talk over myself. “Lake made me promise to tell him if Caleb did anything, but Lake’s going to kill him.”
Jimena shifts the fleece blanket into one arm and pats me on the shoulder. “When you tell him, make sure Lake calls me. I’ll be his getaway driver.”