22. Chapter 21
Clark
“I cannot believe I’ve just allowed you to take me to work,” I say with a chuckle as I climb off my husband’s Harley, using his broad shoulders as a crutch.
He grins wide, looking pretty happy with himself as he wraps his arm around my waist to stop me from pulling away and my heart flutters as I lean into him, I can’t help it.
The man is consuming me, and I seem to be giving in quite easily.
Not only did he convince me to allow my parents, of all people, to watch Willow at our home after she begged continuously while he dropped me off at work. He also managed to get shower sex while our daughter was playing downstairs.
And the award for the best parents goes to…
“I’m trying to get all the fucking time I can with you, buttercup.
You’re on your first night shift tonight following Amber, and I won’t get to see you in the morning.
By the time you get home, I would already have taken Willow to school before going on the run,” he says, and I lean further onto him, trying to help settle him.
Drew gave birth last night to a happy, healthy little boy named Conner Joel – CJ for shirt with Tricks help and the boy is absolutely beautiful.
“It’s only six hours. When you get back, I’ll be home, tired as hell, but home,” I remind him. He hums as he runs his lips over my forehead, and I close my eyes, and nausea hits for the fifth time today.
I’m either coming down with something, or I’m really nervous about this shift.
I’m not a nursing assistant, tonight I’m a trainee, and I’m scared shitless.
“You’ll do amazing, baby,” Miles whispers, “I know you’re nervous, but have faith in yourself.”
I nod as I pull back, then go up on my tiptoes and press my mouth against his, intending a quick kiss before I go to work, but my husband has other ideas.
Miles tightens his arm around my waist while cupping my cheek and licking my bottom lip.
I open instantly because if your husband kissed you the way mine he kissed me, you’d lose all senses too. I melt into him and grip his cut as he deepens the kiss.
“Fuck, I hate myself for staying away for so long,” he rasps as he breaks the kiss, and I kiss his lips once, twice, three more times before I pull back and give him a wink as I turn, and he groans seeing his name on my back.
“I love you,” I call over my shoulder, and he chuckles, “Love you too, buttercup, I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
***
“Oh my god, is that a property cut?!” I hear gasped as I walk into the ER, the sounds of Miles’s bike roaring down the road echoing. I turn and lock eyes with my best friend's shocked, light blue ones.
“Hey stranger,” I say as I walk over to her, “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
She hums as she nods at the cut and says, “Clearly I’ve missed a lot working all the hours I have.”
She hugs me just as Amber calls my name, and I grin her way before telling Belle, “Okay, wish me luck on my first trainee shift.”
“You don’t need it,” she says with a grin, “but meet me for lunch?”
I furrow my brows. “Is it lunch or a midnight snack?” I ask, and she laughs before shoving me towards Amber, and she calls, “Twelve ten, lady,” and I wave her way as I practically skip towards Amber, who twirls her finger in the air.
I do as she wishes and twirl, showing off my cut, and she nods with pride.
“It’s about damn time,” she says and I grin as my phone beeps and I quickly check it as I follow Amber to the staff room.
Miles:You’ll do great, baby. Be proud that you can finally live your dream. We love you xx.
I smile at the picture of him and our girl grinning at the camera, then quickly message back an ‘I love you too,’ and put my phone in my cut.
“Are you ready?” Amber asks as she opens the staff room door, and I take a deep breath, then confirm, “I’m ready.”
***
Groaning as I walk up to the nurse's desk, where my friend is writing something down, her hair looking a lot messier than when I saw her when I arrived for work.
"You look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backward,” I grumble as I stop near her, putting the chart down in the tray.
“And you look like death, are you feeling alright?” she says as she frowns my way, but I wave my hand at her.
“I feel a little sick, but I think it’s because not only is it my first night shift, but we missed lunch or our midnight snack or whatever you want to call it,” I say and she chuckles a little.
“I figured you were busy,” she says, and I grunt, "She is proving my worth, that is all I’ll say,” and Belle grins wider.
“Crash messaged and mentioned you bumped into Kodi, how’s she doing?
” Belle casually brings up, and I raise a brow at her non-subtle question because I honestly thought she’d ask how me and my brother are doing.
Bringing up our friend, or my friend because she has burned that bridge, is not what I expected.
“You still feel guilty, don’t you?” I confirm, and she scrunches her nose up.
“Extremely. I wasn’t very confident in my relationship with your brother at the time. I couldn’t see past him wanting to keep us a secret until I realized it was for my safety,” she says, and I nod.
“She’s doing well. She’s a police officer now, but she did struggle after she lost her mom,” I say, and she winces.
“I was a shit friend,” she mutters, and I chuckle and remind her, “You were a kid, stop beating yourself up,” then I ask, “Who’d you have lunch with then?” hoping to change the subject from Kodi.
Where that girl is concerned, Belle turns a little green.
She clears her throat and instead of looking at me, she reads the chart and mumbles, “Myself, I felt like a loner, so you owe me one.”
I laugh just as we hear, “Ah, Belle, there you are, can you give me a hand please,” and I look up to see Dr. Love, the hospital's fifth year resident. He has a beer gut, and believes he’s God's gift to women, walking over, he trails his eyes over my blue scrubs, lust etching in his dark brown eyes that make me want to curl away from him.
“Congratulations, Clark, I heard you were going into nursing,” he says, all without taking his eyes off my chest, and I take a step backward.
“Thanks,” I mutter before I look at Belle, who is looking between Dr. Love and me with a frown, and I say, “Text me later, Belle. I need to continue doing rounds,” and she nods as I walk away feeling the need to scrub myself.
I cannot stand that doctor. I shudder and rush over to room three, ready to follow Amber's lead in taking blood, hoping to get that look from Dr. Love out of my mind.
I only have eight hours left of my shift, and then I can go home and spend time with my little girl before school.
I’ll have a little nap and then pick her up before her father gets home and spend the evening with him.
With that thought, a smile sits on my face, and I practically skip towards the patient, and hope builds in my chest.
Everything finally feels like I don’t know…I guess perfect, like nothing can break this.