Chapter 15
Karina
“Well, I’m glad she didn’t. Did you at least—”
“You don’t even have to ask. I changed rooms with Ericka,” she huffs. “Today has been one for the books.”
“It’s about the same as any other day for me.
I didn’t have lunch, and crazy Josh came strolling in with his shopping cart of bags, saying he had a headache.
I wanted to tell him don’t we all and then send him right back out the ER doors.
” I rub my temples. Josh is our regular ER patient.
He’s thirty-six and unhoused, and he’s harmless, but he loves to rattle off the latest conspiracy theories.
Ninety percent of the time, there is nothing physically wrong with him, and most of the staff at St. Mary’s let his and others’ visits slide; we know it’s mostly about these people seeking company and warm beds.
“Speaking of Josh, I heard the hospital director is looking to put an end to the homeless people faking sick to get a place to sleep for the night,” Cassie says, and my heart drops.
“But the shelters in this area are at capacity,” I protest.
“I know you want to be a savior to all mankind, but this is a hospital, Rina. There are patients who need our care. What happens when we start to fill up?”
“We can’t turn away—”
“Technically, we can, but we choose not to.” She’s right, but winter is coming. I shudder to think about the Joshes of the city who will struggle when the temperatures drop.
“I don’t know how they plan on implementing real change in a matter of months.
We can’t rush as doctors. One wrong move, and that could be it for us.
I don’t think the hospital director would put his neck on the line for us.
” I glance at my watch. Shit, I need to see Vulcan.
“I need to check on the captain before he leaves.”
“Leave? Wasn’t he damn near dead yesterday? He should be here for at least a week, if not longer.”
“I got a look at his file. He’s hiring a private doctor to make house visits, but I think that’s his way of getting back to work.
He doesn’t want to be confined to a bed for three months.
” I knew something was amiss when the nurse came in to review his discharge process.
There is no way I would let a patient leave the hospital after what he went through, not even twenty-four hours after the incident.
“You went to see the fire captain this morning?” Cassie unwraps her brownie and stares at me. “Like, before you did your rounds?”
I nod.
“Wait, Rina, are you seeing him?”
“When you say seeing, do you mean—”
“You know what I mean, like seeing, kissing, fucking, touching, sucking, eating, devouring, being manhandled by the captain. Did you see his fire hose yet?” She winks. “Are we even best friends if you say yes?”
“We are best friends even if I say yes, but it’s a no for everything except seeing and kissing.
We’ve been enjoying each other’s company lately.
” I don’t want to lie to Cassie, but I signed all that paperwork for a reason.
Vulcan wants complete discretion regarding this matter.
Now I just need to figure out how to break it to her that we’re getting married.
“We’ve been talking since the Heroes Gala, and then we had dinner. ”
Cassie lets out a shriek of excitement, and I cover my ears.
“So he is the guy who took you out the other night. You didn’t let him fuck after Jean-Georges?
Tell me all the things! Why did you keep this a secret?
You know I would have supported you no matter what.
Also, didn’t I tell you he wanted you when we went to the bar that night?
I hear older men love to take control in the bedroom. And he looks so strong and—”
“I’d rather you not go down that rabbit hole.” I toss a spork at her. “But I can say, I don’t think the age gap will be an issue. He and I have a lot in common.” Sort of. “And we’re both looking to date for marriage.”
“Marriage? Wait, who are you, and where is my best friend? Are you sure you two haven’t had sex yet? I mean, this sounds like a dickmatized answer.”
I burst into laughter despite myself. “Dickmatized? Really, Cassie?” The stress of the day seems to melt away as her ridiculous terminology hits me. “I promise you, my judgment isn’t clouded by anything below the belt.”
“Uh-huh, sure.” She takes a bite of her brownie, grinning. “But seriously, Rina, I’m happy for you. You deserve someone who treats you right. And if Captain Hottie is making you smile like that after the day we’ve both had, then I’m all for it.”
Her enthusiasm is infectious, and I find myself grinning back. “He does make me feel… lighter, somehow. Like maybe there’s more to life than just surviving these brutal shifts.” I stand up. “FYI, we haven’t had sex yet. I’ll be back.” I leave the break room before her head pops off her shoulders.
I knock once on the door before opening it and seeing a sleeping Vulcan.
I tiptoe closer to his bed, watching his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm.
His eyes are shut, lashes fanning over high cheekbones that speak of a classical handsomeness not often found outside of old-world paintings.
The salt-and-pepper beard gives him a rugged look that I adore.
“Vulcan,” I whisper, unsure if I want to wake him. His eyelids flutter, revealing dark irises that lock onto mine.
“Karina,” he rumbles. “You came back.”
“Of course I did,” I reply, trying to keep my tone light despite how my heart kicks at seeing him. “I told you I would.”
He sits up and pats the bed next to him.
“I’d better not. I’ve been dealing with patients all afternoon.” I take another small step back. “So, did you see the doctor yet?”
“Yeah, around one,” he answers, and I look down at my watch.
“Wait, you’ve been discharged for two hours.”
“I wanted to see you before I go.” He swings his feet off the bed, stands up, and I step back once more. “Did you not want to see me?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” I’m starting to think I’m a hopeless romantic because every little thing he says and does makes my damn body react as if I’m some lovesick puppy.
He closes the distance I carved out, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me into his chest. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Yeah?” I swallow hard.
“We need to be more comfortable around each other. I want you to meet my sister before the wedding, and I realize we know next to nothing about each other outside of work.”
I chew on my lower lip, pondering his words. “You’re right,” I say, my heart pounding. “So, we go on dates.”
Vulcan shakes his head and loosens his grip but doesn’t let go completely.
His touch is both unnerving and exhilarating.
“With me on bedrest and your schedule, dates would be kind of hard, don’t you think?
” He doesn’t wait for me to answer before he drops a bomb on me.
“I think you should move in with me before the wedding.”
My mouth drops open, and I’m speechless for a moment. I thought he would want his own space until we made this whole thing official. “Before the—?” I manage to find my voice, though it comes out higher than intended. “Vulcan, we barely know each other’s favorite colors, let alone living habits.”
His thumb traces along my waist through my scrubs, sending warmth radiating through my tired body.
“That’s exactly why we need to do this, Karina.
People will see right through us if we can’t even have a natural conversation about mundane things like how you take your coffee or what side of the bed you sleep on.
Us living together would be like a crash course in learning each other’s habits and interests… ”
I feel heat creep up my neck. The bed comment shouldn’t affect me this much, but something about the way his voice dropped makes my pulse quicken.
“If we want to make this believable, we should do it,” he adds.
Taking a deep breath, I nod slowly, the idea settling in my stomach like a heavy stone, yet somehow fluttering like butterflies too. “Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll move in, but we need ground rules. This is still a business arrangement first.”
Vulcan’s face lights up. “Okay,” he says simply. “I have an extra bedroom you can sleep in, unless”—he pauses, his voice lowering to a husk that sends a shiver down my spine—”you decide you want to share mine?”
Don’t seem too eager, Rina. “Having my own space is fine. And, um, about the rent? Fifty-fifty?”
“No need,” he says. “Consider it part of the arrangement. All I want is for this to run smoothly.”
I nod, feeling a sense of relief and warmth toward him.
It’s a strange sensation, this growing trust and dependency on someone I’m entering a legally binding marriage contract with.
I would normally feel my hackles raise at such an offer—I know better than anyone there’s always a catch when something sounds too good to be true.
Yet, here I am, about to share a home with him, rent-free.
“So, about those boundaries, what did you have in mind?”
I take a moment to think it through. “Things like privacy needs, sharing chores… maybe even guidelines about… guests?” I say the last word with a slight hesitance.
He nods, understanding clear in his eyes.
“There will be none of that. I won’t have you disrespected, even if we stay the course and keep things purely professional.
And if at any point you want to change the parameters, rework some of the terms…
” He trails off, his gaze holding mine with an intensity that feels like a direct challenge. “Well, I’m open to that too.”
“Let’s take things one step at a time,” I say. “Moving in together is already a big adjustment.”
He nods. “Fair enough.”
And with that, I leave him to continue my rounds, wondering how to reconcile these very real feelings for who is about to be my very fake husband.