CHAPTER 21
Beth had to admit—the following days were fun.
Packing should have been overwhelming, but with Kim, it was anything but.
Between the throwback music, Kim modeling ridiculous hats (why did they have a Viking helmet in the back of their closet?), finding FIFTEEN different photos that Bryce had snuck into their photo college—he hadn’t even been in their apartment fifteen times—and of all things, an impromptu broomstick dance-off in the kitchen, it almost felt like old times.
She needed that.
She needed to laugh. To enjoy these last few days in the apartment she and Kim had called home for years.
Beth slid her stethoscope around her neck as she scanned the patient list for her shift. The familiar scent of antiseptic and coffee lingered in the air, a comforting contrast to the whirlwind of the past few days. Here, in the ER, things made sense. Here, she knew her role.
The emergency room was already busy at 6 in the morning when she clocked in. Gladys, the charge nurse, ever the efficient machine, barely looked up from her charting as she handed Beth the first patient assignment.
“Buckle up, Stoner. The ER is a madhouse, and we’ve got overflow.”
Her last name was technically Jensen now. But no one at work knew she was married.
Not yet.
“Not a problem,” Beth said with a big smile, glancing at the chart before pushing through the door of room 6.
A woman—mid-20s, exhausted, worry written all over her face—looked up the second Beth stepped inside.
“Hi, I’m Beth, your nurse, can you tell me what’s going on with your son?
The mother’s voice cracked. “He’s been fussy and pulling at his ears all day. I don’t know if it’s teething or if something’s wrong.”
“Alright,” Beth said gently, washing her hands before she approached. “Let’s take a look.”
She carefully placed her stethoscope against his little chest. Heart rate normal. Lungs clear.
Beth smiled at the baby, who blinked up at her with big, watery eyes before stuffing a fist into his mouth.
The mother exhaled shakily. “He had an ear infection last month, and I’m just afraid I missed something.”
Beth nodded, checking the little one’s ears. Slightly red, but no signs of infection.
“I get it,” Beth reassured her. “It’s always scary when they’re not acting like themselves. But good news—his ears look clear, and his swollen glands are usually a sign his immune system is doing its job. Probably fighting off a mild virus.”
The woman visibly relaxed.
“So, he’s okay?”
“I don’t see anything concerning. Would you like me to bring him a popsicle to suck on while you’re waiting for the doctor to come in and check him out?”
The mom let out a relieved laugh, pressing a kiss to her son’s head. “Thank you. That would be great.”
Beth smiled. “Of course.”
“Morning, Stoner,” Nurse Michelle greeted, sliding up beside her as she charted at the nurse’s station. “How was your weekend?”
Beth froze for half a second before forcing a smile.
Just act normal.
“Oh, you know… busy.”
Michelle smiled. “Aren’t they always?”
Before Beth could answer, Dr. Gibson strolled up, already flipping through a chart. His gray-streaked hair was slightly disheveled, and a new coffee stain was on his lab coat.
Michelle, I need you in ER 2. Possible appendicitis. Kid’s been vomiting all night.”
“On it.” Michelle grabbed a pair of gloves from the dispenser and made her way to the exam room.
So the morning went, keeping everyone busy with a steady flow of patients, thankfully nothing serious.
A couple of hours into her shift, Beth finally had a moment to breathe. She grabbed a coffee from the break room and checked her phone, smiling when she noticed Bryce’s contact name had been updated—and he’d already sent several messages.
?First Name: Bryce Hubs
Last Name:?
?Bryce Hubs:
Morning. Hope your shift goes well.
Let me know if you want me to come
announce our marriage…
I can find the time in my busy
schedule to do that.?
?Bryce Hubs:
Do you have a spare key hidden
anywhere??
?Bryce Hubs:
Never mind, don’t need one.
You left the door unlocked…
we’re gonna have words about that later.?
?Bryce Hubs:
Hope you don’t mind, but I took a
few loads to the loft. Call me territorial,
but I like seeing your things in my space.?
Beth stared at her phone for a solid minute before responding.
?Beth:
You’re ridiculous.?
?Bryce Hubs:
You love me.?
Beth had been bouncing between patients nonstop her entire shift, the rhythm of the ER keeping her thoughts occupied. She was catching up on charting when Tasha—one of her favorite nurses—passed the nurses’ station.
“Wow, today has been crazy!” Tasha said, breezing past Beth before doubling back and really looking at her. She squinted, tilting her head. “Guurrrrrl… you look goooood. Glowing, almost. What’s going on with you?”
Beth opened her mouth, scrambling for a response, but before she could get a word out, Dr. Gibson’s voice cut through the noise of the emergency room.
“Stoner, ER 3.”
Tasha smirked, stepping aside. “Fine, fine. Go save lives. But we’re not done here—we’ll catch up later.”
Beth laughed, already heading toward the exam room. “Looking forward to it.”
Beth was stifling a yawn when she finally clocked out. She and Tasha didn’t end up talking again during the shift—and that was fine.
She had just made it to the parking lot when she spotted a familiar figure leaning against her Jeep.
Bryce.
Dressed in jeans and a gray running jacket, arms crossed, looking too handsome for her level of exhaustion.
Beth grinned, shaking her head. “You know, for someone who’s moving my stuff while I’m at work, you sure find a lot of time to loiter.”
Bryce smirked. “Gotta make sure my wife makes it to her car safely.”
Her stomach did a weird flip at the word wife. He hadn’t said it like that before.
She glanced around, instinctively checking for nosy coworkers.
“Since you didn’t let me announce things my way, did you at least make any announcements your way?”
Beth grinned sheepishly. “Nope.”
Bryce sighed dramatically. “Unbelievable.”
He reached for her hand—then frowned.
“Where’s your ring?”
Beth hesitated. “I didn’t wear it to work.”
“Why not?” Bryce narrowed his eyes.
Beth sighed. “The stone is too big. It would get caught every time I put on or take off gloves. There’s no way I’m risking losing it.”
Bryce nodded slowly, finally understanding. His mind was already spinning on how to fix that. Relieved there wasn’t more to why she chose not to wear it
“Makes sense. Are you ready to head to the loft?”
Beth gave a hesitant nod.