Chapter 17
seventeen
GREER
Jude’s smile is sinful. Grinning back at me from my phone screen, he coaxes, “Stand up so I can see you.”
Face warming, I step back and twirl to show off my first day of work outfit. My new moss green scrubs paired with cushioned tennis shoes. I wear a swipe of lip gloss and mascara, and my long hair is up in a sleek ponytail.
“You look too pretty. Go change,” he growls.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Just know a treasure when I’ve found it.”
“I bet you say that to all the ladies.”
He laughs like I’m hysterical. “You have no idea how wrong you are.”
God, I hope so. This man has a way of making me feel so special.
“All packed to go?”
Lifting up the big work bag I’ve filled to the brim, I say, “Yes, thanks to someone spoiling me this weekend.”
“I want to know you’re comfortable. Nursing is hard work.”
“Are you ever going to tell me how you knew what all to buy?”
“Found your wish list. Bought what it looked like you needed.”
“And more.”
I have a bunch of scrubs from clinicals, but they’re all cheap scratch ones.
It made no sense to invest in nicer ones when I might have ended up wearing a facility's uniform scrubs instead. With the money I’ve spent on moving into the apartment, I decided to wait to buy nicer ones until I've built up a bigger nest egg.
But yesterday morning, a big box arrived at my apartment. I was shocked to find a rainbow of plastic-wrapped fabric. Cute scrub sets with jogger bottoms and V-neck tops. They’re stretchy in all the right places and breathable.
I assumed the box was from my parents because the colors and cuts were my preferred style. Then I saw Jude’s name on the packing list. He bought everything, including a buttery soft fleece jacket.
As if I wasn’t already overwhelmed by his generosity, another box arrived an hour later with a hodgepodge of nurse stuff: peppermint oil for masks, a no-spill tumbler with a retractable straw, and a dozen patterned compression socks to prevent sore feet.
My favorite is a badge reel with a French Bulldog splatting. There’s even a phone charger. He spent more time and money than on flowers or dinner, organizing everything during a ride. His attention while away speaks volumes.
Since he said my last thank you was too polite, I sent him one that was anything but proper…
a picture of me wearing the top, bare legs bent under me, my pussy just barely hidden.
To say Jude liked it was an understatement.
I’ve promised to model it for him tonight, when he has the privacy of a hotel room.
His voice is still grumpy when he says, “You’re glowing today.”
“I’m excited. I’ve worked a long time toward this.”
“Are you nervous?”
“There’s no training nurse to show me the ropes, so I’m a little anxious about that.”
“You’ve got this.”
“Thank you for saying that. The computer system is the same as the one I used for my clinical hours, so at least I know my way around it.”
“Since I’m not there to take you out to a celebration dinner, I messaged Allie to plan something for you two. Dinner and a spa night right after work.”
“You’ve already gone overboard.”
“I like doing it. I want my woman pampered.”
“This is me reminding you again that we’re still new.”
“And I don’t give a fuck what you say about it. You’re mine. Admit it now or don’t, but it won’t change things.”
This man has me so dick dazzled I don’t know how much fight I have in me, especially when he’s being so attentive.
Did we have to sleep together before he left?
I know what I’m missing now. I want to spend a month in bed with him, finding every hidden curve of his muscles. “Are you always this determined?”
“When I see something worth the effort.”
Typical Jude, turning my irritation into something smooth that makes my insides turn to mush. What woman wouldn’t feel like a treasure when a man says that in such an earnest tone?
Right as we’re saying our goodbyes, Jude shoots me a wicked smirk, “I paid for a waxing at the spa if you want it. Don’t go completely bare. I like a landing strip brushing my face while you’re sitting on it.”
The man knows how to keep me revved up and anxious for his return. We’re supposed to be taking baby steps, but he’s trying to drive me to the point of obsession.
After putting Hank in his playpen for the work day, I change out his enrichment toys and scurry down the stairs, locking the doors behind me.
My mind is on Jude every second of it. He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before.
Growing up on base, I’m no stranger to the alpha male.
As intoxicating as they can be, it’s Jude’s attentiveness that’s getting to me.
I mean, that body certainly doesn’t hinder things, or the way he uses it to bring me pleasure.
Jude is a fifteen out of ten, and he’s putting an insane amount of time, money, and effort into our relationship. The way he looks at me, touches my skin, makes me feel so safe. I crave the way he fucks, primal and commanding, but still so giving.
It feels like I’ve found a treasure of my own. Maybe I should count my blessings and hold on for the ride.
The back door to the clinic opens as I’m shoving my bag under the desk in the nurse’s station.
Dr. Bergeron’s outer facade is not that of a country doctor at all.
I’d have guessed he worked in the chaos of an emergency room or breaking bones in orthopedics.
Instead, he’s treating the stomach flu and ear infections.
Unlike my own jitteriness, Dr. Bergeron has a smooth confidence about him.
He appears clean cut with no visible tattoos or piercings, but if you look below the surface, you can see the edge in him.
It’s the distinctive blend of a commanding presence and laid back swagger that gives him away as a member of a motorcycle club.
Right about now, I really wish we’d met during the interview process.
This moment wouldn’t be as awkward. He comes to stand in front of my desk and gives me a chin lift, “Are you my new nurse?”
“Yes, I’m Greer. It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Bergeron.”
“The name’s Sully.” He pauses for a minute, as if searching for what to say, “Dr. Hebert says you’ve recently moved back as well. Are you all settled in?”
“I am. My family helped quite a bit.”
“Do you have any questions?”
“Are you ready for me to show the first patient to a room?”
He glances at a smart watch, revealing a line of dark ink at the wrist. “Gimme five.”
He struts off with a nylon book bag on his shoulders but stops and looks back at me. “If I get a message from one of the brothers on the landline, or they try to get in touch with me through you, it’s your first priority.”
Nope, not digging into that one. “Understood.”
I wasn’t sure how friendly Sully would be with me, given my conversation with Jude about biker social norms. After talking to Odin, I have a feeling the entire club is going to argue that I’m Jude’s old lady regardless of what I have to say about it.
Why fight the crazy when I’m sneaking sips of the Kool-Aid too?
A part of me feels like I’m playing nurse as I creep from the back to the reception desk. Jenn has the frosted privacy glass closed and is on the phone, telling someone to come straight in.
When she hangs up, I say, “That doesn’t sound good.”
“I had one more appointment first thing this morning. I left it open in case of an emergency.”
“So what’s the story?”
“The Parker boys were roughhousing again, and now one of them has a bloody nose that won’t stop.”
“This sounds like a regular occurrence.”
“The woman has six sons, so yes.”
Jenn hands me two thin paper files for taking vitals and notes. “Your first is a mom and baby.”
“Are we super packed?”
“Boy, are we. Plus, people are stopping by to bring you and Sully welcome gifts. It’s been a zoo.”
She gestures to a side table I didn’t notice, where a small assortment of baskets is already taking up much of the space.
I walk over to inspect the contents and lean in for a closer look.
A fabric-topped mason jar with some sort of jam sits next to a wicker basket with wrapped cookies.
An ivy plant of some sort trails down the table, too hearty and loved to have come from a garden center. “What is all this?”
“The Parran welcome wagon. Some of it has your name on it, and the others are for Sully.”
“Do you know who left the plant?”
“Dorothy Davis.”
“I should call her to say thank you,” I remark, recognizing the name.
“You’ll see her soon. She has an appointment coming up.”
“I’d better call anyway.” Ms. Dorothy is Mom’s godmother, which is more than a little awkward.
The elderly woman is allegedly the reason for one of Maw Maw’s divorces.
My mother denies it, but Maw Maw doesn’t dislike someone without reason.
I’m so close to Maw Maw that it feels like a betrayal to be anything more than barely polite to Ms. Dorothy.
I have to laugh that I’m already immersed in bullshit that goes back forty years.
When Dad is transferred to another base, it’s a completely clean slate.
New school, different house. I can be anybody I want, hang out with whatever crowd I like.
This time, I’m slotted right in as Greer Guidry, daughter of Fletcher and Marie.
Even with all the bullshit, it’s like I’m finally coming back to where I belong. There’s something comforting in it.
A toddler starts screaming at their lung’s full capacity. “I’d better go out there.”
“Good luck,” Jenn calls out.
The baby is flush with fever, and his mom, Angeliqué, has a horrible cough. Since her husband is with them, I take their vitals in the exam room. My nurse’s station is a cozy nook, and I won’t be able to fit all those bodies into the limited space.
While I’m inputting their information into the online portal for Sully, asking all the normal questions, my eye catches a few irregularities. “The baby’s a bit behind on his check-ups. Since he’s being seen for illness today, do you want to schedule for that?”
Angeliqué looks to her husband, but he glances at me disinterestedly, “That other doctor refused to do well checks in the morning, and I work in the afternoon.”
That’s because they’re saved for urgent situations that pop up when we open. Like the Parker boys bloody nose. Their mom would have to drive an hour each way to the nearest E.R. if we couldn’t see him right away. “If you don’t mind potentially waiting, he can be seen next week.”
The husband clears his throat, “I don’t see why we need to bring him back just to be weighed. Sounds like a lot of nonsense.”
“Well checks are to examine the baby for developmental milestones and early prevention.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my boy. Healthy as a horse,” he declares, holding a baby with a fever of a hundred and four.
“Maybe I could walk over from the house? You don’t have to trouble yourself with it.” Angeliqué goes into a coughing fit as soon as she finishes speaking.
“I want to be at all your appointments, you know that.”
Angeliqué’s shoulders slump. “You’re right. Let's schedule one morning.”
There’s something that prickles my neck between the pair.
“I’ll set it up after you see Dr. Bergeron.”
I’ll be sure to confirm with Angeliqué, even though the husband insists his number be the primary contact.
“Is the doctor going to be a while? I have to head to work right after this.” One of my uncles works with Angeliqué’s husband. I recognize the embroidered work shirt he’s wearing. Midshift doesn’t start for a few more hours.
Angeliqué starts coughing again as I wrap up my blood pressure stand to leave. I know a parent can’t miss work every time a kid and spouse are sick, but how is Angeliqué going to care for the baby alone? Even at a glance, they’re both very unwell.
When I was doing clinicals, a physician admitted a mom of three young kids so that she could recover from pneumonia. Knowing Angeliqué will have baby Landon tonight by herself, I can understand the thought behind it now.
“The doctor will be in shortly,” I answer, turning to walk away.
I can’t fix everything. I can only try to help them feel better.
Around lunchtime, a bouquet of red roses arrives with a note that says, “Something to make you think of me at work.”
As I lay the arrangement on my desk, I know the flowers have two purposes, and neither of them is courtship.
Like the rest of his gifts, they’re to make damn sure I don’t forget about Jude when he’s out of town.
But the flowers also serve as a blinking warning sign for anyone who comes into the clinic that I’m taken.