I stop by the side of his bed, hands in my pockets. “Are you going to be able to sleep at all?”
“Doubtful.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Eh, it’s fine. It seems like I’m gonna have plenty of time to rest over the next few weeks.” His lips pull into a straight line and a muscle in his cheek flexes.
“I meant I’m sorry about the injury.”
He nods slowly. “Thanks.”
I walk around the bed and pull the curtains.
“It’s such a trip that I’m here and you’re here. Fate.”
“Getting a concussion is fate, huh?”
He chuckles softly. “It brought us together and now I can ask you out, so yeah.”
I’m almost relieved he finally put it out there because I can tell him no and we can move on.
“I’m not dating right now.”
“Because of the jerk ex-boyfriend? I’ve never wanted to hit someone so much in my entire life. I was worried about letting you leave with him, but I didn’t know what else to do.”
I break his stare and swallow down the emotions rising to the surface when I think about that night. He couldn’t have done anything. I know that, but the what-if scenarios still taunt me. “No, not because of him. I can take care of myself.”
“I have no doubt,” he says in a playful voice that causes me to look back at him. He really is too handsome for his own good. Some of that playfulness takes on a serious edge when he adds, “I really did look for you. Every game I kept hoping you’d show up again.”
I have no idea how to respond to that. Do I even believe him? I finally settle on, “I don’t really like hockey.”
“How come?”
“I don’t understand it, and everything moves so fast.”
“No, not that. How come you aren’t dating right now?”
“Oh. I’m too busy.”
“With?”
“School and work.” I wave a hand around the room. “The stress of dealing with patients who won’t sleep at night.”
That pulls a smile out of him. “That’s it? I’ll be on my best behavior. Promise.”
“You? Doubtful.”
“I’ll have you know I’m a gentleman.”
“Sorry.”
“Too busy,” he says quietly. “That’s an excuse I haven’t heard in a while.”
We both know I could make time for dating if that was the real issue. He manages, and I know his schedule must be insane. Then again, everyone Ash dates probably lets him dictate everything from when and where they go out to how often they have sex. Which I bet is a lot, as cocky as this man is. And now I’m thinking about having sex with him. Dammit. Why can’t I keep my thoughts out of the gutter?
Frustrated, I shake my head. “I’m going to lunch. I’ll check in again when I get back.”
“Okay,” he says, voice despondent.
I get all the way to the door before I pause and reconsider, but I force myself to go. He needs rest and I need to catch my breath. This day, this month, has been a lot.
On my way downstairs, I eat a protein bar. The elevator doors open on the pediatric unit. Mindy, the charge nurse on the floor, looks up and smiles when she sees me.
“Is she up?” I ask her, tipping my head toward the direction of the patient rooms.
Mindy nods. “Yeah. I think she was hoping you’d stop by.”
“Thanks.” I smile and head down the hall. Everything on the pediatric floor feels warmer, happier. It’s decorated basically identical to every other unit, but the air is different I swear.
Kids have this amazing ability to find joy in every situation. It’s one of the big reasons I want to work here eventually. I don’t ever want to stop finding the joy. No matter how bad things seem.
At Liza’s room, I knock quietly and peek in.
“Come in,” she calls over the TV. She sits at the end of her bed watching the screen on the wall in front of her. She turns quickly to see who it is, then does a double take and a big smile spreads across her face. She tries to hide it quickly, but her smile won’t cooperate. “Hey.”
“Hi.” I walk all the way into the room and toss a new book of Sudoku puzzles on the bed next to her. “Can’t sleep?”
“It’s barely midnight.” She snorts and tosses her red hair over one shoulder. “Besides, I have three episodes left in this series.”
I glance at the screen. “What is it about?”