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She lay back against the bed and stared me down.

  Mrs. Patelo was an immigrant from Chile. I only knew that because it said it on her chart. She had dark skin and brown hair. Her eyes were mocha brown.

  I checked her IV pole then ordered a few medications.

  “What are you writing?”

  God, she was annoying. “Notes for the nurse.”

  She sighed then kept watching me.

  “I’ll be back in an hour. Let the nurse know if you need anything.” I hated patient care. I really needed to go into radiology or surgery so I could avoid people. I had a horrible bedside manner, and the patients didn’t warm up to me.

  “Why can’t you get me anything?”

  I held back my annoyance. “I can. But the nurse is around more often. Just a press of a button and she’ll be here in a second.”

  “My nurse is a male.”

  Whatever. Same difference if you ask me.

  “Can you read to me?”

  Read? Did I look like a babysitter? “I’m sorry, Mrs. Patelo. I’m very busy.”

  “Just a few pages.” She grabbed a book from her nightstand and handed it to me.

  “I have other patients.”

  “I thought you were a medical student? Don’t you just have one?” She raised an eyebrow.

  How did she know that? She’d been in this very room for months, so she probably knew how everything worked. “I have paperwork.” Actually, I was going to the doctor’s lounge so I could watch TV and play on my phone. If I was going to be here for twelve hours, I needed to pace myself.

  She returned the book to her nightstand. “It’s hard being stuck here. The doctors have diagnosed me but they can’t fix me. I don’t have a lot of family to visit me. The TV only gets basic cable…. It would be nice to have someone read to me.”

  She wasn’t going to guilt me into anything. “I’ll be back in an hour.” I walked out without turning back. After I handed the chart to the nurse, I headed for the silence of the doctor’s lounge.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Alaska

  Payton was dunking her chips into the salsa then shoving them down her throat. She double dipped without blinking an eye. Rick, Jace’s brother, eyed her, the annoyance clear on his face.

  My sister was constantly embarrassing me. “Payton, knock it off.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You know, there are probably more germs on your silverware than there are in my mouth?”

  “Why do I doubt that?” Jace said quietly.

  She stuck her tongue out at him and kept eating.

  Jace rested his arm over the back of my chair, but his arm didn’t touch my neck. “How was the game yesterday?” I knew he was speaking to his brother.

  “Fine.” He shrugged. “We lost.”

  “Shocking,” Jace teased.

  “Shut the hell up, pussy.” Rick sipped his soda then looked out the window.

  “He’s a firefighter,” I snapped. “It’s impossible for him to be a pussy.”

  “You obviously don’t know him very well.” Rick continued to avoid our gaze.

  The waitress came over and took our order. She was wearing a black skirt with her white blouse tucked in. Everything was skin-tight. Her breasts were noticeable and curvy. Even I noticed them.

  When I glanced at Jace, I caught him making eyes at her. Rick was just as interested.

  “I’ll have the burrito supreme,” I said.

  “Nachos.” Payton handed the menu over.

  “Carnitas.” Rick kept staring at her chest.

  We turned to Jace, waiting for him to order.

  When he realized all eyes were on him, he snapped out of his moment. “Um, sorry.” He glanced at her chest again then looked down at the menu. “Quesadilla.”

  She kept her pen pressed to her paper. “What kind?”

  “Uh, chicken.” He handed the menu over then finally looked away.

  “Coming right up.” She gathered the menus then walked away.

  Payton rolled her eyes. “She wasn’t even that pretty. Get a grip.”

  Jace said nothing and neither did Rick.

  I was a little hurt he was so infatuated with our waitress, but I guess it was a stupid thing to be upset about. I’d be an idiot to believe he didn’t check out other women.

  “It’s one thing to check out other women when you’re alone, but when you’re girlfriend is there?” Payton was clearly annoyed. “Not cool, man.”

  “I wasn’t checking her out.” The anger was in his voice.

  “Lying just makes it worse.” Payton glared at him.

  I didn’t want this to escalate into a fight. “Payton, knock it off.”

  She shot me a deadly look. “You’re just going to settle for this?”

  “Seriously, knock it off.” My look told her I meant business.

  “Fine.” She moped in silence.

  The silence stretched until the waitress returned with our food. This time, Jace didn’t look at her once. He kept his eyes glued out the window.

  At least he didn’t do it again.

  Rick, on the other hand, gawked.

  When she was gone, Payton glared at him.

  “I’m single,” he snapped. “I can look at whoever I want.”

  We ate quietly. Jace rested his elbows on the table and ate like a bear, very typical. I picked at my food but didn’t eat much. The anxiety was pooling in my stomach. Why did I care if he checked out another girl? What was the big deal? It wasn’t like I was immune to the charms of other men.

  When we were done, Rick looked at his brother. “You want to get booze from the bar?”

  “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.” He threw his napkin down and walked away with his brother.

  Payton had that annoyed look on her face.

  “What?” I asked.

  “He didn’t even ask if you wanted anything. Rude.”

  “He probably just wanted to get away from you.” I knew I wanted to.

  “If he doesn’t like it when I call him out on his shit, then he shouldn’t do it to begin with.”

  My younger sister could be feisty and bossy. But I knew it came from a good place. “All guys check out other girls.”

  “You couldn’t see his face. I could.” Her lips were pressed together in a scowl. “It was like he’s never seen a rack before. You put out, right?”

  I answered her question with a glare.

  “I don’t know about him anymore. I used to like him but…he’s been different.”

  “Different?” I asked.

  “Yeah. He used to be all over you and now he hardly touches you. You guys used to come out all the time, but now you stay home more than not.”

  “He works long hours and for days at a time.”

  “You used to sneak to the firehouse and fuck his brains out,” she snapped. “What happened to all of that?”

  “He doesn’t want to get in trouble. He wants to be the chief someday.”

  She sighed in annoyance. “He doesn’t treat you right.”

  “You’re blowing this out of proportion.” I kept my voice low so she wouldn’t raise hers.

  “No, I’m not. I absolutely hate you and think you’re the most annoying person in the world, but you deserve the best, Alaska.”

  “That’s a paradox…”

  “I’m serious. I don’t like Jace anymore.”

  That might be a problem. “Payton, calm down.”

  “You have to admit that your relationship hasn’t been the same for months.”

  No, it hadn’t. He was always too tired to come over. He didn’t always answer my phone calls. And when we were together, I felt like his mind was elsewhere.

  I glanced at the guys. Rick was leaning close to Jace, talking in a low voice. Jace had one hand in his pocket and seemed bored. But Rick scowled, like something was on his mind.

  Payton studied them. “Something isn’t right.”

  “I’ll talk to him, okay?”

  She bit her lip t
hen looked out the window. “We don’t have a dad, and we pretty much don’t have a mom. This guy isn’t just going to be your family, but mine too. You need someone that’s going to take care of you, someone who is going to respect you. I don’t think it’s Jace.”

  I didn’t have a response to that. I glanced back over and saw Jace talking to the waitress. She placed a beer on the counter then gave him a sultry smile. I wasn’t stupid. I knew my boyfriend was hot, and other girls were going to think the same thing. But I didn’t care if girls looked at him or hit on him. I only care what he did.

  Jace smiled back then looked down at her chest. They exchanged a few words before she looked away. Once her back was turned, Jace blatantly stared at her ass. When he started to turn back to our table, I quickly averted my gaze and acted like I didn’t catch him.

  Obvious disapproval was on my sister’s face.

  “I. Don’t. Like. Him.”

  I went to the hospital carrying a plate of tacos and rice. My nana loved home cooked food, and she despised that crap they fed her at the hospital. I was her savior.

  Her face lit up the moment I walked inside. “My beautiful granddaughter.” She was always so thrilled to see me. I was just here yesterday, but she acted like it had been an eternity.

  “Hey Nana.” I set the food down on the table and rolled it closer to her. “I hope you like tacos.”

  “I like anything you make, dear.”

  I adjusted her pillows and made sure she was comfortable. “How was your day?”

  She opened the plate and began eating. “The same. How was yours?”

  “It was okay.” Jace came to my mind.

  She eyed me while she took a bite. “It doesn’t sound like it was okay.”

  I didn’t have a father growing up, and my mom was never really there. My nana raised me, being the solid figure I needed. She knew when I was hiding something. “I’ve just been having some problems with Jace…”

  “What happened?”

  I shrugged. “I guess I’ve been in denial for a while, but it seems like something is off. Even when we’re together, he seems like he’s somewhere else. His eyes are always hollow. And when we went out to lunch today, he kept checking out the waitress. It was like he couldn’t help himself.” I felt stupid just for saying it out loud. “I know guys check out other girls but this was different…it was like he didn’t even care I was there.”

  She finished half her food then covered it with foil. “Maybe he didn’t think you noticed.”

  “But how could I not? Payton called him out on it.”

  She smiled at the mention of my sister. “Leave it to her to set the record straight.”

  She couldn’t keep her mouth shut, that was for sure.

  “Call me old-fashioned, but I think a guy should respect his woman by not letting his eyes wander, at least in her presence.”

  “You don’t like him either?”

  “I didn’t say that,” she said quickly. “But I don’t approve of his behavior. If he has an exceptional beauty sitting next to him, why should he care?”

  When I was with Jace, I was ignorant to the world around me. I never noticed other men. Even when we weren’t together, I didn’t notice. “Maybe he isn’t in love with me anymore…” I hated to imagine the possibility, but things had been different lately.

  “I wouldn’t jump to conclusions,” she said calmly. “The best thing you can do is talk to him and see how he feels. For all you know, maybe you’re dead wrong. Maybe you haven’t been giving him the attention he needs so he’s looking for it elsewhere.”

  I guess that was possible. “But I always give him attention.”

  She shrugged. “Like I said, talk to him.”

  I looked out her open door and saw the nurses at their stations. The constant buzz of my nana’s monitor came into my ear. It was dark outside and visiting hours were almost over. “Is there anything I can get you?”

  “Actually…” She turned to her nightstand and grabbed a large book. “Read to me. You have such a beautiful voice.”

  I smiled. “Of course.”

  She pulled the blanket over her chest and got comfortable. I turned off all the lights except for one so she could relax. Then I started to read.

  She stared at my face while I read through each line. Then she closed them, breathing deeply. When I was younger, I had a lisp, so my nana made me read so I could get rid of it. Like she assumed, it worked. But now she still wanted me to read to her. It was a nighttime routine we shared.

  An hour later, I heard her familiar snoring. I smiled then put the book down. I was sad my grandmother had been here for so long, but the doctors said she would be okay. I just had to be patient and wait for her to be released.

  When visiting hours ended, I kissed her on the forehead then went home. I felt a little better about Jace even though nothing had been solved. But my nana was a natural therapist. She made me feel better even though nothing had changed.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Ash

  I had the same patient for the quarter, and I was getting really sick of her. Every time I walked in there, she asked me to read to her.

  I was a fucking doctor, not a babysitter.

  I checked her vitals when I walked inside. “Hello, Mrs. Pateo.”

  “Patelo,” she mumbled.

  Whatever. It sounded the same to me. “How are you feeling today?”

  “Fine.” She seemed down.

  I spotted the empty plate next to her. There were bits of rice and tortilla scattered everywhere. “Is this from the cafeteria?” I asked even though I knew it wasn’t.

  She didn’t hide it. “My granddaughter brought it to me.”

  “You know you’re on a strict diet. When you’re sedentary, it’s important to eat what I prescribe you.”

  “Well, I can only eat horseshit for so long.” She lay her head back on the pillow.

  I tried not to laugh at her words. The food in the cafeteria really did taste like shit. “Even so, it’s important you follow my regiment.”

  “You aren’t even a real doctor,” she argued.

  I held my tongue. “For all intents and purposes, I am.” I pulled the blanket back and examined her leg. There was still some intense swelling going on. I tried to elevate her leg above her chest but that didn’t help much. Then I used my stethoscope to listen to her heart and lungs. Everything sounded the same. “How was your visit with your granddaughter?”

  “Good. She’s having boy trouble.” She sighed deeply. “I don’t understand why because she’s so beautiful. I know men kiss the ground she walks on just for a conversation.”

  I doubt she was that pretty. Family members tended to have an unrealistic image of each other. “I’m sure she’ll figure it out.”

  “I hope so.”

  I finished my examination then dictated my notes on the chart. I ordered an MRI just to take a look at her leg. “Is there anything else you need before I go?”

  She better not ask me to read to her.

  She picked up the book from the nightstand. “You have a nice voice. I’d like to hear you read.”

  God, this was annoying. “No.” I tried to keep my annoyance back. “How about a glass of water?”

  She sighed and put the book down. “It sounds like you have more problems than you let on.” She didn’t look at me when she said it.

  What the hell did that mean?

  “You fear intimacy. You don’t like getting close to anyone.”

  Okay…how did she know that? She figured that out just because I didn’t want to read to her? “I’m just busy. I have paperwork and other things to take care of. I’m sure a volunteer would love to read to you.”

  “I don’t want a volunteer. I want you.”

  Why couldn’t I be assigned to a different patient? Preferably, one who couldn’t speak. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Pateo. I have to go.”

  She sighed. “For the last time, it’s Mrs. Patelo. If you keep this up, you’re never goi
ng to make it in medicine. You can pass all your exams with flying colors, but if you can’t have compassion for your patients, then you will get nowhere. If all you care about is money, then you should work in the stock market instead of wasting my time and that of others. I want a doctor that actually cares about me and my well-being. My life is in your hands, Dr. James. You should remember that.”

  I clutched her chart then walked out, not saying another word.

  “Bad day?” Sage asked when he sat across from me.

  As soon as I showered after work, I headed to the Gaslight. I needed a beer and a distraction. “You could say that.”

  “What happened?”

  “I just have an annoying patient. I want to do something more exciting, but I have a patient with DVT and she’s been in the hospital for a while. We’re waiting for her blood pressure to decrease before considering surgery.”

  “DVT…?” He cocked an eyebrow.

  “Deep vein thrombosis.”

  He shrugged. “Still don’t know what that means.”

  “She has a blood clot,” I explained. “Anyway, she’s always bugging me to read to her.” I rolled my eyes. “Fucking annoying.”

  Sage looked confused. “What’s the big deal?”

  “I don’t have time for that bullshit.”

  “You text me all day during clinical and watched the game. And you always tell me how bored you are.”

  “Whatever. I still shouldn’t have to read to her.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve heard of worse things.”

  “Then she told me I was a horrible doctor because I didn’t care about her…”

  “Well, it doesn’t seem like you do.” He drank his beer then set it back down. “You even told me you’re going into medicine because it’s what your dad wants and you want the money.”

  That just irritated me. “I still care about my job and doing it right.”

  “If you’re going to be stuck with her for a while, maybe you should just read to her. Wouldn’t that get her off your back?”

  “But then she’ll think she can make me do other things. It’s a power struggle…”

  “It sounds like an old woman just wants you to read to her.” He smirked at me.

  “I’m done talking about this.” I ran my fingers through my hair then looked at the bar. I needed a distraction for tonight.