Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 15051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 75(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 75(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
“You’re thirty-five years old and single. I met a young man today I really want you to meet. You didn’t answer my telephone calls, so I came here. That silly nurse in triage said you were too busy so I acted sick. Hand me my phone, and I’ll show you his picture. The young man took a selfie, or something along those lines. Let me show it to you, I think you might like this one. He’s a professional. An accountant. Everyone needs a good accountant in their lives.” His aunt had easily pushed herself up on the bed, trying to reach for her purse on the floor. Derek extended his leg and used his foot to scoot the purse away from her grasp.
“You know I’m not interested in your hookups and we’re very busy tonight. I don’t have time for this now. I love you very much and appreciate the thought, but you have to trust me, I’m fine,” Derek replied. His aunt had always been interested in his love life, but about six months ago she had begun to take things to a different level. She stayed on him nonstop to find someone to share his life with. She was always trying to set him up with someone new.
“I promised your mother I would take care of you and you’re making me break that promise. Being alone is no kind of life,” she countered his automatic refusal with the same argument she always had.
“How did you get here tonight? Tell me you didn’t drive.”
“I took a cab, if that’s any business of yours.”
“You promised me that you would take care of yourself. Being out on a night like this is dangerous. There’s too much going on, you need to be safe at home. Call me in the morning and we can talk more and schedule lunch for your birthday. I have patients stacked up tonight, I need to go. I’ll arrange for you to get home safely, but don’t do this again. You aren’t as young as you think you are,” he explained, helping her from the bed even as she resisted the move.
“You need better nurses. I’m going to be bruised for a week,” she pointed out, looking down at her arm. He still didn’t see the usual bruising. She’d apparently forgotten what a better experience this blood draw had turned out to be.
Out of all his family, Derek looked the most like her. Green eyes, so similar to his own, sparkled back at him as she looked up at him expectantly. Derek made sure she was steady as she got to her feet. She was almost as tall as his own six-two. He brushed the graying blonde hair out of her face and hoped he’d be able to hang on to his blond as long as she had, but she didn’t pay him any attention and moved away, tearing the tape from her arm. Derek didn’t try and stop her as she tossed the bandage in the trash. He reached down for her purse and carefully walked her out of the room and down the hall toward the front of the ER entrance. Luckily an ambulance driver he knew was out front, climbing into his truck.
“Hey, TJ,” Derek called out after slapping the side of the truck to get the driver’s attention before he could shut his door. “Listen, man, I know your shift’s over and you’re headed back to the station, but can you drop her off at her house? She just lives a few blocks north on Seventh street.”
TJ stood on the running board of the ambulance, peering down at them from over the cab of the truck.
“Is she all right?” TJ asked in a deeply Southern voice.
“She’s fine. But I need to make sure she gets home. She can ride in the front and she won’t give you any trouble.” Derek looked over at his aunt, lifting an eyebrow for emphasis as he pulled her along. She’d returned to prattling on about his love life and how he needed someone to go home to, but he ignored her as he helped her inside the passenger seat of the truck.
“I can buckle my own self in,” she exclaimed, knocking his hands away, showing her irritation. He stood back and waited. In the end, she couldn’t navigate the complicated strap and Derek buckled her in.
“Call me in the morning,” he said and tenderly kissed her cheek.
“I didn’t think about that nice, good-looking young man that labeled my blood. What was his name, Derek? What about him? He was very nice to m…” Derek cut her off before she could finish.
“Mom would be proud of your effort, Aunt Vera. I’ve got work to do. Call me in the morning.” Derek looked over to where TJ was settling into the driver’s seat. “She lives at five-one-one North Seventh. Can you make sure she gets inside for me?”