Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 114577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
“I’ll give him all the time he needs,” Brian promised.
Dana seemed to appreciate that answer, so Brian put a few chips on his plate and a couple of slices of pizza and settled in to enjoy his brother and his partner’s company.
“If you try to get up again I’m going to have you restrained to the bed. Is that clear!” Dr. Raymond bellowed loud enough to wake the infants in the nursery. “Now. Sit. Still! One more time and you’re out of here!”
“Certainly not before she’s had her full workup,” Sway said calmly, pulling the curtain closed behind him. He didn’t have a gang of students trailing him, he was just a fill-in tonight. It was kind of liberating and should’ve made his night easier, but nothing was ever easy in the ER.
Sway walked over to the bed and carefully stepped around the arrogant doctor, glaring at him as he did. “You can let go of her hands.”
The doctor scowled at Sway then dropped the homeless woman’s hands as if the dirt caked on them offended him. “Nurse Hamilton. I paged you twenty minutes ago. We’re wasting a bed here.”
“I was already assisting in triage two.” Sway ignored the ‘wasting a bed’ comment and went about washing his hands. He felt the light green daggers the doctor was shooting at him from behind. Sway had forgotten the other downside of the graveyard shift. Dr. Raymond. Graduated first of his class at Stanford—he made it a point that everyone knew this—and was the oldest son of one of the hospital board members. So basically, an egotistical, entitled, world class jerk.
“When you’re called on… you answer. I’m the attending physician, Nurse Hamilton.”
Sway barely kept himself from laughing. He noticed the other nurse in the room was busy setting up the tray to clean the nasty head wound the patient had or either trying to appear busy to avoid the awkward tension in the room.
“Dr. Raymond. I can take care of this. I’m sure you have much more important things to do than care for a patient.” Sway said it so sugary sweet, the doctor had to know that Sway was being insincere.
“It’s not like she’s gonna pay for her care tonight. I’ll just do it and get her—”
“Touch me and I’ll bite you! Right on your one-eyed snake!” The patient yelled at Dr. Raymond, tossing at him one of her many items she had tucked into the multiple layers of clothes she wore. Sway thought it might’ve been a foam stress ball.
“I think that answers that.” Sway kept in his laughter and instead snapped on a pair of purple nylon gloves then swiveled around to face the irritated patient. “Hey Mabel. I thought you had a hot date tonight. I was supposed to hear all about it in the courtyard at breakfast, remember?”
She swiped her hand in the air and rolled her red-rimmed eyes. “I sat there waiting at the Mission for three hours, Sway. Would you know he didn’t even show?”
“Don’t blame him.” An indignant snort followed the insulting murmur that came from the corner of the room. Sway peeked up to see Dr. Raymond was still standing with the patient’s file in his hand, as if he was reading it. He had a nasty sneer of satisfaction on his face and Sway wanted him out of there before he said something that got him his first reprimand.
“I’m really sorry that happened, sweetheart,” Sway apologized for Mabel’s trifling date and for Dr. Raymond’s unprofessional conduct.
Luckily, Mabel either didn’t hear it or chose to ignore it because she kept talking. “I need higher standards. I mean, he pan-handles downtown off eighty-five, for heaven’s sake.” She scrunched up her nose. “So tacky, right? I should’ve known better to trust him anyway. Men are creeps. All of them. Just like my ex. Stole all my money and took off with that big-booby whore.”
Sway eased her head to the side and began to gently clean the wound as she ranted about men. The strong stench of alcohol permeated her pores and saturated the room. He figured she’d gotten depressed when her “date” didn’t show, got drunk and fell again. Anytime Mabel got down on herself, liquor was her go-to. She was in the early stages of dementia, so a fall typically resulted after she indulged. And, it was always a man who somehow assisted in her accidents. Usually, Sway would play along and agree with all her male-bashing rhetoric. But tonight, he thought of a big, beautiful hunter and he just couldn’t.
“Gonna have to put in a couple stitches, Mabel,” Sway said softly, patting her weather-worn cheek. He put a temporary bandage on it and motioned for the nurse to get the suture kit.
“Oh no. No, not those again.” She cried.
Sway sat on the edge of the bed, put both hands on either side of her bony shoulders and leaned closer to her. He spoke to her in the same tone he used when he had a frightened kid to treat. “Hey. Why all the crying? I’m not gonna hurt you, you know that.” Sway reached out and asked the nurse for a warm blanket. When she handed it to him, he put it around Mabel’s slight form and bundled her up good. When she was all toasty he leaned down close to her ear. “I’m going to request a forty-eight-hour observation for you, love. Your head injury should be closely monitored. I’m going to get you in a room upstairs.” Sway looked at Mabel’s eyes, at the way they twinkled from her good fortune. She’d have hot meals, a shower and a warm bed for two days.