Page 48 of Night Shift

“Sure thing, Sam. Here, give me your phone and I’ll put my number in.”

I fished my phone out of my coat pocket, pleasantly surprised it hadn’t been broken in the scuffle, and handed it to Conan. Seconds later, he returned it and left, shouldering Atticus on the way out of the room.

Atticus didn’t move, didn’t even make eye contact with me, but finally said, “Sam, you can’t drive. I’ll give you a ride home.”

“No, Atticus. I’ll order an Uber. I’d hate for anyone to get the wrong idea, especially since you’ve done such a good job of honoring our agreement.”

He took a long, deep breath and turned to me. “Sam, this is what you said you wanted.” He stepped toward me and gently wrapped his arms around me. “God, I was so scared when I heard what happened. You shouldn’t return to your apartment. It’s not safe. I think—”

Pushing away from his grasp, I said, “Dr. Thorin, just stop… I’m not your responsibility. You can’t fix what’s broken in my life. I’ll be fine. Always have been.”

Just then, Conan pushed open the door. “Here’s the sweatshirt, Sam. If you need anything else, let me know.”

With a grateful smile, I took the sweatshirt and pulled it over my head, groaning from the pain that suddenly seemed to be everywhere. Now I fully understood the expression: I feel like I’ve been beaten—because I had been. “I’m going to go to HR and see what all they need for me to do. There’s bound to be a boatload of paperwork to fill out.” And with that, I gathered my things and walked away from the Thorin brothers.

Just as I made it to the door, Atticus called my name, then said, “If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

Turning back and glancing over my shoulder, I whispered, “Thank you, Atticus. I appreciate it.” And then I walked away.

I wondered if we would ever be able to face the truth about what had happened between us or if the tension would only continue to grow.

Chapter thirteen

Idialed Bethany’s number, and my hands shook slightly as I held the phone up to my ear. The ringtone reverberated through my aching head before she picked up.

“Sam? What’s up? It’s early,” she said, her voice raspy from still being half-asleep.

“I…I was attacked, Bethany. Right after my shift, in the parking lot. These guys, they beat me up and tried to kidnap me.” I stumbled over my words in the rush to get them out.

“What? Oh my God, Sam, are you okay? Where are you?” she asked in panic. Her sleepiness had instantly been replaced by alarm.

“I’m at the hospital. They’re gone now, but it was close, really close.”

“Hold on, I’m coming to you. Don’t move, okay? Stay where you are.” In the background, her sheets rustled, and her feet hit the floor. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you, Beth. You’re the only person I’m close to here in Tacoma.”

“Of course, honey. You sit tight. See you in a hot minute.”

I hung up, leaning against the wall outside HR as I waited for them to see me. The events of the attack replayed in my head like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lucy, one of the HR managers, invited me into her office to deal with the necessary paperwork. The sedative Dr. Thorin had given me earlier dulled the edges of my panic but not all the pain from my injuries.

Once I’d finished my meeting in HR, I wandered through their office area, still feeling freaked out about everything that had happened. I spotted Bethany waiting for me in the hallway, her eyes wide with worry. As soon as she saw me, she ran to me, enveloping me in a bear hug.

“Ow! Beth, careful!” I cried out, wincing as pain shot through my battered body. Quickly, she pulled away.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry, Sam. I just…I was so worried.” She looked me up and down, assessing me, her eyes swimming with concern.

“It’s okay. I’m riding high at the moment on whatever magic meds Dr. Thorin gave me, I lied so she wouldn’t worry.”

“How can you be this calm? I’d be a blubbering idiot.”

I chuckled, but decided against telling her about the multiple bouts of panic I’d suffered from the ordeal. “Calm? Ha! It’s been more like getting strapped into the front seat of an emotional roller coaster, hands in the air, screaming at the top of my lungs kind of morning. But really, it’s okay, I’m just a little sore. No big deal. Honestly. Let’s just get out of here.”

Bethany’s worry shifted to surprise, and then she laughed. “Only you could still find humor in this, Sam.”

Her laughter was contagious, and despite everything, I found myself chuckling too.

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