Page 19 of Night Shift

With a snarl, I surged to my feet and began to pace. I didn’t do relationships. Never had. They were too messy, too complicated. Women always wanted more from me than I was willing to give.

I’d built my life specifically to avoid the kind of intimacy Sam needed. I always kept my liaisons short and strictly physical, and women knew the score going in. It was better that way. Cleaner.

Fingers snapped in front of my face. “Did you hear me?” Bethany asked, her brown eyes wary. “We’ve got a multicar pileup coming in. At least six patients. ETA five minutes.”

I nodded, the familiar surge of adrenaline kicking in as my mind transitioned to the trauma ahead. “Page the on-call team. And clear Trauma One through Three.”

“On it,” she said over her shoulder.

My gaze cut to the clock again. Time to save some lives. For now, I would shove thoughts of Sam aside.

The waiting room was utter bedlam. Police officers directed traffic while paramedics wheeled in victims on gurneys, stabilizing IV lines and clamping oxygen masks in place. Screams and sobs filled the air as loved ones tried to get information about the injured.

I spotted Sam doing triage at the admittance desk. Her expression was grim. Our eyes met over the heads of the crowd, and a quick flash of understanding passed between us. We both had a job to do.

Striding toward her, I assessed the situation. “We’ve got three critical coming in,” I said. “One with massive internal bleeding and a possible ruptured spleen. A head trauma and a femoral break with arterial damage.”

Sam nodded, already reaching for charts. “Trauma One through Three are prepped and ready.”

“Perfect. Let’s move them in and get to work.”

The emergency department descended into controlled chaos. For the next few hours, I lost myself in the steady beeping of heart monitors and the familiar weight of medical tools in my hands.

It was nearly dawn by the time we stabilized the last victim. Exhaustion pulled at my limbs, a bone-deep ache I was long accustomed to but still dreaded.

I found Sam slumped in a chair in the break room, her eyes bleary over the rim of a coffee cup.

“Hey.” I grabbed a chair and sat across the table from her. “You did good work tonight.”

Her mouth curved up in a listless smile. “So did you, Dr. Thorin.”

An uneasy silence fell between us. I studied the curve of her profile, the sweep of dark lashes against her skin. She was beautiful in a way that stole my breath, and it had nothing to do with her physical attractiveness; it was the strength and compassion that I saw in her as she worked.

She took a long drink from her bottle of water. Watching her swallow, the memory of my dream and her naked body drifted to mind. Just as I began to imagine her lips wrapped around my cock, my thoughts were interrupted by the door to the break room opening and several people walking in. Around us, the room became a hub of activity, with fellow doctors and nurses grabbing quick coffees and sharing snippets of their night. I was half-listening, half-lost in my own world, mulling over the best approach to take with Sam after everything that had happened. As the minutes ticked by, the break room gradually emptied, the staff trickling back to their duties, leaving just Sam and me in a quiet bubble amidst the otherwise hectic night. This was the perfect chance for us to talk, without the prying eyes and ears of the hospital staff around us.

“So, Sammich,” I said, trying to lighten the mood as we settled into our chairs. “Did you manage to get your car fixed?”

Sam looked up. “Yeah, one of Bethany’s friends helped me. Turns out it was just a bad battery. Thankfully, it didn’t cost too much to replace.”

“Good to hear.” I was relieved that she wouldn’t have to worry about transportation.

“Thanks for asking, Atti,” Sam said, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. The nickname caught me off guard. It was one my brothers had teased me with when we were growing up because it sounded girlie, but coming from her, I liked it.

Since I was still conflicted about my sexual attraction to Sam, I decided that the best way to get her out of my mind was to ask her on a date. Every time I’d tried taking a woman on a casual date in the past, it had always ended with me never wanting to see her again. Movie dates and picnics were not my thing. Anything other than a casual hookup left too much time for talking, which led to me getting annoyed and my libido turning stone-cold. Meeting and fucking for hours was all I needed.

I leaned in, my mind already formulating a plan. “Say, Sam, do you like hiking?”

She eyed me curiously. “Hiking? That’s random, isn’t it? Since when are you interested in anything outside the ED?”

I chuckled, trying to appear nonchalant. “Believe it or not, I do occasionally enjoy the great outdoors. There are some beautiful trails around Tacoma. Ever been?”

Sam shrugged, a hint of interest flickering in her eyes. “No, I’ve never been hiking. Too busy studying in college and now working here. I haven’t done much else.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything. On my next days off, I was thinking of going and spending some time at my cabin on Tanwax Lake. You should come along. It wouldn’t be a date, just some fresh air and a place to kick back for a couple of days. We could even invite some other people. My place has plenty of room.”

Her brow furrowed slightly. “I don’t know, Dr. Thorin. It seems kind of awkward…our age difference and all.”

I nodded, understanding her hesitation. “I get it, Sam. The age difference might seem like a lot. But here’s the thing—age doesn’t really dictate our experiences or the connections we make. I’ve met lots of people my age whom I have nothing in common with, and there are plenty of people younger than me who enjoy the same things I do. It’s about the person, not the number. As for the cabin, think of it as an opportunity to unwind and take a break from the stress of the ED. You’ve been through a lot recently—new city, new job, and…that incident with your dad. A change of scenery could do you some good.” I leaned back in my seat, draping my arms over the chairs on either side. “No pressure, though. I just thought I’d ask.”

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