Page 11 of Room One Hundred and Nineteen: Watching Her

The car didn’t make a sound.

“Shit,” I whispered again. My time had run out. I rested the back of my head against the headrest. “Fuck,” I cursed and sighed.

This was the last thing I needed. I glanced at my watch and frowned. It was late, a little after seven in the evening. I was supposed to be off an hour earlier but had been held up. I got out, shut the door, and moved to the trunk to rifle through my bag and realized I didn’t have my phone.

“Shit! Crap! Crap! Shittty crap!” I groaned. My long, somewhat good day just turned to even longer. Somehow, I’d managed to forget my phone in my locker. The bright side was that I had come to the car first before getting the kids. If Betsy or Mike heard me cursing, they would keep repeating mommy’s bad words all night.

Now I had to heft my ass back to the emergency room, grab my phone before anyone could see me and ask me to do something, and run to the daycare, then call Triple A for help, I could call Rosie, but she was across town, where she worked for three hunks of her own. There was no way I could bug her. Not again.

“Think, El. Think,” I mumbled to myself as I slipped out of my SUV.

If it wasn’t making a sound, it was more than likely the battery. Okay, a battery was doable. I could get that.I got this. I just had to be logical. I chewed on my bottom lip. I could ask someone for a jump? I winced.

I hated asking for help. Bugging them, when more than likely they were probably looking forward to heading home just like I was. Why would I want to inconvenience anyone? Then, without trying, three handsome doctors popped into my mind.They would help.They wouldn’t even hesitate. One or all three would jump right in. Then, because I was sex-depraved and crazy when it came to them, my imagination, like usual, ran wild with possibilities of just how helpful they would be.

I couldn’t do that.

No, I had to figure this out on my own. With every step I took, my feet protested. My shoes were worn thin, and even if they weren’t, they would hurt after an over twelve-hour shift. I smiled tightly at Rick, who was seeing a patient, then waved at Miles. I walked toward the back, where only staff was allowed, and into the locker room. It was shockingly empty and quiet, only the sound of a shower running. I hurried to my locker and grabbed my phone and quickly called the daycare. Thankfully, it was Julia, my favorite person at the daycare, who answered.

“Hey! You okay? Did they hold you for longer?”

“No, umm, I’m good. It’s just my car wouldn’t start. Do you mind if they stay with you just a little longer? Until I figure something out or get us an Uber to take us home.”

“Oh, girl, don’t you worry. They look like they’re about to fall asleep. And three kids weren’t brought in, so you’re good. We have the space.”

“Thank you.” I sighed with relief. “You have no idea how much I appreciate you, Julia!”

“Anytime, girl. We single mommas have to stick together. Do you know what might be wrong with it?”

“I think it might be the battery,” I shared my diagnosis.

“Hmm… I’ll ask around here if anyone has some jumper cables. If they do, I’ll text you.”

“Thank you. But don’t worry; I was going to ask someone around here.” I half-lied. I still wasn’t sure if I’d have the guts.

“Well, either way, don’t stress. If it’s the battery, at least it’s an easy fix, right?”

“Right.” I smiled at her encouraging words. She had no idea how she encouraged me from falling apart in a panic.

“The kids are fine here.”

“Thank you, Julia. I’ll be right over as soon as I can.”

“Don’t worry, I got them.” And with that, we ended the call.

I stared into my locker for a moment, and my stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten anything since the morning. I usually kept a granola bar or snack of some sort in there, but I’d just cleaned it out and thrown everything in the bag I’d left in my trunk.

Of course, I did.

I was about to shut my locker door when I heard it.

A deep, very masculine groan.

One that made my body temperature bump up about ten degrees in a second. Then it sounded again. It was coming from the showers. I swallowed hard. From where my locker was, all Ihad to do was look up. I might have been in toward the far end of the lockers, but there was a safety mirror in the corner.

Being the height I was, you wouldn’t think I would be able to see anything. But the way it was tipped gave me a clear shot the showers. My eyes accidentally, or not accidentally, drifted to the mirror, and my breath stilted in my chest.

Josh.

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