Page 25 of One Little Spark

Hastings got serious. “We depend on each other in this job. It’s a matter of life and death. You and Jory not only have to work with all of us, but you have to work together. We need to know we can depend on you both.”

Aiden ground his teeth. “Are you accusing me of being unprofessional? Are you saying I will let this interfere with my job?”

Hastings raised his hands and waved him off. “Simmer down, son. I’m just saying we all depend on each other, and you and Jory can’t let your personal feelings get in the way. I don’t think either of you will, but in the heat of anger, sometimesstupid mistakes can happen. Those kinds of mistakes cost lives in our world. I need you both on your game, especially now.”

Aiden felt some of his anger ebb. His boss was right. It was life and death what they did. He didn’t blame the man for reminding him. “Wait, why especially now?”

“This arsonist.” He shook his head. “That asshole has me spooked, and I’m not the only one.”

Aiden nodded, his thoughts immediately going to what Hazel had told him. Had she gone to see Phoenix this morning like she promised? He gave himself a mental shake. He needed to get Hazel out of his head. “The fire at the apartment complex… Was it arson?”

The captain grimaced. “It’s a possibility. The investigators aren’t sure just yet. It looks like it started in the grass and then, with the wind, jumped to the wooden fence that the owner had just built around the dumpsters. It was untreated wood, so it went up pretty quickly, and then, of course, the garbage went up, taking the side of the building with it.”

“And Mrs. Josephs got caught in it.”

He nodded. “Yes. She’s going to be fine, but she had to move in with her daughter. But between you and me, that will last about as long as you and Hazel.” He sighed. “Anyway, it’s been quiet for the last few days, which has us all on edge. I need to know you’re on your game in case all hell breaks loose.”

“Count on it, Cap.”

He nodded. “Good man.” He started to walk away but turned back. “Don’t worry about Jory. He’ll get over it. He needed to let his little sister get a life at some point. In the end, he’ll realize that you are the best choice for his sister.”

“No, it’s not like that,” he said, but Hastings had already walked away. Aiden stood staring after him. So, the whole firehouse had betted on how long he and Hazel would last living together. That was comforting.Not.It also meant they all knew,or at least suspected, what had happened.Shit. Jory was going to blame him for talking when he hadn’t said a word. He let out a long sigh. Life just wasn’t getting better.

Chapter Twelve

Hazel looked around the empty nurse’s station. Now was her moment. She quickly sat down at one of the computers and brought up the patient files with the names that Doc had reeled off the other day. She checked them one by one, her stomach sinking as she reviewed each file. Dr. Rawlins had signed off on every file, which wasn’t so unusual. Since he was the staff cardiologist and everyone in question was elderly, he would have been consulted. These patients all either had heart issues or they were being operated on and their doctors wanted to make sure they were going to make it off the table.

But some of them didn’t. Two, in fact, did not make it off the table. The other three died from complications. Were they all victims of Dr. Rawlins? What did he have to gain by their deaths?

“Kincaid,” Dr. Rawlins growled as he approached the desk.

Hazel jumped about a foot off her chair. “Dr. Rawlins! I didn’t see you there. Can I help you?” She tried to look calm, but she was sure guilt was written all over her face. Her heart was pounding, and her palms had gone slick with sweat. Did he know that she’d been checking up on him? Is that why he was there?

Dr. Rawlins glared at her, his eyes narrowing. “Where is Mrs. Mancuso’s chart? It should be by her door, and it’s not. How am I supposed to treat her properly if I don’t have the chart?”

“Er, it was there.” Hazel frowned. “I can go look for it. I can’t imagine what happened to it.”

“Nor can I,” he fumed. “Thanks to you, that head nurse reported me to Dr. Klein, and now I’m under review. Don’t think I’m going to forget this. I will make you pay. I will report youfor the missing chart, and that’s only the beginning.” He leaned across the desk, his gaze menacing. “I’m going to make your life a living hell.”

Hazel swallowed hard. This guy was scary. It wasn’t her fault he’d screwed up one of his patient’s meds, but he blamed her. He really could make life miserable for her. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, when the sound of footsteps reached their ears at the same time, and Dr. Rawlins took off down the hallway.

“Hazel,” Paul Bryson said as he approached the desk, “how are you?”

“Er, fine, I guess.” Her hands were shaking. She inhaled sharply to regain her equilibrium. “I-I-I didn’t realize you were on shift tonight, Dr. Bryson.” she said in an overly bright voice.

“It’s Paul, please.” His smile grew. “Yes, I’m working today. Lots of surgeries. How’s everything since the fire? I don’t think we’ve caught up since then.”

“Oh, okay.” She tried to smile but failed. Things weren’t okay. They were horrible. Jory was mad at her, and she’d hurt Aiden. Now some psycho doctor wanted to make her life a living hell. Last night, she’d been so happy. Today, she was a mess. She cleared her throat. “How’s Mrs. Josephs?”

He frowned at her. “I’m sorry, who?”

“Mrs. Josephs? Remember the woman from the fire. You said you would keep an eye on her for me.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry. I’ve been slammed recently. She was doing fine last time I checked.” He leaned on the counter at the nurse’s station. “Any big plans for the weekend?”

Aside from moving back home with her mother? “Ah, no. Just going to rest up. Been a hectic week.” Which was true but, really, she was just emotionally exhausted.

“That’s right. You’ve been doing extra shifts this week and worked late with Dr. Lawrence last night.” He smiled. “Youdeserve the weekend off then. Any chance I can convince you to join me for dinner tomorrow night?”

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