Page 34 of Trial Run

“Neither one of us has to apologize for what we need. Because it’s not our fault. That’s what you told me.”

“I guess I did.”

“Good, then.” Nell held out a hand to him, and he took it and stood. She glanced at her watch and didn’t even panic at the time. “I have to get back now. I’m supposed to pick up Marco in fifteen minutes.”

“Nell, thank you for trying this with me. Even if it doesn’t work out, I want you to know, I’ll never treat you like you were treated before.”

“I know.” She flashed him a smile, because she did know that much. She might not trust this would work out, or that he wouldn’t hurt her without meaning to. But he would never do it on purpose, never be cruel. And that was enough for now.

Ben held her hand in the car the whole way back to his house. He promised to text her to set up their date. Before he got out of the car, he brought her hand to his lips, brushing his mouth over her knuckles. At the old-fashioned gesture, she shivered, fighting the urge to pull him closer for another kiss.

He lifted his face to hers, eyes glittering almost black. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Okay.” Her voice sounded breathless to her own ears.

He walked at a brisk pace up the steps to his house, and she watched him go. He’d removed his jacket and slung it over one shoulder, and his walk was lighter, easier than she’d ever seen. A beautiful man, so stern and reserved, but he let her see his flaws and conflicts too. He’d let himself need her.

It was one date. Maybe three weeks of dating. She had choices now, when she’d never had any choices before. And she’d choose to try.

Chapter 10

Ben’s phone rang three times in a row with his work ringtone at 6:45 a.m. on Monday. The repeating sound dragged him off the treadmill and into the kitchen, where the device buzzed on the counter. He frowned at Vanessa’s name on the screen and swiped right.

“What’s going on?”

“Ben. Thank God you picked up.” Vanessa pitched her voice low, whispering into the speaker of her phone. “We have a situation.”

“What happened? And what are you doing there before 7:00?”

“I always get here early on Mondays. And it’s about Penny. Your patient? When I got here, she was sitting on the porch steps. She looked like she was about to fall off them, though. I asked her if she had an appointment with you, but she wouldn’t say anything. All she would say was she was waiting for you, and I haven’t gotten a word out of her since then.”

“What? I didn’t arrange to meet with her there. We had a video appointment scheduled for later this afternoon.”

He’d scheduled two in-person appointments this morning, at the carefully chosen times of 10:00 and 11:00. Afterward, he’d planned to come back home. Two hours in the office would already stretch his limited capacity.

“I thought you wouldn’t have a meeting this early. I said I’d call and check with you, and I got her to come inside. She’s … not looking well.”

“Symptoms? Pupils dilated? Rapid pulse?”

“No, and no. No signs of concussion or a stroke. It’s more like she’s half-asleep, to be honest. I can’t get her to speak.”

He shoved a hand through his hair. “Is there anyone from her family we can call? Her file should have next of kin listed.”

“I checked, and it’s only her son listed there.”

“Damn. He’s in college in California. That’s no help.”

Ben was already jogging up the steps to his bedroom. Inside, he yanked a suit out of the closet and tossed it on the bed. He toed off his sneakers and grabbed a towel off the rack in the bathroom.

“I almost called an ambulance, right before you picked up,” Vanessa whispered. “But you know she’ll get dumped into the ER, sit there all day, and they’ll send her home with god knows what meds. We’ll never figure out what happened.”

“Don’t call them yet, as long as her vitals are normal. Emergency services aren’t set up to deal with our patients.”

“I’ll do whatever you tell me to do. I just need some instructions.”

“I’m coming in. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Keep checking her pulse and call EMS if it drops below sixty.”

He clicked off the call and jumped into the shower. This wasn’t how he’d planned to return to work today. He’d already been dreading the curious stares of coworkers and patients after his long absence. Now he’d be in the office for upwards of five hours, instead of two, and with an emergency situation, too.

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