Page 5 of Rage's Heart

The pleading look on her face made my heart squeeze. My best friend was beautiful and amazing and every other awesome thing under the sun. But, she had a terrible picker when it came to men.

“Okay,” I nodded, deciding it was probably best to tackle my opposition to the asshat later. “See you later?”

Relief flooded her face. “I’ll be here.”

As I stepped into the hallway, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Fishing it out, I smiled the moment I saw the word Mom lit up on the screen. I swiped my finger across the bar and tucked it against my ear.

“Hey, Mama.”

“Hi, baby,” she said, warmth coating her words. “Just checking in. Are you coming to dinner tomorrow night?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I replied instantly. “You know, Sundays are my favorite night of the week.”

“Good,” she said, satisfied. “Your nieces have been asking about their Auntie all week. And don’t forget, Chelsea’s baking that tres leches cake you love.”

My stomach rumbled just thinking about my sister-in-law’s baking. “You know I’ll show up just for the cake.” I laughed, imagining my niece Emma with a million questions about what I’d been doing all week as her little sister launched herself into my arms like she always did. My brother’s girls were eight and five, and the most adorable humans on the planet.

Mom laughed. “I know, I know. Just wanted to lock in my girl before the hospital steals you away again.”

I glanced at the time and groaned. “Speaking of, I gotta go. My shift starts in a half hour.”

“Alright, baby, I won’t keep you. Drive safe. Love you.”

“Love you too, Mama.” I hung up, pressing the phone to my chest for a second before sighing and climbing into my car.

Ever since Daddy was killed in the line of duty, it had just been me, Mama, and Jack.

I’d been twelve when it happened. One minute, my daddy was kissing me on the forehead before heading out for his shift, and the next, there were two officers standing in our doorway, hats in their hands, wearing expressions I didn’t understand.

But Mama did.

The moment she saw them, she let out a wounded sound I would never forget. “No,” she kept saying. “No, no, please, no.”

Jack was fifteen and I remember the way his face went pale. He didn’t cry, though.

Not then.

He just grabbed onto mama and rocked her back and forth like he could hold the pieces of her broken heart together.

Honk!

“Shit!” I jolted, pulled back to the presents.

Glancing at the clock on the dash, I cursed again. If I didn’t get moving I was going to be late.

The ER was already a madhouse when I walked through the sliding doors. Flu season had hit hard in Jacksonville, and with half of Cypress Memorial’s nurses out sick, it was all hands on deck.

I’d barely clocked in when Megan, one of the nurses on staff for the night, flagged me down with a grin on her face.

“Oh thank God, you’re here,” she said, hooking her arm through mine and dragging me down the hall. “C’mon, you have to see what’s in exam room three.”

“That bad?” I asked, already bracing myself. I was seriously rethinking my decision to help down there. I was a LPN, but I was also a certified X-ray tech and preferred my job in Radiology. It was never as crazy as it was down here.

“That hilarious,” she corrected. “We get our fair share of ‘What the F’ down here, but this?“ she motioned ahead of us. “Top five, at least.”

I sighed. “Please don’t let this be another guy with an object up his?—”

“—Oh, it’s way better.”

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