Page 9 of Healed Hearts

“Yep. Whenever you are.”

We all stand, and Roman grabs our plates to take them to the sink. Beck and I take off to the living room. I’m pulling my shoes on right as Roman comes into the room. Beck meets him halfway, murmuring something quietly to him that makes him smile. Beck leans in and the two of them kiss. I’ve seen them kiss hundreds of times at this point, but for some reason, I can’t drag my eyes away. It makes me feel a little awkward to watch them. There’s just something about the way Roman has Beck’s scrubs caught in his fist, the way Beck is cradling Roman’s face, the easy movement of their lips together that… makes me feel funny inside. There’s a weird ache in my chest that I don’t understand, like an itch I can’t quite scratch, and I don’t really know how to even if I could. It’s unsettling.

I clear my throat, turning my attention away from them to finish putting on my shoes. It’s not that I’m jealous of Roman and Beck, right? Why would I be? I’m happy for them. Hell, I helped Beck with his proposal. But if I’m not jealous of them, why do Ifeelthat way? What else could it possibly be?

Julian’s face pops unbidden into my mind, and I have to fight down an irritated groan. Why am Istillthinking about him? God, it was just a quick fuck. Nothing more. But if that’s the case, why can’t I stop thinking about the way he looked at me, how safe I felt with him, how fucking amazing it all was? Hell, I even thought about kissing him, and Ineverdo that. That weird little pang hits my chest again, and I bring a fist up to massage it. Maybe I’m coming down with something. It would certainly explain my mood.

“Hold, are you ready?” Beck asks.

I nod and tell Ro goodbye, before standing and following Beck out the door.

“Are you enjoying your first day?”

I turn, and Lydia is standing behind me smiling at me. “I so am,” I say, returning her smile. She pulls me into a hug and I melt into her. God, there’s just something about a good mom hug. Until Lydia, I forgot what they were like.

I pull away after a couple of seconds. “It’s a different world, huh?” she asks.

I nod. “It is, but I’m really enjoying it so far. Thank you for giving me a chance.”

She laughs. “No need to thank me, Holden. I’m happy to have you here. I was genuinely excited when you told me you wantedto make the switch. You have the perfect personality to work with kids.”

Her words bring a smile to my face. Mom hugs are amazing. But mom praise? That’s something else entirely. “Thank you,” I whisper, worried that if I say it any louder, I’ll cry.

She pats my cheek in a total mom move that does absolutely nothing to chill my wayward emotions. “Okay, I’m going to get back to work, sweetie. But you let me know if you need anything.”

“I will,” I say, a smile forming on my lips as she walks away.

When my next patient comes in, I feel ready to take on the world. I walk into the room with a smile.

“Hello,” I say, crouching down in front of my mini patient. “I’m Holden. What’s your name?”

“I’m Livvy,” she says softly. The expression on her tear-stained face is a little shy, and her blonde pigtails a little messy.

“Wow. That’s such a pretty name! I love it. What brings you to see me today?” I ask.

“A fall off the monkey bars,” her mom chimes in. Livvy holds her arm up, showing me the bruise. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has a fracture.

“Oh, no! I bet you were super brave, though,” I say.

She gives me a shy smile. “I only cried a little,” she says, then, “I really like your eyeliner.”

“Thank you so much!” I tell her with a wink.

Her eyes light up, some of the shyness disappearing from her expression. “You’re welcome.”

“Do you wanna go for a ride so we can take some pictures of your arm?”

“A ride?” she asks, her head cocking to the side.

“Yes, ma’am. Let me go grab a special seat for you and we’ll go. Sound good?” She nods, a slight smile on her lips. “Perfect,”I start, turning my attention to her mom. “We’ll get some images and go from there.”

“Thank you,” she says.

I head out of the room with a smile on my face, grabbing a wheelchair to take her down to imaging. I was genuinely worried about this for nothing. Sure, it’s tiny humans, and that’s different from what I’m used to dealing with, but I’mgoodat my job. Besides, Lydia wouldn’t have hired me if she didn’t believe in me. I head into the exam room with the wheelchair and a new pep in my step.

Chapter Four

Julian

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