Page 11 of Falling for You

Kaylah came in a few hours ago with severe stomach pains, and tests confirmed she needs her appendix removed as soon as possible, but she’s strong, and I know she’ll be a trooper.

She’s my third patient today, and even though I still have second-day nerves, so far, I haven’t messed up. It helps that I trailed another nurse for two days last week.

Giving Kaylah one last smile, I exit her room only to bump into a body, making me gasp as my body tilts. Two hands grip my arms, and a deep voice snaps, “You need to watch where you are going!” I look at him sharply, only to see the man glaring to the left. I look to see another nurse who shouldn’t be on this floor, looking at him with a red face.

“Mindy, why are you on the children’s floor?” I ask in confusion. The woman looks my way, glaring, but I don’t back down. Mindy started yesterday as well, but in the ER, meaning she has no clout over me and no reason to be on this floor.

Without answering me, she looks at the man again, but when he doesn’t give her what she wants, she huffs and stomps away as the guy lets go of me and steps back. I look his way as he states, “I’m sorry. I went to dodge her but didn’t see you.”

I nod, but my brows furrow as I inappropriately look the guy over, a sense of familiarization hitting me despite knowing I’ve never met him before. He has brown hair, and he’s tall and built like a boulder, but it’s his dark blue eyes that have me confused.

They look like Taylors.

“Let me guess, football fan too?” the guy exasperates.

I blink, trying to ignore the sinking gut feeling that comes when I think of Taylor. Regret weighs heavy on my mind, and I clear my throat and admit, “Actually, I’ve never seen a football match before. You just look very familiar, that is all. Sorry.”

The guy smirks and confirms, “You mean game?”

I frown, “Isn’t that what a match is?”

He grins, humor lacing his blue eyes. Again, Taylor comes to mind, the familiarization consuming me, and I blink, trying to squash it and clear my throat: "Never mind. Can I help you with something?”

He looks me over, and I don’t know what he sees, but he smiles genuinely and says, “I’m here to see my niece, Kaylah. She was brought in by ambulance not long ago.”

I nod to the room behind me and say, “I’ve just inserted her IV. You can go on in.”

He nods and looks at the door before he asks, “Is she okay? I mean, my sister didn’t say much when she called, just that Kaylah was in pain, and she had to call 911 and couldn’t get a hold of our other brother.”

I give him a small smile, hoping to reassure him and open my mouth to explain I can’t tell him about her condition but can assure him she’s in good hands when the door behind me opens, and I hear a relieved, “Dylan, thank God.”

I turn and see Kaylah’s mother, and I give her a smile and state, “I’ll leave you both to it,” she smiles back, her light brown eyes looking at me with kindness.

“Thank you,” she replies, and I reach out and squeeze her hand, reminding her, “She’s in great hands,” and she nods, fear still blazing off her, but there’s a little bit of calmness now that she has someone with her.

I give the guy, Dylan, a smile, walk past him, and head to the nurse’s desk, noticing Kaylah’s doctor over there.

“Kaylah’s IV is in,” I say to Doctor James as I place the clipboard on the desk.

“Thank you, Pen,” he replies as he signs off on something and then grabs my chart. “Has Doctor Philips been in yet?” he questions, and I look to Kaylah’s room to see said doctor walking into her room in her scrubs.

“She’s in there now,” I confirm. He nods and then looks my way, his light hazel eyes assessing me, making me frown in confusion.

“I didn’t want to distract you from what you were doing, but an Avery Calvins came into the ER looking for you, claiming to be your sister. Her cheek is double the size it should be,” he says with an apologetic tone, and my eyes widen. He winces at my reaction and confirms, “You can go to her Pen. Just make sure you are back here in just over an hour to do Kaylah’s observations. She’s personally been asking for you since she came in.”

I nod then quickly rush away from the doctor every woman in the pediatrics department wants, and head to the elevators.

Apparently, I’m the only nurse who hasn’t tried to hit on him, which is why he requested me this morning. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s handsome with his dark blonde hair and piercing hazel eyes, going with the boy next door look, but my mind is only on one man, and I did the walk of shame without leaving my number like the idiot I am, not that I wanted our night to go any further.

My parents would have destroyed him.

I press the down button several times, my heart pounding, knowing why Avery is here – he hit her again.

The night after their wedding, she showed up at my apartment with a split lip and swollen wrist. Her new husband expected to take her virginity and was extremely angry when he realized she’d already given it away and beat her for it, something she was well aware would happen and yet she put herself in that predicament anyway when she could have just walked away from our family’s money.

The elevator pings, and the doors open. I sigh in relief and rush inside, pressing the first floor, worry hitting me.

I know she put this on herself, knowing what he’s like but that doesn’t mean she deserves to be hit.

---