Page 10 of Last Chance Love

“Before you got arrested?”

“Yeah.”

“What, uh, what did you do?”

“Dom.”

He grunted. “Not to get arrested. What you did before you ended up getting arrested.”

“Oh,” well, that was a lot easier to answer. “I was an EMT. I was still toying with the idea of becoming a nurse, a doctor, or a GP, but that never happened. And now…well, that’s definitely not going to happen.”

“Definitely?”

“Well, it’s harder. In Texas, I could still get the licensure, but whether or not I’d get hired is something else entirely.”

“C’mon, man,” Dom said with a low chuckle. “We both know this place helps people like us with stuff like that. If you think they don’t have the hook-up to get you a job somewhere doing stuff like that again, you’re crazy.”

It was true. Isaiah Ranch had a lot of sway, a lot more than even Dom knew, I was sure. I had seen the kind of funding that went into the medical care in this place, and it was pretty impressive. I’d worked at several clinics in Houston, and even the ones with government funding didn’t have the kind of help we did here.

Which was kind of amusing actually, because before ending up behind bars, I’d never heard of the ranch. It didn’t get a lot of attention, and I still didn’t know if that was a good thing. Sometimes, I thought the place could use more attention, especially because of how well it worked. On the other hand, maybe there was a reason, some unspoken aspect of the ranch’s deal with big names and influential figures that made it stay under the radar.

I could easily picture Mr. Isaiah taking care of all the networking, all the meet and greets, the handshaking, the wining, and dining. He was a big man with a big appetite and a big personality who exuded charm. That was where people like him came in, who could hold the fort down and keep it in working order.

“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s worth thinking about when I get to the end of the program. There’s always other options.”

“So, what? You take all the shit you know, put it to work here, but when you get out, you just…don’t?”

“Why not? People change careers all the time.”

“Yeah, but if you were going to do that, you wouldn’t have volunteered to work in the clinic. You would be out there, breaking your back in the heat.”

“Youdorealize I have a few shifts doing hard labor, right?” I asked him, arching a brow.

He snorted, holding up his hands. “I’m not saying you don’t know how to work hard. Or that you don’t do hard work here, c’mon. I’m just saying, why volunteer to work here if you didn’t wanna do it ever again?”

It was a valid question and one I wasn’t going to answer. It was a topic I stayed away from, and other than the staff at the clinic, most people didn’t dig that deep to find out I was considering other options. Secrets were plentiful on the ranch, and we were all allowed to hold onto those secrets, giving them out when we wanted.

“Do you think you’re going to delay what needs to be done by grilling me about my life?” I asked him wryly. “Or are you desperate for me to give you a hands-on demonstration?”

“Oh goddammit! You’re a dick,” he groaned, rubbing at his forehead.

I laughed. “Alright, pay attention, I’ll explain it. And I’ll keep the hand gestures to a minimum.”

Dom glared but listened closely as I explained the process. It didn’t explain in detail, but like most people, Dom seemed more comfortable having more information. Something like this was fun and casual, even if Dom didn’t think so. It was a lot harder when there was a lot more panic, blood, and screaming going on.

“Got it?” I asked after finishing up the explanation.

“Yeah, I think I can figure it out from here,” he said, sighing again.

“Alright, ten minutes from the moment I close the door,” I told him, walking out of the room and closing the door behind me. Dr. Gideon would have insisted I stay with Dom to at least watch what happened, but he and I had always had different views on patients.

I didn’t know if it was a product of him being older and a generational thing or if his life had made him bitter and cynical. His view of patients was dim, even more so considering the people he dealt with here. The problem was, he wasn’t subtle about it, and most of the guys who came in here picked up on it. Which usually meant crankier patients whenever Dr. Gideon was the doctor in charge.

I made my way down the narrow hallway toward the front lobby. Thankfully, the lights were built into the ceiling and didn’t make your eyes ache after a few hours. They’d also chosen dark blue tiles instead of white, so they looked clean longer. There were seats against the wall under the wide windows that wouldn’t make your ass numb…well, not in the first hour, anyway.

And there was the desk where I spent my working hours. It was big, with only my head and shoulders showing over the highest part. There was a plush chair I had pleaded with Mona to order for my sake.

I dropped into the seat behind the desk, spinning around to face the computer. I hadn’t needed Mona to replace the computer, but she did after coming in one day for a random visit. She’d watched me for a moment, muttering and cursing under my breath at a computer I swear was a decade and a half old and trying to run the latest software. A week later, new computers and a small stack of tablets were put in.

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