Page 98 of Grumpy Sunshine

I sat down at the large table next to Chevy.

All of the other nurses, doctors and other personnel that were in the room that day were also there.

“Okay, what’s going on?”the angry surgeon asked.“This was textbook and routine.There was no wrongdoing on our end.All video recordings have been checked and verified.So why are we here?”

“Because we were told to conduct an inquiry by our lawyers,” the hospital director, though I didn’t know his actual name, only his face since it was plastered on all of the walls in the hospital, grumbled.

“That’s right.”The lawyer leaned forward.“This wouldn’t normally even matter.I agree with the director and the other professionals in this room, there was nothing that could be done.You did everything right.However, this is a very high-profile client that wants heads to roll for his son’s perceived wrongful death.He’s already let us know that he’ll be filing a wrongful death suit against the hospital, and someone in this room has to be the bad guy.”

Fuck.

I wanted to look at Chevy so badly, but I stayed exactly where I was, my gaze on the lawyer.

“And that’ll be me,” the hospital director said.“I’ll be putting everyone in this room on immediate temporary leave pending review.”

I grimaced, wondering if that included me or not since I’d been the one to horn in on the meeting.

“Negative,” Chevy said.“This is a joke.I’m not going on leave.If you put me on leave, I’ll just go to a different hospital where my services will actually be utilized.”

That made my stomach sink.

“Same,” the surgeon, Dr.Tibbs, complained.“I have a full schedule of patients that need my services.I’ll not be put on leave.If y’all won’t let me perform surgery in this hospital, I’ll just move them to Fort Worth.”

That had the hospital director shaking his head.“No, no.That won’t work.We need y’all.”

“Then you won’t be putting anyone on leave.”Chevy stood up.“I have three surgeries going on today, one of which starts imminently.Please excuse me.”

Everyone got up after that, including the annoyed and harried looking OR nurse that’d been here since the beginning of time.

“If you want anyone to go on leave, I’ll take it,” the nurse said as she stopped at the door, causing everyone to pause in their departure.“I’m ready to retire anyway.Give me a good retirement package, and hang me out to dry if you want.I’ll be leaving the country soon anyway.I have grandbabies that are growing up without me in Belgium.”

“That could work…” The lawyer put her thinking cap on.

We all left after that, Chevy not bothering to go much farther than the doctor’s lounge.

He pulled me into his side and said, “I’ll see you later.If you need a ride home, I’ll have someone come pick you up.But I’m fairly sure I’ll be in the third surgery for a very long time.It’s a brain surgery, and exploratory at that.I’ll probably be late as fuck getting home.”

I scrunched up my nose.“I guess I can go to my place and get some laundry done.”

He winked, dropped a kiss onto my nose, and then disappeared into the lounge to get dressed.

I went to the nurses’ station to get my assignments for the day.

And though nothing else huge happened, I felt like I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Twenty-Three

She believed she could, but it was 96 degrees and humid as hell outside.So she didn’t.

—Aella’s secret thoughts

AELLA

I wasn’t sure how it happened, but I woke up on my day off two days later with a very naked, very clingy man in my bed.

I hated, no, loathed the fact that my school year started today.

I had classes that started today, clinicals that started tomorrow, and work through the weekend.

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