Page 21 of Knight's Journey

She moved to enter his information into the laptop. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I came in here to check how you’re doing. Are you experiencing any chills or a headache?”

His brow furrowed. “No. You’ve never asked me before.”

“You’ve never spiked a fever before. It’s low, so I don’t think it’s anything to be overly concerned right now. I’ll let your doctor know, but I’m sure she’ll have us monitor it and increase the dosage of your antibiotics. If it goes up too high, it could be a sign of infection. If that happens, she will likely put you back in the ICU until it can be brought down. She will be in to see you later this afternoon to make her rounds, so I’m sure she’ll want to talk to you more about it then.”

Zane scowled. “I thought the risk for infection had passed.”

“With an injury like yours, there’s always a risk. But you’re otherwise healthy and fit. I wouldn’t worry at this point.”

He couldn’t resist teasing her, especially since she usually gave as good as she got.

“You noticed I’m fit? You’ve been checking me out, Nurse Bridget?”

She gave him an unladylike snort which had him grinning like a fool. “You sure you want to be flirting with me when your girlfriend is right outside?”

That was enough to erase his grin. “Sydney is not my girlfriend. We’re friends, almost like family. She’s about to marry Cole. I work with both of them.”

“Are you trying to tell me something I already know, or are you reminding yourself? Because I don’t know if you’re aware of what your face looks like when you watch her. What’s the word people use…lovesick. That’s it.”

“You’re off your game today, Nurse Bridget. You’re all wrong about me and Syd. You can make it up to me though by convincing the doc to order my release instead of increasing my stay.”

She was back by his bedside, straightening his covers. “Don’t be a baby, Mr. Wilder. I know a lot of people who would welcome a few days rest, and you can’t be lonely, not with all of the visitors you’re getting.”

“I thought I told you to call me Zane.”

She met his gaze briefly and then turned back to her laptop. “You did.”

Zane watched her, wondering how she could pique his interest so much. She was practically a stranger to him, and he hadn’t spent a lot of time in her company. But she had a way about her which stirred his curiosity. She had a story, and he was spending more time than necessary trying to guess what it was.

“How is it your niece knows how to fix cars?”

She smiled, and he blinked at how it softened her face. There was almost a maternal air about her. “She’s a genius. She’s always taking things apart to see how they run and then putting them back together. Her father had her working on cars since she was seven.”

“So she and your nephew live with you?”

“You ask a lot of questions, do you know that?” she fired back at him.

“Just trying to pass the time. So, what happened to their parents?”

“They died in a car accident. I was awarded custody of Marlowe and Mathias. We moved here, so Marlowe could go to Johnson Rainier High School. She was accepted into their advanced STEM program, and she’s only thirteen. Mathias is sixteen and very smart and athletic. They love pizza, but neither of them has a sweet tooth like I do. Does that satisfy your curiosity, Mr. Wilder?”

“Not by a long shot.”

Her head whipped up, and he could read the shock in her eyes. He smirked, pleased he could catch her off guard. “You didn’t expect me to say that, did you?”

“Considering you’re in love with your friend, no, I didn’t. You might want to be careful about your flirting. People can take it the wrong way.”

“And what way did you take it?”

She met his gaze directly, impressing him with her spunk. “My observation about you and Sydney hit closer to home than you’re comfortable with. So you try to flirt with me to make me flustered so I’ll back off. It’s a good effort, I admit. But better men than you have tried it before. They always fail.”

He’d gotten used to her asking him if he needed anything prior to leaving his room, so he felt a bit disconcerted when she exited without another word. He started to wonder if he’d gone too far with his teasing.

He finally chalked her reaction up to the fact she wanted to maintain boundaries with him as her patient. If he could catch her outside of the hospital, her reaction would be different. He was certain of it.

By the time Sydney returned, an idea formed in his head. Before he questioned her about the progress of the De la Peña case, he asked for something else.

“When you invite Bridget over for dinner, I want to join.”

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