Page 7 of Flame's Fight

Since Deion is the head of the street gang, The Spades, I’m fairly certain he’s met my dad. Under his official capacity. I finish taking care of Deion and start for the door when Deion stops me.

“Hey, any word on the Demon Dawg guy they brought in? I think his name’s Flame or something like that.” Deion asks me.

“I’m not allowed to give out any information about a patient.” I tell him.

“Not even if he’s still in a coma or not?” Deion asks. “The guy took a bullet from someone who betrayed me. I just want to know if he’s getting any better.”

Seeing as his friends could go check for themselves, I answer that question, but only that one. “He’s awake.” I tell him. “But that’s all I can say.”

I step out of the room and stop to get a drink of water when the door opens. The creepy guy steps out and calls me over. “Yes?” I ask him, keeping some distance between us.

“You look familiar.” He says, his eyes focused on my face.

“I’ve worked here for two years. Maybe you’ve seen me here before.” I suggest.

He sneers at me. “You think because I’m part of a gang that I spend a lot of time in a hospital?” He asks.

His tone takes me by surprise, so I take a step back from him. “No, but this is where I spend most of my time.” I tell him, turning to leave.

He grabs my arm, and as I jerk away from him, I hear my dad call out. I turn to see him stalking toward us, his eyes trained on my obnoxious friend. “You keep your hands off her. Got it?”

“We were just talking.” He says, glaring at my dad before sending me a look. I’m guessing he’s trying to tell me to keep my mouth shut. Not going to happen.

“I’m ok, Dad. He was just leaving after visiting his friend. Weren’t you?” I ask sweetly.

His eyes widen when I say dad, but he slowly nods. “I’m leaving. Have some work to do since my man Deion is stuck here. You take good care of my boss.” He says before walking off.

“You need more security in this hospital.” My dad says. “He could have hurt you.”

“I was just about to scream.” I assure him. “Are you done with Flame?”

He studies me. “Yeah. He gave me the same details I got from Detective Black, not that I was expecting them to differ. Why didn’t you tell me you two broke up?”

I shrug. I really don’t want to talk about Flame, but I know my dad won’t let it go. “We broke up a month ago. It’s fine.”

“He wasn’t very nice to you.” He reminds me. “What happened?”

“We ended on not good terms.” I tell him. “It wasn’t his fault. It was mine. I think I hurt him, and he’s just trying to get some of his own back.”

My dad frowns, but he doesn’t press, even though I know he wants to.

“Ok, I should get going. Need to file my report.” He says, giving me a hug and leaving me to my rounds.

“Excuse me, nurse?” I man says stepping up to me. He’s tall, about six feet, with wavy blonde hair and a slim build. The green of his tie almost matches his eyes. I don’t know him, but there is something familiar about him. Especially around the eyes.

“Yes.” I respond, taking him in. He’s several years older than me, but he’s one of those people who’s features make him difficult to attach an age to. The blonde hair is light enough to hide any gray. The only sign of age are a few lines around the mouth and eyes.

“I’m hoping you can help me. I’m looking for my daughter.” He says.

“Oh, is she a patient here?” I ask. “Do you know her room number?”

He smiles and wow, he’s gorgeous. “No, she’s not a patient. She’s a doctor. Doctor Tallulah Chambers.”

My mouth drops. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that before. I don’t have time to consider my reaction, because he’s looking around as if trying to find someone else to ask for help, because I’m obviously a dud.

“Sorry. Yes. Dr. Chambers works here. Is she expecting you?” I ask at a complete loss on how to proceed. Tally and Caitlin both had serious issues with their mother, but I wasn’t sure how bad things were with their father.

He gives me a pained grin and a sigh. “No, she’s not expecting me. I’m pretty sure if she knew I was coming, she’d have left town. But it’s important that I see her, to speak with her.”

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