Page 16 of Coast

“Well, I don’t share it with Carly,” Speed said as he looked in Carly’s direction.

“Thank God, because you’re an asshole,” Carly sneered, and I giggled when Crusher and Sami looked at each and started laughing. Carly’s head whipped around to a laughing Crusher, and the look in her eyes stopped my giggles. “You can pay little miss spider monkey shyster my fee, laughing boy.”

“I’m not covering your fee, sugar. I already pay Ally enough for my own slips,” Crusher said, then leaned back in his chair.

“Okay, fine. Guess when I get off shift, I’ll put on my flannel PJs instead of the Victoria Secret sleepwear that came in the mail yesterday.”

“Never mind, sugar, I’ll pay your fee,” Crusher said, already pulling his wallet out.

I laughed and so did the others except for Ally. Hopefully, it was because she didn’t understand what her aunt was referring to. So instead of laughing, she just stuck her hand out. Crusher dutifully set a dollar in her palm, but she didn’t move her hand from the middle of the table.

“What? I didn’t say any cuss words,” Crusher told her.

“Aunt Carly owes me four dollars from yesterday,” she replied, and I laughed so hard, I was surprised I hadn’t peed my pants.

Devil and Neely made it back to the table, and Bailey gave him the recap of what he’d missed. Before I knew it, I’d stopped fiddling with my food and had actually eaten it. The nourishment helped hold back the exhaustion of being sleep deprived. And in the company of friends had helped keep my thoughts from wandering too much to Coast. That part had been hard, considering everyone at the table was in a roundabout way his family. Their acceptance of me from the first time I met them was humbling.

The waitress brought the checks, and once the tabs were paid, we headed out of the diner. Everyone said goodbye and headed to their vehicles. I’d rode with Bailey and Devil, and as I started to get in, Flirt pulled the door open for me. He’d parked his bike behind Devil’s truck.

“He went to the res to visit his gramps. Well, technically, his great gramps. Kiyaya’s sick, and he went to check on him.”

“Okay.”

Flirt’s lips twitched. “Thought you might want to know why you haven’t seen him around.”

I got into the vehicle and looked back at Flirt. “It isn’t any of my business where Emery goes.”

Flirt snorted, then smirked. “I’ll let you continue to pretend you weren’t looking for him. But, Doc, I can guarantee when he gets back in town, he’ll be looking for you.” He closed the door and walked back to his bike.

I looked to the front at Devil and Bailey. “That almost sounded like a threat. What did he mean, Emery will be looking for me?”

Devil laughed, and Bailey smacked his shoulder. “Oh, he’s probably talked to Coast, that’s all and was just letting you know where he is. Umm...Coast looking for you...not sure what he meant by that.”

Devil snorted as he pulled out of the parking spot, and Bailey glared at him. I looked over at Neely, who was in her car seat, and she shrugged and smiled at me. I felt at that minute everyone was privy to something I had no clue about. Even a four-year-old little girl.

Devil dropped Bailey and I off in front of the office, then drove away.

“Four more hours and we’re done for the day. For your sake, I hope no one goes into labor tonight, and you can get some sleep,” Bailey said as I tried the door and it opened, which meant Amelia had beaten us back from lunch.

“You and me both. I plan to go home, soak in the bathtub, then fall into bed until the clock alarm wakes me in the morning,” I said as we reached the receptionist area that already had a few patients sitting in it.

“Right on time, ladies,” Amelia said and handed charts over the counter to Bailey.

“I’ll get the rooms set up,” she said as she flipped through the charters.

“Sounds good. I’ll be ready in five. Let me hang my jacket and hit the restroom, and then we’ll get these next four hours knocked out,” I said and headed to my office.

The next hours flew by and without any ‘in labor’ interruptions. I even got to enjoy the bubble bath when I got home. The solid night’s sleep was a different matter.

At four in the morning the phone rang, it seemed another one of my patient’s baby didn’t get the memo that I needed sleep. I was up, dressed, and on my way to the hospital in under twenty.

Babies waited for no one.

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