Page 21 of Love Medley
Chapter eight
Lucy
Crap, I’m a complete disaster. I should know by now that my lack of impulse control will be my complete undoing. Not only that, but I dragged an innocent bystander into my mess. Did I really just enlist poor Jake into a fake dating scheme to get Weston to leave me alone?
But even as the self-recriminations float through my mind, I recall how Jake’s strong fingers curled around my hips protectively when we were talking to Weston. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so reassured by another person’s presence. It gave me the strength tofinish my conversation with Weston. What would it be like to have someone like that as a constant in my life? Unbidden, the image of his twinkling, gray eyes on mine sends a thrill through my body.
Then I immediately berate myself for my thoughts. Why am I even thinking about Jake like this? I basically coerced him into this situation in the first place, and he’s just being a nice guy. I can’t forget what a total circus my life is right now. While Jake is fun to fantasize about, that's as far as this will ever go.
As I continue to see patients during the rest of my shift—a standard cold here and a case of indigestion there—I realize I haven’t seen Jake since the Weston debacle. He must have left soon after.
That’s probably a good thing.
Stuck in my thoughts, I accidentally run into one of the nurses, a pretty, curvy Black woman with a great smile. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I wasn’t even looking where I was going.”
The woman shrugs, grinning. “No problem!” Then she peers at my badge. “Wait—did I hear that you’re dating Jake Whitlock?”
My mouth falls open.
She laughs. “Oh my God, I’m sorry. I’m just a big gossip, and you don’t even know who I am. I’m Denise Waters, one of the nurses here.”
I’m floundering. “But…how…?” This literally just happened a few hours ago. How does Denise even know about me and Jake?
Denise squeezes my arm. “Oh, honey, the grapevine here moves faster than a tsunami. There was a PCT and nurse nearby who overheard part of your conversation with that other medicalstudent—he sounds like an absolute jerk, by the way. You’ve definitely leveled up with Jake. You two been dating long?”
“Not long at all,” I say, still floored by how fast the gossip spread after our encounter. “Just a month.”
Denise nods. “I’m just so glad Jake found someone. He’s had a rough go of it.”
I blink. Okay, now this I need to hear. “What do you mean?”
Denise’s eyes widen. “Oh, you don’t know?” She glances around. “Maybe I should let Jake tell you himself.”
There’s no way I’m letting this woman go without getting some info. “No, please, tell me. If everyone else knows already, I can’t be left in the dark.” And then I have a stroke of inspiration. “Plus, from a few things Jake has said, I think he assumes I already know. So please spare me the embarrassment of revealing that I actually have no idea what he’s talking about!”
Denise takes a moment to think, but I can already tell she’s caving. This woman isdyingto tell me. “Okay, sure, I guess this is common knowledge. And I can see how asking about this might be awkward, especially at the beginning of a relationship.”
She pauses, probably for effect. “Jake was dating one of the ER secretaries, Sam, I think her name is, and they broke up soon after he started working here. Poor guy, I think he partially picked this ER to be closer to her. But get this—” Here Denise lowers her voice to a whisper. “Now she’s dating Jake’s brother, Sterling, one of the cardiothoracic surgeons on staff. Just the next one in Dr. Whitlock’s lineup, I guess.”
I thought I couldn’t be more shocked by this conversation, but apparently, I stand corrected. And then, I think—oh, poor Jake. “Wow,” I murmur. “Wait, Sam. What does she look like? Long blond hair? Blue eyes? About my height?”
Denise grins. “That’s her. You’ve seen her around?”
That must have been the woman that Jake was waving to. The look on his face… the consternation, the redness creeping into his cheeks. There are feelings there that aren’t resolved, that’s for sure. For some reason, my stomach twists uncomfortably.
“I think so," I say. "Also, what do you mean, the next one in the lineup?”
Denise laughs. “Oh, Dr. Sterling Whitlock has dated so many nurses, scrub techs, and secretaries in this hospital, I’m surprised there are any left! Plus, he’s been divorced twice. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s prowling for a third wife.”
“Wow,” I say, flabbergasted.
“You’re telling me. But don’t you worry, Jake is the biggest cinnamon roll you’ll ever meet. I’m so glad a sweet thing like you is dating him. Good for him.”
With the new knowledge that Denise has given me and the revelation that Jake is probably still not over Sam, the wheels in my mind start to turn. Could Jake benefit from this fake relationship too? That’s a good thing, so why does the possibility make me ache inside?
While these thoughts whirl in my head, I head towards the physician’s bay to check on the notes that Ortho left on Tanya. After a few taps on the computer terminal, I see they recommendeda cast and not surgery, since the break wasn’t severely displaced. She’ll have a follow-up with them for cast removal. So it sounds like I can send her home.
After I fill out Tanya’s discharge paperwork, I stop by her room to hand her the papers and go over Ortho’s recommendations. She’s having a little difficulty with collecting her belongings because her arm is immobilized by the cast. I help her gather her things, finish my spiel about her follow-up care, and turn to leave.
