Page 87 of Date with a Devil
“Why are you laughing again?!” she asked.
“Because we got him, babe.”
He could see that she didn’t understand—but before he could explain, a nurse burst through the door and belted out his name.
“DeHARDT! DANE DeHARDT!”
“What do you mean, we got him?” Austen asked urgently.
Dane didn’t have time to explain. He wanted to kiss Austen, to smooth her furrowed brow and quell her worried lips. He cradled her head and leaned forward to kiss her mouth—but the nurse interrupted again by loudly clearing her throat.
“I know who you are, Mr. DeHardt, and I can see you ignoring me. This is a busy hospital, please don’t waste any more of our time.”
Dane stood and threw his hands into the air. “Alright, alright. We’re coming.”
The nurse held the door open for Dane and Austen. “Right this way.”
Chapter 34
Austen
The nurse directed Dane to sit on the small cot, and Austen took the chair by his feet. Through the privacy curtains that separated their room from the rest of the ER floor, Austen could hear hushed conversations, beeping monitors, and humming medical equipment.
The nurse made small talk as she took Dane’s vitals. “Hurt your hand, hm?”
“Sure did.”
“How’d that happen?”
“I, uh.” Dane’s eyes flickered over to Austen. “Slammed it in the door.”
The nurse gestured at Austen. “Oh, so she got you back?”
“It was an accident,” Austen said glibly.
“Uh-huh,” the nurse sang. “Girl, after the way he treated you on your date, I bet I would’ve done thesamething.”
“You’re a hockey fan?” Austen asked.
The nurse shrugged. “I catch a game every now and then. Not a whole lot to cheer about this year, though.”
Dane frowned. “True.”
“But you’d have to live under a rock to not know about you two. Which is why I’m surprised to see you both together, after all the news.” The nurse inspected Dane’s hand. “It’s none of my business, but I hope he doesn’t always treat you like he did on TV.”
Dane’s face scrunched up. “Hey,I’m the one with the broken hand, aren’t I?”
“Tell me if this hurts,” the nurse replied. She began to poke and prod and squeeze at his hand.
“Suddenly, I feel very vulnerable,” Dane muttered. “Ow—OW!I said it hurts, for God’s sake!”
The nurse let his hand go. “The doctor will come by soon to take some x-rays.”
Then she was gone, and they were alone, separated from the rest of the world with a privacy curtain.
“I think that lady is a sadist,” Dane said.
“Really? I liked her,” Austen said.
