Page 12 of Stat: Love In Scrubs
“Tell Mom and Esa I love them. I’ll be by to get Esa as soon as this delivery is over.” I told him as he backed away from my truck.
As I pulled away from the curb, his words replayed in my head. They rode shotgun with me all the way back to the hospital. I knew everything he said was true, and soon a decisionwould need to be made. If only he knew just how soon that decision would come.
The twenty-minute drive to Saint Ambrose felt like twenty seconds. My mind was already shifting into doctor mode, but part of me was still back at that picnic table, watching my daughter’s face fall. By the time the hospital came into view, I’d compartmentalized the guilt enough to function. I pulled into the parking deck and headed straight for the employee entrance—no point going home to change when I kept spare scrubs in my locker for emergencies exactly like this one.
Just as I hopped out of the car, my phone buzzed. I made it so all emails came to my phone, especially since that was the main form of contact for Esa’s program she was in this summer. I checked my phone as I walked toward the hospital’s entrance door. The familiar smell of antiseptic and coffee hit me as the automatic doors whooshed open. This place felt more like home than my actual house some days.
I clicked on the email from Esa’s school, and it was a request for volunteers for next week’s trip to the aquarium. I knew I didn’t have a choice but to be there. That would be my way of making it up to her. I quickly replied, letting them know I would be in attendance.
Although I planned to be there for Esa, I silently hoped that Ms. Sinclair would be there as well. Now I had a full name and access to her, even if limited. I wanted to know everything I could when it came to her.
The thought of seeing her in her element made me smile despite everything—Mrs. Johnson’s early labor, Esa’s disappointment, the weight of another broken promise.Yeah, I could chaperone a few excited kidsif it meant being in her presence again. The fact that she’d become the bright spot in this mess probably said more about my priorities than I wanted to admit.
I dragged my free hand over my face, forcing myself to compartmentalize. Personal life would have to wait. Right now, Mrs. Johnson and her baby needed me, and I was going to make damn sure they both left this hospital healthy.
Today was our annual trip to Silverrun Aquarium—one of the city’s landmarks that never got old, no matter how many times we’d visited. With twenty-four kids and four chaperones, we had our work cut out for us, but I lived for these moments when the kids could escape the academy and just be children.
They got the chance to build memories with their peers. It was why I made sure we went every year, and not to mention, who didn’t like the aquarium?
I allowed the chaperones and the teachers with the kids to use the buses, and drove separately. I usually came earlier to ensure everything was in order for the trip, so we wouldn’t run into any problems. I liked to have a seamless situation.
I had been there for thirty minutes and had received the badges, along with the food passes. While double-checking the names, it dawned on me that I was going to see Doc againtoday. Ever since that awkward pickup encounter, I’d made it my mission to be everywhere he wasn’t. Today, that strategy was about to fail spectacularly.
I didn’t bother with my usual goodbye; I gave the kids at the exit. I thought about getting one of the workers in the ticket booth to hand out badges, but I knew that wasn’t their job or normal for me.
As the thought came and went, the buses drove toward me. I pasted on a smile and prepared for a fun but busy day. I just planned to stay as far from Doc as possible. What more could we talk about? Shit, nothing that was suitable to be said around kids. I smiled as two of the hosts from the aquarium came to stand alongside me. We would be splitting the group into two.
The moment all the kids stepped off the bus, they rushed over to me. The worry and concern I had earlier easily disappeared in their presence. The smiles that adorned their faces helped to give me the energy to ignore the fine ass built man who had just stepped off the bus.
He was dressed in a pair of Khaki cargo shorts and an athletic T-shirt that hugged his muscles while wearing a solid colored baseball cap. Esa had a tight grip on his hand, almost as if she felt a wind could pick him up and blow him away. As they walked toward me, I could tell he was saying something to her that caused her to loosen her grip with a big grin.
Esa’s smile was contagious. I found myself smiling as well until my eyes lifted from hers to lock onto the set of dark eyes that had a hold of mine. The funny thing was, it didn’t seem like he planned to let go. The way his tongue wet his lower lip tentatively reminded me of that night.
“Ms. Sinclair, did you hear him?” one of the teachers now standing in front of me asked.
I cleared my throat, then looked in their direction, finally able to break the stare down.
“I’m sorry. I got so lost in seeing my babies. What did you say?” I asked.
One of the aquarium hosts, Miguel, smiled in my direction. “It’s cool. We just wanted to see how you would like everyone to be split. We also need those tags and badges so we can get started. I’m sure the kids are ready to see a few sharks, jellyfish, and dolphins!” he said, causing the kids to cheer.
“And turtles!” one of the kids shouted.
All the adults chuckled as I split the stack I had in my hand to get going. I got down to my final chaperone badge, only to notice I was holding Desmond, or Doc’s, badge. I silently cursed to myself before placing a smile on my face and heading in his direction to hand it over. I released a breath and chastised myself the entire way. I needed to grow up. It was just a one-night stand.
“Here’s your badge, and it looks like you’re the last one, so you’re with my group,” I told him.
I held out the badge, waiting until he reached out, brushing his fingers against mine. I wanted to cross my legs to alleviate the pressure between my thighs. This was why I didn’t want to be around him. My body didn’t forget how he made it feel and was hell bent on figuring out how to get that feeling again.
“I appreciate it. Looks like we got lucky, right, Esa?”
I glanced down at Esa. She nodded enthusiastically. I smiled and walked back to the front of the group.
“Are you ready to have a good time?”
“Yes!” everyone shouted.
I smiled and turned to face the two hosts. They separated the group, and we all went in different directions with the plan to meet up within the next hour for lunch. I knew the kids would need to take a moment to rest.
