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Emmett shot Maddie a glare. ‘Tell Stef to put the stretcher in the ambulance.’

She gave him a salute and he shook his head before heading after Piper. The door led to the staff room that hosted a small kitchenette and a giant table. A couch sat beneath the window and lockers lined the opposite wall. But there was no Piper.

The door nestled next to the fridge, which led to the bunk room, was open and Emmett took some tentative steps towards it. Peering in, he spotted Piper curled up at the top of a bed made for the night shift to take a nap on their break. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her head bowed on top of them. Her shoulders were moving with her silent sobs.

Emmett rubbed at his chest, sure there was a chip in his heart. Going to her, he gripped her shoulders and lifted her high enough to wrap his arms around her, crushing her to his chest. Her body responded to his hug and she buried her face in his neck. The wet of her tears made him hold her tighter. Was it wrong that he was noticing how well she fit against him? Probably. But it wasn’t enough to stop him. Hugging Piper Hendrix was the most natural thing he’d ever done. What would kissing her be like?You’re an insensitive prick, Coleman.She was crying over her ex and he was thinking of kissing her. His childhood best friend’s little sister.What’s wrong with me?

All too soon, Piper calmed and pulled her head back from his chest. He reluctantly loosened his grip but didn’t let her go.

‘Help me understand what he’s done to cause this much of a reaction from you.’

She closed her eyes but nodded and sank back down to the mattress, slipping through his arms. He took the seat beside her, giving her space but not too much, and rested his hand on her leg. She took a deep breath, her brown eyes piercing his.

‘Heath has an opioid addiction and is under investigation for stealing medication from the hospital.’

Emmett’s breath escaped him in a hiss. He’d heard about doctors and surgeons taking drugs to either keep them going during the long shifts or to zone out after all the trauma from dealing with medical emergencies. He’d never met any, but he knew they existed and, apparently, Heath was one of them.

‘Shit, Piper. When did you find out?’

Piper tipped her head back. ‘When the executive director gave me a call with the medical superintendent right beside her.’

Emmett cringed.

‘It gets better,’ she continued. ‘I had to answer to the board of medical directors about why I never reported him. It was so humiliating to have to admit that I had no idea.’ She paused and Emmett could see the tears welling in her eyes again, but she seemed to try to swallow them down. ‘I know what you’re thinking. How could I not know? Sounds like a cop-out, right? I’ve asked myself the same question over and over, but I swear I didn’t, Emmett. The only conclusion I can come up with is that I didn’t care about him enough to notice.’

‘I wasn’t thinking that,’ Emmett said, squeezing her leg. ‘I was thinking of how far a man has to fall to develop a problem so significant and hide it from his partner.’

Piper scoffed lightly. ‘We weren’t really partners by then. We’d drifted so far apart that we were no more than roommates who barely saw each other.’ She shook her head. ‘I feel so bloody guilty for it.’

‘It takes two people to be in a relationship, Piper. You can’t shoulder all the blame yourself.’

‘I didn’t know what to do. If I’d stayed with him, then I was guilty by association. Word got out in the hospital and everyone started treating me differently—like I was the one stealing medication. None of the people I thought were friends acted like they were; I wasn’t allowed to go to the restricted medication room by myself; I was getting side eyes everywhere and the whispers … they may as well have been shouting. How could I stay with him? And if I left, how could I abandon him when he needed me the most? I was completely trapped.’ She swiped at the tears that had slipped past her resolve.

The chip in Emmett’s heart turned into a crack straight down the middle. ‘It’s not your fault. He put you in an impossible position.’

‘It was too much. I know he needed me, but I couldn’t be the person he needed me to be for him. I didn’t want to be.’ Her voice broke and Emmett shuffled closer, putting his arm around her. She leaned into his side. ‘I wasn’t strong enough and I was terrified of the damage it would do to Carter’s career, and Jonathan’s, if it got out and they linked me to them. So, I put myself and my family over my partner and ran away to Rush Creek in my Kombi.’

‘You were so strong,’ he said, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘Don’t let him make you feel bad for choosing your own mental health over a man who’d become someone you didn’t know.’

‘That’s the bit that really kicks,’ she said, anger seeping into her voice. ‘I thought I knew who Heath was. I lived with him for eighteen months. Slept in the same bed. Had the same group of friends. But when it came down to it, I didn’t know him at all.’

‘It might not count for much, but I think it takes guts to walk away from a situation like that. He made his choices, Piper, and he would’ve brought you down with him. If he can’t respect the space you’ve put between you when it’s this much space, then I shudder to think what would’ve happened if you’d decided to stay.’

‘I have zero regrets about leaving. I should’ve broken it off earlier. I think I just got complacent. That makes me sound like a really terrible person.’ She dipped her head into her hand.

Emmett tugged her hand away from her face. ‘No, it doesn’t. You can tell me anything, Piper, and I’ll never think badly of you. I’ve known you forever. I know your heart.’

Her face softened.

The door to the bunk room flew open and Stef’s head popped around it. ‘Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got another call.’

Annoyance flooded Emmett’s veins. He wanted to stay with Piper but he was needed.

‘Go.’ Piper nodded towards Stef as if she knew he was torn. ‘I’ll be fine.’

He leaned over and wrapped her up into another hug. ‘I’ll see you at home?’

‘I’ll be there.’ She squeezed him tightly.