Page 9 of Code Love
“Why did you wait to give Stephanie’s family an update?” Jade asked, though she already knew that part of the answer.
“I told you,” Lillian said, her eyes starting to glitter. This woman was so intense. Jade’s heart started thumping as she looked at her. Her lips made a natural pout, even when pressed together in irritation. “I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly during closing. I also figured you would want to be with me when I delivered it.”
“Who cares who delivered the update?” Jade asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“You know as much as anyone how hard this job can be,” Lillian said, her voice exasperated. “Sometimes we need a win, and we both deserved that one.”
“You thought I needed some validation?” Jade asked with a smirk. “Like saving that woman’s life wasn’t reward enough?”
“You know what I mean,” Lillian said with a wave of her hand.
Jade noticed the flush of Lillian’s cheeks and the press of her lips as she became flustered. Her green eyes shined brilliantly with agitation—and something more, Jade hoped. She opened her mouth to say as much, but hesitated.
“I did what I thought was best in my professional judgement,” Lillian said.
“Professional judgement?” Jade scoffed.
“Yes!”
“You left them waiting for almost an hour when they could have at least known that she was stable,” Jade said and took a step toward Lillian.
“And how would they have felt if I told them that, only for something to come loose during closing and then I have to go back and explain that? Oh, sorry I told you she was going to be fine, she actually died?” Lillian snapped.
Jade felt heat flowing through her body, though it wasn’t quite anger. “You know as well as I do that she was stable at that point, anything you could have told them would have helped a lot more than leaving them in the dark,” Jade countered.
“Why didn’t you want to tell them?” Lillian challenged.
“I did, but I had to finish my job,” Jade said, excitement was building in her chest. She loved to see Lillian fight for herself. She couldn’t explain it, but it was beyond sexy. “Why didn’t you?”
“I told you!” Lillian practically shouted taking a step toward Jade. Her face was inches from Jade’s; it would only take the slightest movement to kiss those pouty lips right then. Jade could smell the trace of coffee and sweetener on Lillian’s breath, warm against her cheek.
“Is there anything else, Lillian?” Jade asked, her voice almost a whisper. Her eyes dropped to Lillian’s lips, which were quivering just slightly.
“Doctor Holder,” Lillian almost purred, her lips almost close enough to touch.
“Of course,Doctor Holder,” Jade smiled and pulled in a breath, ready to close the distance.
The door swung open. Dr. Hu from Lillian’s team walked through without so much as looking up from his phone.
Lillian’s eyes flew wide, almost as though she hadn’t realized how close they had come. She turned on her heel and stalked out the door, leaving Jade breathless and staring after her. Heat coursed through her veins, and she realized at that moment that she was wildly attracted to Lillian. Underneath all that planning and strategy and organization was a brilliant womanthat Jade could not get enough of. She wondered what Lillian would be like beneath that armor. The thought quickly turned to wondering what Lillian would look like underneath that silky dress, and heat flared in Jade’s core. A sudden determination to find out filled her.
Her phone chimed at her, signaling a page. She didn’t need to look down to know that it was from the ER. Trying to shake the thoughts from her mind, as well as images of Lillian’s naked body writhing beneath her, she hurried out of the room and to the stairwell.
A loud clap of thunder rattled overhead, and Jade clenched her jaw as she took the stairs two at a time. The lights flickered. The hospital had emergency lighting, but the stairwells would be very dark for a while if the power went out.
She exited the stairwell at the emergency floor. In the few minutes that she had spent upstairs, the room had filled even further. All the beds were full, and in the waiting area people were sitting almost two to a chair, while others were leaned against the walls and sitting on the floor. She glanced over at the gift shop; it was also packed. She pressed her lips together, still several hours were left of this storm, and she couldn’t take the risk of letting these people leave.
She headed to the end of the room where the page had directed her. Her heart dropped through the floor when she recognized little Jasmine standing near the bed, her eyes wide and watery.
“What’s happened?” Jade asked as she stepped to the side of the bed.
“We think it’s a heart attack,” one of the resident doctors said.
Jade signaled to one of the nurses. “Take Jasmine to the cafeteria, get her some hot chocolate.” She looked down at the little girl. “We are going to take good care of your mom,” Jadesaid in a firm voice. “I need you to go with Nurse Williams here so we can do that, okay?”
The little girl nodded and took the nurse’s hand. Her wide eyes were terrified and Jade’s heart shattered. Today was supposed to be a happy day for the little girl, instead she’s been hit on both sides with terror. Jade watched the little girl walk away.
“She’s coding!” one of the nurses shouted.
