Page 286 of Under Her Skin
“How sweet that you think I’d resort to stalking you,” he says with a chuckle. “No one told on you. I had no idea you were working with the cancer patients. Just good luck, I guess. I filled out a form to come and visit the kids here and help make their holidays better. My background check cleared, and I started my work here just now. I think it’s more than just a happy coincidence you’re heretoo.”
“I don’t believe you,” I let him know. “I’ll find out who toldyou.”
“Paranoid?” he asks as he opens the door to my next patient’sroom.
I give him a go-to-hell look, then step in past him as he holds the door open. “Hello, Terry, how are you doing today?” I ask the fifteen-year-old boy with stage-three cancer in hisleg.
His eyes go straight to Blaine as he answers me, “Not too good. It really hurts today. Can I have more pain meds,boss?”
“Hello, Terry,” Blaine walks past me to introduce himself. “I’m Blaine. I’m here to help get you kids into the spirit of the holidays.” He reaches into one of the pockets of his scrubs and produces a pumpkinlollipop.
Terry smiles as he takes it from him. “Yum. So, about more painmeds.”
Blaine looks at me, and I assume he notices my frown. This kid has asked for more pain medication every day. He takes the chair on the other side of the bed. “So, tell me what has you cooped uphere.”
Terry turns his attention to Blaine as I busy myself with checking his vital signs and tidying up his mess. “I was swimming at the end of the summer and felt a pain in my leg. I thought it was just a cramp, but it didn’t go away. Four days later, I couldn’t take the pain anymore and told my parents aboutit.”
“You kept that to yourself all that time?” Blaine asks thekid.
“Yeah, I’m not some wimpy kid. I’m tough. I play football, ride motocross, and have even skydived. I’m not acrybaby.”
“I’d say you’re not!” Blaine agrees. “So, you have something in your leg,then?”
“Yeah, a big cluster of some cells that are overgrowing. And this crap hurts, man. The radiation isn’t working. The chemo is terrible too,” Terrysays.
I have to intervene. “Terry, the radiation is working and the tumor is getting smaller. And the chemo is what’s making the radiation work better. It takes time—the same way it took time for that tumor togrow.”
Terry hooks his thumb at me and smiles at Blaine, “Nurse Hot Redhead, here, is the eternaloptimist.”
“She is one hot redhead, isn’t she?” Blaine asks, then winks at me. “But, I think she must be right about your tumor and the treatment working.” Blaine looks around the room. “I don’t see any kind of gaming system in here. You don’t like to play any videogames?”
“I’m really more of an outdoor kind of kid. I don’t even own any gaming systems,” Terry says as he opens his lollipop and puts it in hismouth.
“Not yet,” I say, pulling it right back out and handing it to him. “I have to take yourtemp.”
He nods and looks grim as I bother him with taking his temperature. Blaine looks on and asks, “If I got you one and some cool games like football and motocross games, would you like that?” Terry nods enthusiastically. “Would you let me play with youtoo?”
Again, he nods, and I take the thermometer out of his mouth. “That would be freaking awesome! Are you rich orsomething?”
“I have a dollar or two in the bank. I’m going to take the hot redhead out for lunch to help me pick up some things, so you can look forward to playing some football with me after lunch. How does that sound?” Blaine asks him as I start tofume.
He’s a fool if he thinks I’m going to lunch withhim!
Chapter3
BLAINE
“Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror when you get pissed off?” I ask Delaney, as she’s fuming mad about having to go to lunch with me. The charge nurse told her to, so she could help me buy the things I’m going to give some of the patients. “Your cheeks get this rosy color to them and your green eyes sparkle like gems. The way your bottom lip is trembling is crazy goodtoo.”
“And you are infuriating!” she says as she presses the button on the elevator to take us down to thelobby.
I pull out my phone and call my driver. “Pick us up in front. We’re on our way downnow.”
“Who’s picking us up?” she asks as she crosses her arms in front ofher.
“My driver.” I look her up and down as I take the pilgrim hat off. “I really like that color on you. Pink isn’t a color I’d say naturally goes with your hair color. I think it’s the pink in your cheeks that lets you pull itoff.”
“Stop looking at me!” she says with a scowl, which only serves to make her even prettier. “And I don’t want to ride around in a limo with you! I’ll take my owncar.”
