Page 13 of No Greater Love
"Here," I said, handing it to her. "You can color it later if you want."
Just then, the break room door opened, and Crawford stuck his head in. He looked surprised to find us both smiling, Paige holding her new creation.
"Everything okay?" he asked, his eyes darting between us.
"We're good," I said, straightening up, suddenly self-conscious. "Just talking books and making butterflies. Regular stuff."
He nodded, a strange expression crossing his face. "I'm still trying to reach Mrs. Swanson. Thank you again, Tasha."
"No big deal," I said, waving him off. "Paige is cool. We're vibing."
Paige giggled at that, and Crawford's eyes softened as they landed on his daughter. For a brief moment, I glimpsed something in his expression—a fierce, protective love that was almost painful to witness.
Then he was gone, back to his calls and his patients.
"Your dad really loves you," I said without thinking.
Paige nodded, serious again. "He's the best dad ever. He tries really hard."
"I can tell," I said softly.
We spent the next half hour making more butterflies, talking about school, and comparing notes on our favorite books. When Crawford returned, announcing that Mrs. Swanson was on her way, I felt an odd pang of disappointment.
When the older woman arrived, Paige gathered her things. Then, to my complete surprise, she gave me a quick, shy hug.
I froze for a split second before awkwardly patting her shoulder. "See you around, kiddo," I managed. "Let me know what you think about the ending of that book, okay?"
As Paige left with her father and Mrs. Swanson, I found myself watching them go. Crawford's hand rested lightly on Paige's shoulder, guiding her, and she looked up at him with complete trust.
Something twisted in my chest again, that same unfamiliar feeling. It wasn't envy, exactly. Maybe... wistfulness? A strange sense of having glimpsed something precious and rare.
Then Maria appeared at my elbow, eyebrows raised suggestively. "Look at you, playing Mary Poppins."
"Shut up, Maria," I muttered, the spell broken. "The kid's not terrible. And Crawford owes me coffee for a month."
"Mmm-hmm," Maria hummed knowingly.
I grabbed my stethoscope, slinging it around my neck. "I'm going to get report. Some of us have actual work to do."
But as I headed for the nurses' station, I couldn't quite shake the image of Paige's smile when she'd held that paper butterfly, or the raw gratitude in Crawford's eyes when I'd offered to help.
It was just one weird morning, I told myself.
It didn't mean anything.
five
nate
"Listen to me,"I said quietly but firmly to the nervous-looking volunteer EMT clutching his clipboard. "Youcannotspring these things on us."
My tone was controlled, but inside I waspissed. We'd received a squad report describing a "87-year-old lady, feeling a little weak today" from one of the local nursing homes, only to discover—on arrival—that the patient was barely coherent, with a body temperature of 89.9 degrees, completely incontinent ofbloodand pressure (literally) in the toilet.
The volunteer rescue squads often had these problems. This particular one was largely staffed by pre-med and medical students from the local college, kids with grand visions of doctorhood who thought volunteering as an EMT would be the perfect stepping stone for their careers. I understood how important it was to train these folks—they might well be taking care of me someday, a thought that made me shudder—but it didn't make it any easier to deal with the constant cycle of "How hard could this really be?" becoming "Oh God, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing" as students rotated through the squad.
"If you're bringing me a severely hypothermic patient with active GI bleeding and systolic pressure in the 60s, I need that informationbeforethey roll through our doors," I continued, keeping my voice measured despite the frustration coiling inside me. "What did you chart her temperature at when you first assessed her?"
The young man glanced down at his clipboard. "Um, we didn't actually... I mean, the nursing home staff told us her vitals were stable this morning, so we just?—"
