Page 53 of Beauty and the Billionaire Bad*ss

I grinned, knowing this little nurse had no idea what she was in for.

2

Lennon

I looked up at the glass building. Ten floors of sickness, life, death, research, and wellness loomed in front of me. I had only been in San Antonio a month, but this wasn’t the first time I questioned why I had moved here.

The hospital had everything I said I wanted in a program. I could practice medicine, I could oversee long-term patient care, and I could be involved in the research that had always been my passion. But every time I walked through those doors, I felt lonely.

I was the new kid. The rookie doctor who finally had the training wheels off. The one who didn’t know her way around San Antonio, and still didn’t know if she was ready to move out of temporary housing into a permanent apartment.

I liked the city, but it wasn’t home yet. I still felt like a tourist who marveled at the Alamo, or thought about going to Sea World on a free day off. I couldn’t bring myself to accept that my life was here now, not D.C.

When I moved, I wanted to leave behind my failed relationship and all the memories that came with it. But the harder I tried to forget Ben, the more he was a part of what I was doing here. I questioned everything, and that simply wasn’t me.

There was more uncertainty in my life now than there had ever been.

I entered through the sliding doors, carrying my thermos, and nodded at the security officers as if they knew me and I knew them. I couldn’t have told you a single name in this place, other than the doctors who worked on my floor.

I took the elevator to the fourth floor and headed to the doctor’s lounge where I could change for the day. I had a twelve-hour shift ahead of me.

“Good morning, Dr. Ashworth.”

“Good morning, Dr…” I could never remember her name. I tried to play the game in my head where I made something about her physical features trigger an association. Oh yeah, she had pointy elf ears. “Peers.” I smiled, glad I had only mildly stumbled.

“Are you headed home?” I asked

She slammed her locker. “Yes, just ended my twelve, really it was thirteen. But who’s counting?”

“Right.” I laughed. “Have a good day.” I knew she was going home to sleep off what was a long night.

I was glad this week I was on days. Night shifts were always the hardest to bounce back from.

I grabbed my stethoscope from my locker and looped it around my neck. I clipped my hospital ID badge to my pocket. It wasn’t my best picture. I had pulled my blond hair back in a ponytail that day, and my eyes looked glazed over from lack of sleep.

I locked my small cabinet to see my first patient of the day. I liked to check in with my existing patients before taking on anyone new. Arriving as early as I did, I had plenty of time to peek in on everyone and say hello.

The nurses were swapping muffins and bagels as I walked past the station. One of the pharmacy reps had dropped off breakfast this morning.

“Oh, Dr. Ashworth, do you have a minute?”

I stopped and spun on my heels. “What’s up?” I quickly looked at her nametag. “Joanna.”

“It’s the patient in 405. He was complaining all night about his knee pain.”

“Did you up his pain meds?” I asked.

“No. We thought we’d ask you when you came in.”

“You could have paged me or called my on-call number. He just came out of surgery.” I was irritated. I had given strict instructions that if his pain level rose, I was to be contacted.

I rushed off to check on him before scolding the nurse any further.

I pushed open the door. “Mr. Hamlin, I heard you had a rough night.”

He winced before I even made it to the bed. “I didn’t sleep at all. And those nurses wouldn’t give me anything other than the original prescription.”

I carefully examined his knee and pulled the bandages away from his skin. The incision was a small one. It was amazing what we could do with surgery, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t going to hurt like a bitch.

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