Page 58 of Doctor Bossy

GRIFFIN

It was hard to describe the emotion that ran through me when I saw Becca fall.

It was akin to someone taking a hammer to my chest. The shock alone struck the senses out of me.

At the same time, my body galvanized into action, leaping forward and catching her before she hit the ground.

My heart pounded in my chest, and fear flew through every cell in my body. Her eyes were shut, her skin pale, but I could feel a shallow breath running through her body, along with what might have been a moan. Relief poured in. She was alive.Thank God.If nothing else, she was alive.

“What happened?” I heard Marco’s voice behind me and turned to see his and Leila’s concerned faces over my shoulder. He had been running toward her in the opposite direction, and his hands were still outstretched toward her.

“Back off,” I said. I had no idea what facial expression I was making, but they both took a step back the second I turned to them.

Good. Becca needed air.

And I needed to get her to a hospital.

I swept her up into my arms and immediately exited the lab, striding quickly toward the small hallway that connected the research center to the hospital. It was usually empty, but today, several nurses and doctors milled through, some of whom I knew would be headed to the lab to give us some of the blood samples we’d ordered. A few hands came up in a friendly wave when they noticed me, but they froze after getting a good look at my face. Everyone gave me a wide berth as I approached, clearing the center of the hall for us.

Soon enough, I reached the emergency department, where the charge nurse looked up at me with a smile that quickly turned into a frown when she noticed the woman in my arms.

“What happened?” she asked, already gesturing for a gurney to be brought in.

“I’m not sure,” I said, laying Becca’s body down on it as I spoke. “24-year-old female experiencing acute onset loss of consciousness. No known cause and no known history of any disease.”

“Alright, thank you, we’ll take it from here, Doc,” she said, but I wasn’t ready to let go. I continued to walk with them as they slipped an oxygen mask on her and began to take vitals, heading toward an empty hospital room. Eventually, the nurse, Evelyn, turned around to see me following, and she shook her head.

“Is she your patient, Doctor?”

“No, she’s my…employee.”

“Then you’re a bit too close to it. We’ve already paged Dr. Lin, and she should be on her way right now.”

“I’m not leaving,” I firmly insisted.

“Dr. McCormick, it’s protocol….”

“Fuck protocol,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Evelyn looked a little taken aback by my statement, and I noticed the rest of the nurses staring at me a little as if I had lost it. I didn’t care; I was serious about what I said. I didn’t give a fuck about protocol or who was coming in. They would have to pry me from her side to get me to leave. And they would need more security and firepower than they likely had.

I glanced down at Becca’s face. She was still so damn pale. Oh God, she looked so weak and vulnerable lying there. It brought back memories, wretched memories of doing the same thing with Heather. Sometimes, her illness would give her horrible migraines or cause her to pass out, and I would bring her to the emergency room—having to sit outside while they worked on her. Sometimes, I could hear her moaning in constant pain, but I could never help her.

Just like I couldn’t help Becca now.

It was enough to drive a man crazy.

But as I watched, one of her eyes slowly blinked open.

I didn’t want to believe it at first. I thought maybe my mind was making me see things, but the nurses confirmed it when one of them announced, “She’s awake.”

Even with the oxygen mask on, I saw the confusion that filled her expression. Her head turned frantically before her eyes met mine.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I darted forward, resting my hands against her cheek.

“Don’t try to speak, alright,” I said. “Just relax.”

She hesitated, then nodded. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Evelyn give me an odd look, but at the moment, I didn’t give a fuck. News of this would probably get around by tomorrow, given how small our hospital system was, but right now, I couldn’t find it in me to give a damn. That was tomorrow’s problem.

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