Page 27 of Heal Me

“Definitely not.”

“Boyfriend, then?”

My thoughts return to Gabe. If I could walk down those basement steps last night, knowing I was about to face a deranged angel, then what’s stopping me from being with the sweetest, sexiest angel in the world? Brad Cunningham, that’s what’s stopping me, and I hate it. I hate he still has power over me.

Dr. Cooper’s phone alerts, and I’m pulled from my thoughts. “Let’s go.” He rises and I take off after him. We’re briefed by the team about the incoming patient’s status, and Dr. Cooper gives his orders for prepping the OR. We scrub in and I watch him set several broken bones and insert two rods in the patient’s legs. It’s a gory scene, but amazingly enough, there are no severe internal injuries.

Afterward, the scrub nurse helps Dr. Cooper out of his blood-covered surgical gown and it gets tossed in the biohazard bin. I do the same, and we toss our shoe coverings, surgical caps, and gloves, then wash up.

Dr. Cooper joins me a few minutes later in the break room. “What’s that on your face?” I ask, narrowing my eyes, trying to get a closer look. Confident we followed protocol, I still want to make sure it’s not blood.

“Jelly donut,” he says, grabbing a napkin and dabbing his mouth. “Michelle stopped me in the hall with a box. Sorry, I would have grabbed you one, but your diet is shit.”

“Not only is he a surgeon, but he’s also a nutritionist,” I snap, tossing the rest of my candy bar in the trash. He’s right, and that’s why I’m so defensive. Sugar is my crutch— something I’m going to address—but one damn problem at a time. “Good evening,” I say, walking to my cubby and grabbing my purse.

“Hot date?”

“That is none of your business.”

“I’ll take that as a no,” he calls after me.

“What’s wrong?” Gabe asks, waiting for me on the bench outside.

“Just a long day.”

He drives us in my car to the apartment and I lead us inside. “I’m going to take a quick shower. I don’t have anything fixed for dinner, but I could whip up—”

“Charlotte, you’re tired. Let me grab us something. What are you in the mood for?”

“Mexican sounds good.”

“I know just the place,” he says, disappearing.

“Don’t worry, your angel will be back,” I tell my cat who’s looking around for Gabe.

Walking upstairs, I take a nice, long shower, thinking of all the snappy one-liners I should have said to Dr. Cooper. I cannot wait until my shadowing is over.

Throwing on a slouchy sweater and leggings, I give my short hair a quick dry, and then I follow the delicious aroma downstairs and to the kitchen. “Smells amazing. Where is this from?”

“Tijuana.”

“Tijuana Grille?” I ask. “Nothing I’ve ever ordered from that place smelled half this good.”

“Tijuana, Mexico.” I must have given him a surprised look. “You wanted Mexican.” He gives me a sly smile. “Carne asada with fresh-made tortillas. Churros with Mexican chocolate. And Mexican beer with extra lime.”

“This is heaven. Thank you.”

We grab plates and dig right in. “Oh my goodness, this is the best taco I’ve ever eaten.” I moan between bites. “How did you know about this place?”

“Travel for work,” he answers vaguely. “So you had a rough day?”

“My mentor I’m shadowing, Dr. Tom Cooper, he’s just…” I search for the right word, squeezing the lime in my beer. “Abrasive. He’s an excellent surgeon, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that our personalities don’t mesh well.” That’s a nice way to put it. “So about last night,” I start, but then lose my courage to talk about what happened in my bed. “What happens with Ethan? I mean, Eiael,” I ask instead.

“I could only speculate.”

“So speculate,” I press him.

“He’ll be punished, of that I have no doubt. The unauthorized killing of mortals isn’t a crime taken lightly.”

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