Page 46 of Broken Dreams

She did her best to summon some enthusiasm. At least she was here, in Fort Meyers, Florida. Her boxes of belongings scheduled to arrive in the next couple of days. She couldn't wait to unpack. Her first plane ride had been uneventful, but she'd gripped the seat arms tight as they'd taken off because her mind conjured images of Nick and Shane's plane crash.

Nick. Her chest tightened, stinging with shards of regret. She hadn't seen him in over two weeks. The hospital grapevine indicated that he had left to take care of his own move from Virginia to Wisconsin. While he’d been gone, she’d hopped a plane headed in the complete opposite direction.

She'd honestly believed he'd cared for her. Maybe even had started to fall in love with her. The way she had fallen in love with him. Right before he had written a glowing letter of recommendation on her behalf and encouraged her to leave.

What a fool she'd been. A guy like Nick could have any woman he wanted. A few shared kisses didn’t mean anything.

The driver pulled into the driveway leading to her condo complex. Fat drops of rain splattered on the windshield.

“Thanks so much.” Using the app on her phone she paid and tipped the man, then jumped out, dragging the single carry on suitcase behind her. One step later, the sky opened up and dumped buckets of water onto her head.

Rats. Ducking her face to avoid the water, she ran up to the second story condo doorway awkwardly carrying her suitcase, and crowded as close to the door as she could to get away from the slanting rain. Not that it mattered. Her clothes were already plastered to her skin.

Inside, the air smelled stale and musty. Despite the heat, she opened the windows a few inches, to air the place out, then glanced around her new home.

A plethora of seashells decorated the walls and dotted the expanse of the polyester bedspreads. The neutral earth tones and endless beach motif was nice enough. Maybe once she'd earned her first paycheck, she'd go shopping and pick out some things in bright bold colors. And once her belongings arrived, and the pictures of her family would make the place feel more like home.

Thoughts of her family had her glancing at the screen on her cell phone. Any minute she expected to see a slew of messages from her parents, her brothers, and Andrea.

But there wasn't a single one. Her shoulders slumped as she sank down on the edge of the bed. Okay, she could admit this was a slow start and the rain pelting on her windows didn't help her dismal mood. There was no reason to sit here and second guess her decision. She hadn't even given her new home a fair chance.

She decided against calling her family. Wasn't this what she'd wanted? To be left alone. To be independent. To follow her dream of exploring the world, one traveling nurse assignment after another.

Alone.

The word had never sounded so pitiful.

Nick watched Billy work in the physical therapy gym with a sense of satisfaction. The kid was really coming along. Between therapy and psychiatric support, the young man was doing better. He worked with the equipment as if he were on a mission to get out of there.

The exact same way he had. Those months he'd spent in rehab had been the longest of his life. And it was oddly comforting to help others along the same road he’d taken.

He returned to his office and the endless work awaiting his attention. One thing he'd discovered, a medical director position involved far more paperwork and emails than he'd ever dreamed possible.

Sinking into his chair, he wondered about Amber. How was she doing? Did she love sunny Florida? Had she already started her new job?

Did she miss him as much as he missed her?

He dropped his head into his hands and squeezed his temples to ease the dull ache. Sending her away had been the right thing to do, but he couldn't stand the thought that she might hate him for it. Although surprisingly, she hadn't resented him for the part he'd unwittingly played in Shane's death. Maybe she could forgive him for this too?

What if she wasn't happy? He lifted his head to stare out the window. He knew a big part of her leaving had to do with escaping the perceived claustrophobia of her family. Maybe she was miserable without them.

Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part.

Nick leaned forward and began reading emails. There were several medical staff policies needing his review. He'd made his choice and she'd made hers. He needed to remember that.

“What happened to Dr. Roland, your medical director?” A little over two weeks later, Amber found herself seated across from Charlotte, her new boss at Lee County hospital. She’d already completed the basic orientation. Thankfully the care was very similar to what she was accustomed to. Charlotte had wanted a one-on-one update before releasing her from orientation, to a full-fledged staff member status.

“According to this letter he was recently replaced by a Dr. Tanner.”

“Yes.” She fidgeted in her seat. She didn't want to go into detail, but worried the woman would disregard Nick's letter if she didn't explain. “Unfortunately, Dr. Roland had some personal problems, which began to interfere with the medical care he was providing to our patients. I had no choice but to report him to Hospital Administration and the Wisconsin State Licensing Board. As a result, our chief of staff asked for Dr. Roland’s resignation.”

“Really?” Charlotte's eyes rounded. “I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to report him to the state medical board. Wow. You've had quite an interesting career.”

Seeing her life through the eyes of a stranger made her sit up straighter in her chair. She'd never considered everything that had gone on with Dr. Roland as interesting or exciting. Yet there was no mistaking the awed expression in Charlotte's eyes. Her boss probably wouldn't look so impressed if she'd heard how Roland had slapped her. She resisted the urge to cover her cheek.

After a few minutes of chitchat, Charlotte sent Amber an electronic copy of her schedule. Once the meeting was over, she left. But Charlotte's words followed her on the walk home. Had she been so intent on seeking excitement that she hadn't recognized the experience when it had smacked her in the face? Like literally? Nagging doubt assailed her and her footsteps slowed.

Could Nick be right? Was she so busy trying to escape from her overprotective family that she used traveling as an excuse to avoid dealing with them? Had she really let Alec annoy her so much she'd moved over a thousand miles from home?

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