Chapter 17

SEVENTEEN

Silas

"I haven't seen you with a smile on your face like this in days," Cassie puts up the paper chart she had to pull, eyeballing me.

"What can I say? Things are going well."

She raises her eyebrows. "With Britt? Or in general?"

If I tell her a lie, she'll know. If I tell her the truth, it'll be all over the hospital before we leave. I can't bring myself to care much, though, because I'm so happy. A few days ago, I didn't think she'd talk to me again, but here we are. I've spent the past couple of days with her and Karli, and now I know more than ever that they are where I see my future. "With Britt," I whisper.

"I knew it!" She pumps her arm up and down before hugging me tightly. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Cass. I appreciate it." With a smile on my face, I grab the iPad and see which room needs my attention the most.

Three hours later and I'm ready for a break, but there's someone causing a scene out in the waiting room. They've called security, but I can hear someone screaming, a loud voice booming through the corridor. Glancing through the window in the door, I catch a glimpse of what's going on.

The man who's ranting and raving is shorter than I imagined, with hair that needs a cut. He looks as if he's been in his clothes for the last few days, and he needs a good shave. He jabs his hand on the counter as he says the words. "I want my daughter seen and I want her seen now."

"Sir, there are other patients ahead of her." The registration clerk says with patience I'm not sure I could with the way this guy is so close to her face.

Cassie comes to stand next to me. "He's going to be a problem," she murmurs.

"Damn right. I think we're gonna have to intervene."

"She has a fever," he argues.

Cassie sighs before opening the door and stepping in. "It's low grade. I understand you're worried, but she's in the best place she can be. We'll get her back as soon as we can."

The man gets in her face and points his finger at her. "I want your manager. How does that sound?"

If there's one thing I absolutely can't stand, it's someone who gets in a nurse's face and speaks down to her. They are some of the hardest working people on the planet, and I won't sit here and listen to him do this to her. Not when Cassie is one of the best at her job. I step through the doors this time, standing at my full height, making myself bigger than I actually am. It's something I learned in med school. Never let anyone see you as small. "I'm not her manager, but I am a doctor. What's the problem?"

The man turns on me, all the anger radiating from his body. "I'll tell you what the problem is. My daughter is sick, and this idiot says she's not bad enough to be taken back. What are you going to do about it?"

"What I'm going to ask you to do is take it down a notch. You out here screaming and yelling isn't helping anyone, and it looks to me that your daughter is scared." I nod my head toward the baby I think is his. She's tucked into her mother's arms, crying pitifully the way only tiny babies can.

"Don't tell me to take it down a notch. I get shit done, and this is how I do it."

I hate men like this. Who bulldoze their way through every situation and thinks it's because they're badasses that they get what they want. "No, that's not how you do it." I lower my voice so he can hear me. "What you do is you throw around what you think is your ‘get shit done' attitude, and it gets you what you want. In actuality, people don't want to hear you and they're embarrassed by the way you act. Don't worry though, your daughter will be seen, but I can promise you that you won't get any quicker service by being an asshole to my nurses or me. Go sit down over there, and we'll call you back when it's her turn." I point my finger at where the chairs are. "If there appears to be a change in her condition, please come to the desk. If not; wait your turn."

His face is red, but he turns around and goes back to his chair. Walking back behind the double doors that leads to the patient rooms. "Who the fuck is that guy?" The last time we had someone make this much of a scene, they at least had a connection to the CEO of the hospital.

Cassie's mouth is set in a firm line. "He doesn't remember me, which is for the best, but you're not going to believe who it is."

"Try me. At this point, I'll believe almost anything."

She smirks. "That's Dakota."

"Dakota?" I parrot back, eyes blinking rapidly in disbelief. "Britt's ex-husband, Dakota?"

"Yeah. Now do you see why she divorced him? I don't know how she put up with this through their marriage." She blows out a breath that moves her bangs.

Now I'm pissed, and while I shouldn't do this, I have to. I've spent the last few days taking care of the daughter he refuses to see, who deserves the same love as this child out there in the waiting room. I walk out to the waiting area and catch his eye. When I do, I motion for him to come over.

He gets up and rushes across the polished tile. "Yeah?"

Keeping my voice low, I lean in. "Do me a favor. Keep this same energy for the other daughter who was here in this emergency department a few days ago. She deserves your worry as much as that kid."

He doesn't say anything. His mouth opens and closes, then opens and closes.

"Oh, and one more thing, if you bitch about this to Britt, I'm gonna know, because I'm the one she's spending her time with right now. Maybe you should actually show up when Karli expects you to, or is that too much to ask?"

I'm breathing heavily as I walk back behind those doors, and I realize without a doubt that I love that little girl and her mom. That's why I'm so upset with this piece of shit. The next thing I need to do? Tell them both, because after all the shit they've been through, they deserve to know.