Chapter 10

Ten

Cam

Fuck my life. This shift has been a shit show from the moment I let dispatch know I was available to take calls. I"m rolling up to Bellehaven Memorial, Troy flanking me in his SUV. When I get out, he"s already standing there, shaking his head, thumbs tucked in the straps of his bulletproof vest.

"What the fuck is even happening tonight?" he questions, as I come around the front of mine department vehicle.

"Full moon, but I haven"t seen anything like this in years. Donita was screaming that she was going to murder Virgil, and he was yelling that he was gonna jerk a knot in her ass. The next thing I knew she"d broken away from me, and had launched herself at him. I lunged for her and all I felt was the fabric of her T-shirt going through my fingers." I recount what happened less than an hour ago.

Troy scoffs, chuckling slightly. "She is fuckin" spry for sixty, man. I tell you. She ran from me last time, and damned if she didn"t almost get away. I feel you."

"I"m never going to hear the end of this shit. It was all over the radio. The text messages I"ve gotten are downright embarrassing. Chief Wellington told me to head over here and make sure they haven"t harmed one another. They put them in the same ambulance." I wince. "But apparently it"s the only one they had available because of all the shit happening in the county right now."

"Goddamn." He blows out a breath. "Okay, let"s go in and see what needs to be done before we take them in."

"They"re gonna hate that too," I complain. "They relish calling the po-lice on each other, but when it comes down to either one or both getting arrested, they become a twisted, toxic united front that no one understands. Blows my mind."

He looks back at me as we walk through the automatic doors leading to the ER. "I know, I"m not looking forward to this. The only saving grace is gonna be that Cass is here."

"Maybe she can get us that good pudding they have. I don"t know what they put in it, but it is the best pudding I"ve ever had." Troy rubs at his stomach. "I"m starving, I haven"t even had time to take a break tonight."

"Oh, join the fucking club. It"s not like you"re special. We"re all running on energy drinks and protein bars."

He flips me the bird as we approach the registration desk.

I step in front of him. "Hey, Hailey. We"re here to see Donita and Virgil Womack. They were brought in by ambulance recently. They should"ve had security requested, but I do realize tonight"s a little bananas," I say as I scan the waiting room. Every single chair is filled, and there are some sitting on the floor, slumped against the walls.

"Deputy, you have no idea. Flu is rampant tonight, so you might wanna mask up if you haven"t had your flu shot." She dangles two masks on her fingers, looking pointedly at Troy and me.

I"ve had my flu shot, but I am one-thousand percent a germaphobe who hates being sick. "Shit," I mumble under my breath, before putting the mask on. "You got any hand sanitizer back there?"

Troy chuckles. "If you"ve got enough for him to take a shower with, he"ll take it."

"Fuck you. I hate being sick."

She hands me a small container of sanitizer, and I put it on my hands, rubbing it up past my wrists.

She smirks, amusement dancing in her eyes. "The Womack"s are in rooms fifteen and sixteen respectively. They had to be separated."

"Surprise, surprise." I shoot a glare over at Troy.

"Can you buzz us back?" He questions, twirling the mask by its straps on his index finger.

"Sure thing. See y"all later."

The soundof sneezing and coughing infiltrates my ears as we go into the back of the ER, even through closed doors. "You sure you don"t wanna wear that mask. I"d hate for you to be sick, Troy James."

"You"d relish me being sick. Then you could tell me you told me so."

"Son, you best believe that"s the truth." I elbow check him as we both try to walk through a small space. "This hallway isn"t big enough for the both of us."

"Fucker." He laughs.

"What are you two doing here, and why are you arguing over who"s going to fit in what space?" Cassie"s voice cuts through our fight for alpha-ness.

I turn to where her voice came from behind us. "Hey ..." I reach out, grasping her hand in mine, before pulling her to me, and leaning down. She pulls my mask off my lips, and gives me a kiss before putting it back in place.

"They tell you the flu is bad?" She questions with raised eyebrows.

"Yep. I"ve only had it once and I don"t ever want it again." I shiver, thinking about the fever I"d run. "I can"t believe you aren"t wearing one. The amount of people you"re around."

"I do when I go into the rooms." She folds her arms over her chest. "I find it works well for me, but y"all aren"t around it like I am. So, what are y"all doing here?" she asks again.

"The Womack"s," we answer in unison.

She throws her head back, groaning. "Oh my God, when I heard they were coming in, I gave them to the newest nurse. I never pull out my seniority card, but I can"t mess with them tonight. She got him good, he"s in the middle of getting around fifty-five stitches to close the cut. What did she smack him with?"

"A damn decorative plate. It broke when she smashed it against the counter, and then the cut edge of it hit his neck." I think back to how fast it all happened.

"Yeah, barely missed his carotid. She"s lucky she didn"t kill him. What"s she here for? I haven"t looked at her chart."

I roll my eyes. "Claimed chest pain once we tried to arrest her. It"s policy to have people checked out." I shrug. "Can we go in and talk to them?"

"I"m not the nurse on duty for them, but I can check for you," she offers, a flirty little smile slides across her face.

"Please?"

She gives us her back, going over to the computer. Turning to Troy, I fold my arms over my chest. "Which one do you want to take? I"ll take the other."

"Well Virgil"s gonna be outta here before she is, since they"re gonna run tests on her for a heart attack. If you"d like to stay and hang out with Cassie for a few minutes, I can take him."

Typically, I would call him out for this. He"s acting like he"s doing me a favor, and really he"s getting the better deal, but he"s right. Donita is going to be here longer, and I possibly will be able to have coffee, or a snack with Cassie. "Yeah, go ahead. I"ll stay with her."

"Okay." Cassie comes back. "Virgil"s ready to go. Which one is taking him?"

Troy raises his hand. "That"ll be me. Do you have my sign off or do I need to get that from the attending?"

"Doctor Carver is in there right now, and he"ll release him to you. Donita needs to have another two tests run, and then the sign off done. It"s going to be at least an hour for you." Her voice sounds as if she"s sorry, but I see the excitement in her eyes.

"Nice. I"ll go grab him, and take him down to the station. Let me know if you need anything." He smacks me across the arm. "Don"t get sick."

"You"re such an ass."

When he"s finally gone, I turn to Cassie. "Since I"m going to be here for a little bit, can you take a break? We can get a coffee and maybe something to eat at the cafeteria? I"m starving and haven"t eaten yet."

"Cam, you"ve been on for seven hours." Her tone is horrified.

"I know, there"s been no time. Calls have been back-to-back." My stomach growls loudly as if to say I"m not lying.

"Yeah, let me tell them I"m taking my break, and we"ll go get you something. I"ll even use my employee discount to get you the really good food and drinks." She flirts.

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I hold her tight. "How"d I get so lucky?"

She cuts her eyes up to the ceiling. "Because I gave you a second chance, and don"t you ever fucking forget it."