Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Dean

"When's the last time you had a tetanus shot?" I look down at the two-inch laceration on the side of the young man's foot and lightly press my gloved finger against the red, swollen tissue. Ouch! It's a shame people leave their trash behind on the beach so someone can come along and get hurt.

"I'm not sure. Four, maybe five years ago. No, wait. It's been longer than that." The man reaches up and swipes his hands through his wind-blown hair. "Heck, I really don't know."

"We're going to make sure you're up to date before you leave, but first we have to get this all cleaned up. We're looking at a couple of stitches and you should be good to go."

"If I just hadn't taken my shoes off," he says, the white sheet shifting underneath him as he slides further up onto the bed.

"What fun would that be, swimming with your shoes on?" I peel the rubber gloves off then pull the ballpoint pen from my jacket pocket so I can scribble a few notes on the clipboard.

"I wouldn't be sitting in the ER, that's for sure."

"It's not bleeding as much as it was when you first got here, so that's good. We'll also check for any broken shards that may be under the surface. I'll let the nurse know to get everything ready and I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

I wash my hands before leaving the room and wait until I'm out in the hall to check my phone. Just enough time to get this young man stitched up and I'm out of here.

Jazmyn, the nurse who's worked alongside me for most of the day, comes out of Room Five. "This one's ready to go home now," she says and passes the clipboard over for me to initiate the patient's discharge. Jellyfish stings can be quite painful and unfortunately for this one, they experienced an allergic reaction to go along with it. "Breathing has returned to normal and there's hardly any redness," she confirms.

"Excellent. Looks like we're going to make it out of here right on time tonight."

"Shh," she laughs. "Don't jinx us. Do you have big plans this evening, Dr. Bolden?"

"Me? Plans?" I can't help chuckling. I love how everyone here in the emergency room likes to stay on top of my social status.

I'm convinced there's a shortage of eligible single women here in Love Beach. That or I'm just not looking in the right places.

"Get yourself a dog. Women love them, you know."

I won't lie. I've entertained the idea a few times, but with my schedule here at the hospital, there's no way I'd feel right leaving a dog at home alone for more than a few hours. Even one that's crate trained.

I shrug my shoulders. "Maybe."

"Don't give up. You'll find someone when you're least expecting it." Nudging my arm with her elbow, she looks at me and winks.

If I only had a dollar for every time someone's told me that. I wouldn't be rich, but I'd have a nice little nest egg started.

A half hour later, I tap my badge against the security panel and push open the door leading out to the parking garage. Now to figure out something for dinner.