what? I’m done with you and your fucking euphemisms.” She pulled completely away and restarted the car.
A moment later she flipped a U-turn and got them back onto Highway 20, heading toward the north end of the island.
She welcomed the heavy silence because it gave her a lot of room to scream at herself in her head.
Kissing Colin had been a terrible idea. What had she been thinking? Hell, what had he been thinking? Actually, that last one was a stupid question. Clearly he’d been thinking with the wrong head and was probably kicking himself as much as she was right now.
When she arrived at the parking lot near the bridge, she pulled in and didn’t say anything, just waited for him to leave.
She didn’t have to wait long. He opened the door and climbed out right away. Resting his hands on the roof of the car, he leaned down and looked inside, in what had to be some kind of classic cop move.
“Stay out of trouble, Hailey.”
“Now where’s the fun in that?” She tilted her head and gave him a saccharine smile. “Have a good night, Colin. Or, you know, don’t.”
“Hmm.” He started to close the door, calling out, “I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
I’d rather you didn’t , she thought, and hit the gas the moment he’d stepped away from the car.
“Seriously? Don’t you take a day off?”
Hailey gave a wry smile to Jen, the nursing supervisor on duty, as she passed her in the hall.
“Hey, I was gone this morning. And I’ll be gone again shortly. I just wanted to drop by and see little Randy. How’s he doing?”
Jen scrubbed a hand down her face and sighed. “He’s good. A little more talkative. His mom came to visit today and kept promising him he’d get to go home soon.”
The sudden nausea in her stomach had Hailey freezing. “Seriously? They can’t send him home. No one’s buying that story about him getting ahold of a hot iron. I mean, isn’t there already a history of abuse allegations?”
“Social Services is investigating. But, Hailey. Sweetie.” Jen approached her and caught her hand, giving it a small squeeze. “Look, you sure do help heal some of these kids while they’re here, but you gotta mentally let it go when they leave. There’s just no way you can save them all.”
“I know,” she whispered. But, oh God, she wished she could.
“For now, go visit him. I assume that’s why you’re here?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s been asking where you were.”
“I knew he would be. It’s why I came.”
“You’re a good person.” Jen returned to her seat. “Half the nurses here would be three beers into their day off by now.”
Maybe. But she wasn’t the only one who got a little too emotionally involved with her job.
She made her way to Randy’s room and tried to keep her expression upbeat, despite the bad news about his mom.
Coming here tonight had always been her plan. Dropping by at some point for at least a half-hour visit. When she’d shot down Colin’s invite back to his place, this was half the reason.
The other half was she did have a tiny bit of common sense left. Sleeping with a guy who clearly hated you—no matter how hot the chemistry was—could only lead to trouble.
She stepped into Randy’s room a second later and watched as his gaze—at first nervous—lit up with happiness.
“Hi, Hailey! You came to see me?”
“I sure did.” She grinned and approached his bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay. I hurt sometimes.”
“I know you do. But they give you good medicine that helps, right?”
“Yeah. Then it doesn’t hurt.” He paused, staring at her from beneath the bandages. “They said you weren’t working today.”
“I’m not, but it doesn’t mean I can’t drop in and say hi for a bit.” Seeing the genuine happiness in those wide blue eyes confirmed she’d made the right choice.
Her original plans for the evening had been for Thai takeout and a movie on cable, followed by that overdue bubble bath. But those
A moment later she flipped a U-turn and got them back onto Highway 20, heading toward the north end of the island.
She welcomed the heavy silence because it gave her a lot of room to scream at herself in her head.
Kissing Colin had been a terrible idea. What had she been thinking? Hell, what had he been thinking? Actually, that last one was a stupid question. Clearly he’d been thinking with the wrong head and was probably kicking himself as much as she was right now.
When she arrived at the parking lot near the bridge, she pulled in and didn’t say anything, just waited for him to leave.
She didn’t have to wait long. He opened the door and climbed out right away. Resting his hands on the roof of the car, he leaned down and looked inside, in what had to be some kind of classic cop move.
“Stay out of trouble, Hailey.”
“Now where’s the fun in that?” She tilted her head and gave him a saccharine smile. “Have a good night, Colin. Or, you know, don’t.”
“Hmm.” He started to close the door, calling out, “I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
I’d rather you didn’t , she thought, and hit the gas the moment he’d stepped away from the car.
“Seriously? Don’t you take a day off?”
Hailey gave a wry smile to Jen, the nursing supervisor on duty, as she passed her in the hall.
“Hey, I was gone this morning. And I’ll be gone again shortly. I just wanted to drop by and see little Randy. How’s he doing?”
Jen scrubbed a hand down her face and sighed. “He’s good. A little more talkative. His mom came to visit today and kept promising him he’d get to go home soon.”
The sudden nausea in her stomach had Hailey freezing. “Seriously? They can’t send him home. No one’s buying that story about him getting ahold of a hot iron. I mean, isn’t there already a history of abuse allegations?”
“Social Services is investigating. But, Hailey. Sweetie.” Jen approached her and caught her hand, giving it a small squeeze. “Look, you sure do help heal some of these kids while they’re here, but you gotta mentally let it go when they leave. There’s just no way you can save them all.”
“I know,” she whispered. But, oh God, she wished she could.
“For now, go visit him. I assume that’s why you’re here?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s been asking where you were.”
“I knew he would be. It’s why I came.”
“You’re a good person.” Jen returned to her seat. “Half the nurses here would be three beers into their day off by now.”
Maybe. But she wasn’t the only one who got a little too emotionally involved with her job.
She made her way to Randy’s room and tried to keep her expression upbeat, despite the bad news about his mom.
Coming here tonight had always been her plan. Dropping by at some point for at least a half-hour visit. When she’d shot down Colin’s invite back to his place, this was half the reason.
The other half was she did have a tiny bit of common sense left. Sleeping with a guy who clearly hated you—no matter how hot the chemistry was—could only lead to trouble.
She stepped into Randy’s room a second later and watched as his gaze—at first nervous—lit up with happiness.
“Hi, Hailey! You came to see me?”
“I sure did.” She grinned and approached his bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay. I hurt sometimes.”
“I know you do. But they give you good medicine that helps, right?”
“Yeah. Then it doesn’t hurt.” He paused, staring at her from beneath the bandages. “They said you weren’t working today.”
“I’m not, but it doesn’t mean I can’t drop in and say hi for a bit.” Seeing the genuine happiness in those wide blue eyes confirmed she’d made the right choice.
Her original plans for the evening had been for Thai takeout and a movie on cable, followed by that overdue bubble bath. But those
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