Nursing in Northlake (At the Altar Book 9) by Kirsten Osbourne Page B

she grabbed the stethoscope draped around her neck and listened to his chest. Her own heart was still racing from the scare. She removed the stethoscope and sat beside him on the edge of his bed. “Are you all right, Mr. Jones?”
    He nodded, coughing. “I’m okay.”
    Heidi was relieved, and her eyes met Slade’s. She was thrilled he’d been there. Jenni, the CNA hurried back into the room with a knife and a straw. “I didn’t know where to find a scalpel, so I just got a knife from the kitchen.”
    “Good thinking, Jenni. I’m happy to say we didn’t need either one.” Heidi nodded at Slade. “That’s my husband, Dr. Slade Henderson.”
    “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Henderson.” Jenni looked back at Heidi. “Of all the nurses in all the land, you’re the one I would have called least likely to marry a doctor.”
    Heidi shrugged. “This one’s kind of special.”
    Jenni nodded. “Seems like it. You go have fun with him while I see to Mr. Jones. No more water bottles, Mr. Jones.”
    Heidi nodded. “I want that noted on his chart. No more water bottles in his room at all. How did he get hold of one?”
    “His daughter came to visit, and she had one. She left it on the nightstand. You know how fast he is!”
    “I do know how fast he is.” Heidi squatted in front of the man so she was looking him in the eye. “No more swallowing things. Okay?”
    Mr. Jones nodded. “Okay.”
    Heidi got back to her feet, patting Jenni’s arm on her way out, taking the knife and the straw from her to return to the kitchen on her way. Mr. Jones would forget all about the conversation in a minute. “I’ll write up the incident report, all except the part I didn’t see. You can fill that in when I’m done.”
    “I will.”
    Heidi walked back into the hall, still a little frazzled. “I’m glad you were here.”
    Slade nodded. “Me too. Can you enforce his visitors not drinking out of water bottles in his room?”
    Heidi shrugged. “I’m sure going to try. This isn’t the first time that’s happened.” She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “How’s your patient from last night?”
    He frowned. “I’m keeping her in the hospital for a few days. She’s over forty, and the pregnancy was an IVF pregnancy, so I’m not terribly surprised by the pre-eclampsia, but it doesn’t make it any easier on her. We need to keep that baby cooking for as long as we can.”
    Heidi shook her head. “Is it her first?”
    “It is. They didn’t start trying until she was thirty-five, and then didn’t bother seeking help until she was thirty-eight. Infertility takes a long time to diagnose and treat properly. I wish she’d have tried sooner.”
    She understood completely. “Like when she was thirty and newly married to a hot doctor?”
    “Well, her husband’s not a doctor, but if you’re referring to me, definitely.” He winked at her.
    “Wait here. I’m going to put this in the kitchen, and then we’ll go to the break room.” She hurried in and left the knife and straw, which was still wrapped, before going back to join him. “Now we can go get our drinks.”
    When they got back into her office, the first thing she noticed was the bouquet of flowers sitting on the shelf. “Thank you for the flowers. They made my day.”
    He grinned. “You like them?”
    “Of course, I do! And you never have to apologize about going to see a patient. Of all the things I understand, that’s at the top of the list. We’re both professionals, and work comes first.”
    He sat down and took another bite of his burger. “It’s not hot.”
    Heidi laughed. “When was the last time you ate a hot meal?”
    “Oh, I eat them hot a lot,” he told her. “I eat them so fast they don’t have time to get cold.”
    She sighed. “Sounds like a medical professional to me.” She pushed her paperwork to the center of her desk as she unwrapped her second taco. “What made you decide to surprise me with tacos? Not that I’m