I laid my head on my desk, breathing deeply and rubbing my temples with my fingers. I drank water and tried desperately to relax. The day was almost over. Soon, I would be able to go home and get some rest. For now, I just had to tough it out, push through the pain until I could get to bed and let it overwhelm me. It was hard, but after a few minutes, I managed to pull myself together.
My clinical instructor, Abi, peeked in the room. “You okay?” she asked. “You’re looking a little tired.”
I smiled weakly and nodded. “Yeah, my lunch just didn’t agree with me. Remind me not to eat sushi from the cafeteria again,” I said, trying to ease her obvious concern.
Finally, she nodded and smiled. “Well, yeah, that’s kind of a given,” she said before turning around and heading out into the main corridor to catch a doctor she needed to speak to.
With a groan, I got to my feet and walked around my desk to clean up the room. Olivia’s weights were still on the ground, and I hadn’t yet wiped down the surfaces for the day. I put the weights back on the rack and grabbed a bottle of sanitizer and a towel. Just as I wiped down the last bar, a chime echoed through the room. I turned toward my computer with
a sigh and hurried over, sitting down to read the e-mail that had just come through.
It was from Anne, one of the E.R. nurses I knew well. I’d only been working at the hospital for a short time but my father worked here my entire life, so I knew almost everyone on staff. Anne was a kind, older nurse, who always made sure to e-mail me when a potential PT patient came through.
Her e-mail was short and to the point:
“T—New patient came in today. Multiple injuries to his leg and a possible back fracture. Pretty rough shape. Definite PT patient. Thanks—A”
I groaned and leaned my head back against my chair. Part of me wanted to rush out of the office and get to bed, but I knew no other PT would be available to see the patient tonight. I scolded myself for doing it, but I typed out a response to Anne’s e-mail:
“I’ll be down shortly to check on the patient. —Tara.”
Just as I was about to hit send, Abi peaked through the door.
“Hey Tara. Don’t worry about the new PT patient. I was downstairs when they wheeled him in and I began his report already. I know you’ve had a long day and your shift is almost over anyway.”
“Are you sure, I don’t mind staying.”
“Yes for sure. Head on home and I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” I began to grab my belongings and thanked my lucky stars that I had such an awesome team to work with.
“And just thought I’d mention this about that patient. The poor guy got the injuries on the job while working as a fire fighter. He saved a little girl’s life.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
“Yes, and please don’t think me insensitive for mentioning this last part, but boy is it true. He’s a complete knock out. You might find yourself needing to fan yourself when you’re around him. Just a word of caution.”
I chuckled. “Duly noted Madam.”
I grabbed my belongings and headed over to the employee garage. I reached my car and settled gingerly behind the wheel, tossing my bag on the passenger seat. I cranked the engine and let the cold air help me relax and center my thoughts. The first thing that came to my mind was the apparent hot fire fighter who was now my newest patient. It sounded like something out of a movie.
Tomorrow should be an interesting day.
CHAPTER THREE - CALEB
My head felt heavy as I slowly opened my eyes. Sunlight was streaming in through blinds I didn’t recognize. I squinted against the bright light and turned my head, trying to figure out where the hell I was. As I glanced around, I saw my mom’s face smiling down at me. She was standing right by my bed, her husband Darren just behind her. They both smiled at me nervously.
“What the fuck happened?” I asked, trying to sit up. A sharp pain shot through my back and I winced, falling back against the pillows. “Shit. What happened to me? Where am I?”
“You’re in the hospital,” Mom said. “You had an accident on the job.”
“The little girl!” I cried out, suddenly remembering what happened in the apartment building. “Is she okay? Did they get her out?”
“I think so,” Mom said nervously, glancing at Darren.
“Tyler said no one else was hurt,” Darren said, taking a step forward.
“Good,” I said, sighing with relief. “Shit, this fucking hurts.”