Until Autumn

I nod my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “Okay,” I finally say. “But I better warn you, after calling me a whore, I’ll be doing everything in my power to make her life miserable. Whenever she sees me walking down the hall, she’s going to turn and run the other way.”

“Good,” he says with an amused chuckle. “It’s about time we get a little excitement on this ward. Though, don’t underestimate her. If you’re going to war with Patricia, then you need to be prepared.”

“Is that your way of telling me to back off?”

“Nope, the woman called my girl a whore. I hope you take her down. It’s just my way of telling you that if you’re going to go in for a punch, make sure you have the muscle to back it up. I’m always in your corner, no matter what.”

I grin up at him, and not a second later, his lips drop to mine. He kisses me tenderly before finally pulling back and giving my ass a gentle squeeze. “Now, get out of here and get back to work. No girl of mine is going to be hiding out in a break room all day. You’re stronger than that.”

With that, Thorne releases his hold on me and walks straight back out the door, leaving me with a renewed confidence to face the day head-on, Patricia be damned.

CHAPTER 17

AUTUMN

My face scrunches into a pissed-off scowl as another stack of paperwork is added to the pile of shit that I’ve been busily filtering through for the past two days.

When will this torture end?

Thorne was right, Patricia couldn’t have me removed from his service, but she could certainly get me to do all the paperwork in the world. It’s too much. Why should I be punished for being in a relationship with an amazing man? It’s complete bullshit and the kind of crap that only comes from a woman who needs to get laid.

I watch as the busy midwives rush past me, going from patient to patient and doing everything that I so desperately wish I could do.

This sucks.

I try to focus on the paperwork lying scrambled across the desk of the nurses’ station, but when Thorne walks past, desperately trying to hold back an amused grin, I fly up from my desk, needing to walk off my irritation.

Thorne watches me, and I roll my eyes before making a gesture that would make any grown man blush. He laughs and gets on with his work, and I can’t help but feel slightly better about my situation.

Being stuck on paperwork isn’t exactly ideal, and while it’s definitely frustrating, the looks and jabbing that I get from Thorne every time he walks past makes it worth it. Don’t get me wrong, he’s more than annoyed at the situation and constantly telling me that he wishes he could make it all go away, but he’s also doing everything he can to make it bearable. Which, unfortunately, means teasing the living daylights out of me.

If it was coming from anyone else, I’d be pissed, yet when it comes from Thorne, and I know it’s coming from a place of compassion, it’s the moment of my day that I look forward to most. Besides, at the end of the day, I know he’s going to be there to put his arm around me and make sure that I’m doing alright. If I take the last two nights into consideration, it means making me forget all about it until all I can remember is the sound of his name as it comes screaming through my lips.

I take myself for a walk, needing to stretch my legs after being cramped under that ridiculous desk for the past five hours. Patricia wasn’t kind in her punishment, especially as she set me up on the small desk where I’d hardly be able to move, rather than the one that I could spread out on and keep a little organization in my day.

It’s bullshit. I hate it, but I’ll grin and bear it because in the end, being with Thorne is worth it.

As I make my way past the break room, my stomach growls, and I make a detour. A quick bite to eat could never go astray.

I make my way into the break room, passing Suzi, Thorne’s senior midwife, as she exits. She gives me a tight smile and a nod, and I do the same in return. She hasn’t exactly warmed to me, and now that word has gotten out that I’m with Thorne, her disdain has seemed to get worse, making me wonder if she’s been pining over my man all these years. She doesn’t say anything and I’m grateful, but I know it’s coming. She has a world of hurt to throw my way, and the longer she waits and bites her tongue, the better.