"What the hell, Leo?" I said, looking at him. "We never talked about these guys! How do we know they can be trusted? Jesus!"
"Hey, I've been doing this for almost ten years," Leo said defensively. "I know what the fuck I'm doing, Cam, so back off."
"But you never run anything by me anymore," I protested as I took a swig of my beer and slammed the glass down on the table. "If we're going to do this together, then you have to treat me like I'm actually a part of the team, Leo."
"My bad," he said, holding up his hands in a show of surrender. "I'm used to flying solo, I screwed up. It won't happen again."
"Make sure it doesn't," I grumbled as I took another swig.
"What's got your boxers in a bunch tonight?" Leo asked as he signaled to the waitress for another round.
"I just...nah, forget it," I said, waving him off. I wanted to te
ll Leo about what had happened with Alex, but since I hadn't gotten an entirely positive response from her, I didn't want to jinx it by spilling the beans prematurely. What if she decided to walk away? I didn't want to have to deal with the pity Leo would feel.
"What's wrong, Cam?" Leo pressed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Alex
I stayed with Liz in her room all night, and then before the sun rose, I got up and went downstairs to see if Leslie could find me a pair of scrubs for my shift. I was tired, but I knew that if I was going to be able to keep things on track, I would have to adhere to my schedule and finish my internship. The only thing that was distressing me was how I would pay for rent and tuition if they didn't settle the cheating case soon.
I had nothing to worry about, and I knew it. I hadn't cheated, but the question was whether they would figure that out in time to allow me to pay my tuition and keep from getting evicted from my apartment. I was worried about Liz, too.
It was obvious that she had some kind of serious problem that she wasn't ready to face, but there was no way to make her own it if she wasn't ready to. I could understand why she would have turned to drugs in the first place, but now that she'd gotten caught, I couldn't understand why she continued to deny it.
Leslie handed me scrubs and a pair of old tennis shoes, and I quickly changed into them and headed back to the floor. I needed to talk to someone, but I was afraid that if I did, I'd sink Liz's chances for reinstatement when she was released. Mrs. Rikka didn't like her to begin with, and this absence was going to cause a bigger rift in the already tenuous relationship.
"Ms. Pierce," Mrs. Rikka said as she found me walking down the hallway. "What on earth is going on with you and Ms. Baker?"
"Liz is sick, Mrs. Rikka," I said simply as I tried to avoid having the conversation altogether. "She should be back in a few days."
"I’m already aware of the situation," Mrs. Rikka said, looking over her glasses at me. She was a tall, imposing woman, and I felt dwarfed by her presence. "And what, pray tell, was she doing that made her so sick?"
"I'm sure Liz would be happy to tell you if you talk with her," I said, trying to dance around the need to talk about Liz's problems when she wasn't here. "I need to get to the floor."
"Mmm hmm." Mrs. Rikka nodded as she raised an eyebrow and pivoted on her heel before walking the opposite way down the corridor. I breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to the safety of the ER.
Leslie asked me how Liz was doing, and I wasn't quiet sure how to respond. I wanted to ask her what she thought might be the problem, but I also knew that Leslie was our supervisor, and as such was required to report any improprieties. So, I held back and let her talk, but didn't answer many of her questions.
"Alex, if you girls are in some kid of trouble, there are people who can help you out, you know," Leslie said as she looked through the stack of files that the residents had piled next to her computer. "I can give you the number of some resources, lawyers, recovery therapists, and such."
"Thank you." I nodded, feeling uncomfortable talking with her about Liz's problems when Liz wasn't here to explain herself. "We're good, but if I need anything, I'll let you know."
"You don't have to shoulder this alone," Leslie said as she gave me a pointed look before returning to the files.
I wasn't sure how I was going to handle this, but I knew Leslie was definitely wrong about her last assertion. Liz was telling me that she wasn’t doing drugs, and I wanted to believe her. I also knew that I was alone in this mess, and I was going to do what I had always done and handle it.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cam
"Engine One, Truck One, Ambulance Fifty-Four, warehouse fire at Jackson and Green. Be advised there are workers trapped in the building."
"Shit, I hate warehouse fires," Newsome said as he and I climbed up onto the engine and waited for Mike to hop into the driver's seat. It wasn't like Mike to be lagging behind us, but today he seemed a little slower than usual.
"You okay, Kelly?" I hollered as he turned the key and fired up the engine.