Page 17 of What We Break
And then he's gone, pushing through the doors one last time. Broad shoulders, messy hair, that walk that's half bounce and half stride, and he's gone.
I stand there for a moment, staring at the empty doorway.
He's gone. You had approximately nine hundred opportunities to give him your phone number, and you used exactly zero of them. Zero. The butterfly guy had more game than you. The butterfly guy was trying to grow feathers and he still had more social courage than you did.
"Earth to Laine," Joyce says. "You okay?"
"Yeah." I shake myself. "Just thinking."
"About?"
I look at the now-quiet ER. The rooms where we treated fourteen festival casualties. The door Reid just walked through. The fact that I saidwaitand thennothingand that I'm going to replay that moment in the shower for the next six to eight weeks minimum.
"About how this was the best weird night I've ever had."
Joyce grins. "I had a feeling you'd fit in here."
Me too, Joyce.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go home and have a long talk with my fiddle leaf fig about my complete inability to function around attractive men.
4
REID
"Fifty bucks, Garrison." Tony holds out his hand as we finish restocking the ambulance. "Pay up."
"Excuse me?" I slam the back doors shut and hop down, landing with a bounce that makes Tony wince. "I believe the count was fourteen. I said fifteen. You said twelve. By the laws of 'The Price is Right,' I am the victor. You underbid the chaos, my friend."
"Fourteen is closer to twelve than fifteen."
I give him a look that hopefully conveys how fucking stupid he is. "That is mathematically incorrect and morally bankrupt. Also, three of them also had food poisoning from the taco truck. I called the Radioactive Salsa. I want my money."
Tony sighs, digging into his wallet. "I hate you so much. Why the hell do I keep betting with you." He hands over a crumpled twenty and three tens.
"Pleasure doing business with you." I kiss the cash dramatically before stuffing it in my pocket. "This is going into the 'Reid Needs a Water Heater' fund."
We're parked outside the station, the morning sun just starting to hit the pavement. I should be dead on my feet. Fourteen patients,twelve hours, and enough adrenaline to kill a horse. But I'm not tired. I'm vibrating.
And it's not just the caffeine.
"That nurse was good tonight," Tony says, leaning against the rig. "Leanne?"
"Laine," I correct automatically. Beautiful, smiling Laine. "And yeah. She was... solid."
"Solid? Reid, you looked like a puppy who just found a new chew toy every time you walked into her bay."
"I did not."
"You did. You were wagging. I swear to god, if you had a tail, you would have knocked over the IV pole." Tony grins. "She handled the alien guy well, though. Didn't flinch when he lunged."
"She didn't," I agree, the image flashing back into my mind. The way she stood her ground. The way she looked at me afterward—not scared, just steady. "She's cool under pressure. I like that."
"So ask her out."
I pause, keys in hand. "She's probably got a boyfriend. Smart, pretty, handles psych patients without blinking? Someone definitely put a ring on that."
"I didn't see a ring."
