Page 68 of Scrubbing In
I give an aggrieved grunt.
Softly and so sweetly, Julian says, “Let me be the one to take care of you, baby. I want to.”
I place a kiss to his chest, over his heart. Looking into his eyes, I whisper against his skin, “You’re spoiling me, you know that?”
“Good.” After a few minutes of peaceful silence, he asks, “Do you think you’re feeling well enough for lunch with Quinn still?”
“Of course. I’d love nothing more.”
Because it wasthisman who did all these things, I’ve not once worried if he would be mad about last night or upset he had to be the caretaker. If anything, he has been even more attentive and affectionate. I love it—and him—so much.
Despite his objections, I rush to get ready. I’m actually really excited to see Quinn before she leaves. We make it to the condo before lunch time.
But, she’s already gone.
Julian leaves his bedroom with his phone to his ear. After a few moments, he ends the call and starts typing away. “The bed is made and the room is just how I left it,” he tells me, his voice thick with worry.
Jace comes down the hallway then, coming to an abrupt stop when he sees us and drops a laundry basket, scattering clothes at his feet. He hurries to gather everything.
“Do you happen to know what time Quinn left? She didn’t call or text to cancel lunch.”
Julian is distracted, still looking at his phone so he doesn’t see Jace shove a sparkly red piece of fabric deeper into the basket, burying it under some of the other clothes. But I do.
His eyes flick up and he catches me staring at him wide-eyed. Dropping his eyes to the basket in his arm and back to me, he shifts uncomfortably. Avoiding my eyes, he turns to Julian and scoots around him as he answers, “Nope, she was gone when I woke up.”
“Was she okay last night? Did she get sick or anything when you guys made it back here?” Julian presses his best friend.
Jace shakes his head slowly, but I don’t think Julian notices how the tips of his friend’s ears turn red.
Releasing a pent-up breath, Julian drops his hand with the phone down to his side and lifts his head to us. “She just responded. She remembered a study group she had this afternoon. Wanted to get a few things done around her place beforehand.”
Relief floods Julian’s face, erasing all his worry about his sister. But my shoulders tighten as I think about what I’ve just witnessed and the deductions my brain is making of the whole situation.
Do I tell him? Will he flip if I’m right about his friend possibly hooking up with his sister? How do I tell him? When do I tell him?
My runaway thoughts are interrupted. “Last night catching up to you, pretty girl?” Julian cups the nape of my neck, lightly kneading with his fingers.
“Yeah, maybe.”
I just lied to him. But I’m not sure what else to do.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Julian
“X-ray,”I bark for the second time and throw down the instrument on the tray. The clattering of it hitting and scattering the other tools causes Tasha to flinch next to me.
My patience is already waning, barely hanging on by a thread and the tech is on his phone, not paying attention to the case.
“Uh?” Startled eyes flash up. Confusion clearing away as the tech glances around the room to see all eyes on him. “Oh! Sorry,” he stammers as he straightens up, but he takes the damn shot.
Relieved the fracture is reduced, I’m about to call out the first implant I need when the door from the inner core opens. In saunters Devin.
She’s carrying the packaging for her gown and gloves. I gnash my teeth because this is a very familiar scene, one that happens whenever a scrub tech is getting relieved for a break or for the remainder of the case. Devin is a pretty shitty scrub tech. I don’t know if it's because she doesn’t know what she’s doing or doesn’t care, but the last thing I want is to work with a sloppy tech when I feel as if I could erupt at any moment.
“Tasha, I’m here to relieve you. Dr. Merritt has added a case that he’s requested you to scrub,” Devin announces.
“I need her to finish this case,” is my flinty response.
