Page 15 of The Candle Palace (Jamison Valley 6)
“Milo—”
“Go home, Mom.” He held her stare. “Please.”
“Things at home can wait.”
“It’s useless for you to sit here and watch me leak through bandages.”
“You’ll have your skin grafts before too long,” Teresa said.
“Those are weeks away.”
Kirk shook his head. “We aren’t leaving you here alone. It’s not an option.”
“I’m not alone,” Milo shot back. “I have Sara.”
There was no mistaking the intimacy of Milo’s statement.
My mouth fell open as all eyes in the room turned to me. When Dr. Vernon’s gaze narrowed, I dropped my hand from the railing on Milo’s bed.
I have Sara.
He could have reminded his parents he had a team of nurses and doctors to care for him. Nope. I have Sara. Spoken as if we were a couple. As if I were his guardian angel, here to keep him safe as he recovered.
The flutter in my chest was impossible to ignore. I liked hearing those words. Then again, that flutter was probably going to get me fired, so it wasn’t all good. Torn, I dropped my eyes to the floor and searched for the right words.
I could promise his parents I’d stick by Milo’s side and they had nothing to worry about. It was true and would ease their fears about returning to Montana. And I almost made that promise, except for Dr. Vernon’s unwavering stare. If Milo’s statement held too much intimacy, that promise would only make things worse.
I swallowed hard and raised my chin, avoiding eye contact with Dr. Vernon and Milo as I focused on Kirk and Teresa.
“Not all patients here have family members stay. If you need to get back to work, we’ll take care of Milo. Me. Dr. Vernon. The entire staff here. He’s in good hands.”
That statement seemed to appease Dr. Vernon some. His stare had softened. But from a foot away, I felt every muscle in Milo’s body string tight. His jaw clamped shut with an audible tick.
Damn it. This was all because I’d started spending my evenings with Milo.
In the past week, I hadn’t missed a single one. I would come into his room after my shift and sit with him while he ate. Often, I’d go down to the cafeteria and get my own meal so we could eat together.
We didn’t talk much. We’d watch television. One night, I brought in a book to read.
I kept Milo’s guest chair filled after his parents left for their hotel. At first, I’d gotten some strange looks from the evening nurses. But I simply smiled and made sure they saw me go into Luna’s room too.
I’d hoped I was fooling everyone. That they all thought I was spending extra time with two of my favorite patients. Maybe I was.
But there was no fooling my heart. And no fooling Milo.
I was here because there was something about him I couldn’t leave behind.
I’d had a plan to step away, but every morning, I couldn’t bring myself to ask to work on the other side of the unit.
Tomorrow was my first day off in a week and I wasn’t sure how I’d get through a day without Milo’s smile.
It wasn’t big and flashy, but the way his brown eyes would sparkle made it the brightest smile I’d ever seen. He barely showed his straight, white teeth when he grinned. He had a dimple on the right side, but not the left. All mixed together, his smile was gentle. It was kind, like his eyes.
That smile was more addicting than any drug in this hospital.
That smile was the reason I’d let myself get carried away.
“We’ll leave you alone to talk,” Dr. Vernon told Milo and his parents. Then he shot me a look that screamed Hallway. Now.
