Page 30 of The Candle Palace (Jamison Valley 6)
It didn’t matter. Her unspoken words hung between us. The bottom line was it was Dr. Vernon’s concerns against my actions. I had no chance of winning.
“What else happened in there today?” I asked.
Kym sat back in her chair. “He’s in pain. He’s angry and frustrated. He wants to get his grafts but he’s just not ready. When Dr. Vernon told him that his surgery was postponed, he overreacted. He yelled. Told Dr. Vernon that if he wasn’t going to fucking fix him, then get the fuck out.”
“He’s a nice guy. That’s not him.”
Not long ago, Teresa was defending an outburst of Milo’s. She made sure I knew that Milo wasn’t an angry man after he’d kicked at his table and sent his lunch tray flying. Now here I was, taking up her defense.
“I know he’s a nice guy,” Kym said. “It’s just the circumstances and the pain.”
“Good.” It was important that Milo didn’t alienate the nursing staff. The last thing he needed was to be deemed combative or abusive and be sent somewhere else. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. And he’s not the first patient to cuss out a doctor.”
“This is true. Did he—did Milo say my name? I thought . . .” I asked the question and instantly wanted to pull it back.
This wasn’t about me or my feelings. Milo needed help, and for him to have the best chance at recovery, I had to stay away.
“Yes,” Kym answered with a smile. “He asked for you. He promised me no offense but wanted to know if you could be his nurse.”
My heart nearly burst from my chest. “He did?”
Milo wanted me back. Even if it was just because I had a gentle touch or because he liked the sound of my voice. Even if it was just because things on his end were purely platonic. He wanted me back.
Did that mean I could be his nurse? We accommodated patient requests all the time. It was the beauty about our unit being small. We had flexibility. All Kym had to do was tell Amber and then I could go back.
/> “But . . .”
“Oh, no.” Good-bye happy feeling. “But, what?”
“Greg told Milo that you’d asked to be reassigned.”
“What?” I hissed. My chair couldn’t hold me. I stood and began to pace in the small area between my chair and the counter.
I wasn’t an angry person. I wasn’t entirely sure my temper had ever worked right. Meek was the term my mother had used once to describe me to her friend.
If she could see me now. I was ready to shout this entire place down. I wanted to put Milo in a wheelchair, load him up into my car and drive him to Seattle, where there was no Dr. Vernon to spread lies and poison his recovery.
“This is bullshit,” I spat. “I didn’t ask to be reassigned.”
“I know.”
“But does Milo?” My voice carried.
Kym looked around, confirming we were alone, then stood. “Greg’s gone for the day. You go and take Milo. It would be good for him to see you. If Amber or anyone else comes up here, I’ll cover for you.”
“Really?” My anger evaporated. The restriction from the past two weeks was killing me. If this was my window to see him and apologize, I was taking it. “Thank you.”
This was the closest I’d ever felt to her, like we were fighting on the same team instead of simply working alongside one another.
She winked. “You’re welcome.”
With one last smile, I rushed away from the nurses station. My first stop was to get Milo’s morphine from the supply station, then I hurried to his room.
My nerves vibrated through my body, making my legs wobbly and my fingers dance. When I reached his door, I raised a trembling hand, rapped my knuckles twice and sucked in a deep breath before walking inside.
“Hi.” It came out in a whoosh, more like a long Haaaa than an actual word.
