Hotshot (27 page)

“Nick, after shift, Bizzy and I may go visit Grady’s parents,” she lies with the perfect excuse, one he can’t debate.

He nods and stands, taking me with him. “Okay, I understand.”

“I’ll meet you all upstairs. I’m going to grab a salad for later,” I tell the group and stop myself from rolling my eyes at all the starry-eyed stares at Nick.

Claire notices, too, and guides him away before he can be swarmed, as I make my way to the salad bar. Nothing really looks appealing, but I force myself to make a plate.

Someone walks up behind me, and the hair on my arms stand. It’s been years, but the familiar stench of perfume invades my nose and I know in my gut it’s her. I stop piling my container and close it quickly, praying I’m imaging this. But when I turn, I’m facing her.

A very grown-up, very beautiful, and obviously pregnant Sasha Crane.

“I thought that was you, but curiosity got the best of me and I had to see for myself.” She steps close with an evil smirk on her face.

I stare at her blankly, saying nothing.

“Well, when I saw Nicky here, I was surprised, but I guess he’s just as excited to hear whether he’s having a nephew or a niece today.” She moves her hands to her baby bump, and my stomach knots.

Still silent, I try to side-step her, but she’s fast, staying in my line of sight.

“You do know Ren and I are having a baby, right?”

“I’m very aware.” I finally find my voice and push myself between people to get away from her, but she follows.

“I wasn’t sure how close you and Nicky still are. With him being so successful, I was certain he’d lost interest.”

“Actually, I’m still very close with the whole family, not only Nicky,” I respond through gritted teeth.

“Huh, Ren didn’t mention it, not that I really care. We have more important things going on.”

Yep, still a bitch. It’s on the tip of my tongue to blurt out my relationship, but I hold back. My hands start to shake as I get in line to pay for my salad, and she stands too close behind me.

“I wonder if Mathis and Nicky will be joining us at my appointment today. Ren says everyone is very excited. His parents are beside themselves with joy.”

Knowing that she’s lying, anger starts to build. I hand my money to the cashier and make a move to get as far away as possible and keep my mouth shut. Losing my cool in the hospital cafeteria would cause a scene I don’t want to have to explain to HR.

Luck is not on my side because, when I round the corner, there’s a large group waiting at the elevators. I’ll have to catch the next available. She walks up, carrying a large bottle of orange juice, and purposely stops beside me.

“My doctor suggested I have a full bladder today so we can see the baby easier, but I’m already sure it’s a boy. Ren’s the type of man who produces boys. He’s already mentioned naming him after his father. We’re going to discuss it at brunch tomorrow.”

Her dig hits hard because I know Shaw would love to name his son after his father. But there’s no way he would tell her this. He still won’t give her his address. Why would he share something so personal?

“Do you even know his father’s name?” I ask in a syrupy sweet voice, knowing the answer.

“Of course.” Her sneer fades.

“You’re lying. I know you’re lying so stop with the act.”

“How dare you!”

“I know you’re lying, Sasha, because tomorrow is Nicky’s game. Seth and Maria don’t miss home games, and tomorrow is no exception. By the way, Seth and Maria are the guy’s parents.”

Her face twists in another nasty scowl. Then her lips turn up into a wicked grin. It’s a grin I know well, sending flashbacks through my mind.

It’s the devil’s grin.

She starts to open her mouth, and I brace, ready for anything. For the first time in my life, I’m not intimidated.

“Bizzy!” Nicky’s deep voice startles me, and I turn to see him stalking out of the elevator to me. His eyes move to Sasha and flash in anger. He ignores her completely, walking to me and tucking me to his side. “What’s taking you so long?”

“Nothing.”

“Well, come on.” He continues to ignore her and waves to a man behind us to hold the elevator.

“We were catching up. I was telling her how excited everyone is about the baby. Are you and Mathis coming to the doctor’s office to wait for the news?” she gushes, moving her hand to her stomach again for effect.

“Nope.” He doesn’t look at her at all but instead stares at me intensely, looking for any sign of discomfort.

“That’s a shame. I know Ren would really love to have you there. This is such an important day for us. And pretty soon, we’ll be practically family.”

His hand starts to tremble against my elbow. When he speaks, his voice is fierce and bitter.

“First of all, we will never be family. Second of all, Crenshaw is his name. No one except his college friends call him Ren. Lastly, stay away from Bizzy.”

He doesn’t wait for her response, practically shoving me into the elevator. I look up in time to see humiliation register on her face. A giggle escapes, and I try to hide my amusement but fail. She shoots me a death glare. I make sure to give her a wave as the doors close.

“I hate her,” Nicky whispers in my ear.

“The feeling is mutual.” I grin and lean into him.

For the gazillionth time since I learned of her pregnancy, I wonder if I am strong enough to have her in my life.

“I don’t like this at all. You should be home, getting some decent rest.” Shaw doesn’t attempt to hide his irritation at my change in schedule.

“I’m not fighting with you about this. It’s done.”

“Why the fuck did you volunteer to stay? You’ve had an emotional day. You need to come home, take a hot bath, and let me take care of you.”

God, that sounds tempting but impossible. It’s too late.

“Let me try to explain this again. Over the next few days, our whole team is shifting around so we can pay our respects to Grady, so I volunteered to help tonight. I’m only working until midnight. Besides, you have dinner with your parents in an hour.”

“We canceled.”

“Why?”

“It’s really something I’d prefer to discuss in person.”

“Oh, is everything okay?”

I purposely avoided the subject of his appointment with Sasha today. I wasn’t trying to be insensitive, but after my run-in with her, the whole day got crazy.

The kids were ecstatic to have a surprise visit from Nick. A few of them had heard about Grady’s death, and they were harder to cheer up, but Nick spent extra time with them.

Evie approved all of our requests to mix around shifts, but it meant some of our schedules would be completely screwed up. Mine included. I volunteered to take a half-shift tonight for the nurse who will cover for me when I attend the visitation. On paper, it looked like a nightmare, but we’d done this before, so Evie knew we’d have the floor covered at all times with adequate staff.

Mathis was here for most of the afternoon, doing whatever Mathis does. Like Nicky, he came straight to me and embraced me tight. We didn’t exchange words. He gave me a few squeezes kissed my forehead and went to talk to the patients. I saw him hugging Claire, too, and I swear he held on a little longer than necessary.

I tried to stay busy all day, taking on more tasks to keep my mind off Grady’s death and Shaw’s appointment with Sasha, but it didn’t work. The look on her face kept creeping back into my thoughts. So many times I wanted to call him, but knowing he has so much on his mind stopped me.

There’s a loud screeching and I hear a horn honking through the phone. I realize he still didn’t answer my question. “Shaw? Answer me.”

“If you’re not coming home, I’m coming to you.” He hangs up, leaving me to stare at the phone in confusion.

What the hell did I do? Is it the baby? Is it Sasha?

I place my phone on the desk and start working on a project Evie asked me to help with. I review the list of nurses and co-workers who have volunteered to travel to Charlotte to assist with the new Pediatric Oncology Unit. My job is to pull their licenses and create digital files for Human Resources. I try to concentrate, but every time the elevator dings, my head pops up, hoping it’s Shaw.

When he finally arrives, the weight of the day hits me hard, and I feel the sob bubbling in my throat. His eyes stay locked with mine as he makes it to me in less than three seconds. It takes all I can do not to collapse into his arms.

“Is there a private room up here, or do I need to carry you to Mathis’ office?”

I straighten the files I was working on and motion for him to follow me. When we get to the empty office, I barely get the door shut before he has me in his arms. Tears sting my eyes as his hands go to my hair, unclasping my clip, and he runs one hand through it, root to end. My whole body trembles as I clutch him tightly.

“You lean on me, Bizzy. You’ve always leaned on me when you lose a patient. Today’s no different. I’m here. Let it out.”

He’s right. The emotions of the day hit, and I let loose crying for the cute young man who lost his life to a terrible disease, and the parents who lost their teenage son and will never see him grow into the man he was born to be. My heart hurts, but being in Shaw’s arms helps heal the pain. It always has.

“I’m sorry.” I shudder into his shirt.

His hand slides between us and hands me some tissue, then starts to caress my neck gently. “Let it out, baby. I’m here.”

I suck in a few deep breaths until I’m calm enough to talk. “I’m okay.”

“You are not okay. You need to be at home, with me, letting me take care of you.”

“You are taking care of me. This is exactly what I needed. Thank you.”

“Fuck, I should have come sooner.”

“No, you have a lot on your mind.” I step away, wiping my face. “You’re here now.”

“And I’m staying until I’m sure you’re okay.” He leans down and kisses me so gently my heart starts to flutter.

When he pulls back, he places small pecks on my eyelids and forehead then leads us to an empty chair, sitting us down.

I look into his golden hazel eyes swirling with concern.

“I promise I’m okay. He had almost four more months of life with his family and friends. That was a miracle in itself. He was a good kid, but he’s not suffering anymore.”

“You’re right, but it’s still a devastating blow. Especially right now.”

There’s a bitterness to his tone as his body shifts underneath mine. I remember the way he hung up on me earlier.

“Shaw is something else wrong? Is your baby okay?”

He flinches a little, his pupils flaring. “Why didn’t you tell me you ran into Sasha today?”

“It didn’t come up. There was a lot on my mind.”

“What did she say?”

“Nothing really important.” I start to move off his lap, but he circles his arms around my waist, forcing me to stay.

“Tell me. Nick called and told me what he saw and what he said, but I need to know from you.”

“Why? What’s happening here?”

He drops his forehead to mine and breathes deeply. “I’m not sure that I can go through with this. Today was a disaster. When I got to the office to meet her, she was revved up. When I spoke to her last week, and she asked about finding out the gender, I agreed with her decision. It was a civil conversation.”

“I know. I was sitting right there,” I remind him.

“Today, she was pissed. She told me that she ran into you at the hospital and you ridiculed her for not meeting my parents yet, then Nick was beyond rude to her. The doctor came in and took her blood pressure, which was high.”

“That’s not exactly how the situation went.” I tell him word for word my side of the story and watch his face turn red. When I’m finished, he’s gripping my hand almost painfully.

“Sasha insisted I stay while she calmed down. I had to be in the same room alone with her for half an hour while she sipped orange juice and, once again, argued her case it was time we merge our families. I sat quietly, biting my tongue the whole time. She went as far as to invite herself to the game tomorrow.”

“No!” I shout a little too loudly.

“Don’t worry, I shut her down. But I’m pretty sure our truce is over.”

“It’s been two weeks. How can it be over?”