The little boy’s wails flooded the emergency room.

“It’s okay, Joshie. Everything’s going to be okay.” His mother’s voice trembled, her fear stark on her face as she ran into the emergency room, cradling her son in a towel.

Sally, who happened to be standing at reception, rushed around the counter to examine the child.

“He fell through the window,” the mother said. “I don’t even know how it happened, but there’s blood. It’s everywhere. There’s glass. There’s so much glass.”

Sally checked the boy’s vitals, peeling away the blanket to check out the wounds while the receptionist alerted the doctor. The cuts were nasty, but superficial. The boy would live.

“Do you have insurance, honey?” The receptionist started clicking away at the keyboard, setting up a patient record.

“Y-yes,” the flustered mother stammered. “I have my card in my wallet. I…”

“Let’s get you set up in a cubicle first, and then you can come back and fill in the paperwork.” Sally smiled kindly and led the panicked duo to the first available cubicle. She directed the mother to place her child down and glanced at Janelle as she walked in with a clipboard and pen. She passed it to the mother and headed back out to reception. The woman held the pen like she’d forgotten how to write.

Sally smiled down at the boy while pulling on a pair of surgical gloves. “What’s your name, sweetie?”

His hiccupping sobs made it hard for him to talk, so the mother responded. “Joshua. His name’s Josh.”

“Hey, Josh.” Sally kept her voice light and friendly. “I know you’re really scared right now, but everything’s going to be okay. The doctor’s gonna come and check you out, stitch you up, and you’ll be home in time for bed, okay?”

“Really?” The mother sagged with relief, tears spilling over her bottom lashes.

“He’s going to be just fine. You don’t need to worry.” Sally started prepping the equipment, and the tray of sterilized instruments was ready to go as soon as Dr. Spurgess appeared from behind the curtain.

“So, what do we have here?” he asked in his soft, calm way.

Sally explained what she’d observed but knew he’d be making his own judgment after assessing the child. He asked the mother a list of standard questions as he quietly got to work.

He was an older man who had been looking after the residents of Aspen Falls for the last ten years. The younger doctors looked up to him, and all the nurses adored him because he was such a sweetheart. Quiet-spoken and never flustered, he was perfect for ER.

Sally assisted until each wound had been cleared of glass, properly cleaned and stitched up.

Once the boy had gotten over his fear and knew he wasn’t dying, he calmed down and was a brave soldier throughout the process. It took a lot of coaxing to keep him that way, and by the time Sally pulled off her gloves and got cleaned up, she was exhausted.

Glancing at the clock, a relieved smile brushed her lips. Home time.

She didn’t bother getting changed before leaving the hospital. Her pale blue scrubs would need soaking, but she’d strip them off as soon as she got home and jumped into a hot shower.

The thought made her pick up her pace.

“Happy birthday, Sal,” Robert called across the parking lot as he arrived for his orderly shift.

“Thank you.” She waved back.

“Sally Marie Richmond!” someone barked.

Sally spun to see what the problem was and immediately burst into laughter.

One of her best friends, Lena, dashed around cars, waving frantically. “You are not leaving without your birthday hug.”

Sally spread her arms wide and caught the girl she’d known since high school. They’d gone to nursing school together and had been tight since ninth grade.

“I love you,” Sally murmured into Lena’s dark hair.

“Te amo, mi amiga.” Lena stepped back and smiled at her. “Mi hermana.”

Sally loved it when Lena called her ‘sister.’ Although Sally came from a close-knit family and already had amazing siblings, she definitely had room in her heart for her three high school besties. They were family too.

Lena was one of her favorite people. They played soccer together on a social team, worked together, had drinks together every week. She never got sick of the spunky Latina woman.

“Now you make sure Nate gives you the night of your life.” Lena pointed at Sally. “I don’t want to hear some lame story of you watching a movie in your pajamas.”

Sally grinned. “He told me to wear something nice.”

“Well, that’s good.” Lena tipped her head to the side, her dark brown eyes glistening. “He better deliver, Sal. You deserve the best, because you are the best.”

“I have the best.”

Lena’s expression told her she wasn’t buying it. Sally had obviously moaned too many times about Nate’s constant working and the fact that she often felt like an afterthought.

“It’s gonna be great,” Sally assured her. “You’ll see. I’ll be back tomorrow with all the juicy details.”

“You better. I want to hear every single one of them. Even the dirty ones.”

Sally snorted and shook her head. “Goodbye, Lena. Behave yourself tonight.”

“You know I won’t,” she singsonged, tinkling her fingers as she spun and walked away.

Sally giggled and sent up a quick prayer on Lena’s behalf. She always did.

Sliding into her car, she started it up and grinned, already calculating how long it’d take to get home and showered. Nate said to be ready by seven, which wouldn’t be a problem. Having to share a bathroom with Annabelle had taught her how to be fast. She could be showered, dressed and polished in twenty minutes if she had to.

Knowing Nate, he’d be a few minutes late, so she’d linger under the hot spray and take her time getting ready.

She’d earned it.

Working in the ER was intense. Some shifts were a little quieter, only dealing with fevers and tummy pains. Others were the adrenaline-pumping kind that made Sally’s heart wedge into her throat. On the outside, she remained cool and collected, but her insides felt like chaos. Coming off that high was always draining.

But she wouldn’t give up nursing. Not for anything but babies of her own.

She loved helping people, saving lives, comforting the broken or afraid. It gave her such a huge sense of satisfaction.

But another part of her was looking forward to motherhood too. She thought she’d make a good mother—attentive, kind, patient. At least she hoped she’d be all those things. She had a good example to follow. Her own mother had been everything they’d needed, always there to kiss the tears away and bandage up the scrapes.

She wondered how long she’d have to wait to take that next step in life.

She’d been with Nate for three years, but the longer they stayed together, the further she felt from becoming a family. He was obsessed with work, and was it really fair to bring a child into that environment? She’d be raising it alone with a father who was never fully there…in the moment.

Gritting her teeth, she shook the thought from her mind.

It didn’t matter.

She wasn’t having a baby tomorrow. She didn’t even want one that soon. She was just dreaming ahead—a very dangerous thing to do.

Parking her car, she grabbed her bag and headed down the path. Rusty’s nails scraped the back of the door when he heard the key go into the lock, and Sally reminded herself that she already had a baby.

“Hey, boy.” She laughed as her excited golden retriever bounced in front of her. She dropped to her knees and hugged him, scratching his side. “It’s good to see you, buddy.”

She always used a high, sweet voice with him. She wasn’t sure why; it just seemed natural. He was her baby boy and they adored each other. To Rusty, Sally was the universe, and whenever she was home, he followed her like a loyal companion.

Unable to resist, she put her shower off for a few minutes and went outside to play. Their backyard was small, but big enough for Rusty to get a little exercise. They played catch and wrestled in the cold grass until Sally’s teeth started to chatter.

“Shower time for me, buddy. I’ve got myself a date.” Rusty followed her inside and she kept talking to him, telling him all about her day as she got ready for her birthday dinner.

Excitement flitted through her.

Nate said it would be worth forsaking a party with her friends and family, which meant he had something really special planned.

She couldn’t wait to see what it was.