CHAPTER 13
Evan
I thanked my lucky fucking stars that I had managed to wake up early and feel partially functional after the restless night, not the mention the beers I’d chugged before going to bed. As I expected, the doctors’ meeting hadn’t been about much, and I would have gladly skipped it had it not been mandatory. But just to ensure the effects of the beer didn’t resurface, I had downed two bottles of water during the meeting. Once the meeting was finally adjourned, I practically bolted from the table to get to the bathroom.
After relieving myself, I headed to the break room, deciding it was time for my usual coffee.
“Goodness, Tessa…Are you all right?”
I came to a halt. There was a huddle of nurses standing in the middle of the floor. Forgetting my coffee, I instantly headed over to them, my heart pounding somewhere in my throat.
“I’m…I’m fine…I…” Tessa’s voice trailed off. I could hear that she was out of breath even though she was still blocked from my view.
“Hey—look, I know it was an emergency and all, but the dog has to go. It can’t be in here.”
I pushed through the crowd, and finally, Tessa came into view. She stood there, covered in blood with a white-and-gray pit bull at her side.
“She’s not going to bother anyone. Just give her some space. You guys are making her nervous. I had to bring her with me. I had no choice…”
“Okay—that’s fine, but I’m going to ask that you and the dog please leave, immediately.” A security guard I didn’t recognize was addressing her. I wanted to punch him in the face.
“Tessa?” I said.
The sea of nurses parted, making room for me. The agitated security guard was staring at the dog with a look of pure distaste.
My eyes roamed Tessa from head to toe. She was wearing blood-soaked workout gear, and she was visibly shaken. The sight of the blood sent my stomach twisting in knots. A lump formed in my throat. I hurried forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking into her eyes. “Tessa, what happened? Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
She shook her head. “No…No…It’s not my blood.”
“Ma’am, the dog—I’m not going to ask again—”
“SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!” I yelled at the security guard. The emergency department fell silent. Even Tessa stiffened, stunned by my outburst. I took the dog’s leash from Tessa’s hand. The dog looked up at me cautiously, not sure if I was friend or foe. “I got the dog,” I said. “Come on, Tessa.”
Silently, Tessa and the dog followed me into the on-call room, where a couple of nurses sat and chatted over magazines.
“Excuse me. Give us a minute,” I said. The nurses scurried away, but not before looking at Tessa and the dog with widened eyes. I closed and locked the door behind them.
Tessa wiped her forehead, leaving a smear of blood on it.
I felt my own nerves subsiding as it became more obvious that it was not her own blood that she was covered in. “Tessa, what the hell happened?”
I pulled out a chair for her and she immediately collapsed into it, taking a series of deep breaths. The dog came to her side, sitting directly before her and staring at me.
“I was taking Lucy for an early morning run,” she said, “and she started chasing a cat out of the blue. We wound up about a block from where we were supposed to be. There was this woman walking and I instantly knew something was wrong. She fainted and hit her head on a nearby fence. So I ran over to her and called an ambulance. They were taking too long though, so I had to start working on her. I had to help her. She was just lying there, almost bleeding to death on the pavement and I had to do something, Evan. I had to do something. I couldn’t leave her and I had nowhere to take Lucy and—”
“Shhh,” I said, interrupting her rambling. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Tessa shook her head and stood abruptly. “I have to know if she’s all right. A piece of the fence got her in the face, hard.”
“Tessa, baby…” I gently placed my hand on her back. The dog stood and walked a circle around us. “Get cleaned up, okay? Here—I have extra scrubs. You can use it.” I retrieved my extra clothes and then took Tessa by the hand, leading her to the shower area.
“Evan, that woman almost died in my arms…”
“The key word there is almost. You stopped it from happening,” I said, squeezing Tessa’s hand. “Now just relax. I’m going to find the woman and make sure she’s okay. I promise.”
“But Lucy…”
“I’ve got Lucy too,” I said.
“She doesn’t know you.”
“Well, I guess she’s going to get to know me.” I offered a reassuring smile and kneeled down to the dog, holding my palms out to her. Lucy tentatively sniffed my hands, and then her tail began to wag. Taking it as a good sign, I reached out to pat her head. “See? Fast friends already.”
Tessa nodded. “Okay. I won’t take long,” she said, and then disappeared into the shower while Lucy and I waited outside.
When Tessa was done, she came out, freshly showered and blood-free, swallowed by my scrubs. I handed her Lucy’s leash and then found a bag to put her dirty clothes in. “I’m going to take you and Lucy home,” I said. “After what just happened, you need the day off. Wait for me in the break area. I’m going to check on the woman, and then we’ll get out of here, all right?”
Tessa nodded and then abruptly threw her arms around me in a hug. “Evan… I… thanks,” she said, before she had Lucy headed for the break room.