My stomach grumbled as I made my rounds. It'd been eight hours since I'd eaten anything of substance. But food would have to wait.
Mr. Jacoby in room five was constantly pooping himself but finally stopped. Nurse Fiona would be cleaning crap off the floor for days. I still had a couple patients to see before I could finally take a break.
Ares King was also on the list of patients to see. I operated on him a few days ago and he was the biggest pain in the ass—trying to get in my pants with every word out of his mouth. I would never bend over for that type of man
I opened the door to the oldest patient I had currently. George Kenner fell down in the shower and broke his hip in two places. Luckily his dog barked up a storm and a neighbor called 911.
“Hello George, how is your hip doing?” I checked the monitor and he seemed fine.
“Oh man, I feel like a million bucks. I could get up and we could dance the night away.” George tried to show me his moves while laying down. “I know a nice jazz club a few blocks from here. They're open pretty late on Saturdays.”
“Maybe another time, George.” I put my stethoscope on and rested the bell on his chest. His heart was old but healthy. “Sounds good, George.”
“Fit as a fiddle, Doc.” His wrinkly skin stretched into a smile.
I chuckled. “I'll check in on you later.”
I left his room and checked my clipboard. Ares King was up next. Flashes of his tattooed chest ran across my mind. Goosebumps formed on my skin and a shiver ran up my mind. Why was I so scared to see him?
I peeked into room three and Mr. King was still sleeping. Thank god. I walked in and checked his vitals. Everything normal. Ares was completely passed out. The white sheet covered up his entire body. I was tempted to pull it back just to get one more glimpse of that intricate Devil's Hellions tattoo. Ares rustled and opened his eyes.
“How are we doing today, Mr. King.” I took out my penlight and did a couple eye tests—all normal. His brown eyes burned deeply into mine. They were dark, brooding, and oh so sexy. I couldn't look away from his gaze.
I grabbed his wrist to check his pulse and felt an electric shock. His heart was racing but so was mine.
“Doing fine, Owen. When can I get out of here? The walls are closing in on me and Nurse Fiona checks in every minute.”
“Soon, Mr. King. You almost died and we'd like to keep you under observation a little longer.”
Ares reached out for my hand. “I'd like to keep you under observation.”
I rolled my eyes. His lines were pretty pathetic. “Keep it in your pants, Mr. King.”
“Little hard to do, Doc. Little too hard.” I couldn't even dignify that statement with a response.
Suddenly, a whole group of bikers came into the room and began congratulating Ares. I used that opportunity to exit the room. I spotted Dr. Green walking down the hallway towards me and I quickly ducked into room four with a coma patient. If I could go just one shift without interacting with that sleazeball.
I spent an hour in the mess hall, chewing on a poorly made hamburger. I checked my phone and saw a missed text from my younger sister Winona.
Winona: I hope that bastard doctor is keeping her hands off you.
When she had dropped out of college, our parents disowned her and I let her stay with me temporarily until she could find a job. Flash forward two years and she was still living with me and had not found a job. I was at my wit's end with what to do with her. I couldn't throw her out on the streets. I was her big brother.
Honestly, I liked having her around. It could get lonely returning to an empty apartment every night. Dating was hard enough and combine that with an eighty-hour work week and your sex life becomes non-existent.
I typed her back a quick reply.
Owen: So far so good. I'll be home early in the morning. See you soon xoxo.
I finished my hamburger and returned to the ER. Everything had been pretty quiet since the car accident from the night before. I checked my watch and realized it was past visiting hours. I would need to tell all those bikers that they needed to leave. I kept my phone close by just in case I needed to call security. Who knew what could happen.
The bikers had already left when I entered. No need for security. But Ares was standing up and trying to get dressed. When would he ever listen?
“I thought I already told you that you weren't leaving.”
“I feel fine, Doc. Fit as a fiddle.” Ares lifted his arm and flexed his bicep. He looked damn strong.
But all it took was a light shove to send him flying back down on the bed. “You're staying here whether you like it or not.”
“Whatever you say, Owen.”
Why couldn't he call me by my last name? I actually did have a thing for Sherlock Holmes—read all his stories more that once. I once wanted to be a detective. Solve crimes just like Sherlock. But I grew out of that phase when I reached high school. I wanted to save people. I made my dream come true.
Ares was one more arrogant remark from being pricked by a thousand needles. Who did this guy think he was? The anger in my stomach was bubbling in my throat. He had the same disrespect that I hated about Dr. Green. I didn't even pay attention to her last attempt at getting me in bed.
—
I spent the rest of my shift checking in on other patients and doing a good job of keeping my mind off Ares. He was so frustrating and I'd only known him for a few days. I couldn't wait until I could discharge him.
I stopped by his room one last time and the door was closed. The nurses only closed the door if they were giving the patient a sponge bath. It couldn't hurt to peek in and get one last look at that sexy chest of his. I knocked on the door before opening it. Nurse Fiona was flustered and dropped the sponge in the bucket. Ares looked relaxed. Way too relaxed.
I told Fiona to go give Mr. Jacoby a bath so I could be alone with Ares. I approached the bed and could see his chest and tattoos. My skin became red hot and a desire in the pit of my stomach began to grow.
I ordered Ares to get some rest and left the room before I saw anything more. It had been so long since I was with a man. Six years to be exact. I closed my eyes and tried to remember Kyle from med school. His face was hard to recall but I could clearly see him sweeping all the books off my desk and bending me over. He rammed into me four times before finishing. It wasn't the best but it was all I had. That was the last time I had sex and my body was beginning to rebel against me.
I left the room and wasn't looking when I accidentally bumped into Dr. Green. My clipboard went flying through the air and the papers he was holding fluttered to the ground. I bent down and helped her gather up her files.
“We should do this more often,” she whispered to me.
I huffed and grabbed my clipboard, leaving her in the dust. So much for going my whole shift without seeing her.