Chapter 2
Natalie – 2006
After a year of working every weekend as an emergency room nurse, I’d seen my share of drunken frat boys who believed they could leap from tall buildings. I’d taken care of toddlers with all sorts of things stuck up their nose, and I’d learned to spot a drug seeker even before they mumbled the word “toothache.”
Basically, I’d come to expect to be both surprised and disgusted by humanity every Friday and Saturday night. Never in a million years, however, did I expect to be reunited with Gage Merona, my high school crush.
Gage came into the ER one Friday evening in January after being attacked by a dog. Right away, I recognized his easy smile and mocha-colored eyes.
Like every other girl from our high school, I’d been in love with him forever, especially after he announced he was going to delay his college education to serve in the Marine Corps. That had been right after 9/11, and a lot of the boys on the basketball team had made similar announcements. Gage, however, had been the only one to follow through.
After deploying, an explosion had blown off his right leg and caused other injuries that forced him out of the military. Although he now wore a top-of-the-line prosthetic, his military service had cost him his dream of playing college basketball.
I knew all this about Gage from the numerous newspaper articles in the Chicago Tribune praising him as our hometown hero. Our high school had also written about Gage in the St. John’s Sun.
Still, there was a huge difference between reading about Gage Merona and seeing him in person. He was even more gorgeous now than he’d been in high school.
Nervous, I leaned over to examine the bite mark on his face. When he smiled at me, my insides exploded. He still had that glint of amusement in his eyes, but there was also a touch of sorrow that all veterans seemed to carry after going to war.
“You look familiar,” he said, studying me carefully. “What’s your name?”
“Natalie.” I pushed a strand of hair off my face, feeling self-conscious in my wrinkled scrubs and durable work shoes. Usually, I felt empowered by my nurse’s uniform, but after being on my feet all day, I felt grungy and worn out.
His eyes narrowed as they did whenever he was concentrating back in Mr. Dudley’s calculus class. “We went to high school together, didn’t we? You were a cheerleader, right?”
“No.” I laughed at the absurd notion that I’d had time in high school for anything but studying and working. I didn’t come from a wealthy family like Gage and everyone else at St. John’s. If not for an academic scholarship and tips earned waiting tables, I wouldn’t have attended the private school.
“No, you didn’t go to St. John’s, or no, you weren’t a cheerleader?” he asked.
“No, I wasn’t a cheerleader.”
He nodded. “Volleyball?”
Shaking my head, I did my best to maintain a level of professionalism by not blushing. “I need you to lean back so I can wash out your wound.”
He hesitated. “Well, that doesn’t sound like fun.”
I gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m just trying to save your life, but if you’d rather die of infection . . .”
Grinning, he lay down on the table.
As I turned to collect everything I needed, a rough-looking teenager pushed aside the curtain. The kid barely looked fifteen, but he smelled like cigarette smoke and had a gang-like tattoo on his neck.
Before I could tell him to leave, he glanced at Gage. “You gonna live, Coach?”
“Are you worried about me, Rhodes? I’m so touched.” Gage spoke in a teasing voice as he pressed a hand to his heart. “I always knew you cared, I just didn’t know how much.”
The kid, Rhodes, rolled his eyes and mumbled something I pretended not to hear. Foul words were common in the ER, but this kid seemed to have an advanced degree in profanity.
“Hey, that’s not how you speak in front of a lady,” Gage snapped. “Apologize.”
Rhodes looked down at his shoes before shooting a quick glance in my direction. “Sorry.”
I shrugged. “That’s okay.” I’d definitely heard worse. Much worse, but I appreciated Gage’s chivalry. He’d always been a gentleman, even if he had no idea who I was.
“Mr. Dudley’s math class,” Gage said, snapping his fingers. “You were the smart girl who sat next to me.”
I nodded. “That’s right.”
Gage grinned so hard, I couldn’t help but smile back at him. He shook his head with amazement. “Wow, Natalie. You look incredible.”
Heat crept up my face. “Thanks.” I could tell he wanted to say more about my transformation, but I was grateful he didn’t.
Although my appearance had improved since high school, I was always embarrassed when people droned on about how much I’d changed. It felt like they were saying I only mattered now because I’d replaced my thick glasses with contacts, learned how to use makeup, and had straightened my teeth. While I liked how I looked in the mirror these days, listening to compliments always left me feeling sad for that geeky girl who just wanted to fit in.
I set the bowl on the table and soaked the gauze in the solution. “This might sting a little.”
Gage flexed his arms and chest in an exaggerated motion. “I’m ready.”
As carefully as I could, I placed the gauze on his cut, feeling bad when he sucked in a sharp breath and murmured, “Ouch.”
Rhodes chuckled. “Does it hurt, Coach?”
“A little,” Gage admitted.
That just made Rhodes laugh. “Man, maybe next time you’ll listen to me about going in that dog’s backyard to get the ball. Some things just aren’t worth it.”
I met Gage’s gaze head on. “You got this bite on your face because you went into a dog’s backyard to get a ball?”
He gave a bashful grin. “Yeah, not my smartest move.”
“Not your smartest move?” Rhodes laughed some more. He cussed, then quickly apologized.
“No problem,” I said, continuing to wash out Gage’s wound. “How do you two know each other?”
Rhodes made a scoffing sound of mock disgust. “He’s my coach at the center. You know, the guy who’s supposed to be setting a good example for kids like me. The guy I’m supposed to look up to.”
Rhodes cracked up, and Gage just shook his head. “Hey, Rhodes. Why don’t you go back to the waiting room and check on the others? I’ll be done in a minute.”
“Okay, Coach.” With a sarcastic smirk, the kid turned and walked away, allowing the curtain to fall back into place.
I finished my task, then pulled off my gloves, and threw them away. “What did he mean by the center?”
“Be the Change Center,” Gage explained. “It’s a program designed to keep at-risk kids off the street. While I’m finishing my last year of college, I’ve been working there.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it.” He beamed at me with enthusiasm.
“What do you do there?”
“Coach basketball. Sometimes I work in the office. Mostly, I listen when the kids want to talk. You wouldn’t think listening would be that big a deal, but it’s actually the most important part of my job.”
“I believe that.”
He stared at me, making me wonder if he realized I would’ve qualified for one of those at-risk programs. Wanting to avoid that topic, I gave him instructions on how to care for his injury. “I’ll walk you up to the nurses’ station to check out.”
He climbed off the table, and as he came toward me, I was surprised by his profound limp. He glanced down at his prosthesis and gave an embarrassed smile. “My stump is always a little sore at the end of the day. It’ll be fine once I go home and soak it.”
I nodded, not even able to imagine the pain associated with losing a limb. While there’d been tremendous advancements in the area of prosthetics, amputees still faced plenty of challenges.
Of course, seeing Gage push through his pain with a smile only increased my admiration for the guy who thought of me as the smart girl from Mr. Dudley’s math class.
In my mind, I gave a huge sigh. Good-looking, athletic, generous with others, and a wounded warrior? No wonder I was still carrying a torch for him.