Joss
I sat down at the main OB floor desk and stared quietly at nothing for a few seconds. A glance at the clock told me it was nearly 5:00 a.m. It felt later to me.
“How’d it go?” Hattie asked, sitting down next to me.
Despite my fatigue, I smiled. “Perfect. Mama has two healthy baby boys.”
“Good job. Heard it was a rough one.”
I nodded. “The second twin wouldn’t turn for anything. But the mom had her heart set on a vaginal delivery, so we worked through it.”
“You gonna get out of here on time?”
“No way. I’ll be lucky to leave by noon.” I took a sip of the coffee I’d poured on my way to the desk. “You?”
She nodded. “Same. Maybe we can grab lunch if we’re leaving about the same time.”
“That would be great. We haven’t caught up in a while.”
She smiled, but something about her expression made me suspicious. “Wait a minute. Is there something you need to tell me? Is that why you want to have lunch?”
Hattie wouldn’t look at me, but her shrug was my answer.
“What is it?” I took another big sip of coffee.
“Let’s talk about it over lunch,” she demurred.
I sighed heavily. “So it’s bad. Just tell me.”
She looked from side to side to make sure no one was within earshot, her expression serious. “Nips is talking a lot of shit about you, girl. Saying you and Dean have been hooking up and that you’re trying to get him to fight for custody of the baby so you can raise it with him.”
My mouth dropped open with shock. “That’s crazy, Hattie. I haven’t even spoken to Dean. Why would she be saying that?”
“Well, I know Dean has been running his mouth around the ER. Saying he may go for custody and that he’s working on getting back with you.”
I gripped my coffee mug so tightly my knuckles burned. “Working on it? What a load of shit. I’m with Carson.”
“I know.” Hattie patted my hand. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I didn’t mean to upset you, but I thought I should let you know.”
I gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks. I’m glad you did.” I glanced at the clock again. “Hey, can you cover me while I take a quick break?”
“Sure thing, baby girl.” Hattie winked at me and looked down at her phone screen, smiling as she read a text.
I set down my coffee cup and stood, heading for the elevator. This shit with Dean had gone on long enough. I was seething over being made into the bad guy by Amanda when I’d been the only one of the three of us who hadn’t done a damn thing wrong.
The elevator ride down to the ER was short, but it felt long to me. I tapped my foot on the floor, arms crossed. I wasn’t even trying to hide my scowl. Carson and I were happy, and I wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way of that. He wasn’t one to listen to rumors, but I didn’t want anyone thinking I’d ever run around on him, whether it was true or not.
Dean was standing at the main ER desk with a couple of nurses. As I approached, he gave me a surprised smile. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I glared at him. “You need to quit this talk about us getting back together. It’s never happening, and I haven’t given you any reason to believe it was.”
The nurses both looked away, finding anything but this conversation to focus on.
“Joss.” Dean lowered his brows, looking confused. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”
“No. I’m never talking to you alone again. You’d twist any conversation we had to make it sound like it was about ‘us,’ and there is no us. We’re divorced. We haven’t been within three feet of each other since before we were divorced, and we never will be again. I’m with Carson now. Leave me alone, Dean.”
The doctors and nurses around us had quieted, all trying to listen without being obvious about it. That was exactly what I wanted.
Dean gave me an exasperated look. “Fine, Joss. You made your point. Let me get back to work.”
“Not yet.” My pulse pounded with the anger that was coursing through me. “I’ve got one more thing to tell you, and then I hope we never speak again. Amanda is pregnant with your child, Dean. She needs you. She didn’t knock herself up, and she deserves your support right now. Man up and do the right thing for once.”
I turned and walked back toward the elevator, a few people sneaking glances at me on the way. My head stayed rightfully high. I had nothing to be sorry for.
As I stepped into the elevator and looked out into the bustling ER, I felt a sense of accomplishment. This time, I hadn’t laid low in shame as the rumor mill churned. I’d faced Dean head on. Hopefully, for the last time. Dean was my past. Carson was my present and my future.