Chapter 16

Elizabeth

If I didn't feel like a useless whore before, I did now. He was pulling away from me, and if it had just been about the arrangement, I wouldn't have cared. I might have even been a bit relieved to have an out, but it had nothing to do with the sex. I was in love with him. Every part of him stimulated me and left me panting for more. I wanted to be in his life as his woman, not just in his bed or his hospital.

The older woman who sat just beside the patient’s bed glanced up at me when I walked into the small room. I could sense the sadness all around me, but the weariness that sat on her features was heart-wrenching.

"Hi, Mrs. Peterson, I'm Elizabeth Jenkins; Doctor Crawford's resident. Kind of like his right hand man." I gave her a tight smile and moved to stand beside her husband’s bed as I checked the machines for his vitals.

She groaned as she got up and moved to the other side. "Well, it's nice to meet you. Call me Sarah, please. Aiden has been with me and Lance for the last ten years. He's a good man, and a great doctor."

I nodded and let out a soft sigh as I glanced up at her. "I know that you were hoping that Lance would wake up from his coma, but Aiden has looked for every possible solution, and your husband's organs are starting to shut down. It's time to call in the family."

Tears filled her eyes and she nodded. "I know. I prayed about it this morning, and I honestly believe my Lance is already dancing in the clouds somewhere."

She pressed her hand to the older man's chest as a soft sob left her. My heart broke.

"How long were you married?" I pressed my hand to the top of hers as it rested on his chest. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and hers as well.

"For forty-three years." She laughed through her tears and looked over at me. "He was the greatest gift I'd ever experienced. There is nothing like living life with your best friend."

"I can't imagine." I let her go and moved around to the other side of the bed as she started to cry harder. I pulled her into a hug, knowing that Aiden would probably kill me. He was caring, and seemed to truly invest himself in his patients, but hugging them was most likely off limits.

She squeezed me tightly and let her pain out against my shoulder in hard sobs.

"I'm so sorry. I wish there was something else we could do." I held her until the door opened a few minutes later, and Aiden poked his head into the room.

"Sarah." His voice was soft, and his expression calm. I was furious with him, and destroyed by his callous, uncaring attitude toward me as of late, but the way he spoke to the woman melted a part of me. I wanted to hear him call out my name with such reverence, such kindness.

"Oh, Aiden." Sarah moved from me and walked quickly to Aiden as he opened his arms to her. He kissed the top of her white curly hair and glanced up at me with sadness in his eyes.

Tears were still dripping down my face, and I was sure that I would get negative marks on my assessment for being overly emotional, but I couldn't help it. I hadn't wanted anything like what Sarah and her husband had before coming to St. Mark's, but now... after getting to know Aiden better, I wanted it all. With him.

The older women cried hard as her thin shoulders shook. I moved past them and avoided Aiden's eyes, not needing to see disappointment in them. He hadn't seemed to have a kind word to say over the last few weeks, and undoubtedly I'd done something wrong the night we made love in his bed, because I hadn't been invited back.

After slipping out into the hall, I walked to the breakroom and grabbed a cup of coffee. Parks walked in behind me and stopped short as he studied me.

"You okay?" His voice was soft, not the usual playful tone he took with me.

"Yes," I whispered as a fresh wave of pain rolled through me and forced more tears from my eyes. "Ignore me."

"Not happening." He set down the file he held in his hands and moved toward me, pulling at me as he wrapped his strong arms around me and tightened them.

I sunk into his hold, not caring if Aiden or Steph walked into the room. They both could bite my ass. I was tired of her playing my emotions and trying to grab Aiden's attention, and I was tired of him using me when he wanted to, and leaving me out to dry when he was tired or satisfied.

I didn't know who the hell I was anymore, with the drama that raged around me almost daily.

"I need to go home and get some sleep. I must be worn out." I moved back, but Parks kept his arms around me.

"Let me take you. I'll drop you off at the door and not even make any sexy jokes," he chuckled as I laughed through my tears.

"No. I'm good. Really." I pushed at his chest, and he dropped his arms from me, but reached out and brushed his thumbs over my cheeks as he cupped my face.

"No, you're not. You haven't been for a few weeks. Wanna tell me what's going on?" He smiled down at me, and I honestly felt nothing but the warm friendship that was building between us.

"What are you guys doing?" Aiden's voice was tight and filled with angst.

I moved back from Parks and shook my head. "Getting a cup of coffee and going home. I know my shift’s not over yet, but I need a break before I crack."

His expression was ugly, and I could tell that he was pissed, but there was very little I could do about it. He'd have to get over it. Parks was interested in me and had been working as hard as he could to treat me like the princess he'd labeled me as for the last month. He wasn't going to stop or give up until Aiden put his foot down. The poor guy had no clue that Aiden and I were sleeping together, or fucking, rather.

"You're working her too hard, boss." Parks turned and patted Aiden on the back as he walked to the door. "Offer still stands, princess. I'll be in my office if you need a lift or a shoulder to cry on. I'm your guy."

He walked out, and I turned my attention back to Aiden. "She took that better than I thought. Forty-three years of marriage is incredible, but to have to say goodbye..."

"Is he your man?" Aiden's eyebrow lifted as he crossed his arms over his chest. It was the first spotting of jealousy that I'd seen in him.

"What? No. You know I don't have feelings for Parks." I lifted my coffee to my lips, blowing on it softly. I wasn't playing into his emotions. He was all over the place, and yet he'd effectively closed me out. I had no clue what was going on with him, but I was getting tired of trying to figure it out.

"He seems to have enough feelings for the both of you." He pursed his lips. "Your shift’s not over for another four hours. You can go home then."

Anger burned my insides as I watched his expression darken. He didn't believe me, and because he thought something was going on with me and Parks, he was going to punish me.

I turned and dumped out my coffee before dropping it in the trashcan and moving past him. I didn't say a word, but slipped into the women's restroom and dried my eyes in an effort to look more put together. I walked to the E.R. in stony silence and forced myself to ignore him for the rest of the afternoon. He'd pulled out the asshole card for the first time since I'd started there, but something told me it wouldn't be the last. The fact that he had paid almost thirty thousand dollars of my debt kept me tied to him. I owed him far more than he'd accepted from me. I was starting to think that paying him back in the future was my best bet, my only bet.

To say I was crushed by his subtle rejection would have been an understatement, but to say I was done with him was the truth. Maybe giving Parks a chance was a good call. At least he wouldn't keep me tucked in the darkness when we were together, as if I wasn't good enough to be called his.