All Wound Up
Page 17
She shook her head and, for a second, thought about palming Tucker off on Katie. But he was next up so she might as well do her job. And, she had to admit, she was curious.
She walked down the hall and entered the room. Tucker was lying in bed, his eyes closed. The two other guys, who were in there watching TV, stood when she came in.
Marie was right. One was tall and hot and oh dear God good-looking, with dark hair and gray eyes that pinned her with a look of concern. The other was all hard muscle and angled curves, and looked a lot more like Tucker with jet-black hair. Except his eye color was different. More blue mixed with the green. And he didn’t wear glasses.
“Cassidys, I presume?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m Grant, and this is Barrett.”
“I’m Dr. Aubry Ross.”
Tucker opened his eyes and smiled. “Hey.”
She walked around to the bed. “Hey yourself. What did you do this time?”
“Tripped over a bunch of rocks in Grant’s backyard and fell.”
“And hit his head,” Grant added. “I think he might have gone lights out for a few seconds. Which is why we brought him in.”
“So I see on his chart. Let’s sit you up, Tucker.” She pressed the button that pulled the bed to a full sitting position, laid the chart down and put on a pair of exam gloves to feel around on his head. “No cuts, but you have a hell of a knot on the back of your head.”
“Yeah, so I felt.”
“Any headache, dizziness, or nausea?”
He paused for a second, until she pinned him with a look.
“Okay, yes to all three.”
“It’s probably a concussion. We’ll want an X-ray and probably a CT scan to rule out anything more serious.”
“Sounds fun.”
“I’ll get those tests ordered, and then I’ll be back to discuss the results with you. Might as well get comfortable. And guys, don’t let him nap, okay?”
“We’re very good at keeping him awake, Doc,” Barrett said.
“Good. You do that.”
After Aubry left the room, Tucker lay back down. His headache had lessened to a dull pounding. He’d asked the nurse for some aspirin, but she wouldn’t give him any until the doctor examined him and made a diagnosis, which really sucked. All he needed was something for his damn headache.
He was fine. This was stupid.
“Your doc is hot,” Barrett said. “Are you dating her?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because . . . I don’t know. It’s complicated.”
Grant stood, stretched, then leaned his back against the wall. “How is it complicated? Did you ask her out?”
“Sort of.”
His lips ticked up. “So, she turned you down?”
“I’m disappointed in your lack of game, Bro,” Barrett said. “Maybe I should give it a try.”
This was making his headache worse. “Give it your best shot. I’m going to take a nap.”
“I don’t think so. Doc said no naps for you,” Grant said. He grabbed the TV remote. “Let’s find the sports channel on this TV and see if we can find some shitty baseball game while we wait for them to grab you for your tests.”
He should have stayed home today. Then he could be sitting on his sofa watching TV—without his brothers, and without a goddamn headache.
But on the up side, at least he was seeing Aubry today, though not the way he’d wanted to.
AFTER RETRIEVING THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM Tucker’s X-rays and CT scan, she reviewed them and made her way back to his exam room. It was quiet in the ER tonight and nothing epic was going on. For that she was grateful.
She opened the door to find all of them watching a baseball game on TV.
They all stared at her. She saw genuine concern in the eyes of Tucker’s brothers. It warmed her.
“You have a concussion, Tucker. Your X-rays and CT scan are clear, though.”
“Good to know. Can I have some aspirin, now?”
She nodded. “Of course. I’ll make sure they give you some before you leave. They’ll also print out some post-release instructions for you. I’d really like to not see you back here again, Tucker.”
He gave her a look. “I didn’t do this on purpose. This was totally Grant’s fault.”
“Hey. How was it my fault? You’re the one who didn’t pay attention and fell over the big-ass rocks that, by the way, anyone with two eyes could see. You should have been able to spot that pile even without your glasses on.”
She looked at Barrett, who nodded and said, “This is true. Big-ass rocks.”
She shook her head. “Either way, this is three times now that I’ve had to treat you.”
Grant frowned. “Three times? You were here another time besides the stitches?”
Tucker scratched the side of his nose. “No. Just that one time.”
Aubry realized as soon as she’d said it, then saw the pleading look in Tucker’s eyes and knew he really didn’t want his brothers to know about that event that occurred in the wine cellar of her father’s house. She couldn’t blame him for that.
“My mistake. Twice. I’ll get your discharge on file and the nurse will provide you with instructions.”
“Hey . . . Aubry . . .”
She stopped. “Yes?”
He gave a look to his brothers.
“Uh, I’d really like some coffee,” Grant said.
She walked down the hall and entered the room. Tucker was lying in bed, his eyes closed. The two other guys, who were in there watching TV, stood when she came in.
Marie was right. One was tall and hot and oh dear God good-looking, with dark hair and gray eyes that pinned her with a look of concern. The other was all hard muscle and angled curves, and looked a lot more like Tucker with jet-black hair. Except his eye color was different. More blue mixed with the green. And he didn’t wear glasses.
“Cassidys, I presume?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m Grant, and this is Barrett.”
“I’m Dr. Aubry Ross.”
Tucker opened his eyes and smiled. “Hey.”
She walked around to the bed. “Hey yourself. What did you do this time?”
“Tripped over a bunch of rocks in Grant’s backyard and fell.”
“And hit his head,” Grant added. “I think he might have gone lights out for a few seconds. Which is why we brought him in.”
“So I see on his chart. Let’s sit you up, Tucker.” She pressed the button that pulled the bed to a full sitting position, laid the chart down and put on a pair of exam gloves to feel around on his head. “No cuts, but you have a hell of a knot on the back of your head.”
“Yeah, so I felt.”
“Any headache, dizziness, or nausea?”
He paused for a second, until she pinned him with a look.
“Okay, yes to all three.”
“It’s probably a concussion. We’ll want an X-ray and probably a CT scan to rule out anything more serious.”
“Sounds fun.”
“I’ll get those tests ordered, and then I’ll be back to discuss the results with you. Might as well get comfortable. And guys, don’t let him nap, okay?”
“We’re very good at keeping him awake, Doc,” Barrett said.
“Good. You do that.”
After Aubry left the room, Tucker lay back down. His headache had lessened to a dull pounding. He’d asked the nurse for some aspirin, but she wouldn’t give him any until the doctor examined him and made a diagnosis, which really sucked. All he needed was something for his damn headache.
He was fine. This was stupid.
“Your doc is hot,” Barrett said. “Are you dating her?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because . . . I don’t know. It’s complicated.”
Grant stood, stretched, then leaned his back against the wall. “How is it complicated? Did you ask her out?”
“Sort of.”
His lips ticked up. “So, she turned you down?”
“I’m disappointed in your lack of game, Bro,” Barrett said. “Maybe I should give it a try.”
This was making his headache worse. “Give it your best shot. I’m going to take a nap.”
“I don’t think so. Doc said no naps for you,” Grant said. He grabbed the TV remote. “Let’s find the sports channel on this TV and see if we can find some shitty baseball game while we wait for them to grab you for your tests.”
He should have stayed home today. Then he could be sitting on his sofa watching TV—without his brothers, and without a goddamn headache.
But on the up side, at least he was seeing Aubry today, though not the way he’d wanted to.
AFTER RETRIEVING THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM Tucker’s X-rays and CT scan, she reviewed them and made her way back to his exam room. It was quiet in the ER tonight and nothing epic was going on. For that she was grateful.
She opened the door to find all of them watching a baseball game on TV.
They all stared at her. She saw genuine concern in the eyes of Tucker’s brothers. It warmed her.
“You have a concussion, Tucker. Your X-rays and CT scan are clear, though.”
“Good to know. Can I have some aspirin, now?”
She nodded. “Of course. I’ll make sure they give you some before you leave. They’ll also print out some post-release instructions for you. I’d really like to not see you back here again, Tucker.”
He gave her a look. “I didn’t do this on purpose. This was totally Grant’s fault.”
“Hey. How was it my fault? You’re the one who didn’t pay attention and fell over the big-ass rocks that, by the way, anyone with two eyes could see. You should have been able to spot that pile even without your glasses on.”
She looked at Barrett, who nodded and said, “This is true. Big-ass rocks.”
She shook her head. “Either way, this is three times now that I’ve had to treat you.”
Grant frowned. “Three times? You were here another time besides the stitches?”
Tucker scratched the side of his nose. “No. Just that one time.”
Aubry realized as soon as she’d said it, then saw the pleading look in Tucker’s eyes and knew he really didn’t want his brothers to know about that event that occurred in the wine cellar of her father’s house. She couldn’t blame him for that.
“My mistake. Twice. I’ll get your discharge on file and the nurse will provide you with instructions.”
“Hey . . . Aubry . . .”
She stopped. “Yes?”
He gave a look to his brothers.
“Uh, I’d really like some coffee,” Grant said.
