Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 118733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Dr. Molina sat on the stool. “I’m also going to admit you.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I don’t like what I see on the scan,” she said pointedly. “I’ve called a couple of colleagues in for a consult.”
“Wh—” Palmer cleared her throat. “What did you see?”
“A large mass. I’ve ordered a biopsy to happen first thing in the morning.”
FIVE
While Damian finished the paperwork from their last transport, Kent took a few minutes to check in with Maeve. They shared a few texts back and forth when they could. Maeve had a strict no-phone policy at work, and Kent only texted when he had some downtime. He preferred to be in the present when working with Damian and felt that if his face was stuck to a phone all day, they wouldn’t be as close as they were. Kent considered Damian to be his best friend. After Damian completed the forms, he and Kent told the nurse at the desk they’d see her later. Their return was inevitable. It was an unfortunate fact, but they were paramedics in a city with over eight hundred thousand people, and that didn’t include the daily tourists.
Back on the rig, Kent silenced his phone after climbing in. Damian let dispatch know they were back in service and heading toward the main facility, but available for Basic Life Support calls. They were low on supplies and needed to restock. Most BLS calls wouldn’t require much more than a ride to the hospital. Despite Damian being on cooking duty, he knew he would ditch his responsibilities if someone needed help. He was, first and foremost, a paramedic. Everything else came second. Kent felt the same way, which was one of the reasons he enjoyed working with Damian.
They arrived back at their facility and gassed up their rig, and Kent began restocking while Damian headed to the kitchen once they’d pulled their rig into the bay. Someone yelled, “The cook is back!” and then others took turns on the intercom to complain about how hungry they were. They worked with a bunch of jokesters—a sense of humor was a definite plus with this job, and was needed due to everything they saw. Nick Martin and Isha Cortez were the biggest pranksters on their shift. If your birthday fell on a day you worked, it was inevitable they would fill your locker with balloons, shaving cream, or confetti.
After Kent finished the restock, he went upstairs to join his fellow paramedics. Most had gathered in the lounge. Their captain, Brenda Greig, sat in the recliner with her feet up, holding a can insulator that looked like a Bud Light can, although it was really a can of soda.
“Rough day?” Kent asked.
“Lost one,” she said as she continued to stare at the television.
“I’m sorry.” Kent sat down on the sofa next to his captain and put his feet up. Downtime was rare, but when they had some, they took full advantage. Kent pulled his cell phone out and checked his notifications. He texted Maeve to check in and then went to social media and scrolled. His favorite posts were those from other stations because someone always had a funny story to share from their shift. Of course, the stories were never funny as they happened, only afterward, when everyone could look back on the situation and laugh.
Kent’s phone vibrated with a text from Maeve.
Having dinner with my mom tonight. Today is blah. Can’t wait to be out of the office.
He frowned. He was certain Maeve’s parents were out of town and not due to return for a few more weeks. Kent prided himself on listening when Maeve told him things, and he remembered how jealous she was of her parents touring Central America with a travel company.
Kent texted back: I thought your parents were out of town?
The chat bubble appeared, went away, and didn’t come back by the time Kent pocketed his phone. He figured her boss was nearby. Maeve hated her job but wouldn’t leave. She had great benefits, and she insisted on keeping them. He’d encouraged her to go back to school, even if she had to take night classes, and get a degree in something she wanted to do. No matter what Kent suggested, Maeve wasn’t interested, which brought him back to her parents and their vacation. He was certain they were still out of town, so why would Maeve lie?
She wouldn’t.
Would she?
Kent had a hard time shaking the feeling that something was amiss. Lately, Maeve had been noncommittal whenever he wanted to make plans. When they’d first started dating, they couldn’t get enough of each other, and now . . . well, now everything felt like a chore. He wondered if they were still on the same page when it came to their relationship. Kent wanted to be with Maeve, but what had started out as a one-night stand before turning into something more had stalled along the way. They were in a scheduled rut, in part because of Kent’s job; at least that was what he told himself.