Chalk by Lily J. Adams

Chapter Eight: Busted

 

Lucinda

 

“Lucinda, can you please check on Mr. Simpkins in Ward C, room 208? He’s complaining about the catheter making him uncomfortable. Maybe it’s full or something. Can you swing past on your rounds?” My supervisor Cheryl asked, standing at the nurse’s station.

“Sure, I can.” Despite my false start in attempting to surprise my daughter and Chalk, working at the hospital was helping me feel like I was contributing to society.

I walked along the corridor running my hands around in my nurse’s pockets trying to see if I had my stethoscope, then I remembered it was already around my neck. I laughed at myself and walked into Mr. Simpkins’ room.

I greeted him with a smile as I pulled back the curtain. “Hello, rise and shine Mr. Simpkins, how are you doing today?”

“I’m doing pretty good for an old guy. What’s your name? I haven’t seen you around before,” he croaked.

“That’s because I’m new here.” While I spoke to Mr. Simpkins I pulled back his curtain and checked his clipboard at the end of the bed. I came closer to the older man and bent down to check the catheter, seeing that it was blocked and his urine bag was full. “Ah, I see the irritation that you were talking about. Your catheter has a little bit of a block in it. Looks to be an air bubble. Let me change it and we should be good to go. Is there anything else going on for you?” I asked, already fixing the simple issue.

“No darling, that’s it. It’s just been bugging me. I’ll be glad to get the damn thing out,” Mr. Simpkins complained with a wince.

“Oh, don’t worry it will be out soon enough. You have another three or four more days in here and then you can go. How does that sound?”

“I can’t wait. I’m just glad the operation went well.” He grinned.

I smiled at Mr. Simpkins. He was a pretty decent patient despite the little grumble here and there. “Me too. You’re pretty tough and you got a lot of fight in you.”

“I don’t know about that. I’ll just be glad to get back to my gardening.” He chuckled.

“You will in no time.” I ran through my checklist, made Mr. Simpkins a drink, and then got ready to move to my next patient to collect some blood. As I hummed to myself along the corridor I wondered what Sarah’s reaction would be when I saw her. I couldn’t wait to hold her in my arms. The last time I did that was when she was four. I shook my head at the memory. I couldn’t believe it had been so long. When I held her back then, her hands were so tiny, they fit like little gloves into my hand. I smiled as I cherished the memory of her. I loved the softness of her little feet running around everywhere attached to those chubby little legs.

Sarah had her father’s hair for sure. If she wasn’t a girl, she would look exactly like her dad. I let out a sigh. I missed him so much too. But I needed to let it sink in for a bit…that he had moved on.

I walked to the elevator and up to the next floor, I had a blood test to take for the next patient, Doris. I walked in to find an upright lady flicking over the channels. “Hi, Doris, how are you? You’re looking good this morning! Nice to see you watching TV.” I loved my older patients; they had so much unexpected vivacity.

She flicked to one more channel and gave me a toothy grin. “Yes, well, I figured I better sit up because I have to go to rehab.”

“That’s a good idea. I just have to give you a quick jab and you’ll be ready to go.”

“Quick jab. Okay?” Doris looked uninterested, we’d taken her blood already so many times it was like having a morning coffee to her.

I set up with the right needles and plumped her veins to take her blood.

As I headed down to the bottom floor as I searched around in my pockets to see if I had any candy left. That’s when I collided with a hard body. I raised my gaze, ready to say sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.

Two hands held onto the side of my shoulders to make sure I didn’t fall.

I blurted out, “Sorry, I should look where I’m going next time.” I saw short blonde hair, a chiseled face, a nice set of lips. I smelled warm leather.

I gasped in shock, my heart beating fast at the realization it was Chalk.

His warm hands were still gripping onto my shoulders and his iceberg blue eyes were boring a hole into me. “Yes. You should look where you’re going,” he said through gritted teeth.

His hands were holding me steady, but I felt my knees wobble, as Chalk’s expression changed to a hard frown.

“Lucy? Is that you?” He immediately let go of my shoulders. The confused frown froze on Chalk’s face.

The blonde woman who I’d seen at the house looked on from beside him. A look of amusement ran over her face as she stared at me with her pretty green eyes.

I wanted to sink down into my nurse’s shoes. This wasn’t how I planned to see chalk again. I put my hands inside my pockets to hide the shaking. “Ah hi. Yes, it’s me,” I said meekly, not wanting the flush of heat on my face to show.

Chalk took a while to speak. “Are you – what are you doing here?” His question almost rang out like a frosty demand.

Before I had a chance to answer, the lady next to him coughed loudly. I guess she was looking for an introduction.

“Ah, I work here now. I, umm – I was coming to see you. I wanted to surprise you,” I fumbled over my words, hoping my docile answer would be enough.

Chalk pressed his lips together, as his eyes opened wide while running a hand through that gorgeous hair of his.

The pesky lady tapped him lightly.

I did the best I could to soothe the dryness in my throat. I let my hair frame my face. I didn’t want him to notice how awkward I was feeling.

“Can I talk to you over here for a minute? Can we talk?” he asked bluntly.

I looked around the edge of him to check out the blonde. “Who is she?”

“She is journalist Angie Carmichael,” she said in an articulate tone. “And I’m working on a case. Chalk here came with me to check out a patient for a story we’re looking into. Who might you be?”

Great. So not only was she super pretty, she was intelligent and confident. My discomfort elevated ten notches, and now my palms were sweaty. “Okay, great,” I said quietly as Chalk led me away.

His eyes were intense, and it was almost as if he was mesmerized by my presence standing in front of him.

I took my hands out of my pockets. “What? What is it?”

“You look…umm, you look good.” He searched my eyes, but his face was masked in confusion and doubt.

My whole system was in a state of overwhelmed as I willed my heartbeat to slow down. I would be the one that would need a nurse soon.

“You look like a new person. I can’t believe you’re here. Why didn’t you tell me you were going to be here? Are you staying or are you visiting? What– what are you doing?” Chalk’s cheeks blotched a tomato red color as he stammered out question after question.

“I’m staying here. I got this job and I’m staying in a little apartment not more than a ten minute walk from here.” Panic rose in my throat as I told him the barest of truths.

“This is one of the craziest things. Sarah is going to be so excited, but I’m-I’m at a loss as to why you didn’t tell me,” he said in an exasperated tone. “Who got you here? I don’t get it?” He was speaking with such intensity that a little bit of spit came off his lip.

I stepped to the side as he wiped his mouth. “I got myself here, Chalk,” I said with firmness. “Relax a little. It was with good intent. I just wanted to get settled into the hospital first.” I was trying to reason with him, but the flare in his eyes told me it wasn’t working.

“Right.” His words came out with a hard edge.

“Umm. So I guess that’s it, now you know. I’m here, Chalk.” I shrugged my shoulders not knowing how or what to ask about the lady with him. Technically, I had no right to feel anything about it. Chalk and I weren’t together, so why did I feel like my heart had just been ripped out of my chest? ‘Why are you here? With her was the unspoken phrase.

Chalk huffed, clearly still able to read me like a book. “She’s working on a piece for the Rebel Saints. We’re here to visit a patient that might give her a lead on another story.”

I looked up at him through my lashes, wondering when my palms would stop sweating. “Okay. Just thought to ask,” I shot back with a quick smile.

The beautiful woman looked around the hospital hall with her arms folded.

I felt a little better, but not much. “Why do the Rebels need a piece done on them?” I asked, trying to broach another subject and lighten the load on my heart.

“That’s a long story and one I don’t have time to get into right now. I’m trying to get my head together because right now, I can’t believe you’re standing right in front of me.” Chalk was thrown for a loop just like me, and the longer we talked the more we both tripped over our feet.

“I would love to know. I guess now that you know I’m here we can talk a little more or something?” I asked with apprehensiveness. I felt like I was stepping into a minefield and any minute it might blow up.

The woman inclined her head in our direction with an ‘are-you-done?’ look.

My eyes fixated on her for a minute as I contemplated how much more I wanted to reveal at this point. “I do have to finish up my shift, so I need to go, but let’s talk about things…I mean, maybe. I can see you need to keep moving as well. Ah, you have my number.” I moistened my now-cracked lips, wanting things to end.

Chalk stood staring at me, unmoving. “Okay, I’m proud of you for what it’s worth. You finished the course and now you’re here. Umm – kinda crazy.” His brows creased as he shook his head. “Okay, I’ll be seeing you. Gotta jet. Bye, Lucinda.”