When You're Ready (Ready #1)(9)

I tried to hide my widening grin and cleared my throat...trying to remember what I was going to say.

"Ah, sorry for the um, interruption?”

Don’t grin, jackass.

“I was coming in to give you the test results from Maddie's CT," I continued as professionally as I could muster.

"Right. Um, yes. Was everything okay? I mean, she's all right? You didn't find anything?" she blabbered, eyes going wild like she expected bad news.

Her hand reached out for the blonde nurse. I took a step forward because I was sorry I had scared her, but stopped myself. She’s not mine to protect. She was the mother of a patient. I needed to get my shit together and let this go.

"No, the radiologist didn't find anything. I had him look it over twice to be sure. She is perfectly fine. Just a concussion. I'll have some discharge instructions typed up, the nurse will go over them and then you can get out of here. Sound good?"

Clare let out an audible breath and looked relieved. She released her friend’s hand to reach out to her daughter, who’d just awoken. She took her daughter’s tiny hand in her own and smiled before looking up at me.

"Yes, thank you. We would love to go home."

I locked eyes with Clare one more time, trying to memorize the emerald color that shined through them. It’s true, a man could get lost in those eyes forever, but it wasn’t going to be me.

Chapter Three

~Clare~

"So much for sleeping tonight," I said to no one as I set the alarm clock next to the bed for one hour in the future. Our discharge papers said I had to wake Maddie every hour the first night. She’d had the worst day ever and to top it off, she would be startled awake all night. She was going to hate me.

As I tucked her in minutes ago, she gave me her goodnight hug and kiss routine, and then said "Mommy, I'm sorry I scared you. I'm not gonna leave you alone like Daddy." Dear lord, the things kids say.

"Oh baby, I know. Daddy left us because he was sick, and it was his time to be with the angels. It wasn’t his fault. I know you’re staying right here with me. But maybe you could lay off the climbing a bit?" I said, hoping to lighten the mood.

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Okay, Mommy. Are you really going to build a ballet barre in my room?"

Oh, right, that. "Well, we’re definitely going to try. How about on Sunday we take a trip to the home improvement store and get everything we need?" I said, praying for divine intervention. I am so defunct at home improvement, hammers and nails flee in my presence.

She bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically, and I gave her one last hug and kiss before turning off the light. My eyes wandered over to the corner where the ballet barre would go and, as I walked out of the room, I wondered how in the world I was going to make this happen for my little girl.

Ethan, if you are up there...a little help? Please?

Walking into my bedroom, I flopped down on my bed just in time to pick up my ringing cell phone which was currently blaring “Milkshake” by Kelis. God, I hated that song.

Leah.

She had an obsession with ringtones. Or maybe she just liked to mess with me. She periodically stole my phone and programmed a new default ringtone, knowing full well I had no idea how to change it. She would wait patiently, like a lioness waiting for prey, until I would call her bitching about how my phone rang in the middle of the grocery store blaring “Sexy and I Know It”, or “Don’t Cha Wish your Girlfriend was Hot Like Me?” by the *cat Dolls in the middle of a preschool play. Leah found it hilarious. Me? Not so much. When my phone started singing “Baby” by Justin Beiber in the gynecologist’s office, I almost killed her. She kept that particular one programmed for weeks, slowly driving me insane. I really needed to learn how to use my cellphone.

"Hi Leah, she's doing much better," I answered.

"Oh, thank God. Thank you for taking care of my precious goddaughter tonight. I’ve been worried,” she said. She always played up her godmother role, like she was a queen or something.

“Well, now you can calm down. She’s asleep. Well, for the next hour at least.”

Leah’s always been like a sister to me and she loves my daughter like an aunt. I fear what she and Maddie might do together when she gets older. I may have to set ground rules. No rock concerts with Aunt Leah.

“Do you like your new ringtone?" she jeered.

"You're just lucky I answered in the first place. After tonight, I’m seriously driving all the way downtown if I need an ER. That had to be the most embarrassing moment of my life.”

Dr. Matthews knew exactly who I was talking about the minute he walked into that room. The over confident grin he’d briefly flashed before examining Maddie said so.

"Why? Because he heard you say he was hot? Well, duh. He is. It's not like he doesn't know it," she said, like it was no big deal.

"Oh God and the comment about how long it'd been. Jesus, he must think I'm a nun...or a prude," I whined, finding a comfortable position on the bed. I absentmindedly twisted a dark red curl around my finger.

Wait, aren't those the same things?"

"Shut up, not funny."

"Okay, like I was saying before we were interrupted by the very topic of our conversation. Dr. Matthews is single, and you are single...oil, gears...etc.”